rated *

Secrets in South Dakota

A Sequel to Sleepless in Saratoga

by Hayday

Chapter 1

Bill Regan looked out of the airplane window and watched as the blue sky and clouds rolled by. A year ago, if someone had told me that I’d ever be on Matthew Wheeler’s airplane, on my way to South Dakota to visit my in-laws, I’d have told them they were crazy, but look at me now, he chuckled to himself.

He glanced down at his wife, Kip, who sat sleeping next to him, with her head resting on his arm.  She had to be exhausted. She’d been so excited about visiting her family and childhood home that she’d hardly slept a wink the night before. Still, Regan was surprised that she could sleep with all the noise coming from seats behind them.

Regan looked over his shoulder at the seven Bob Whites of the Glen who were chattering excitedly.  He smiled at the sight of his nephew, Danny, who was practically bursting with excitement. Danny seldom got to go along when the other Bob Whites went on trips, and he had never in his wildest dreams thought that he’d ever get to host one.  He caught his uncle’s eye and smiled back. He’s such a good kid, thought Regan.  He deserves this.

Danny, Regan, and Kip had traveled to South Dakota the previous fall so that Regan could meet his in-laws, and he and Kip could have their marriage blessed.  Regan had been a nervous wreck, but Danny had had a wonderful time.  Kip’s brothers and brother-in-law had taken him under their collective wing and let him drive every piece of machinery they owned and even taught him how to rope calves. Danny had won Kip’s whole family over with ease, but Regan wasn’t too sure he could say the same about himself.  Still, he’d been pleased when the Ceigers had asked him, Kip, and Danny to return for two weeks in the summer and had invited Danny to bring his friends.

Regan hadn’t been too sure that the other Bob Whites would really want to spend two weeks on a farm in South Dakota.  Especially since the trip would fall over the Fourth of July, when there were so many other things to do.  As always, the Bob Whites were ready for any new adventure, and had been thrilled to accept the invitation.  All of them but Danny had visited the Beldens’ Uncle Andrew’s farm in Iowa, but that had been in the spring when it was wet and chilly. They would hopefully be able to find plenty to do to occupy themselves during the long, hot midwestern summer days.  

The timing for the trip had turned out to be perfect.  Regan frowned as he thought about the phone call he had received the day before.  He wasn’t sure what he would have done if they hadn’t already planned this vacation.

Everything’s going to be okay, he told himself. The two people I love most in the world are on this plane and we’re all safe.  His face softened as he glanced again at his sleeping wife, and at her stomach, which was bulging over the airplane seatbelt.

Make that three, he thought, not realizing his smile had returned.

 

Chapter 2

Kip’s stomach was a source of amazement to Regan.  She was such a small person that the baby had nowhere to go but out.  It wasn’t due for four more months and Regan had a vague fear that she might explode before then, but he wisely kept it to himself.  She felt pretty good and her doctor had advised them that if they wanted to take a long trip that this was a good time to do so.

The Regans had been in agreement about wanting children and had planned to wait a few years before starting a family, but Mother Nature had her own ideas. Once they had recovered from the initial shock, they had both been thrilled.  As Kip had pointed out, it was better that they had their first baby now. If they had waited a few years, Danny would be heading off to college and he would have hated to miss out on everything.

Danny was very excited at the prospect of having a cousin.  He was the first person they’d told about the baby and he was elated.  He seemed slightly embarrassed by his aunt’s blossoming figure but he was always quick to run ahead of her and hold doors open for her and help her carry things. 

Kip was right about this being good timing as far as Danny is concerned, Regan thought to himself.  If we’d waited, he might have wanted to put going to college on hold for a while and that’s the last thing I want him to do.  As far as Regan was concerned, nothing was going to stand in the way of Danny’s furthering his education.  Regan had worked hard for the GED certificate that hung on the wall of his and Kip’s apartment.  He was proud of his accomplishment but he wanted more than that for his children and Danny.

At least money for their educations isn’t going to be a problem, he thought with satisfaction.  Danny didn’t know it, but Regan had received a substantial reward for the stopping a ring of criminals who were committing fraud and animal cruelty at horse racing tracks around the country. He and Kip had paid off a few bills, bought some things for their apartment and invested the rest for the purpose of educating their children and

Danny.

Regan looked down at his watch.  We ought to be there pretty soon, he thought. Regan decided that he ought to make a quick mental inventory of Kip’s large family.  He was uncomfortable enough around them and getting them mixed up would be terribly embarrassing.

His mother-in-law, Dorothy was a nice, rather quiet woman.  They hadn’t spent much time together, but she was nice to him and had welcomed Danny into her flock of grandchildren.

Kip’s oldest brother, Rod, was still living in a halfway house.  He was doing well and holding down a job.  Things were still a little strained between him and everybody in his family except Kip, but they were getting better.

Next came Daryl who was married to Ria, his childhood sweetheart.  They had two young boys and, as was the custom on Midwestern family farms, lived in a house across the road from the family farmhouse. Kip described them as the most boring people she had ever met.

Kip’s only sister Kristine was next in line.  She was married to John Houghten, and they had two young daughters together as well as Kelsey, John’s fourteen-year-old daughter from his first marriage.   Kristine and Kip were very close even though they were as different as night and day.   The Houghtens lived on John’s family’s farm a few miles down the road from the Ceigers.  Regan had liked John from the moment he’d met him, and he figured John was the closest thing he had to an ally.

The next brother was Marshal.  He was the one Regan was most uncomfortable around.  He sensed that Marshal didn’t approve of him as husband material for Kip. Marshal ran the family farm with Daryl and lived in the farmhouse with their mother.   Since that was where the Regans and the Bob Whites were staying, Regan would see him every evening and at every meal.  The mere thought of it gave him a headache.

Scott was the last of the boys.  He was a handsome, charming cowboy who rode saddle broncs in rodeos and farmed with Marshal and Daryl when he couldn’t find anything better do to.  Scott and Marshal brought out a side of Kip Regan had never seen before.  The three of them squabbled constantly. Sometimes it was funny but it usually drove everyone around them crazy.

It’s a good thing I’ve spent so much time with Mart and Trixie or I wouldn’t be able to stand it, Regan mused.

“Penny for your thoughts,” came Kip’s voice from the seat next to Regan.

“I didn’t realize you were awake,” he answered her.

“I woke up a little while ago but you looked like you were thinking about something important so I didn’t want to bother you.”  Kip tried to look around him to see what was outside the window.  “We must be almost to Lumbee by now.”

Regan looked at her and laughed.  “I can’t believe I married a girl named Kippington from a place called Lumbee.  It sounds like a limerick, there once was a girl from Lumbee…”

“William!” Kip tried to stifle a giggle.

“And I’m lucky that she married me,” he finished innocently.

“Good save,” she whispered.  “Just for that, I might play Rick Raygun, Defender of the Universe, with you tonight.

Regan blanched.  “In your mother’s house?”

Kip patted her stomach and laughed.  “I think it’s a little late for you to worry about that.”

Just then the plane started to descend and Bob, the pilot, announced that they were about to land in Lumbee.

Chaos ensued when the plane touched down.  Nine people scrambled to get off the plane and each person searched to find their own luggage. 

Kip reached for her suitcase when Dan ran up behind her and grabbed it.  “I’ll carry that for you, Kip,” he announced.

Kip and Regan were both chuckling as they turned away from the baggage compartment.  Kip’s brothers, Scott and Marshal, were standing there waiting to drive them and the Bob Whites to the Ceiger farm.

Dang, thought Regan, I was hoping John would come to meet us. I’m going to have to try to get him alone and ask him if I can use his computer. I’ll probably end up having to tell him about the phone call.  I just hope he can keep a secret.

 

Chapter 3

Regan, Kip, and Dan walked over to Kip’s brothers to greet them, and introduce them to the rest of the group.  Scott shook hands with both Dan and Regan and gave his sister a hug before turning to meet the rest of the Bob-Whites.  All three of the Bob White girls stared at him with open-mouthed admiration during the introductions, while the boys tried to pretend they didn’t notice.

The group moved on to Marshal who had been standing quietly with a frown on his face.  Regan stepped up to him and shook his hand.

“Bill,” said Marshal.

“Marshal,” said Regan.

They shook hands for a moment longer than necessary, their eyes locked, neither one of them wanting to be the first to budge. Bring it on you little twerp, Regan thought to himself.  Marshal was probably 5’ 8” to Regan’s 6’2” and Regan thought he was suffering from a severe case of Napoleon Syndrome. 

Kip broke it up by stepping in and hugging her brother.  Marshal hugged her back awkwardly and avoided looking at her stomach. He greeted Dan cordially, and Regan reminded himself that regardless of what he thought of Marshal, he was Kip’s brother and at least he was nice to Danny.

Scott announced that he and Marshal had both brought pickups, and the group would have to split up in order to drive to the farm.  He headed toward one of the crew cab trucks with the Bob White girls practically falling over themselves to keep up with him.  Realizing what was going on, Jim and Mart hurried after them.

Kip, Regan, Danny, and Brian followed Marshal to his truck and Regan felt a pang of sympathy for Marshal.  It’s got to be hard to be in your younger brother’s shadow all the time, Regan mused. But that’s no excuse for being so rude to me.

