Laura's Big Win

by Michelle Tschantre'

Chapter Ten - Summertime

  The first six weeks at Windmere went by like a speeding bullet. Laura found herself immersed in, and daily more fascinated by, this wide ranging enterprise that apparently knew no bounds on creativity or the considered expansion of operations. The cottage had come together as their home, and the kids had discovered more friends at the church camp. The company had sent Laura to spend five days with a major IT vendor; her plans for managing Windmere's fiscal systems were coming together, in spite of some start-up bumps. She was pleased with herself that after only a few days, she was starting to recognize phone voices, and putting them together with time zones. She had dealt with differences in time zones in the USA, but the calls that came in now could be from anywhere in the world, with the attendant accents and phraseology. That in itself was a learning experience. One of the things she learned quickly was that her tendency to present herself as a helper willing to explain the system won her a lot of friends. Part of it was, she realized, the reputation this company had among their peers; Alice had been right about the Rolls comparison.

  The usual Monday morning routine was to sit down informally in the small conference room and talk about upcoming events. Usually it was routine planning, and Laura had not yet been included in the staffing for meetings on site. Roger assured her she would be included, but they really wanted her to get well into the IT issues before being distracted by other things. This morning would be a little different. Laura, Alice, Roger, Ryan, Cal and Marcia were the usual group; Doris was also in attendance today, along with Dennis and Franz. It was considered to be an open meeting, and anyone could come in if they felt they had an issue of concern, regardless of their position at Windmere. Laura recalled what Roger had told her about people at Windmere all being equal when the need arose. Today would present one of those needs, as Roger described.

  "Okay folks, today we need to chat about the annual first responders cook-out scheduled for next Saturday. Laura, to get you up to speed, we host a summertime cook-out and a wintertime buffet for the first responders in the area, the firemen, paramedics, police and deputies, people like that. That's why you see Doris and the guys here. It's pretty much an all hands evolution to get this done. We could hire people to help, but we believe that takes away the spirit of the event. Anyone who attends has free play on the course, or in the pool, on the courts, whatever; volleyball and baseball games are usually going quickly, although I believe they tend to play a tackle variety of those sports. These are some pretty tough people in demanding jobs, and it's a chance for us to show our appreciation and for them to blow off steam, a lot of steam. We have never had a problem with anyone getting tanked up, they seem to take care of each other very well. For those who can last the day, we start about eleven in the morning, Alice may run a poker game in the evening. We provide them a $20 stake, and they get to keep their winnings. Is it selfish on our part? You bet! We want them to love us!. Okay. Alice?"

  Each in their turn noted their responsibilities and where they were with ordering supplies or getting out equipment and setting it up, food prep, things like that. And finally the ball came around to Laura. "Okay, I guess it's my turn. What do I get to do?"

  "You are the substitute player; you get called in whenever there's a need, from burning burgers to running the tap. Work for you?" Roger asked.

  "I can do that. This sounds like a lot of fun, but I think my kids probably need to miss it. I can take them to Alicia's for the day."

  Roger clarified: "Not necessary. Some of these people are single parents and their kids are with them on their day off. So, we run a daycare for the day, some kid games, plenty of supervision and so on. Problem solved?"

  "Problem solved. Thanks."

  "There's just one more little item I need to bring up while everyone is still in here. The Tom and Jerry act will be here week after this, arriving sometime to be announced on Monday and staying about five days near as we know.. Any questions?"

  Several "Oh, God's" were voiced around the table, but it seemed as much in mock complaint as anything.

  The names somehow sounded familiar to Laura. "Are these the people you mentioned gave driving lessons? I remember hearing something about them right after I got here."

  Franz laughed: "You could call it that, or not, depending on how much you value your life. Thomas and Geraldine Collins, Tom and Jerry, are truly a fun couple; she's just about as nutty as he is; well, maybe not nutty, let's say fun loving to the max. Remember the other garages I said things owned by guests were stored in?"

