by Larry Brown
“You can take a nap with me,” she said with a mischievous grin.
He was now laughing, “No, I need to shave and clean up. You sleep for a while, and then you will feel better.”
She put her hand on her breast and said, “But, umm, I think I feel good now.”
Harry was beginning to feel anxious. “No, it’s nap time for you,” and he helped her into the bed which was still unmade and covered her. He grabbed some fresh underwear and headed for the door. He closed it without looking back.
He got fresh clothes from his hall closet and went into bath, closing the door behind him. He shaved smiling at himself in the mirror thinking about what a tempting situation this was. But he knew he would never take advantage this way. He was in his walk-in shower when he heard the bathroom door open, and his first thought was she was headed for the water closet. A moment later she was standing at the shower entrance wearing only his robe, which was wide open, revealing her naked body. Harry was beginning to panic. His only cover was a washcloth and a bar of soap.
She was steadying herself on the entrance and smiling. “I thought you might like me to wash your back, and if I did a good job you might like me to wash your front,” and she laughed again.
“Betty, Betty, please, please go back to bed,” he was pleading.
“I don’t think you like me,” she said, pretending to pout. He was trying not to look at her.
“Please go back to bed, and when I’ve finished with my shower, I promise to come to the bedroom.”
“You promise?” she said.
“I do, now go back to bed, and let me finish up in here.”
“Okay, Okay,” and she left.
Harry left the shower running, but he exited and dressed. He was trying to take as much time as possible. He finally had to go to the bedroom and when he was halfway down the hall, he heard her. He walked to the now open door and saw her snoring away. She was only covered to the waist, and he was afraid to change anything. He closed the door. He had promised her he would come to the bedroom, and he kept his promise.
Harry went to his office and started working on his notes for his new book. The winter storm was no longer raging, but the temperature was well below freezing. After working for a while, he was getting hungry and looked at his watch, and it was after one. He walked to the bedroom and stood quietly, wondering if he could hear if she was up and about. After waiting a couple of minutes and hearing only silence, he went to the kitchen for food. After he ate, he went back to his office to continue his work.
Two hours later he heard her and came out of his office. She was walking toward the kitchen fully dressed and obviously showered. He greeted her with a smile and when she saw him, she began apologizing. “Oh Harry, I am so sorry. You must think I am awful. I am so embarrassed.”
“Betty, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize. Just forget about it.”
“No, I can’t forget about it. I was so enjoying myself, and the Bloody’s were so good. I didn’t feel anything coming. It was like I was instantly smashed. I only vaguely remember some of the things that happened. What really frightens me is what I don’t remember. When I woke up, I had no clothes on. Did we…” she hesitated.
“No,” Harry said beginning to laugh, “I would never take advantage of you in that condition.”
“Did you undress me?”
“No, that was your doing.”
“I have vague memories of a shower. Did we shower together?”
“No, absolutely not.”
“Well, what about the shower, did I try to shower with you?”
Harry paused, “Uh, well, sort of.”
“Oh, good Lord. Did you see me without any clothes?”
He hesitated, “Sort of, well, I guess, yes.”
“Oh no! I am so sorry. I can’t believe I have done this. Will the weather let me leave?”
“No, and you don’t have to leave. It’s going to be okay. How about some food and coffee and maybe some hair of the dog? It’s been a long time since I was hungover, but as I remember, my best remedy was breakfast, coffee and a bloody.”
“The coffee and breakfast sound okay but I doubt I’ll ever have another Bloody Mary. Let me say again how sorry I am. I hope this doesn’t ruin our relationship. I am sure you must be more than ready for me to be out of here.”
“I don’t know about that. I bet most single men would be thrilled to be iced in with a beautiful woman running around their house naked.” He was smiling a wicked smile as he said this.
“Oh my, please don’t speak of this to anyone. Promise me, please.”
Chapter 52
Dax was almost out of sight when she pulled out of the trees headed in the same direction. He was parked and walking toward the house when he heard her Jeep approaching. He turned, paused, and walked back to his Jeep shaking his head.
When she was close, she could see Jack sitting alone at a table beside the pool. She was finally ready to meet with him.
Jack stood when he saw her come into the pool area and stepped around the table to greet her. He spoke first, “Andy, I’m sorry you got so upset. I hope you will sit and let’s talk.”
“I’m ready to talk, Jack,” she said coolly.
They sat and he spoke, “Why don’t you tell me what your problems are and let me address them.”
“I’ll do that, but I don’t think you can change my mind.”
“What do you mean, ‘change your mind’? Change your mind about what?”
“Leaving, I won’t be staying. This has been a terrible mistake on my part.”
“Leave, my God, Andy, you just got here. You can’t even think about leaving. That’s ridiculous. There is nothing I can’t fix. Now let’s go through issues one by one.”
“Jack, let me first say the first big problem is me. I jumped too quickly. I didn’t do enough research. I didn’t ask enough questions. All this is my fault.”
