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Copyright 2004

Rob woke with a start. He had been dreaming about chasing someone and guns being fired and somewhere in the midst of it Paula was screaming for help and he knew he had to get to her. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized he was actually lying in his own bed and Paula was by his side. He looked at the clock to see it was only 5:00. Still dark and Paula was still asleep. She was turned with her back to him, but he could tell from her breathing that she wasn’t awake.

He lay there and let the events of the previous day play through his mind. Today was Sunday. That meant Dutch and Chelsea would probably go to Jack’s, so if he needed back up he might be out of luck. He needed to know if Bob actually made it to Wichita. He needed to know why Linda was suddenly ready to do something so drastic. He needed to find out what had or hadn’t already transpired between Linda and Terry.

First things first, though. He had cattle to feed and stalls to clean and horses to tend to. If he just got up quietly now, Paula could sleep and he could get chores done and out of the way. Of course, that was easier said than done. Paula had that motherhood radar that woke her up at the drop of a hat. When he tried to slip out of bed, Paula stirred. He waited a minute, then tried again. This time she turned over and her eyes opened.

“Trying to sneak away?” She asked. She was always like that. Awake and alert instantly. Never had cobwebs to clear out of her head like he did.

“I was trying to let you sleep,” he reached over and pulled her into his arms, “I thought I’d go start chores.”

“It’s still dark,” she cuddled up next to him, kissing his chest, “You don’t need to wake the cows up just to feed them.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” he knew it was a lost cause now.

“It’s OK,” she reached her hand down and started playing with the hair on his stomach, “We never did get a chance to talk last night.”

Little shivers were going all through him now and talking was the last thing he had in mind. He was still amazed at how Paula could affect him so easily. She was still naked and he felt her bare breasts pressed against him. Her hand made its way further down and all his resolve was lost. The cows and horses would have to wait…so would talking.

~*~

Rob was working in the stable, trying to get finished up, when Paula called him on the radio. They usually only kept radios on when one of them was out riding or working farther out from the house, but after yesterday’s incident, he had wanted to keep in close contact.

“What is it, Paula?” Rob answered.

“Dutch is on the phone,” Paula reported, “I think you’d better come up here and talk to him.”

“On my way,” he tossed the shovel aside and headed for the house. He didn’t like the sound of Paula’s voice, or the content. Something must be wrong. Something had gone awry with returning Bob to Wichita. This was not good.

He stepped into the house and Paula met him with the cordless, “Take it outside.”

He did as she asked and went back out on the porch. The whole crew was in the living room and Paula didn’t want them to hear, obviously.

“Yeah, Dutch,” Rob answered, “What’s the problem?”

“First of all,” Dutch reported, “Davey called and they got Bob delivered just fine. He’s sticking around there this morning to tell his buddies down there to keep an eye on him.”

“Good,” Rob let out a deep breath, “I thought maybe you had bad news.”

“Well,” Dutch went on, “I do. Look, Rob, I’m going to have to lay low for a while. This whole thing really upset Chelsea. We were up all night.”

“Is she OK?” Rob was concerned.

“Not really,” Dutch informed, “We hadn’t told anyone, but she was pretty sure she was pregnant.”

A cold wave of realization went through Rob, “You said ‘was’.”

“Well,” Dutch explained, “She’s definitely not now.”

“Oh man,” Rob’s heart sank, “I’m sorry. I had no idea. I would’ve gotten her out of here yesterday, if I’d known…”

“It’s not your fault,” Dutch acknowledged, “If anyone is to blame, it’s me. I did know and I didn’t get her out or tell you.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Rob offered.

“No,” Dutch declined, “She’s OK physically. It hadn’t been that long. She’s just upset. I just thought you should know. I need to be careful not to freak her out like that again.”

“OK,” Rob replied, “Let me know if you need anything. Did you already tell this to Paula?”

“Yeah,” Dutch confirmed, “I thought she needed to know. She’s kind of become Chelsea’s surrogate mother.”

“You’re right,” Rob agreed, “I’ll talk to you later then.”

“OK, later.”

Rob shut his eyes. Things had gone too far. He had to regain control of the situation before someone else got hurt. He couldn’t let Linda hijack his home and injure his family. The only question in his mind was whether he should let Paula help him. Linda had been her best friend all those years ago. Didn’t matter. He was her husband now, she needed to be by his side for this.

He walked in the front door and the room fell silent. He wondered if Paula had shared anything with them. Based on the looks he was getting, he thought not. Well, they’d have to wait their turn.

“Dad,” Rob requested, “take the boys out to the stable and see to it they finish cleaning the stalls. Boys, you do as your Grandpa tells you and I don’t want to be interrupted unless there’s a life threatening emergency.”

Bill rose from the sofa and the boys got up from the floor. They had been looking at a map together. They put it away and filed out without a word. They recognized their father’s tone of voice. He was not in the mood to entertain questions.

“Hazel,” Rob looked at the couch, “You and Bessie will have to go to the apartment or duplex to visit. Paula and I have business with Linda.”

Linda’s eyes got wide as she watched the older ladies leave silently. Rob saw Paula look at him, her eyes searching for answers. All he could do was trust her to support him on this. When the three of them were alone, Linda stood up.

“Rob…” she began.

“Sit down!” He ordered, his finger aimed at her like she were one of his children in need of discipline, “Now, we’re getting to the bottom of this and we’re doing it now. You are not going to come in here and create chaos for my family and think you don’t have to answer for it!”

