by Patricia Fry
“Ponies, Daddy,” Lily chirped. She leaned over and held her hand inches above the floor. “Tiny horses.”
“Oh, so you’ve met them, have you, punkin?”
Lily nodded and raised her arms to be lifted. Once in Michael’s arms, she motioned for him to take her to the window. “See the ponies, Daddy? Two baby ponies.”
“Yes, I see them. They’re pretty cute, all right.” He asked Savannah. “When are Colbi and Damon coming over? Do we have time to eat?” He glanced at Gladys, who was making a salad. “Is it ready?”
“It’s ready,” Gladys announced, placing the bowl on the table.
Savannah removed a casserole from the oven and set it on a trivet on the table. She placed spears of asparagus on each plate and everyone sat down to eat.
****
“They’re here!” Savannah called, folding a dish towel she’d been using.
“Well, hello strangers,” Michael greeted, opening the kitchen door.
“Yes, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Colbi said. She put a hand on Michael’s arm. “But it’s not because of us.” When Michael looked puzzled, she said, “We’ve been sitting home waiting for you to finish jaunting all over the state.” She gestured theatrically and said, “Two weeks at the beach, a weekend in the mountains—who can keep up with you two?”
Savannah joined them, laughing. She hugged Colbi and Damon, then picked up two-year-old Rosemary. “How are you, pretty girl?”
“Pony,” Rosemary said.
In the meantime, Michael invited, “Well, come on in and…”
Savannah interrupted. “No. Let’s go show them the ponies while it’s still light out. Come on, Lily,” she called as she stepped outside carrying Rosemary.
“Down,” Rosemary insisted.
Savannah kissed the child on the cheek, released her to the deck, then took her hand and helped her down the steps.
Lily took the younger girl’s other hand. “Come see the ponies. Two ponies.” She held her hand a foot off the ground. “Tiny ponies, like this big.”
When Lily began to run, Savannah cautioned, “Not too fast, Lily. Rosemary might fall.”
Damon reached for Teddy, who pouted and turned away in Michael’s arms. “Awww, come on,” Damon urged. But Teddy refused his overtures.
Colbi smiled and held her hands out to Teddy. “Come to Aunt Colbi?” she cooed.
Everyone laughed when Teddy readily leaned toward her and allowed her to take him. She snuggled with him.
When Damon looked questioningly at Michael, he shrugged. “What can I say? He likes pretty women.”
“Oh, are they ever adorable,” Colbi said as they approached the ponies. “Did you bring them an apple or something?”
“No,” Savannah insisted. “We aren’t supposed to hand-feed them. Bonnie said there’s a problem with cute miniature horses and ponies—everyone wants to interact with them and food is a good way to do that. Sometimes when there are too many people giving them too many treats, they can get sick.”
“And spoiled,” Colbi said.
Savannah grinned. “That too.”
Lily giggled when one of the ponies nibbled on her arm. This alarmed Damon, and he pulled Lily out of the way, saying, “He tried to bite her.”
“They don’t bite;” Savannah said, “he was just loving her up.”
“But they could bite,” Michael said. “They have teeth.”
Savannah nodded. “You’re right. Better to err on the side of caution.” She crouched next to Lily and coached her and Rosemary on how to safely pet the ponies. The little girls giggled with delight upon touching the fluffy mane of one of the ponies.
Suddenly they heard Gladys call out. “Here comes your cat!” Savannah turned to see her mother on the porch. “I’m sorry,” Gladys called, “I came out to dump the trash and he…”
“Thanks,” Savannah said. “We’ve got him.” She looked at the cat. “Hi, Rags. You came out to meet the ponies, did you?” Everyone laughed when Rags stood with his front feet on the lower bar of the corral to get a better look at the ponies.
“What’s wrong?” Savannah asked the cat when he pulled back and sat down, staring into the corral. “Don’t you like the ponies?”
“I don’t think he knows what they are,” Colbi said. “They’re sure interested in him, though. Maybe they’re too aggressive for him.”
