Chapter 13

CODY’S STORY

We’d arrived home late last night. Thankfully Tommy didn’t have to go back to school until Tuesday because the teachers had a workday today. The three of us were sitting in the kitchen having breakfast, just like a real family. I loved this. It felt so right, so natural and I felt completely at home and at peace. I knew I still needed to talk to Tommy. I intended to take him out for a ride later in the morning. I knew the horses would need exercising and it would give us some privacy.

After breakfast Tommy and I cleared the table before he ran off to get dressed. I asked him to put on his riding clothes. Mary Beth looked at me curiously, but said nothing. I turned back to the sink to help wash the dishes but she stopped me.

“I can handle this. If you guys are going riding, you might want to change too,” she chuckled, taking a look at my gym shorts and muscle shirt.

I nodded and raced upstairs. I pulled on my jeans and boots, along with a long sleeved t-shirt, and headed back downstairs. Tommy was already in the kitchen, sitting at the bar, peppering his mother with questions.

“Do I have to go back to school tomorrow?” he whined.

“Yes. You have to go back tomorrow. You’re not sick, so off you’ll go,” she laughed.

“But I want to stay home with you and Cody,” he said with a frown.

“Hey buddy, I’ll be here when you get home, ok?” I said encouragingly, patting him on the back. “Love, Tommy and I are going to take the horses out for a while, ok? We’ll be back by lunch time,” I said, crossing to give her a soft kiss.

“I’ll miss you,” she whispered in my ear.

“Me too,” I breathed against her cheek.

A short while later, we had Mac and Sodapop saddled and were heading out for a ride. Tommy was an excellent rider - better than me really – but with good reason…he had spent all his life riding and until I came here I hadn’t been on a horse since I’d moved to LA. We rode towards the pond, Tommy chattering away about the ski trip, telling me all about his adventures with his cousin.

When we reached the pond, we climbed off the horses and let them drink and graze for a bit. I suddenly felt very nervous about the conversation I was about to have and aimlessly began picking up rocks and skimming them across the surface of the pond.

“Wow! That’s cool, Cody! Can you teach me how to do that?” Tommy said excitedly.

“Sure, big guy,” I said, taking a rock and placing it in his hand.

After about three or four tries Tommy had the hang of it. We spent the next ten minutes just sending the rocks across the pond. I finally took a deep breath and sat down, realizing I needed to get this over with before I could relax.

“Tommy?” I called him over to me. “Can you sit down a minute?”

“Sure. Did I do something wrong?” he asked with a sad look.

“What? No. Of course not. I just wanted to talk to you about something really important,” I sighed.

“Is this about you and Mom?” he asked hopefully.

“Well, yeah.” I admitted with relief. “I know you’ve been the man of the house for a long time and you deserve my respect. That’s why I wanted to talk to you about this. I love your mom so much. She’s everything to me. I want to spend the rest of my life with her, but I need to know you’re ok with that, with me being here. I also need you to know how much I love you, buddy. You’re an amazing boy and I’m lucky to know you. I’ll always be here for you, however you need me to be, if you’ll let me.”

He looked at me for a minute, as if he were studying me and taking everything in. Then he cocked his head to the side and smiled.

“Will you be my dad?” he asked.

“Do you want me to be your dad?” I said slowly, hesitantly.

“You’re going to marry my mom, aren’t you?” he asked curiously.

“Yes,” I said slowly.

“Wouldn’t that make you my dad?” he questioned.

“In some ways. It would make me your stepfather,” I said a bit sadly, hoping that wasn’t all he wanted.

“But you could be more, right?” he said, almost begging, breaking my heart.

“If you wanted me to. I’d love to be your dad, Tommy, in every way. Does this mean you’d be ok with me living here on the ranch with you and your mom? And someday asking your mom to marry me?” I asked hopefully.

“I think it would be awesome! You’re the best Cody. We have the most fun together. You treat Momma nice and you make her smile. She’s always happy now. I never want you to leave,” he said happily.