Linda gasped, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m talking about my niece,” Rob informed, “She very likely just had a miscarriage because she was so stressed out over the frightening possibility of losing both her father and husband yesterday in not one, but two incidents which involved guns.”

Linda was in a chair, Paula on the sofa and Rob stood towering over both of them. Paula was watching Linda’s reaction now.

“Oh no!” Linda put her hand to her mouth, “Poor Chelsea!”

“Save it!” Rob warned, “Now, I want some answers and I want them now, or I’m shipping you back to Wichita to deal with this mess you’ve created all by yourself.”

“I told you,” Linda stammered, “He got rough with me.”

“And I told you,” he reminded, “You’re going to have to give me more than that. I want to know why he got rough, and I want to know how rough he got and I want to know what you did after that.”

“I don’t know why it matters,” she protested, “You’ve seen how he treats me. I showed you the bruises on my arm. You know he’s a jerk.”

Rob’s blood was boiling now. He was beginning to understand why Bob was the way he was. He had to remember to thank Paula later for not playing these stupid word games with him.

“Well, Linda,” Rob folded his arms and stated, “That don’t cut it with me. I don’t believe in no fault divorce. I don’t believe you can just wake up one day and say, ‘Gee, this guy I married is a jerk and he doesn’t make me happy, I’m going to find someone else and give them a try.’ I do believe you made a very poor choice when you married Bob, but it was just that. A choice and it was your choice. You’re going to have to convince me why I should bail you out now.”

Tears were starting to fill Linda’s eyes, “You all told me I could come here. Mitch, you, Terry…you all said I had somewhere to come to…Now, you’re telling me to go back?”

“That’s not what he said, Linda,” Paula stood up and came to his side, “He said he wants to know the reason. You owe us the truth. We can’t help you, if we don’t know the whole story.”

“I’ve told you…” Linda defended.

“You’ve told us nothing,” Paula was on it now. Rob was relieved. He knew Paula didn’t have any use for these little word games either. Maybe she’d have better luck with Linda. He knew Linda was intimidated by him. Paula continued, “You’ve showed us bruises on your arm and said Bob put them there. You haven’t explained why he put them there.”

“What difference does it make?” Linda was getting very rattled, “He hurt me, isn’t that enough. Why are you all being so mean to me now?”

“This is nothing,” Rob told her, “compared to an attorney.”

“Rob’s right,” Paula supported him, “Look, Linda, I’m going to tell you something…no, I’m going to tell you several things. First of all, I agree with Rob. I don’t believe in no fault divorce. I’m probably more adamant about that than he is. I really don’t believe in divorce at all. I think you should be very careful who you marry, because it’s a life long contract. You know that about me. You’re the one who gave me a long speech about it before I got married. You thought I was making a mistake to marry Rob and you told me I’d be spending my whole life with this man and I’d better be sure.”

Rob hadn’t heard that before. That explained a lot to him. He always wondered why Paula had let her friendship with Linda slip away. Now he understood. Paula had chosen him over her best friend.

“Now,” Paula went on, “you ought to be able to see that it wasn’t a mistake. But what if it had been? What if you’d been right? Do you think I would have left him or tried to fix it? Do you think our marriage is perfect? Do you think it’s easy?”

Linda was looking at Paula with wide eyes. Rob was standing there with his arms folded letting her have at it. She was on a roll now. Linda was going to regret not telling him earlier when she had the chance.

“I wasn’t at your wedding, Linda,” Paula reminded, “But I’m guessing that your vows were similar to ours. Something about ‘for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health’. Nothing in there about happily ever after. Believe me, Rob and I have had our share of worse, poorer and sickness. It is not his job to keep me entertained or happy all the time. It’s his job to see to it we have food and shelter. He has never once failed in that. Has Bob ever failed in that for you?”

“No,” Linda replied weakly, “But…”

“No ‘buts’, Linda,” Paula was tough, “You can not blame this all on Bob. You’ve let him push you around for years, you can’t just suddenly expect it to be different because you want it that way. If there’s a problem, you have to work at it to fix it. Rob and I work at this marriage every day. Don’t you think I get mad at him? That he gets mad at me? It doesn’t mean we’d walk away and give up, though. Have you talked to Bob and told him you want things to be different?”

“I can’t talk to Bob,” Linda argued.

“Have you even tried?” Paula was relentless.

“Bob’s happy with it the way it is,” Linda justified.

“What’s that go to do with the price of tea in China?” Paula was getting frustrated. She was used to dealing with boys too. They were much more forthcoming in their answers.

“Paula,” Linda finally snapped,  “You can’t tell me you’d let Rob put bruises on you and not leave over it!”

Rob felt a lump in his throat. He wasn’t sure what she would say to that. Maybe he should take over. Then, he could hear Paula’s voice in the back of his mind ‘everything happens for a reason’.

“Linda,” Paula leveled her eyes at her old friend and her tone of voice got almost icy, “Rob has put bruises on me just like those on your arm and I didn’t walk away.”

Linda’s jaw dropped. Rob was torn between his desire to hug Paula and thank her and his need to defend himself to Linda. He did neither. He stood there and let Paula continue to control the room.

“He beats you?” Linda asked, looking at Rob, then back to Paula.