  "Yes. You did mention that now that I remember, and I remember Jack talking about them. Is that why the Collins's are coming?"

  Franz continued: "Mostly. They're in their mid eighties now and Tom just can't see very well at all, certainly not good enough to be driving. About three years ago he got pulled over on the Garden State Parkway for some little thing, and the cop discovered Tom was visually unsafe at any speed. As a result, he lost his license, but not his will to drive. He just can't do it on public roads. So, he had the cars shipped here for storage and they come here now and then to drive around the property or have me take them out on the road for a spin. And, it looks like we are about to be graced again."

  The explanation was plausible to Laura, but she was still a little curious: "That all sounds like fun, but why doesn't he just hire a car locally and go drive around a golf course or a parking lot, something like that?"

  "Please allow me to clarify: Sir Thomas drives a 1930 J. Walter LeGrande Torpedo Phaeton Duesenberg. Not too many of them around for rent, and Jerry prefers her Model A Roadster, top down. Truthfully, I have a ball with them, and it's been no real trouble. He can see enough to stay on the perimeter roads, and we make sure no one else is around on the golf course, just in case. You'll like them, and I'm sure your kids will love them as pseudo grandparents."

  "Sounds like they have a lot going for them in their twilight years." Laura thought aloud.

  "They do," Roger interjected. "And they like to spread it around with their friends. I'm not sure Tom has any idea what he's worth these days, or even cares. They just like to have fun. If you do a search of Who's Who in industry, his name will pop up pretty quick; not bad for a guy who started out in his dad's one bay welding shop. Anyway, Alice has fun with them, don't you!"

  "That I do. They like to play a little poker among themselves and they get me to deal. Ever wonder what it's like to have $50,000 on the table on the turn of one card? It isn't my money, but it's still a bunch. The thing Roger didn't mention is that the house earnings go to charity. Some local people have been a little surprised at the donations from time to time, and the size of them. But, it's all in good fun. Now, anyone want to go to work or is it break time yet?"

  Once again the CEO, Roger mock barked at them to get busy, and off they went to their various devices and duties. Laura returned to her office and started bringing a new facility into their data base. It was something she enjoyed doing, seeing how much their operation would be improved, and having the feeling of actually accomplishing something in her life. It was going to be a good day, a good week, and so far a good summer. There were a few things to take care of, Richard being one of them, but today was not a day for depressing thoughts. Actually, things were going to improve, if improvement was really possible.

  About 10 AM, a phone call was routed to her from the front desk. "This is Laura. May I help you?"

  "Yes, I think so. This is Cindy Jefferson with the Conyerville fire department; I'm one of the EMT's. With the three of us here at the fire department, and the police and deputies, we only need one more woman to field a softball team next Saturday. Can we count you in?"

  "Really? I don't know. I haven't played ball for years. And I'm staff here; I'm not sure I can do that. I'd have to ask. Sounds like fun though."

  "Ask if you want, but that Ryan guy who lives out there usually plays on one of the teams so I don't think it's a big deal with them. It's all just in fun anyway. By the way, do you
drink a lot of beer when you play?"

  "No, I don't drink much of anything, maybe some iced tea. Ryan plays on a team?"

  "Great. The guys do drink a lot of beer, and in the summer sun, it takes its toll. I mean, they don't get stinking or anything, but it gives us a leg up against all that muscle. And yes, he plays on a guy's team. The girls all wish we could recruit him for our team, but I don't think that has anything to do with softball. He's a real doll, know what I mean?"

  "Yep, I know what you mean. Sign me up; this is going to be fun."