When Savannah saw Rags staring toward Peaches’s corral, she picked him up and said, “Oh no you don’t.”
“What’s he doing?” Damon asked.
“He wants to go see Peaches.”
“So he likes horses, but not ponies?”
“I guess,” Savannah said. “He’s never seen a pony, that I know of.” She tilted her head. “Although, he might have met a pony or two on one of his secret outings—you know, when he was being naughty. There’s a pony across the way that’s kind of mean, from what I understand. Auntie told me about him. Could be Rags met up with him once while he was running amok, and that’s why he’s suspicious of Mr. Bart, here, and Miss Sassy.”
Michael agreed. “Very possible.”
“So you took him to the beach and to the mountains with you?” Colbi asked. “How’d he do?”
“Well…” Savannah started.
“Read about it in Savannah’s next book,” Michael quipped.
“That bad, huh?” Damon asked.
When Rags squirmed in Savannah’s arms, she said, “Hey, want to watch a love connection before we go in?”
“Sure,” Colbi said.
Damon appeared suspicious. “It’s not X-rated is it?”
Savannah laughed. “No. Come on. Let’s let Rags have a little Peaches time.”
“Well, if that isn’t unusual,” Damon said, watching Rags and Peaches interact. “At least, I’ve never seen it before. Do horses and cats usually act like that? I mean, rubbing on each other, talking to each other? Hey, do you think Rags understands her language and does she understand his? Or is it like me trying to communicate with someone who speaks German or Chinese?”
Savannah shrugged. “Who knows?”
After a few moments, Colbi suggested, “Maybe it’s the universal language of love.”
“Oh, Colbi,” Damon said, “it’s a cat and a horse.”
“Well, you have to admit they have some sort of bond, and I think it’s love,” she insisted.
“Where’s he going?” Michael asked, panicked. “Better nab him, Savannah.”
“I’m watching him. He just wants to say hello to his newest horse friend, Moose.”
Damon laughed when he saw Rags approach Moose. “So he’s afraid of little ponies and he’s made friends with a giant?”
Savannah nodded. “Yeah, watch.”
“Oh my gosh,” Colbi said, “Moose is a gentle giant; look how sweet he is with Rags.” She turned to Damon. “Get a picture of that.” She said, “Here, hold Teddy; I’ll get a picture.” But when Damon reached for Teddy, the baby pulled back and Michael took him.
“Guess I’d better wear a wig and dab on some perfume next time we come over here,” Damon lamented.
“I don’t think that would do it,” Michael said, laughing.
“Well, that is really cute,” Colbi gushed, snapping pictures of Rags and Moose, who were sharing a sweet moment.
After a while Savannah scooped up the cat and invited, “Shall we go in and have a piece of Grammy’s berry pie?”
Damon’s eyes lit up. “You have pie?”
“Yeah, didn’t Colbi tell you?”
“No. If she had, I wouldn’t have scarfed down the last of her home-baked cookies.” He took a breath. “But what the hey, I imagine I can find room for Gladys’s berry pie.”
Colbi patted his chest. “I imagine you can.”
The two couples and Gladys had enjoyed a slice of pie and were watching the children play when Colbi said, “Savannah, I enjoyed talking to your friend Kat.”
“Yeah, she said you may get together on some
stories.” Savannah sat up straighter. “Hey, are you going to the conference? She thought you might be interested in going.” She grinned. “I already have my cat ears.”
Bewildered at that, Damon asked, “Cat ears?”
“Yeah, everyone wears cat ears and clothes with a cat motif and they bring their cats and dress them up,” Savannah explained.
“What?” he asked. “Where is this, Disneyland or La-La Land?”
Savannah became defensive. “It’s a conference for people who love and support cats and who want to get together and have fun doing it.”
Damon looked at Colbi. “So do you have cat ears or are you going to borrow Dolly’s?”
“Funny,” Colbi snarked. She said to Savannah, “Yes, I’d like to go, but I’m not sure I can make it work. I have an article deadline coming up.”