“Is that what I said?” Paula challenged, “No, Linda. Rob does not, has not, nor would he ever beat me. I said he has put bruises on my arm. You jumped to the conclusion that he beat me. That’s my point, Linda. We are not jumping to any conclusions about Bob. We both know from personal experience that Rob had a good reason for doing that to me. How do we know that Bob didn’t have a good reason?”

Just then the front door opened and Terry walked in. Linda jumped up and ran to him and he held her as if she belonged to him. He looked over her head toward Rob as if to ask what he’d done to her. All of Rob’s doubts were gone now. Linda had decided to trade Bob in on a new model.

“Hello, Terry,” Rob met his stare, “Paula and I are trying to get some answers out of Linda.”

“Dad said you were up here talking to her and I shouldn’t interrupt,” Terry divulged, “But I thought Linda might want me here. It looks like I was right.”

“Linda was just about to explain to us why Bob grabbed her arm so tightly,” Paula informed, “I was about to tell her that the more she avoids the question, the more it appears she has something to hide.”

“Linda,” Terry led her back to the sofa, “You do need to tell them. I’m sure they’re not going to judge you, Sweetie. They’re your friends. Tell you what, I’ll take Rob outside and talk to him for a few minutes. You can tell Paula. Show her, Honey.”

Rob raised his brows at Terry and then looked at Paula, “OK, we’ll go outside. I need to talk to Terry anyway. Paula, she’s all yours.”

Terry and Rob walked out on the porch. Rob wondered why Terry was here, instead of home with his daughter. Maybe Terry didn’t know what had happened. Was that possible? Rob knew if she were his daughter, he’d be with her. He certainly wouldn’t be off chasing around after some other man’s wife. Time to get things out in the open.

“Rob,” Terry started, “Go easy on her. You scare her to death, as it is.”

“I scare her?” Rob shook his head, “Terry, we’ve got to get some things straight here. If she’s serious about this, then she’d better get over being scared. The lawyers will eat her alive. You know that.”

“She didn’t tell you, did she?” Terry asked, “I guess I’ll have to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Rob pushed, “What is going on, Terry?”

“The marks on her arm,” Terry explained, “There are others. She told him no, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Rob, she showed me the other bruises. They’re bad, Rob.”

“She showed you?” Rob was surprised, “She hasn’t even shown them to Paula. Why did she feel comfortable showing them to you? You better start explaining this stuff, Bro.”

“I told you,” Terry justified, “We’ve been friends for years. Good friends. Linda trusts me, Rob. We used to go talk and have lunch together when she lived here before. She knows enough about me to know I’m not going to judge her.”

“Meaning I will,” Rob concluded, “All right, Terry. So, you’re telling me that the marks on her arm are because Bob forced her to have sex with him when she didn’t want to, is that right?”

“Yes,” Terry nodded, “Apparently it’s not the first time, but it was the worst. I guess she actually tried to fight him off this time and she got hurt worse in the process.”

“Well,” Rob confessed, “If that’s the case, then you left her with the wrong person.”

“What do you mean?” Terry asked.

“I mean,” Rob explained, “Paula isn’t going to show her any sympathy. I’m with you on it. If Bob did that to her, then I agree that she needs to get away from him and I will shelter her here and help her. Paula’s another story. She doesn’t believe a wife has the right to refuse her husband…ever.”

“What?” Terry was shocked, “Are you telling me that Paula will take Bob’s side?”

“No,” Rob shook his head, “I’m telling you that she’ll give Linda a speech about how when she married Bob she gave him a blank check. She’ll tell her she should’ve made a wiser choice in husbands.”

“You mean to tell me,” Terry shook his head, “Paula has never told you no?”

“Never,” Rob informed, “And she won’t. It’s not like it’s an issue. I can tell when she’s ticked off at me or tired or any number of other reasons and I just respect that and let it go. I don’t want her if she’s doing it out of duty.”

“Damn, little brother,” Terry chuckled, “You’re a better man than I ever gave you credit for. All this time, I thought Paula had you on a tight leash to keep you under control. Now I find out she didn’t even put a collar on you.”

“I’m not stupid, Terry,” Rob observed, “I know I’ve got the best wife on earth. I’m not going to mess that up.”

“So should I go rescue Linda?” Terry asked.

“No,” Rob shook his head, “Let them talk for a while. We need to talk about something else. I need to know where you fall in all this and how you feel about Linda…and don’t give me the ‘we’re old friends’ song and dance again.”

Terry sighed and leaned against the porch rail, “Rob, way back when I knew her before, I liked Linda. She was pretty and nice and fun, but I was still reeling from all that mess with Karen. Jeez, that’s why I didn’t go after Paula for myself. I just didn’t want to get into a relationship with any woman again.

“Linda was kind of in the same position,” he continued, “Because she’d lost Charles and had Jenny to think of and didn’t want to parade men through her house in front of her daughter. So we got to be good friends. I told her pretty much all of it back then. She probably knows more than Paula about the whole mess with Karen.”

“Which is why you say she knows you won’t judge her,” Rob realized.

“Exactly,” Terry nodded, “When she came to visit back in May, we kind of picked up that friendship where we left it. She told me quite a bit then. She really did want to give Bob a chance to fix things. I think it’s too late for that, though, Rob. Linda’s a good woman. She deserves better than what he gives her.”

“You won’t get any argument from me on that,” Rob confided, “But you two are going to have to cool it.”

“What are you talking about?” Terry quizzed.

“Don’t play dumb,” Rob advised, “I can see that you care about her. But you’re going to have to take a step back from this or you’re going to do her more harm than good…Not to mention your daughter.”