“Andy, what’s the big deal? What did you not ask about?”
“Jack, this is not a horse farm in the terms that I have always considered. This is a complex, multi-faceted operation that includes raising cattle, farming, and thoroughbred racing. I am not nearly qualified or trained to handle this.”
“If Dax can handle it, I’m sure you can do it better. Plus, he’ll be around to help with anything you don’t know until you can get your arms around it.”
“Don’t underestimate Dax. He has spent his whole life doing this work. Besides, I don’t like him, and he doesn’t like me.”
“That doesn’t bother me a bit. I learned a long time ago people who work for you don’t have to like you, and you don’t have to like them. They must respect your position, and you must respect their work.”
“That just won’t work with me, Jack. I don’t like the way he looks at me. I won’t be put in that position every day.”
“Look, Andy, if it’s that big a deal for you, I will fire him, and you won’t have that issue.”
“No, absolutely, no! You don’t understand. You are not hearing what I am saying. I am not capable of doing his job.”
“Okay, here’s what we will do. I’ll let Dax run the cattle and farm operation and you handle all the horse things. Will that make you happy?”
“That’s a thoughtful try, but I think everything is too closely tied together. I think it could create some real operational issues. It appears to operate efficiently now, but I am afraid that would create problems.”
“Well, what do you want me to do?”
“Nothing, I am going to go back home and try to resume my old life.”
“Just put a hold on that thought; what other issues do you have?”
“I have been treated like one of your teenage daughters. What I can do, what I can’t do when we go shopping. I can’t even pay my bills.”
“That was for your own protection and to make it easier on you. That was a perk.”
“Not to me it wasn’t, and Harmon even tried to take my revolver. He would h
ave too, if not for the police.”
“You don’t need a weapon when you are under my control.”
“Your control?! I will not be under your control. And speaking of that, what kind of people do you do business with that would abduct your daughters and me? And luckily I had my weapon, or we might all be dead.”
“They weren’t going to hurt you. It was to force me into a certain position on the deal I was working.”
“Well, that’s pretty easy to say now that we are free. Who were these people? What kind of business were you doing?”
“You don’t need to know about my business so don’t even ask. Everything is okay now, so let’s just move on.”
“Listen to you. So every time there is a shopping trip, do the girls have to worry about being abducted?”
“Andy, families of men of wealth have always been targets, and precautions must always be taken. Enough of that, what else?”
She chuckled shaking her head negatively, “And there’s the house, it belongs to Dax. He’s lived there since it was built.”
“Correction, the house belongs to me, and I decide who lives there.”
“And then, there’s my suite adjoining yours. I thought that was bold, Jack.”
“Andy, I am a bold person, and I told you I hoped our relationship might turn into something more. I just wanted to make it convenient,” he said, smiling at her.
“It’s just too much, Jack. I do thank you for the opportunity, and I am genuinely sorry, it’s just too complicated. I plan to work with the girls and their horses tomorrow morning as scheduled. I will talk to them and explain my decision. I will expect to leave after lunch.”
“Andy please slow down. Take at least a week to reconsider. Maybe I can come up with a plan to change your mind.”
“I don’t think so, Jack.”
She got up and left.
Andy skipped dinner with Jack and the girls opting to dine in her room. When Jack informed the girls at dinner that Andy intended to leave, there was chaos at the table. Jenny, the youngest, started crying and she said, “If Andy’s leaving, so am I. If she’s not here, I want to go back to my old house and to my school and to my friends. Daddy, you ruin everything. You think you are so smart. Well, you’re not. You treated Andy like she was a child. Daddy, you were so wrong.”
Jack turned to Jane, the oldest but before he could respond Jane spoke, “Dad, Jenny is right. This whole thing has not been good for her since the beginning. And, I feel the same as Jenny, if Andy is leaving, I want to go back to our old home, our school, and our friends.”
Jack was stunned, “I can’t believe you two would talk to me like this. You sound like ungrateful brats. You both know I do everything for you. You live a fine lifestyle, one that other girls your age would love.”
Jane spoke again while Jenny sat and sobbed, “Dad we know you have been good to us but, you have treated Andy poorly. Everyone is afraid of you and nobody questions you. But Andy is different, she is not afraid of you.”
“Girls, I promise I will find someone just as competent to replace her.”
Jenny stopped sobbing and almost yelled, “No, we don’t want anybody else. You go tell her you’re sorry, and you get her to stay,” and she resumed her tears.
Andy was in her room lining up flights and transportation to the airport. She would absolutely not ask Jack for anything. She called Clay and told him she was coming home. She asked him to call Harry and let him know. That’s when Clay told her about the ice storm and Betty being iced in for two days with Harry. She immediately rescinded her request to tell Harry she was coming back. She was shocked Harry already had connected with someone so quickly. Maybe they weren’t where she thought they were.
Chapter 53
It had been a night of anxious thoughts for Andy. She had hardly slept, and now it was time for her to go down and meet the girls for breakfast for the last time. She wasn’t looking forward to this because she knew how upset the girls were going to be.
