Taking Chances, by E. L. Van Hine and L.H. Nicoll

[MaineWriter]

Are Drakes produced all over the country or mostly on the East Coast?  I've heard of them, but I think Hostess is more predominate in the midwest.  Hostess also made (or makes) a chocolate hot-dog shaped cream in the center thing - but I can't for the life of me remember what they're called.

So, I am in the grocery store today and I see a display of DRAKE'S CAKES...with ring dings and yodels! I can't resist and buy a box of each. Of course, I get home and my husband pitches a fit...why am I buying this junk food? Never mind that it 28 years of marriage I have never bought a ring ding! LOL.  So I just ate a pair (they come in two-packs) with a glass of wine...not a bad little treat,  I have to say. Brought back lots of old memories....

L

[mariez]

So, I am in the grocery store today and I see a display of DRAKE'S CAKES...with ring dings and yodels! I can't resist and buy a box of each. Of course, I get home and my husband pitches a fit...why am I buying this junk food? Never mind that it 28 years of marriage I have never bought a ring ding! LOL.  So I just ate a pair (they come in two-packs) with a glass of wine...not a bad little treat,  I have to say. Brought back lots of old memories....

L

Okay, this is scary.  My son works part-time in a dollar store and they have weekly "specials"  (usually a name-brand product of some kind) displayed by the register. Guess what was the special this week?  And guess what is sitting in my pantry right now?  DING DONGS!  I don't even remember the last time there was a package of Ding Dongs in my house!  LOL!   I haven't sampled a Ding Dong yet - but I've had a helluva day and I think I will follow suit and have a glass of Merlot!

Marie

[NavyVet]

Chapter 73 still sends chills down my spine.

[louisev]

I think you folks have gone insane!  Yodels, Ring Dings, Ding Dongs?  I say, Where's mine?  Oh wait... they all have gluten in them.

I guess I'll be stopping by the DM Markt on my way out today to my friend Jane's house for some of that chocolate covered gluten-free gingerbread... as good as a Yodel any day!

[MaineWriter]

Good morning, re-readers! Chapters 76-80 today...

http://louisev.livejournal.com/47728.html

From Chapter 76....


Ennis paused at Nellie’s stall, a fresh gash in the wood where Worrell’s rifle had discharged into it, and he brushed the mar with his fingers. “Ain’t never gonna forget what he said, neither. Called em Blue Eyes, the handsome one, like he was some kinda whore or somethin, he couldn’t be bothered rememberin his name... an he said ‘I guess he never got over you cause we look a lot alike....’ "

Ellery nodded, not daring to interrupt Ennis’s train of thought. Ennis got to the end of the line, tossing one of the leftover squares of hay into Nellie’s feed trough. “That’s fer savin my life, Nellie. You ever own a horse Ellery?”

He nodded, looking at the nervous bay.

“Should break Nellie in fer you an we can go out ridin when ya feel better. Buy er from Wes. Never had a horse save my life before.” He clicked to the skittish filly, whose head bobbed up at the sound, and she nickered at him, not getting closer to Ennis’s outstretched hand. “If she wasn’t so wild she wouldn’t a kicked em.”

“An you want me ta ride er?”

“Okay you can ride Pal an I’ll ride Nellie. Can’t very well just sell her off after this... it’s too important.” he made another clicking noise, leaning a bit further over the stall door and Nellie moved closer, the velvety brown nose snuffling over his outstretched hands. “Lookin fer sugar, spoiled girl...” he laughed softly. “Yer a good little darlin though ain’t you, gonna be good fer Ennis next time I put the saddle on ya.” A pink rimmed eye glared at him as though he ought to know better, and he nodded in Ellery’s direction. “You gonna buck off Chief Deputy Darlin over there if he sits on ya? He weighs a whole lot less than me ya know.”

“Not that much less....” Ellery objected, finding himself smiling at last.