Danny hopped in the front seat with Marshal, and Brian climbed in the back with Regan and Kip.  Regan thought to himself how typical it was of Brian to do the polite thing and ride along with them. He looked over at Brian who was twisting around looking out the windows in every direction.  He wondered if Brian was as amazed by the vast, flat prairie as he had been the first time he saw it.  He could see for miles in every direction until the land finally met the sky, creating an endless horizon.

Kip was asking Marshal about how the crops were doing and talking about how the corn was going to be knee high by the Fourth of July when Scott’s pickup passed them on the highway.

“He’s such a showoff,” she groaned.  He doesn’t have any Buckle Bunnies handy so he has to try to impress our company.”

“What’s a Buckle Bunny?” asked Brian.

“A rodeo groupie,” Kip answered.

Brian blushed. “Sorry I asked.”

“Scott, Marshal, and I are the only ones in our family that are into horses.  Scott went the rodeo route, but Marshal and I never got into that.  We had more fun going to Appaloosa shows, didn’t we, Marsh?”

Marshal grunted in response and Regan was relieved when they pulled into the driveway of the Ceiger family farm.

Kip looked at the four ATVs parked next to the house.

“Where did all those come from?” Kip asked.  “When we were here last fall there were only two.  I hate those things.”

“Me too,” answered Marshal. “John and Daryl each bought another one.  They use them to run back and forth between the two farms and to chase cows.  They’re destroying a way of life if you ask me.  A piece of machinery can’t compete with a good cowhorse.”

“And they spook the horses,” Regan put in.

Marshal looked at him as if he were surprised that Regan had anything sensible to add and nodded.

“Well, I like them,” said Dan. “Kelsey and I had a blast on them last fall, and we were careful to stay away from the horses.  They’re a lot of fun, Brian.”

Regan sighed at the mention of Kelsey.  Kip’s sister’s stepdaughter was a nice enough girl, but he thought she and Danny had spent too much time together last fall and it worried him.  Kip tried to assure him that since Kelsey was so much older than the other kids in the family, she’d enjoyed having someone close to her age around, and that Danny would have been bored if he hadn’t had another teenager to hang around with.  She reminded him that her family didn’t stand on formality and no one considered Kelsey a stepchild, and that she and Danny were both part of the family. She thought the two teens considered themselves to be related somehow, and that Regan had nothing to worry about.

Marshal brought his pickup to a stop next to Scott’s and everyone jumped out.  The Ceiger family was already out in the yard and Regan was swept up in a flood of people hugging him and congratulating him and Kip on the baby.  He didn’t find it quite as overwhelming as he had the last time he’d been there, although he still felt like a redheaded giant swimming in a sea of small, dark-haired people.  At least I brought along another redhead and some blondes to mix things up a bit, he thought.   

He watched with disapproval as Kelsey ran up to Danny and hugged him.  Danny hugged her back and began to introduce her to the other Bob Whites. 

“Quit worrying,” Kip whispered.  “She just hugged him because that’s what we do.  We’re loud and we hug.  You’ll get used to it.”

“I hope so,” Regan muttered as he followed Kip into the huge, old farmhouse. 

Kip’s mother and sister had prepared an enormous meal for them and they all sat down to eat.  Midway through the meal Regan noticed that Kip looked like she was about to fall asleep at the table, and commented on how tired she looked.

“If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to go up to bed when supper’s over,” Kip told him.

“Go ahead, I’ll bring our suitcases up,” he replied. It gave him a strange feeling to sleep in Kip’s old bedroom, in the bed she had slept in as a child.

“I have a great idea,” John piped up.  “Why don’t you and Marshal and Daryl come over to our house?  We have a satellite dish and we get more TV channels there.  Kelsey wants to show the kids around, and I think they all want to go fourwheeling.”

“Sure, if Kip doesn’t mind,” Regan replied.

He picked up their suitcases and headed up the stairs.  Kip was already getting undressed when he reached their room.  She opened one of the suitcases, rummaged through it until she found one of his t-shirts and pulled it over her head.

“Sorry, I’m so tired.  Will Rick Raygun take a raincheck?” 

Regan laughed and bent down to kiss her good night.  “You know I will.  You need your rest right now.”  He placed his big freckled hand on her stomach and gently pressed in hopes of making the baby kick. 

“Come on, Squirt, show your Daddy what you’ve got.” 

He waited a moment, and then gave up.  “I guess you’re not the only who’s tired, he said softly. “Good night, Babe.”

“Good night, have fun in the Land of Precious.”

Regan smirked as he headed down the stairs.  John and Kristine lived in a beautiful home, but the décor was so feminine that that even Kip was uncomfortable.  Almost everything in the house was a pinky purplish color Kip called mauve, and the walls were covered with dried floral arrangements. Even the furniture and the curtains were covered with floral prints.  He’d nearly choked when Kip had told him that she and her brothers referred to the Houghten home as the Land of Precious. 

I don’t care if their computer is mauve as long as John lets me use it, Regan thought.

Daryl was waiting for him by the backdoor.  “Marshal going to stay here and do some bookwork, on the computer, so I guess it’s just the two of us.”

The two men jumped in Daryl’s pickup and were at the Houghten home in a matter of minutes. Regan stifled a grin as he entered the Land of Precious to see John sitting on a mauve floral print sofa.  John was older than the Ceiger brothers, and his hair was starting to thin a little on top. He had the ruddy, weather-beaten face and watery eyes of a man who had spent long, hard hours working outdoors.  He looked slightly out of place surrounded by the mauve, floral motif of his home.  Regan thought he probably knew it but didn’t care.

“John, can I use your computer?” Regan asked.  “I’d like to check my email, and Marshal was on the computer at Ceigers’.  I need to check with the people who are covering for me at my job and see how my horse is doing.”

“Sure, you know if you got yourself a four-wheeler, you could just park it and you wouldn’t have to worry about it while you were gone,” John remarked as he led Regan into his office.

“That’s never going to happen,” Regan responded as John logged on to the computer and then stepped out of the office to give Regan some privacy. The office was filled with trophies John and Kelsey had won at sheep shows. It was also filled with Kristine’s flowery things and lacey curtains.

Boy, no room is safe from Kristine.  I definitely married the right sister for me, Regan thought to himself as he logged into his Sizzlemail account. He quickly scanned his new messages until he came across one from Peter Belden.  He opened it and had to resist the urge to pick up one of John’s trophies and hurl it across the room when he read what Peter had to say.

What is wrong with Peter and Helen?  Don’t they have enough sense to know better than to let Bobby answer the phone?  Regan buried his face in his hands and tried to decide what he should do next.

 

Chapter 4

Regan sat there for a few moments until he realized that John and Daryl would be wondering what was taking him so long.  He quickly read an email from Tom letting him know that all was well at the Wheeler Stable.  Tom, Mr. Maypenny, and surprisingly, Ben Riker, were covering for Regan at his job.  Regan had learned early on that the best way to deal with Ben was to keep Ben a little bit afraid of him.  He made it a point to fly off the handle at least once every time Ben visited the Wheelers, and it worked. Ben seemed to respect him, and since the Riker family had a stable full of horses of their own he was actually a fine horseman. Helping around the stable gave him something to do while he was visiting the Wheelers in Jim and Honey’s absence.

Regan stood up, shook his head, tried to compose himself, and walked into the living room where John and Daryl were watching ESPN and drinking beer.

“Want one?” John asked.

“No thanks,” said Regan. “Kip can’t stand the smell of beer right now and I don’t want her to smell it on me and get sick.”

That was all John and Daryl needed to launch into stories about dealing with pregnant wives, childbirth, and babies.  They kept trying to outdo each other with gross stories. They were pretty amusing and Regan would have had a great time if he’d only been able to get the email from Mr. Belden out of his mind.

It was almost 10:00 and just starting to get dark when Daryl and Regan left the Houghten home.  As much as he hated to, Regan offered to drive since Daryl had been drinking. 

As he pulled out of the driveway, Daryl turned to him and said “How do you like the Land of Precious?  I don’t know how John stands it.”

Regan just laughed.  He decided that Kip was wrong about Daryl being boring.  He just wasn’t quite as colorful as the rest of her brothers.

When Regan pulled into the Ceiger driveway, the family dogs, two Welsh Corgis and a Golden Retriever ran out to meet them, barking as they came. 

“Are they good watchdogs?” Regan asked.  I don’t remember them barking when we pulled in earlier.”

“There are so many people coming and going during the day that they don’t bother to bark, but if anyone comes or goes after dark they let us know,” Daryl responded.

Daryl headed across the road to his house and Regan entered the farmhouse.  The teenagers had apparently given up riding the fourwheelers and he could hear their laughter coming up from the basement.  Kelsey had hit it off so well with the Bob Whites that she had decided stay at her Grandmother’s house while they were there.

Great, all I need is one more thing to worry about, thought Regan as he headed up the stairs to the room he shared with Kip.

Kip was sound asleep, flat on her back, snoring like a lumberjack. Regan grinned in spite of himself, thinking how she’d deny it when he told her about it in the morning.  He walked to the bedroom window, and stared out at the prairie.  Other than the barns and various outbuildings, there was literally nowhere for anyone to hide.  There were a couple of rows of motley looking trees, on the north side of the house, which Kip referred to as a shelterbelt.  They were far too sparse to provide a hiding place for anyone. Everything looked peaceful and safe, and Regan realized there was nothing for him to do but go to bed.

Kip, Regan, the rest of the family, and their guests were already eating breakfast the next morning when Scott leisurely strolled into the dining room. 

