CHAPTER 1
Riley Hall found out his Australian wife of seven months intended to divorce him for 'irreconcilable differences' and he mused about that. He had no idea what her beef about difference problems with him were but she'd become a pain in the ass in recent months, at him all the time to work longer to earn more money to buy the things she wanted.
Jesus, what a selfish woman.
Anyway, she'd left the rented house, taking most of her things, leaving just junk, and taking some of their jointly owned things as well, like their car. The note she'd left pinned to the kitchen door by the carving note read: 'I'm leaving and will divorce you on the grounds of irreconcilable differences you lazy asshole with the brain of a bird and you scratch your balls too much for my likening. I blame my mother for this. She urged me to marry you, pretending I was pregnant. Good riddance. Unloved Diane.'
Well at least she had the decency to keep her blathering short.
Riley packed his things, called their joint solicitor to give her his mother's address in America where he could be contacted about the divorce.
"What divorce?"
"Diane has moved camp, taking our only asset which is our car, and left me a note saying she will be seeking a divorce because I don't earn enough money to finance her spending aspirations."
Julie said she had no knowledge of this and Riley said neither did he until he read the note half an hour ago.
"Well you can't just clear out Riley. We'll need you to complete the legal processes if Diane goes ahead with this threat."
"Tough. She can work through those problems without me. I'm not staying around here."
"Are you returning to America?"
"I haven't decided," Riley lied and cut the call.
He'd packed two bags and would leave everything else. Diane had wanted to rent the expensive property and proceeded to complete the rental agreement without his involvement so if she didn't keep on paying the rent, she'd be the one the debt collectors would chase.
He grinned and pocketing her note took a cab to the airport and to his delight secured a seat to LA on a flight leaving just after midnight.
At the airport, Riley paid to get a photocopy of the I'm-Divorcing-You letter and posted that with a signed and dated note to Julie stating that he consented to the stupid bitch Diane (nee Banks) Hall proceeding with her intention to divorce him but as she was the initiator it was up to her to meet all costs herself.
Riley walked into the house in Kansas next evening at dinner time and said, "Hi mom."
"Omigod it's Riley. Darling what a surprise."
"Are you here for money," his dad said suspiciously.
"And hi to you dad," Riley said as his mom rushed to hug him.
"Where's Diane?"
"I have no idea mom. She walked out unannounced and left a note saying she wants a divorce."
"Oh no you can't do that."
"Why not mom?"
"Because I want grandchildren."
Their only child grinned.
Five days later Riley (31), who'd been lecturing at university in Australia on American Literature, secured work as a subeditor on a small town newspaper and went to Innes Falls. The editor had studied Riley's web page and although believing Riley was over-qualified for the position, hired him because applicants were few and all who'd been interviewed so far were considered unsuitable, most never having worked on a newspaper before. It also helped that Joe Lind, the editor, knew Riley' father who published a smaller newspaper.
Innes Falls was a pretty town backing on to wooded hills and had a 27-mile long lake a one end. The river had been dammed to form that lake for the generation of hydro-electricity and that was the end of the town's falls and the bickering about the loss of that natural feature had continued for about forty years. But the old diehards had mostly died or moved on and the survivors found the younger generation wasn't interested in hearing about a natural feature now buried under 20 feet of water and tons of silt.
The Bugle was a lively morning newspaper that served three other communities and a large hinterland, with 55,000-plus copies being printed daily expect Sunday.
The thin, bespectacled and balding Joe Lind eyed his new recruit who had an athletic build, stood six feet and had blond curls and blue eyes.
"Your father told me you married in Australia, so where's your wife."
"Dunno mate?"
"We speak American here."
"Oh yes. She walked out on me and her whereabouts is a mystery to me."
"My wife and I are left with our youngest daughter who's looking for a husband."
"Sorry Joe, I have no desire to commit bigamy. Also I'm thinking of becoming celibate."
"That's not healthy Riley."
"Oh? Tell me about it?"
"Um that's the extent of my knowledge on that subject."
"But you want me to have sex with your daughter."
"Jesus Riley, my wife would lecture me if she thought I'd suggested that to you."
"Then what are your suggesting?"
Joe scratched his neck and said he suggested they continue with Riley' induction.
They toured the editorial department where Riley met Joe's youngest daughter Beth, who was news editor. She had a lovely manner and a great smile. But being 5 ft. 3 in. and perhaps 30 pounds overweight she fell outside of his concept of a sexually attractive woman. No doubt she had a good brain and possibly was a great cook and liked movies and watched sport on TV, but first things first.
The chief copy-editor Meg Peebles was thin but also sexually unattractive and was introduced as Beth's best friend. Meg appeared dour and rather listless but the other four in the subbing team, Maria, Ben, Mike and Katja greeted him enthusiastically because they'd been carrying the load of being one person down for almost five months. His impression of the big-boned and blonde Katja switched on his sexual antenna and that was good. To the delight of Riley he was paired with her.
"You may call me Cath if you have difficulty with my name," she smiled as he struggled to avoid looking at great cleavage.
