managed to spend most of the morning and into the lunch hour working on the next painting. He would have a fair number of small ones for the Open House as well as a few sketches. It helped keep him mind off Molly and the visit to the farm. He wasn't nervous, exactly, but it was always a chore meeting someone's parents. He didn't believe in putting on airs or being someone he wasn't, but he did want to make a good impression in this case, though it was Molly he wanted to impress rather than her Mom and Dad. He wanted to take a gift, but wasn't sure what, and hadn't thought to ask Molly what her Mom would like. In the end he wrapped up the little picture of Molly and Toby in her garden that he had done shortly after meeting her. On the way over to pick Molly up he changed his mind and stopped for a big bouquet of roses, yellow and a pale peach and wondering if they should be red, but the ones he chose were so pretty.
"It gets progressively worse." She grinned over at him. "They live at the end of this one and the road just becomes the lane to the house. It's a little out of the way, I suppose, but it's been that way all my life. There was a plan to extend it some years ago and put in a subdivision but the developer backed out and it's probably just as well. You'll be able to see the house from the next hill."
They had been following a white fence for a mile or so, and Molly had told him that the fence was the farm boundary. In one of the fields they passed, there was a small herd of some strange looking cattle and a donkey.
"That's Buddy guarding his herd. Dad had a bit of trouble with wolves or coyotes a few years back and got some donkeys in to act as guards away from the house. They do an excellent job too. They may be small but they can be awfully fierce when something is after their animals."
"Those cows don't look much like the regular ones." Dave said.
"No.... they're highland cattle. Much smaller and shaggier than the ones you normally see. They are one of the specialty animals that Dad raises and he has built up quite a business across the country with them. They are nice little cows and good for smaller farms or ones that have a lot of hills. Dad works a lot with animals that used to be common but have started to die out as the big farms go more and more for quickly maturing animals. He'll be proud to show you his collection. He's one of the few farmers who try to continue the older breeds, and he's doing it with birds as well as animals. He's starting to get some interest from others around the country, and Mom jumped at the chance to do the same thing with her heirloom plants. Don't get them going or you'll have to listen to the whole tale of how all the good things are being allowed to die out." She laughed. "They are very passionate about it, but I can understand it, and I'm glad for people like them who keep the old strains alive."
Dave slowed the jeep as they reached the top of the hill in an unconscious effort to get some sort of feeling about the place before they actually arrived. He was a bit surprised to see several cars in the yard and a crowd of children and what looked like a whole pack of black and white dogs.
"Is there a tour going on?" He asked in confusion.
"Oh my God. It never occurred to me that Mom would have the whole clan over to meet you! No it's just the rest of the family. Oh, Dave. I should have told her to just make it them and us. I'm so sorry. Is this going to be a huge problem for you?"
"No of course not. I may as well get to meet everyone at once. Do all those dogs live here?"
"Only two of them, and the others belong to the boys and Fiona. Actually they are offspring of the farm dogs so they are family as well and come out whenever their people do. It gives them a chance to run off some steam. Actually they shoudln't even be in town..... they are working dogs, but they come out on weekends most of the time, for training."
Dave wondered what sort of training she meant, but they were arriving and he didn't get a chance to ask.
looked over at Dave. She wished she had thought of the others being here so she could have warned him. It had not even occurred to her that Mam would ask everyone. He smiled at her.
The children laughed and ran off to play, followed by the pack of dogs, and Molly turned to Dave to find him rummaging in the back of the jeep. He brought out a long box and a smaller package, and giving her a wink, followed her toward to house. The door opened and a woman a little older than Molly ran out.
"Hi Molly. It's about time you got here." She was laughing, and gave Molly a big hug. She looked over at Dave and back to Molly and gave a low whistle."You don't do things by halves, do you? He's gorgeous."
Molly found herself blushing but couldn't help laughing back at her sister."This is Fiona, Dave, and you'll have to get used to her saying just whatever she's thinking. Hi Mam." She ran to greet her Mom who was standing in the doorway wiping her hands on her apron. "I never thought about everyone being here. It's a surprise."
"Eh , Lass ..... I didn't think you'd mind." she winked over at Dave. "May as well get everyone met at once,Davey Lad. I'm that pleased to meet you, then. Come in...come in... and call me Maire.... the girls are helping with dinner, Molly, seeing as how it's not your favorite thing. You can make sure Davey meets everyone."
Molly laughed."OK Mam.....I'll help clean up after as usual. Come on then, Dave and lets get them all sorted." She led the way into the kitchen where her sisters-in-law were busy helping get the meal under way. "Hi you two. Dave.....this is Sarah.....Callum's wife, and this is Marnie.... Liam's wife. Where are the boys?"
" I think everyone's down at the barn." Sarah told them. "There are calves being born and one of the cows was having a bit of a time.Hi Dave.......it's lovely to meet you."
smiled at the women, and turned to Molly's Mom. "These are for you, Maire." He turned to Molly's Dad who had followed them into the kitchen. "I wasn't sure about this. I hope you like it."