“Well, buddy, sometimes I’ll have to leave for work, but this is where I’m going to live from now on. I’ll never be gone long and I’ll always come home. Sometimes you and your mom can come with me too, ok?” I promised.

He nodded and suddenly threw his arms around me, knocking me to the ground. I sat back up and hugged him tightly, my heart about to burst out of my chest.

“I love you, Cody,” I heard him whisper against my chest.

“I love you too, Tommy,” I sighed.

“Someday can I have a little brother or sister?” he asked suddenly as he pulled away from me.

“Whoa, buddy, slow down. One step at a time, ok? Maybe someday, but I have to marry your mom before we go down that road. But for now, let’s keep this between us. I want to surprise your mom when I do ask her to marry me, ok?” I asked.

“I can totally keep a secret,” he said with all seriousness, crossing his heart with his fingers.

I chuckled as I rounded up the horses for the ride home. By the time we put away the horses and cleaned up Mary Beth had lunch on the table. Tommy ate like he was starving, as did I. Mary Beth just smiled at us and laughed. By the time Tommy finished, however, he was about to fall asleep in his food. I scooped him up and carried him to his room for a nap.

Mary Beth and I used the quiet time to prepare for our meeting with Rob, who was set to arrive the next morning. Pretty much everything was ready, at least everything we could think of, but Mary Beth was still really nervous.

MARY ELIZABETH’S STORY

I’d barely slept at all last night. I was all tied up in knots. But I didn’t know if it was because we were beginning the work on the movie, or that Jake was about to find out who M.E. Welch really was.

Cody had reassured me before he left this morning that everything would be fine, that Jake would love me and that he would keep our confidences. I trusted Cody with everything I had and everything I was, so in turn I would trust Jake.

Cody had taken Tommy to school on the way to the airport. There was a new bond between Cody and Tommy after their ride yesterday that hadn’t been there before. It thrilled me to see it.

Cody was picking Jake up at the airport in Midland just before lunch. I had a good four or five hours before they would be back, and feeling suddenly inspired, I sat down at the computer to work on the screenplay for “Where the Trail Ends”. By the time I heard the truck come rumbling up the drive I had almost fifty pages complete. I wrapped up the section I was working on just about the time that I heard Cody and Jake shut the truck doors and climb the front steps. I pushed back from the desk and glanced quickly into the mirror as I went to meet them.

“Mary Beth? Love, we’re back,” I heard Cody yell as I stepped out of the office and into the living room. “Oh, there you are!” He smiled and crossed the room to wrap his arms around me and press a soft kiss to my lips. “I missed you!”

We broke apart at the sound of chuckling and a throat clearing. We turned to see a very amused Jake Morris standing in the middle of the living room.

“Sorry about that!” Cody said jokingly with a laugh. “Jake, this is my lovely lady, the one you’ve heard so much about, Mary Matthews. Mary Beth, this is Jake Morris.”

“Mary, it’s great to meet you! I’ve never seen Cody like this before. You must be quite an amazing lady,” he replied smoothly.

“She is,” Cody said, his voice full of pride. “She also happens to be an amazing writer.”

“Is that so?” Jake smiled a moment, his eyes suddenly widening as a rush of realization came over him. “Wait a minute. Are you? I mean, is she?”

“Yes, she is. Jake, meet the elusive M.E. Welch,” Cody said chuckling with a bow and a flourish.

“Man,” Jake breathed. “My wife is going to freak when she finds out I met M.E. Welch.”

I guess the worried look of shock was evident on my face. Cody quickly took over.

“Jake, here’s the deal. We’re okay with you knowing who Mary Beth really is, but her identity is very well guarded for a reason. We can tell you more about why, if you’d like, but it really is for her safety and that of our….. of her son,” he said, making a slip that I couldn’t help but notice. “We’re trusting you with that secret. I’m not going to ask you to keep anything from
Jody. That wouldn’t be right. But please ask her to keep it between the two of you. As far as the rest of the world is concerned she will just be Mary Matthews.”

