Next morning Skye spent a couple of hours flicking through the rejected manuscript titled 'Zina Mace Finds Love' to decide how to get it reinstated for possible publication. Her conclusion was her editors had done a damn good job in rejecting it. It was pathetic.
She sighed and stared the wad of paper.
Where to start? To start anew would delay the request to front up with a revised manuscript by months rather than weeks. She sympathized with the publisher wishing to hit the market with a continuation of the Carey Green series.
She drew her red marker through the 'Zina Mace Finds Love' working title and wondered who thought of that ghastly title. Daisy?
Skye looked at that title with the thick line through it and felt much better. She pulled up the file on her laptop and made a global change of the word 'Mace', replacing it with Green and then selected 'Zina' and replaced that with 'Carey' and exhaled contentedly, knowing she was underway. The first consideration was Carey Green would never venture into a nightclub and so searched for the word 'nightclub' and replaced it with the word disco. She then changed the boyfriend's name to Pete Lime who always had part of his shirt hanging out and had to be reminded to clean his teeth and push his fringe back.
"Hello, hello Daisy, what do we have here. We have a hot prospect underway."
She looked up and saw Glenys in the doorway holding a mug of coffee.
"Oh hi," she greeted, knowing her face had lost color big-time.
"So that's the secret of success," Glenys said softly. "You write as two people -- you and Daisy."
Skye said stiffly, "Please could you keep..."
"...your secret just between you and me? Yes of course. Skye knowing you like I do this little revelation comes as no surprise to me. I accepted you appear to have some kind of gift and after you arrived back here in near panic and watching your face as that horrid woman on TV made public her comments about her opinion of your relationship with your doll, I began to suspect you may have developed the ability to think and see things as two distinct persons but had not yet defined it. I wasn't sneaking up on you just then, I had arrived quietly to avoid disturbing you unduly."
"I understand and accept what you say. Actually it's almost a relief that someone else knows. Um it's just an ability to think on parallel tracks. Daisy doesn't talk to me and she'd not here with me, she's home on my bed. She represents a sounding board that coaxed me to develop my form of thinking. Daisy is not a conduit; she is just a doll."
"I don't wish to alarm you but have you thought of the possibility of some frenetic fan, as these teenies are bound to become, might attempt to snatch Daisy?"
"Yes I have but what will they get, just an inert doll although she symbolizes a lot to me. Mom told me when I was leaving to return here that she'd keep Daisy safe so I think mom might have been thinking like you have. There are many very wealthy residents in that apartment block and security systems are very advanced. I'm sure I wouldn't slash my wrists if Daisy were taken. She's only a doll but I still love her as I did as a child. We all need someone to love."
"That's true. Here's your coffee and I'll leave you to work in peace. Omigod Skye, you have done it to me again. I'm so excited at the possibility of being with Linda on Saturday. We must call her tonight."
"Why ruin a surprise. Let's leave at 5:00. If they are out too bad, you guys can show me around Billings."
"God you are willing to push to the brink. I could never live with your adventuresome mind. Well I'm off. I'll leave you in peace till lunchtime. And you secret is safe with me. You are the most interesting person I've ever met."
"Yeah well we are all different. You are perfect for the role in life you have found yourself Glenys. I recall a quote from one of your fans. Myra Williams told me, Glenys Hobbs is typical of the type of woman who made pioneering farming settlement in this territory possible."
"Well Myra talks too much and anyway how would she know?" Glenys said, but nevertheless walked away looking rather pleased.
* * *
Skye and her hosting family went to Billings in Skye's car, she pointing out it would be more comfortable that the 4X4 with its suspension stiffened for ranch work.
Ryan drove and Fergie sat in the front seat and pointed out landmarks to Skye and talked about old cattle trails used in pre-railroad times.
"The coming of the railway was the making of Billings," he said. "It became a rail hub and today remains the trade distribution point for all of Montana."
When he wasn't speaking, Skye kept up a constant stream of chatter, involving everyone.
At one stage, wiping an eye, Glenys sniffed and said, "You know guys, this is just like the days when we had Linda in the car with us. You two girls are more alike than I realized Skye."
"Or is it just being females of a similar age?"
"Could be Skye," Fergie said, but I think Glenys has put her thumb on it; you two young women have outgoing personalities and you both like including everyone in your conversations. Haven't you noticed how before too long women usually converse mainly woman-to-woman? You and Linda draw men into your conversations and keep them included too."
"Well that is possibility because the alternative for us is to be surrounded by brainless fence posts but at least as a couple you two have got beyond that."
