Sunday morning, Shen woke to the sound of children laughing outside. “Good morning, sleepy head. Time to rise and shine.” It was Hannah.
As Shen slowly got her bearings, Hannah suggested she might want to get out of bed and go for a walk.
“I had the strangest dream of someone in my room, and then this morning I could have sworn I heard children…”
Hannah didn’t let her finish. “Those are my kids. They just got back from a ride and are getting ready to head to the pool. Just put on your robe and I’ll introduce you, if you’re up to it.”
It was the first time since Shen arrived that she had left her room and could actually get a look at what lay beyond. She realized that her room was the last one in a long curved corridor.
“Is this some kind of medical facility or hotel … or an asylum?”
Hannah laughed. “It’s more like a glorified fraternity house. It’s called ‘Pappy’s Place.’” Hannah explained that it had once been a country club. But when it had folded during one of the oil busts, the Preston family had bought it, plus the adjoining 30,000 acres, and turned it into their home.
“They really did a job on the place. It took years to finish,” explained Hannah. “Right now we’re on the top floor. This whole side of the building has 12 guestrooms just like yours. There are a couple of master bedrooms that are bigger than most houses, and an office on the other side. The second floor has a dining room, a big old kitchen where Bertie’s in charge and a huge fireplace in the living room. The only thing bigger than that fireplace is the bar. The downstairs floor is a party room with its own kitchen, another bar and a wine cellar. There’s an underground garage for all the vehicles. Pretty nice digs, huh?”
Shen stopped in her tracks. “You are kidding. How did I end up here?”
Hannah shook her head. “Those boys felt terrible about what happened Friday night. Guess they didn’t know that three big men pounding on a convertible top wasn’t going to have a happy ending. As for the place here, it used to be owned by Pappy Preston and his grandson Billy. When Pappy died a couple of years ago, Billy became the sole owner.”
Shen had had enough. “I’m putting on my clothes and getting out of here.” She turned around and started back to her room.
Hannah watched as Shen stumbled a couple of steps. “And how do you plan to ‘get out of here’? Your car’s in the shop in town. It took a worse beating than you did, especially after those idiots tore it open to get you out of it. At best it’s gonna be a couple or three weeks to get the parts and put it back together again. And that’s if it can be done. So just take it easy and rest.”
Realizing she wasn’t going anywhere, and perhaps because of the muscle relaxer, Shen said, “Is Billy the guitarist in the band? And are you Billy’s girlfriend?”
“She’d better not be,” laughed Ham, as he and three red-haired kids came down the corridor. “We’ve been married ten years. But now that I look at these three, I’m wondering if they don’t look a bit like ol’ Billy. Go introduce yourselves to Miss Shen.”
As his name was called, each boy approached Shen and shook her hand. Harper was the oldest at nine; next in line was 7-year-old Hayden; and the last one was Hudson, checking in at five.
“You kids head to the pool. We’ll be down there in a few minutes.”
Directing his attention to Shen, Ham said, “And how is my newest patient doing?”
“I’m sore, dizzy and confused,” Shen said as Ham inspected her forehead.
“Mighty fine needlepoint if I do say so.”
“Oh, Ham, you guys should be down on your knees begging her for forgiveness. Chasing this poor woman like hooligans across the parking lot. People are still talking about you four. And Billy spent most of yesterday morning arranging for a new rose garden to be planted in that poor couple’s yard. Why did he yank the whole bush out?”
Shrugging, Ham smiled, “Guess he was trying to make a good impression. Well, at least, he made a lasting one. Shen, you can’t imagine how that guy has been mooning around waiting for you to bring that medal to him. Why the hell did you take off like that?”
Now she recognized Ham. He had been the drummer on stage in Chandler.
Feeling embarrassed about the whole situation, Shen explained that the bartender had said that “Billy and his girlfriend” would be showing up… “And I just thought…”
Hannah and Ham looked at each other and burst into laughter. Hannah said, “Girlfriend is Billy’s dog. Boy, I thought that animal would be jealous when she learned she was gonna have to share her boy. Instead, Ham, she’s been kissing up poor Shen.”
A dog named Girlfriend? Demolished car? Not knowing where she was? This time Shen really had had enough and headed back to bed. But she was stopped dead in her tracks when a hand took her arm and turned her around to continue down the hallway. She looked up to see if it was Ham or Hannah. It was Billy.
Now, most gals would have been delighted to see the handsome Preston scion taking charge, but not Shen. She broke his hold on her arm and said, “You deceived me. You led me to believe you were a working man.”
“I am. I work my butt off.”
“But you said you were an oilfield worker.”
“Sweetheart, if I don’t work out in the fields all over Texas, the bills don’t get paid.”
“Bills? I thought you were a working stiff like the rest of us living paycheck to paycheck, not some third-generation rich kid.”
“Whoa! Let’s put the brakes on that idea. I didn’t know you were such a reverse snob. I never lied to you. I was raised by Pappy to work alongside the people in the oilfields and help them support their families. I am so sorry that all that hard work doesn’t jibe with your fancy-pants writer thinking, but you’re just gonna have to get over it. God, I love that fierce temper. Did you two see how she just lit up like a firecracker? It’s such a turn on.”
“Seriously, you didn’t just say that?…”
He swung her around, wrapped both arms around her and kissed her.
Coming up for air and looking like he was ready for another round, Billy said, “What do you say we fight more often?”
Ham called him off, saying, “Let’s take it easy, son. She’s already pretty off balance from the medication and what’s she’s been through in the last 48 hours. She doesn’t need to go into a kiss coma now.”
Billy backed off and announced, “I’m starved. Had to fly back this morning from some business I had to take care of late yesterday in Dallas just to see you, darling. Let’s go see what Bertie’s cooked up. She makes the best huevos rancheros.”
… to be continued Wednesday, June 24