“No thanks Gran.” Nicola smiled.
“We have everything. We don’t really shop.” Mary smiled and nodded.
“Your sister did a swell job on Friday evening.” Nicola smiled and nodded.
“She had to rush off. She has an appointment every Friday evening. She sings.” Mary smiled.
“And beautifully. Are you going to stay over this evening?” David smiled and nodded.
“It takes an hour to get there Mom.”
“Yes the gossiping fat broad did tell me it is a ranch.” Nicola roared with laughter and pointed at Mary.
“You wicked woman!” Mary roared with laughter. David laughed and shook his head.
“I will leave early in the morning. I have a job this week.”
“And what time do you normally finish?”
“Four. That is when the wife gets home. She doesn’t like workers around when she is there.” Tom nodded.
“So what is the matter with you? Spend the night at the ranch.”
“Fuel Dad.” Tom nodded and smiled. He took something out of his pocket and stuffed it in David’s back pocket.
“Takes care of that.”
Mary smiled.
“Are we ready?” Nicola nodded.
“Age before beauty.” Mary grinned.
“And I hope you do not know the other little wise crack.” Nicola chuckled.
“I like you Nicola Rosendale. You and Victoria will get on well.” David chuckled.
“Mmmmmhhh.” Nicola roared with laughter.
“Oh heck I need clothes!” David sprinted down the passage.
“You know Victoria. I think his head is in the clouds. That job could have taken fifteen minutes. But he was up there for more than an hour. What say you?” Victoria roared with laughter.
“I think so Nicola. I think he was buffing up the geyser and checking out his very close shave that he had just before lunch.”
“Who shaves twice in a day?” Tom and Mary stood and chuckled. David ran down the passage.
“I have not shaved twice today. And their geyser does not reflect.” Tom grinned.
“Not arguing about your head in the clouds then son?” David chuckled.
“Hoi! My feet are planted firmly on the ground.” Mary chuckled as they walked out. David pulled the door shut.
“Uhm. Dad. Do you have your spare key?” Mary roared with laughter.
“Lock yourself out David?” David grinned. Tom opened the house. David took the van keys and the house keys.
“Thanks Dad.” Victoria stood giggling. Mary whispered.
“Victoria!” They all roared with laughter. David grinned.
“One wise crack from you Victoria. And you Nicola. And you will be very sorry. You will be put to bed without supper and grounded for a week.” Tom grinned. They waved them off. Mary stood and looked at Tom.
“Why are we waiting?”
“Because David didn’t pack his overnight bag in the van.”
They both smiled as David came driving around the corner. He hopped out of the van and whistled as he walked to the front door. He opened the house and picked up his overnight bag. Victoria and Nicola roared with laughter. David grinned. Tom nodded and smiled.
“Check. Keys?”
“Car keys. House keys. Overnight bag. Overnight bag. Victoria and Nicole. Got it all. I will pop in.” Mary smiled and nodded. She waved as they drove off. Mary looked at Tom.
“Our son has met the woman for him.”
“He has. Penny had no right to say those cutting things.”
“What did she say?”
“Nicola and Victoria pulled me to one side and told me. My daughter in law is a very bitter little lady. And I don’t like it one bit. Sure if you have something to say, say it. But with reason. And not in front of my granddaughters.” Tom smiled.
“I like her a lot. She feels like one of us. I keep thinking she is Amanda’s.”
“I know. But nevertheless. Our two grandchildren.” Tom nodded.
David smiled as he started driving to the ranch.
“Is there anything else we need?”
“Nope. We have everything.”
“Does Amanda like plants or flowers?”
“Plants.” David smiled and nodded.
“Does she like chocolates?”
“Nuts coated with chocolate preferably. Or those chocolate balls with the honeycomb inside.” David smiled and nodded. He pulled over at the shop.
“Get what you need for the week.” He ran inside and bought a bottle of grape juice. He bought a little box of nuts coated in chocolate. He bought the tiniest little palm in a pot. He waited for the girls who added chips and chocolates. He took out his wallet and smiled proudly as he paid. They smiled as they walked out of the shop and walked back to the van.
“Keys on the counter.” Nicola chuckled as she ran and fetched the keys. They hopped in to the van.
“I am never ever forgetful. Just a little lack of concentration. That is all.” They all chuckled.
David smiled as he drove.
“So what do you have planned for the week?” Nicola smiled and nodded.
“We are going to teach Victoria how to ride a horse.” Victoria nodded and smiled.
“And we have the lambs that are going to be neutered and their tails docked. That takes hours. But it is nice to help. And we will help feeding the animals in the evenings.”
“Good.” Victoria smiled.
“Thanks for letting me stay Dad.”
“Oh sweetheart. When were you ever away on a holiday?” Victoria smiled and nodded.
“Thanks.” He nodded and smiled.
They pulled up to the ranch and everyone helped to carry. David felt for the car keys and the house keys and his wallet. He smiled as he carried things.
“Hello honey we are home. Dum, dum, dummmmm.” Amanda chuckled as she came down the stairs.
