“It’s a shame more people are not afflicted with that malady.”
* * *
Three days later, Rebecca’s phone rang. She had been expecting a call from her ex-company, so she answered it formally, “This is Rebecca Atkins, hello.”
“Wow, this is Charles Wilson. How are you this afternoon?”
“I was expecting a call from my old firm; that’s why I answered in that manner. I’m fine. I think I’m over my doldrums. How are you doing?”
“I’m still trying to dig my way out from all the stuff that accumulated during my Cynthia fallout period,” he lamented.
“I can help with that if you like. Until I hear back from the firm, I have nothing to do.”
“That would be great, but it’s not really why I called. Would you like to have dinner with me?” Charles asked.
“I would love to. When and what type of restaurant, so I’ll know how to dress.”
“Actually, it’s next month and it’s not a restaurant. I’ve been invited to a dinner at the White House and I’d like for you to be my guest.”
“Oh my God! Are you serious?”
“As serious as a I can be.”
“I can’t believe this. Dinner at the White House. I would have never dreamed it. What do they wear at these things?” she asked.
It’s white tie and tails for me, so I would think you would wear a gown. You could probably find out at the Library of Congress.”
“They’ll never believe this back home.”
“I’ve been to a few and they usually have some form of entertainment, other than that, the food is fairly good but not as good as a top restaurant. The date is the fifth of next month. We’ll take a carriage from either your place or mine and the driver will bring us back.”
“Charles, this is wonderful and I really appreciate you asking me. It’s a once in a lifetime event. I have gowns but I’ll want some new and special for this.
“On a more serious note, kidding of course, how about I come over and help you tomorrow and I can see Bandit at the same time?”
“Okay, I’ll look forward to it and I won’t tell him, so it’ll be a surprise.” They both had a good chuckle.
As soon as she got off the phone with Charles, Rebecca called her mother. “Mother, guess what? No, I’m not engaged. I’ve been invited to a dinner at the White House. The White House Mother, you know that building on Pennsylvania Avenue where the President and Mrs. Roosevelt live? Yes that’s the same one.
Remember me telling you about the stray dog that followed me home? I found his owner and he’s back with him. At any rate, his owner is an attorney also, he’s originally from Atlanta and he went to Harvard. He received an invitation and asked me to be his guest.
No, Mother, there’s nothing serious going on with us. He’s a nice young man about my age and lives a few doors down the street. I’ll need to buy a gown and some shoes though. Mother, you know I’d love to have you visit, but it’s not necessary. Sure, come ahead and bring Daddy too. Let me know when you’ll get in and I’ll meet you at the train station. I’m looking forward to seeing you also. Give Daddy my love. Tom and Josh too.
Goodbye Mother.”
* * *
Rebecca knocked on Charles’s door just after 9:00AM. When she when in, Bandit began barking and hopping around on his two rear legs. She knelt down and held him to her face. “You glad to see me, Bandit?”
“Thanks for coming, Rebecca. I really appreciate your help. Would it be inappropriate for me to tell you how nice you look?”
“Not at all. A girl always likes to hear something like that.”
“Well, you do look very nice, but then you always do. Ready to get to work?”, Charles asked.
“Thank you for the compliment, and yes, I’m quite ready. Anxious, in fact.
By the way, I called my parents to tell them about your invitation. Mother was thrilled. She and Dad are coming for a visit so she can help me pick out a gown.”
“That’s great. I’m sure you miss them. I hope I get the chance to meet them.”
Rebecca answered, “You will. When will your parents come up again.?”
“Probably the end of this month or the next,” he said. “Since our dinner date with the President is further down the road, I would like to take you to dinner before then.”
“That sounds nice,” she said. “What do you have in mind?”
“I thought we could have dinner at the Ebbit Grill and take in a performance at the National Theater,” Charles said. “Sousa’s Band is there now.”
“I would like that. I saw them in a concert on the Mall once.”
CHAPTER 6: DINNER AND CONCERT
Sousa music is inspiring. One finds oneself tapping to the rhythm of the marches. And so it was with Rebecca. She thoroughly enjoyed the music, and the same with the dinner. It was the first time she had dined in a good restaurant since her parents were in Washington last.
It was the first time she had been out with a man that had nothing to do with business.
Charles proved to be an attentive young man with impeccable manners. He was a gentleman from the get go as the uniquely Texas expression. As they were sitting in the theater enjoying the meeting, Rebecca felt him take hold of her hand. She squeezed it gently in return.
“Isn’t this marvelous?” she whispered in his ear.
Charles said, “It really is. Did you know that he envisioned most of his music as waltzes? And they turned out as marches. We had a friend that was in the Marine Corps Band. He told me a lot about Sousa.”
“I’m glad you picked this. I’m enjoying it.
