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- As Things Change
- Part XXII
Matthew returns to the cabin with the rest of the men. He unsaddles
Spunky and puts her in the pen with the other horses. He helps
Blake feed and water all the horses and then heads to the cabin
to get something to eat. Sully and the other 2 hands are already
seated when they enter. Matt tosses his hat in the corner on
top of his gear, happy to be rid of it. Stefi gets up from the
table to get him a plate. Matt walks into the kitchen, taking
the plate from her. “I can help myself.”
-
- Blake and Matt fill their
plates, grab a soda from the fridge and take a seat at the table.
Sully looks over as Matthew sits beside him. “You tired,
kid?”
-
- Matt shrugs. “A little.”
-
- Blake smiles at him. “You
did pretty good for a greenhorn. It'll be easier tomorrow.”
-
- “I sure hope so. It’s
not as easy as it sounds.”
-
- Sully laughs. “What
did you expect?”
-
- “My grandpa told me
stories about roundup and I thought it would be fun.”
-
- “Maybe you don’t
belong out here. All you city boys are the same. No guts.”
-
- Matt is annoyed. “When
I get the hang of it, I’ll be able to keep up. Just give
me a chance.”
-
- Sully gives him a surprised
look. “You talkin’ back to me, boy?”
-
- “No, Sir. Just sayin’
maybe I do have guts. This is only my first day.”
-
- Sully laughs again, clapping
Matthew on the back. “You sure are like ol’ Asa. I
like getting him riled up too.”
-
- Nora and Bo are back in the
Jeep. He drives into a small town and stops in the town square.
“Why are we stopping?”
-
- He turns to her with a frown.
“You ask a lot of questions. Just go with the flow, okay?”
-
- She pushes open her door.
“Fine.” Nora gets out and surveys her surroundings.
They are parked in front of a large, old building with a Bed
and Breakfast sign in the yard. Beyond the house are two massive
oak trees overlooking the river beyond. The slight hillside is
dotted with Adirondack chairs, some occupied by people reading
or drinking or chatting quietly. “What a lovely site. Wish
I’d brought my camera.”
-
- Bo walks up to her. “Let’s
go inside.” He takes her hand as they walk into the house,
approaching a discreet desk at the back of the room.
- “Bo Buchanan,”
he announces to the receptionist sitting behind the desk.
-
- She smiles. “Mr. Buchanan.
How was your trip?”
-
- “Very nice. This area
is as beautiful as ever.”
-
- Nora picks up a pamphlet
from the desk as Bo chats with the receptionist. “Bo, did
you know this used to be part of a sanitarium? Are you following
through with your threat to commit me to the funny farm?”
-
- The receptionist slides a
key to Bo. “Yes, it was at one time a drugless health sanitarium.
It’s a bit more modern now. I’m sure you will enjoy
our accommodations. Your room is upstairs, at the end of the
hall. It includes a private balcony. You also have dinner reservations,
that starts in an hour.” She slides another piece of paper
toward him. “Here is the menu for this evening. Please don’t
hesitate to call on our staff if you need anything.”
-
- Bo takes the key and the
paper. “Thank you.”
-
- He takes Nora’s hand
and they walk away from the desk. She stops and turns to him.
“You had reservations?” He nods. “When did you
arrange all this?”
-
- He shrugs. “When Matt
wanted to go out with Blake, I figured this was the perfect opportunity
for us to have a little getaway of our own.”
-
- “Asa and Rex are coming
tomorrow.”
-
- He pulls her toward the stairs.
“They won’t be at the ranch until the afternoon. We
have plenty of time.”
-
- They walk down the hall and
he inserts the key, standing back to let Nora enter first. She
looks around with a smile. “It’s beautiful, Bo. Very
homey.”
-
- “That’s what the
website says.”
-
- She walks around the room,
searching for something. “Um, Bo. There’s no TV in
this room.”
-
- He shakes his head. “None
on the property anywhere. It’s part of the charm.”
He walks over and takes her in his arms. “I’m sure
we can find other ways to occupy our time.”
-
- She kisses him. “I have
no doubt. Did she say dinner was in an hour?”
- He nods. “Bo! We can’t
go to dinner like this. You didn’t tell me this was an overnight
jaunt. I have nothing to wear.”
-
- “It starts in an hour
but they serve until 9pm. You have plenty of time and there’s
a small boutique right down the street. I’m sure they will
have something suitable for dinner. It’s not formal, honey.
I packed us a change of clothes for tomorrow. It’s in the
back of the Jeep.”
-
- She puts out her hand. “Give
me your credit card. You may regret this.”
-
- He fishes out his wallet
and hands her the card with a smile. “Maybe I will, but
I have a feeling it’s going to be worth it.”