  And so it came to pass that on the following Saturday afternoon, Ryan Williams was in for a real surprise. Laura had pitched in all morning getting the food line going, wiping tables, drawing cups of beer, whatever was asked of her. The kids were in their own group and well entertained. Once the food line slowed down, things weren't as demanding, and the time came to crank up the softball tournament. Teams had to sign in on the chalkboard, and as it turned out, there were six altogether although no one seemed to know much about the "Elite Estrogen" team that was listed.. The girls had managed to keep their team composition secret, even to the point of buying team ball caps and t-shirts on the sly. They were the third pairing on the first round of play, which in effect gave their opposition more than another two hours to eat and mostly drink cold beer in the hot sun. Laura had watched Ryan playing one of the earlier games and was impressed; he showed as much light hearted intensity at having fun as he did at work, and turned out to be an excellent first baseman, snagging a fly ball on a reach to get the last out they needed for the win. And she didn't miss some of the comments made about him as the women looked on.

  When the call came, the girls quickly donned their tee's and caps and took the field, amid cat calls, cheers, whistles, and probably some comments they couldn't, or didn't want to, decipher. Ryan watched in amazement at this women, her grace and almost cat like movements, tall and very athletic looking. 'Stacked' he thought to himself. 'Damn she looks great.' For her part, she just grinned back at him for the moment. Laura patrolled the left field area, hoping most of the time nothing came her way, but she surprised herself when it did, running under it with ease, and throwing back in with a strong arm. The game didn't last very long, being over on the ten run rule they agreed to observe, but it wasn't the girls who lost, much to the chagrin of some burly firemen upon whom the sun and cold beer had taken it's toll. With the ladies playing intensity, it didn't take much of an error for them to capitalize on things. The guys may have been on a testosterone rush, but the estrogen in the air was palpable.

  They received a bye on the second round, and ended up playing Ryan's team for the top prize, a case of cold Mexican beer and Tecate tee shirts. Things stayed pretty even, at least until Laura came up to bat. Tagging a grounder toward center field, she flew toward first base, and straight for Ryan guarding it. Seeing he was not going to move, she slowed just a little and tried to sneak in past him, but he was a little quicker than she had planned, and with one quick swoop, he scooped her up in his arms and wouldn't let her tag the base. Ball now in hand the pitcher raced over to tag her out, as Ryan let her down just enough to safely tag the bag.

  Laura was trying to be irate, but was laughing too hard at the same time. "You big bully! Quit picking on me. I'm safe fair and square and we can beat you guys any day anyway!"

  "Okay, okay. You win. You're safe. Alright?"

  About that moment in time, both of them realized his arms were still wrapped around her and she wasn't struggling very hard at all. It was one of those moments in time when everything just seems to stand still, and everybody seems to be looking at you.

  "Hey, Ryan!" one of the guys yelled. "Whose side are you on anyway? Are you aiding the enemy?"

  "My side, and no. Play ball." was his reply, and he unwrapped his arms slowly, depositing her on the base.

  The rest of the game was uneventful, in comparison, and the girls lost, but the guys shared the spoils anyway and no one cared much in the warm afterglow of good food, good fun, and a lot of camaraderie.

  A little later, Cindy came over and thanked her for playing with their team, commenting on how much fun it had been. "How'd you get Ryan to do that little trick on first base? Pretty interesting. I didn't think he was going to put you back on the ground for a minute there"

  Laura flushed just a little. "I don't know; it just sort of happened, not that I'm complaining. I enjoy knowing him, and he's great to work with."

  "Kid, I've been watching him. He's plenty interested in you. It's none of my business, but I wouldn't let one like that get away. The great one's are hard to find."

  "Don't I know it. Unfortunately, I just happen to be still married to a bum, but you probably know that story. Conyerville is a fairly small town in comparison, and word gets around."

  "No, can't say that I've heard anything, but if you want my advice, and you probably don't, dump the bum and go after this guy."

  "I'd do that, if I knew where the bum was. Anyway, the guys are sharing and I've never had a Tecate. You game?"

  "I'm game."

  In the late afternoon the day ended quietly in a warm glow. Laura retrieved her kids and they powered down the rest of the evening sitting on lawn chairs in front of their cottage, dining on junk food now and then, thinking about how far they had come in such a short time and how different things were here. Ryan strolled by after helping to stow some of the equipment for the evening, and stopped for a brief chat. "Hey, kids. You have fun today?"

