The wind was howling on Friday night and wood fire in the family room fireplace was roaring when Ryan heard a vehicle arriving.
"Someone's coming, only idiots would drive for pleasure on a night light this."
"Or real friends," Skye said, and left the room.
"I'll go," Fergie said, burping pre-dinner beer and tucking in his shirt.
Glenys heard the noisy greetings and wondered who that could be and her son said one of his dad's old pals.
"Look who I have here," Fergie said, pushing two young people through the door.
"Omigod, Omigod," Glenys said and lunging forward tripped over a coffee table but Ryan was quick enough to catch her.
"Careful mom," he chastised. "It's only your daughter and son-in-law."
Linda only just managed to hold clear the big bouquet of flowers before her big mom slammed into her.
After a few minutes Linda said, "Where's your star guest? I'm really looking forward to meeting her."
"Go get Skye son," Fergie said, arriving with a full round of drinks.
Ryan returned, looking rather pale and said, "Skye is gone and taken most of her things."
He handed the note addressed to his mom, Appearing quite shocked Glenys read it aloud:
My dear adopted family. Have a great night and a great day tomorrow catching up. This occasion is all about you guys, not me, a true reunion. I need to catch up with my parents and my publisher and thus the timing for that is good and so I'm off and feeling very happy. Linda (and Larry too I guess) we have missed meeting up this time but when I return for haymaking I promise I'll go through to Billings to see you, if invited. Love to you all. Skye.
"If invited, of course she's invited," Linda said, almost crying. "I love her. I know I do. You have to love a person who urges you to visit your family and then makes comments like that as Skye has done in that note. She really would have loved been here with us, I know she would have."
Glenys was looked stunned. "You are here because Skye invited here?"
"We don't need an invitation to come here mother. She pressured me into dropping everything, we have been so busy, to come here this weekend because (sob) she said my family was (sob) missing me."
"Omigod," Glenys moaned.
Ryan threw his glass violently into the fireplace and stalked out.
"What's wrong with him?" Linda sobbed.
"Nothing," sobbed his mom hugging Linda.
Fergie didn't baulk at telling Linda what she was attempting to find out.
"Under stress during calving Ryan and Skye came on heat. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. They were kneeling on the floor, covered in shit and blood and so happy about Ryan miraculously saving a calf when even I thought she'd been done for. Then your mother forbade them to touch again and I believe they'd not touched since them."
"Oh mom," Linda shrieked, attempting to push her away.
"Oh Linda, hold me, I've been so stupid," sobbed her mom.
Meanwhile Larry scuttled out saying he'd get Ryan to rejoin them and Fergie went out to get another beer muttering, "Linda will fix this."
Later in the evening Glenys attempted to call Skye but the phone wasn't answered. She left a message asking Skye to please return and share in an enjoyable weekend.
* * *
Skye was happy to be returning home. Presumably life there would be much less stressful. Her father was a doctor at a medical center and her mom was a university senior administrator and as neither worked weekends she knew she'd really enjoy the quiet times with them. She wondered should she seek regular employment and revert to writing as a hobby? She decided to drive until she began feeling weary but to her surprise she felt she was on a high, as if nothing but good could come at that reunion back on the ranch and that would produce benefits for her. She didn't know how but she just had this feeling about it.
As to be expected her parents welcomed her with open arms. They were expecting her because she'd called through after listening to Glenys' message.
Heather Brock was reading the Saturday morning newspaper out on the deck in lake-chilled sunny weather when she answered a call from Glenys Hobbs.
"Oh hi Heather, it's so lovely to talk to you again. I hope I'm not too early for you."
"No it's gone 10:00. The other two are still asleep. Skye slept quite a bit of yesterday after driving home through the night, silly girl. When she went out to you she had a stopover when reaching South Dakota."
"But she is okay?"
"Yes, blooming in fact. I don't think I've seen here looking this good in years. She attributes that to good food, good care and riding with you most days."
"She hasn't told you how she saved us and before that how I upset her?"
"Saved you both, of goodness, what happened?"
Glenys related the bull incident.
"Oh my goodness. Skye has never shot anything in her life except at fairgrounds. She didn't say a word about that. Look there is no need to tell me how you upset her. Skye is such a delight to live with but at times can be quite a pain."
"I need to talk to someone Heather and because you are Skye's mother you are the best person to discuss this with."
"Well as you wish. Fire ahead and please remain calm, it can't be anything major otherwise she would have told me when we were out for dinner last night."
Heather listened without interrupting Glenys.
"Well Glenys I won't get bouquets from Skye for saying this but she acknowledges my right to speak my mind. It was your house, your son and I say you were entitled to take the stance you did."
Heather smiled when she heard Glenys exhale hugely and thought she must be a big woman.
"Glenys you'll be glad you've got that off your chest. And I admire you for telling me. I'll not tell Skye about this and not mention you have called. She'll call you when she's ready. She mentioned your daughter was coming to visit and so, knowing my daughter, she'll probably call you this evening to see how it went."
After Skye and her parents returned to the apartment after eating out that evening (her parents ate out most evenings), Heather said casually, "You mentioned once Mr Hobbs is rather huge. How tall is he?"
"Almost six-seven."
"And his wife?"
"Almost six feet I'd say. She's big-bodied and carries extra weight but you couldn't call her fat."
Skye looked at her watch and said, "I'll call Glenys now to say I've arrived safely and to find out how the weekend went with her daughter and husband."
"I'm sure Mrs Hobbs would like that."
"Call her Glenys when you speak about her mom. I've never heard anyone call her anything other than Glenys apart from kids."
"Well I suppose it doesn't matter what I call her because I think being back here in the comfort of your old home and among many people you know very well, it's likely you'll baulk at returning to that ranch when the time comes."
