Chapter 5

MARY ELIZABETH’S STORY

My alarm woke me at 6:30 the next morning.  Crawling out of bed, I headed to the bathroom, quickly brushing my teeth and my hair before heading downstairs.  I needed to make breakfast and lunch for Tommy before the bus ran.  I tried to be quiet as I headed downstairs.  I didn’t want to wake up Cody.  I would let him sleep in as much as I could. 

I turned on the coffee pot and busied myself with Tommy’s lunch.  Once that was packed I worked on his breakfast, setting it on the table just as he appeared at his chair.  He took a seat and ate in sleepy silence.  I turned my attention to the picnic lunch I needed to make for Cody and me.  I had the last bit of food prepared and in the fridge when Tommy finished his breakfast.  I sent him upstairs to get dressed.  By the time he arrived back downstairs dressed for the day I had his backpack and lunch ready to go.

“Have a good day sweetie!” I said, hugging him and kissing his cheek.  “I’m going to take Cody for a ride today, so we may not be back when you get home.  Aunt Dot will be here when you get home though, ok?”

“Ok, Mommy!  Cody will still be here tonight, right?” he asked hopefully.

“Yeah, Tommy, I’m not going anywhere,” I heard Cody say from behind me. 

“Ok, cool!  See you later!” Tommy said, high fiving Cody and heading out the door.

“Good morning, Mary Beth,” he said softly against my ear before he kissed my cheek.

“I didn’t even hear you come downstairs.  I was trying to let you sleep in.” I smiled.

“I smelled coffee…and I missed you,” he said, returning my smile. 

At that precise moment his stomach growled loudly.

“And apparently you’re hungry too!” I laughed.  “How about I make us some breakfast before we start our day?”

“If your breakfasts are anything like your dinners I’m all for it!” Cody chuckled.

Less than 30 minutes later I was piling Cody’s plate with pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs and cinnamon apples.  He devoured every bit, along with several cups of coffee. Slowly he pushed his chair back from the table.

“I could seriously get used to this!” He grinned.  “My compliments to the chef!”

“Thank you, Cody.  I’m glad you enjoyed it.” I smiled shyly.

“And you look so cute in your pajamas.  What a way to start the day!” He winked and chuckled as I turned red in embarrassment.

“So,” I said, clearing my throat, “I thought we’d go for a ride and take a picnic.”

“But…” he began.

“No, I’m going to tell you everything.  I just thought it would be good to get away from the house.  Are you up for a ride?” I smiled.

“Sure!” he said excitedly.

“Let’s get changed and head out to the barn then!” I smiled, getting up from the table. 

Thirty minutes later we were walking in the barn and getting ready to saddle our horses.  Cody followed me inside and waited for my instructions.

“I guess I should introduce you to our horses, huh?” I grinned, taking his hand. 

I stopped in front of Tommy’s horse’s stall first.  Cody reached his hand in and let the horse come to him before rubbing his nose.

“This is Tommy’s horse Sodapop.  He’s a paint.  My dad bought him for Tommy when he was born,” I said before leading Cody to the next stall.

“This is my horse Ponyboy.  He was actually my dad’s horse, but thankfully he took to me after Daddy passed.  He’s an appaloosa, one of my favorite breeds.” I smiled, watching Cody give Ponyboy some attention as well.

“The Outsiders, huh?” he asked, grinning at me.

“Very good.  Yes, it’s one of my favorite books and movies.  I always wanted to have horses named after those characters.” I shrugged, moving Cody to the last stall.

“And last but not least is who you’ll be riding, our newest horse, our Palomino Mac,” I said as Cody offered his hand to Mac.

“Mac, huh? I don’t remember that character from The Outsiders.” He commented in confusion.

“It’s not,” I offered, hoping that would be the end of the questions.

“Where did he get his name then?  I ought to know if I’m going to be riding him, right?” he said simply.

“From McAllister,” I said quickly and quietly.

“I’m sorry.  I don’t think I quite caught that.” He grinned.

I knew he heard me and knew what I said, but he was enjoying this.

“McAllister. Mac from McAllister,” I sighed.

“Really?  Do tell,” he pressed, trying to hold back his laughter. 

“Yes, Cody, ok.  Yes, he’s named after you.  I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t just come right out and name him Cody, so I named him Mac. It’s silly, isn’t it?” I rambled as I blushed deeply.

