Days passed and the
arena began to take shape. Tensions eased slightly as Dutch continued
to show Chelsea the respect and honor her family deemed necessary.
Chelsea appeared to take Paula’s advice and stopped constantly chasing
him, letting him set the pace.
Mitch drove up one evening, late
enough to have avoided crossing paths with Dutch. Paula watched him
approach the house and noticed that he was letting his hair get longer
and his beard was now almost full, instead of just the goatee. It
accented his naturally brooding look, as did the absence of his smile.
She had already made note that he smiled much less frequently these
days.
“Hey, Mom,” he walked in and hugged
her, now their usual greeting. “Where is everyone? Did I miss dinner?”
“Your father and brothers are out in
the stable,” she told him, “Chelsea and Terry went home early today,
and your grandpa went with them. My mom is resting in her room. As far
as dinner…”
“Not a good day, huh?” He read her
frustrated look, “Can I help?”
“How are you with a grill?” She
asked. “Your dad was supposed to grill burgers, but…”
“I’m your man,” he assured, “I’ll go
start the grill.”
“Thank you, Honey,” she sighed,
“Pretty rough when you have to cook your own dinner, isn’t it?”
“That’s OK,” he remarked, heading
outside to the grill, “I can hold it over Dad’s head that I was here to
help you and he wasn’t.”
A few minutes later, Rob and the boys
trailed in, hot and sweating. She heard the boys head to the bathroom
to clean up. Rob came into the kitchen with a sheepish grin on his face.
“Sorry, Honey,” he apologized, “I see
Mitch made it to the burgers before me.”
“Oh,” she winked, “I’m sure he’ll
never let you forget it, either. What happened?”
“Just a minor catastrophe,” he
reported, “That nutcase Wilson horse got his foot hung.”
“Is he all right?” She asked.
“I’ll have Mitch take a look after
dinner,” he said, “I’d better go get cleaned up.”
“OK,” she smiled, “We’re going to eat
out on the porch, so come on out when you’re ready.”
~*~
They were seated around the table on
the porch, enjoying a pleasant breeze and the burgers Mitch had cooked.
He was gloating a bit after the general consensus by the boys that his
burgers were even better than their dad’s. Rob took it in stride, glad
to have some down time with his family. Without Chelsea there, the
atmosphere was much more relaxed.
“OK, Dad,” Mitch finally said, “Now
that I’ve razzed you thoroughly, I need some advice.”
“OK,” Rob grinned, “Don’t do anything
you can’t explain to your grandchildren. How’s that for advice?”
Mitch shook his head, “Afraid that
won’t work for this. Doc is thinking about retiring a few years down
the road.”
Both Rob and Paula snapped to
attention with that declaration.
“He wants to know if I’d like him to
rewrite my contract,” he expounded, “So that I have first option to buy
the practice.”
“Yes,” Paula answered immediately,
then when both Rob and Mitch looked at her with raised brows, “Sorry,
I’m not Dad, am I?”
“It’s OK, Mom,” Mitch smiled, “I want
your opinion, too.”
“Well, Son,” Rob leaned back in his
chair, “I can’t see any reason not to. The option to buy also implies
that you still have the option not to,
as well. As long as nothing else is changing in the contract, I can’t
see a negative.”
“So what about buying it?” Mitch
asked, “What do you think about that?”
“That’s something you can’t decide
right now,” Rob advised, “You’ll have to evaluate that when the time
comes.”
“What if he wanted to sell it right
now,” Mitch wondered, “What would you think?”
“You’d have to ask yourself some
questions,” Rob told him, “Like: Is this what I want to do all my life?
Is this where I want to live all my life? Do I want to work for someone
else or for myself? Is this business profitable enough to sustain me
and whatever family I may have in the future? Can I afford it?”
“I’m not sure I could get the loan,”
Mitch confessed.
“Why not?’ Rob queried, “Do you have
a credit problem?”
“I don’t have any credit period,”
Mitch reported, “I have one credit card and I keep it paid off.”
“That’s a good thing,” Paula stated.
“The banks don’t like it, though,”
Rob told her, “Your truck? Your farm?”
“Bought them with the money when I
sold the place in St. Louis,” Mitch reported, “Never took out a loan on
either.”
“Well,” Rob shrugged, “Let’s cross
that bridge when we come to it, OK? If you need me to, I’ll cosign.”
“You’d do that for me?” Mitch seemed
surprised.
“Sure I would,” Rob nodded, “You’re
my son.”
“Hey look!” Jason pointed, “Isn’t
that Dutch’s truck coming up the lane?”
They all turned to see his report was
accurate. Mitch’s mood obviously darkened, especially when it was clear
that Chelsea was in the truck with him. Rob stood up and watched them
pull to a stop in front of the house.
“Hello,” Rob greeted, “What’s up?”
“Is Mitch here?” Chelsea called, as
they got out, “Oh, there you are, Mitch! I have something for you…Well,
we have something for you…a present.”