Savannah retorted, “You two sure work hard for a couple that’s so wealthy.”
“Wealthy?” Colbi repeated.
“Yeah. Damon’s Grandmother Ellen gave you quite a nest egg for your wedding, didn’t she?”
“Oh, well,” Damon said, “we’d rather not change our lifestyle too much. We kind of like where we are in life.”
“You mean you aren’t spending that money? You aren’t using it?”
“Oh sure, we’ve dipped into it a time or two,” Damon said. “We’re certainly not suffering or even struggling, but neither of us wants the high-living lifestyle. We’d rather save the money for our retirement and, of course, our children’s college fund.”
“Sounds smart,” Michael said.
“Children?” Savannah questioned. She looked at Colbi. “Are you?”
“No,” she said. “Maybe next year.”
Michael took a breath. “Well, it sounds like you two have things under control.” He stared hard at Savannah. “I think they can do without our advice, don’t you, hon?”
Sheepishly, she said, “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
When there was a lull in the conversation, Colbi asked, “So did Kat interview you about Rags? She said she took a lot of pictures. What will she do with all the photos and material?”
“I guess she plans to incorporate some of the stories about Rags into a couple of different magazines—you know, online and print magazines. She knows a guy who does cartooning and she wants to present some ideas to him—for sale, of course. This is how she earns her living.”
“Did you talk to your agent or your publisher about protecting your rights?” Damon asked.
Savannah stared at him. “Um…no. Should I?”
“Absolutely. Rags has become a sort of brand—you know, with the children’s books and now your book about him. I don’t think you want anyone exploiting him in a way that would damage your brand or hamper your ability to promote it.”
“I never thought of that.” She looked down at Rags who was sprawled out on his back against her feet.
Damon began to laugh and Colbi said, “Yeah, there’s your brand—don’t let it get away from you.”
“Who would want to brand that?” Michael grumped good-naturedly.
Damon concluded his point by saying, “But yeah, Savannah, I’d certainly talk to Rags’s agent and the publisher about how to protect him from being exploited in any sort of negative way or from someone making money off of him when it should be yours.”
“You don’t want Rags knockoffs out there,” Colbi joked.
“Lordy, lordy,” Michael carped, “that would be more than anyone could bear.”
Chapter Five
“Hi, Rob,” Savannah said the following morning. “I hope it’s not too early to call, but I have a question, and maybe a problem.”
“What is it, Savannah?”
“Well, I think I told you that I met a woman who runs a cat organization.”
“Yeah. You’re going to speak at her conference next week.”
“Yes. Well, she’s interested in Rags…”
“Isn’t everyone? He’s pretty unique.”
“Uh-huh.” She chuckled. “In fact, you ought to see him with one of the new horses we’re boarding.”
“Oh, the horses have arrived? How’s that going?”
“Good so far. They came in yesterday. We now have eight horses, and Rags seems to have a new friend. A horse friend.”
“Really? How did that come about?”
“I don’t know. It seems to be a love connection that we may never understand. But hey, I need to get out and feed. I just wanted to run something by you. Are we putting our…um brand in danger by letting other people write about Rags and publish his pictures and all?”
“Hmmm,” Rob said. “That’s a good question. Of course, we want that sort of publicity for the books we have and any future books or films we might produce. But yeah, we certainly don’t want someone else exploiting Rags in a way that would be detrimental to your book and film royalties.”
“Like someone writing knockoff books?” Savannah said.
“Yes. Now, we can’t prevent someone from coming out with a book similar in theme, but if they used Rags’s name and his pictures or anything from your books without your permission, that would become a legal matter. You’re protected by copyright, Savannah, as far as the books and film go, but I guess it would be wise to trademark the brand. That would provide some added protection. I’ll look into it and see if this is plausible or even a good idea.”
He paused, then continued, “How well do you know this gal? Do you know what her intentions are? Maybe she doesn’t have a clue as to what she can and can’t legally do with the photos and information.”