-
- She kisses him and makes
her way out of the room. She approaches the reception desk and
is given directions to the boutique in the square. Nora picks
out an off the shoulder sundress the owner assures her will be
perfect for dinner and a silk nightgown Nora is sure Bo will
enjoy later. She takes her purchases back to the Inn. Bo has
retrieved the bag from the Jeep and they both dress for dinner.
-
- Matt and Blake help Stefi
clean up after dinner as the rest of the men set up the table
for a game of poker. Sully looks at Matt. “You in, kid?”
-
- Matt nods. “Grandpa
taught me how to play. He hosts games at the lodge in Pennsylvania.”
-
- Sully nods with a chuckle.
“Well, deal him in. You got money?”
-
- Matt digs in his wallet.
“Is $50 enough to buy in?”
-
- Sully pulls back a chair.
“It’ll do for a start.”
-
- Blake grabs Matt’s arm.
“You sure you want to do this? You don’t know what
you’re getting yourself into.”
-
- Matt nods. “If I can
hold my own with my grandpa, I can play with these guys.”
-
- “Suit yourself.”
-
- Rex walks into the bedroom
and sees Lauren staring at a pile of clothes. “Whatcha doin’?”
-
- She sits on the bed with
a sigh. “I have no idea how to pack for a trip to a ranch!”
-
- He chuckles as he sits beside
her. “Jeans, tees, comfortable shoes. I would suggest cowboy
boots but I know that’s a stretch. You might want to throw
in a suit too. I hear there’s a pool.”
-
- “Are you kidding? Me
in a bathing suit when I’m pregnant? Not in this lifetime.”
-
- Rex grins, shaking his head.
“You’re hardly even showing yet. It’s not a big
deal. We can buy you one when you get down there.”
-
- Lauren runs her hand over
her barely protruding tummy. “I guess I’m just self-conscious.”
-
- He leans in to kiss her.
“I know but you have no reason to be. Besides, not like
it’s a public pool. It’s Bo and Nora and Matthew.”
-
- “And all the ranch hands.”
-
- He pulls her close. “Let
‘em look. I think it’s kinda sexy.”
-
- She pushes him away. “You
would. Are you all packed?”
-
- He nods, getting up from
the bed. “I packed yesterday. We’re only going to be
there for a few days. Bo said it’s hot so I’m going
with the basic polos and shorts.”
-
- “Can you ride a horse
dressed like that?”
-
- He turns to her with a frown.
“I’ll ride a horse when Mrs. B does.”
-
- Lauren laughs. “The
pair of you would be a sight to see. What time are we meeting
Asa at the airport?”
-
- “Around 11am. I got
all the info from Nigel.”
-
- “That’s perfect.
I won’t have to get up early. I can’t wait to see this
ranch I’ve heard so much about.”
-
- Matt is sitting in the smoke-filled
cabin staring intently at his cards. Sully frowns at him. “Come
on, kid. Are you in or out?”
-
- Matt looks at the pot, glances
back at his cards and pushes all his chips into the middle of
the table. “I’m in.”
-
- Sully nods. “Show me
your cards.” Matthew lays his cards on the table. Sully
chuckles as he sets down his own cards, which show a winning
hand. “You’re out, kid. Better luck next time.”
-
- He shrugs. “Not my day.
Thanks for letting me play.”
-
- Sully laughs heartily. “Pleasure
taking your money. You can play any time.”
-
- Matt gets up from the table.
“I’m going to go find Blake.” He walks out of
the cabin and sees Blake and Stefi sitting by a small campfire
near the pond. “Mind if I join you?”
-
- “Have a seat. How’d
you do with the poker?”
-
- Matt shrugs as he drops down
in the dirt. “I lost.”
-
- Blake grins. “I tried
to warn you.”
-
- “It’s no big deal.
It’s a small price to pay for those guys to treat me like
one of the guys and not like the owner’s grandson.”
-
- “I guess. Is that why
you wanted to come out here or did you just want to get away
from your parents?”
-
- “A little of both.”
-
- Stefi shrugs. “Your
parents seem okay.”
-
- “Don’t let them
fool you. They can be a major pain in the ass.”
-
- “At least you have parents.”
-
- Matt looks at her curiously.
“Where are your parents?”
-
- Blake frowns. “We were
raised by our grandpa mostly. Our parents were in and out when
we were little but they’ve been gone for a while now.”
-
- “I’m sorry.”
-
- “Don’t be. Grandpa
Chuck took good care of us. And we got to grow up on the ranch,
which is a huge bonus for me.”
-
- Matt nods. “I know you
love the ranch. Have you thought about doing anything else besides
ranching?”
-
- Blake shakes his head. “Nope.
I mean look at this place.” He opens his arms, gesturing
toward the pond and the fields beyond. “Plenty of wide open
spaces.” He points toward the sky. “And look at all
those stars. Tell me you see those in your fancy city.”