She walked into the breakfast room expecting to see the girls, but it was Jack alone who was waiting to meet her.
“Jack, good morning, I normally meet the girls for breakfast. Have you seen them this morning?”
“Andy, good morning, the girls are eating alone this morning so that I might have some time with you.”
“Jack, I don’t have anything else to add to what I said yesterday. I’m packed, and I have all my travel arrangements made. Other than spending the morning with the girls and the horses, there’s nothing left to do or say.”
“Andy, I understand what you’re saying, and I’m pretty sure I know why you feel the way you do. I don’t want you to talk. Just please give me the courtesy of having your breakfast while I do all the talking.”
“Okay.”
They sat down and Jack began, "Andy, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I think my behavior has almost cost me my relationship with my girls. When I told them that you were leaving, any inhibitions they had about telling me what they really thought disappeared. They pulled no punches. They were brutally honest with me.
"One thing I readily admit is I have done a poor job of transitioning between my work and my personal life. I come back from a business trip, and I treat everyone as if they are my employees. I have done it so much; it has become my standard operating procedure. I have been terrible, and I promise you I do regret it. Andy, after the girls got through with me last night and some hard reflection on my part; I realize what an apology I owe you. This was a major lifestyle change for you, and I just dumped you down here with a bunch of people you didn’t know and who didn’t know you with a poorly planned set of instructions. It was terrible on my part, and I am truly sorry. I would give anything if I could do this over. It is easy for me to understand how you feel. I was just plain wrong.
"Andy, I am a businessman so let me get to the bottom line. I am about to lose my girls. They both say if you don’t stay, they want to move back to our old home, old school, and friends. I don’t think that’s in their best interest, which is why I brought them here with you. I know you must know how they feel about you. After last night, I think if they had to choose between the two of us, I would be their second choice. They haven’t had a mother influence in their lives. You are the closest thing they have had, and I see how important that is. Maybe if they were boys, it would be different, I don’t know. It just seems that since they have become teenagers, there is so much I don’t know. We are a week away from Christmas and then the New Year’s holiday.
“I’m asking, no, no, I am not asking, I am begging you to delay your decision to leave until after the New Year. Andy, I don’t expect you to do this for me. I know for sure their Christmas will be ruined if you go. So, please do it for them. I know you care for them and I know you want what’s best for them. Please use this extra time to enjoy the holiday with the girls and if you won’t change your mind about leaving, at least help me convince them that this is a better place for them than where they were.”
Jack had finished and he was obviously distressed.
“Jack, I have all these travel plans in place.”
“We can unwind those, no problem. Besides, if you do decide to leave, I will take care of that for you.” When he said this, he realized he might have said that the wrong way and he quickly added, “I know you are quite capable, I just meant, I brought you down here and I will return you if necessary. I don’t want you to have any expenses related to this experience. And one more thing, if you could find it in your heart to give me one more chance, I promise we can sit together and go through every detail and find a way for you to be happy and function here with the girls.”
Andy sat quietly finishing up the last of her breakfast.
Jack continued, “Well what do you say?” As he said that, the two girls appeared. They were both staring at Andy.
“Are you ready, girls?” Andy asked as she stood up from the table. The girls didn’t answer, they switched their eyes to their fa
ther’s who was staring at Andy.
“We will see you at lunch, Jack,” and she led the girls out of the room. Andy and the girls spent the first hour not riding but talking. The girls influenced by their father were trying not to be emotional, but it was hard. They said all the things to her they had said to their father. They did not want her to leave. Their father had promised them Andy could have whatever she wanted if she would stay. Andy tried to explain how complicated the whole thing had become. She did miss her farm and she missed her friends. She didn’t talk specifically about Harry but he was definitely on her mind. She couldn’t help but wonder if Harry was now lost to her. Could he already be that serious with Betty? What would happen when she got back? Was she forgotten?
The girls interrupted her wandering thoughts. Their final request was that she at least stay until after the new year. They told her their Christmas would totally be ruined. They had bought her gifts and they wanted to see her open them. She understood, she too had gifts for the girls and would like to see their faces Christmas morning.
At this point, her big concern was Harry and Betty spending a romantic Christmas and New Year’s together.
Andy finally relented and agreed to spend the holidays with the girls at Shadow Lake. Jack had told her he would not be traveling until after the New Year so this would give her a chance for an extended amount of time with his presence.
Chapter 54
Betty finished her breakfast and the mimosa Harry insisted she have. She admitted the food and the mimosa had her feeling much better. Harry told her they would have a late dinner since it was now mid-afternoon.
“Harry, the storm has stopped. I think I should get out of here before it gets dark.”
“I don’t think you can. You’re right the storm has stopped, but the temp has not gone up. From the looks of the driveway, I don’t think you could get out and that probably means the roads are still pretty slick. Plus, we need to check on your power. There’s no sense going back to a cold dark house.”