Chapter Nine

Jacky had everything packed the night before they were going to head for Signal then on to Brokeback Mountain Resort. It had been two days since they had found Ennis' note and had given Jacky enough time to accept his great-grandfather's background. He hadn't yet told his parents. In fact, he hadn't called them the last few days. He had only texted, letting them know he was doing all right. He was surprised his mother hadn't called, frantic from not hearing from him for so long. Too much was currently going on for him to think about his life back in New York City at the moment. Planning was tough and he had made sure Steve wasn't taking the full responsibility of it even though Steve knew the area more.

Coming downstairs with his luggage in hand, Jacky walked into the living room, hearing Steve and Emily going through a checklist of what was to be done while Steve was gone. They were only planning on being gone for the weekend, yet it sounded as if Steve was planning for a week. And Emily kept reminding him that she was his partner, so she already knew what was supposed to be done whether he was here or not. Jacky set his suitcase down, listening to the two of them bicker like an old married couple. Even though there was nothing romantic between them, Jacky could tell that Steve and Emily loved and enjoyed each other's company.

Emily walked into the living room a few minutes later, with Steve still bickering while following behind her. She stopped in front of Jacky. "You ready to go?" she asked. Being ignored, Steve finally quieted, but looked like he could say something more. Which made Jacky wonder if Steve had doubts about the trip. Did he really want to go? Jacky didn't want to force him to do something he didn't want to.

"I am," Jacky said with a nod then looked past her at Steve. "But is Steve ready?"

"Of course I'm ready," Steve said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you keep pestering me about what I already do every single day since I came to work with you," Emily said, glaring over her shoulder at her partner. "Why do you think I need this checklist anyhow?"

"I've never been off the ranch," Steve said. "I've never had vacation time. What else do you expect me to do?" Seeing it from that point of view made Jacky feel guilty about his earlier thoughts.

"Expect me to handle it," Emily said. "We both know good and well that I can do it."

"I know," Steve said. He must love the ranch a lot for him to be acting this way. Now Jacky was guilty about pulling Steve away from the ranch, willingly or not. He looked at Jacky. "I'm almost as bad as you, worryin' about leaving home."

"I wasn't worried about leaving home," Jacky said. "I'm worried about making my own home." If he hadn't been in the hospital because of homesickness, he never would have admitted this out loud. Whether they were good friends or not. Living on his own wasn't a thing, so he hadn't even said anything about his fears to his parents. They all, including himself, just assumed he would be living with mom and dad for the rest of his life.

"You're nineteen, it's normal," Steve said. "In your case, it ain't. Normal people don't end up in the hospital because of homesickness." He didn't mean it in a rude way, and Jacky didn't take it that way.

"You don't have to keep bringing it up," Jacky said. His pouting tone just made Steve smile and Jacky forced himself not to crack his own smile. "Did you have those worries when you were nineteen?"

"I was on my own at seventeen," Steve said and Jacky could feel the mood in the room change drastically. "My folks died in a car accident and left me everything." Emily touched his arm in a brief moment of comfort and he thanked her with a nod of his head. "I constantly had those worries. Deep down, I think I still do." He shook his head, changing the subject. "We better get going. I don't want it to be too late gettin' there."

Jacky picked up his suitcase. Emily said a brief goodbye then headed out for the daily chores. Jacky followed Steve out the door and to the truck, putting the suitcase in the truck bed next to Steve's. They both climbed into the truck and then they were on their way.

They arrived in Signal late because the first thing they had done was drive out of the way to return the rented car Jacky had been driving since arriving in Wyoming. It was almost midnight when they arrived in Signal. They got a room at a hotel, planning on getting up early the next morning so they could get to Brokeback Mountain Resort at a good time. As soon as they walked into the room, they didn't turn on the lights. They went directly to the beds, fell down and almost immediately passed out from the long traveling day.

Steve was up first the next morning, surprised that the alarm hadn't woken up Jacky. He showered then headed downstairs for breakfast then took some food up to the room for Jacky whenever he woke up. When he walked into the room again, he could hear Jacky in the shower. He put the food down on the table then looked over the Brokeback Mountain Resort pamphlet that he had picked up in the lobby the night before.

The Resort was open year round and was the busiest during the summer. There were a lot of activities and the place seemed more geared toward couples. Building the resort had started in the late 1990s and opened in 2000. Activities included swimming, boating, fishing, and skiing during the winter months. Spring and summer were the best times for couples, which was why it was the busiest. Brokeback Mountain was obviously a romantic getaway spot. And from the pictures in the pamphlet, he could see why. The place was beautiful and he couldn't wait to see it in real life.

Steve put the pamphlet down when he heard the bathroom door. Jacky stepped out, wearing only a towel around his waist. The second he saw Steve, he jumped back into the bathroom, closing the door quickly. Steve chuckled with a shake of his head. He walked over to the bathroom door and knocked. "You ain't got nothin' I haven't seen before," he said.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna strut it around!" was Jacky's response. "Could you bring me my clothes? They're on the bed."

Steve walked over to the bed, grabbed the clothes and came back. "How long did you expect me to be gone?" he asked after he knocked on the door once more.

Jacky opened the door a crack and peered out. "I take short showers," he said, holding out his arm to take the clothes. "Normal people take longer to eat."

Steve handed the clothes over. Jacky pulled them in and the door was shut fast. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall next to the door. "The only time I take longer to eat's when I'm eating with someone else," he said. "No conversation means shorter eating time."

It didn't take long for the door to open again and Jacky walked out, fully dressed this time. "What do they have for breakfast?" he asked, walking past Steve, who caught a whiff of his vanilla-scented shampoo.