All eyes were on Mitch, who stood up
and leaned over the railing of the porch. Paula could almost see the
wheels turning in his head, and she could only imagine the responses
floating around in there. He refrained, though, and kept silent.
“Come on, Mitch,” Chelsea coaxed,
“Everyone, come down and see.”
The boys ran down eagerly, Paula, Rob
and Mitch more slowly. Hazel stayed on the porch. Sam, who had been
peacefully napping next to the front door, ran down and started barking
excitedly.
“OK,” Mitch stood in front of her,
“What is it?”
“Close your eyes,” she giggled, “and
no peeking.”
After a moment, he adhered to her
request and stood there with his eyes closed and arms crossed. The word
‘endurance’ came to Paula’s mind as she watched.
Chelsea ran back to the truck and
reached inside. She pulled out a wriggling bundle of fur. Sam sniffed
and wagged his tail, following her every step of the way. Paula held
her breath, as everyone else watched on pins and needles, unsure of
Mitch’s reaction.
“Leave your eyes closed,” Chelsea
ordered, “and hold out your hands.”
He obliged, albeit reluctantly. She
gently placed the puppy in his hands and his eyes flew open, along with
his mouth.
“Surprise!” Chelsea squealed. “Isn’t
she adorable?”
Mitch was totally taken aback.
Completely speechless. He stared at the small puppy, mostly black, with
some white on its’ face and shoulders, and tan markings on three feet.
As if on cue, it began urinating all down his arms.
“Just adorable,” he remarked
sarcastically.
“Jason,” Paula requested, “Run get
him a towel, will you?”
“Dutch’s Border Collie had puppies,”
Chelsea explained, still giggling, “So she’s half Border Collie. Not
sure about the father.”
Mitch shot a look at Dutch, “I can
fix that problem, you know. I can spay her for you.”
“This one is the cutest,” Chelsea
bubbled on, “We kept her just for you. She’s eight weeks old now.”
Jason ran up with the towel and
helped his brother clean up, “She is cute, Mitch. We’ll help you think
of a name for her.”
“Jason,” Paula cautioned, “Mitch
hasn’t agreed to keep her yet.”
Chelsea’s face fell at Paula’s
remark, something Mitch noticed immediately. His entire demeanor
changed.
“Of course, I’ll keep her,” Mitch
smiled, “Every vet needs a dog.”
~*~
After a few days of ‘name the
dog’, she became officially know as Panyon. Kevin came up with it,
saying Mitch needed a companion to go on calls with him, and Keith
altered the spelling to look like canyon. She did indeed go on calls
with Mitch, as well as everywhere else that he went. It wasn’t long
before she was deeply embedded in the family.
The only part of the arena not
completed was finish work on the apartment. It was decided to delay
that, in favor of starting work on the duplex. Paula was in the tack
room of the new building, organizing and labeling lockers and shelves,
when Dutch found her.
“There you are,” he stepped in,
“Could I talk to you for a minute?”
“Rob’s in the house,” she informed,
“If you have a question about something.”
“Oh,” he assured, “I think you’re the
one I need to talk to about this.”
“OK, Dutch,” she stopped working,
“What is it?”
“I wonder what it is I need to do,”
he posed, “To get into your good graces?”
“Well,” she frowned, “Hurting my son
repeatedly is not the best method. I can assure you of that.”
“I was under the impression,” Dutch
told her, “that Mitch wasn’t your son.”
“Then you haven’t figured much out
about this family yet, Dutch,” she pointed her finger at him, “Just
because I didn’t bear him or raise him, doesn’t mean he’s not my son.
Bill’s not my father, either, but I love him like he is.”
“You’re fiercely loyal to the people
you love, aren’t you, Paula?” He observed.
“Everyone in this family is,” she
informed, “Including Mitch.”
“So I noticed,” he smiled, “And most
of all, they are fiercely loyal to you.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,”
she accused.
“Not at all,” he shook his head, “I
come from a loyal family too. And in many ways, you remind me of my own
mother, God bless her.”
“Tell me about your family, Dutch,”
Paula requested.
“I have five sisters,” he told her,
“Three older, and two younger. My mother died when I was in high school
and my youngest sister was ten.”
“What happened?” Paula softened.
“She had bone cancer,” he remembered,
“She hurt all the time, but she ignored it. When she finally went to
the doctor, it was too late to do anything. My older sisters all stayed
home to take care of her, and when she was gone they stayed to raise my
younger sisters.”
“Rob never told me that,” Paula
reflected.
“He probably doesn’t know,” Dutch
shrugged, “My father didn’t wave a banner around about it. My mother
believed you play with the cards life deals you and you don’t complain
about it.”
“Then she would have been proud of
you,” Paula smiled, “I’d say you’ve been dealing fairly well with a
loaded deck around here lately.”