  "Yep, we got to go swimming and everything and I think I got sunburned and Vickie pushed me in the pool but I pushed her back and I have some new friends now and maybe I'll get to go to their house and it was a lot of fun."

  Ryan was amazed one little girl could talk so much on one tank of air, but turned to Jack to get his input. "How about you, Jack?"

  "Yes sir, I had a lot of fun too but Franz said he had a special job for me tomorrow. He said he had some cleaning to do and wanted me to help. Do you know what he's talking about?"

  "I might know, but I think that's Franz's secret and I don't want to give it away. If it's what I think it is, you'll have a good time tomorrow also." And looking directly at Laura, with the feel of her in his arms fresh in his mind, added: "I had a really good time today, some parts better than others, but a good time."

  "So did I. Maybe you need to rethink the once a year part. And by the way, if you ever need mouth-to-mouth, don't call the rescue squad; you'd die while the girls fought over who got to administer it."

  It was Ryan's turn to flush just a little, but undaunted, he bid them good evening and continued toward his quarters.

  Jack was up early the next morning, anxious to see what Franz had been talking about the previous day. The kids had adapted to the safety of Windmere so well that Jack simply wandered on his own from the cottage to the kitchen at the big house for something to eat, but more importantly, to find Franz. Entering the kitchen, he found Franz and Ryan enjoying a second cup of coffee with some other people Jack didn't know; none of that made any difference to him, however, and he pulled up a stool as best he could and climbed up by the two men. Maria piled some scrambled eggs and toast on a plate for him, but breakfast was not the main thing on his mind. After listening a respectable time to the chatter, he politely asked Franz about the cleaning job he was supposed to do.

  "Hear that Ryan? I think you have a great new employee here; and he's so young you can get a lot of years of service out of him. Think I should put him to work today? I need to drag the Deusey out and get it in shape for tomorrow. Probably only take a couple of hours, but this is my day off. You know, if I had a paid helper it would probably go a lot faster and I could get in a day of rest."

  "Okay, okay. You win. Actually, Jack is already on the payroll for taking care of the dogs, but I guess some more hours couldn't hurt. He's probably saving up to buy something for his girlfriend."

  That was enough for Jack: "I don't have a girl friend, I don't like girls
anyway. They're too much trouble."

  "Can't argue that point, can I?" Franz chimed in. "'Course some guys may have girl friends and not even know it at the time. Right, Ryan?"

  "Go take care of the car," Ryan laughed. "I think it must be time for a special evaluation for employees or something like that, especially ones who don't know what they're talking about."

  "Yeah, right. Come on, Jack. We have things to do, and Ryan says you're on the clock this morning. I'll show you what I was talking about yesterday. Does your mom know you're out loose already this morning?"

  "No sir; she was still asleep when I left. I think she was tired from playing ball yesterday or something. She said something about tackle softball; there isn't really a game called tackle softball is there?"

  "No, there isn't, but grownups can do weird things sometimes."

  "Yeah, like my dad. Mom never talks about him but she gets real sad sometimes and I think it has something to do with him. I don't know where he is."

  Franz hardly knew what to say, although he knew the story pretty well. "Look, Jack, I don't know what happened; maybe your dad had some reason. All I can tell you is that the guys here aren't like that; we're all good friends and friends don't do things like that to each other. I count you in that group. Is that okay?"

  "Yeah, I guess I could use some friends. I mean, there's other kids, but it was Ms Alice and big Dennis who came after us in the shelter; kids couldn't do that."

  "No, but that doesn't mean they are any less of a friend. We all have things we can do and can't do. Look at Dennis; he could probably crush rocks in his hands that I couldn't even pick up, but that doesn't make either one of us less of a friend. Anyway, enough of all this talk. Are you ready to open the garage door?"

  "Sure am. How come we're at the storage garage? Are you getting something out of here?"