“Shh,” Cody said, moving his hand from Mac to my cheek.  “I think it’s sweet,” he said as he leaned in and kissed my forehead.

“Well, Cowboy Cody, if you can manage to get Mac saddled we’ll head out.” I smiled as I pulled away from him.

“Yes, ma’am.  Guess it’s time for me to show you that you were right all along about this Mississippi boy being a cowboy!” He laughed.

Twenty minutes later we were headed away from the house out into the ranch.  I waved to my Uncle Walt as we rode past his house.  Introductions would have to come later.  Right now I needed to focus on Cody getting to know me. 

We rode at an easy pace staying right beside each other and carrying on a comfortable conversation along the way.  I knew exactly where we were headed, exactly where I wanted to have this conversation, and I knew the ride at this rate would take us about 45 minutes.  I had to admit watching Cody on horseback was something I was enjoying every minute of.  I had dreamed about it as I wrote, but my dreams were nothing compared to the real thing.  He was so strong and so powerful, yet so graceful at the same time. 

I could tell Cody was nervous.  I knew he was questioning what in the world I was going to tell him.  He was afraid it was something that was going to exclude him from my life.  I was sure of that. I was afraid it was something that was going to make him run the other way.  We had a lot to overcome and I hoped today would be the first step in that process.  I knew once we were through today we would either find a closeness that would allow us to share everything or we would be over before we started.  I was deep in this thought as I heard Cody whistle.

“Wow!” he exclaimed, letting out a long whistle as the pond came into view over the horizon.  “Woman, I never would have dreamed this was out here!”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I smiled softly.

“It’s perfect!” He grinned.

“It’s spring fed, so the water stays fresh and clear year round.  It also stays nice and cool year round, so it’s perfect for a swim on a hot summer day.” I explained.

“I’ll have to remember that,” Cody said as he winked.  “Thanks for bringing me here,” he said as he climbed down off Mac.

“You’re welcome.  I guess you’re the only one other than those of us who either live or work on the ranch who’s ever been here.” I smiled.

“Well, I’m honored then,” he said, returning my smile and helping me down off Ponyboy.

He still held my hand in his as I stood next to him.  He leaned over and quickly kissed my cheek before moving to untie our blanket and the bags holding our lunches from our saddles.  I took the horses reins and walked them over to one of the shade trees.  I tied their reins to the post there and walked back to join Cody. 

He had the blanket spread on the ground and had taken a seat on it.  I took a seat next to him and began to pull my boots off.  Cody looked at me for a moment and then decided that was a good idea, pulling his off as well.  He then reached over and took both my hands in his own, rubbing his thumbs over the backs of my hands.

“It’s ok, Mary Beth.  Take your time.  Whatever it is, I can promise it will be ok,” he said reassuringly.

I took a deep breath.  “Cody, I’m just going to start at the beginning.  It’s going to take me a while to get this all out, but I think it will all make more sense if you know all the background, ok?” I asked, waiting for his acceptance. 

When he nodded encouraging, I began my story.

“We didn’t always live here on the ranch.  We always owned the ranch, but I grew up in Midland.  My dad at that time was still working for the oil companies.  My Uncle Walt started managing the ranch for Daddy at that time since we couldn’t be here all the time.  We spent almost every weekend here though.  I’m an only child and until the summer before I started sixth grade I was quite the tomboy.  I’ve always loved sports…I still do…but in elementary school a lot of my close friends were boys and I always played whatever sport with them.  But, like I said, I grew out of that and into my own I guess you could say.  I still had a lot of guy friends though.  We had known each other our whole lives and they looked at me as their buddy, you know?  And I was like Tommy, very intelligent, always at the top of my class.  Add to that the fact that I was always more mature and more serious than my classmates, well, most the guys were way too intimidated by it all to ever ask me out.  It didn’t help that I had a huge crush on one my guy friends.  Mike had moved to our school in seventh grade and I had been crazy about him ever since.  Of course, he never looked at me as anything other than his friend, so I went all through school without even a date, much less a boyfriend,” I rambled, taking a pause to sort out my thoughts and gauge Cody’s reaction so far. 

He waited for me to continue so I forged ahead. 