He chuckled, “I’ve been trying.
Paula, I really care about Chelsea. She touches me in here,” he pointed
to his heart, “like no one else ever has. But if I can’t be a part of
this family, then it’s wrong for me to continue to see her. When you
marry someone, you get the whole package. I’m well aware of that.”
“You’re already thinking about
marriage?”
“I don’t date a woman I wouldn’t
consider marrying,” he answered, “I’ve seen my sisters’ hearts broken
too many times. Women start thinking about marriage before they know a
man’s name. I think men should be more considerate of that.”
Paula had to smile, recalling her own
first thoughts about Rob, “All right, Dutch, if you want to be a part
of this family then here’s what you need to do: Go talk to Mitch. Tell
him what you’ve just told me. He’d walk through fire for her, Dutch. He
just needs to know that you would too.”
~*~
With the arena complete, they were
able to take in more boarders. It meant an increase in income, but in
the workload, as well. Paula was starting to feel the effects of being
stretched a bit thin, but she kept it to herself. She knew Rob would
take more work on himself to spare her, and she didn’t want him to
suffer the effects.
Paula was scheduled to meet with a
potential student that Saturday morning. She was looking for a place to
stable her barrel horse where she could receive some coaching, as well.
According to the information she’d given Chelsea on the phone, she
really only needed pointers to bring her new horse up to speed.
Rob was in the arena with one of his
students and Paula was watching from the sidelines. She still loved
watching him, his jeans faded and worn, his arms bare in the red
sleeveless shirt. His hair was so sun-bleached now, that the gray which
had begun to appear, was totally masked. His tan so dark, it would
probably last through winter.
“Hey,” a voice broke into her
thoughts, “You must be Paula.”
She turned to see a young girl, thin
and about her own height. She had straight bleach blond hair, that fell
to her shoulders and a face that brought the word ‘perky’ to mind. She
had on very tight jeans and a pink tank top with nothing underneath.
“Yes, I’m Paula.”
“Hi,” the girl introduced, “I’m Kelly
Parker. I’m here to look at the stable and talk to you about coaching.”
“Oh,” Paula smiled, “I’ve been
expecting you. Shall we go look at the stables?”
“I don’t know,” Kelly was watching
Rob, “I kind of like looking at him. What do I have to do to get him to
teach me?”
“Oh,” Paula smiled wryly, “If he
taught you a lesson, it would be one you’d never forget.”
“Who’d want to forget?” Kelly purred,
“Isn’t he the sexiest man you’ve ever seen?”
“He’s old enough to be your father,”
Paula told her.
“Who cares?” Kelly giggled, “I could
get used to a Sugar Daddy!”
“Forget it, Kelly,” Paula warned,
“He’s married.”
“I wouldn’t let a little thing like
that stop me,” Kelly confessed.
Paula decided to play along, “He’s
very devoted to his wife. It would stop him. You can be quite sure of
it.”
“Just because he’s not interested in
buying a new car,” Kelly remarked, “Doesn’t mean he won’t take it for a
test drive.”
“You’re pretty sure of yourself,”
Paula observed.
“Men don’t turn me down,” Kelly
divulged, “I know just what it takes to start their motor and keep it
running.”
“All right then, Kelly,” Paula told
her, “Are you a betting woman? I’ll make you a bet.”
“Sure,” she agreed.
“If you can get him in bed with you,”
Paula wagered, “You can keep your horse here for free.”
“Are you serious?” Kelly looked at
her, “What about him? Can I keep him too?”
“Kelly,” Paula assured, “If you get
that far, you can have him!”
Kelly was still giving Paula a
questioning look when Rob approached. She shifted her gaze back to him,
as he stopped next to Paula, putting an arm around her.
“The place is yours now, Sweetheart,”
he told his wife, then looked at Kelly, “Hi, I’m Rob Jackson. You must
be Kelly. If anyone can help you improve your barrel time, it’s my wife
here.”
Kelly’s face went crimson and Paula
had to bite her lip not to laugh. Rob glanced back and forth between
them, then decided to move on.
“I’m going in to check on the boys,”
he told her and walked away.
“He’s your husband?” Kelly gasped. “Why
didn’t you say so?”
“Sorry,” Paula smiled, “I couldn’t
resist. My offer remains the same, though.”
“You trust him that much?” Kelly
asked.
“Of course, I do,” Paula informed, “I
wouldn’t have married a man I couldn’t trust. Now, shall we have a look
around?”
~*~
It became apparent that Dutch had
taken Paula’s advice. The tension between he and Mitch began to
decrease and occasionally they could even be seen laughing together.
Life in general became much more pleasant for the entire family.
Kelly brought her big bay gelding to
the stable and Paula began coaching her. After only a couple of days,
Paula could see a pattern developing that she didn’t like. Nothing was
ever Kelly’s fault; she could always find a way to blame the horse. For
now, Paula held her tongue and thought about how to best correct the
problem.