He saw Molly look over curiously."What's that, Dave? You didn't tell me you were bringing gifts."
He followed Molly out the door, and was surprised to see rows of what were commonly known as duck boots in different sizes lined up on shelves in the little shed, along with rain coats and bug hats.
"Are these all for the family?" he asked.
Molly laughed as she got him down a pair and some for herself. "No.... most of the time visitors and tour people don't think of where they are going to be walking when they visit a farm, and Mam thought it would be sensible to get in a bunch of these for people to put on instead of ruining their own shoes. People seldom come prepared for rain or bugs either, since they're mostly from the city. Of course, other farm folk know what to bring, but even I forgot this time."
"It's a pretty good idea. Your parents are awfully nice, Molly. They certainly make me feel at home. I don't think anyone has ever called me 'Davey Lad' in my life."
" I hope you don't mind, then. I expect they think of you as family. It's strange though,..... they certainly didn't take to Ted like this." She laughed and gave him a wink."It must have been the roses. Mam's a sucker for roses. How did you know her favorite color?"
"Just a lucky break. I thought the red were a little overdone and these looked so pretty."
They had been walking toward the barn, and Molly led the way down the side and pushed open a small door set into one of the big double doors. Inside, the light was dim after coming in from the bright sun, and they waited a moment to adjust their eyes. Dave found himself surrounded by warmth and an array of smells. He was a bit surprised to find it not unpleasant and mostly reminding him of the meadow at the cabin after he had cut it. Noises and low voices from a corner pen caught his attention, and they looked over to find three young men leaning over the side, intent on whatever was happening inside. They looked up as he and Molly approached.
"Hey there Sis." Said one. Dave thought he looked a little familiar, but couldn't place him. Maybe it was just that he and Molly were obviously related.
Molly inroduced him as Callum.....her eldest brother. Liam was next and then Art..... Fiona's husband. Handshakes and greetings all around. Dave couldn't remember being surrounded by so many hugging people in his life. It was different but rather nice. It sort of made him feel more welcome, part of a family. He heard Molly ask what was happening in the pen.
"Nothing at the moment." that from Liam. "This one's having a bit of trouble. It's her first and I think the calf might be a little large, or maybe it's turned. If it isn't born pretty soon, we're going to have to help out, I'm afraid."
"Oh.....poor thing..... Mam says dinner's in an hour."
"Still thinking of your stomach first then, Molly?" Callum laughed and Molly gave him a punch on the arm. "She'll eat you out of house and home if you aren't carefull, Dave."
"I will not! I don't eat near as much as you lot." Everyone laughed at that, and they all leaned over the pen watching a small cow lying on the straw bedding. She seemed to be breathing hard, but Dave didn't know much about this sort of thing. Suddenly she gave a heave and tried to stand. In a flash, Liam was over the boards, and helping her with an arm around her neck. She gave a low moaning sound and he heard Molly suck in her breath.
"She needs help, Liam. How long?" She sounded worried, and he wondered how serious the situation was.He knew nothing at all about birthing in farm animals.
"About as long as we dare let her go, I'm afraid. It doesn't seem to be coming." The cow tensed and to Dave's surprise a tiny foot seemed to emerge from under her tail, and then disappeared again. "Damn...... it is breach. We'll have to see if we can turn it, Callum. I'll need you to steady her head Art."
The men scrambled into the pen that suddenly seemed too small. Dave watched as Callum rolled up his sleeve and gingerly felt around under the cow's tail. He had actually stuck his hand into the cow and his forhead wrinkled in concentration.
"Damn......all I can feel is feet. It's too tight..... I can't get past..... here Liam.......you try." He pulled his hand out and wiped it on a bit of rag.
Liam rolled his sleeve up and felt around inside the cow. She tossed her head and Dave heard Art crooning in a low voice to her. He felt Molly tense beside him and looked over to see tears rolling down her face. He had no idea what to do but put an arm around her shoulder. The cow heaved again and Liam grunted.
"Gees...... I can't get a grip.... all I can feel is legs...... Damn.... it's slipped again. There isn't room." He pulled out his arm, and Dave could see blood and fluids as he wiped with the rag. "The sack is broken. We've got to get the calf out."
He looked at Callum and they both looked at Molly. "Your arm and hand are smaller. Do you think you could reach the head? It doesn't matter at this point....... ear or nose...... anything you can get a grip on."
didn't think twice, but climbed into the pen. With the three men and the cow it was crowded already, and to make room, Art jumped out to stand with Dave as Liam took over at her head.
Molly put her hand gingerly inside the cow. It was hot and Callum was right.... it was crowded in there. She reached in farther feeling tiny hoofs where they weren't supposed to be. She rested her cheek on the cow's rump, and tried to recognize what she was feeling. Wet fur, legs and hoofs, but nothing that felt like an ear or nose. The cow moved, and she staggered a bit, and felt Callum's hands about her waist.
"What can you feel, Molly? Can you get in high enough? Past the feet?"