Leslie

[MaineWriter]

Over on the Laramie Tales thread, we got into a discussion of Ellery and Ennis's need to hold each other. Here is a good example of that, from chapter 77:

“Oh yeah. But we got a couple things ta do before that,” Ellery said, raising his hand and putting it over Ennis’s. “We got some holdin ta do.”

Ennis put his other arm around Ellery and turned him slowly, pulling him in. “Oh darlin..” he said, pushing back his hair, looking into those grey eyes, trying to perceive the ache that lay behind them. “That we do.” Ennis kissed him softly, gently, tightening his embrace, Ellery’s hands sliding up his muscular back, and surrendering his mouth to the gentle, tender kisses... so different than Ennis’s usual dominant passion. He broke off the kiss, looking into his eyes once more... “why we end up doin this in the kitchen... must be a romantic place, come on.” and he tugged on Ellery’s hand, passive and willing, undressing slowly and sitting down together on the bed, evening casting their shadows long through the window. From the bedroom, everything seemed normal, except for the telephone which Ennis had dragged across the floor during the siege late Saturday night. It seemed like a year ago. He slipped his arm around Ellery’s shoulder and pulled him down to the bed, capturing him with his other arm and sliding onto him, kissing the delicate hollow between his neck and shoulder, stroking his forehead and then looking down into his eyes, watching him.

“You like this...?” he asked softly, whispering, brushing his lips across Ellery’s pale cheek.

“Yeah.”

“We ain’t in no hurry are we?”

“Nope...”

Ennis rested his head on the sharp shoulder, fingers toying with locks of black hair, stroking his arm, rubbing across a nipple with his thumb and curling around his hip. “Just holdin you is so nice, darlin... god darlin I love you...” he whispered, a slight cry in his voice.

L

[MaineWriter]

More from Chapter 77:

“God I love you,” Ennis whispered softly, mouth against Ellery’s ear, feeling his cock soften and slip out of him, and he pulled off, transferring his weight to his side and pulling Ellery up against him, spooning him.

“I love you too sweetheart,” Ellery whispered, shivering with an aftershock of pleasure as Ennis pulled out. “That was... that was perfect...”

Ennis ran his hand down that narrow torso, over the flare of his hip, thumb brushing gently, lingering on the pink spot where he could still see the small bruises made by his teeth. “That still hurt?”

“In a good way,” Ellery replied, ´voice still soft, husky. “You know what I’m glad about?”

“Hmmm...”

“I didn’t get injured an have ta explain to anybody how that got there.”

Ennis kissed his sweaty nape, pressing briefly against the bite, feeling the full body shiver as he sucked on the flesh of his neck, nipping gently, then letting go as he raised a small welt on his neck, then licked it with his tongue, eliciting small moans of pleasure. “Got bit by a coyote,” he murmured.

“A blond one,” Ellery replied.

L

[MaineWriter]

In Chapter 78, we meet Dr. Sampson for the first time...

Forty minutes later he was staring at Dr. Roy Sampson. “You mean ta tell me I roared down here an there ain’t no test?”

“Well they’re workin on one but it ain’t approved. Your vital signs are normal, blood tests won’t be back for a couple of days, but we can’t test for the virus. How long since you have been exposed to the questionable partner?”

“Call em my boyfriend, it won’t kill ya ya know doc.”

“Your boyfriend then,” he winced.

“End a May thereabouts.”

He shook his head. “Unless it is an acute case you wouldn’t see any real physical results for at least a couple of months. And what is his health like? Any way you could get him in for an exam?”

“Healthy as a horse, eats like a pig, strong as an ox...”

“So a regular farmyard I see,” he said sourly. “Any lesions or skin welts?” He eyed Ellery’s lovebite suggestively.

“That’s a hickey.” Sampson looked away. “Ya know, if you weren’t the most decent doctor in this town I’d kick you in the balls an go across the street because a you actin like a spinster, Sampson. You’ve known for the past twenty years I’m queer so stop actin like it's some big disgustin surprise.”

“I’m sorry, Ellery, it just isn’t my normal line a business.”