“My mom passed away suddenly the summer after I graduated and Daddy decided to move full time to the ranch, so I left Midland for college, moving to Dallas to go to Southern Methodist University.  I majored in English literature and finished my bachelor’s degree in three years.  I went straight to work on my master’s in creative writing and finished it in two years.  I was so focused on my class work, and was so inexperienced, that while I had a date here and there in college none of it was serious.  After finishing my master’s degree I was offered a teaching position in the English department at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.  I was mostly teaching sophomore level literature classes.”

“I was working on my Ph.D. along with teaching, still very focused on my career.  The spring semester of my second year at Tech started with a shock.  Mike walked into my class as one of my students.  It was great to see him I thought at the time.  I hadn’t seen him since we graduated from high school.  Mike had been in an accident just after our junior year.  He had sustained many injuries, but he eventually recovered physically.  Emotionally he never recovered though and his personality changed.  He had been really outgoing and carefree, but he became withdrawn and quiet.  I thought maybe when he walked in my class that things had gotten better.  I had no way of knowing they had gotten worse, much worse.” 

“He stopped to talk to me after class and while I thought it would be good to catch up with him, right away it was uncomfortable.  I just didn’t know why I was feeling that way.  I honestly thought maybe it was because I was his teacher and I thought it would be wrong for me to socialize with him in any way.  I was polite and cordial, inquiring how he was doing.  He asked if we could get together sometime.  I told him I didn’t think that would be a good idea.  I saw a flash of darkness cover his face before he turned to leave the classroom without another word.  I just chalked it up the change in his personality.  If I had been smart I would have called some of my old friends and done some checking on him.  Then maybe I would have realized,” I said shaking my head.

I felt Cody’s hands close around mine again, with his thumbs again rubbing circles over the backs of my hands, trying to relax me and comfort me. 

“He kept coming to class though, never missing.  Every class though he would stare at me to the point that I was getting uncomfortable.  But he hadn’t asked to see me outside of class again and for that I was thankful.  But when we came back from spring break it seemed as if something had changed in him.  Our first class after our break he again approached me after the rest of the class had left the room and again asked me to go out with him.  Again I refused, trying to explain my position as his teacher.  Again he turned in a cloud of darkness and left the room.  I shiver now thinking back about it.  I gathered all my books and walked to my office, uneasily working my way through my office hours before it was time to go home.”

“I walked to my car and drove home just as I did any other day.  I parked my car in the garage and walked into the house.  The second I closed the back door I heard the doorbell ring.  When I went to answer it Mike was at the front door.  The second I opened the door a crack he pushed his way through, pushing me out of the way and locking the door behind him.”

“He pushed me against the wall.  I tried to fight Cody, I really did try.  I tried so hard, but he was 6’5” and all muscle.  I was basically just a rag doll for him to throw around.  He wanted to know why I thought I was too good to go out with him.  He talked about how he knew I always wanted him in high school, and he knew I had to still want him now.  I tried to tell him that I wasn’t the same person that I was then and that he wasn’t the same person either.  That set him off.  He threw me down against the floor, that awful, hard, cold tile floor, saying that he was going to give me what he knew I wanted in high school.  I just remember the tearing sound of my clothes and smelling the blood and feeling the sting of the bruises.  He left after and I just lay there, broken, on the cold floor,” I whispered, not even realizing I was crying at this point.

“Oh no, Mary Beth, no!” Cody breathed in shock.

“I finally reached the phone and called my dad.  It took him a while to get there from the ranch but he brought the police with him when he came.  They took me to the hospital and I was humiliated even more with all their testing, examinations and interviews.  During their investigation however, apparently his roommate and several other guys had heard him talking about, well, about doing this to me for a while and they testified against him at the trial.  By the time the trial came though he knew I was pregnant, and my father was determined to do whatever it took to have Mike sign all his rights away to my child.  The attorney made it part of his plea bargain when it became evident that he would be convicted,” I said thankfully.

“I was a mess, physically, emotionally, mentally.  I resigned from Tech and moved back here to the ranch with my dad.  I had Tommy and then I began writing as a release.  I admit I hid here at the ranch.  It was safe.  Then Daddy was diagnosed with cancer.  It took him quickly but he was able to see my success as a writer with my first novel before he passed.  I wrote the second novel as a catharsis from his death.  Then there was nothing…until you,” I said, offering a broken, half smile.

“Woah,” Cody whispered, letting out a long, low breath. 