“Morning,” he murmured as he turned a chair around and straddled it. Marshal, who had already been doing chores for a couple of hours glared at him, while the Bob White girls watched him, mesmerized, as he buttered a piece of toast.

Scott rewarded them with a smile and asked them what they planned to do while they were visiting South Dakota.

Jim spoke up before any of the girls could respond.  “We plan to head over to Brookings one day.  Mart wants to visit the college there. He’s interested in their Ag Journalism major, and the girls want to stop in DeSmet and see the Laura Ingalls Wilder exhibits.”

Scott turned to Mart and smiled.  “Be sure to tell the college recruiters you know me.  I was on the rodeo team there, and I’m a legend.”

Kip rolled her eyes. “And be sure to ask them if there’s any truth to the legend that his diploma wasn’t signed,” she said to Mart.

“I don’t know why either one of you bothered to go to college,” Marshal put in.  “It’s not like you’re using your educations.”

“You three stop it,” Mrs. Ceiger spoke up.  “That’s no way to behave in front of our young guests.”

Everyone looked at their plates until Brian quietly asked, “Do they offer any programs in the medical field at the college we’re going to visit? 

Kelsey started talking about her goal to someday enroll in the nursing program there and soon the other teenagers were chatting about their future plans.  Scott started teasing Trixie and Honey about their ambition to become to detectives and Regan silently blessed Brian Belden for bailing them out of an awkward situation. The poor guy probably just realized that Mart and Trixie will never outgrow it, Regan thought.

Kip stood up, “Bill, let go look at this year’s foals.  We haven’t seen them yet.”

She and Regan put their dishes in the dishwasher and started toward the horsebarn, hand in hand.

“Didn’t you have a good time at the Land of Precious last night? You seem so tense,” Kip said to her husband. “I hope Marshal wasn’t being a jerk.” 

“No, everything’s fine,” Regan said in what he hoped was a convincing manner. “I had a good time last night.  Marshal didn’t even go.  Probably because I was there.”

“No, Marsh didn’t go because he doesn’t want to have fun.  He resents Scott and me because we went to college and he didn’t. When my Dad died Rod had already messed up his life, Daryl was married, Kristine was in college, and Scott and I were in high school. He felt like he had to stay on the farm with Mom, and I guess nobody realized how much it bothered him when Scott and I left and he stayed behind. Now he feels like his life is passing him by, and he’s bitter about it.”

“Well, I can’t shake the feeling that he doesn’t like me,” Regan said.

“No, he’s more jealous of you than anything.  He’d love to do some horsetraining on the side, but he can’t because he’s too busy with the farm. If Scott wasn’t so irresponsible, and helped with the farming more he’d be able to do it.  It’s too bad he can’t, because he really is good, and it doesn’t help that Scott is really doing well on the rodeo circuit.  He’s starting to get national recognition and he’s had some offers for corporate sponsorship.  He’s so conceited that it’s getting under Marshal’s skin”

And if you hadn’t married me and stayed in New York you could help him, Regan thought to himself, realizing that that thought had probably never occurred to Kip. 

“Is it true that Scott’s diploma wasn’t signed?” asked Regan in hopes of changing the subject.

“He won’t admit it but I don’t think it was.  All he did in college was rodeo and party.  You know I lived with him and two of his friends the year my dorm assignment got mixed up, and the only schoolwork I ever saw him do was some weird project where he tried to make a cattle prod into a stun gun by converting it to use a bigger voltage battery.”

“Did it work?” Regan asked.

“I don’t know.  I don’t think he ever had the nerve to try it out,” Kip said with a laugh.

They finished admiring the weanlings and moved over to a pen containing the three two year old horses that Marshal was breaking that summer.

“Maybe I could offer to help Marshal ride these two year olds while I’m here.” Regan said thoughtfully.

“That would be nice of you. Maybe that would help him realize how much you two have in common. And it might help keep you from missing Socks,” she said with a knowing smile.

Regan hadn’t been aware that she could tell how much he missed his horse.  “Am I that transparent?” he asked.

“Sometimes.  I still feel like something’s bothering you.  Are you still worried that Dan and Kelsey are becoming too close?”

“That must be it,” he said quickly.  “I just don’t want Danny to grow up too fast.  I want him to be a kid for as long as he can.”

“I know.   And that’s what he wants, too.  I’m almost a mom, I know about these things. You just worry too much.”

“I know,” Regan admitted.  “It’s just that when I was his age I was in the boys’ home and I didn’t even know any girls.”

“And then you ran away and met Joan Stinson.”

Regan tensed, “Why did you bring her up?”

“I’m just teasing. Lighten up.”  Kip laughed and looked at her watch.  I’m supposed to be at Daryl and Ria’s right now.  She’s going to give me some of her old maternity clothes. You go talk to Marshal and then go for a ride.  That always cheers you up.” She kissed her husband lightly and headed toward her brother and sister-in-law’s house.

“Kip,” Regan called after her, “be careful.”

“I’m just going across the road, silly. I’ll be fine.”

“I know, I just worry about you because I love you,” he answered. And he stood in the farmyard and watched until she disappeared into the safety of Daryl and Ria’s home.

 

Chapter 5

Regan decided that standing in the farmyard wasn’t going to get anything accomplished so he headed toward the house to find Marshal.  Just as he reached the steps, Marshal came out of the door and stopped and stared him up and down.

“Hi Marshal,” Regan said in the most friendly tone he could muster.  “I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to help you around here. If you want me to, I could ride the two year olds for you.”

“I suppose that would be all right,” Marshall said begrudgingly.  “Just don’t try to drive any of the vehicles or machinery. I’ve seen you drive, and I don’t need you wrecking any of our equipment.”  With that he walked off, leaving Regan feeling like an idiot.

John pulled up in his pickup just then.  He climbed out of the truck with a small suitcase in his hand.

“I’ve got some stuff that Kelsey called and said she just had to have.  You’d think if she needed it so bad she could get it herself since the kids have all the fourwheelers up here,” he said in his slow, easygoing way. “I have a feeling I’m not going to be seeing much of her during the next two weeks, even though I should make her stay home and take care of her own 4-H lambs.”  He smiled indulgently and headed toward the house.

“John,” Regan headed after him, hoping to stop him before he got to the house.  “How can I find out if anyone makes any weird phone calls to the farmhouse?”

“I don’t know.  There are so many people in the house right now you’d probably never know unless whoever took the call said something.  I guess you could watch the Caller ID readout on the phones.  No one ever deletes those, even though they should.  Why do you ask?”

“Uh, one of the girls had someone undesirable call her house and ask for her. Her parents emailed me that little brother told them where she is and gave them the phone number to the farm.  I’m just hoping no one bothers any of the kids while they’re on vacation.”

John nodded understandingly.  “That boyfriend stuff starts way too young these days. If anybody says anything to me about any strange calls, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks,” said Regan, feeling a little guilty that he hadn’t been completely honest with John, and wondering if his mention of boyfriend stuff starting too young had any hidden meaning.

John stepped into the house and came right back out followed by Scott, Kelsey, and the Bob-Whites. 

“What are you doing, Uncle Bill?” asked Dan.  “I’ve hardly seen you since we got here.”

Regan chuckled at that.  “I’m not really doing anything because I don’t have anything to do.  Kip’s over at Ria’s so I guess I’m going to ride the two year olds that Marshal’s training.  I don’t really know where he’s at with them, though.”

“Scott told me the leopard and the dun are riding nice, but the chestnut is crazy, and they’re going to sell him to a rodeo bucking string.”

Regan tried not to let his surprise show.  He took a deep breath and asked, “So, what do you kids have planned for today?”

“Me and Scott are going to show everybody all the crops and the livestock, Mart wants to see it all, and then after that we’re going to show them how to breakaway rope.”

Oh so it’s we, thought Regan feeling a little put out.  “Are the girls really interested in that stuff?”

“I said Scott was going to be there didn’t I?” Dan replied with a grin.  “I better go, everybody’s waiting for me.  See you later.”

“Danny,” Regan called after him, “be careful.”

“I always am,” said Dan, giving his uncle an odd look as he took off after his friends.

Nice of him to ask me to go along, thought Regan sarcastically.  I guess Scott’s hold on people doesn’t just include girls. And what’s with that little jerk Marshal not telling me the chestnut horse is heading for a bucking string?

He decided to go into the house and have a cup of coffee before he started riding.  He hadn’t had his morning coffee yet because Kip couldn’t stand the smell of it, and she worried about him drinking too much coffee. He was just starting on his second cup when she burst into the kitchen carrying a bag of clothes her sister-in-law had given her.

She made a face at the coffee cup, then smiled and said “Ria gave me a bunch of her old maternity clothes and some baby clothes.  Now she and I and my mom are going over to the Land of Precious to go through some stuff Kristine has for us.  This is so much fun.”

Regan had to smile at that.  He would have preferred that they bought everything new for their baby but passing down baby things seemed to be some kind of ritual with the women in her family, and seeing her so happy made the whole trip worthwhile to him.

“You’ll have to show it all to me later. Just don’t drive the fourwheelers over there, I think you better stay off those things in your condition,” he said just to make her laugh.

 It had the desired effect. “ I promise,” she giggled.  “And speaking of staying off things, are you going to ride the two year olds this morning?” Kip asked.  “Stay off the chestnut, he’s a maniac.”

“So I’ve heard,” Regan said dryly.  “Has the baby been moving this morning?”

