Whisperer

by Jeanne Harrell

  She turned to look up at him. “Why’d you mute the movie?”

  “I’d like to talk. Is that okay?” He looked serious.

  “Sure, anything wrong?”

  “Sweetheart, everything is right. That’s why I need a question answered: Where do you see this relationship going?”

  “I can’t believe you said that. It’s usually the girl who says it.” Mandy smiled.

  “You can say it then, but I’d still like an answer.”

  “Well…” she began, while watching his handsome face. She reached up to touch him. He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “I’m really not sure. What did you have in mind?”

  “Oh, no. No throwing it back at me.”

  “Wow…okay…” She sat up by him on the couch and he put his arm around her. “Ah…going…yes…”

  “You don’t see it going anywhere? Do you want it to stay like this?”

  “Will I scare you off if I tell you what I really feel? I thought guys didn’t want to hear this.”

  “I want to hear it, because I want to tell you my feelings.”

  She thought a minute and looked deeply into his eyes. She put her one hand on his chest and the other on his face. “Colt Johnson, I love you dearly and have since we first met. I would like very much to be with you forever and have your children.” Then she added, “Would you marry me?”

  Colt took her hands and kissed them tenderly and grinned. “Likewise.” He laughed.

  “Oh, no. You don’t get off that easily. I confessed, now it is your turn.”

  She held her breath. How had he turned the tables on her?

  “Mandy Evans, you are the light of my life and I love you very much. Would you please marry me, live with me and have our children? I want you with me through every up, down and sideways that this life will deal us. What do you say? And this is from Colt Johnson’s heart – no movie.”

  Tears started rolling down her cheeks and he wiped them away with a finger. “Hmmm….?”

  “Yes, yes, absolutely. Always and forever…”

  “So that’s a yes, then…” He grinned at her. She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “You’re a sneaky man, Colt. You maneuvered me into telling you what you already knew.”

  “Yes, but it’s out in the open now. We need to make plans.”

  “What kind of plans?”

  “Well, wedding plans to start with. And then where we want to go after this. My contract with the camp is up in another week and then I’m a free agent. Jeanne tells me I have a two-week break before any more training engagements. How long do you want to stay here?”

  “Colt, I want to be with you. Wherever you go is where I’m heading. But how would I work? Should I stay with Jeanne and Sam while you are traveling around? I can’t work if I’m not in one place. And I do want to work – I love what I do.”

  “Let’s back up a minute. You agreed to marry me, right?” He smiled at her.

  “Ah…yes…I thought that was a foregone conclusion. Anyone with half a brain can see how much I love you…”

  He fished a small box out of his pocket and handed it to her. She gasped.

  “You bought a ring? When?”

  “I hope you like it. Mom helped me pick it out when we were in town one day. She thought you might like it.” She opened it and he plucked the square cut diamond ring out of the jewelry box, held her hand and put the ring on her engagement ring finger. He kissed it.

  Mandy was too stunned to speak. “Ah….” She was overcome with emotion, so she just lifted up her face to kiss him instead. The movie, long forgotten now, kept playing as Colt and Mandy got up and headed back to his bedroom. The ‘Mandy and Colt’ movie continued with soft and urgent kisses, clothes on the floor and sweet love being made. Neither one made any pretense of how they felt for one another -- It was not a night to pretend. It was a night to be truthful and to begin building a life together. And there, in a cabin by Donner Lake on a chilly evening, another generation of Johnsons was being created.

  Mandy woke up the next morning and looked immediately at her left hand. The diamond ring shone brightly with morning rays bouncing off of it. She stretched and reached over for Colt. Good grief – he’s up already? Then she heard water running in the bathroom. Not ready to get up yet, she snuggled down into the covers and breathed Colt in. He was everywhere - in the covers, in the bed, in her world, in her head… He was larger than life and all she could think of was him. She took a deep breath and got up, thinking about breakfast. It was Saturday, so they had a few days to themselves. After the dramatic events of last night, Mandy wanted to let things settle. She was excited at the thought of making future plans with him. Mmmmm…. It was all so yummy….