I immediately felt as if I had been right.  This was more than anyone could be expected to handle, so why in the world would a beautiful and mega-talented 24 year old with the world at his feet want to saddle himself with this mess. I felt the hot tears of disappointment start to fall.

“No, love, no,” he said firmly, reaching under my chin and lifting my face to look at him.  “It’s just, I hurt for you so much right now and I’m angry I don’t know what to do.  For someone to do that to you, love, I just want to destroy him.  You didn’t deserve that.  Tommy didn’t deserve that,” he ranted.

I leaned forward and rested my head on his shoulder, trying to will some form of comfort to him. 

“You don’t hate me?” I asked so quietly I wasn’t sure if he heard me.

“No! Mary Beth, how could I ever hate you?  You are the strongest, most amazing woman I’ve ever met, and you’ve got the most beautiful heart I’ve ever known,” he said, closing his arms tight around me. 

“It’s just a lot,” I sighed.

“I know, love, but it’s a lot that you’ve been dealing with all on your own.  Now, let me help you, ok?” he said quietly. 

“Are you sure you want to do that?” I said uncertainly.

“I’m sure.  I’m sure it’s what I’m meant to do, if you’ll allow me,” he said hopefully.

“Oh, Cody, yes,” I said, immediately feeling my body relax.

“Mary Beth?” he asked, gently running his fingers through my hair.

“Uh huh?” I said softly.

“Can I ask you some things?  You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but…” he said hesitantly.

“Of course, Cody.  I trust you with everything,” I said, pulling away from him to look in his eyes, seeing nothing but caring and compassion and perhaps even love reflected to me.

“Where is Mike now?” he asked tentatively.

“He’s still in jail.  He hasn’t come up for parole yet.  I’m not sure what I’ll do when that happens.  For a while after the trial I got these rather disturbing letters from him, but once we started reporting them they stopped,” I answered calmly.

“Does Tommy ever ask about his father?” he asked softly.

“He has a couple of times.  I told him that he wasn’t able to be a father and wouldn’t ever be around.  I told him maybe someday he would have a father, but for now I would do my best.  He obviously does not know what happened to me,” I answered quietly.

“There hasn’t been anyone since you had Tommy?” he asked quietly.

“No,” I said simply.

“And there wasn’t anyone before that happened?” he asked slowly.

“No,” I said simply.

“So, that piece of trash, he, uh, he took…” he started, unable to finish his thought.

“Yes, Cody,” I said, looking down at my hands, almost in shame. “He took what I was saving to give to the man I loved.  He stole it from me in the most violent way possible.” I shuttered, suddenly feeling very disgusted with myself.

“Excuse me a minute,” Cody said, pushing himself up quickly.

Before I could stop him, he ran over to Mac and jumped on him and, kicking him, breaking into a run towards the house.  I sat there broken and bewildered by what had just happened.  It crushed what little hope I had that Cody could ever see me as the woman in his life, but I sure as heck wasn’t giving up that easily. 

With tears streaming down my face and my breaths coming in hard sobs, I climbed onto Ponyboy and started in the direction Cody had gone.  I’d ridden about ten minutes before I found him.  Mac was grazing in the pasture, but Cody was standing next to him, breaking down, and emptying the contents of his stomach onto the ground.  Moments later, he then turned and began to walk aimlessly towards the house before he just collapsed and went down on his knees.  The closer I got I could hear the sobs that wracked his body. 

I jumped off Ponyboy and ran over to Cody, dropping down onto my knees just behind him.  I draped myself over his back, wrapping my arms around his waist, willing some measure of comfort into him.  He momentarily stiffened when I came into contact with him, but then my touch seemed to release more of his tears as he sobbed uncontrollably.  I didn’t try to turn him around into my arms.  I suddenly had the feeling he had run so I wouldn’t see him break down like this.  I didn’t want to push him.  I just cried along with him. 

I felt his sobs begin to subside and felt him turn towards me.  He settled on the ground and pulled me into his lap.  He closed his arms around me, almost as if he couldn’t get me close enough.  I turned further and straddled his legs with my own and scooted as close to him as I could, wrapping my arms around his neck.  His arms closed tightly around my waist, pulling me firm against his chest.  I laid my head on his shoulder, tucking my face into the curve of his neck.  I don’t know how long we stayed like that before I felt Cody sigh against me.  I leaned back and looked at him hopefully.