"Just a sec." She pushed her arm in to the elbow and felt something ...."Wait.....something.....I think it's nose....yes...... can I grab that? Will it hurt it to pull a bit?" She gasped as the cow pushed and her arm felt as though it was in a vise.
"Hang on Molly..... it'll pass.... keep a grip if you can and pull towards you."
The calf seemed to move under her hand.....trying to be born. The cow relaxed and the pressure on her arm lessened. She could barely feel her fingers, and she lost her grip on the nose. She felt around and thought that things had shifted about a bit. She could feel the baby's face and reached in a little farther. Was that the ear? Yes..... maybe....yes. She could just about get a grip on it. It wasn't as slippery as the nose had been. The cow gave another heave , and Molly felt the pressure on her arm again, but this time she was ready and pulled a little harder on the ear, feeling it move toward her. She heard the cow give a low moo, and another heave, and she thought her arm was going to be crushed, but she kept her grip on the ear, and pulled. Pressure let off for a bit as the cow relaxed , and Molly took the opportunity to get a better hold. She felt Callum steady her and she rested her forhead against the cow's rump, feeling her heat.
"I've got a good grip on the ear, Callum."
"Good. Just rest for a minute. Are you alright?"
"Yes, but it's hurting a bit, especially when she pushes."
"Hang in Molly..... you're doing fine. Next time she pushes, pull as hard as you can....... don't worry about the ear, just see if you can get the head pulled this way."
She felt the little cow tense, and was ready when the pressure came again. With a grunt, she pulled as hard as she dared, and felt the calf turn and it's legs slide past her arm. The cow heaved again and Molly felt the resistance lessen as she pulled as hard as she could, and the calf came sliding out. The poor cow sank to her knees, and Callum helped Molly lower the calf to the straw. He wiped it gently with a handful of straw and shoved it toward the cow's face.
They watched as she sniffed the little wet creature and licked its face. Molly knew she was crying and didn't care. Callum handed her the rags and she wiped her arm. She looked over at Dave and found him looking at her with concern, and his knuckles gripping the side of the pen were white with tension.
She smiled over at him through her tears and winked.
"Welcome to farm life. Nothing like a crash course in animal birth."
He swallowed and gave her a shakey smile back."Are you Ok?"
"Yep...... well that was something!"
"Thanks, Molly" that from Liam.
"You did good ,Kid." that from Callum. Art just grinned over at her and nodded.
Callum helped her over the boards and Dave caught her on the other side, slowly lowering her to the floor. " You'll want to get cleaned up. Tell Mam we'll be up in a few minutes, Moll. I just want to make sure the little one's going to nurse alright."
"I can wait for a minute. I want to see too. I've got time invested in this little guy." Molly was a little anxious about the calf. If it had been hard on her, how much worse for the calf. It didn't seem to be moving about much. "Is it going to be alright?"
" Seems to be Ok." said Liam, as he felt about it's body. "Probably just tired out. That's a tough way to enter the world."
They all breathed a sigh of relief as the tiny calf started to squirm about. The cow heaved herself to her feet, and gave it a nudge. The baby struggled a bit and tried to stand.
"Not so soon surely." said Dave in astonishment.
"They usually try it after the first few minutes." Said Liam. "They're tiny but tough."
The calf tried again and on the third attempt, managed to stand for a few seconds or so before falling over. The cow gave him another nudge and he struggled up again. She pushed him a bit with her nose and with inborn instinct he wobbled his way to her udder and took his first drink of milk. His little tail wiggled and he butted his mama and everyone laughed.
"So Dave...... what do you think?" asked Molly. She had certainly not expected anything like this for his first trip to the farm.
"I'm pretty much speechless. Does this happen often?"
" No thank goodness." Liam said. "I'm glad you were here Molly. That's two this season that have been breach.We didn't get to the first one in time, unfortunately and just managed to save the mother. It's very unusual. They were both first time mothers. I wonder if there's something going on with that breeder. We bought four new cows last fall and there are two left to calf. We'll have to keep a close eye on the other two and make sure we get them down to the barn before they try to deliver. If the same thing happens, we won't keep them. I wonder if the breeder has had this problem, or any of the others who bought from him. It may not be a bad idea to check it out next time you see him, Callum. Da isn't going to be too pleased if it's a trend."
Molly felt good as they all trouped back to the house. She was glad she had been able to help. Dave seemed quiet, though, and she wondered what he was thinking. She hoped he hadn't been too shocked by it all. It wasn't the most lady-like position for her to be in, with her arm stuck up a cow's backside, she supposed, but it was just one of those things that happened on a farm. Sometimes you had to do what you had to do without too much messing about. She did want a shower though. She hoped there was something of Mam's that she could change into since her jeans and shirt were pretty much done for.
When they got to the house and told the news, Maire hustled her off to the bathroom and found a pair of jeans and shirt to wear while hers were being laundered. The shower felt so good and Molly held her aching arm under the hot water for a time. It would probably have some bruises, but it had been worth it.