* * *
Charles walked Rebecca to her door. “Would you like to come in, I can make some tea or brew some coffee?”
“May I have a rain check on that? It’s quite late and I have a full day tomorrow. I’m going to be out most of the day. Besides, I need to get home and take care of Bandit.” He laughed. “I think you’ve renamed my dog. I agree with you. Bandit suits him more than Shakespeare. May I hope there is a next time?”
“I hope there’s a next time too,” she said. “Just ask.”
They were standing close to each other on the porch. Charles moved to take her in his arms. She tilted her face for a kiss. She was startled by the feeling when his lips touched hers. It was sort of tingly and she felt it all over. The kiss started off as a light good night kiss. Then it deepened into something more meaningful. She returned it with a fervor that matched his. When they broke, she was almost breathless. “I haven’t been kissed like that in forever.” She looked up and said, “Could we do that again?”
“It’s my pleasure,” replied Charles. There was more intensity with the same feelings. “Rebecca, thank you for the evening. You were the perfect companion. I enjoyed your company.”
“And I enjoyed yours. You made perfect choices all around. I’m looking forward to our next time. Good night, Charles and thank you again.”
He turned and started down the steps. “Charles, if you like, bring Bandit over when you start out and I’ll take care of him while you’re gone tomorrow.”
“I’ll do that. I think he would enjoy it. Good night, Rebecca.”
* * *
Rebecca’s parents, Trace and Sarah Atkins arrived in Washington. Rebecca hired a cab to meet them. She was excited to see them, as it had been several months since their last visit. She gave each of them a long hug.
“You both are looking so well, I can’t believe it,” Rebecca said.
“Darlin, every time I see you, I swear you are more beautiful than ever. Isn’t she Sarah?”
“She most certainly is. I just wish she would move back home so we could see more of her.”
“Oh hush, both of you. Mama, I am really excited to go shopping with you. I’ve looked at several gowns but can’t make up my mind just what to get. I really need your help here.”
“When do we get to meet this young man of yours?” Trace asked.
“He’s not my
young man, Daddy. We’ve gone to dinner and two concerts, and that’s all.”
“How did you meet him, Becky?”
“I found his lost dog. I had him for several days before I knew who owned him. The owner’s name is Charles and he lives on this street in the next block. He’s a lawyer and his family is from Atlanta. Apparently they’re well known, since he gets invited to all of the big parties. The family business is cotton, but he’s a lawyer. He went to Harvard.”
“Which law firm is he with?” Trace asked.
“He’s not. He told me he didn’t study much in college and didn’t rank high enough in his class to get any good offers. He works out of his house and has a private practice.”
“That sounds odd for a Harvard educated lawyer.”
“I thought so too, but he stays busy with what he does.”
“What happened at the firm you were with, Becky?” asked Sarah.
“I was only working wills and estates and was putting in ninety hours a week and was getting nowhere. There were fights in my office, a couple of threats and I just didn’t want any more of it. I was the only woman in the firm and they didn’t seem to be planning to give me any work in other areas. Men that graduated much lower than me were getting all of the good cases and were on the partner track. It didn’t seem fair. I was considering returning to Texas when I met Charles and he invited me to the White House as his dinner guest, so I put off the decision. I also considered asking for my old job back but it would be more of the same.
“We could certainly use you. We’re going to set up Atkins Oil and Cattle as a corporation and we will have need of an attorney for that,” Trace said.
“I don’t know, Daddy. I hate to give up. It's sort of like a dog tucking its tail between his legs. You didn’t raise me that way.”
“It’s meaningful work, Becky. Cimmaron’s grown a lot since the oil started coming in. The railroad goes all the way to Corpus now. There’s plenty of need for a lawyer there.”
“I’d like to hold off if you don’t mind.”
“Darlin, what ever you want to do. Just let us know if we can help.”
The ringer on the door made its raucous noise. Becky said, “I’ll get it. It’s probably Charles. I’m going to watch Bandit today.” She went to the door and found she had been correct. It was Charles and Bandit. She brought them into the living room. “Daddy, this is Charles Wilson. Charles, this is my father, Trace Atkins.”
They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. “Pa, this handsome little fellow stole my heart. I want you to meet Bandit.”
“He sure is a handsome little fellow. Beagle isn’t he? You ever hunt with him?” Trace asked.
“No sir. He’s not very old and a friend gave him to me. He’s a good pet.”
“Charles, come take a little walk with me. I need to stretch my legs.”
“I have an appointment with a client, sir.”
“It’ll be just a short walk.” He headed toward the door.
Charles looked at Rebecca and lifted his eyebrows in question. Rebecca didn’t say anything.
On the street, Charles hurried to catch up with Trace. When he caught up, Trace said, “Son, are you trifling with my little girl?”