“It’s been swimming around like crazy.  It feels bubbly, like a little fish is swimming around in there.”

He tenderly placed his hand on her stomach, bent over and said, “Come on little fishy, swim for your daddy.”

Nothing happened and he straightened up and found himself face to face with Mrs. Ceiger and Ria.

He felt his face turn as red as his hair and he muttered,  “I haven’t felt the baby move yet.”

They just smiled at him. Kip squeezed his hand reassuringly, and kissed him good-bye.  “See you later, Rick,” she whispered and winked at him as she left with her mother and sister-in-law.

Feeling like the world’s biggest idiot, Regan headed out to the corral where the two year olds were penned.  He rode the leopard and the dun but stayed off the chestnut.

I’d love to try to ride him just to show Marshal, but I have a family to take care of, and it’s not worth getting hurt to prove something to that little jerk.

He was just putting the tack away when Marshal entered the tack room. “Did you ride all three of them?” he asked in a conversational tone.

“No, said Regan.  “Why didn’t you tell me the chestnut is headed for a bucking string?  Are you trying to get me killed?”

Marshal just smiled and Regan felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. 

 

Chapter 6

Marshal left the tack room still smiling, and Regan realized that for the first time in his life, he had absolutely nothing to do.  He went back to the farmhouse and tried to numb his mind by watching TV.  His thoughts kept heading back to Marshal.  As if I didn’t have enough troubles, now I have a brother-in-law who’s trying to kill me, he thought to himself. What on earth could I have done to make him hate me so much?  I thought things were going better with the rest of the family, but now I’m starting to wonder.  He decided not to worry Kip with it, and he also decided not to turn his back on Marshal.

He was thrilled when the Suburban with Scott, Kelsey, and the Bob-Whites inside pulled into the driveway.  They ate a quick lunch, or dinner as Scott called it, and to Regan’s relief, Marshal didn’t join them. 

After the dishes were all loaded in the dishwasher, everyone headed outside for the breakaway roping lessons.  Regan wasn’t especially interested in roping, but he liked watching the horses, and it beat sitting in the house with nothing to do, so he followed along and watched.  

After watching for a while, Regan understood why Kip didn’t really care for watching the calves move into the roping chute, being pushed along with a cattle prod.  He kept his attention off the calves by watching his nephew ride. Danny had become an excellent rider and was as at home in a Western saddle as he was in his English one. 

When Danny finished his turn roping, he climbed up the arena fence and sat down next to his uncle.

“Are you having a good time, Danny?” Regan asked.

“Great,” Dan replied.  “I think the rest of the Bob-Whites are, too.”

“Have you seen anything weird around here?”

“Just Marshal,” said Dan with a laugh.

“Has he done something to you?” Regan asked with concern.

“No, he’s nice to me. I just don’t like the way he treats you.  Or the way he looks at you. I wish I knew what is problem is.”

Regan felt better than he had all day.  “Well, don’t you worry about it, Danny.  Only thirteen more days and we get to go home. I can put up with anything for that long.”

Dan grinned.  “I think Kip and her mom just pulled into the driveway.  Maybe she can tell you what’s wrong with Marshal.”

“I don’t think she realizes how bad it is and I don’t want to upset her with it right now. She’s so happy to be back here and she’s been having fun with her mom, Ria, and Kristine. I’d better go see what she’s been up to.  I’ll see you later.”

With that, Regan headed toward the house.  He found Kip already seated on the living room floor sorting through sacks of baby clothes.

“Look at all the clothes Kristine gave us for the baby. They’re all things that can be used for either a boy or a girl since we decided not to find out what we’re having.”

Regan sat down on the floor next to her and picked up an undershirt that looked ridiculously small in his large hand.

“Do you really think our baby will be this little?” he asked in amazement.

“No,” said Kip, “the way I feel, it will be about three times that size.”

Regan wasn’t sure how to respond to that so he just laughed.  “What else did you do at the Land of Precious?’

“We planned the annual Fourth of July party.  Fireworks are legal in South Dakota so we always have a big party at their house and shoot them off there. Nobody’s allowed to shoot them off here because we don’t want to scare the horses, but they don’t have any so we can be as noisy as we want at their place.”

“ It’s going to be kind of weird this year though.  Since there are plenty of people around here to help Marshal with the farm work, Mom, Daryl, Ria and their boys are going to go to the Black Hills for the Fourth. They’ve been wanting to see the fireworks display at Mt. Rushmore for years.”

“Does Scott have any rodeos or is he actually going to help?”

Kip laughed.  “Your guess is as good as mine.  We’re also going into Lumbee the morning of the Fourth for the parade.  Maybe I’ll run into some of my old friends, and get to show you off.”

“Like the prize pig at the county fair?”

“I was thinking more like the Grand Champion Stallion.”

Regan pulled his wife close to him and said, “You’d better watch it, Babe.  Talking to me that way is what got you into your present condition.”

He looked over the top of Kip’s head and realized his mother-in-law was standing right in front of them.

He felt his face flush as she smiled at them and left the room.

“Oh no,” he groaned.  “Do you think she heard me? First that little episode this morning, and now this. She must think I’m so weird”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kip answered.  “Mom and Ria thought you were so sweet this morning.  They like you.”

“Well, no one else in your family does.”

“Sure they do, we’re invited to the Land of Precious for supper tonight. John and Kristine wouldn’t invite us if they didn’t like you.”

Regan was so cheered by the thought of another meal without Marshal’s presence that he didn’t even make any remarks about being attacked by doilies or mauve flower arrangements.

He and Kip had a nice evening. He was able to use the Houghtens’ computer to check his email.  There were no new developments, and he tried to convince himself that no news was good news.  It was after 10:00 PM when he and Kip returned to the Ceiger farm. They were surprised to find that the house was dark.  They were met by the trio of barking dogs but didn’t see any people around.

“Marshal and Mom always go to bed early and Scott is probably out doing something we don’t want to know about.  I hope the kids are all in bed,” said Kip.

“Me too,” Regan agreed.  “I bet the time difference finally caught up with them.”

“I’ll peek in on the girls and make sure they’re in bed,” Kip told her husband.

“I’ll check down in the basement and then look in on the boys,” Regan responded.

He looked in the basement rec room and when he didn’t find anyone there, he checked in on the boys and found all four of them sleeping.

By the time he got to the room he shared with Kip, he found her flat on her back, snoring again.  He smiled at her as he wandered around the room, looking out the windows to make sure everything was all right.  He stopped suddenly when he heard a noise from the hallway outside the bedroom.  He could hear footsteps going softly down the hall and descending the stairs.

He waited a few moments to give the person a little head start, and then crept down the stairs after them, his heart beating wildly.  He quickly decided that if the person was someone who didn’t belong in the house, they’d probably go out the kitchen door.  He stopped on the stairs, and listened as the person continued through the kitchen.  He heard a door open and the sound of someone walking down more stairs, and realized that whoever it was, they were heading down to the basement.

He paused again, giving the person the opportunity to make it all the way down the stairs. He walked as quietly through the kitchen as he could, grateful that he was in his stocking feet.  He started down the stairs and cursed himself for not thinking to find something to use as a weapon, just in case it was an intruder.  There was a nightlight at the bottom of the stairs, and he could just barely see to make his way down them. 

When he reached the basement floor he stopped, and stood rooted to the spot in shocked surprise.  The glow of the nightlight illuminated the rec room just enough for him to see the silhouettes of a boy and a girl seated close together on the couch.  

Danny is grounded for the rest of his life, he thought angrily, as he stalked across the basement floor and switched on the rec room light with such force that he scraped his knuckles on the wall.

The surprised duo on the couch spun around to face him and Regan was stunned to look right into the eyes of Kelsey and Brian. 

 

Chapter 7

Regan was so relieved that Dan wasn’t part of the duo on the couch that he nearly laughed.  He quickly forced himself into his stern groom mode.

“What are you two doing down here?” he demanded.

“We weren’t doing anything wrong,” Brian said sheepishly.  “We were just going to talk about medical careers.  We’re both going into medicine, and it’s hard to talk with a lot of people around.”

“You can’t talk with the lights on?” Regan asked, chuckling inwardly at Brian’s embarrassment.

“We didn’t want to disturb anybody,” said Kelsey, who was off the couch and inching her way toward the stairs.

“Are you going to tell my parents?” she asked nervously.

“I’m going to ask Kip if she thinks I should,” Regan replied.  “You go on upstairs, I want to talk to Brian.”

Regan looked at Brian who was still sitting on the couch, looking mortified.

“Brian,” Regan began, “you’re a guest in this house.  I believe you when you say that you weren’t doing anything wrong, but do you think Mrs. Ceiger would approve of you and Kelsey being down here alone in the dark?”

“I guess not,” Brian answered.  “I’m sorry. We didn’t think about how it looked, we just wanted to talk.  Are you going to tell my parents?”

“I’ll think about it,” Regan answered.  “Now go back to bed.”

Brain meekly followed Regan up the stairs and disappeared into his room without a word. Regan went into the room he shared with Kip, closed the door, leaned against it, and shook with silent laughter.

“What are you doing?”  Kip’s voice came from the bed.

Regan told her what he’d discovered in the basement.  She laughed, too.

“I’m going to hold that over Kelsey’s head forever, and you know I have to say ‘I told you so’ that there was nothing going on between her and Dan.”