“Now who’s talking in riddles?” Terry posed, “Say it plain.”

“Do you know what happened to Chelsea?” Rob asked.

“Apparently not,” Terry shrugged, “So tell me.”

“Dutch called this morning to tell me,” Rob reported, “She had a miscarriage over night. All the stress from yesterday.”

Terry’s face fell, “She was pregnant?”

“They’re pretty sure,” Rob nodded, “I didn’t know it either. I’m sorry, Bro.”

Terry rubbed his face with both hands as the reality hit him, “Man, I wish I would’ve known…I could’ve prevented that whole scene yesterday.”

“Yeah, well,” Rob pointed out, “So could Linda. She should’ve told me what was going on.”

“No wonder you looked so surprised to see me here today,” Terry remarked.

“I figured they must not have told you,” Rob admitted, “Listen, Terry, here’s the way I see it. This whole thing with Linda and Bob is going to get ugly. You know from personal experience how bad it can get. We’ve got state lines to deal with, the muddy issue of marital rape, the fact that she’s stayed there for so long, and it’s all going to be her word against his. She has got to come off looking like the victim here, or she doesn’t stand a chance. If it looks like she left him because she’s running to you, she’s going to be in deep trouble.”

“Rob, I give you my word,” Terry promised, “I’m just being her friend right now.”

“I believe you, Terry,” Rob smiled, “But I also can see that you care about her. Look, I understand that it’s been a long time since someone needed you and that’s got to feel good. I’m not telling you to stop being her friend, OK? I think you can be a tremendous source of help and strength for her right now. You’ve been there and done that, so you can help her prepare for this battle. But you need to be careful how it looks. This is a public place, don’t forget. When she was here before, how many people at the stable saw you two walking around here together?”

“Mmm,” Terry pondered, “I see what you mean. And I’m the one that drove her here and stored her stuff.”

“Exactly,” Rob agreed, “Terry, if Bob gets a lawyer that’s worth anything, it’s not going to take him long to get on your trail. All that stuff that came out in your divorce is a matter of public record now. You can only do Linda damage if you’re too closely associated with her.”

“You think it’ll get drug back up?” Terry worried.

“I’d almost bet on it,” Rob predicted, “If you haven’t told Chelsea the whole story, you’d better sit her and Dutch down together and do it soon. They need to hear it from you.”

“Man,” Terry complained, “Why can’t I get away from the past?”

“If I had the answer to that,” Rob reflected, “my life would be a lot simpler too. Seems like these last couple of years everything I ever did has come back to bite me.”

“Yeah,” Terry smiled, “I guess you’ve had your share lately too, haven’t you? OK, I see your point. You’ll help her, though?”

“I’ll do what I can,” Rob promised, “Terry, watch out, OK? You know there’s a very good chance she’ll get about half way there and then end up going back to him. I don’t want you to get your heart broken.”

“I know, Rob,” Terry got a melancholy look on his face, “And I know that even if she hangs tough and gets through this…Well, I just can’t handle the thought of him hurting her, Rob. Do you know how bad I wanted to kill him yesterday?”

“I do now,” Rob went over and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “Hang in there. I’ve got a friend who’s an attorney. I’ll call him tomorrow and see what he can do for her. You know as long as she’s here, Bob can’t hurt her.”

“Thanks, little brother,” Terry looked up into his eyes, “I need to go sit down and talk to her for a few minutes. I need to make her understand what’s ahead of her. I don’t want her to think I’m abandoning her.”

Rob nodded, “Talk to her in the house. Send Paula out here with me.”

Rob went to the porch swing and sat in it. How many hours had he and Paula sat in that swing over the years? It had been great to put the boys to sleep when they were babies. They used to sit with Jason in between them, each of them holding a twin, rocking till they all went to sleep. Things were so much simpler back then.

Paula came out of the house and looked over at him. She looked worried and tired. They both needed a break. Some time away to just be with each other. Not much hope of that in the near future. Maybe when Mitch and Jenny got back they could at least go out to dinner together.

“Come here, Sweetheart,” he invited and patted the spot next to him in the swing. She walked over and stood in front of him looking down. She was in old jeans and a red tank top. She already had that deep tan she got every summer. The older she got, the more her Cherokee heritage showed. She never got a sunburn, only that smooth golden brown. Her hair was pulled back today and she’d actually spent the time braiding it.

When she didn’t sit down, he leaned forward and put his hands on her hips, “Are you all right, Honey?”

She sighed, “I guess it doesn’t really matter if we have a chance to talk does it? We still end up on the same page.”

He smiled, “That’s because we belong together. Thank you for supporting me in there.”

She turned and sat on his lap. Even better than next to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he gathered her up close to him. Who cared what else was going on right now? He had the sexiest woman in the world curled up on his lap.

“You know I’ll always support you, Rob,” Paula assured, “But we’ve got major issues here. She finally told me what happened. I know you’re going to help her. I told her you would. I also told her that the only reason I will help her is because I’m your wife and I will not go against you.”

“I told Terry he left her with the wrong one,” Rob smiled, “Did you give her a rough time or did you go easy on her?”

“I imagine Terry’s picking up the pieces right now,” Paula confessed, “He’s in love with her, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” Rob admitted, “He won’t come out and say it, but he is. I’m afraid he’s going to get hurt. I’m afraid before this is over a lot of people may get hurt.”