  While in the kitchen scrambling some eggs, her cell phone buzzed. The default ringtone didn’t give away the caller, so she answered it. It was her mother – Deidre. Oh, God…

  “Amanda, is that you?”

  “Yes, Mom. What do you want?”

  “Well, that’s a fine attitude to take to your mother. We haven’t spoken in weeks. I just want to see how you are.”

  “Mom, I can’t believe you care. I will repeat myself – what do you want?”

  “I’m over here at your cabin and you’re not here. I thought I would surprise you with a visit. We haven’t seen each other for months.” And it’s been great, thought Mandy.

  “You’re here? In Donner Lake?”

  “Yes, and I’m getting cold standing on your doorstep. Where are you anyway?”

  “Just stay put and I will be over there soon. You could have called, Mom, to let me know when you were coming.”

  “I wasn’t too sure that my visit would be welcome, so I took a chance. Please come let me in. I’m freezing…”

  Mandy hung up pissed. She clicked off as Colt walked into the kitchen. Colt…. She sighed just looking at him. Why can’t they just be together without all this interference?

  “Did I hear you say ‘Mom’, as in your mother, Deidre? She’s in town, I take it.” He walked up to her and took her in his arms.

  “Can we not talk about her? Please?” She kissed him long and steadily – he kissed her back with everything in his heart. “I just want to stay here with you. It’s dangerous out there without you.”

  She seemed almost frightened, so Colt held her close. “Nothing’s going to happen that we can’t work out together. Please remember that always.” She clung to him and then broke free.

  “She’s here -- At my place, wanting to get in. I have to go let her in.” She went into the bedroom and started pulling on her jeans.

  “Mandy…”

  “No, I want to go alone. It’s not fair…” she cried.

  “What isn’t, sweetheart?”

  “Your family is so wonderful and mine is so shitty. I’m sorry…”

  “It’s not your fault and I’m marrying you, not your mother.” Colt kissed her again.

  “I’ve got to go.” She grabbed her jacket, purse and car keys and headed out the door.

  “Sweetheart…” Her heart always leaped when she heard him call her. She looked back at him.

  “We have to meet. Let’s get together for dinner tonight. I have to meet her sometime, you know that.” He looked at her with love.

  “I’ll call you later. I’m so sorry about this.”

  “Don’t worry – I’m tough…I can take her.” She smiled at his joke and then went out the door. She felt like she was going from Paradise to Hell. And it was almost that bad…

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Colt had made reservations in Truckee for dinner. He thought that might be nice for the three of them to sit down and talk. When Mandy walked in with her mother, Deidre, he knew things had not gone well.

  He stood up when they came to his table. Mandy grimaced and said, “Colt Johnson, this is my mother Deidre Wilson. Mom, Colt…”

  “How do you do, Mrs. Wilson? So glad to finally meet you.” She didn’t smile at him.

  Before e
ven sitting down, she started in, “You might as well know that I don’t approve of Amanda marrying someone out of Sacramento. She should be back in town with all her friends and family.” She sat down.

  Whew…this was not going to be fun, he thought.

  “What family, Mom,” said Mandy. “You drove my aunt and uncle out, so there’s no one to visit there anymore. Why can’t you just let everyone be?”

  “Mrs. Wilson, I have nothing but love and respect for your daughter. I’m sure she would appreciate it if you would give us your blessing for our marriage.”

  He paused and looked her – it was not sinking in.

  “I’m sure you would. She’s a beautiful girl and what are you – a cowboy? What sort of future could you offer her?”

  Oh, boy…the mother-in-law from Hell…

  “Mom, that’s enough! If you can’t be civil to the man I love, I won’t sit here and listen to you.” Mandy was pissed…

  “Amanda, honey…” she started. Mandy lowered her voice.

  “Here’s the cards on the table. Do you want to remain in my life? And I mean, at all?” Steam was coming out of her ears. Colt watched as she took her on – it was a side to Mandy he hadn’t seen. She was marvelous.