“I’m sorry I ran, Mary Beth.  I just felt so angry and sick inside, thinking about what happened to you.  I knew I was about to fall apart and I just didn’t want you to see that,” he said sadly.

“Cody, don’t feel like you ever have to hide or run from me, ok?  If whatever this is between us is ever going to work, we have to trust each other and you have to let me be there for you, just like I know you’ll be there for me, ok?” I encouraged.

“I will be there for you, love, always and every way I can and you will let me, but…” he began.

“No buts, Cody.  I know you’re a strong man, ok.  I know that, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need comfort and support does it?” I asked.

He silently shook his head.

“Then let me be that person, ok?  Especially when the pain is there because of me,” I said sadly.

“It’s not…” he began before I cut him off.

“I’ll understand if you can’t get past this, but do you think there might be some way…” My eyes couldn’t even meet his as I couldn’t even finish the thought.

“No, love, that’s not what this is about.  Believe me, if anything, I want you in my life even more now.  I want you in ways I’m not sure you’re ready to hear about.  There are things I feel for you that I’ve never felt before in my life,” he confessed.  “Please say you’ll let me be that man in your life, Mary Beth, please,” he begged.

“Oh Cody,” I sighed as I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. 

I felt this floodgate of emotions rush through me as his lips moved against mine.  I reached my hands up and threaded them through his silky brown hair, pulling him closer to me.  I felt his hands slide up my back, caressing me before they settled back at my waist.  I felt Cody sigh and pull away from me. 

CODY’S STORY

I knew Mary Beth was older than me.  I had known that all along, from my dreams, from the picture, from what little I had learned from Julie and from what I had learned about Mary Beth since arriving in Texas.  I had been foolish to think she was the one with the experience, wondering what in the world she would ever see in someone as young as me.  Now I knew while she had life experiences that no one should ever have to live through, I was the experienced one as far as relationships were concerned.  I was going to have to be the one in the driver’s seat where that was concerned, that was evident.

I don’t know what I expected Mary Beth to tell me today.  Even though I feared the worst, what I feared was something that was going to end in her telling me she wasn’t interested and that she was sending me away.  I would have taken that ten times over and would have lost her forever if it meant she never would have had to go through what she did.  I had never felt such rage and anger and sickness over the vile things Mike had done to her.  I wanted to kill him.  I wanted in that moment to use every ounce of strength in the body I’d worked so hard to build, find Mike, and rip him to pieces.  It hurt me in places I didn’t know existed to know that my Mary Beth had been hurt in such ways. 

But what had I done?  I ran.  Big man, right?  But…I just couldn’t let her see me like that.  But she came after me and she comforted me.  It should have been the other way around but in the end it was as it should always be, us comforting each other. 

I had to take this slow.  In reality I was Mary Beth’s first everything.  I’m not sure I’ve ever been anyone’s first anything, much less first everything.  I swelled with pride at that though, because I knew if I did this right I could show and give her so much love.  Love.  Wow!  How crazy is this?  I mean, I knew when I came here that there was something special about Mary Beth, that something amazing was going on, but I never let myself dream it would be this incredible.  That she would be this incredible.  She was everything I had ever wanted in a woman, in a partner, even more, more that I wouldn’t even let myself think about yet. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she was the answer to all my prayers I’d ever prayed.

I pulled back from Mary Beth’s kiss and smiled at her.  I reached out and caressed her cheek, just soaking in the moment.  She was so beautiful.  Did she even know that?  I intended to make it my mission every day to show her and tell her.

“Mary Beth?” I began.

“Hmmm,” she sighed, smiling at me.

“Thank you for trusting me with all this.  I just want you to know how much you mean to me already.  You are an amazing woman, so beautiful, so loving and giving.  I’m so lucky to have you in my life,” I said proudly.

She blushed.  She freaking blushed.  And was it beautiful!

“How about we ride back over and enjoy the wonderful picnic you made for us?  I’m kind of hungry now that things have settled down.” I grinned sheepishly.

“Ok, I’m glad you’re feeling better.” She smiled.

“How about you, love?  Are you feeling better?” I asked softly.

“You’re still here.  I’m good.” She blushed, laughing softly.

“I’m not going anywhere, Mary Beth,” I whispered as I pulled her close into my arms.