“I know,” Paula stretched her legs out on the swing and laid her head on his shoulder, “I’m afraid our days of protecting the boys from the big bad world are rapidly coming to an end.”

“They’ll be OK,” he assured, “We’ve given them a firm foundation. They’re not babies anymore.”

“Rob,” Paula lifted her head and looked into his eyes, “I have a very bad feeling about all of this.”

That made the hair raise on the back of his neck. Paula’s feelings were never wrong. He had learned to rely on them with absolute certainty. He had come out looking like a genius on more than one occasion simply because he had acted upon one of Paula’s ‘feelings’ that sounded ludicrous at the time.

“Can you give me any more to go on?” He asked, looking into those deep brown eyes of hers. They were veiled with long thick lashes that other women would have killed for. He could get lost in those eyes. Over the years he had learned to read them like a book.

“I’m sorry,” she shook her head, “I just don’t like the way it all feels. I do think we need to get Linda out of our house. Keeping her under our roof is going to lead to trouble.”

“Well,” he sighed, “What about the apartment? If we could move Bessie somewhere else, maybe we could let Linda have the apartment?”

“I think that would be OK,” Paula agreed, “Maybe when the kids get back we can get Bessie settled somewhere else. I know you meant to talk to her into moving over here permanently.”

“Who would’ve thought a duplex and one apartment wouldn’t be enough?” Rob chuckled, “Of course, I didn’t realize we were starting a half-way house.”

“You’re too big-hearted for your own good,” Paula teased him, “You take in people instead of stray dogs. I guess maybe it’s a good thing we didn’t have seven or eight kids, huh?”

He knew she was only half joking. They were getting stretched pretty thin with all the extra people around these days. If things were about to get worse, he absolutely had to have Paula’s total support.

“Baby,” he tilted her chin up with one of his big hands, “you know how much I love you, don’t you?”

“Yes, Rob,” she smiled, “I know. And you know I love you. Whatever happens, that won’t change.”

He kissed her softly. His precious angel. Never in his life had he done anything worthy of such a gift from God. Sometimes he was afraid God would suddenly realize that and whisk her away and give her to some man truly deserving of her. After all these years, though, he was beginning to believe that even if that happened, she would find her way back to him.

Paula put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him back, not so softly. He briefly considered carrying her up to their bedroom, but his hopes were dashed by Terry coming back out to the porch. Terry cleared his throat and stood there with his thumbs hooked in his belt loops.

“Wait your turn,” Rob growled, looking up at his brother.

“I’m going home to check on my daughter,” Terry reported, “I explained things to Linda. I think she’ll be more cooperative for you now. Call me if you need me.”

“Thanks, Bro,” Rob called as he watched Terry walk down the steps. He looked back to Paula, “Now, where were we?”

“Well,” she softly trailed her finger down the length of his nose, “You were thinking about carrying me up to the bedroom, and I was thinking that I need to go fix lunch.”

He had to laugh. She knew him so very well. He was quite certain lunch would win out, but he pulled her into one last kiss that made him hungry only for her and that he knew would make her head spin.

He stood up, cradling her in his arms and carried her to the door. Opening the door without letting her slip was not nearly as easy as it used to be. He must be getting old; he could even feel it in his back now when he lifted her. Didn’t matter. He would endure anything for Paula.

Linda was still sitting on the sofa when he walked in. She had been crying and she looked up at them in surprise. Rob just grinned and Paula giggled as he carried her into the kitchen and put her down.

“Now,” he chuckled, “That’s what I call compromise.”

“Why don’t you go tell the boys they can come back now,” she suggested, “I’ll throw some lunch together for everyone.”

“Yes, my dear,” he bowed as if he were her servant, “As you wish.”

He turned to leave and saw Linda standing there. She had followed them to the kitchen. Paula was right. They needed to get her out of the house. The divorce could take years and Paula could not be expected to share her home with another woman.

“Can I do anything to help?” Linda offered meekly.

“Yes,” Paula answered, “You can go look for Bessie and Mom and tell them the coast is clear now.”

“OK,” Linda agreed and followed Rob outside, “Rob, I’m sorry about all of this.”

He slowed his pace across the lawn so Linda could keep up with him. Paula never had to struggle to match his stride with those long legs of hers, but Linda couldn’t do it. Even though she was about Paula’s height, her legs were shorter.

“Linda,” he tried to soften his tone, “I’m sorry if it seemed like I was being rough on you earlier. I do intend to help you. I just wanted to know the whole story. I’m going to call a friend of mine who’s an attorney and see what he can do to help.”

“Does that mean you believe I’m doing the right thing?” She wondered.

“It means I don’t think Bob has the right to hurt you,” he informed, “Terry told me what happened. Linda, I do wish you would have just been up front with me as soon as you got here. I think we could have prevented a lot of this mess if we had handled it differently.”

“Paula thinks I’m wrong,” Linda seemed to be seeking his approval. Maybe she needed to ease her conscience.

“This may surprise you,” Rob gave her a wry smile, “But Paula and I don’t always agree. I always listen to her opinion and take it into consideration, but the decisions around here are mine and she respects that.”

“She says I don’t respect Bob and that I should,” Linda reported. He was amazed that she was opening up to him finally. It was about time. “I told her he’s never done anything to earn my respect.”

“Did she tell you that doesn’t matter? That he shouldn’t have to earn it?” Rob smiled, “That you should respect him anyway? That he deserves it simply because he is your husband?”

