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As Things Change - Part XV Bo, Nora and Matthew are up and out of the house early Saturday morning. The plane is fueled and ready for them to depart. Nora settles in with a book and a bag of her favorite cheese doodles. Bo decides to take a nap while Matthew tunes out with his iPod.   Lauren wakes when she hears someone moving in the kitchen and looks at her surroundings, forgetting where she has spent the night. Marcie walks out of the kitchen carrying two mugs of tea. She approaches the couch and sees that Lauren is awake. She hands her a cup before taking a seat in the chair opposite her. “How did you sleep?”   Lauren takes a sip. “I didn’t.” The tears threaten again. “What am I going to do, Marcie?”   “You’re going to go home and tell Rex the truth. I let you stay here last night because you were so upset, but running away is no solution. You can’t just assume he doesn’t want a baby when he doesn’t know all the facts. And even if he doesn’t, he has responsibilities here too.”   Lauren shakes her head. “I don’t want him with me just because I’m pregnant.”   “I understand that. But you’re not being fair thinking he’ll hate the reality of a baby because he’s squeamish about a theoretical baby. He may walk but you have be honest with him. He deserves that.”   Lauren sits up and puts her mug on the coffee table. “I know you’re right but this is so much harder than I ever thought it would be.”   “You’re making it harder by keeping quiet and it’s causing you stress. And that’s not good for you or the baby. No matter how Rex reacts, you have friends and family who will always be here for you. Michael and I will help you any way we can – including kicking Rex in the ass if he needs it.”   Lauren gives her a small smile. “You’re a good friend, Marcie.”   “To both of you. You know I adore Rex but it doesn’t mean I don’t see that he can be immature sometimes. Although, he seems better when he’s with you. I know he loves you, Lauren. You have to give him a chance to love your baby too. I think despite his protests, he will come through.”   “I hope you’re right. I hate being such a coward about this but…”   Marcie’s phone rings and she checks the ID. “It’s Rex.”   Lauren shakes her head. “Don’t tell him I’m here.”   Marcie picks up the phone. “Hello.”   Rex is frantic. “Marcie! Have you seen Lauren? She left last night and she never came back. Bo and Nora are gone so I know she’s not there. Please tell me you’ve talked to her.”   Marcie looks at Lauren. “Yes, she’s here. She came over last night.”   “Thank God. Can I talk to her?”   “I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”   “Then I’m coming over…”   “No, Rex. Lauren will be home soon and the two of you can talk. Give her a little space. She will come to you.”   “But…”   “I mean it, Rex. She will come home when she’s ready. Don’t push it.”   “Okay, okay. I’ll wait here. But tell her I really, really want her to come home. Please?”   “I will. Take care, Rex.” Marcie hangs up and turns her attention to Lauren. “He’s freaking out. You really need to talk to him.”   “I know. I just don’t know how to tell him.”   “Just blurt it out! Once it’s out in the open, you can talk it through. Hiding here isn’t going to solve anything.”   Lauren gets up from the sofa. “You’re right. I’m going to wash up a bit and then I’ll go talk to him.”   Marcie stands and hugs her friend. “You’ll feel better when you do. It’s all going to work out, you’ll see.”   The Buchanan jet taxis to a stop near a hangar at a private airstrip. A truck with the Buchanan Ranch logo emblazoned on the side is parked nearby. As the plane stops, a young man emerges from the hangar to wait for the occupants to deplane. He’s about 18, wiry and muscular, his face hidden under a cowboy hat. Matt comes down the stairs first, his backpack slung over his shoulder. Nora and Bo follow him down and they make their way over to the young man. He holds out his hand. “Mr. Buchanan, I’m Blake. My grandpa sent me to pick up your family.”   Bo shakes his hand. “Chuck’s grandson? Boy, you’ve grown.”   “Yes, Sir. I’ve been helping out on the ranch full time since I graduated.”   “Good to have you on board. This is my wife, Nora and our son, Matthew.”   Blake tips his cowboy hat. “Pleased to meet you, Ma’am.” He nods to Matt. “Hi, there. There’s soda and snacks in the hangar if you want to wait in there while I see to your luggage.”   Bo shakes his head. “There’s not much. I’ll help you and then we can head to the ranch.”   Nora and Matthew climb into the truck while Bo and Blake take care of the luggage. When it’s all loaded into the back, Blake climbs behind the wheel and they head for the ranch. “How was the flight down?”   Bo nods. “Smooth. No problems at all. How are things on the ranch?”   Blake shrugs. “We had some fierce storms in the spring so there’s lots of fence work to do. Lost a few head through the winter but we’ve had a good batch of calves this spring.”   “I can’t wait to take a look around the place. It’s been a long time.” Blake looks at Matt in the rearview mirror. “We have your horse all ready for you, Matthew.”   “Cool. What’s her name?”   Blake shakes his head. “That’s up to you. She’s your horse so you get to name her.”   “Anything I want?” Blake nods. “Awesome! I can’t wait to see her.”   Nora frowns at him. “You need to be careful, Matthew. Remember, she doesn’t know you yet.”   Matt rolls his eyes. “I’ll be fine, Mom. Don’t worry so much.”   