“Catch it? Why?”
“He’s hungry, and he’s killing off Grandpa’s stock.”
“What will he do with it if he catches it?”
“The forest rangers will relocate it. The problem is it has wandered too close to civilization. There isn’t enough wildlife for it to survive on, so it’s hunting on farms.”
“Oh.” She looked around, nervously. “Are we safe?”
“Yes. No need to worry.”
“I thought you grew up in the city?”
“I did.”
“How come you know so much about horses and mountain lions?”
He grinned at her. “I’ve spent every summer here since I was two.” His smile faded. “Except for the past two.”
She nodded, and they rode on. It was nearing eleven, and her stomach was growling. As if reading her mind, he pointed to a cluster of rocks. “That’s where we’ll stop. The horses need to drink, and I’m starved.”
They came to the rocks, and to her delight, there was a small stream running through the area. The horses wandered over and waded in.
“I’m surprised it’s not frozen,” she said, pulling her coat around her.
“The water’s moving too fast.”
He took down the picnic basket and pulled out a blanket from his pack. He spread it on the rocks. “It’s hard, but they’re a little warm from the sun.”
She wandered over and sat down on the blanket. She turned her face toward the sun. “It feels good.”
He sat beside her. She began unpacking the baskets. Biscuits, slathered with butter and still slightly warm, were wrapped up in foil. Two canisters filled with steaming hot oatmeal warmed their insides. When they had devoured their meal, she pulled out a plastic tub. She pulled off the top and showed him the contents. He moaned. “Grandma’s homemade coconut-chocolate chip cookies.” He took a bite of one and rolled his eyes heavenward. He waved a cookie at her. “Now this is heaven,” he said.
She took one for herself and bit into it, her eyes grew wide. “Delicious!”
He nodded. “See, that’s what I mean.”
“My mother will want this recipe.”
He shook his head. “Grandma’s secret recipe.”
She grinned. “My mom will get it out of her.”
“I don’t know,” he teased.
Winnie whinnied. They both laughed. “She agrees with me,” Lacy said.
She finished her cookie and lay down on the blanket. “I could take a nap right now. The sun feels so good.”
“It won’t be out for long.” He pointed at the dark clouds coming their way. “An hour tops,” he said.
She studied him. “You’re so good at this. What do you want to do with your life?”
“Yesterday I would have told you nothing, but today I’m feeling optimistic. I’ve always dreamed of coming to live here on the ranch. Dad hated it and couldn’t wait to get to the city. Mom and I loved it here.”
“Are you going to college?”
He nodded. “I don’t have a choice. Grandpa says if I want to live here, I have to get a college degree in animal science and take some classes in business. Someday I’m going to run the ranch.”
She smiled up at him, squinting from the sun. “It suits you.”
They heard a rumble in the sky and the sun disappeared. “Come on,” he said. “If we hurry, we’ll beat the storm.”
He grabbed the basket, and she folded up the blanket. They dashed for the horses, who pranced impatiently near the stream. He helped her up and swung into his own saddle. They hurried home and made it into the barn just as the first big raindrops began to fall.
He showed her how to unharness and brush out her horse, and where to hang her tack. They were laughing as they exited the barn.
Brenda watched them ride in, waiting in the doorway for them to finish. Allen walked up behind her, encircling her waist. “It looks as though my nephew and your daughter have hit it off.”
“So I’ve noticed.” There was just the slightest hint of irritation in her voice.
“Does it bother you?”
She sighed. “No, of course not. It’s great to see her laugh. I wonder, though. Is he okay? I mean look at the way he dresses.”
He laughed lightly. “It’s all a show. Chase has been having problems since his mother’s death. I think finding Lacy has been good for him. I already see glimpses of the old Chase.”
She sighed. She guessed she’d have to trust him on this one. After all, he had been right about everything else. Just look at her. In just the few short months she'd known him, she’d gained the confidence to leave her husband, gained control of her life, and started a successful business. “I suppose I can see it, too.”
“What else is bothering you?”
Could he actually read her that clearly? “I guess I’m just worried about going home. Being here has been so relaxing.”
“We could stay longer. Mother wouldn’t mind.”
She shook her head. “No. As tempting as it sounds, I can’t put off the divorce—not that I even want to.” She sighed. “Besides, Lacy has school, and I have the new business.”
“Okay, then.”
She watched the kids as they approached the house and opened the door for them. “I was worried.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Waldrip—it’s my fault we were out so long.”
“Please call me Brenda,” she said, a sad smile tugging at her mouth.
“It’s both our faults,” Lacy said. “We were having so much fun.” Her eyes sparkled with…what? Young love, or perhaps freedom—even if it was only temporary.
“It doesn’t matter,” Allen said. “You’re just in time for hot chocolate and Monopoly.”
Chase rolled his eyes. “The annual post-Thanksgiving Monopoly game. Grandpa and Grandma win every year.”
Brenda stepped aside while they entered. Lacy stopped and kissed her. “Thanks, Mom. I really did have a great time.”
Brenda smiled, put her arm around her daughter and guided her toward the family room.
“We play by family rules, not Monopoly rules,” Brett was saying as they sat in the chairs that had been drawn up for them.