-
- Matt chuckles, leaning back
to stare up at the star-filled sky. “I wouldn’t exactly
call Llanview fancy.”
-
- Stefi watches him. “You
like being in the city?”
-
- “It’s all I know.
It does have its advantages.”
-
- Blake grins at him. “You
got a girl waiting for you, city boy?”
-
- Matt shakes his head. “Not
really.”
-
- “Liar. What’s her
name?”
-
- Matt stares into the fire.
“Kallie. But we’re just friends. I screwed up really
bad a while back and we broke up. I’m not sure if she’ll
give me another chance or not. And my parents aren’t too
thrilled about me dating anyway.”
-
- Stefi looks at him. “Is
that why you were arguing the other night?”
- Blake smacks her on the arm.
“Sorry. Never mind.”
-
- Matt shakes his head. “We
were arguing about something completely different. Actually,
Kallie let me have it when I told her about the fight.”
-
- “Sounds like she knows
you pretty well.”
-
- “We’ve been friends
for a long time and she’s definitely not afraid to speak
her mind.”
-
- “Sounds like your mom.”
-
- Matt grins. “Yeah, I
guess she is. Maybe my dad and I have the same taste in women.”
-
- Blake grins at him. “I
like my women on the quiet side.”
-
- Stefi laughs. “You’re
such a liar. When you were all moonfaced over Emma Tyson, she
told you how high to jump and you never asked why.”
-
- Blake shrugs with a wink.
“Emma was worth it though. If you know what I mean…”
-
- Matt nods. “For sure.”
-
- Stefi looks at him curiously.
“Guys are such dogs. Is that why you’re with this Kallie?”
-
- Matt shakes his head quickly.
“No. We’re just friends…”
-
- “But you want to be
more, don’t you?”
-
- Blake glares at her. “Don’t
be so nosy, Stef. It’s none of our business. Ever since
she turned 13, she thinks she’s a relationship expert.”
-
- “I sure know more about
women than you do, bonehead.”
-
- Matt grins. “It’s
okay. I like Kallie a lot. But…” He pauses, trying
to define his relationship.
-
- Blake cracks up. “Sounds
like you got no game, city boy.”
-
- Matt laughs. “No doubt
about that. Girls really do live on another planet as far as
I can tell.”
-
- Stefi rolls her eyes. “Geez,
you’re such morons. Did you tell her what you want?”
-
- Matt hesitates, pondering.
“I didn’t come right out… But come on, she must
know…” He stops as Stefi slowly shakes her head at
him. “Can we talk about something else? It sure is hot out
here. How are we going to sleep tonight? And I’m not sure
I can sleep in that smoke-filled cabin.”
-
- Blake laughs. “Not to
mention Sully snores somethin’ awful. I usually sleep out
here by the fire but that may be too rustic for a city boy.”
-
- Matt shakes his head. “It’s
got to be better than the cabin.”
-
- “I set up a tent behind
the cabin. You’re welcome to it. Stefi gets her own room
in the cabin since she’s the only girl out here.”
-
- “The tent sounds doable.
It’s still too freakin’ hot to sleep though.”
-
- Blake stands, pulling off
his T-shirt. “That’s why we take a little dip before
we turn in.”
-
- Matt looks at the pond. “Are
you kidding?”
-
- “Why not? You’re
not afraid, are you?”
-
- “It’s dark. Are
there fish in there?”
-
- Blake laughs, stripping down
to his boxers. “Guess you’ll just have to sweat.”
He walks over to the water’s edge and slowly wades in. “This
water sure feels good…” He walks further in and sticks
his leg out, pretending he’s being dragged under. “I
think something’s got me… Help!” He laughs as
he falls backwards into the water.
-
- Matt rolls his eyes, reluctantly
pulling off his shirt and jeans, joining Blake in the cool water.
Stefi leaves her T-shirt and shorts on as she wades in after
the boys.
-
- Bo and Nora are strolling
along the riverbank hand in hand, walking off their dinner before
turning in. Nora takes a deep breath, enjoying the fresh country
air. “This place isn’t so bad when the sun goes down
and there’s a breeze.”
-
- “Texas summers are the
worst. When we were kids, we didn’t like to stray too far
from the watering hole or the river. Very few places had air
conditioning back then.”
-
- “Oh, I have no idea
how people survived.” She looks up at the sky. “I do
love seeing all the stars. I wouldn’t want to live here
but I am enjoying the visit. And Matthew is in heaven.”
-
- “I knew he would love
the ranch. I wish we had made it down here when he was younger.”
-
- Nora shakes her head sadly.
“We could have done so many things if we hadn’t wasted
our time when Matt was little…”
-
| |