  “Of course, but…”

  “You will not run my life, period. Do you understand? I would like one nod, please.” Her mother nodded vigorously.

  “And now you can apologize to Colt, who has certainly done nothing to receive such a venomous blast from you.” Her mother looked pleadingly over at her. “NOW…”

  Colt nervously began, “Ah…Mrs. Wilson…”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Johnson. We got off on the wrong foot. Could we start again?” she pleaded.

  Colt looked at Mandy who was anything but forgiving. She looked like she was ready to put her mother on a spit.

  “Certainly, Mrs. Wilson. Here’s a menu. Why don’t we eat? Everything looks better after you’ve eaten something.” He just babbled. Colt was in unknown territory. The woman he desperately loved and needed had a mother that no one should have. He compared Deidre to his loving mother, Lily. What had happened to make them so different?

  The rest of the meal went slowly, with Mandy ready to shoot her mother at any given moment and Colt trying to keep the peace between them. Her mother was already beginning to think that Colt might be the bridge she needed to Mandy. She started being nicer to him. Mandy wasn’t fooled. At the end of the evening, when her mother went to the restroom, Colt took her hand.

  “Look, I know this sucks, but she is your mother. Don’t let her come between us. Take her back to your place and then come over to mine.”

  Mandy let out a breath. “I’m not sure I deserve you, honey. Look at my mother. Do you want to end up with that?” Tears came to her eyes.

  “Sweetheart, you’re not going to become your mother. I’m not sure what happened to her, but that’s not you. That will never be you.” A seed of doubt had been planted with her, though.

  After they parted, Colt went home and waited for her. She didn’t show and didn’t answer her phone. He thought about going over to see what had happened, but decided to give them a night.

  Mandy called early the next morning.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t get over last night. My mother’s hysteria went from pleading to satanic, and it was all I could do to keep her quiet. I thought she was going to go berserk and scare the neighbors. This is a small town – I don’t need the scandal.” She sounded at the end of her rope and then…

  “And there’s more…”

  “More?” Colt swallowed. What could be worse than this?

  “Eddy, the asshole called. Actually, it was his second call. He left me a message when we were at your folks’ place, having a wonderful time. I feel like I’m in Hell now…” She started crying.

  “Eddy, the ex-boyfriend? What does he want?” As if Colt didn’t know.

  “Mom gave him my new cell number -- why did she think I changed it in the first place -- and now he wants to get back together. When bad news rains, it pours…”

  “Do you want me to step in, do something?” Colt was beyond upset, worrying about how she would cope with all this.

  “I just sent him a text telling him to butt out and leave me alone. Hopefully, that will do it.”

  “Come over, please. Let me make you lunch and you can relax.”

  “I won’t relax until Mom is gone.”

  “When is she leaving?” Colt hoped soon…

  “She wanted to go into town today to shop. I told her I had to work, so she just left. I’m coming over now, is that okay?”

  Colt had been holding his breath, thinking he would never see her again. “Yes, please, do. I’ll be waiting.”

  When Mandy got there, she looked shredded. Colt took her into her arms and she started crying. He got her to sit on the sofa and just let her cry. What a mess… He eventually got her calmed down and she ate some lunch. He thought it was going to be a lonnnnng weekend. He had no idea…

  With the mother-in-law from Hell in residence and ex-boyfriend/asshole Eddy on the phone, Colt woke up to a banging on his door. He couldn’t convince Mandy to stay over. She didn’t want her mother knowing her private business with him. So the mother was coming between them now. Shit…He ran his hand through his hair. How could this get any worse? As soon as he opened his front door, he saw how it could get worse.

  “Hey, bro…How are you? Thought I’d come visit,” said his brother Miles. He smiled broadly and walked into Colt’s cabin, looking around. “Nice place. Is the girlfriend here? Don’t want to interfere.” He winked at Colt.