One day after a training session,
Paula left Kelly in the stable to care for her horse. She could see
Dutch sitting alone under a tree, intently studying a newspaper. She
decided to take a minute to visit with him.
“Whatever it is,” she walked up, “It
must be serious.”
He looked up and smiled, “It is. I’m
looking through the ads for land. I’d like to find a place to build.
Somewhere out in this area.”
“Too bad you don’t know a builder,”
Paula teased, sitting down, “I can recommend an architect.”
“You don’t know anyone with property
for sale around here do you?” Dutch asked.
“No,” she shook her head, “You might
ask Mitch to keep an eye out for you. I was out on a call with Doc when
I found this place.”
“Think he’d do that for me?” Dutch
wondered.
“Probably,” she informed, “I think
he’s decided you’re not the enemy.”
“Good,” he told her, “because as soon
as I find a place, I plan on proposing to Chelsea.”
Paula looked at him, surprised, “Are
you serious?”
“Yes,” Dutch confessed, “Please don’t
tell her. I have no idea how long my search could take. I know it
has to be close to her family, though.”
“Can I tell Rob?” She asked, “He
won’t tell anyone else.”
“Yes,” he nodded, “I would never ask
you to keep a secret from your husband. Speaking of which…wonder what’s
going on over there?”
She followed his gaze to see Rob
coming out the arena door, Kelly close on his heels. He was obviously
irritated, and she was equally determined. It was impossible to hear
their conversation, but from all appearances, it was becoming heated.
Finally, he stopped in his tracks and turned on her, pointing a finger
to emphasize his point. Her mouth dropped open and he left her standing
there as he walked toward the house.
“Well,” Paula observed, “Whatever it
was, looks like he handled it. I’d suggest you keep an eye out for her,
Dutch. You’ll probably be on her list soon.”
“What list is that?” He chuckled.
“Well,” Paula remarked, “You know how
some people have a ‘Things to Do’ list? I think Kelly has a ‘Men to Do’
list. I’m guessing Rob just removed his name from the list, so yours
just got bumped up.”
~*~
The house was quiet, the boys and
Hazel in bed, as Paula went into the bedroom. She could hear Rob just
getting out of the shower, so she quickly slipped her clothes off and
tossed them into the hamper. She had been collapsing into bed lately,
utterly exhausted, and so had her husband.
She walked into the bathroom and
found Rob standing there, combing out his long thick locks of hair, “I
thought I’d make it in here in time to join you. Sorry.”
He smiled and reached for her, “I’d
be more than willing to get back in.”
“That’s OK,” she cuddled into his
arms, his chest still damp, “It wasn’t the shower I was interested in.”
He bent down to kiss her, then
stepped back to finish his hair, “What were you and Dutch talking about
today? You looked awfully cozy out there under that tree together.”
“Ooh,” she ran her finger down his
bare spine and felt his skin jump, “Do I detect a note of jealousy
there?”
“You’re avoiding my question,” he
glanced at her sideways.
“Are you going to interrogate me?”
She teased.
“Fine,” he shrugged, walking out,
“Don’t tell me. I really don’t care.”
Paula felt the sting of his words,
and stood there for a moment. The light in the bedroom went off and she
knew he was already in bed. She drew a deep breath, turned off the
bathroom light, and went in. He was lying on his side, back to her, so
she knew something was wrong.
“Honey,” she climbed into bed and
nestled up behind him, “I’m sorry. Did I hurt your feelings? I was just
teasing, Baby.”
“I know,” he said softly, but he
didn’t move.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, “This
isn’t about Dutch, is it?”
“No,” he confessed, “It’s not.”
“Turn over, Sweetheart,” she kissed
his shoulder, “Talk to me. I’ll tell you what Dutch told me. It’s good
news…at least, I think it is.”
He sighed and rolled over, taking her
into his arms, “Tell me.”
“He’s looking for property around
here,” she told him, “He wants to build close by. He’s going to ask
Chelsea to marry him.”
“He is?” He sounded surprised, “Well,
that is good news. And I assume you’re sworn to secrecy?”
“Yes,” she confirmed, “But he said it
was OK to tell you.”
“Well,” he said, “maybe I’ll talk to
him about it then. He shouldn’t be looking for property.”
“Why not?” Paula raised up.
“Because Terry and I already made a
deal a while back,” Rob informed, “Whenever Chelsea marries, he’s
giving them some land and I’m designing them a house.”
“Oh!” She grinned, “Yes, do talk to
him then! He’s concerned that it may take a while to find someplace.”
He pulled her closer, “I’m sorry I
was upset with you.”
“It’s OK,” she stroked his chest,
“But I would like to know why. So I won’t do it again.”
“Oh,” he confessed, “It really wasn’t
anything you did. I’m starting to have second thoughts about some
things around here.”
“Like what?”
“Like this whole business,” he
divulged.