"Cheeky bitch, just like my daughter," Fergie chuckled, almost shaking the car.
"Fergie," yelled Glenys.
"What?" was the innocent response and now Skye was laughing loudly.
"Don't encourage him Skye. He needs to be kept in line."
"I'd like to stop soon to eat," Ryan said. "Having my half finished coffee cup taken out of my hand and an attempt made to grab my piece of toast represented a bad start to my day."
"We agreed last night to leave at 5:00," said his mom. "I had to act because we were ready to leave and you were loitering."
"Yes let's stop at a nice roadside café," Skye said, gently taking charge and Ryan happily said, "Right."
"Ryan will eat all day if encouraged."
"I don't want him to lose concentration at the wheel through hunger."
"Oh yes Ryan, stop as soon as you wish," said his mother.
Skye smiled. Glenys was a little tougher to shift than her mother but she was learning how to handle Glenys. But she knew there would be no way through Glenys if she were taken head-on.
At the house Glenys was up the steps and on to the porch first. She banged on the door and Linda wearing a headscarf and dirty old jeans jacket and torn and paint splattered pants opened the door, stared and screamed in horror, "Mom!"
There was a crash in the lounge as Larry, attempting to hang a light fitting, fell off the ladder on to the sofa and yelled, "Fuck."
But things settled down.
Linda and Skye half-circled each other eyes bright and fixed on each other as Glenys said, "This is Skye" and she said, "Come here Larry and I'll rub your back. You really should be careful up ladders."
The two younger women straightened and rushed into a hug screaming.
"Oh I knew you'd look even more beautiful than in your wedding photo," lied Skye, ignoring the fact that Linda had breakfast jam on the side of her mouth and was devoid of make-up.
"Oh god, not looking like this. It cannot be. You are so beautiful."
Skye laughed, "Well I'm about to unveil and put on my work clothes darling. We are here to help."
"Stop fooling around with that boy Glenys, you'll make him into a wimp," Fergie growled. "We need him outside to show us where he wants the posts placed for the post and rail front fence."
"You can't work out there Mr Hobbs. There's snow on the ground and the ground will be frozen."
"Call me Fergie. I've told you to call me that several times. Who says we can't work outside? We work outside all year because we come from Wyoming where they breed men tough. We also brought an auger with us and gloves and dynamite in case the ground is too hard. You want a front fence erected today don't you? The materials are stacked up for it."
"Dynamite?" Larry's voice quavered.
"That's just dad bullshitting Larry."
"Linda!"
"Mom this is my house. Rules have changed. Larry and I find bad language is expressive."
"Flexibility with lexicon is the basis of living language," Skye said straight-faced and for once when Glenys jerked up her head to reply she found she had no reply.
"God already you're handling my mother with aplomb. I'm impressed."
"No one handles me in that manner," Glenys snapped.
"No of course not mother," Linda said sweetly, leaving Glenys staring at her suspiciously.
Linda picked up Skye's bag and said, "Come through and change and help me cut and place the sticky bottom linings on pot drawers in the kitchen. Oh it's so lovely being with you at last. Don't do a runner on me this time."
Skye drove home that night because both men appeared tired whereas she was on a high. Within fifteen minutes her three passengers were asleep. She'd had such a lovely day. Linda had invited Larry's folk over for dinner and they were such a sweet couple. She could see when Larry got his sensitivity from and his earnest disposition. He was so right for Linda, allowing her liveliness and natural leadership qualities to flourish. She'd told Linda that and Linda had hugged and kissed her saying, "It is so lovely hearing that. Mom likes Larry but I know she thinks he's a wimp."
At the breakfast table next morning Skye almost shot out of her chair in shock when Ryan's foot hit hers and stayed there. She looked across at him and he looked away but she caught the faint smile.
Ah, the boy wants to play, she thought and dropped off her slipper and slowly lifted her leg up between his legs, tapping her foot from side to side as she progressed to his groin. She looked at him and saw he looked uncomfortable.
Perhaps Glenys had noticed something because she said to Ryan, "What are your chores today?"
"Just the one. I'm packing a sheet of replacement roofing to fix that leak in the Curtis Creek cabin roof and to lay rat poison."
"Why don't you take Skye with you? She hasn't ridden out that far on that side of the ranch. Skye you won't be settled to write well today after the excitement yesterday at Billings."
Skye looked at Ryan.
"Skye," he said, eyeing her deeply.
"Yeah I suppose so," she said casually and he said crossly then not to bother if that was her level of enthusiasm.