“I’ve been expecting that,” he replied.  “You should have seen the looks on their faces when I turned on the light. I wish I’d had a camera. The weird thing is, I always thought Brian had a crush on Honey though.”

“Bill, Sleepyside isn’t Noah’s Ark.  Those kids don’t have to be paired off two-by-two. They’re too young, and it sounds like everything was pretty innocent anyway. Will you please just come to bed? ”

“I thought you’d never ask.  We do have the little matter of that raincheck to settle.”   

When Regan and Kip joined the Bob-Whites and the rest of the Ceigers for breakfast the next morning, everyone but Scott was already seated at the table.  Neither Brian nor Kelsey looked up from their plates when the Regans sat down.

The phone rang and Mrs. Ceiger hurried to the kitchen to answer it.

“Will somebody please go get Scott out of bed?”  she said as she returned to the dining room.  “The phone is for him.  It practically rang off the wall with calls for him yesterday”

Dan jumped up and went to get Scott.

“Who keeps calling?” Kip asked.

“I don’t know,” her mother responded.  “It’s a woman, the Caller ID shows it as an unknown, and she won’t leave a message.  There’s nothing new about any of that though”

Dan returned with Scott, clad only in a pair of dorm pants, right behind him.  The Bob-White girls looked at each other and giggled, as he passed by them on his way to kitchen to answer the phone. 

He came back into the dining room shortly, smiling from ear to ear.

“You’ll never guess what that was about,” he said excitedly.  “That was a representative from a western wear company.  They want me to model some of their clothes.”

“In what publication, Rodeo Clown’s Wear Daily?”  Kip asked, unable to keep a straight face.

At the other end of the table, Marshal burst out laughing, and it dawned on Regan that he’d never heard him laugh before, that he’d only seen him smile once, and he’d just as soon forget about that.

Scott ignored them. “She said they’ve been going around to different rodeos in the area scouting for models and I have the look they want.  I’m supposed to meet her and her photographer this afternoon at Fisher’s Grove Park, over by Redfield, so they can take some pictures of me.”

“You mean it’s going to be a real modeling shoot?” Di asked dreamily.

“Sure,” Scott smiled at her, flashing his dimples.  “Why don’t you girls come with me?  Maybe you can get in some of the pictures.”

“We’ll all come,” Jim put in firmly.

This could get interesting, Regan thought with amusement.  Just then Kip piped up, “Bill, the baby’s moving.”

He reached over to touch her stomach, bumping the edge of the table with his elbow, and spilling a pitcher of orange juice all over himself, Kip, the table, and the floor.

Regan jumped up, embarrassed, and grabbed a handful of napkins so he could mop up the table and floor.

“I’m so sorry.  Kip, you go change your clothes, and I’ll clean it up.”

Kip, who had received a lapful of orange juice, headed up to their room and Regan rushed to the kitchen with a plate full of soggy, orange juice laden napkins.  He was dumping them into the garbage can, and looking around wildly for something better to clean up the mess with, when his mother-in-law entered the kitchen.

“I’m sorry for the mess,” he began.

“It okay, she told him gently, as she picked up a roll of paper towels.  “Don’t worry about it, any man who goes to such lengths to feel a baby move is going to be a great father.”

“Do you really think so? I can hardly remember my own father and I’m afraid that I won’t know what to do,” he blurted out.

She patted him lightly on the arm.  “You do a wonderful job with your nephew, and you’ll do just as well with the baby.  Go change your clothes and I’ll clean up the mess.”  She smiled at him, “and try not to worry so much.”

“Thanks,” said Regan, as he backed out of kitchen.  “Thanks a lot.”

Regan headed back through the dining room, and up the stairs, still glowing from his mother-in-law’s praise. He didn’t notice that Marshal was the only one still sitting at the dining room table. 

Marshal scowled as he watched his mother clean up the spilled orange juice.

“I don’t know why Big Red can’t clean up after himself,” he muttered.

“I don’t see you offering to help,” came a voice from behind him.

Marshal turned to face John who said,  “I don’t know what your problem is Marshal, but I think it’s time for you to grow up.  We were all surprised when Kip married a guy she barely knew, and moved so far away, but she’s happy and he’s turned out to be a nice guy.  When are you going to get over it?”

“Never,” sneered Marshal.  “And if you knew the things that I know about him, you wouldn’t be so crazy about him either.”

With that, he got up from his chair and stormed out the door, slamming it so hard that the dishes on the table shook.

 

Chapter 8

 

John was still standing in the dining room when Regan came back down the stairs, dressed in dry clothes.

 

“Where are all the kids?” he asked.

 

“They all went to their rooms to get their laundry,” John answered.  “Dorothy wants to get it caught up so she, Daryl and Ria and the boys can get on the road.  Kip offered to do it though, so while they get things sorted Daryl and I want to show you a few things around here.”

 

Kip came down the stairs just then with a laundry basket full of towels followed by the Bob-Whites carrying their laundry.

 

“Just a minute, John,” said Regan.  “I want to carry that laundry basket down to the basement for Kip.”

 

“I’ll do it, Uncle Bill,” Dan offered.

 

“Thanks, Danny,” said Kip.  “And Kelsey’s going to help, too. Aren’t you, Kelsey?” asked Kip, casting a meaningful glance at her niece.

 

Kelsey looked at her father and flushed.  “Sure, the sooner we get started, the sooner we can get done so we can go on that modeling shoot with Scott.”

 

John and Regan went out the door and headed toward one of the barns.

 

“Daryl and I thought it would be a good idea if we let you know what needs to be done around here every day.  Daryl’s kind of nervous.  This is his family’s first vacation in years and he’ll relax better if he knows there’s another man on the place who knows what to do. And you’ll probably have to help Marshal with chores today if Scott and the kids aren’t back from that modeling thing.”

 

“And because you and he both know Marshal will never tell me.  Did he treat you the way he treats me when you married into this family?”

 

“No,” replied John in his slow, thoughtful way.  “But you have to remember that my family and the Ceigers have been neighbors for years.  I’m a little older than the Ceiger kids.  I knew Rod and Daryl, but the rest of them were just a bunch of little kids on the school bus to me.  I left the farm when I went to college. Then I got married, and moved to Sioux Falls. After my first wife walked out on Kelsey and me, I decided I needed my family, and the farm was the place I wanted to raise my daughter.  Kristine graduated from college about a year after I moved back here and I met her then.  The rest, as they say, is history.”

 

“And I suppose Marshal was thrilled about it?”

 

John laughed.  “Actually, he was.  He considered it the business deal of the century.  Since most of our two families’ land is right next to each other, we do some farming together and share some of the machinery.”

 

“Don’t let him bother you.  It’s different with Kristine, since she’s older than he is.  Kip’s the baby of the family, so he’s overprotective of her. Just remember, I’m right down the road if you ever need anything.”

 

Daryl came up just then, so they changed the subject, rather than talk about his brother in front of him.  After they were done going over things, Regan went back to the house to find the Bob-Whites outside riding the fourwheelers again.

 

If I never see one of those things again, it will be too soon, he thought to himself as Dan rode up to him on one.

 

“Uncle Bill, right after you went outside, the baby started moving and Kip let me feel it.  It was awesome, even though it was kind of weird touching Kip’s stomach,” he said with a hint of embarrassment. “Kip thinks it’s a boy.  I hope she’s right.”

 

Regan didn’t know quite how to react to Danny getting to feel the baby move before he did, but he tried not to let it bother him.  “I glad you’re so excited about the baby, Danny,” he said trying not to let his disappointment show.

 

“Well, I figure you and Kip’s kids will be the closest things to brothers or sisters I’ll ever have. I hope you have a bunch of them, and they all have red hair.”

 

“I just hope I get through having this one,” said Regan, touched by Danny’s enthusiasm. “Just remember it’s not going to come out ready to play baseball.”

 

“Duh,” Dan grinned and took off on the fourwheeler.

 

“You be careful on that thing,” Regan yelled after him as he started toward the farmhouse. 

 

He found Kip in the kitchen.  “I’m trying to get dinner ready early so Mom and Daryl and his family can get on the road for the Black Hills and Scott, the Super Model and his fan club can head out for his modeling shoot. It takes about an hour to get to Redfield, and the kids want to stop at some fireworks stands on the way.”

 

“What time is Scott supposed to be there?”

 

“Not until 2:00,” Kip answered, “but the boys will take forever at the fireworks stands and I’m hoping maybe if they get there early they can get home early.  The weather is supposed to get bad later.”

After the noon meal was over, Kip’s mother, brother, and his family left.  A short while later Scott, Kelsey and the Bob-Whites left in the Suburban.

 

Regan helped his wife clean the kitchen and put the laundry away.  Marshal had gone to check on the irrigation system, pointedly not asking for Regan’s help, so Regan and Kip decided that Regan would ride the two young horses he’d ridden the day before.

 

“I’ll sit on the rail and give you advice,” Kip said with a laugh.

 

“Go right ahead,” said Regan.  “I want to watch you climb up there and try to balance yourself.”

 

“On second thought, I’ll just stand quietly along the rail and watch you.”

 

Kip watched Regan ride the two year olds.  They were both skittish and neither one of them worked as well as they had the previous day. Kip blamed the weather.

 

“It’s the barometric pressure,” she told him loyally.  “We’re in for a storm, the wind is changing.”

 

“Let’s go back to the house.  We didn’t get much sleep last night, I want to take a nap.”

