Montana Morning (6 page)

She reached across
the table, laying her hand on his.  “Very clear, Cowboy, but I’m going
with you to see the judge and if he insists, I’m going to sign the contract.”

“I won’t hold you
to it,” he exclaimed calmly.  They sat quietly for some time.  Jack
finally looked at the clock on the wall.

“We’d better get
moving. We don’t want to keep the judge waiting.”  He moved to pull on his
coat and to help with hers.

“You’ll let me
come in with you?”  Adrianna asked cautiously.

He grinned and
shook his head.  “She asks sweetly, as if I had a choice.”

***

The courtroom was
cold and sterile feeling, and they were both relieved when Howard told them
they would be seeing the judge in chambers.  Howard was happy to see
Adrianna with Jack.  He had met her before, socially; he liked her and she
struck him as dependable. He hoped the judge would agree.

Judge Parker read over
the stack of papers before him again.  “Mr. Kilbourne, everything seems to
be in order.  I did notice, however, that Mrs. Banks has not signed a
contract to provide care and tutoring services.  Is this an oversight on
the part of your attorney?” He looked over his glasses at Howard Tenis, but it
was Jack who spoke up.

“No, Your
Honor.  It was my decision.  Mrs. Banks and I have reached an
understanding, and I didn’t ask her to sign any papers.”   Judge
Parker studied the people sitting before him. He got up from his chair and
walked slowly to his bookshelves.  He stood silently for several minutes
before turning to face Adrianna.

He directed his
question at her, ignoring the two men sitting with her.  “Mrs. Banks, are
you willing to sign a ‘contract for care’ to satisfy this court?”

“Yes, Your
Honor.”  She got up and walked to his desk.

Jack fidgeted as
Adrianna and the judge signed and handed the papers to the clerk for filing.

Judge Parker
grinned at Jack as he spoke.   “This court awards total custody of
the minor, known as Scott Edward Blair, to Jackson Kilbourne, his maternal
grandfather.”

Jack let out a
sigh of relief, stood and walked over to shake the Judge Parkers hand.

Howard slapped him
on the back laughing, “I didn’t realize you were holding your breath.”

“Neither did
I.  Thanks, Howard, for all your time.”

“You’ll get the
bill,” Howard returned warmly, but he knew he wouldn’t send one, not this time.

***

Adrianna and Jack
stood facing each other, alone in the judge’s chambers.   Jack knew
the judge would never have given him custody without that damned
contract.  “Adrianna, I don’t know what to say,” he began.  “I sure
hope you know what you’re letting yourself in for.”  He held his hat in
his hand and twisted it around and around.

She could see how
out of control he felt. 
‘He’ll be so glad to get back to the ranch and
back to normal,
’ she thought.  She straightened her shoulders, pulled
up her chin and put her hand out to still the circling hat. “We’re one-step
closer to getting Scotty home where he belongs.”  She looked at the desk
where all the legalities had been taken care of and smiled up at him. 
“Where Scotty
really
belongs!”

“Speaking of going
 home, how would you like to go up to ranch for a couple of days to get
the lay of the land and to meet Pops and Andy?” he ventured noticing once more
she had the softest green eyes.

“Could we go
tomorrow?  I’d like to give myself plenty of time to figure out what I’ll
need and to get packed before we take Scotty home.”

He had checked
this morning and the roads would be cleared by then.  “I’ll make all the
arrangements.  Will two days be long enough?  I don’t want Scotty to
feel deserted.”

“Two days will be
just fine.  I’ll talk to Scotty about it when I read to him tonight, if
that’s all right with you.”

“Why don’t I pick
you up and go with you?  After all, it’s been a long time since I had
anyone read to me.

***

Scotty had not
been happy at the thought of not seeing her for a couple of days, although he
didn’t let on that he’d miss Jack.  Both of them noticed, but nothing was
said.  Later, on the way home, Adrianna told Jack to give him time.

“I have an idea,
he was a bit spoiled by his mom and dad and used to getting his own way,” she
guessed.  “He’s just busy letting you know who is going to be in control.”

Jack shrugged and
gave her a crooked grin.  “That boy is in for the fight of his life, if he
thinks he’s going to control me.”

