Thirty-three-year-old gay farmer Vladimir Wozniak IV lives for his crops and the hard work that makes them profitable every year. Five miles up the road, former rodeo bull rider and rancher Thomas Sullivan is just as committed to his corn-fed beef. Once best friends until VJ kissed Tommy during freshman year in college, they stopped speaking when Tommy rejected VJ. Ten years later, after the country doctor who helped bring them into the world dies and his will names them as co-owners of property, they decide to check out their inheritance together to see which one wants to buy out the other. As they travel down memory lane through the Doc’s correspondence and visit familiar sites on the land, can they work their way back to friendship ... and possibly beyond?

The Thaw

Silence hung for a moment before I turned to Tommy.


“I think we should look at the land.” I stared at my hands a second, then glanced at him.


“Hell, yes. I agree.” Tommy didn’t look at me but nodded.


“Now’s a good time before late spring gets here,” I added. “Shouldn’t take more than a few days at most.”


Tommy nodded again. “Wanna eat lunch after this? We can make plans then.”


I watched him for a moment before saying, “Sure.”


Silence returned to the room only because our swirling thoughts made no noise.


When Marshall returned, we told him we agreed we needed to look over the property. The lawyer picked up the two manila envelopes from his desktop, studied the type-written labels on them, and handed an envelope to each of us.


“I’d really appreciate it if you could get back to me in the next couple of weeks. I surely would.” The old man stood and shook our hands.


I understood his hurry. He didn’t look like he was going to last much longer among us. 2


Chapter 3