“Yes,” Linda nodded, eyes wide, “She did. Almost those exact words.”

“That’s my wife,” he explained, “Paula can draw the best out of people. The way she treats them and relates to them, she can tap into stuff no one else knows is there. She underestimates herself, though. She doesn’t realize what a gift that is. She thinks we ought to all be able to do that. I’m sure she is puzzled at why you can’t bring out the best in Bob.”

“Rob,” Linda divulged, “I really have tried. I thought it was working, then this happened. Maybe she’s right. Maybe it is my fault.”

“Is that what she told you?” Rob had a hard time believing Paula would say that, “Or did she say responsibility?”

“Same difference,” Linda shrugged.

“Not hardly,” Rob clarified, “Fault has a negative connotation. Responsibility is a positive thing. Paula has very clear definitions of the responsibilities in a marriage and who they should fall to. Fortunately, she and I rarely disagree on those. When we do, it’s not a problem because the way she sees it, one of her responsibilities is to always concede to me.”

“That makes no sense to me, Rob,” Linda walked to the rail of the fence and leaned on it, “She keeps telling me that I have let Bob push me around for years and that’s the source of our problems. Yet you tell me that she’ll bow to you every time. What’s the difference?”

“I wouldn’t dream of pushing Paula around,” he expounded, “She doesn’t wait on me like she’s my servant, in case you haven’t noticed. I respect her. Bob doesn’t respect you at all, Linda.”

“And I don’t respect him, so that’s the problem,” Linda observed, “So what’s the answer?”

“I thought you’d already decided that for yourself,” he mused, “You told him you want a divorce.”

“Is that the right answer?” Suddenly she was treating him like the ultimate authority figure.

“You have to decide that for yourself, Linda,” Rob told her, “I don’t know what you want out of life. I don’t know what you can and can’t live with. I can’t make this decision for you. I can only offer you assistance once that decision has been made.”

“I thought you always had a cut and dried answer for everything,” she was a bit sarcastic, “Now when I want one, you won’t give it to me.”

“I can give you my opinion, if you’d like,” he offered, “But that’s all it is.”

“Please,” she implored, “Your wife certainly gave me hers.”

Rob smiled at the thought. He knew Paula’s opinion was far from what Linda wanted to hear. She had probably told her go back to Wichita, roll up her sleeves and work on it until it was right.

“Based on what I know at this point,” Rob told her, “I don’t think you and Bob can fix this and make it better. I think you made a poor choice when you married him and I don’t think you can expect his behavior to improve. From what I have seen of him, I think he is capable of really hurting you and I believe you should get out before that happens.”

“You really mean that?” She seemed relieved to have her actions affirmed.

“Linda,” Rob sighed, “I don’t want you to take this wrong, but you are not like Paula. You know, some people can take lemons and make lemonade and others simply can’t. Paula can make lemonade from rocks. If Paula was thrown into a situation with Bob—whether it was working somewhere together, or stranded on a desert island, or just sitting in a hospital waiting room—it would not take her long to draw out the best in him. He would be kissing her feet and declaring his undying love for her. That’s just Paula.”

“You’re not prejudiced, are you?” Linda smiled, finally starting to relax with him.

“Maybe,” he conceded, “But you know what I mean. She had Doc eating out of her hand, and that’s no easy feat. Your daughter is a lot like her. She had Mitch wrapped around her little finger before she had even moved back here.”

“She gets that from her father,” Linda got a bit sad again, “He was one of those people everybody liked. It was absolutely impossible not to love Charles if you were around him for more than five minutes…God, he was so good to me! I just want that in my life again so bad!”

Rob had to curb his natural impulse to gather her up in his arms and comfort her. Watching any woman cry was not easy for him. Linda had to learn to stand on her own two feet now, though. He stayed quiet for a moment, watching the tears flow down Linda’s face. She cried pretty easily, it seemed. Of course, Paula had him spoiled.

“Linda,” he spoke softly, “I can only imagine what it was like for you to lose him. I know it would be impossible for me to live without Paula. There’s absolutely nothing I can do to change it though, or I would. I can tell you this: if something happened to me, and Paula got herself into a situation like you’re in…God forbid…I swear, I’d crawl out of my grave to get her out of it. That’s why I’m helping you, Linda. Because I’d want someone to help Paula.”

“Thank you,” she looked up at him and then came over and buried her face into his chest.

He couldn’t keep from wrapping his arms around her now. He held her there for a moment and let her cry. He was leaning with his back against the fence rail and he could see the house from where they were. Paula was standing on the front porch, hands on her hips. Lunch was most likely ready. She was wondering why he hadn’t returned with the boys. Well, now she knew. She wouldn’t be mad at him like she was over Mary, but she wouldn’t be happy about it either.

“Come on, Linda,” he gently pushed her back from him, “I need to find Dad and the boys, and you need to complete your assignment. I’m sure lunch is ready and waiting for us.”

“Yes, I’m sure you’re right,” she wiped her eyes, “I’ll see you back at the house.”

When Rob got back to the house, his father and sons on his heels, Paula was in the kitchen and lunch was on the table. He decided he’d better check the atmospheric conditions before he went to clean up. He came up behind Paula and wrapped his arms around her, bending to kiss her cheek. She didn’t stiffen up, so that was a good sign.

“Yes, I saw,” she greeted, “And no, you’re not in trouble.”

He chuckled in her ear, “I love you, Sweetheart.”