She dressed and ran downstairs, while the boys went up for their cleanup. She wondered where Dave had got to. He wasn't in the living room;Da was reading the paper and hadn't seen him; and since she could smell good things coming from the kitchen, she went there to look. As she walked through the door, she saw the three girls clustered near the screen door leading to the back verandah. Before she could say anything, they waved her over, motioning her to keep silent. She frowned and wondered what they could possible be looking at. She tip toed over and thought she could hear Dave talking to someone and peeked through the screen.
followed Molly and the boys inside and then felt a little awkward as they all ran up to shower and change.Maire followed to find Molly something to wear, and to collect her soiled clothing. He wandered into the living room, but there was no one there and when he asked the girls if they needed any help in the kitchen they said they had everything under control, so he went out onto the back verandah and sat on the top step to wait for Molly to come back. He thought about the calving and how Molly had pitched in to help. His dug in his pocket for the small sketch pad he always carried with him, and with a few quick strokes drew the outlines of the scene he had just witnessed.
"What are you doing?"
"A little picture of you and the rabbit. Is that Ok?"
"Sure..... can I look?"
"Just give me a minute....... can you stay there for just a bit more?"
"Sure..... my Mommy uses a camera for pictures."
"So do I sometimes, but this is more fun." He tore off the page. "Do you want to see?"
She came a few steps closer and craned her neck to look at the little picture. "That's me. Me and Murray."
"Is that the rabbit's name?"
"Yep..... my name is Mara."
"Oh....It's nice to meet you Mara. I thought maybe you were Alice." He smiled as the little girl giggled.
"No.....I'm Mara." She put the rabbit down on the grass at the foot of the steps, and it nibbled on some grass. She climbed up and settled beside him on the top step, and Dave handed her the page,saying that she could keep it if she wanted to. She looked at it for a minute smiling, and then put it carefully in a pocket in her dress. She sat with her elbows on her knees and chin cupped in her hands. "I know about Alice. She had a rabbit friend and they went into a hole."
" I thought you were Alice 'cause of the rabbit."
He looked over at her curiously. He'd seldom been this close to a child before. She was a cute little thing.... all curls and a frilly dress with rabbits printed on it. Her hair was the same color as Molly's, and had rabbit shaped clips in it. One sock had fallen around her ankle and her shoes were a bit muddy, but she didn't seem to mind that. She didn't seem as bouncy and sudden as children usually were. Perhaps that was why the rabbit didn't seem to be afraid of her.
"I think Alice had a bit of a bad time in that hole."
"Yep..... the queen wanted to chop off her head. Murray can't find a hole big enough for me to fit."
"Maybe that's a good thing. It sounds a little dangerous."
She was quiet for a minute..... then..."What's your name?"
"Dave."
"You came with my Aunt Molly."
"Yes I did."
"Well you must be my Unca Dave, then." she looked up at him and grinned.
He thought he heard a muffled sound behind them, and almost turned, but caught himself in time. "Tell you what....... you can call me Unca Dave if I can call you Alice. What do you think?"
She giggled again. "OK Unca Dave"
He smiled back at her."OK Alice." They watched Murray munching on grass for a bit. "His fur is very long."
"Yep...... he's a 'gora rabbit. Mommy says if I get enough fur from him she will make me a sweater."
Dave realized that she meant angora, but didn't correct her. "You don't have to pull it out do you?"
"Oh no...... it would hurt him.I pick it up when he rubs it on his cage." She looked up at him."Do you like rabbits?"
"Well.... yes. Murray is the first rabbit I've known personally, though."
"He's my pet rabbit but I have to keep him here at Granny's. Mommy says the city is not a home for rabbits."
"I expect Mommy is probably right."
"Aunt Molly has a garden that he would like, but she says Toby would think Murray was his lunch. Do you think Toby would hurt Murray?"
There was another muffled sound from behind, but he didn't turn, and Mara/Alice didn't seem to notice. "Well, I think he might. Toby is pretty big and strong. He chases birds sometimes, so maybe he would make a mistake and chase Murray too." He paused. "Say, Alice?"
"What?"
"My tummy is feeling pretty empty. Do you think we should go in and see if dinner is ready?"
"I have to put Murray in his house first.He can't stay out or the dogs might hurt him. Do you want to see his house?"
"Sure." He stood up as Mara/Alice jumped down the steps one at a time and hoisted Murray into her arms. The rabbits hind feet dangled around her knees again. "Can you manage alright?"
"Yep...... he isn't heavy. He's just long and has a lot of fur."
Dave walked with the little girl across the lawn toward a small hutch the had a caged area in front. It was surrounded on three sides by shrubs and when they got there, Mara/Alice put the rabbit inside and very carefully made sure the gate was latched. He was surprised that a child so young......what was she....five or six?....... would be so attentive to details like that. They said goodbye to Murray and on the way back to the house Mara/Alice reached up and tucked her hand into his. It felt strange and tiny. It felt kind of nice.