 

“You want me to come lay down with you?” Regan asked.

 

“Kip giggled, “If you do, I won’t get any rest.  You and your raincheck are the reason I’m so tired now. You can join me later, though.”  She kissed him and headed for the stairs.

 

Regan went into the living room, plopped down in a recliner, picked up the remote and started channel surfing.  The next thing he knew, Marshal was standing over him, shaking him, and yelling that he needed Regan’s help.  Regan shook himself out of his sleepy stupor and tried to figure out what Marshal was yelling about.

 

“One of our bulls is out and he’s headed down the road towards town.  There’s a big storm coming and we need to get him penned up before it hits,” Marshal shouted.

 

Regan jumped to his feet.  “ Just a minute, let me leave Kip a note in case she wakes up while we’re gone.”  He scribbled a quick note and left it on the kitchen table, where the Ceigers always left their messages for each other.

 

 “Are we taking the fourwheelers?” he asked.

 

“Heck no, they don’t have any cow sense,” said Marshal as they headed toward the barn. You take the white mare, Helga, and I’ll take Crocket.  They’re both good with cattle.”

 

They saddled up the horses and took off in the direction that Marshal had last seen the bull. Regan had never helped work cattle before and if the bull hadn’t been so intimidating he would have enjoyed it.  The mare, Helga, knew exactly what to do, and he felt more like a passenger than a rider. 

 

After they had rounded up the bull, and got him safely back in his pasture, they turned their horses toward the farmstead and rode back as fast they could. The wind was blowing hard, and the sky was turning black.  As they rode into the farmyard, Regan noticed that the Suburban was back and was parked crookedly in front of the double garage that was connected to the house.

 

“It figures that idiot, Scott would just leave the Suburban parked outside to get hailed on, instead of putting it in the garage,” Marshal groused as he and Regan unsaddled the horses. “Come on, let’s get chores done before the storm hits.”

 

For once, Regan was willing to forgo grooming the horses and cleaning the tack to perfection. He started feeding the horses, and Marshal went to the sheep barn to start feeding the sheep. 

 

When they finished the chores, they headed to house, bracing themselves against the wind.  Marshal stopped long enough to put the Suburban in the garage.

 

They stepped into a silent house. “Everybody must be down the basement,” said Marshal.  “That’s the safest place to be right now.  I’ll turn on the transistor radio we keep down there, and try to find out if we’re in a tornado warning.”

 

The two men headed down the basement, only to find it as eerily silent as the rest of the house. They looked in the rec room, the laundry room, and the small room that was Marshal’s office.

 

Regan felt himself starting to panic.  “Where can they be?”  he asked Marshal frantically.

 

Marshal was twisting the dials on the transistor radio and picking up only static.  “I think the radio tower must have blown down again,” he said.  “We probably don’t have any cell phone service either.”

 

“I’m going upstairs to see if Kip’s still sleeping,” said Regan.  Just as he started up the stairs, the electricity went off.  Marshal groped his way to his office and found a flashlight.  He tossed it to Regan, who started up the stairs.

 

When he got to the first floor, he paused and looked out the window at the raging storm.  It was black as night outside, and he could hear the howling wind and the sound of hailstones beating down on everything in their path.

 

He hurried up to the bedroom and found the rumpled bed was empty.  He turned and headed back to the basement, hoping madly that somehow Kip and Danny had materialized and were safely down there.

When he returned to the basement he found only Marshal, who was staring at one of the basement windows, trying to see what was going on outside.

 

“Kip’s not up there.  Where can she and the kids be?”  Regan shouted at him.  “How can you just stand there like that?  We have to find them!”

 

“You can cut the concerned act,” Marshal told him coldly.  “I know all about you.  You may have everyone else buffaloed, but you can’t fool me.”

 

“What are you talking about?  I can’t find my pregnant wife or my nephew, and you want to play games.”

 

Marshal took the flashlight, stomped over to his desk, opened a drawer, pulled out a magazine and flipped it at Regan.

 

 “I’m not playing games,” he yelled.  “Like I said, I know all about you. See for yourself.” 

 

 

Chapter 9

 

Marshal tossed the flashlight to Regan, who caught it and shined it on the cover of the magazine.

 

“Real True Court Cases, you read this garbage?”  Regan asked him in disbelief.

 

“Shut up and look at page 45,” Marshal barked at him.

 

Regan didn’t like taking orders from Marshal, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he turned to the forty-fifth page of the worn magazine.  He grimaced when he saw the heading The Strange Saga of the Sinister Saratoga Stinsons and he began to read.  The story was a sensationalized version of Carl and Joan Stinson’s trials. His own name jumped out at him, as the article told of him testifying against both Carl and Joan. It erroneously referred to him as ‘Joan Stinson’s former boyfriend’ and his stomach turned at the thought of millions of people reading that he had dated Joan Stinson and believing it.

 

“What’s the big deal?” he asked Marshal. “This is just tabloid trash.  Joan Stinson was never my girlfriend, if that’s what you’re so worked up about. Your crops are probably getting destroyed by hail, and we can’t find Kip and Scott and any of the kids and you’re worried about a stupid magazine article!”

 

“It says there you got a big reward for turning them in.  What happened to all that money?  And Kip inherited $50,000.00 from Miss Hartsell when she married you.  What happened to that?  It’s her money, where did it go?”

 

Regan took a deep breath and tried to keep his temper under control. Kip hadn’t told her family that she had used her inheritance to pay for her oldest brother, Rod’s, rehab treatment.  “You’re right, it is Kip’s money, so why don’t you ask her?”  he answered as calmly as he could.

 

“Oh come on, you got a big reward, Kip got $50,000.00, and you make her live over a garage.  What kind of a con are you trying to pull?”

 

Regan felt his temper starting to rise.  “I’m not pulling a con and I don’t make Kip live over a garage. You of all people should know that no one makes her do anything she doesn’t want to do.  She and I put the reward money away for our kids’ educations.  And for Danny’s”

 

“That’s another thing,” shouted Marshal. “What’s up with him?  You’re his guardian but he doesn’t live with you.  What do you do, get big payments from a trust fund and then farm him out to live with someone else?”

 

Regan could no longer control his temper.  He grabbed Marshal by the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground.  “You leave Danny out of this. He’s been through enough…..”  Regan’s voice was drowned out by a roar coming from overhead; he let go of Marshal and looked at the basement ceiling.

 

“What the heck was that?  It sounded like a train just went over us.”

 

“I think a tornado just passed over.  I’ve always heard that’s what it sounds like.  We’re probably safe now, but it sounded like it was headed in the direction of John and Kristine’s place,” said Marshal with a note of concern in his voice.

 

 “Do you think that’s where everybody went?” Regan asked.

 

“Sure,” said Marshal in a sarcastic tone.  “They needed some exercise, so they left the Suburban here, and walked over there in a storm.”

 

“At least I’m thinking,” Regan shot back at him.  “All you do is stand there and make accusations at me. I think the storm is over, and I’m going to look for them.”

 

Regan started up the stairs, flashlight in hand.  Marshal hesitated a moment, then followed him.  “Let’s stop in the kitchen.  There’s another flashlight in there.” They headed up the stairs, followed closely by the three dogs.  The dogs had gone with them to round up the bull, and then followed them to the safety of the basement.

 

When the two of them entered the kitchen, Marshal headed for the drawer where the flashlight was kept, and Regan shined his flashlight on the kitchen table, where he had left the note for Kip.  The note was still there with the letters LOP scrawled across the bottom.

 

“What do you think this means?” he asked Marshal.

 

“Marshal played his flashlight across the paper.  “I have no idea,” he answered. He lifted the kitchen phone receiver and put it to his ear. “Dead as doornail,” he commented.

 

“Lop,” Regan muttered to himself, as he and Marshal headed outside. “Could that be somebody’s initials?  Lop, lope.  Lope a horse?  A lop eared rabbit?”

 

“Are you sure it wasn’t already written on the paper when you wrote the note?” Marshal asked.

 

“Well, no,” Regan admitted.

 

“Then shut up about it,” said Marshal as he shone his flashlight around the farmyard.

 

“To quote Buzz Lightyear, you’re a sad, strange little man,” Regan retorted. “I’m going to look in the Suburban and see if they left anything in there.”

 

Regan went into the garage.  To his horror, he found the girls’ purses and several sacks full of fireworks still in the vehicle.

 

He rushed out of the garage to find Marshal.  As he was shining his flashlight around the farmyard he noticed that only two fourwheelers were parked next to the house.  Marshal came out of the stable just then and hurried over to Regan.

 

“No sign of them in there, but at least the horses are all right.”

 

“Marshal, did John take two of the fourwheelers back to his place?” 

 

“I don’t know,” Marshal answered.  “He might have had the kids take his two back there so he could put them under cover before the storm hit. Why?  Do you think all nine of them took off on two fourwheelers?”

 

Regan ignored that remark and looked around in desperation. An idea dawned on him.  “Do you think they could have gone to Daryl and Ria’s house? Maybe they rode out the storm in their basement.”

 

“I suppose. I don’t know why they would, but we can go look.”

 

Regan realized that Marshal was more worried than he was letting on.  The two of them quickly headed for the house across the road.

 

Regan stood back and let Marshal open the door to his brother’s empty house.  “Marshal, I think there’s something I should tell you,” he began, as they started down the basement stairs.