“Goodness. What on earth did you bring?” David smiled.
“We promised you supper. But we have to heat it up.” Amanda chuckled as she got to the bottom of the stairs. David leaned forward and kissed her.
“And did you manage to fix the geyser?”
“I did. It took a little longer than I had anticipated. And.”
“Charles paid you and winged like a little stuffed pig?” David roared with laughter.
“Oh I got it in the neck. A little comment from Charles and then the wife had her little stir.”
“I can just imagine.” Amanda looked at all the packets.
“Heavens what did you buy?” David smiled as he took the chocolates and the bottle of grape juice.
“These are for you.” Amanda smiled.
“Thank you.”
“And this is specially for you.” Amanda took the little plant.
“Oh David.” She hugged him.
“And this little person is going straight to where she belongs.” She ran up the stairs and walked to the bedroom and put the plant next to her bed. David walked in. She smiled and hugged David.
“Thank you.”
“It signifies what you have done in a day or two.”
“And what is that?”
“Growth.”
“Oh David. Were you grilled?” He nodded.
“The girls heard.” She ran her hand down his cheek.
“Laugh it off.” David nodded.
“I have.”
He pulled Amanda in to his arms.
“She said some really nasty things. She said I was a gold digger.”
“Which you are not.”
“She ran my business down.”
“You haven’t stopped over the weekend. And you drove for an hour to help someone out.”
“I know.”
“David don’t let them get to you. You can imagine what people said about me. I was running away. Hiding from the world. But I used the comments as positive motivation. I worked even harder. And many of them can swallow their words.” David smiled and looked down at Amanda.
“You are something else.”
“But I hope it is a good something.”
“That it definitely is. Her words really stung. And the girls heard every word.” Amanda smiled and reached up and kissed David.
“Come. Supper.” David smiled and nodded.
They ran down the stairs.
“I moved Patsy. I brought her in to our boot room.”
“Boot room?” Nicola chuckled.
“It is the sun room. But it isn’t as neat and tidy as Aunty Megan’s. We leave our wellingtons and jackets and raincoats in there.” Victoria smiled.
“I am glad. I was a little worried with her out there with all our babies.” Amanda chuckled.
“Please do not look at that room. It is the next room that will get a face lift.”
“You mean there is a disorderly room in this house?” Amanda groaned and nodded.
“I brought her in. I can smell the rain.” Nicola chuckled.
“We need a bit of rain. Uncle Jimmy said.” David nodded and smiled.
Nicola heated up all the burgers and they all sat down.
“Oh this is so nice. Now this is my favorite. And chips. Hello hips. But I will walk you off tomorrow.” David chuckled as she took a knife and fork and flipped the top of the burger off. She started eating. She looked over at Victoria.
“I don’t mind if you eat in your hands. It is a burger. But I am so messy I get it everywhere.” David chuckled as he took his burger in his hands and took a bite. He nodded.
Nicola grinned.
“We had a very busy afternoon. Victoria’s Gran stopped by. At Uncle David’s house.”
“Oh nice. Did you tell your Gran you are going to be away?” Victoria nodded and chuckled. David’s phone rang and he quickly took it out of his pocket.
“Excuse me.” He got up and walked away from the table.
“Mister MacGuire. Timothy Wood here.”
“Yes. Hi Mister Wood.”
“I do apologize for this. We need to call off the work this week. The kids are going to be on holiday. We totally forgot.”
“Sure. When would it suit you then?”
“We can leave it for now. But I do need the repairs and renovations done. We will have to make it in the new year.”
“No problem.”
“Do you work over a weekend?”
“I do. In the evenings as well. My daughter has decided to ditch me for the week and go on holiday.” Victoria smiled and nodded.
“Well what about Friday evening. And Saturday. Finish up on Sunday.”
“That would suit me. Friday from seven?” He looked at Amanda and she nodded.
“I can work from seven till ten. See how far I get.”
“That would suit. I will get the family out over the weekend.”
“That will be great.”
“I am going to do the transfer David. I know you are going out on a limb here. But I will pay as per your quote.”
“Thanks Mister Wood.”
“Well see you Friday.”
“See you then.” David cut his call.
“Sorry about that.”
“Well that is good. I find that you can do a whole lot more in the odd hours.” David chuckled and nodded.
“There is not really that much to do. I could wrap it up on Saturday. So on Friday we can all go home. My home. I can drop the little ladies off with my Mom. Then drop you off. Go and do my job. And pick you all up again and sleep at home.” Amanda chuckled.
“We could do that. Or rather drop us all off at Mom’s. Sorry. My Mom. Dad can take me and then you pick us up when you are done.”
“That could work.”
“I think.”
“Shhhhh.” Nicola gurgled with laughter. David chuckled.
“I will send you to Bingo if you are not careful.” Victoria sniggered. David looked at her and grinned.
“Or the book review thing.” Victoria roared with laughter.
“The book club Dad.”
Amanda smiled.
“Do you need a hand when you do this job?”
“Not so sure anyone will want to work with me in the evenings.”
“I will ask Dad if he won’t join you. He can pass spanners and things. Then I will take his van. He won’t mind.”