“It is if yer a doctor. You know I looked this up. You know how many people have died a this already?”

“Yes. We get the reports every week from the CDC.”

“Well then stop bein an old woman about it. Now if I bring em in here for an exam can ya be delicate, discreet an not throw up about his bein queer, or do I have ta bring em ta Cheyenne or Denver or some place where doctors don’t think bein queer is a social disease?”

Sampson frowned. “Bring him in. Do you know how long since he was exposed?”

“I don’t know that he was. If he caught the AIDS it would a been well over two years ago because that’s when his parter was murdered. Yeah you heard me,” he said when Sampson startled. “Imagine that, a queer gettin murdered.”


L

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 79....oh, this hurts....

“Is three days gonna make a difference in this moment a truth scenario, Wes?”

“Why three days?”

“Because I would like ta give em what he asked for. Ta go campin with em an get away from all this shit, an thinkin about Jack’s death an lookin down a rifle barrel an slugs comin through my front window an both of us almost bein dead an the long trial ahead. Then you can hit em with all this shit when we get back. Or I can.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea ta put it off, Ellery.”

“An I don’t think it’s yer call Wes. It’s my call. An I wish for about six minutes or so you could let up on playin my Dad an be my boss, the same boss that set us both out ta have a nice little couple a days so we could cool down from the shit we already knew happened, before we deal with all the shit that is happenin afterward.”

Wes glared. “Ellery... “

“I ain’t tellin you, Wes. I’m beggin you,” Ellery’s hands shook, and as he put his hands on Wes’s desk, his voice cracked with strain. “Ennis can only take so much. Do you know what that asshole told em? He said some gotta die, an Jack was one a the ones that had ta die. Actin like he was an avengin angel a god or somethin. Can you imagine if someone had killed Edna on a dark road one night, an you were thousands a miles away an didn’t know what happened... for years an years, an then finally you get the courage ta move on an find someone you can hold on to, an naggin in the back a yer head is that one little fact... that you don’t know what happened ta the love a yer life, your sweetheart till death do ya part... an then one day he shows up outta the blue an points a gun in yer face an says ‘She just had ta die because some gotta die...’ you’d be about goin insane about now. Don’t twist the knife, Wes. Ennis can’t take any more a this. He needs a break from it.”

Wes heaved a long sigh, looking Ellery in the eye. “I don’t like it. But you got three days, Ellery. Now let’s bring ya home so you can get started kickin in yer livin room wall.”


L

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 80:

Wes cleared his throat. “How you feelin, Ennis? I read over yer statement. It must a been real hard, hearin Worrell say those things about... Twist.”

“Wes, it’s a little uncomfortable sayin this to you, but maybe it’s time. Edna told me you know all about me an Ellery an us livin together like we do, an that it isn’t some horrible embarrassment to ya.”

“That’s right Ennis. I wouldn’t a hired you if I thought bein queer was wrong or bad, an I sure wouldn’t have Ellery as my top man right now. Which I think sort a proves my point that I’m right.”

Ennis smiled briefly, nodding. “I mean ta say.... I was close with Jack for a hell of a long time. We was... I loved em, Wes. I can’t even think about what that Worrell said about em without wantin ta beat his face in till he can’t say nothin anymore. He had no right ta take Jack... “ he turned his face away, his eyes stinging with tears. “He had no right ta take my Jack away from me.”

“No, he didn’t. An if we can we’re gonna prove that the legal way an he is gonna pay for his crimes against you an against Ellery... an against Jack an however many other men... he harmed.”

Ennis nodded, momentarily mute as he struggled to get control of himself. “It’s... it’s gonna take a while Wes. An havin ta sit in a court an see that face again is gonna be hard for me. I don’t want ta think about doin that just now, if that’s all right with you.”

“Sure it is, son.” Wes reached over and clapped a large hand on Ennis’s quaking shoulder. “I want you boys to relax an rest a bit an stop thinkin about this, cause we got everythin in good hands..."

L