  “You’ve got to be kidding, Miles. You show up without letting me know you’re coming? What the hell’s wrong with you anyway? Were you raised in a barn?” Colt was furious.

  “Jeez, I thought I would surprise you. Chill out, I won’t stay long.”

  “You won’t stay at all. I’m having enough trouble right now without you in the midst of things.” Colt walked into the kitchen… Too much going on without coffee. He started making some.

  “Where’s Mandy?” Miles asked, looking around.

  “None of your business, Miles. Dad know you’re up here?”

  “Ah…no…I kind of told him that I wanted to visit Jeanne and Sam. He thinks I’m over in Sonoma.”

  “So go to Sonoma. I really don’t need any more aggravation right now.”

  Miles sat down in the kitchen. “Why? What’s wrong? Anything I can help with?”

  “Shit, Miles… Okay…Mandy’s mother is in town and is causing trouble between us. This just isn’t a good time to visit.”

  “What – you aren’t good enough for her daughter or something?”

  Colt calmed down somewhat and he talked to Miles about Deidre and Eddy. Miles was sympathetic and Colt began to relent about his staying a few days. But only a few days…

  After he took a shower, Mandy called and wanted to go for a ride. Colt picked her up and they went to pick up their horses. Colt told Miles to stay put and don’t bother anyone. He and Mandy would take him to dinner later, if possible, depending on what Deidre was doing. Colt was getting disturbed with all these extra people in the mix. So was Mandy…

  Dinner Sunday night with Miles and Deidre was not fun, but not horrible. Miles kept the conversation lively and Deidre seemed to like him. Mandy was obviously uncomfortable and Colt was too. Nowhere to run… Thankfully, Monday morning, Colt and Mandy could go to work and escape their respective homes. Midday on Monday, she got a call. Her mother was on a tirade about men, in general. There weren’t any good ones at all. She said she was going over to Colt’s place. What? Colt was at work and Miles…. Oh, shit, Miles would be there.

  She called Colt. “I think my mother is going over to your place. Isn’t Miles still there?”

  “Well, yeah…but I don’t think he really knows enough to get anybody in trouble.” He thought again. “Let me take that back…”

  “Colt, can you get over ther
e? I have another client coming in ten minutes.”

  “Yeah, I’ll call you back later.” When Colt got to his cabin, Miles was on the phone to Sandy. “What the hell, Miles…”

  “Here, Dad wants to talk you.”

  Sandy’s voice on the line was the panacea Colt needed right now. “Dad…it’s all going to shit here.”

  “I hear it. So her mother’s stirring up trouble and so is brother Miles? I just told Miles to come home and leave you guys alone.”

  “Thanks, Dad. He’s packing as we speak.”

  “You know he had a fight with Deidre, don’t you?”

  “What?” Colt’s voice cranked up a few decibels. “Miles!” he yelled in Sandy’s ear.

  Miles had grabbed his suitcase and headed out the door. “Later, bro!”

  Colt let out an exasperated breath. “Dad…”

  “Son, take a deep breath. You’re going to live through this.”

  “Okay…” He tried to calm his breathing.

  “Apparently, the mother came over to tell you to leave Mandy alone. I think she drinks, Colt. Anyway, Miles was there and they had a shouting match. Miles is so impulsive and walked into a beehive.”

  “Dad, I suppose it could be worse here, but I don’t know how. I proposed to Mandy a few days ago and we were in Heaven. Then her mother and Miles arrived, plus an old boyfriend and things are all out of whack.”

  “Old boyfriend?”

  “Some guy named Eddy from Sacramento. She broke up with him last year and now he’s badgering her to get back together.”

  “For Pete’s sake...” Colt could hear his mother in the background trying to find out what was going on.

  “I’ve got to go, Dad. Mandy should be home soon and we’ll need to sort through some of this crap. I’ll call you later. Love to Mom…” He hung up.

  Sandy looked at Lily. “Well, it’s not good. Let’s go out on the patio and talk about it. But they did get engaged…” Somehow that didn’t make them feel fabulous right then.