Michelle Heityme-Tarbox swung down out of the saddle and dropped to the ground. The Futter College Polo Team was making much progress, enough that the US Polo Association membership was as good as in the mail. At least that was Michelle's opinion. She had to admit that as player/coach of the team her opinion might be just a bit biased but while the quality of play wasn't yet up to the standards back home in Pemberton, for a bunch of newbies they were coming right along. Heck, some of them had never even ridden before and the rest were off the local ranches and the Reservation. Genuine cowboys and Indians, she smirked to herself. Give them another two or three years and some aristocratic types from the East Coast were in for a surprise. First, though, they had to get past Montana State.
This happy frame of mind continued right up to the point when little Jared McAllister came running up to her with his arms outstretched.
"Op!"
Suddenly all thoughts of polo vanished in a cloud of estrogen and she bent down and lifted her youngest next door neighbor up for kisses, cuddles, hugs and an intense desire for one of her own. Maybe more than one.
"Getting the itch, are you?" Willow's amused voice interrupted, "I never know just how much I loved babies until Jake casually mentioned that he'd like a family. We'll give the little cowboy here another year or so and then start again. How about you and Justin?"
Michelle closed her eyes and sighed. "That's a hell of a question. I really ought to finish my degree and I do have a responsibility to the team but you're right. I really, really want babies. I keep telling myself that there's plenty of time and that most women wait to be reasonably secure financially and about thirty years old before they plan a family. But us? We were financially secure two hundred years before Justin was born! So I'm having a very hard time justifying waiting. Laurie would be delighted to turn one of the guest rooms into a nursery and Jacqueline has the house plans all drawn up so construction can start whenever we want. I'm going to have to think really hard about this."
Willow laughed and took Jared back, setting him down on the ground with the new Corgi puppy who immediately jumped up and started licking the toddler's face. Hysterical giggles ensued and the two of them ran off together.
"And we'll have to get beagles," Michelle stated emphatically, "Horses just go with hounds."
"Not a good idea in coyote country," Willow warned, "what you want is something bigger and better able to defend itself. Even Dobermans aren't guaranteed safe. We have to keep Corby-the-Corgi indoors unless we're out with him. The favorite breed around here is something like a Scottish deerhound or an Airedale. Not much can outfight an Airedale. They're not bad babysitters, either, though a little bouncy."
"Well, yeah. But I mean, if what you want is a baby sitter Newfoundlands are perfect and I don't see a coyot' bothering something that size, either. But Justin and I have this thing for hounds. Maybe we'll look into a couple of those Plotts the local hunt uses. I don't know how well they react to babies but if we got puppies around the same time the kid showed up they'd all be a sort of a pack together. There are all those pictures on the 'Net showing babies sleeping on sleeping dogs. They're too adorable!"
"Back in California I was totally a cat person," Willow mused absently, "but cats have a really low survival rate here in the Springs, poor things. If they can't learn to live inside they just disappear. So I've learned to enjoy smallish dogs. Whether I'll develop a fondness for anything bigger remains to be seen. With Jacob, if it barks it's okay with him."
"Justin's sort of the same, in an absent-minded kind of way. At least, he's absent-minded until you get him on horseback. Then he can identify every voice in the local pack and tell you what it's doing, where it's headed and how far ahead the coyote is. I really want to go out and ride to the hounds for hog in California with his uncle Avery someday. I understand it's not only exciting but genuinely dangerous. Dogs, horses and riders occasionally get cut up though the hunt mistress is fast and agile with her knife and usually gets there and kills the pig before anything drastic happens. Somehow the primeval quality of it all appeals to me, just like the sound of hounds on the scent. Nope, we gotta have hounds."
Willow shook her head. "It'd be a funny old world if we all thought the same, I guess, but those Plotts are just huge to me, all ears and slobber. No, I'll stick with Corgi's for now. Anyway, you need to go get washed up. Remember we're going to the Hoppy Daze and ordering out sausage sandwiches from Otto's so get all the mud and sweat off and we'll see you there."
*****
When the collected Heityme/McAllister mob walked through the door at Hoppy Daze they found cousin Jacqueline sitting at the bar obviously flirting with Cal the owner/barman. Jay Horner and his wife sat at a long table with both East Indian families, the Patel's and the Doss's. Laurie mused that if an asteroid struck the bar at that moment the financial earthquake would have matched the impact! A good portion of the private capital in Horner Springs was sitting down for a cold one in the mid-August evening next to a plate piled high with assorted sausages and a bin of hard rolls. A big bowl of sauerkraut and another of garlic mayonnaise completed the picture. Justin took one look and started to drool.
Normally when groups of couples get together the men gather to discuss sports, politics and business while the wives gossip about babies, their husbands and clothes. Not this bunch. Soil science, the progress in range restoration, cattle and bison futures and horses were the subjects of the day among all the adults. Three small children didn't discuss anything, their mouths being full of sausage bits and bread. Down on the floor Corby scuttled around from one high chair to another learning an important skill for puppies. Stick close to the kids because they drop a lot more food than the adults!
Michelle was having a hard time focusing on the adult conversation. Happy babies and a happier puppy sent her into a warm cloud of reverie. She sighed and beamed at the little ones until Laurie noticed it and nudged Justin.
"Honey," she whispered, "I think it's time you gave some thought to knocking up your bride."
Justin started. "What? What makes you think . . .?"
Laurie rolled her eyes at him. "Pay attention to her, will you?"
*****
The next morning, having spent the night at Cal's, Jacqueline checked her text messages and found one from Justin.
How soon can we get the Bar Noon home finished? Michi wants it ready NLT nine months from now.
Nine Months?
Jackie started to snicker. Grandmother Hester had nailed the girl dead on the mark. "Financial security and babies to raise" she'd said, and since marrying into the Heityme's was the ultimate financial security, babies were next on the list. Polo, it appeared, was about to become a sideline.
A call to Standing Elk Construction followed.
"The whole thing within nine months?" Anderson was dubious, "Well, if we can get the excavation done and the exterior walls up before the first snowfall, I suppose the interior
finish crew could work overtime through the winter. They'll be happy for the extra earnings and Justin will just shrug at the cost. I may have to call in some outside heavy equipment, though. Cutting into the hill and then reburying and replacing the landscape in time would pull crews off the Center and put it behind schedule if I don't."
The smile in Jacqueline's voice was obvious over the phone. "Make it so, Mr. Standing Elk. Otherwise you might irk Grandmother and you know what kind of an idea that is."
"One of the worst!" Anderson chuckled, "However, given what she did for the tribe I'll just remind my crew that this is being sped up as a favor to her. It'll be on time."
*****