“Why, Rob? It’s going well, isn’t
it?” She was concerned.
“Yes, it is. But this is our home,
Honey,” he told her, “Our refuge. Our safe haven. We’ve spent years
making it that and keeping the boys here, away from worldly influences
we didn’t want on their lives. And now, we’ve thrown the gates open and
invited the whole world to come in. I’m doubting my wisdom in that
decision.”
“Because we’re both so busy and tired
all the time?” She wondered.
“Partly,” he acknowledged, “We
haven’t had much time for each other lately, that’s for sure. But
mostly because of your little tramp of a barrel queen.”
“Gee,” she chuckled, “you couldn’t
possibly mean Kelly.”
“Do you know what she did today?” He
asked.
“Not exactly,” Paula admitted, “But I
do know you put her in her place.”
“Well,” he complained, “if I’d
really put her in her place, I’d have shipped her off to walk the
streets of Vegas.”
“What did she do?” Paula laughed.
“You think it’s funny?” He
raised his brows.
“Yes,” Paula kissed his chest, “I’m
sorry. I can’t help it. Tell me what she did.”
“I was in the office out at the
arena,” he explained, “And I guess you left her unattended. Just for
future reference—not a good idea. She came in there and started pawing
all over me, telling me how good she is and all sorts of garbage! She
told me that barrel horses aren’t the only thing she rides fast and
hard!”
“Ooo,” Paula grimaced, “Obviously you
handled it fine.”
“I told her to back off,” he
reported, “And reminded her I was a happily married man. Then she
starts into some nonsense about test driving a car and not having to
buy the merchandise. Something about leasing options. So I just tried
to walk away from her.”
“But she followed you out,” Paula
commented, “I saw that part. What was it you said that shut her up so
effectively?”
“I told her we were running a
stable,” he reported, “not a brothel. And if she wanted the latter, she
could get on her horse and ride west.”
“I’m sorry, Honey,” she eased herself
on top of him, “I think that was kind of my fault. I sort of encouraged
her.”
“What?” He scowled, tightly gripping
her hips.
“I made her a bet,” Paula admitted,
“When she first saw you, she didn’t realize we were married. She
started carrying on about how incredibly sexy you were…which you are,
by the way…” she reached down and kissed his chest, teasingly.
“So what was the bet?” He lifted her
chin up so he could see her eyes.
“I told her if she could get you to
go to bed with her,” Paula bit her bottom lip, “she could keep her
horse here for free.”
“Paula!” His eyes were wide and he
spoke loudly.
“Shh,” she reminded, “You’ll wake the
whole house.”
“I can’t believe you did that!” He
scolded, quieter, “You set me up!”
“You passed,” she grinned, “Besides,
she would’ve probably done it anyway. I told Dutch today that he’s
probably on her list too.”
“Dutch doesn’t concern me,” Rob told
her, “But what about Mitch? He’s ripe for the taking.”
“Surely even Mitch isn’t that
desperate,” Paula remarked.
“Starving people,” he told her, “Will
eat some really strange things. Paula, you shouldn’t have done that.”
“I’m sorry,” she pushed her bottom
lip out and faked a pout, “Are you going to punish me?”
“I ought to spank you,” he grabbed
her, almost fiercely, and rolled her over with him, so that he was on
top of her now, “But I won’t…At least, not this time.”
“I am sorry, Honey,” she stopped
joking, “I guess I just wanted to prove to Kelly how much I trusted
you.”
“What if I’d failed your test?” He
looked deep into her eyes, “Would you have thrown me away?”
“I knew you wouldn’t,” she assured,
“I do trust you, Rob. Completely.”
“What if?” He pushed, “Would you
forgive me?”
“After all these years, Honey,” she
admitted, “I think I’d forgive you for just about anything.”
He grinned, kissed her firmly, and
teased, “In that case, maybe I’ll spank you after all…”
~*~
August was nearing an end. Only the
finish work was left on the duplex and the apartment. Dutch still made
daily visits, but his presence was really no longer necessary.
The late summer heat had slowed business somewhat, which came as a
relief to the whole family.
Rob was working in the study,
finishing up a custom design that had been ordered through their
web-site. Paula came up behind him, as he sat at his drafting table.
She put her arms around his neck and looked over his shoulder at the
plan. It was a barn especially designed for draft horses.
He leaned his head back onto her
chest, “Did you need something, Honey?”
“Can’t I just come in here?” She
asked.
“Of course, you can,” he put his
pencil down and spun his stool around to face her, “Just don’t expect
me to be able to concentrate on work with you in here.”
“You need a break anyway,” she was
leaning into his arms now, looking into his eyes. Over the past week,
he hadn’t been shaving and he was at that transitory stage between
stubble and a real beard. She ran her hand across his rough cheek, “OK,
Dear, are you going to tell me what this is about?”
He chuckled, “Is that another way of
saying you don’t like it?”