“Maybe,” Savannah said. “I don’t know her well. I do know that she’s a multi-tasker and a go-getter. I don’t know how savvy she is or how ethical. Rob, she’s talking about having someone create a cartoon character based on Rags.”
“Oh,” he said. “That might not be good. Hey, what’s her name? I’ll do a little research and see if I can figure out what she’s up to.”
“Kat…actually Katherine Stockton. She lives in the Sacramento area, and she’s the founder and director of an organization Angels For Felines.”
“How about this, Savannah—you call her and ask just what she has in mind with the photos and interview material. And let her know that you and your legal team need to see anything she expects to publish before it goes to press. Tell her that Rags’s adventures and antics are a brand—whether she’ll buy that or not, I don’t know. But maybe it will stave her off until we know for sure what rights we have and how to handle something like this. I’ll talk to our attorney today and let you know.”
“Thank you,” Savannah said. “I just didn’t want to hand over something I’m not supposed to.”
“Good girl. Now, if all she plans to do is report on what we’re doing with Rags in an informative article, for example, that’s a good thing. It’s publicity. We want publicity. But this cartoon thing worries me a little. If she won’t talk to you about it, give me her number. I’ll deal with her.”
“Okay, I’m sure she’ll be compliant. She seems like a reasonable person. I doubt she’s maliciously scheming to undermine our work with Rags.” In a weaker voice she added, “At least I hope so.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll see. Hey, go feed those horses. I’ll talk to you later.”
After ending the call, Savannah joined her mother in the kitchen. “What are you making?” she asked when she saw Gladys drawing around Lily’s hand on a sheet of paper.
“Hand picture,” Lily said. “It’s my hand.” She used a red crayon, then held the paper up. “See, I colored my fingernails.” When she began coloring on her actual fingernails, Savannah said, “Yes, you have fingernail polish.”
“Paint,” she said. “Fingernail paint.”
“Nice.” Savannah grabbed a hat from the service porch. “I’m going out to feed. I’ll be back in a few.”
Lily scooted out of her chair. “Can I go? I get carrots.”
“I thi
nk you should wait here; Grammy isn’t finished coloring with you. I have to work now. I’ll take you out later with carrots for the horses.”
“Ponies?”
“The ponies can’t have carrots. But we can go pet the ponies, sure.” When Lily started to whine, Savannah said, “Why don’t you color a picture for the ponies? We’ll show them your picture later, okay?”
“Okay,” she said excitedly. “Where’s brown, Grammy?” she asked. “I’ll color the ponies brown.”
“You must be Sandy,” Savannah said, joining a tall slender woman at Moose’s corral minutes later. She noticed that the woman had sparkling green eyes and long platinum hair pulled back into a pony tail.
Sandy nodded. “Savannah?”
“Yes.”
“I’d shake your hand, but…” Sandy said, displaying a hand caked with mud.
“What happened?” Savannah asked upon seeing a muddy spot near the watering trough. “A leak?”
“Yeah. I thought I could fix it myself, but I think a part broke, so I’m waiting for someone to come fix it.” She gazed at Moose. “I really should be riding rather than monkeying around with things like this.”
“Oh,” Savannah said, “well go ahead and take him out. I’ll watch for the…um…plumber or whatever.”
“Yeah, I probably should do that. Hey, is that your mare over there?”
“Peaches, the sorrel next to the tack room is mine, and Gypsy there behind her. Well, I’m sort of leasing Gypsy.”
“Is Peaches athletic?”
“Fairly.”
“Want to ride with me?”
“Oh, I can’t today—but yes, definitely. I have kids, so I need more notice. How about tomorrow?”
“You got it. How’s the terrain out here? Bonnie said parts of it are challenging. That’s what Moose needs, challenges.”
“Yes, there are some deer trails up the steep sides of the mountain. They should offer a good workout.” She chuckled. “I don’t think we have anything quite like what I’ve seen in videos of the Tevis Cup Ride, though. Looks like riders take sheer rock in some places.”