As they neared the house, Maire came out and pulled the string on a large gong that was attached to the wall. Children and dogs came running almost before it had stopped sounding and he and Mara/Alice slowed to let them run by and into the house ahead of them. The dogs all stopped on the verandah, panting, and by the time Dave and his new friend got there, they had all settled under various chairs and benches to wait for the kids to return.
watched Dave and Mara coming across the lawn, and found she had a bit of a lump in her throat. They looked good together and she wondered if maybe he had said he didn't want children just to make her feel better. He had been very gentle with the little girl and hadn't seemed to mind talking to her at all. He came through the door and his eyes found hers at once and he winked, and smiled at her. Her breath caught in her throat suddenly and she realized with a bit of a shock and a thrill, that she was in love with this man. Mara ran off, and he came over and put his arm around her, and bent to give her a quick kiss.
"So Molly." Da spoke from his end."I hear you had quite the afternoon."
"I did indeed. Glad I could help out. Liam says there are two more due and that you lost the first calf. I'm sorry about that Da."
"Yes we did. We'll have to have a chat with the breeder."
Fiona broke in with a laugh."Da you boys can discuss the farm stuff after dinner. We all want to hear the story of how Molly found Dave. Tell us Moll.... Mam says there's a tale."
Molly laughed. "I don't know how much of a tale it is. Ange and the girls persuaded me to go to a night club, and I just hated it and left in rather a hurry. I just happened to run into Dave at the door. More or less literally."
"What are you talking about Molly?" Dave turned to Fiona and winked." You practically fell into my arms, and when I tried to keep you from falling, you took a swing at me with your purse."
The boys roared with laughter at that and Molly felt her face go red, but she couldn't help laughing as well. "Don't get too full of yourself Dave. Who fell through the garden gate and ended up on his face on my wet lawn cause he got all curious, and couldn't ring the door bell like any sensible person."
There followed much laughter and all sorts of tales about how Molly had always been a clutz and how the doors had all had to be widened because she couldn't walk through them without banking off the jambs. She had to show off the scar at her hair line where she had cut her forhead on the edge of a barrel when she was a child. They had been taking turns curling up in it and rolling down a hill. Molly had been returned to the house in tears with a face full of blood. She didn't mind all ther teasing, since most of it was true, and they were all family.
The chat turned from her to Dave's childhood and he told tales of growing up in the private school. He glossed over the bit about his parents' air crash and made living with his elderly uncle sound amusing.
Callum looked over at him curiously. "You went to Sommerset High?"
"Yes, for a few years."
"You're David Addison the artist! Gees...... I thought you looked familiar. You won't remember me probably. I was in the Junior Achievement your last year. I was a couple of years behind you. "
"You're the lad that Piper helped out of a jam?" Da asked in surprise . "Molly you didn't say anything about that."
"Well no one asked. It's sort of past history."
"That picture is still on the wall, Dave. It's my office now. We still carry on the tradition that Piper started. There are several offices with 'original works of art' on the walls now." Callum laughed. "Molly didn't tell you I followed in his footsteps did she."
"No..... we got talking about something else and I forgot."
"Now I know why you looked familiar as well, Callum. I do remember you. It was your idea to sell those wooden puzzle boxes that year. I remember we won the city Junior Achievement award for best sales overall."
Chatter went on around her, and Molly sat back and looked at her family. Dave seemed to be at ease with them and they with him and she felt good. It was strange how lives crossed back and forth. She hadn't know that Callum had know Dave way back. She got up to help Mam clear the table for dessert.
"I really like your young man, Molly." she said when they were in the kitchen together.She gave Molly a quick hug. "You'll be sure to bring him out to us often I hope. Imagine himself being the same as my Da helped out. Isn't life a strange thing."
"I was thinking the same thing myself, Mam. I'm glad you like him. I hope Da does as well."
"No fear of that, Lass. If Piper thought him well enough to help, that'll be fine with Da. Davey's made a fair name for himself, then, with his pictures?"
"He makes a good living, Mam. He's a very good artist and has a waiting list for his things."
They took the dessert through, and the rest of the meal was spent in chatter about small things.The children caught them up on school doings, and plans were made for getting the dogs out into the field for a mock trials. The children excused themselves and left the adults to finish their coffee and tea.
Molly got up and started to clear the places, and Fi joined in. "The rest of you stay and chat. You all got the meal, and I'll do the clean up. No, Dave.... stay.... it's the usual around here. They cook and I do the dishes. it's only fair."
Fi followed her out to the kitchen. They washed and dried in comfortable silence for a few minutes, having done the same thing so many times together.
"He's really nice, Moll. Not at all hard to look at either. Never mind going all red..... I'm sure you've noticed."She grinned at her sister and Molly grinned back.
"I had as a matter of fact."
"That was cute with him and Mara.I hope he didn't notice we were all spying on him."
"He did actually. Didn't you see him waggle his fingers back at us when they went to put the rabbit back?"
"No." Fiona laughed. "I missed that. When did you meet him actually?"
"Oh.... late March...... early April I guess. We shared a cab after the club that night and then a few weeks later he fell through the garden gate."
"What's he like in bed?"
"FI!!! I haven't slept with him!!!"