“I’m just curious,” she shrugged, “In
17 years you’ve never missed a day of shaving, now you haven’t shaved
for a week. Something must have triggered that. Mid-life crisis, maybe?”
“Took you long enough to notice,” he
teased.
“Oh,” she corrected, “I noticed the
first day. I just didn’t say anything. But now my curiosity has gotten
the best of me.”
“Actually,” he sighed, “It was a bet.”
“A bet?”
“Jason,” he explained, “He and the
twins were talking to Mitch and somehow or another it came up that I
had never worn a beard. The boys bet me that I wouldn’t grow one, egged
on by their eldest brother, of course.”
“Oh,” she nodded, “Well, you had no
choice, then. That was almost as bad as a dare.”
“Exactly,” he agreed.
“So how long do you have to go
without shaving to win the bet?” She wondered.
“That part was unclear,” he frowned,
“But I thought I might keep it for a while anyway.”
“Mmm,” she scowled, “Really?”
“I thought you’d like it,” he
remarked, “You seem to like it on Mitch.”
“On Mitch?” She raised her brows, “I
hope you know, Dear, that I love you, no matter what. If you lost a leg
or an arm, I’d still love you just as much…”
“But not with a beard,” he supposed.
“It has nothing to do with how you
look, Sweetheart,” she explained, “You’re always handsome. And, yes, I
do think Mitch looks good with a beard…But let me tell you a little
secret…”she leaned down and kissed him, then kept her face right in
front of his so they were eye to eye as she whispered, “I don’t kiss
Mitch. It scratches me…And I can’t reach up and touch your face…I love
to touch your face.”
He was totally drawn into her eyes
and words when Chelsea walked in. Chelsea stopped, unsure of whether
she should interrupt. She was crying and it drew their attention.
“Excuse me,” Chelsea apologized, “I’m
sorry.”
“Honey,” Rob got up and headed for
her, “What’s wrong?”
“Can I talk to Aunt Paula for a
minute?” Chelsea sobbed.
“Sure,” he exited, “I’ll leave you
two alone.”
“Come here, Sweetie,” Paula went to
the couch, “Sit down and tell me what happened.”
“I’ve messed it all up,” Chelsea
cried, “And I need you to tell me how to fix it!”
“OK,” Paula comforted, “We’re
obviously talking about Dutch, here. Now tell me why you think you’ve
messed it all up.”
“It’s all that awful bitch’s fault!”
Chelsea accused.
“Chelsea,” Paula scolded, “We don’t
use that kind of language in this family. Now who are you talking
about?”
“Kelly,” Chelsea answered, “She’s
trying to steal Dutch away from me.”
“Oh,” Paula sighed, somewhat
relieved, “Honey, I don’t think there’s any way on God’s green earth
she could steal Dutch away from you. Did she say something to you? Did
she tell you stories about him or something?”
“No,” Chelsea was still crying,
“Dutch came to me. He told me she was making passes at him.”
“And what did you do?”
“I got angry,” Chelsea reported, “I
told him he could have her, if that’s what he wanted. I said I could
find someone to replace him in a heartbeat. Aunt Paula, I didn’t mean
it! He walked out on me!”
“Calm down,” Paula soothed, “What did
he tell you exactly? Did he say he wanted her? Or was he just telling
you what she did?”
“He told me she said all sorts of
things to him,” Chelsea relayed, “Stuff about how she could take care
of his needs, and how she knew I didn’t do that for him.”
“Was he taunting you?” Paula quizzed,
“Or was he just trying to be up front and honest, so you knew what she
was up to?”
Chelsea nodded, “I think he was
trying to be honest, but I got mad anyway.”
“Chelsea,” Paula explained, “You want
him to be honest with you. You want him to feel like he can always come
and tell you anything and not be punished for it. If he feels like
he’ll be punished, then he’ll start hiding things.”
“But I don’t want him to think I
don’t care,” she argued.
“Then why did you tell him to get
lost?” Paula pointed out, “Honey, Kelly put the moves on Rob, too. He
told me about it and I didn’t get mad. I trust him. The very fact that
Dutch came to you and told you this is testimony in itself that you can
trust him.”
“What do I do now?”
“Go find him,” Paula advised, “Tell
him you’re sorry, you love him, and you trust him. Tell him you’re glad
he was honest with you and you want him to always be honest like that.
If you’re feeling insecure, then you need to tell him that. You need to
tell him why and I’ll bet you he can fix it.”
“OK,” Chelsea got up and Paula
followed, “Thank you, Aunt Paula.”
There was a knock on the study door
and Dutch opened it. He was obviously upset.
“Chelsea, Honey,” he opened his arms,
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you…”
Chelsea ran into his arms, “No,
Dutch, I’m the one who should be sorry. Please forgive me…”
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Paula
walked out, shutting the door.
She went upstairs and heard Rob in
their room. She went in and saw him coming out of their bathroom, his
face smooth and freshly shaven.