Nora bites her tongue as Blake pulls off the main road under the sign for the Buchanan Ranch and they head down a long driveway toward the ranch house in the distance. Nora smiles. “I’d forgotten how beautiful this place is.”   Matt is staring out the window. “All of this is Grandpa’s?”   Bo nods. “Yup. As far as the eye can see, it’s Buchanan land.”   “Impressive.”   Blake pulls up in front of the main house and stops the truck. Bo jumps out as the door opens and Chuck strides out to greet them. “Bo! So good to see you back here, boy.” He pulls him into a tight hug, clapping him on the back. Chuck turns his attention to Nora. “And you too, missy. It’s been a long time since you’ve visited these parts.”   Nora sucks in a breath as he crushes her in a bear hug. “Good to see you too, Chuck.”   He stares at Matthew. “And you must be Junior Buchanan.”   He holds out his hand. “I’m Matthew.”   Chuck ignores his hand and hugs him too. “Asa’s pictures don’t do you justice. Welcome to the ranch, young man.”   “Thanks.” Matthew moves back from him. “This place is huge!”   “You ain’t seen the half of it. Blake, get their bags and bring them on inside. We’ve got a spread out for lunch. You must be starving after your flight.”   Nora smiles at him. “I never refuse food.”   Chuck winks at her. “I remember that about you, Nora.”   She laughs. “Lead the way!”   Bo helps Blake with the bags and Matthew grabs his backpack out of the truck. They follow Chuck and Nora inside where they are met by a young teenage girl. She takes the bag from Bo as Chuck introduces her. “This is my granddaughter, Stefi. She’ll be helping us out around the house, so if you need anything, you just let her know.”   Chuck motions to Blake. “Take those bags upstairs. You know which rooms.”   He starts up the stairs. “Yes, Sir.”   Stefi turns to follow her brother. Matthew tries to grab his bag from her. “I can get this.”   She shrugs him off. “I can handle it.”   Matt steps back. “Okay. I’ll go up with you. I want to see my room and dump my gear.”   Nora nods. “We’ll be in the dining room. Come on down when you get settled.”   Matt heads upstairs behind Blake and Stefi as Chuck escorts Nora into the dining room with Bo following behind. The table is set and a huge plate of ribs is sitting in the center of it. Chuck pulls out a chair for Nora as Bo takes a seat beside her. Nora eyes the mound of ribs. “This looks delicious, Chuck. Now that we’re here, I realize I’m starving!”   “Dig in. There’s plenty.”   Blake takes Bo and Nora’s bags into their room. Matt follows Stefi further down the hall to his room. He looks around incredulously. There is a king size bed off to one side and a sliding glass door that leads out to a second floor balcony overlooking the pool, with a view of the barns and pastures beyond. A huge flat screen TV hangs on the wall. “Wow! This is some room!”   Stefi sets his bag on the bed. “Would you like me to unpack for you?”   He looks at her strangely. “No. I can unpack my own stuff. You’re not the maid, are you?”   She shakes her head. “No, but my grandpa would skin me if I didn’t make you feel welcome.”   Matt dumps his backpack on the bed. “I feel welcome but I’m not used to having someone serve me. MY parents insist I’m capable of doing things for myself. We don’t have maids at my house, so don’t sweat it.”   “Okay then.” Stefi walks toward the door and is met by Blake.   “Everything okay in here?”   Matt nods. “This place is awesome. You get to hang out here all the time?”   Blake nods. “I’ve been helping out on the ranch since I was 10. I love this place.”   “Maybe you could show me around?” Matt asks hopefully.   “Be glad to. I have some chores to do down at the barn. Why don’t you come down when you’re finished with lunch.”   “That would be great. Thanks, Blake.”   Matt follows Blake and Stefi downstairs. Blake ducks out the front door and Stefi leads Matt into the dining room where his parents are having lunch. Matt pulls up a chair and helps himself to some ribs. Stefi grabs the water pitcher and refills their glasses. She disappears into the kitchen as Nora turns to Matt. “How do you like your room?”   “It’s awesome. It looks out over the pool and the barns. And it has a flat screen TV.”   Nora nods to Bo. “No spoiling him down here, I see?”   Bo shrugs. “It’s Asa’s house, Red. Would you like Matt to use a different room?”   Matt frowns. “No! That one will do just fine.” He turns to Chuck. “Blake said I could meet him down at the barn and he’ll show me around. Is that okay?”   Chuck nods. “Sure. You have the run of the place. You can go wherever you’d like.”   “Just don’t get lost,” Nora admonishes.   Bo grins. “I’m sure he’ll be fine with Blake, honey. He’s been on this ranch since he was a kid. He can show Matthew around.”   She turns to her son. “As long as you’re careful around the animals.” Matt rolls his eyes. “Sure thing, Mom.”   Lauren cautiously walks into the loft. Rex gets up from the sofa, not sure whether to approach her. She puts her jacket over the chair in the kitchen and walks into the living room, stopping in front of him. “Hi,” she says softly.   “Hi. Are you okay?” She nods. “What’s going on, Lauren? What did I do wrong?”   The tears are instantly in her eyes. “Nothing. It’s not you, it’s me.”   He shakes his head. “Don’t say that. It’s the worst blow-off line ever.” He gets a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Are you dumping me?” he asks quietly.   She slowly shakes her head, letting the tears fall. She takes a deep breath and releases her secret. “I’m pregnant,” she whispers.   TBC