"Gees, Molly, why not?? He's head over heals in love with you ...... surely you must know that? I've seen the way you look at each other and I'm pretty sure it's mutual."
"Yes I now, Fi. I don't know...... I just can't seem to get that far. Maybe I'm scared of another committment or something. He says he'll wait til I'm sure."
"Don't keep him waiting too long,Moll. I take it you have at least kissed."
"Well... yah....duh!!! I'm not that dopey. It's fine up til the touching and then...... I don't know.... I just get scared."
Fiona was silent for a few minutes and then Molly heard her take a deep breath and let it out. "Molly.......if you let this relationship fall apart because of what Ted did to you and loosing the baby and all, I'll be really angry with you."
Molly drew in her breath in a gasp, and at the same time heard mam's voice from behind them "FIONA ..NO!!"
Fiona turned. "No Mam.......it's gone on long enough. Dave's a good man and Molly has to let go sometime. She can't live forever in that shadow and it's time she got past it.It's way past time to break that promise we made to Grandpa."
Molly turned to face her Mom and sister."Do you mean to tell me that you know about what Ted did? About the baby? That I can't have kids 'cause of it?"
Maire went to her daughter and put her arm around her shoulder. "We've known from the beginning, Lass. When you were in the hospital, Piper made us swear not to talk about it unless you brought it up. It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do......seeing you so hurt.......but he said it was for the best. I can't say I agree, but what Piper said was law around here, and you know that. As long as you were with Ma and Da I wasn't worried. Maybe Fi's right and it's time to talk about it."
Molly felt tears running down her face."Does Da know too? And the boys?"
"Yes, Molly. I could hardly keep it from Pat, and he told the boys. I don't know about Sarah and Marnie, but I suspect they probably do. We've always been here for you, Dear, but when you never spoke a word about it, we thought maybe you didn't want to talk about it."
"Oh Mam......I was so ashamed. I thought you'd hate me for staying with Ted and getting pregnant again. I know you all hated Ted. He was just a weak man.......not really a mean one."
Fi gave a snort."Stop covering for him, Molly. We all know those bruises weren't from tripping over things. No one's that clumsy.....even you." She gave a shakey laugh. "We all wanted to go for him, and it's a good thing he disappeared, for I don't think we could have held Callum and Liam back. Look.... maybe now you can put it all behind for once and good and get on with your life with Dave. What do you think?"
Molly put her arms around her Mom and Fi and sobbed. They were all sobbing when they heard a sound from the doorway and looking up, Molly saw Dave and Da standing there. Dave face was full of concern. Da said something to him and as Dave stepped forward he held out his arms and in an instant Molly flung herself at him. She felt him tighten his hold on her and lay his cheek against her hair.
"It's Ok Molly..... Pat's told me. I've got you safe now......you're going to be alright. We're going to be alright."
listened to the conversations around the table after the children had excused themselves and Molly, Fi and Maire had got up to tidy and do the dishes. It appeared that everyone had some sort of interest in the farm. The boys did something with the dogs, and when He asked what sort of trials Molly had mentioned, Liam grinned and said that they would be more than pleased to show him, but wouldn't elaborate.
The girls and Callum and Liam excused themselves to make ready for the trials that they said would begin within the hour and left Dave with Pat, who didn't seem in any hurry to leave the table. Instead he poured himself another cup of tea from the giant pot in the middle of the table and at his silent inquiry, Dave held out his mug.
"So, Lad..... You've not known our Molly for too long then."
"No..... I think it was early April when I met her and I didn't actually see her again for a few weeks. Not until I realized that I'd been thinking of her a lot more often than I thought I should be for such a casual meet."
"Well, she's quite the Lass. A little like her Grandpa, and a lot like her Mam. Do I take it that your intentions are serious?"
Dave was a little surprised at the directness of Pat's question, but on the other hand why not have things right out on the plate from the beginning. He liked this family, and he loved their daughter, and they may as well know about it. "Yes, Sir, I am very serious. I hope that I've reached an age where I can recognize a good thing when I have the great good luck to meet it...... or her, as the case may be." He hesitated...... "If it doesn't sound too foolish.... I feel as though the lost bit has been found."
"Has she said much about her life? She was married for a bit........ I expect she's mentioned that?"
"Yes...... I understand she's a feeling a little fragile.... I've assured her that I'm more than willing to wait while she sorts things out. I'll help if I can. If she'll let me. I'm not about to walk away, Pat."
"She's told you about loosing the baby and all that, then? About not being able to have children?"
Dave held Pat's eyes in a long searching look. "She doesn't think the family knows about that." He said, a bit surprised.
"No, we made a promise to Piper not to mention anything about it unless she did first. I'm not altogether sure that was the right thing to do, but if you remember Piper, you'll know that you don't mess with him. A kinder man you never met, but steel all through."
"Does the whole family know?"
"Yes and a hard time we had with Maire. She's a Mother after all. If Molly had gone anywhere else after the hospital, except to Piper's, there would have been no holding her back. The boys wanted to go for Ted...... fortunately for him, he left town."
"Molly tells me that Piper put some sort of detective agency on him."