“For me?” She smiled and went to kiss
him.
“Anything for you, Sweetheart,” he
looked lovingly into her eyes, “Did you get Chelsea put back together
again?”
“Yes,” Paula reported, “I left her
and Dutch in each other’s arms.”
“Mmm,” he mused, “I thought it was
probably something to do with him. What did he do?”
“He didn’t,” Paula informed, “Kelly
made a play for him and he was honest and told Chelsea about it.”
“Oh,” he surmised, “And let me
guess—she threw a temper tantrum.”
“Yep,” Paula confirmed, “But it’s all
OK now.”
“You know,” he recalled, “We never
did do that fuss and fight/kiss and make-up thing, did we?”
“No, we didn’t,” Paula shook her
head, “Aren’t you glad?”
“About us not fighting?” He raised
his brows, “Definitely. However, the kiss and make-up part sounds
pretty good.”
“I don’t recall,” she reflected, “us
ever having a problem finding reasons to kiss.”
He kissed her, then changed the
subject, “You know, this means Mitch is next on Kelly’s list. She seems
to be taking us in descending order by age.”
“Well,” Paula remarked, “What about
your dad and Terry?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s
already hit on Dad,” he chuckled, “I’ve seen them talking several
times. And I know she already hit on Terry. He told me about it.”
“Oh really?” Paula laughed, “Talk
about a starving man! How did he handle her?”
“About like I did,” he shrugged, “I’m
not sure I’d call Terry a starving man…He’s just…well, I don’t know.
After Karen, it’s almost like he flipped a switch or something. Just
kind of turned everything off.”
“Maybe Karen blew a breaker,” Paula
grinned, “So, should I warn Mitch that he’s next?”
“No,” Rob shook his head.
“Why not?” Paula wondered, “You’re
the one who said he was ripe for the taking.”
“First of all,” he informed, “It’s
not your place. He’s a grown man, and he doesn’t need you to advise him
on women like Kelly.”
“Well, excuse me!” She stepped back,
hurt.
“And second of all,” he reached out
and pulled her back, smiling, “I already warned him. I told him she’d
hit on Terry and I, and that she’d get around to he and Dutch
eventually. Don’t worry, he’s not going to fall for it.”
“I hope you’re right.”
He kissed her, “This is one you’re
going to have to trust me on.”
~*~
Chelsea’s 25th birthday fell right
after Labor Day, coinciding with the annual Fox Trotter Show. Using
this as a decoy, the entire family was able to gather and pull off a
surprise party for her without a hitch.
The look on her face was priceless
when she walked into the house, which was fully decked out in birthday
décor. However, that look was nothing compared to the one when
she opened a big box from Dutch, to find a tiny box containing a
diamond ring.
“Oh, Dutch!” She squealed, tears
coming to her eyes.
“Chelsea,” he got down on one knee in
front of everyone, “Will you marry me?”
Paula and Rob both looked at Mitch to
see his reaction. His eyes were locked on Chelsea, but he seemed more
eager than surprised. Paula was relieved that the pain was gone from
them.
“Yes, Dutch!” Chelsea exclaimed and
he stood up and kissed her.
“Then here’s your present from me,”
Terry handed her an envelope.
“What is it?” She asked, then read it
to herself, “Twenty acres?”
“Yes,” he nodded, “You can pick
whatever spot you want. It’ll all be yours one of these days, but for
now I figured 20 acres is good enough to build on.”
“Thank you, Daddy!” She hugged him.
“And my present,” Rob announced, “Is
that I’ll design a house for you. You just tell me what you want and
I’ll draw it up. Do you think you can find a builder?”
“I think so!” She laughed, “Thank
you, Uncle Rob. This is definitely the best birthday I’ve ever had!”
~*~
Mitch stayed to help with cleanup
after the party and Paula stole a moment alone with him in the kitchen.
She’d been watching him closely all evening and wanted to be sure he
really was all right.
“Honey,” she put a hand on his
shoulder, “Are you doing OK?”
“Sure, Mom,” he smiled.
“You didn’t seem shocked tonight,”
she observed, “I know Dutch had already talked to Terry about it. Had
Terry told you?”
“No,” Mitch shook his head, “Dutch
came to me and told me. He asked for my blessing. Said he knew it would
break her heart if I was upset about it, so he wanted to know
beforehand how I felt. He actually talked to me before he talked to
Terry.”
“Wow,” Paula was impressed, “So I
take it the two of you made peace?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, “Did you see her
tonight? He makes her happy, Mom. How can I not want her to be happy?”
“I’m proud of you, Honey,” she hugged
him, “And I’m glad you’re not hurting anymore.”
“Oh,” he gave her a half smile, “I
wouldn’t go that far. But I can’t have her. No matter what, I can’t
ever have her for myself…So, I want her to be happy. And I believe
he’ll always take care of her. I really do.”