Lacy leaned over and whispered to Chase, “Is that good or bad?”
“Depends on how you look at it. Grandpa’s team is undefeated.”
“I see.”
“Now,” Brett was saying. “We play in teams of two. Your team member is your business partner and all decisions to buy or sell must be made together. The bank sells all property. The banking committee must approve the construction of any buildings—that’s Alice and me because it’s my house, and Alice made the cocoa.”
Lacy and Brenda exchanged smiles. Allen slapped himself on the forehead. “Dad, can’t we play by regular rules since we have guests?”
Brett narrowed his eyes, threatening. Brenda held her hand up. “No, don’t change anything on our account. Your house, your rules—we get it.”
“There, see—your lady catches on quick. Now as I was saying…the banking committee must approve the addition of all houses and hotels, which prevents any one team from monopolizing the board.”
Lacy giggled and received a sharp retort from Brett. She leaned over to Chase again. “Isn’t the game called Monopoly?”
“Now you know why Grandpa’s undefeated.”
“Do we roll to see who goes first?” Lacy asked, picking up the dice. They all looked at her. “I see. Let me guess… The banking committee goes first?”
Brett held out his hand, and she placed the dice in it. Alice smiled sweetly at her and then turned a vicious scowl at them all. “Let’s play,” she said, gruffly.
Brenda laughed. Allen glared at his parents. “Try to behave yourselves,” he said.
“I don’t know what you mean, dear,” Alice said, her face returning to a sweet smile. “Your father and I play fair.”
“Yeah right,” Pammy put in.
“Mommy, what’s wrong with Grandma?” Ethan asked
.
“Nothing’s wrong with Grandma,” Pammy said. “She’s just been in the kitchen too long. She scowled at her mother. “Now remember, Mother,” she said, turning her attention to Alice. “Ethan’s getting older now, he remembers things.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Pammy gritted her teeth. “Play nice, Mother. It’s just a game.”
Brett threw the dice, and the game began.
On Lacy’s fifth role, she rolled snake eyes, which put her on Kentucky Avenue. “Oh, I’ll buy that,” she said.
Alice shook her head. She wore a look of pity. “I’m afraid not, dear. Snake eyes are the roll of the devil, and you must go to jail.”
She looked to Allen for confirmation. “I’m afraid so,” he said.
She sighed and moved her piece to the jail. “I’m just going to pay the fifty dollar fine and get out,” she said, taking a fifty from her stack of bills.
Alice sighed.
“What?” Lacy said. “Don’t tell me there are rules for that as well.”
“You have to skip a turn when snake eyes land you in jail.”
“Oh, brother.” She passed the dice off to the next team.
They were two hours into the game when Lacy grew tired of the made-up rules. “I’m exhausted,” she said. “Do you mind if I stop?”
Seven sets of eyes bore into her.
She smiled sheepishly. “Or not,” she said.
By the end of the evening, the banking committee had put a stop to five monopolies, and the game seemed to be going nowhere. “Nobody’s ever going to win if the banking committee keeps preventing monopolies. That’s the whole premise of the game,” Lacy protested.
“The game is over when the banking committee says it is,” Brett said.
Alice, noting the weary look on the faces of the crowd said, “They’re all tired, dear. Let’s call it a night.”
Brett nodded sadly but resigned. “Okay, I guess you’re right.”
Brenda felt sorry for them. It must be difficult having all your children gone from the home. She had no idea what she was going to do next year when Lacy went off to college. She stretched and began clearing cocoa mugs. She took them into the kitchen and started running water in the sink.
Allen followed her, picking up a dish towel to dry them. She smiled in thanks. Peter never would have done such a thing.
Alice stuck her head in the door. “We’re off to bed. Thanks for the game. Wasn’t it fun?”
Brenda managed a smile. “Sure. I can’t remember when I had more fun.”
“Liar,” Allen said as the door closed.
She looked at him, and they both burst into laughter. “Well, I wasn’t lying—per se, just stretching the truth a little. It was fun spending time with the family. I can’t get over your parents, though. They’re so competitive.”
“You have no idea,” Allen said. “When I was a kid we had family game nights.”
“Are there family rules with all the games?”
Allen frowned and nodded. “Pretty much.”
“How’d you stand it?”
He hesitated, a smile coming slowly to his lips. “My parents are two of the most loving people you’ll ever meet. They are generous to a fault. Moreover, they quite literally would give you the shirts off their backs. Last year the Thompson’s farm caught fire. They lost not only their home but their entire year’s crops. It devastated them. My father cleaned out his closet and except for three outfits that he kept for himself, gave them all to Mr. Thompson. My mother did the same and organized a group from the church to go door-to-door collecting clothing for the three children and dishes for the kitchen. All the local farms shared a portion of their crops with the Thompsons, even though it meant cutting into their profits. In the evenings, after all the work was done, a group of men gathered at the Thompson’s place to help rebuild their home.”
“Wow! That’s incredible.”
He nodded. “So, if a little competitive game of Monopoly is all my dad asks in return, who are we to deny him?”