“Oh,
really?”  Adrianna snickered.  “Somehow I get the feeling Scotty
isn’t the only one a bit spoiled and used to getting his own way!”

“Watch your step,
woman,” he growled. “You’re apt to get fired for insubordination.”

“You can’t fire
me.  I’ve got a contract.”  She shot back, laughing.

“Why you little
devil . . .”

“Sorry.  I
just couldn’t resist.”  She was glad they could make one another laugh;
laughter could bridge a lot of troubled waters and cure a lot of heartaches.

Jack stopped at
the curb and walked her to the door. “What time do you want me to pick you up
in the morning?” then hurriedly added,   I’ll take you to breakfast
before we head out.”

Adrianna
considered carefully.  “We’ll need to drop Chester off at Maggie’s place
before we leave, so about eight-thirty should be fine.”

“Why don’t you
just bring him with you?  Sparky won’t eat him and they have to get
acquainted sooner or later, if he’s going to live with us.”

Adrianna had not
considered taking Chester with her to the ranch. “Are you sure you want a
housedog?” she laughed nervously.  “How big is Sparky anyway?”  She
didn’t want to admit she was a little intimidated by large dogs.

“Mighty big, but
mighty gentle,” he grinned.  “He won’t bite you,” he added, sensing her
uneasiness.

“Okay then,
eight-thirty with Chester in tow,” she opened the door and turned to tell him
good night.

“Dress warm.” He
told her good night and walked back to the truck.  Before he pulled away
from the curb, he looked back at the house and the woman standing in the
doorway. He gazed up at the stars in the clear, cold sky. 
‘God, if
you’re up there, and that woman sure believes you are, thank you for helping me
find her.’ 
 For the first time in months, he actually found
himself whistling.

The county roads
out on the flats had deep ruts and washboards. Now they were in the timber, the
snow banks were higher; the road itself was much smoother.  Adrianna was
beginning to relax and enjoy the snow-covered timber on both sides of the road.
The truck had four doors and a full back seat, and Chester spent most of the
first hour running from side to side.  Jack explained that it was twenty
miles of county road on the flat, fifteen miles to the summit, and another five
miles to the ranch.  Adrianna hoped the other side of the mountain was
this pretty, and began to make a mental list of the things she needed to do once
they reached the ranch itself. 

Jack glanced over
at Adrianna.  She was so quiet, he wondered if she was having second
thoughts.  Everything had happened so quickly, neither one of them had
taken time to consider all the things that could go wrong with this arrangement.
She looked relaxed and contented as she took in the scenery around them; he
wished he was.  He had tried to prepare her, but could she adapt to the
rugged life here?  The ranch house certainly didn’t compare to the nice,
modern house she had in town.  The summit was coming up and he slowed down
to pull into the turnout.

“Would you like to
stretch your legs?” he asked, as he turned off the engine.  He wanted to
show her the home place and today was clear.  They would be able to see
the buildings and meadows.

“Sounds good,
Chester probably needs to take a walk,” she said, getting out and opening the
back door.  Chester was out and bounding through the snow banks, as Jack
took her arm and led her to the edge of the turnout. 

“If you look to
the north, over the top of that lodge-pole pine,” he pointed, “you can see the
ranch house and buildings from here.”

Adrianna found
herself looking over the most gorgeous, high mountain meadows she’d ever
seen.  “Oh, Jack, it’s just beautiful.”  She spoke so softly he
almost didn’t hear her.  “Now I understand the love I hear in your voice
every time you talk about this place.”

“You obviously
haven’t heard me talk during calving time,” he grinned.  “Come to think of
it, I’ll have to watch my language, or you’ll be washing my mouth out with
soap.”

Adrianna studied
him for a moment then laughed.  “Somehow I can’t imagine getting that job
done easily.” 

Jack snickered
under his breath and then turned serious.  “Speaking of things not easily
done, I hope I’ve prepared you for Pops.  He misses Mom like crazy and he
isn’t one bit fond of my bringing another woman into her house.”

She looked over
the valley below and sighed, “You’ve warned me, and I’ll just have to walk
softly for a while.”  She looked at the new world before her and knew it
would demand all her courage and strength.  This was a beautiful but
rugged land.  Slowly a feeling of peace and assurance flowed over
her.  God was here with her; she could feel his presence and everything
was going to be just fine. 