Charles answered rather flippantly, “Rebecca is hardly a little girl. She’s a grown woman and a lawyer.”
Trace stopped and said, “Son, look into my eyes. Don’t play games with me. You aren’t smart enough.”
“Sir, I’m not playing games. I am not trifling with Rebecca as you put it.”
“Son, keep looking into my eyes. If you hurt my little girl, I’ll kill you. I purely will. Do you believe what I’m saying?”
Charles swallowed heavily. It felt as if the cold blue eyes were piercing straight through to his very soul. “Yes sir, I do.”
“Good. We can go back now. I think a little walk is good for the soul don’t you?”
“Yes sir.”
When they came back, Rebecca said, “That was quick. Couldn’t have been much of a walk.”
“Charles here has an appointment and I didn’t want to keep him from it.”
Charles extended his hand and said, “It was a pleasure to meet you sir, and you Mrs. Atkins. I really have to hurry. My appointment is at Dupont Circle so I need to get going. Rebecca, I’ll pick Bandit up tonight if that’s okay.”
“That’s okay. I’ll walk you to the door.”
When she came back in, she walked right up to Trace, placed her hands on her hips, and said, “Okay, Pa. What did you say to him? He acts like he’s scared to death.”
“Nothing, we just talked,” Trace said innocently.
“I’ll bet. Mama would you tell him to quit meddling? He puts on his big, bad Texican act and scares people to death. You don’t scare me one bit, Daddy. I’m old enough to make my own mistakes. You don’t learn from your successes, Daddy. You learn from your failures.”
“Trace, what did you say to that young man?” Sarah asked her husband, later when they were alone.
“I asked him to look me in the eye and tell me he wasn’t trifling with my little girl. He could barely look me in the eye. He’s not good enough for Becky.”
“She’s the one to decide that, not us.”
“I just don’t want her hurt,” Trace said.
“She’s a smart, beautiful girl. She loves you and will do almost anything to please you. It would please me if you let her make her own decisions. She’ll ask if she needs help.”
CHAPTER 7: BANDIT RUNS AWAY
Rebecca’s phone rang at 8:30AM. When she answered, she found it was Charles. He was very distraught. “Whatever is wrong, Charles?” she asked.
“Bandit is missing. I can’t find him anywhere. I’ve called and whistled and he doesn’t answer.”
“I’ll help you look for him. I’ll go from here in the opposite direction of your house. We’ll find him. He won’t go far.”
She got a bonnet from her closet and told her mother and father where she was going. Sarah admonished her to be careful, going out alone. “It’s all right Mother. This is a safe neighborhood. But, I will be careful.”
She walked two blocks calling for Bandit but she had no response. She turned right at the end of the second block and walked all the way back behind Charles’s house and around to complete the circuit. When she came back to Charles’s house he was just crossing the street, having followed a similar pattern to Rebecca but on the other side.
“I had no luck either. I hope he didn’t start following someone the way he followed me. We might never find him,” she said.
“Don’t say that. Don’t even think it. We have to find him. My house is totally empty when he’s not there. I let him out this morning, but he didn’t come in when I called. He usually comes right away. Let’s look in the back and see if we can find how he escaped,” Charles said.
They went into his back yard and began walking the perimeter. About halfway around, they found a broken plank and a dug out hole under the fence. “This must be it. The little rascal. Charles, if you need to work, I’ll keep looking.”
“Would you? I really would appreciate it. I’m supposed to meet a client at the courthouse and I need to get going.”
“You go ahead. Oh, Charles, what did my Dad talk to you about? You seemed really upset when you came back from the walk.”
“Nothing. He didn’t tell me anything.”
“He did it again. I’m going to kill him if he doesn’t quit meddling in my personal life.”
“Honestly Rebecca, he didn’t say anything to me. Just let it go, please. I promised I wouldn’t tell you anything about it and I haven’t.”
“Charles, are you afraid of my father? You’re not are you? He’s a great big teddy bear.”
“Rebecca, frankly, he scares me to death. Is he a man of violence?”
Not unless he’s threatened or something that’s his is threatened. Did I tell you he was wounded at Gettysburg? My mother’s first husband was killed about fifty f
eet from where Pa was shot. Pa was in several battles and I’m sure he probably shot some people. He’s an excellent marksman. He has a rifle he won in a shooting match long time ago. Some land grabbers tried to take his land before he and Ma met and he killed three of them in a gun fight and two more later on, but that’s all I’ve heard about. Mother’s not bad herself. Right after they were married, she and Pa went to the man’s office that tried to take Pa’s ranch and told him if there was any more trouble, she would get all of the Kleburne Ranch cowboys and all of the cowboys from the Bar S, that’s our ranch and come after him. She told him he wouldn’t survive that if it happened.”
Rebecca Atkins: Attorney At Love (Lonely Cowboy Series) Page 3