"Yes....... the reports come here now. I don't think Molly knows that though. Piper left enough from his estate to settle with the Agency each year."
"I'm not one for violence, Pat, but if the man ever shows his face, he'll have some reckoning to do."
Pat gave a short laugh that held no humour. "You'll be standing in line, Son, and no mistake about that."
"Well...... when all's said and done, and Molly has things sorted out, I intend to ask her to marry me. She knows well that I love her to bits, but I won't force her beyond what she's ready to handle."
Pat held out a big hand. "You have my blessing, Dave........"
Sounds from the kitchen startled them both and they got to thier feet, and hurried through to find Molly, Fiona and Maire sobbing in each other's arms. Dave took an involuntary step forward and then stopped.
"From the looks of things, I think our Lass has just found out that we all know. Better go to her , Son...... she's yours now."
"Maybe it's a family thing....." Dave hesitated to interrupt.
"And who better to comfort her than you. Go..... let her know you're there for her. If you show her you aren't afraid of a woman's tears, it goes a hell of a long way toward their trust." He gave Dave a little push.
As he stepped forward, Molly looked up and saw him and ran into his open arms. He held her close and let her cry, just barely holding back his own tears. He saw Pat go to his family and put his arms around them, as he murmered in their ears, and knew he was telling them about the conversation just past. It was all going to be alright and he whispered that with his cheek against Molly's hair.
Pat coughed and cleared his throat."We'd better get sorted and join the others. They'll have the course set by now and will be wondering where we are. Are you alright, then, Lass?"
Dave felt her give a nod and let her go. She looked up at him through her tears and smiled. One hand came up to carress the side of his face and he could have just about melted at the look in her eyes. "I love you, Molly." He wispered. "We'll be just fine." He wiped her tears away with one hand. "Go on and wash your face...... we can talk about this all later."He smiled down at her and gave her a little push,and watched as she and Fiona hurried off to sort themselves out.
Dave took a deep breath and turned to Pat and Maire. "Well ......" He didn't know quite what to say to them.
"I'm glad you've met her Davey Lad."Maire smiled and wiped her eyes. "It's almost like you've come home, then, what with knowing Callum in school and Piper and all."
Pat held out his hand."Welcome to the family,Son. Might as well make it official, knowing how you feel about our Molly.I'm glad you'll be there for her."
"Thankyou.... both of you. This family thing is all a bit new. It'll take a bit of getting used to I expect."
He turned as Molly and Fi hurried back into the room, and they all trouped out to join the rest of the family at the paddock. As they approached, Mara ran over and took Dave's hand.
"I saved you a place on the fence." she said and showed him where to sit. They climbed up to perch along with the rest of the family. Pat had taken one of the dogs as he got to the paddock, where Callum and Liam were waiting with two others. They spoke for a few moments and then Pat stood away from the others and at the sound of a shrill whistle the dog tore off up the hill behind the paddock and out of sight.
Dave looked over at Molly, and she smiled at him."Moss has gone off to collect the first flock for Liam. Watch and see how Liam and Floss work the sheep. It's all timed and then Callum and Pogo will try to beat his time. They have several tasks to do..... Moss brings the sheep to the top of the hill and then one or the other of the dogs take over and have to bring them through that gate. Then they have to separate one from the rest and drive the remaining ones into the pen. It's all pretty interesting since the men can't call to the dogs. They can only use the whistle or arm signals. It's actually two different classes of training and competition, but Liam and Callum train together a lot. There are trials across the country in the summer and they try to enter as many as they can. Oh.... here they are now...... just watch this."
Dave did watch and marvelled at the way the small black and white collies worked the sheep. They knew exactly what was expected of them and only occasionally stopped and looked toward Liam for instructions. They crept up on the sheep and with short fast runs, herded the flock of five down the hill, and through the gate. It wasn't really a gate in the usual sense, but more like a horse jump with an opening in the middle. The trick was to get the sheep to go through in a group rather than around the ends of the structure. Then the dog cut out one of the sheep, leaving it to run free from the rest and wouldn't allow it to join the others. The ones that were left were brought in a group to Liam as he held the gate open to a small pen, and as soon as the sheep were inside, he slammed the gate and looked over at Callum who was holding a stop watch.
"You'll have to do better than that, Liam." Callum laughed at his brother. "That's ten minutes and twenty five seconds. I think Pogo and I have you beat." He handed the stop watch to Liam, and looked over at the spectators on the fence, and called to Dave. "Hey, Dave...... come on over and I'll give you some close up training."
Dave jumped down and walked over to join Callum and his dog Pogo. Another small flock of sheep appeared at the top of the hill and with a wave of his arm, Callum sent Pogo off after them.
"This will be a bit different than Liam's run. I'm training Pogo to work on arm signals. Sometimes the weather is so bad that whistles are hard to hear even with the dog's ears. Mind you, it doesn't work when the dog is out of sight, but there are trials just for arm signals and that's what I've entered Pogo in this year. Actually, Pogo can pretty much do this in his sleep, but it never hurts to do more training." He paused. "Actually, Dave...... I didn't get you over here to talk about this. Molly could have filled you in from the fence."