  "Yes, that's the job I was talking about. We store a car here for a gentleman and he's coming to drive it tomorrow so we have to get it running and cleaned up. How are you at dusting things gently? This car is over 80 years old but she's still a beauty. Okay, unlocked; open her up."

  With Franz helping a bit, Jack pushed the overhead door up out of the way until he couldn't reach it anymore. Behind the door was what looked like a mountain all covered with protective drop cloths. Working slowly, they carefully removed the covers and folded them neatly for reuse. Jack's eyes got wider each time they removed a cover until he just couldn't stand it anymore.

  "God, Franz, what is it? I've never seen anything like this before? Does it really run? Can we ride in it? How big is the engine?"

  "Easy, easy now. Yes it runs, actually it runs really great, but we're not going to start it just yet. Dennis is bringing a tractor and we're going to tow it around by the garage so I can check it over and reinstall the battery. I keep the battery disconnected and inside so it doesn't get run down and corrode the terminal posts. First we check to see the tires are up enough so it can safely be towed; these baby's cost a fortune to replace if we ruin one. Here comes Dennis now."

  Tires checked and tow strap in place, with Jack and Franz in the front seat, the tractor lugged the big car around to the garage for servicing. Franz handled the battery and the other service items while Jack started wiping down the inside of the car. It was truly a labor of love for the big buggy and Jack fell to it with gusto. The more he wiped, the more the big car glistened in the sun.

  An hour later Jack suddenly realized he could hear his mother calling for him from the cottage. "Over here mom. You gotta see this. It's great!"

  Laura was duly impressed by the big car, but a little less impressed by the fact Jack had simply disappeared out of the cottage that morning. "You, young man, need to let me know where you are going, and who you will be with, instead of just wandering off. What happens if Mandy starts doing things like that? That is not acceptable."

  "I'm sorry mom, I won't do it again, but look at this car. Isn't it great? I get to wipe it down so it looks ever better; I get paid to do it so Franz can take the rest of the day off."

  "1930 Duesenberg Torpedo Phaeton isn't it?" Laura recited, recalling it from the previous Monday morning meeting.

  "I dunno. Is it Franz?"

  "Yes, it is exactly that. Your mother must be pretty smart to know that, don't you think?" Franz seized the opportunity to change the subject from Jack's early morning departure from the cottage, but give Laura the upper hand at the same time. Nonetheless, Jack was still entranced by the car.

  "Is it okay if I work on the car mom? Please?"

  "Franz, he won't be in the way will he?"

  "No ma'am, not a bit. And he's right, we do need it dusted down a bit. Sir Thomas would not be pleased if he could see it just now. Should have it running within the hour if you want to come back for a test drive."

  "Okay Jack, you can stay, and yes I will come back for the test drive. This has to be a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I wouldn't want to miss it."

  True to his estimate, the Duesey was purring within the hour, and they took a tour of the perimeter road to make sure, as Franz explained, "it runs like it's supposed to run. Wouldn't want to strand Sir Thomas. Besides this thing makes a Rolls look like something off an assembly line." The remainder of the morning was expended on the second bay of the storage garage, a Model A Ford Roadster, perhaps not as flashy as the Duesey, but certainly a runner in its own right. And by noontime, both cars were back in their stalls ready for their owners to arrive. One thing Jack learned from Franz that would stay with him a long time was that if you took care of fine machinery and treated it right, it would serve you a long time. "They're just like people" Franz would say; "You get a lemon now and then, but treat them right and things might just work out. Never can tell."

  As per schedule, the Collins group arrived mid-afternoon on Monday, in party mode as usual. One of the really nice things about them was that they never felt any need to play their wealth card. While it was true that the Windmere staff went out of their way to make sure things went well, little bumps on the path of life were taken as just that, little bumps and nothing more. Dennis sighed that it would take days to replace all the divots on the course, but it was a half-hearted complaint; he was pleased to see people enjoying themselves and each other, and to some degree it was catching. His compatriot Franz was equally pleased because he understood that these people appreciated fine machinery and would take good care of it. Both cars were given a good workout, including a road trip through the countryside for the sheer pleasure of feeling the wind mess up their locks. With eight people in the party it was somewhat of a squeeze in two cars, but the rumble seat housed a couple easily (although getting in and out was not so easy) and the big car could host a bridge game in the back seat alone.