My stomach chose this moment to growl loudly, causing Mary Beth to giggle.  How I love that sound.  I’m going to have to do whatever I can to make her laugh.  It’s beautiful.

“Come on, cowboy. Let’s get you fed,” she chuckled, taking my hand and leading me over to the horses.

We rode back to our blanket in comfortable silence.  I knew there was more that needed to be said, but not now.  I just wanted to enjoy lunch with my woman.  My woman!  That felt good.  I felt like everything in my life was just clicking into place, like everything I had been through in my life, every path God had led me down had been preparing me to be the man I needed to be in this very moment and every moment to follow.  I took a deep breath at the realization and looked over at Mary Beth who was riding next to me.  When my gaze reached her eyes I found her staring back me.  I smiled at her and she grinned back at me.  It made me feel so good to know I could bring that kind of smile to her face. 

By the time we arrived back at our picnic I was starving.  I think Mary Beth probably knew this because as soon as she climbed down from her horse she busied herself with fixing our lunch.  I was quickly realizing I was going to have to up my workouts to stay in my current shape with Mary Beth cooking for me.  I’d never eaten more delicious food in my life. 

We talked while we ate, just sharing random little stories about our lives.  I wanted to hear more about the little tomboy that Mary Beth was.  It was so cute.  From what I could tell since she was an only child and definitely a Daddy’s girl, that was where her love of sports and the outdoors had come from.  Frankly I just thought it was hot.

“So, do you still love sports just as much?” I asked hopefully.

“More probably.” She smiled.

“What’s your favorite?” I asked, anxious to learn more.

“Football, far and away.” She grinned.

“Favorite team?” I asked before taking another bite of my fried chicken.

“The Giants…and my SMU Mustangs,” she replied before closing her lips around her straw to take a drink of her iced tea.

What I wouldn’t give to be that straw right now!  Focus, Cody.

“What other sports do you like to watch or play?” I asked after I regained my composure.

“To watch?  Baseball, basketball, some hockey.  To play?  Softball, swimming and golf, and horseback riding of course.” She grinned.  “What about you?”

“Football is my favorite. I’m a Cowboys fan.” I smiled over at her. I studied her for a moment. “What was it like growing up an only child?”

She told me lots of stories about her childhood and about her relationship with her parents. She was very animated when she talked, and I briefly wondered if she could talk without using her hands.  Quite frankly I thought it was sexy.  Her moving her hands around so much just made me wonder what those hands could do to my body.  Again, I shook my head to refocus my thoughts.

“Do you ever think about having any more kids?  So Tommy wouldn’t be an only child?” I asked hesitantly.

“All the time.  I don’t want him to go through life without a sibling or two.  It gets even harder the older you get as an only child.  I’d love to have more, but I never had anyone in my life to make me think that might ever happen before…” she stopped.

“Before now?” I grinned.

She turned red in embarrassment.  I know she was worried she had said too much.  She dropped her head onto her knees, hiding her face from me.  I reached over and closed my hand over the back of her head, running my fingers through her hair. 

“Mary Beth, look at me, please,” I begged.

She hesitantly lifted her head and looked at me.  I smiled softly back at her, choosing my words carefully before speaking.  I inched my way over to her and leaned in close to her to the point we were almost nose to nose.  I took a breath before I said the words that I almost couldn’t believe I was uttering. Thinking it in passing to myself was one thing…admitting it to someone else was another altogether.

“I’ve thought about it too, ok?  That’s all I’ll say right now, but please don’t hide from me, love,” I said, leaning my forehead against hers before quickly and softly pressing my lips to hers.

She sighed and leaned back to lie on the blanket.  I laid back to join her, holding my arm out for her to snuggle against my chest.  We just watched the clouds roll by, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment. 

“Cody?” she asked softly, her words vibrating against my chest.

Now that was a delicious sensation!

“Yes, love?” I answered.

“How long will you really get to be here with us?” she asked so softly I almost didn’t hear her.

“I have a month off before I have to do reshoots and looping for my last film.  I’m here for the whole time if you’ll have me,” I answered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Tommy is out of school for spring break next week.  We have a cabin up in Red River, New Mexico.  Would you like to go with us?  Unless I’m mistaken we might have a significant date to celebrate.” She grinned.

She was good.  My birthday was next week.  To think about that she cared enough to know when it was and that she wanted to celebrate it with me was overwhelming. 