“Could work.”
“I think.” They both looked at Nicola and she gurgled with laughter.
“If you don’t mind. I would like to table the next suggestion.” Amanda grinned and nodded.
“We can go with you.”
“Nice try. But no. But ten points for trying.” David chuckled.
“If he left it till the new year it would not happen. The minute they accept the quote you kind of put it in your budget.” Amanda nodded.
“Which is right.” David nodded.
They finished their meals and got up from the table.
“Tuck in time.” Nicola chuckled and nodded.
“We have done so much today.”
“We have. It has been a lovely day.” David nodded and smiled.
“Well I am off to have my shower. Meet you all in the entertainment room. First want to go and see how those babies are doing.” Amanda smiled.
“No looking at the boot room.” David chuckled as he walked through.
David walked in to the so called boot room. It was a sun room just off the lounge. He looked around and smiled. It was a gorgeous room. He walked to Patsy and her kittens. He went down on his knees and admired the little kittens. Amanda walked through and got on her knees.
“Which means I have you for a while.”
“If you would like.”
“I would like.”
“Amanda it feels as if I have known you forever. I feel as if I have suddenly found my home.” Amanda nodded and smiled.
“I don’t want to push you too fast. But I do.”
“So what is it then? Fast or slow?” David smiled and put his arm around Amanda.
“I think we have eased in to this nicely.” He leaned forward and took possession of Amanda’s mouth. He kissed her with hunger and passion. He slowly pulled away. He looked at Amanda and pulled her in to his arms.
“I am claiming this room.” Amanda chuckled.
“So embarrassing. The dump yard.”
“Not that bad. But this is my domain.”
“All yours.”
Amanda looked at the kittens. She turned and looked at David.
“David it isn’t often that someone finds a person that they are compatible with. Someone that they are comfortable with.” David nodded.
“I feel that way. I don’t feel as though I have just met you. We seem to mesh together nicely.”
“Just remember I am the boy next door.”
“And I am the girl next door. Money is nice. Possessions are nice. But that isn’t love. That isn’t what makes you feel good. It does. But I think you know what I mean.” David nodded and smiled.
“You don’t think that I am after what you have?”
“No because you didn’t know what I have. The things that I have are unimportant. Where we are concerned. David I would like you to stay for the week. Get to know the real me. See if you really like me.”
“Oh Amanda. How can you say that?” Amanda smiled and nodded.
“Would you stay the week?”
“I certainly will.”
“Thank you.” David chuckled and got up. He pulled Amanda up.
“Bath and telly.” David chuckled.
“The day has flown by.”
“It has. But a very eventful and fruitful day.” David nodded and smiled.
“The whole weekend. Normally I don’t even get a call over a weekend. So it is rather quiet. And all of a sudden I have a flow of cash coming in.” Amanda chuckled.
“David how do you work? You obviously bank every cent.” They walked to the lounge and both sat down.
“I have a goal which I have to achieve. That pays the van and the house and school fees and
things like that. I push to achieve the goal. I bank everything. I tried to get ahead. I did. So I am one month ahead. If I have a bad month I have that to lean on. A bit of a cushion.” Amanda nodded and smiled.
“I know what it is like to struggle. I really threw caution to the wind. I bought the ranch. I bought my car. And I opened the surgery all at the same time. I had nail biting months. Then things started to happen. I got the ranch operating with minimum staff. I even did some of the work myself. I started with the veggies. I got the biggest order I have ever seen. Well things changed. I started pumping the money in to the ranch. Oh I pushed. I paid the ranch off. That eased things. I still pay my car. I have a lot more staff. I have the shop. And the surgery is rather busy.”
David almost whispered.
“This place is paid up?” Amanda nodded and smiled.
“Yes. Now all I have to pay are the day to day things. I don’t have to stress anymore. The shop was a good investment.”
“I need to see that shop tomorrow. Tom tells me he gets everything there.” Amanda chuckled and nodded.
“Tomorrow.” David smiled and looked at Amanda.
“I am talking future here. Because I have already set my mind as to what I want.” Amanda looked at David and smiled.
“What would you do if you were in my shoes? Sell or rent the house out?”
“You bought that house years back. So your monthly mortgage is minimal. If you had to rent it out you would probably get about four times that. Which would ease things for you. You would probably be able to pay the house off in a couple of months if you took the full rental and pumped it in to the house.” David nodded.
“So we keep it?”
“We keep it.” David smiled and nodded.
“I have to sort something out for Victoria. I haven’t made any plans. I was listening to her talking today. Nicola was telling us she is going to be studying.” Amanda nodded.
“David I am going to make waves here. Down the line do you see us as a permanent feature?”
“I do.”
“I mean permanent for life. Grow old together.”
“Yes I see that.”
“Well then I want to step in boots and all. Victoria might have a mother. But she doesn’t have a Mom.” David nodded.
“May I take over in that department?”
“You may.”
“David I need your word that you won’t go in to a frenzy and interfere.” David chuckled and nodded.
Dreams Come True Page 8