“I do, too, Honey,” she smiled, “I
do, too.”
~*~
It was early Saturday afternoon when
Paula went into the old stable to check on Buckshot. He’d been limping
again and she was keeping him in a stall to rest his leg. Mitch had
diagnosed it as a type of arthritis, so rest was about the only
treatment.
As she turned the corner toward his
stall, she heard Kelly’s voice and instinctively stepped back out of
view. Kelly was with Mitch, who must have been there to check on the
old horse himself. Mitch was speaking softly enough she couldn’t make
out all the words, but from his tone she gathered he wasn’t exactly
turning Kelly away. Paula was peering through the slats in the stall
she was shielded by, and she saw Kelly take a step toward Mitch. She
reached up and kissed him, running her fingers through his hair, and he
slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her closer. Paula felt a
pang of not only disappointment, but of jealousy, as well.
Kelly stepped away and spoke clearly
enough that Paula could hear, “Great then. I’ll see you at your place
tonight.”
Paula stepped behind a stack of straw
bales as Kelly walked out. She waited there several minutes to see if
Mitch would leave. He remained, so she reached over and rattled the
stable door, then came around the corner as if she had just entered.
“Hey, Mitch,” she smiled, searching
his eyes, “How’s Buckshot?”
“About the same,” he was brushing
him, “I thought I’d pamper him a little. He doesn’t like being shut up
in here, does he?”
“No, he doesn’t,” she agreed, “I
guess I could bring Chief in and that might help. Are you staying for
dinner tonight?”
“Not tonight,” he answered, “I’ve
actually got plans.”
“Plans?” She fished, “Sounds
intriguing. Care to share?”
“Not really,” he grinned, “But for
right now, I’m going to take Cheyenne out for a ride. Want to come?”
“Can’t,” she shook her head, “Have
another lesson due in about 15 minutes. Thanks for looking after my old
friend, here…and Mitch, be careful, OK?”
“OK,” he said slowly, giving her a
questioning look as she left.
~*~
After finishing her last lesson,
Paula went in search of Rob. She found him in the arena office, going
over some paper work that required his attention. The office had solid
walls halfway up, then Plexiglas around the top half. This enabled
anyone in the office to view the arena from within. Rob looked up from
the desk and saw Paula coming.
“Hey, Baby,” he smiled as she walked
in, “Just in time to help me sort out some bills.”
“Can it wait?” She asked, closing the
door, “I need to talk to you. We have a problem.”
“Sure,” he put the papers down,
“What’s wrong?”
“Rob,” she explained, sitting on the
edge of the desk, “I happened to overhear a conversation between Mitch
and Kelly. She’s going to his house tonight, Rob. We have to stop her!”
“Whoa! Wait a minute,” he shook his
head, “First of all, how did you ‘happen to overhear’ this? Were you
eavesdropping, Paula?”
“I was going to check on Buckshot and
heard them talking as I went in,” she justified, “I wasn’t trying to
eavesdrop.”
“OK,” he conceded, “So she’s going to
his house. What makes you think we should do anything?”
“Rob!” Paula cried, “You don’t want
him involved with her, do you? We can’t let that happen!”
“Paula,” he stated, “we are not
involved in this. This is none of our business.”
She stared at him for a minute,
“Aren’t you going to at least try? Talk to him? Do something?”
“No,” he said firmly, “I’ve already
talked to him about her. He’s a grown man. He can take care of himself.
It’s none of my business.”
“Well, fine,” she got up, “If you
won’t do it, then I will…”
“No, Paula!” He stood up and grabbed
her arm. He spoke to her in his captain’s voice, “You will not! You are not his mother, Paula. This is not your business. You will stay
out of it! Do you understand me?”
Paula’s jaw dropped. Rob had never
spoken to her in that tone of voice. She could feel the tears welling
up in her eyes and her arm was hurting from the grip he had on it.
“Let go of me,” she finally spoke,
her voice trembling.
He did and she ran from the office,
sobbing. As she ran across the yard, toward the house, she passed Mitch.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” He called, but
she kept running.
She ran into the house, passing
Chelsea on the stairs, who also called after her in concern. She didn’t
stop until she was in her bedroom, the door shut and locked behind her.
She thought her heart would explode,
full of anger, hurt and fear all at the same time. She was angry with
Rob for shouting at her and for his lack of concern over Mitch. She was
hurt that Rob would treat her like a child and could be so
inconsiderate of her own feelings. Overwhelmingly, though, she was
afraid. Rob had never been rough or harsh with her in all the years
she’d known him, but today she had seen a fire in his eyes that told
her he was quite capable of it.
The irony of all her feelings was the
one thing she wanted. She wanted to fall into Rob’s arms and be safe
again. To lay it all at his feet and let him fix it. She stayed there,
listening for his footsteps on the stairs, waiting for him to knock on
the door and ask softly to come in.