“You want to celebrate my birthday with me?” I asked softly, making sure I wasn’t imagining things, a goofy grin on my face.

“Well, of course! Unless you don’t want to?” she asked hesitantly, winking.

“I’d love it!  Red River?  Skiing, right?” I asked.

“Yes.  I guess I should have listed that on sports that I play, huh?  Do you ski or snowboard?” she asked.

“I do.  I can do both, but I like snowboarding best.” I grinned.

“I can do both, but I’m more at ease on skis.  Tommy started learning to snowboard last year.  He’s been skiing since he was three.  He’s going to flip when he finds out you are coming with us!” She laughed.

“I’m glad he likes me.  He’s an amazing kid.  You’re an incredible mom,” I bragged.

“He’s crazy about you.  And thank you.  I do the best I can.  I worry about him not having another man around now that Daddy is gone.  I mean, my Uncle Walt is there, and his son Chris, but it’s not the same thing.  Well, I’m excited you’re going with us!  I can’t wait to spoil you on your birthday!” she said excitedly.

“Well, you spoil me all the time.  You’ve spoiled me since the minute I got here and I am loving every minute of it!” I bellowed, causing a few birds to fly out of the trees.

She giggled alongside me. Her laugh was so freaking sexy that it sent tremors through my body.  Rein it in, big guy!  Remember, you’re taking it slow.  Wait for the right time.  Everything has to be perfect. 

I took a deep breath and looked up at the clouds rolling across the sky.  I could get used to being here.  It was so peaceful and relaxing and private…everything my life in LA was not, everything life in Mississippi had once been.  I noticed the sun was getting lower in the sky.  It would be sundown before long.

“Mary Beth, do you think we need to be heading back?  The sun is starting to go down,” I asked as I pulled her closer in to my side.

“As much as I hate to go, you’re right,” she said as she began to sit up.

She leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips, lingering just a moment before pulling away to sit up and pull on her boots. 

“Besides, Aunt Dot is cooking dinner for us tonight.  I wanted you to get to meet her and Uncle Walt and their son Chris.  Tommy will be at their house when we get back,” she explained.

I nodded in agreement and pulled my boots on as well.  I helped her pack up the remains of our picnic and strapped the bags back to the horses before helping Mary Beth onto Ponyboy.  I climbed into my saddle, and smiling over at Mary Beth, gave Mac a kick as we headed back towards the barn.

Tommy was waiting on his aunt and uncle’s porch when we rode up.  When we got close enough he bounded off the porch, across the yard and up to me.  He was all smiles.

“Hi Cody!” He waved.

“Hey buddy!  Want to ride back to the barn with me?” I offered with a smile.

“Can I Mommy?” Tommy asked Mary Beth.

“Sure!” she said, smiling at me as I pulled Tommy up into the saddle in front of me. 

He chattered all the way to the barn about his day at school.  He was excited about the start of spring break.  Suddenly it seemed to occur to him that maybe I wouldn’t be there when they went on their vacation.

“Mommy! We need Cody to go skiing with us!” He gasped.

“We do, do we?” She smiled, playing along with him, winking at me when he wasn’t looking.

“Yes!  Mommy, please!  It will be so much fun!” he begged.

“Well, it’s ok with me, but you’ll have to ask Cody if he wants to go,” she said, trying to be as serious as possible for Tommy’s benefit.

“Cody, can you go with us, please?  We’ll have so much fun!  You can go boarding with me.  I have to go snowboarding school some, but when I’m not in class we can go.  And we have a great cabin and get to build snowmen and have snowball fights and go snowmobiling.  And Mommy lets us make s’mores and we have pillow fights.  Come on Cody, you’ll have so much fun!” he rambled.

Poor kid.  He had no clue that he was trying to convince me of something they wouldn’t have been able to stop me from tagging along on even if Mary Beth hadn’t already invited me.  Time to let him off the hook.

“You know Tommy that sounds like lots of fun!  I’d love to go with you and your mom!” I said excitedly.

“Yeah!” he cheered as I lowered him down off Mac. 

I climbed down and noticed there was someone there to take the reins from me.  I helped Mary Beth down from her horse and she handed her reins off as well.  She kept her hand wrapped around mine as she led me over to this mountain of a man. Now I knew I was a big dude and not a city boy by any stretch, but I didn’t stand any chance of really coming off as a cowboy compared to this guy.