  In the midst of all the fun, Jack and Amanda arrived home from summer camp. Franz was right about the Collins group enjoying kids. Unable for the moment to spoil their grand kids directly, they lavished time on Jack and Amanda, to their delight of course. The nightly poker games started up as usual, with Alice running the show, and in general things went very well and to everyone's satisfaction. The minor bumps were ignored, but a big bump was coming.

  On Wednesday afternoon, after a leisurely lunch and while some of the others were taking a siesta in the midday sun, Tom Collins decided it would be fun to take a run around the perimeter road one more time. He realized his opportunities to do so were going to be limited in the near future as his eyes deteriorated, and he knew there was nothing that could be done, not yet, even with all the research about age related macular degeneration. So, it was reasonable that he would make good use of his remaining time. The kids, playing near their cottage at the time, heard the big engine cough to life and came running.

  "Please take us for a ride. Can we go? Please?" was their plea, although just seeing them come running would have been enough to convince Tom. Just in case, though, he looked over to Franz with eyebrows raised in question. After all, as much as he loved entertain
ing them with simple hand tricks and so on, they weren't actually his kids or grandkids and he didn't want to get in a bind over parental permission or something so simple as that.

  "Not a problem" Franz replied. "I'm sure their mother wouldn't object, but I can check in a second if you want."

  "Maybe we better do that, just in case. Don't want to step on any toes you know."

  Franz quickly called Laura on the house line and told her the deal. "He's safe enough around the grounds and doesn't go very fast. Shouldn't be any problem, and the kids are really anxious. Is it a go?"

  "Yes, it's a go" Laura replied. "Just tell them to behave themselves. Mr. Collins is an important guest and they need to learn the rules of the business. Besides, good manners are always in style. Okay?"

  "Okay Miss Laura. I'll deliver the lecture?..Your mother said you kids can go for the ride but if you misbehave, I get to beat you. Okay? Now off with you."

  The kids giggled at the warning, but were aware that it was serious at the same time. At Sir Tom's bidding, they piled into the big back seat where they could stand up holding on to the back of the front seat to see the scenery better. And off they went at a leisurely pace of maybe fifteen miles per hour or so. The big car rolled easily down the road, and they chattered about the deer they saw crossing the road with her fawn in broad daylight, and they caught a groundhog sleeping in the sun until the engine noise awoke him up and he dove for his burrow. Jack noticed that Mr. Collins was starting to look sleepy, head nodding a little. Just like grown-ups to not take a nap when they need one, he thought to himself. Coming around another slow turn, the big car strayed off the roadway and into the fairway itself. Jack wasn't very concerned; after all, this was a paying guest, and a grown-up, the fairway was dry so the car could roll along, and certainly Amanda was enjoying the novel trip. It wasn't until they came over a slight rise and started slowly down the other side that Jack started to get nervous. "Mr. Collins, are you trying to scare us??..Mr. Collins, do you see the water hazard? I think it's too deep for the car to wade through. Mr. Collins, what's wrong?"

  But Tom Collins didn't hear him because a tiny blood clot in his neck had caused him to pass out cold with a stroke, and he was slumped over the steering wheel while the car continued to move. Jack was now frightened, and Amanda, sensing the fear in his voice, was starting to cry. The only thing Jack could think to do was to try to steer the car away, but to do that he needed to be in the front seat. Just as he arrived at that decision, hands gently pushed the two kids back onto the seat. Looking up, he saw a woman about the age of his mother standing on the running board next to Tom, and as she reached in and turned the steering wheel, the big car turned slightly, rimmed the water hazard and went axle deep into the adjacent sand trap, killing the engine and leaving them shaken but entirely safe. Jack heard her say "Run get help, as fast as you can. He'll be okay if you hurry, both of you. Now run, quickly!"