“Mmm,” she turned around and kissed him on the nose, “You’d better love me. We really do need to talk about this flavor of the day theme that’s developing. You weren’t this bad, when you were in your thirties.”

“Well,” he teased, “I’m perfecting with age like fine wine.”

“More like an old dog,” she rolled her eyes, “that’ll take petting from anyone who’ll give it to him.”

“Ouch!” He staggered back and clutched at his heart, “That hurt!”

“Oh,” she scoffed at him, “Go clean up for lunch or you’ll think hurt!”

He shook his head and went upstairs to their bathroom to wash up. She let him off easy this time. Old dog. Maybe he was an old dog, but he was her old dog and she knew it.

~*~

A gentle rain had begun falling and Rob opened their bedroom window to let in the breeze and the sound. He loved the sound of rain falling at night. He was in his jeans, but he’d already pulled his shirt off. Paula came up behind him and ran her fingers up his back, sending shivers all through him.

“You’ll make the air conditioner work harder, letting all that humidity in,” she mocked him.

“We won’t tell anyone,” he turned around and smiled. She was in a short red silk nightie that she knew he liked. It accented her breasts. Paula had perfect breasts. Not too big, not too small. Each one was a perfect handful for him. He liked the effect motherhood had brought to them. Nursing the boys had turned them into the breasts of a woman, not a girl. He could see her nipples standing erect beneath the shimmering fabric and he couldn’t keep from wanting to take them in his mouth right now.

“Earth to Rob,” Paula was saying, “Hello? Is anyone home?”

“I’m sorry, Honey,” he shook his head, “Did you say something?”

She started laughing, “It doesn’t matter. I got my answer. Come here.”

She took his hand and pulled him over to the bed. Tossing the covers back, she climbed in and got on her knees in front of him. He could feel his jeans getting tighter by the second, so he was relieved when she started unzipping them and he pushed them off.

They really needed to talk. He had several things he needed to tell her before too much time passed. But here she was, taunting him in just the right ways to make him forget all of that. The bedside lamp was still on and he reached over to flip it off.

“Leave it,” Paula caught his arm. She knew he liked to see.

He ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms. She reached for his underwear and pushed them down. He could feel her breath on him and he put his fingers into her long thick hair. In a single motion, her mouth was down and over him and he had to fight to keep control…

Paula was curled up in his arms, one of her legs draped across him and her head resting on his chest. He could hear the rain picking up a bit outside and the drapes lifted slightly with the breeze. He reached over and turned the light off now, and sighed in total contentment.

“So,” Paula purred, “Is my old dog happy with the attention he got tonight?”

He chuckled, “You’re old dog’s tail is worn out from wagging.”

She laughed and kissed his chest, “Rob, we really need to talk, you know. Are you still awake enough?”

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed, “And yes, I’m awake enough. Where should we start?”

“What’s your plan?” She asked.

“I’m calling Tom tomorrow,” he spoke of the attorney, “That’s where I’m starting. I really won’t know much until after I talk to him. I’m thinking we’ll set Linda up in the apartment for now. I still haven’t come up with a solution for Bessie. I know I can’t send her home. I’m open to suggestions.”

“Do you think your dad would be willing to let her stay in his place,” she posed, “And he could go stay with Terry for a while?”

“Maybe,” he considered, “Let me mull that over for a while. Listen, Paula, I need to tell you about something.”

“What is it?” Paula lifted her head, concerned.

“I didn’t tell you before because it never seemed relevant, but now it does,” he explained, “I have a feeling that if Linda does actually go through with this divorce, Bob will fight it tooth and nail. Which means his attorney will start looking under every rock he can find for dirt. I told Terry he needs to distance himself from Linda, but I doubt if that’ll keep an attorney off of him.”

“What do you mean?” Paula laid her head back down and started caressing his chest.

“Everything that came out in his divorce is a matter of public record now,” he went on, “So it’ll be easy for an attorney to drudge it all back up.”

“So what is it you didn’t tell me?” Paula asked, letting her hand make its way down to the fur on his belly.

“The reason Karen was able to get him declared a danger to Chelsea,” Rob divulged, “Paula, I told you that Karen wanted to get an abortion…”

“Yes,” Paula winced, “And I’m sorry I let that slip in front of Chelsea.”

“Well,” he pulled her closer, “There’s more to it. Karen was a couple of months along before she realized she was pregnant. I don’t know, I guess she wasn’t very regular. Anyway, when Terry found out she intended to abort the baby and wasn’t going to give him any say in the matter, he decided he had to stop her. He figured all he had to do was prevent her from getting there until she was far enough along that they wouldn’t do it.”

“So what did he do?”

“He locked her up in the house and held her prisoner,” Rob chuckled, “Took a page out of Dutch’s book and came up with cuffs and manacles from God knows where. Held her there until it was too late for her to do anything about it.”

“It’s a wonder she didn’t lose the baby from that,” Paula observed.

“Poetic justice, perhaps,” Rob reflected, “The court didn’t look too kindly on it, though. I’m amazed to this day that Karen didn’t press charges against him.”

“She probably figured he wasn’t worth anything to her in jail,” Paula analyzed, “It’s pretty hard to get money out of someone doing time. Does Linda know about this?”

“I’m not sure,” Rob confessed, “Speaking of which, I never realized she didn’t want you to marry me. Why didn’t you tell me that then?”
“Oh, Rob,” Paula chuckled, “If I had told you about everyone that gave me a speech about not marrying you, we wouldn’t have had any time for anything else.”