 

“Why don’t you come on down and tell us all?” came a voice from below.

 

Regan aimed the beam of his flashlight toward the bottom of the stairs, and was shocked to discover Joan Stinson standing there with a gun pointed at him.

 

 

Chapter 10

 

Regan stood motionless on the stairs, unsure of what to do.

 

“I mean it,” Joan shouted.  “Come down here, or your nephew gets it.”

 

Regan started down the steps, and Marshal tried to quietly head for the door.

 

“You too,” Joan shouted.

 

Regan and Marshal went down the stairs and stopped in front of Joan.

 

“How nice of you to bring us flashlights.”

 

Regan gasped when he noticed Laura Ramsey standing behind her. Laura took the flashlights from Regan and Marshal, and handed one to Joan.

 

“I don’t know how you can look so good and be so dumb,” Joan said to Regan.  “You ruined everything and you could have had it all.”

 

“I do have it all,” he shot back at her.

 

She motioned him to take his place with the group that was huddled against the basement wall.  Even in the dark, he noticed there were fewer people than there should have been. He immediately realized Kip wasn’t with them. He quickly found Danny and took his place next to him.

 

“Where’s Kip?” he hissed.

 

“I don’t know,” Danny whispered back.  “Have you seen Trixie?”

 

“Shut up,” screamed Joan.  She turned the beam of her flashlight on Regan.  “So, are you surprised to see me?”

 

Regan shrugged, “The prison officials called and warned me that you and Laura had escaped.  The surprising thing is that you two were smart enough to find us out here.”

 

Laura laughed, “Joan owes that all to me.  When we figured out that you had all left Sleepyside, I told her that all we had to do was to keep calling the Beldens’ house until that little idiot, Bobby, answered the phone.  I knew he’d tell us what we wanted to know.”

 

“He’s not an idiot.”  Mart started toward Laura, but Regan grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back.

 

“So then what did you do?” he asked as calmly as he could, figuring he could buy some time by keeping her talking.

 

“It was easy, we’d already stolen a car, so we went to an Internet Café and did some searches on the Ceigers of South Dakota.  Pretty Boy’s name and picture kept coming up in articles about his rodeos, so we devised a plan to come out here and offer him a phony modeling job. We stole different cars along the way. We’d drive one for a while, then ditch it, and take a new one.  You wouldn’t believe the things people leave in their cars.  Like cell phones, money, credit cards, even guns,” she said with an evil laugh. She had gained quite a bit of weight in prison and had developed a hardness that he found terrifying.

 

“Why the phony modeling job?” Regan asked, continuing to try to stall her for time, even though he wasn’t sure what good it would do.”

 

“We thought we could lure him away, and hold him hostage in exchange for the two people we really want revenge on, you and Honey Wheeler,” said Laura.  Regan peered at her through the dim light.  He hadn’t paid much attention to her when she was in Sleepyside, other than to listen to Miss Trask’s concerns that she was paying an inappropriate amount of attention to Jim, so he couldn’t tell if she’d gone through the same changes as Joan had.

 

“He really messed things up for us though,” she continued.  “We didn’t expect him to bring along his entourage and now we don’t know what to do with so many people.  We don’t have enough bullets to take care of all of you.”

 

“Then just take me,” Regan said.  “Let the rest of them go.”

 

“No, Uncle Bill, the baby…..” Dan cried out.

 

“Shut up!” Joan screamed again, “I’m trying to think.”  She played the flashlight over the group huddled against the wall.  “Where’s the blonde?  Where did she go?”

 

“Okay, Thelma and Louise, drop the guns and put your hands up.” Regan recognized John’s voice and his slow way of speaking, even though the darkness prevented him from seeing him standing at the top of the stairs.

 

Joan and Laura looked around helplessly and let their guns drop to the ground.  Marshal and Brian grabbed them and the flashlights, as Kip and Trixie raced down the stairs.

 

Joan whirled and glared at Kip.  “I should have known you’d show up to ruin everything, just like you did in Saratoga, you pregnant cow.”

 

Kip’s arm flew up, there was a metallic flash in the beam of the flashlight, and Joan Stinson hit the ground.

 

 

 

Chapter 11

 

“Scott, it works!  This silly thing actually works!”  Kip looked at her brother in shocked surprise as she waved his combination cattle prod/stun gun at him.

 

“Wow,” said Dan, as he took a flashlight from Marshal and shined it on Joan Stinson’s prone form.  “Do you think she wet her pants?” he asked hopefully, as he peered at her over Kip’s shoulder.

 

“Kip,” said Regan, in the kind of quiet, gentle tone he’d use with a frightened foal, “turn that thing off before you shock yourself.

 

Kip flipped the switch off and handed the tool to Trixie.  “Have yourself a heyday, Trix,” she said, as she nodded her head towards Laura, who was taking in the whole scene with a look of terror on her face.

 

Scott stepped forward and took the strange looking implement from Trixie.  “I think I’d better hang on to this thing,” he said looking at it in disbelief.

 

The rest of the group stared at Joan, who was still lying flat on the floor.

 

“I suppose I ought to offer to help her,” said Brian without much enthusiasm.

 

“Don’t bother,” John told him from the top of the stairs.  “I hear sirens.  None of the phones are working, so Kristine took the two little girls, and went to town to get the Sheriff.

 

Regan made his way through the group and put his arm around Kip.  “Are you all right?  Is the baby okay?”

 

Kip looked up at her husband.  “We’re both fine. I…….”

 

“The Sheriff’s here,” John called from the top of the stairs.

 

The Sheriff and two of his deputies rushed down the stairs, their hands ready to draw their guns from their holsters.  John was right behind them. 

 

“Daddy, you saved us.”  Kelsey rushed to hug her father.

 

“Guess you’re not the only superhero around here, said John drolly, with a sideways glance at Regan.

 

“Thanks, John,” said Regan, wondering just what kind of things Kip had been confiding to her sister.

 

Joan was starting to come around.  She wobbled into a semi-seated position and pointed at Kip.  “She did this to me.  Arrest her, she tried to kill me,” Joan slurred.

 

Sheriff Lincoln pulled Joan to her feet and cuffed her hands behind her back.  “I’ve known Kippy Ceiger since the day she was born, and that little girl wouldn’t hurt a fly.  If she did anything to you, it had to be in self-defense.”

 

He pulled Joan to her feet and led her towards the staircase.  One of the deputies followed with Laura, who also had her hands cuffed behind her, and the other one brought up the rear. 

 

“I’m going to have to get statements from all of you,” he said with a sigh.

 

John, Kelsey, Marshal, Scott, and the Bob-Whites filed up the stairs behind them.

 

As Mart walked by Kip, he leaned towards her and whispered, “Trixie wants to take lessons from you in how to get along with law enforcement officials.”

 

Kip smiled, “Tell her it’s easy.  The sheriff’s daughter and I have been best friends since kindergarten.”

 

She and Regan stood silently until the rest of the group went up the stairs.  Then she looked at her husband and burst into tears. 

 

Regan brought his arms around her and held her closely to him.  “Kip, don’t cry, we’re all safe.  Everything is okay.”

 

She cried harder.  “I shouldn’t have zapped her.  She just made me so mad and I didn’t even know if the darn thing would work.”

 

Regan chuckled involuntarily, “Actually, it was pretty funny.  She had it coming.” 

 

Kip continued to cry; “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.  It must be the hormones.”

 

“Of course it is,” he said softly.  “ Don’t worry about it. We’re all okay. We have a lot of things to talk about, but we’ll get it all straightened out tomorrow. Everything’s going to be all right.”

 

The two of them stood in the darkness of the basement, clinging to each other, oblivious to the fact that Marshal was still standing on the stairs.

 

 

Chapter 12

 

Kip and Regan sat side by side, stretched out on chaise lounges, holding hands, and watching the Fourth of July fireworks.  It had been a busy day culminating with the party at John and Kristine’s house, and they hadn’t had much of an opportunity to discuss the previous day’s events. Regan had pieced things together from the Bob-Whites and the Ceiger family’s excited conversations, but he was anxious to hear his wife’s version of everything that had happened. 

 

He hadn’t had a chance to talk to her that morning.  Kip had been exhausted and was still sound asleep when he got up and went outside to help with the morning chores. Everyone else was sleeping, too and Regan could see Marshal was feeding the sheep, so he headed to the stable to start feeding the horses.  To his surprise, Marshal had come in the stable while he was filling the horses’ waterbuckets. He gave Marshal a wary glance, and continued with what he was doing.

 

“We need to talk,” Marshal said.

 

“I thought you said everything you had to say last night,” Regan replied, as he continued filling the buckets.

 

“I owe you an apology,” his brother-in-law told him.

 

Regan was so surprised that he nearly dropped the hose.

 

“I was wrong about you.  You really do care about my sister and your finances are none of my business.”  Marshal’s eyes didn’t quite meet Regan’s.

 

“And I’m sorry I set you up to ride that crazy chestnut horse, the one that’s headed for the bucking string.  Kip and Dan are always going on about what a great rider you are, and I wanted to see if you could stay on him.  That was stupid of me.  Scott’s a professional bronc rider, he knows what to expect from him, and even he can’t stay on.  I didn’t give any thought to the fact that you might get hurt, and how it could affect Kip, and Dan, and the baby.”

 

“Since when do you care about my baby and my nephew?” Regan asked coolly.