“Cody, this is my cousin Chris.  Chris this is my…friend Cody.” She smiled.

I could tell she hesitated there, as if she wasn’t quite sure what to call me.  Yeah, we’d have to have that discussion soon.  I had no idea what we might come up with, but I knew for sure that I, from the moment I was in her presence for the first time, considered myself more than just her friend.

I breathed a sigh of relief as she introduced Chris as her cousin. I mean, I was a decent looking guy, built and strong, but this guy dwarfed me. Add his cowboy hat and his beard into the mix and he cut an extremely intimidating figure.

“Chris, nice to meet you, man!” I reached my hand out to him.

“Cody, nice to finally meet you.” He grinned, shaking my hand a little more firmly than necessary.

Finally? Interesting…wonder what he meant by that.

I had similar introductions to Mary Beth’s Uncle Walt and Aunt Dot, more of the nice to finally meet you business.  We had a great dinner full of more delicious food and warm conversation.  I loved hearing stories about my Mary Beth.  These were good people and I was so happy she had all of them in her life. 

After we had finished dessert Chris stood up from the table.

“I’m going to head out to check the horses for the night.  Cody, why don’t you walk with me?” he asked.

I got the feeling it wasn’t exactly a request.

“Absolutely!” I said, standing up.

I stopped behind Mary Beth and leaned over the back of her chair.  I softly kissed her cheek and squeezed her shoulder.  I felt her hand come up and cover mine, squeezing my hand before bringing it to her lips, kissing it softly.  It was such a small gesture but as I pulled away from her and followed her cousin I realized it was the first such show of affection in front of anyone other than Tommy.  It felt good to know she felt so comfortable with me.  I knew in reality that was a huge step for her. 

I followed Chris out of the house and towards the barn. I knew this was the man who had been like a big brother to Mary Beth. I knew how important a part of her life he was. Frankly, no matter how intimidated I was, I knew I had to win him over.

“Cody, I think you know I didn’t just ask you out here to keep me company,” Chris said, jarring me out of my thoughts.

“No sir, I didn’t think so,” I said, suddenly worried about what he was about to say.

“I’m not surprised that you’re here.  I kind of knew when she wrote that book that eventually you’d find your way to her.  You’re a good man. I can see that.  I can see that you care a lot about her already.  I just don’t know if you know what you’re up against and in for,” he said, shaking his head, a sad look on his face. 

“Chris, I know I don’t know everything about Mary Beth yet.  I’m sure I don’t even know a fraction, but today she talked to me about what she has been through.  I understand this is all new for her.  She’s important to me.  She’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.  I intend to do everything I can to show her that,” I said firmly, hoping he would appreciate both my honesty and intentions.

“See that you do, Cody. See that you do.  She and Tommy both deserve some happiness.  Just know I’m keeping my eye on you.” he warned as his height and stature cast a huge shadow over me.

“I wouldn’t expect any less, sir.” I smiled, reaching out to shake his outstretched hand.

By the time we got back to the house it was time to get Tommy home and into bed.  Mary Beth had him take a shower and then got him to bed.  Again he wanted me to come in and tell him good night.  Tonight he wanted to give me a hug.  It felt good to matter so much to someone else, someone who didn’t know I was an actor, didn’t know I had a hit movie and really wouldn’t have cared if he did know. To him I was just Cody.

I saw Mary Beth yawn as she closed his door.  It had been a very long and emotional day for both of us.  As much as I hated to say goodnight to her, I knew we both need to rest and recharge our batteries. 

“Mary Beth, get some rest, ok?  It’s been a hard day,” I said, reaching out and caressing her cheek. 

“You’re right.” She yawned.  “Please sleep as late as you’d like in the morning.” she offered.

“I’d like to get up and have breakfast with you and Tommy if that’s ok.” I smiled, squeezing her hand.

“Of course. I’ll wake you up when I wake him if you’d like.” She smiled, leaning forward to press her lips to mine for a brief moment before she turned to go into her room.

“Mary Beth,” I said, keeping hold of her hand.

“Yes?” she said, turning to look at me.

“I just want you to know I will always be your friend.  Always.  But I will never be only your friend. Think about that, ok?”

I kissed her hand and turned to walk away, leaving her staring after me in shocked silence.