  At her urging, the frightened kids bailed out of the big car and ran for the carriage house they could easily see from where they were stuck in the sand. Longer legged and older, Jack knew he could outrun Amanda easily, but he couldn't just leave her. Taking her hand, he paced her as fast as he could, sometimes almost dragging her, but never leaving her. Franz happened to glance up when he no longer heard the gentle rumble of the big engine, and saw two kids tearing at a frantic pace toward him. Fearing the worse, he yelled at Dennis and the two of them raced off down the roadway.

  "It's Mr. Collins, I think he's dead or something and he really needs help. The lady said we should run and get help. Maybe he's asleep but we yelled at him and he didn't wake up. Can you help him, please?"

  "Dennis, 911 right now, then call the big house. I'm on my way to the car. You kids get to your cottage and stay there; there's going to be a lot of people flying through here in about five minutes and I don't want anyone else getting hurt. Okay? Scoot. I'll be back as soon as I can." And with that, Franz vaulted on to the ATV and left at full throttle.

  As soon as Dennis informed the big house of the problem, people started for the back door and the course as fast as they could, nearly running over each other in the process. Cal and Roger led the group at high speed, and by the time Ryan could bolt the office they were well ahead of him. Once out the door, he could see there were plenty of people on their way, and he knew 911 had been called; the sirens were a faint noise but already getting louder. Calling back for Marcia to open the main gate, he thought to stay where he was and direct the paramedics to the course access road. And then he saw two small and very frightened children standing by their cottage; Laura had to get off line before she could leave the office due to the sensitive nature of the material she had been working on, and she had no way to know her children were involved in any way. It was apparent these kids were scared and in need of an adult to take care of them. Ryan jogged over to them and knelt on the ground by them. "You two look scared to death; what happened?" That was all it took for the two of them to rush into the protection of his arms, sobbing and tears streaming, unable to talk. Now that the action around them was over for the moment, the serious nature of what had happened was overwhelming them. Ryan simply held them next to him until they became a little calmer, by which point Laura had arrived at the cottage. She could see the kids were apparently fine, but very distressed, and could also see Ryan was calming and protecting them like their father never would have.

  "Are you kids okay? What happened out there?" At the sound of her voice their courage returned a little, although Amanda needed her mother to hold her a bit longer. Jack was able to talk now, and told their tale.

  "We went for a ride with Mr. Collins. Franz said it would be okay because it was just around the outer road and no one was around. We aren't in trouble are we? Will Franz get fired?"

  "No, no one's in trouble, at least not until I find out what happened out there. So, you were riding along on the outer road. Then what happened?"

  Amanda had recovered a bit more and was not about to be left out. "We saw a deer and her baby and a big thing that lives in the ground that we scared."

  "Okay, that's good Amanda. But what happened then?"

  "We were driving on the grass and Jack got scared and Mr. Collins wouldn't talk to us and then I got scared and started to cry and then the lady made us sit down on the seat and she steered the car into the sand and then we ran here like she said to get help," told all in one breath by the little girl.

  "Jack, is that what happened?"

  "I yelled at Mr. Collins; he was driving into the water hazard and wouldn't listen to us and I got real scared. I was gonna climb into the front seat 'cause I couldn't reach the steering wheel, but this lady made us sit down and then she steered the car into the sand trap and it got stuck and we ran here like she said."

  "Both of you keep talking about a lady steering the car; where did she come from, how did she get there; can you tell me that? I'd like to thank her, whomever she is, for averting what could have been a disaster."

  Both kids looked at him, unable to answer beyond a shrug of the shoulders. Ryan was getting nowhere, and he seriously did want to thank this person for taking action that could have been perilous to her person, regardless of how things came out for Mr. Collins.

  "So you kids didn't see where she came from?"

  "No sir; she was just sort of there all of a sudden." Mandy nodded her head in agreement with her brother.