 

“Dan’s a good kid and that baby is my niece or nephew,” Marshal answered.  “Anyway, I’m hoping we can put all this behind us, and be friends.”

 

“I don’t know about that,” Regan answered.  “But I’m willing to fake it for Kip’s sake.” 

 

The two men had left it at that, and had hurried to finish their chores so they could eat breakfast and head to Lumbee for the Fourth of July parade.

 

The parade had been fun.  There was a flea market and a picnic in the park afterward and true to her word, Kip had led him around and introduced him to what seemed like the entire population of Lumbee.  He was pleased at the note of pride in her voice as she introduced him as her husband, and Danny as their nephew, not just his.  He could tell that Danny liked that, too.

 

“It’s a good thing it rained so much last night,” Kip’s voice brought him back to the present.  “At least we don’t have to worry about the kids starting a fire with the fireworks. John set out some buckets of water just to be on the safe side though,” she commented, as she watched the boys chase the girls and pretend to throw water on them.  “I was so worried that this trip would be boring for the kids, but I guess it’s been anything but that.  Mom, Daryl, and Ria felt badly about leaving while we were here, but they don’t get many chances to get away from the farm.  They’re going to be so disappointed that they missed the only exciting thing that’s ever happened around here.”

 

“They could have taken my place,” said Regan.  “I don’t think I’m cut out for so much excitement.

 

“Kip,” he said seriously, taking her hand in both of his.  “I’m so sorry.  I’ll never forgive myself for leaving you alone in the house, without even the dogs for protection.  I knew those two whacked out witches were on the loose, and that Bobby had told someone our whereabouts over the phone, but I really didn’t think they’d ever track us down out here.”

 

“It’s okay,” she responded gently.  “I just wish you’d told somebody about it.  I know you didn’t want to worry me because of the baby, or ruin the trip for Danny, but Bill, you have to remember that you don’t have to keep everything bottled up inside any more.  My family is your family, now.  You could have told John or Daryl.”

 

“I know,” Regan told her, “ but I don’t even like to think about my time in Saratoga, and I didn’t want them to know about it.” I guess I should be grateful to Marshal for not showing that magazine article to anybody, Regan thought to himself, but I’m not going to tell him that.

 

“You know what makes me mad?” Kip asked suddenly.  “That those two whack jobs used Bobby to find out where we are.  Everybody in Sleepyside would have recognized Laura, but Joan could have found out where we went just by going to Wimpy’s or Lytell’s store and making conversation.  They didn’t have to use a little kid to get their information.  If Trixie had known about that, she would have let Laura have it with Scott’s invention.”

 

“Can you tell me again just exactly how you, Trixie, and Scott’s invention happened to get together?” Regan asked.  “I’m still a little vague on the details.”

 

“Sure,” said Kip, who was starting to enjoy the retelling of the story. “When I woke up, it was dark, not nighttime dark yet, but dark from the storm.  I couldn’t find anybody in the house, so I got a flashlight, and checked to see if you had left me a note on the kitchen table.  While, I was reading your note, the Suburban pulled up, everybody got out, and I saw Joan and Laura holding Scott, Kelsey, and the Bob-Whites at gunpoint.  There was so much lightning that I could see what was going on, so I tried to call the Sheriff but the phones were dead.  I figured they’d head into the house to get out of the storm, so I knew I needed a weapon, in hopes of defending myself and getting away to get help.  Scott and Marshal keep their guns locked up, and I have no idea where they keep the keys, and the only other thing I could think of was Scott’s invention.  I knew right where to find it because it’s been lying on the floor of that landfill he calls a bedroom ever since he got out of college.  I ran and got it, thinking that it even if it didn’t work, I could always hit someone with it. When I got back to the window everyone was gone, so I decided to go to the Land of Precious and get help. I wrote LOP on the bottom of your note thinking that you or Marshal would figure it out.”

 

“Couldn’t you have written it out?” Regan asked. “Neither one of us could figure it out, and I was worried sick about you.”

 

“I was in a hurry,” Kip responded.  “And I don’t want John and Kristine to know we call their house the Land of Precious.  I’m afraid it would hurt their feelings.”

 

She and Regan both laughed.  “Anyway,” said Kip, “ I glanced out the window again    and I didn’t see anybody around, and then suddenly Trixie comes crawling out from under the Suburban.  In the storm and all the confusion, she didn’t think that Joan and Laura would be smart enough to realize she was missing, and of course she was right. She took off running around the corner of the house.  I caught up to her in the shelterbelt and she told me that Joan and Laura had been planning to hold Scott hostage in exchange for you and Honey, and that they freaked out when Scott showed up with so many people.”

 

“That’s another thing,” Regan pondered, “ I know why Joan wanted to get back at me, but why did Laura want revenge on Honey of all people.”

 

“It seems that Laura blames Honey for ruining her getaway from Sleepyside,” Kip answered. “She thinks that if Honey hadn’t let the air out of her tires, she would have gotten away with scamming Mr. Lytell. 

 

Regan laughed. “Anybody but Honey would have slashed the tires instead of just letting the air out of them.  So, back to your story.”

 

“Well,” said Kip, Trixie and I knew we needed to get help.  So even though it meant breaking my promise to you, we hopped on the fourwheelers and went to get John. We got there just before the worst of the storm hit, so we had to wait it out there.  As soon as it let up, Trixie, John, and I headed for Daryl and Ria’s place on the fourwheelers and Kristine took the little girls and went to town to get Sheriff Lincoln.”

 

“It was so smart of Danny to convince them to go to Daryl and Ria’s empty house instead of taking everyone into Mom’s house.  He figured that since he didn’t see the dogs anywhere, that you, Marshal, and I were down the basement of Mom’s house and had taken them with us.  Of course, he had no way of knowing that you and Marshal and the dogs were out chasing a bull, but he’d didn’t want them to hold us hostage too, so he told them Mom’s house doesn’t have a basement and they’d be safer at Daryl and Ria’s place.  They were actually dumb enough to believe him.  While he was telling them all that, Trixie realized they were distracted, so she took her chance and hid under the Suburban.

 

“And Marshal and I still walked in on them, and ended up being held at gunpoint anyway,” Regan groaned.

 

“All’s well that ends well,” said Kip.  “I just wish I could figure out what’s gotten into Marshal.”

 

“What do you mean?” Regan asked cautiously, as he looked over at Marshal who was laughing at something with John.

 

“This morning, when I asked him if the crops were damaged in the storm he told me not to worry about it, that he had them insured. Normally he’d be going nuts and would spend the whole day on the phone yelling at insurance adjusters, even though it’s a holiday.  Then I overheard him tell Scott that when he and kids go over to Brookings to look at the college, he wants to ride along and see about signing up for some online classes.  And look at him now, he’s actually being social instead of sitting at home brooding over the farm’s books.”

 

“Taking some classes would be the best thing in the world for him,” Kip continued.  “Marshal is a heck of a businessman.  We were about to lose the farm when my Dad died and with help from Daryl, Marshal turned things around and got us back on our feet.  He never wanted to be a farmer; the only part of farming he really likes is the horses.  His dream was to go to law school.  I don’t think he’s ever really gotten over it.  He reads trashy court case magazines and tries to hide them from the rest of us.”

 

I just hope he keeps on hiding them, Regan thought to himself. 

 

“Kip,” he said, both because he wanted to know and because he wanted to change the subject, “does it bother you that we live over a garage?”

 

“No, I’d live in a tent if it meant I could be with you.  Why do you ask?”

 

“Oh, I just wondered,” he answered.  “It’s going to be pretty crowded after the baby comes, and I was just thinking that it would be nice if your mom came to visit us sometime.  Or maybe Kelsey would like to come stay with us.  Brian would probably like that.”

 

Kip giggled.  “Maybe Scott would like to come visit us, too.  He’s decided that he’s going to give up rodeo before he gets his pretty face stomped on, and become a famous inventor instead.  Of course, I’ll believe it when I see it; he’s at the rodeo dance in Springs right now telling his Buckle Bunnies all about what happened last night, and how his invention saved us all.  I’m sure he’s conveniently leaving out the part about John showing up with a gun.”

 

Regan snorted, “Your family is something else.  I took a wrong turn in John and Kristine’s house and ended up in their bedroom.  Do you know they have old leather purses with lacey things on them hanging on their bedroom walls?”  He shook his head in disbelief.

 

Kip giggled again, then turned serious.  “Do I really look like a cow?”

 

“No,” Regan answered.  “You look beautiful, and I love you.  Wacky family and all.”

 

Kip smiled and moved their entwined hands onto her stomach and held them there. At that moment, Bill Regan felt his baby move for the very first time, and the fireworks exploding in the sky were nothing compared to those he felt in his heart.

 

The End

Authors Notes:

Thelma and Louise are characters from the movie Thelma and Louise. I only watch happy movies and it doesn’t sound happy, so I’ve never seen it.

Buzz Lightyear is a character from Toy Story.  I’ve seen that one lots of times.

Christopher Lowell is the first person I heard use the phrase “Land of Precious.”  Dh and I borrowed the term for some friends of ours house.  Yes, they do have doily-covered purses hanging on their bedroom walls.  I couldn’t make that up.

To the best of my knowledge there is no Lumbee South Dakota.  The rest of the places mentioned in the story are real.

A huge thank you to my friend, Ann, for the editing and the encouragement.  I think it’s your turn to write now, Ann.  Don’t make Jim start emailing you again.

TBH Main