“That bad, huh?” He closed his eyes. What if she had listened to them? Where would he be now?

“Mmm,” she began stroking him now, “Doesn’t matter. I knew they were all wrong. I knew you and I belonged together.”

“Paula,” he shifted so he was on his side, facing her, “I have to know something.”

“What, Honey?” She brought her hand up and laid it on his cheek, “What’s wrong?”

“What you said yesterday,” he reminded her, “About throwing in the towel…”

“Shh,” she put her finger over his lips, “I’m sorry I said that. I was mad about Mary. I didn’t mean it, Rob. I’d never leave you. No matter what.”

He pulled her back into his arms, “I couldn’t live without you, Paula. I’m sorry about Mary yesterday. I was trying to get her to leave before the big scene with Bob. I had to be nice to get her to cooperate.”

“I figured that out later,” Paula admitted, “I’m sorry I let her get to me. You know, Rob, I realize that every woman who comes and goes at the stable would take you in a heartbeat. They all drool over you. I’m used to their comments about you and it doesn’t bother me. Mary’s different.”

“Why?”

She was silent for a moment, so he gathered her closer and kissed her forehead. He already knew that when they were done talking, he was going to make love to her again. It was like this between them. They would go weeks, months even without a chance to really be together, then something would happen that brought them back to this point where they couldn’t get enough of each other.

“Rob,” her voice broke and he realized she was close to tears, “All these years, I have lived with the fact that you’ve been with many women before me. Known that there was nothing you and I shared in bed that you hadn’t shared with others…”

“Oh Baby,” he thought his heart would explode when she said that, “It’s not like that at all…”

“Let me finish,” she went on, struggling not to cry, “You know I’ve never been with anyone but you. Never shared anything intimate with any other man. The consolation I had all those years was that you and I shared one thing that was ours alone—sons. Mary took that from me, Rob. I can’t seem to get past it.”

“Oh, Paula,” he felt tears coming to his own eyes now. He pulled her as close as he could and buried his face in her hair, putting his lips next to her ear, “Honey, there are so many things that are ours alone. I never knew you felt like this, Baby. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. The only girlfriend I ever had. I never had a serious relationship with anyone else. Never even considered marrying anyone but you. Paula, we’ve shared so much together over all these years. That is ours and ours alone…And as far as Mitch goes, he considers you his mother.”

“But I’m not his mother,” she was still managing to keep the tears back, “And Mary is going to be around more now. And you’re going to share something else with her—grandchildren.”

The pain in her voice was like a knife in his heart, “Honey, they will think of you as their grandmother. Paula, please…You’re my wife, my best friend, the love of my life…the only woman in the world to me.”

“I know that, Rob,” she whispered, “Really, I do. Sometimes it’s just hard for me because there’s nothing that just belongs to us.”

“Aren’t you listening to me?” He drew back and looked into her eyes, “It’s all ours and only ours, Paula. What more do you need from me, Honey? You have everything I am. Do you need some tangible thing to hang on to? What is it, Baby? Tell me.”

“I’m sorry, Rob,” she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, “Yes, I’m listening to you. I don’t want you to feel like you don’t give me enough or that I’m not happy. That’s not it at all. I know you’d do anything for me. And I do trust you completely. I know you’ve always been faithful to me.”

“Then surely you know I don’t have any feelings for Mary,” he couldn’t understand why she was so upset. His whole world had revolved around Paula since the moment he saw her. He had changed his entire life just to be near her. He had given her the last 18 years of his life. How could she feel that nothing was theirs alone?

“Rob,” she reasoned, “I don’t have any feelings for Jake, either. That didn’t stop you from being furious with me that night we all went out.”

“I wasn’t furious,” he defended, remembering how it hurt to see Paula dancing with another man.

“Yes, you were,” she argued, “But my point is that you didn’t like it. It bothered you to see me having fun with him. And yet you know that I would never betray you…and you also know I’ve never slept with him or any other man but you. I don’t have that, Rob. I know you’ve slept with lots of other women.”

“Actually, Paula,” he confessed, rolling onto his back and looking up at the ceiling, “That’s not true.”

“What do you mean?” She raised up and leaned on his chest. Her voice was back to normal now. She had fought the emotional battle and regained control. “Rob you know I was a virgin when we got married.”

“Mmm,” he folded his hands behind his head, “That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about me sleeping with other women. Paula, I’ve had sex with other women. That doesn’t compare to what you and I have. See, you don’t realize the difference, because you love me. The element of loving someone makes it an entirely different experience, Dear. And I never slept with anyone else. You’re the only woman I’ve ever slept with.”

She sat up and looked down at him, “Are you serious, Rob?”

“Yes, I’m serious,” he wondered why he hadn’t thought to tell her that

before, “I always got up and left or sent them on their way. You’re the only woman who has ever slept in my arms, Sweetheart.”

“That’s why you made such an issue of it when Dutch spent the night at Chelsea’s, isn’t it?” She recalled, “And when Jenny and Mitch shared a room in St. Louis.”

“Yes,” he confided, “You can remain detached while having sex. You can not remain detached while sleeping in each other’s arms.”

She laid back down, curling into his arms and he drew her as close as he possibly could. Everything was OK again now. She had what she needed from him to feel secure again. He felt her kissing his chest, then she gently bit him. He was about to get what he needed to feel secure again too…

 Go To Chapter Three
Rainy Days and Mondays