Author's Note: I want to thank everyone who responded to the Review Essay submission I made about how to end The Perfect Pussy, both on the site and through Feedback. To be honest, it was a mixed bag so I did some writing and doodling and tried a bunch of idea, what I came up with can be found in this and in the What If I wrote called Mistaken Identity. I hope it answers questions and I promise, there will be more adventures of the Barnes, and James Families, not to mention a few folks from the town of Crossroads, Oklahoma.
As I was pondering what to do about the tales from here on out, I also came up with an idea of another series of stories called the Crossroads Chronicles. This will be the first in them, but expect one set in Oregon soon. Sorry to say none of them will feature any of the Characters from this series, or then again, maybe they will...who knows...because I sure don't...
Peace darkstone57.
5/2008
*
Keni walked around the small house and tried to imagine it as a home. It wasn't hard, small but nicely cozy. In time it could be expanded into something larger and more family oriented, but for her and Harley for now, it would be perfect. The bedroom was nice and bright in the October sunshine and she liked the view of the trees and the sound of the creek a few yards away. She could hear Harley talking to his uncle Fred and discussing what kind of arrangements they could make as far as rent went. He and Scooter's business was picking up and they had the rest of her college fund to take them through the winter.
"Hey Keni, come here a minute honey...Uncle Fred has a deal for us to consider..." Harley called to her from the living room.
She left the bedroom and went out to where Fred Barnes and his wife Andromeda were standing. Keni liked the older couple and both had welcomed her warmly into the family. "What's up?"
Fred smiled at her. "We want to give you and Harley the house as a wedding present. It's just been sitting empty for almost three years now, and the land isn't worth much, so we talked it over last night and decided what better present for a young couple starting out. Plus, we like what you've done to our nephew here. He's become quite a man since you arrived."
Keni wished people would stop telling her how much she had changed Harley, she didn't want him to change, and she loved him as he was. True he did do some things different, but she was sure he would have done it even if she hadn't come here. Everyone had to grow up sometime. "I haven't done anything that he wouldn't have done himself in time..."
Harley pulled her close. "You really believe that much in me honey?"
"Yes, I always have..." She leaned into him and looked at his aunt and uncle. "The house is wonderful, but are you sure you want to just give it to us...I mean this is part of your land, your past..."
Andromeda smiled. "We're sure Keni, our kids are all grown up now, and none of them ever had the affection for this old place that Fred and I did. I always felt this was a special place for us, we want it to be a special place for you two now..."
Keni didn't bother to tell Harley's aunt that in a way it already was. That creek, and those trees, on the other side was where the two of them often came to be totally alone, to park and make love or talk. "Then all we can say is yes, and thank you so much..." On impulse, she hugged the two older people. "I know Harley and I will always be happy here."
Fred shook his nephew's hand. "I hope you are. Well, we'll go get the paper work started, and let you two get to know your first home. Come on Andi, how about we leave these two young people alone?"
They left and Harley pulled her close as he swung her alone. "Our own home Keni, a real home for us, I almost fell over when Fred told us he was just going to give it to us." He bent his head and kissed her long and hard. "Our own house baby, it's like a dream come true..."
It was and Keni saw the happiness in his eyes. She felt a little over whelmed by it, but then she had so much to do before New Years Eve. Thank goodness Kate was up and moving now. And Maggie was being a big help. She could already feel her mind going into over drive again, thinking about new paint and what needed to be done before they could move in. Dean's new job at the lumber yard would help, he got an employee discount.
All the way back to Kate's Harley talked about what needed to be done and what they would need to buy before moving in, he was sure Scooter and Dean would be willing to come help him on the weekends to paint and make repairs, and the shopping for furniture and things they would need...it would mean another money transfer, but Keni knew her folks wouldn't mind, after all the wedding would be fairly inexpensive and...
Her thoughts passed away as she saw the sheriff's car at Marge and Henry's. As Harley stopped, Heather and Mike came out to meet them. Heather was crying and Mike looked angrier then she had ever seen him. "We been keeping an eye out for you...I think the two of you better come on in...we wanted to catch you before you went on home to Kate's..."
Marge and Henry were both pale and it was clear that like Heather, they had been crying. The sheriff nodded as they came in. "We just got news from Idaho. Harley, you and Keni better sit down...it isn't good."
"Way...?" Harley looked steeled for the worse but not for what the sheriff told him, or showed him.
"The boy was Randall Mason, a hunter found him while headed up into the mountains. Stabbed in the side and his throat was cut. He'd been missing two days before then. The police found Anita's car about twenty miles from there, abandon, they think that Waylon hitched a ride with the boy and his girlfriend, Shelly, both students at the college in Caldwell. They were on their way up to McCall to spend the weekend with his family. She's missing..." He opened a folder and pulled a picture out. It was a young woman, who in a remote way resembled Keni. "This is Shelly...