  The rescue truck came screaming by on its way to the hospital with the ailing Mr. Collins, slowing at the big house only enough to allow his wife to climb aboard, then roaring off down the road. Franz came along with the big car, able to free itself with a little throttle power properly applied, followed by Dennis on the ATV. Others followed along at their own pace. Seeing Ryan and Laura with the kids, Franz came over to make sure they weren't in trouble for something he had authorized.

  "You kids okay?"

  "They are." Ryan assured him; Laura nodded her assent. "What's the story on Sir Tom?"
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  "Paramedics said they thought he had a small stroke, although I guess a stroke is never really small. Anyway, they said his vitals are very good, he's awake again for the most part, and they think he'll probably make a full recovery. These kids getting the alarm in as quick as they did could have made all the difference in the world for him. They were really flying when I saw them coming. And I want you to know I really did believe it was safe enough; I'm sorry if I caused any trouble here. I sure didn't mean to."

  "No, no trouble. I think Laura and I are just grateful the kids are safe. How were you to know what was going to happen. But, the kids say a woman steered the car into the sand trap to avoid the water hazard. Did you see her, or anyone around the car?"

  "No, sir, I did not. But I can tell you this: the car wasn't going very fast or it would have gone a lot farther into the sand trap; I just backed it out under its own power. The thing is, the front wheel tracks curved pretty tight to miss the hazard; on a car like this, that takes some arm power. Nobody in the back seat is going to reach over and steer it, especially not with Mr. Collins laying against the wheel. Anyway, the car is fine, and it looks like the kids are too. Sorry I can't help ID this person; nobody there when I got there, and it didn't take more than a few seconds with the ATV."

  Ryan was not about to give up at this point although it looked like the available information was scant at best. "Kids, do you remember anything about the lady, maybe what she looked like? Had to be someone local, although we didn't have any security alarms. There just isn't anyone else here. Jack? Amanda?"

  Jack seemed somewhat puzzled for a moment, but after a little thought volunteered a final comment: "I was pretty scared, and I didn't get a real good look at her, but I remember she was pretty like mom, and not at all scary. That's all I remember."

  Amanda's final comment was similar, and Ryan could see he was at an end. "Guess we'll just never know unless someone comes forward. Anyway, I'm glad everyone is safe and Mr. Collins will recover. You kids did a good job, running for help. Burning up all that energy running, would ice cream bars help you recover?"

  "Yes, sir. We know where to get them. Okay, mom?" the voices were in close enough harmony to be rehearsed.

  "Yes, if this gentleman says it's okay, it's okay with me." Laura wondered how Ryan knew that changing the subject and diverting the kids attention would close the trauma for them. It was almost as though he had prior experience with children, yet she knew he did not, and was an only child in fact. She had also learned from Alice and Marie, and other bits and pieces of information, that his first wife had died before they could have any children, and that while he functioned very well, there was still a lingering sadness. Alice had told her that Ryan and his wife frequently talked about a family, and were taking a step toward that path when the illness occurred. Laura realized that this man, powerful and self assured in business and with other people, was still mourning the loss, at least to some degree. It was one of those things that may heal over in time, but is never forgotten. She often wondered if it felt something like being abandoned with two small children, no resources, no roof over their head. And in her musings, she also remembered the feeling of his arms around her at the softball game, and his seeming reluctance to let go. Neither of them had mentioned it since then, but she knew it did happen, and she wondered what was next. This was a wonderful man, and Laura had every intention of learning more about him, especially now that she had seen how he related to her children. Still, she realized that with a husband out there somewhere, she was hardly in a position to develop a greater closeness to Ryan, and she did feel she wanted to be much closer to him.

  Events have a way of overtaking people, and like ripples on a pond pass under lily pads and rock them gently, sometimes events can affect things not at all directly related to the occurrence. Fate could even intervene at a riverboat casino, where a man who had abandoned his wife and children bet everything on the sure thing turn of a card, and lost. Laura would be the unknowing beneficiary of such an event in the coming months, but would have to be patient and let things develop in due course.