Jack saw the
transformation.  A minute ago, she’d seemed frightened and alone. 
Now she turned to face him, smiling and under control.

“Time to go,
Woman, if we want to get home for lunch,” he said as he helped Chester back
into the truck.  He gave some thought to what she’d said and added, “When
you deal with Pops, its okay to walk softly, but carry a big stick
too.”   

“I can do that,”
she replied.

“You’d better, or
he’ll run right over you,” he grinned and wondered if perhaps Pops would meet
his match in Adrianna Banks.

The trip down the
mountain road to the ranch was steep and swift.  In no time they arrived
at the private road leading to the ranch house and surrounding fields. 
Jack had spent the time answering her questions regarding operations and
day-to-day schedules, which he explained all went on hold when calving began in
late March.  As they pulled into the yard, she could see Will Kilbourne
standing on the back porch.  Andy was heading for the barn and waved hello
before he disappeared.

“We’re
here.”  Jack turned in the seat to face Adrianna.  “Are you ready?”

“Jack, he can’t be
that bad,” she assured him, “besides I have my stick in hand.”

Will watched them
coming up the walk laughing like a couple of kids.
“Good Grief.”
 He swore under his breath.
“What next?”
He would put on his
‘Sunday go-to-meetin’ smile, to be polite, but he could tell right now she
wasn’t the right person for the job.

Jack showed her
into the kitchen and while helping her with her coat introduced her. 
“Pops, I’d like you to meet Adrianna Banks.” He watched as his dad gave her a
disapproving once over.  “Adrianna, meet Will Kilbourne.  He’s only
about half as ornery as he acts,” he added winking at her.

Adrianna shook his
hand, noticing the half-hearted smile Will gave her.  “I’m pleased to meet
you, Mr. Kilbourne.  Jack has told me so much about you.”

“Most of it bad, I
assume,” Will grinned, in spite of all his good intentions.

“You’re right!”
She laughed and Will noticed her eyes danced just like Emily’s had.

“Pops, is that
your awful coffee I smell?” Jack asked heading for the stove.

“You sure drink a
lot of it, considering how bad it is,” Will grouched back, and looking her
direction, asked if she’d like to try some.

She nodded and
looked around the kitchen.  The wooden cupboards were a light
yellow.  The walls, in need of fresh paint, were off-white with a
wallpaper boarder of deep yellow roses and green vines. A dark wooden floor and
matching trim around the windows and doors gave the room a warm feeling.

“Your wife must
have designed this room.” She smiled approvingly as she sat down at the round
oak table in the middle of the kitchen.

Will took a long,
hard look around him. “Yeah, she did.  How did you know?”  He wondered
if she could feel Emily’s presence here, like he did so often.

“She loved this
room . . . you can tell just by looking at it,” she murmured.  She sipped
the strong, hot coffee.  “Not bad, could just about melt six-penny nails!”

Suddenly there was
a commotion out in the driveway, and the sound of what had to be a giant
dog.  She stared across the table at the two men.  “My heavens, is
that Sparky?” adding, “Is he as big as he sounds?” 

Will leaned back
in his chair laughing.  “He’s just about as big as your eyes right now.”

Jack got up and
looked out the window.  “Seems Sparky would like to be introduced to
Chester.”  He watched Adrianna clutching her cup firmly, white knuckles
showing.  “Chicken?”

“Cluck,
Cluck.”  She whispered meekly.

I’ll protect you
from the big, bad dog,” he chuckled.

Adrianna looked to
Will for reassurance.

“Don’t worry about
it little lady,” he offered.  “I’m the only one around here who bites.”

Acting somewhat
calmer than she felt, she grinned back at him.  “So I’ve heard.”

***

Standing before
Adrianna was one of the most magnificent animals she’d ever seen; his long coat
of gray and black with a hint of copper glistened in the sunlight.  He
stood with pride, head held high and tilted to one side, studying her. 
His golden eyes shone with intelligence, and she reached out to him slowly,
palm up.  He stepped forward, nuzzled her hand, and rubbed against her
legs.  Jack and Will looked at each other in disbelief.  Sparky was
usually calm and friendly, but he had never taken to a stranger like he was
doing now.