"I brought up some stuff," Steve said, waving toward the table. Jacky looked at him then walked over to the table and sat down. Steve pushed away from the wall and walked over to one of the beds and sat down. "We're leaving in about fifteen minutes by the way."

"Why not sooner?" Jacky asked between bites.

"I thought you'd sleep longer."

"I'm an early riser."

"Something you complained about at the ranch," Steve said with a slight smile. Jacky stuck his tongue out at him. "If you want to leave earlier, do you wanna eat on the way?"

Jacky thought for a moment, staring down at his food. "Let's go now," he said, getting to his feet. He put his shoes on then packed up all of his things. Steve didn't have to do anything. He had already packed up his things before he went for breakfast.

"Don't forget your food," Steve said, getting to his feet. He grabbed his suitcase then watched as Jacky stood there, trying to figure out how to carry the food and his suitcase at the same time. He walked over to Jacky's bed and grabbed the other suitcase. Jacky just looked at him gratefully then grabbed his food and followed Steve out the door.

"Welcome to Brokeback Mountain Resort," the man said at the front desk of the hotel. His nametag read "Clarence." "If you haven't heard, we're having a special cook out all weekend long." He pulled out a pamphlet and placed it on the counter for Jacky and Steve. "How long will you gentlemen be staying?"

"Just for the weekend," Steve said while Jacky pulled the pamphlet over to himself and looked through it. "We've learned recently that this area has significant meaning to our families. Just wondering if you've ever heard of Ennis Del Mar or Jack Twist?" Jacky looked away from the pamphlet only because he was interested in this part of the conversation now.

"My father knew Ennis Del Mar," Clarence said. "Mr. Del Mar helped around here during the building in the 1990s. He didn't provide financially, but he was a big help to everyone who worked here. There's an area here at the resort that he named after Jack Twist, in fact."

"Really?" Steve asked. They were always learning something new. What else was there about Ennis Del Mar?

"Yes," Clarence replied with a nod. "It's a nice little fishing area. For only nine dollars, you can reserve the spot for yourself for a few hours a day. If you hurry, you can still book a reservation."

Jacky looked at Steve. "We didn't come here for fishing," he mumbled.

Steve spoke quick enough to talk over Jacky's comment. "We'll think about it," he said. "We'd like to book two rooms. Is there any chance we could talk to your father?"

"He's away on business," Clarence said. "He won't be back until the middle of next week." He worked on the computer then paused and looked back at them. "We only have one room available. A suite."

"That's fine," Steve said, looking at Jacky when Jacky elbowed him in the side. "What?"

Jacky turned around, putting his back to Clarence, who looked at them both strangely. Steve didn't move for a moment then turned around alongside Jacky. "What is it?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"It's a suite," Jacky said, whispering also. "How're we gonna afford-"

"It'll be fine."

"It's also a suite," Jacky went on. "at a couples resort." He and Steve had a staredown for a moment then they both turned back to Clarence.

"The suite's fine," Steve said. "We'll take it."

Clarence booked them the room then handed over the key and a small bag. Steve grabbed the key and the bag before Jacky could reach it. Steve turned and headed off with Jacky following behind him. They headed up two flights then down the hall to their room.

"What's in the bag?" Jacky asked as Steve unlocked the door and stepped inside. They were each carrying their own suitcase now. Jacky followed him in, letting the door swing closed behind him. He set the suitcase down as he looked around the room.

The lighting was dimmed and there was one bed. The biggest bed Jacky had ever seen. There was a TV in front of the bed and the bathroom in the back corner. He had seen bigger and better suites in his life, but the resort wasn't too fancy to begin with.

"What's in the bag?" Jacky asked again, not going to mention that there wasn't even a couch for one of them to sleep on. Sharing a bed would be a bit strange, but the bed was big enough to give them both enough space.

Steve put the room key down on the table, putting the bag in his pocket. For safe keeping? "A young mind like yours wouldn't understand," he said.

"It's condoms, isn't it?" Jacky asked. Steve gave him a look, but he knew he was right. "I may be single and a virgin, but I'm old enough to have gotten the talk. I got that talk a long time ago."

"You didn't seem like the type that'd understand," Steve said.

"I'm not that young."

Steve walked over to the window, opening the curtain to let in more light. Outside was the most beautiful view Jacky had ever seen. Jacky walked over and looked out. It was a marvelous view of the mountain peaks and a river.

"Do you think it was this beautiful back when Ennis and Jack were here?" Jacky asked, looking over at Steve.

"It was probably better back then," Steve said then turned away from the window. "Wish we could've spoken to Clarence's dad. Someone who actually knew Ennis-"

"I think I have enough information on Jack Twist," Jacky said. He walked over to the bed and sat down, forgetting the conversation for a moment as he enjoyed the texture of the bed. He laid down with a satisfied sigh then sat back up and looked at Steve. "There's really not that much more to him. The big mystery was solved back in Riverton."

"So what're we doin' here?"

Jacky shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I was just curious about the place. Jack and Ennis worked together here and maybe this is the place that brought them together," he said.

"Maybe, maybe not," Steve said. "You'll probably never know the whole story between Jack and Ennis."

"Do I really need to?" Jacky asked. "That note...It explained a lot in just a few words. Jack meant a lot to Ennis."

"You still don't know how he died."

"Not sure I wanna know," Jacky said. He had found out that two men together back then was an abomination and that some people took care of those types of people in the worst possible way. What if Jack Twist had ended his life in that way? He was glad he didn't live in that time.

"Then I guess we just relax and enjoy our time here," Steve said. "I needed a vacation anyway." He gestured for Jacky to stand up. "Let's go see if we can get a tour of the place." He grabbed the key as he headed for the door.

Jacky got to his feet and followed.

To Be Continued...