Brenda frowned. “Oh dear.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Your mother has challenged Pammy and me to a cook-off tomorrow. Is she just as competitive with her cooking?”
He laughed heartily. “Let’s just say we men folk are in for one hell of a meal tomorrow.”
“Should I let her win?”
“I’d be more worried about not letting her sabotage your recipe.”
Brenda’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “She wouldn’t.”
He raised his eyebrows, tilted his head sideways, and grinned.
“Would she?”
He pulled her against him, drawing her body into his. He whispered in her ear, “I’d post a sentry if I were you.”
He laughed, and she grabbed the dish towel from his shoulder and snapped him with it. “Ow,” he said. He ran. She ran after him, snapping him anytime she got close enough.
When he reached the top of the stairs, he called a truce. She collapsed against him, giggles spilling out. He pinned her against the wall, pressed his body against hers. She could feel the rise of his desire. When his mouth came down on hers, she welcomed it, parted her lips and let his tongue slip in. “What are the house rules about overnight female guests?”
At first he was confused. Then he caught her meaning. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I love you, Allen. I can’t think of anything holding us back.”
He didn’t want to break the spell by mentioning her husband. He worried what would happen to her if he found out. “I don’t have any protection with me. I didn’t think I’d need it.”
She hesitated for only a moment. She’d messed up on her birth-control pills during all the confusion of the past few months, so she’d just stopped taking them when she left Peter. She hadn’t expected to need them again so soon. “It’s okay. I’m a grown woman. I can deal with the consequences.”
He kissed her hard, pulled back, and whispered. “We’ll deal with the consequences.” And then he took her hand, and they tiptoed to his bedroom and into his bed.
Chapter Twenty-six
Lacy listened to her mother giggling in the hallway. Then she heard muffled whispers. The stairs creaked, and she heard Allen’s door shut. She waited for a few minutes, expecting the bedroom door to open and her mother to slip in. When it didn’t happen, she sighed, smiled, and moved over to the middle of the bed. May as well be comfortable, she thought. She’s not going to need it tonight.
Alice listened to the sounds of the house grow quiet. Her husband snored quietly beside her. She had become accustomed to the noise after forty years of marriage. She heard Allen and his new love making out in the hallway. Good Lord you two, you have a bedroom ten steps from you, she thought. As if reading her mind, she heard Allen’s door open and then it was quiet. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. He was her child after all, even if he was a grown man.
She had always pretended to be more moralistic than she was, but underneath the proper façade, she was a hopeless romantic and wanted all her children to experience the kind of love she and Brett shared.
She reached over and touched her lover. She sighed. Oh, how many years it had been since they'd had the kind of passion Allen and Brenda had. There was still that spark between them, but they had settled into a different type of relationship—one built on years of passionate lovemaking, parenting, and life-long friendship. She was happy with where they were now. She hoped Brett was as well. He seemed to be.
She had met Brett at the feed store when she was sixteen. She was in town for the summer, visiting with her friend and her friend’s grandparents. With nothing better to look forward to for the summer break, she let her best friend Angie talk her into tagging along to make some money working at her grandfather’s feed store.
Brett came in to pick up an order. She could see his interest by the look in his eye. When she handed him his receipt, she wrote her name and phone number on the
bottom. Being so bold had embarrassed her, but she hadn’t wanted to let him get away. He had called her that very night and asked her on a date to the movies. She accepted readily, amazed to discover they had the same taste in films. After the show had ended, they'd gone to dinner. On their next date they'd gone to the car races, then to the county fair, to San Francisco for an outdoor concert—that they both hated, and finally to the altar. Now, forty years and four children later, they were happy just to be together. They no longer made passionate love, they just made love—and that suited them both. She tried not to think about what was going on in her son’s bedroom but concentrated instead on the task that lay before her.
With the household members slumbering away in their beds—or doing whatever they were doing in their beds—Alice folded back the covers and slid out of bed. She pulled on her robe but dispensed with the slippers—she didn’t want anyone to hear them swishing—and pulled on socks instead.
She slowly opened the door. There was no fear of squeaking hinges, as she had made sure Brett oiled them yesterday, in anticipation of this evening. She had thought Pammy was her only competition, but when she discovered that Brenda was a caterer and ‘one hell of a cook,’ according to Allen, she knew she had to try extra hard.
She wasn’t stupid. She knew Pammy was surpassing her in the kitchen—not that anyone would dare to admit it, though. But now there was a new threat to challenge her title, and she’d have to deal with her.
She peered through the partly open door, looking both ways. The coast was clear. She smiled and slipped into the hallway. She tiptoed down the stairs, avoiding the ones she knew would creak. Sneaking into the kitchen was a breeze for Alice. She knew the lay of the land so well she could navigate it in the dark. She stepped into the walk-in pantry and shut the door behind her. Leaving the electric light off, she reached up to the top shelf and turned on the battery-operated emergency light. It gave off just enough light to allow her to see but was not visible to passersby on the other side of the door.
She took down the flour canister and picked up the salt. Opening both containers she poured half the contents of the salt into the flour canister. Not sure whether the girls’ recipes would call for baking soda or powder, she mixed them together, dividing the contents equally among the two packages.
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