He said he had no problem with pronouncing Katja and asked could she manage the name Riley and she smiled and said softly, "Welcome. It gets a bit dull around here."
Then she told him she had an 18-month daughter and lived with the father who was waiting for his divorce to become absolute before marrying her.
Still Katja appeared the best partner to work with on the subbing team. He made notes as Katja outlined their systems and deadlines, instructed where to find the electronic Style Book and then Beth took him off to an interview room used by reporters and briefed him in depth. She soon found he was aware of basic procedures, having worked for some years as a reporter and then as a copy-editor on his father's newspapers during his senior high school and college years.
"You are the only one of us that has a doctorate."
"Oh god, is that a handicap?"
She smiled and said of course not.
The subbing suite was in the open work-plan news room and their chief sat facing the team who were arranged in a tight semi-circle. Riley had not seen such a layout before and initially though they were seated too closely together but in time found it worked very well as none of them was the disruptive type and inter-communication was excellent due to that layout.
After lunch Beth took a call and walked over and handed her phone to Riley, saying. "It's mom". Presumably she meant her mom.
"Good afternoon Mr Hall. This is Kitty Lind, Joe's wife. I would be delighted if you could come to dinner on Saturday and enjoy time with us as part of your settling in at Innes Falls."
"Um yes I accept with delight Mrs Lind."
"Excellent and please call me Kitty," she said and gave him the address and time.
Basically the subs worked from 2:00 to 10:00, with one on rotation working from 4 to midnight with that late-finisher responsible to deal with late-breaking news and any glitches with editorial copy detected by production people. Because there was no newspaper on Sunday the subs had Saturdays off and one other day as well. Of course they all wanted Friday night or Sunday night off to give them a two-day break but their fairly regular other day off was arranged by negotiation with Beth who managed the roster. Riley was offered Monday or Tuesday nights and chose Tuesday as his second day off.
Riley had decided to resume writing his novel while living in relative isolation and not knowing know other people apart from those he worked with, although he anticipated that would change. But first was the need to find permanent accommodation.
The next morning he called at Sampson's Realty and the Realtor Mrs Sampson attended to him because her team of six people were all out or busy.
After qualifying him she smiled.
"I own a small property that could be exactly right for you. Come on."
Riley decided no way would he be shoveled into a dump that everyone else who'd been shown it had rejected.
He assumed Mrs Sampson was lying when she said, "This was my late father's hideaway very close to our home but because my four siblings and I were female, he acquired the land and built the cabin to give himself time away from mom and their five daughters. I've known Joe Lind since we were four and at college we were lovers and I was looking forward to the probability of marrying him when Kitty O'Neill caught his eye and that was the end of me. But we remained good friends. Kitty called me this morning and said you might drop in because we are just across the street from that cheap hotel where you are staying."
"God that's a homely thing to have happened to me."
"You'll love Kitty when you meet her. She's just the sweetest person you'll ever meet. She mentioned she'd meet you at dinner on Saturday and that's good for you because Kitty as a cook is legendary."
The cabin was inside city limits, beside the river and within a grove of trees that was part of a riverside reserve that included some sports grounds that occasionally became flood ponding area during exception rain but the cabin was on higher ground and had only been flooded once to Mrs Sampson's knowledge.
"Well what do you think?"
"Great location and I'll take it."
"I haven't mentioned the rent yet?"
"Mrs Sampson you appear to be a fair lady to me. Where do I sign?"
"Oooh and I like you. Please call me Cassandra. This cabin is a mess and I'll get a crew out here today to clean up. It will be ready for you from tomorrow night and so your rental week will start from the next day."
Riley was delighted. It was such a perfect setting for an author and a retreat to bring sexy women, especially if they were married and required absolute privacy. He thought if Kitty was such a lovely woman perhaps he should consider dating her wallflower daughter Beth to get regular access to Kitty's legendary cooking.
He was window shopping in the main street when a very attractive woman in a blue Fiesta tooted and waved. Riley assumed that was Kitty O'Neill. Oooh, she appeared worth dating. On Saturday evening Riley pushed the doorbell and heard light footsteps almost running. The door was flung open and the woman whom he'd seen waving on Tuesday came at him smelling of a perfume scented of lilies a smiling, holding out her hand to be shaken. Impulsively he hugged her and she patted his head and cooed, "Oooh you are the kind of man I like." That was said softly, not at all suggestive. Riley knew instantly he more than liked her.
"Come in and meet the family," she said.
The two other daughters were there with their husbands, all a little older that Riley, and Beth was there 'with her best friend' Meg and in time Riley recognized by the touches and long glances those two were lovers.
Joe took Riley's drink order (a beer) and Kitty took Riley's arm and led him over and introduced him to her friend Mabel Jack, husband Rory and their daughter Jennifer.
They appeared to be a nice couple but the daughter, Jesus. She was a real peach... peachy colored cheeks, fine blonde hair, amused blue eyes and, as far as he could see, a trim body.
"Hi Jennifer," he said, clasping her strong grip and not letting go instantly she eased her grip. "And what do you do."
