Was this supposed to be love?
Yes. For 20 years the two sneak off three or four times a year to "go fishing". Jack, who lives in Texas and is the less masculine of the two, wants Ennis-- who lives in Wyoming-- to come live with him on his parents' ranch.
But Ennis is afraid because when he was a kid, he knew of two men who lived together and one of them was eventually murdered by the locals. He also seems to want to stay near his two daughters, even after the divorce. The affair goes on until one day Ennis learns that Jack has been... guess what? Murdered by the locals.