Dave looked at Callum puzzled about what he could want. "Look..... Dad mentioned briefly that you know about Ted, and I'm glad you do. That means that our Molly really trusts you and if she does, that's good enough for us. I wanted to have a quick word with you out of her hearing, though. I wonder if you could make a point of stopping by the station some time next week. Things aren't quite as quiet as Da thinks and there are things you should know. He has been seen about recently........ anyway......I'll bring you up to date if you can come by." A pattering of hoofs interrupted him."Here, Dave..... you hold the gate and as soon as Pogo gets the sheep in there give it a slam."
"Yes..... of course I will. In fact.....this week is going to be a huge rush, so how about if I come by first thing in the morning?" Dave just had time to answer before the sheep rushed into the little fenced area. He slammed the gate, as Liam let out a shout.
"You beat me by ten seconds, Callum. Looks as though Floss and I have our work cut out this summer." He opened the gate and the sheep came out and ran off to join the others grazing on the hillside.
The boys and their dogs walked over to the fence and the family jumped down and after congratulating Callum on his "win" they all trooped up to the house for coffee and cookies on the verandah. The girls went in to get the goodies and Mara climbed into Dave's lap.
"Tell me a story Unca Dave."
"Don't be a bother to Dave now, Mara." said Marnie, coming out with a big plate of cookies.
Dave laughed and settled the little girl in his lap. "It's OK Marnie. This day has been full of "firsts" for me. No reason to stop now I guess. What sort of story do you want to hear Alice?" He wondered if he knew any children's stories and couldn't think of any off hand.
"The one about the boy who drew on the walls in Unca Callum's place."
Dave thought for a moment. It looked as though the family stories were being passed along to the younger generation. He began to tell the story of how he had come to draw on the walls in the first place, but instead of using his own name, simply referred to himself as "the boy". He tried not to make his life sound too dismal and added a few amusing little anecdotes about his cabin.
" ..... and then one day," he ended up," the boy met a beautiful princess and fell in love forever and ever. And that's the end of the story."
"You forgot the 'happy ever after' bit, Unca Dave."
"Well...... that bit hasn't quite happened yet, Alice."
The drowsy little girl looked up at him."Then you better marry the princess pretty quick, Unca Dave, and then you can live happy ever after."
Dave looked over at Molly and grinned, and the rest of the family laughed.
"How old did you say this one is?" He asked.
"Five going on fifty, we think." said Marnie."She's so quiet sometimes we forget she's there and she hears a lot of things she probably shouldn't."
"OK, Everybody. "said Callum "It's time we all packed up and went home. It's been quite the day. It's been a real pleasure to meet you, Dave. Looking forward to our next meeting."
For a little while there was a flurry of activity as Molly's brothers and sister and their families got ready to leave,amid much hugging and goodbyes and 'until next times'. Molly and Dave waited until the end, and after bidding Pat and Maire goodbye and thanks for the wonderful day Dave helped Molly into the jeep and with a final wave set out for home.
was very quiet during the drive home. There was so much she had to think about. Fancy the family knowing about Ted all this time, and not saying a word. She was so glad it was finally out in the open and that she could talk to Mam about it. She thought about how well Dave had fit into her family and that made her so very happy. They accepted him as they never had Ted. Then there was the realization that she was in love with him and not afraid to let him know. Perhaps at last she could get on with her life and leave all that unpleasantness behind. Then there was the bit with Dave and Mara. That bothered her a bit, and she wondered if he would begin to think maybe he wanted children after all.
Molly settled back in her seat, feeling a little better. Dave didn't seem to be feel like chatting any more than she did herself, and she wondered if he was feeling a little overwhelmed. "Dave?"
"Mmmm ?"
"It seemed as though you've always been part of my family. You didn't find them too overwhelming?"
"Not the family. They're wonderful. I'm a little overwhelmed by the thought of "family" in general. I've never had much of one, and I'm not exactly used to all the emotion involved. It'll take a bit of getting used to, but I think I'm going to really like it. It's a nice feeling.... belonging."
"I'm thinking that I'd like to go out for a couple of days maybe tomorrow and Tuesday if you don't mind. Mam and Da and I have a lot of catching up to do."
"That's probably a good idea, Molly. I'm going to have to work hard this week on the painting anyway. Why don't we plan to get together Wednesday evening? I expect I'll need a break by then anyway."
"That sounds good. I'll make you a dinner. Nothing too spectacular ...... just something we can eat in a hurry."
The rest of the drive went by, each with their own thoughts. When Dave pulled up in front of the house, she was beginning to yawn and though it was still early, she knew she wasn't going to be staying up too late. He walked her to the door, and laughed as Toby came tearing out. They sat for a few moments chatting about the day and what they wanted to do for the week, and then Dave kissed her gently, saying that he's call her in the morning before she left to visit her parents. Molly waved as he drove off, and called to Toby, who came running, complaining that he had been left to starve for the whole evening.