“I understand. You know your secret is safe with me,” Jake convinced us reassuringly.

I immediately relaxed and led them into the kitchen. None of us had eaten, and I had been occupied with my writing all morning, so I quickly made a lunch of barbeque sandwiches from the leftover brisket we’d had last night, along with all the sides. An hour and a piece of homemade buttermilk pie later, Jake pushed back from the table, blissfully full of his Texas meal.

“Wow, Mary, if you cook like that all the time it’s no wonder our boy there won’t leave,” he chuckled.

“She’s the most amazing cook ever. Frankly I haven’t found anything she doesn’t do well,” he said as he caressed my hand.

“Well, we have a few hours before Tommy gets home. Cody, why don’t you and Jake head into the living room while I get this cleaned up. Then we can get some work done,” I said, turning to the sink.

I washed the dishes and put away the leftovers for a snack for Tommy, before turning to go to the living room. I paused as I heard Cody and Jake talking.

“She has a son, Cody. Are you sure you’re ready for that?” Jake asked with concern.

“More than ready. This is my family now, Jake. I couldn’t deny that if I tried. I wouldn’t want to. This is my home. I feel more at home and at peace than I have ever felt before. I’ve never felt so much like I belonged anywhere as I do here, with them and on the ranch. I love Mary Beth. She is my other half. I love Tommy as if he were my own. I’m ready for all that entails.” Cody explained his voice thick with emotion.

“When you say this is your home…” Jake began.

“I mean I’m moving here. I’ll travel for my movies and I’ll go back to L.A. for auditions, but I’m moving here and living here at the ranch with Mary Beth and Tommy from now on,” he clarified.

“Well, congratulations, man. I’m happy for you,” Jake said with all sincerity.

I cleared my throat as I stepped through the office, picking up the portion of the manuscript I’d finished, along with all the notes Cody and I had compiled. They both smiled up at me as I stepped into the living room to join them.

“What’s that love?” Cody asked curiously as I sat down next to him.

“The first part of the screenplay. I worked some more on it this morning while you were gone,” I explained.

“Awesome!” he exclaimed before turning to Jake. “Jake, Mary Beth and I have formed our own production company. We’re bankrolling this project so we can have total control over how the film gets made. This is Mary Beth’s baby and the role of Travis, as it turns out, was actually written just for me, so we both have a personal interest in this film being the best it can be. That’s part of the reason we want you to direct.”

“Well, not that I’m not honored, and completely excited about the opportunity for so many reasons, but why me?” he questioned.

“Jake, we know you will handle everything with artistic integrity and that you will devote yourself to making the film the best it can be. We want someone fresh and energetic and caring at the helm of the project,” I said quietly, hoping I was ok in speaking for us both.

“I won’t let you down. I’m anxious to read the script when you finish it. I’ll be happy to help however I can,” Jake said excitedly. “Were you thinking of filming here?”

“Here and in the surrounding area. It’s perfect for the story and it will keep the costs down,” Cody said thoughtfully.

“When?” Jake pushed.

“As soon as we can get the script finished and the roles cast,” Cody said.

“Anyone in mind for the supporting cast?” Jake asked, looking from Cody to me.

I started to speak and hesitated. I’d never really talked to Cody about my dream cast for the rest of the film. I wasn’t sure what he was going to think about it, or what Jake would think about it.

“Go ahead, beautiful. Tell us,” Cody said encouragingly.

“When I wrote the story, and more since, I’ve always envisioned Blake playing Chase Thomas,” I said softly, waiting for the protest.

“Blake? As in Blake Ford?” Jake questioned as I nodded. “I can see that. Blake can definitely play the dark, twisted son of a bitch. Think he’d be up for it?”

“I hope so. Man, he’d be good!” Cody exclaimed with a deep breath.

“Sure would! Who to play Butler?” Jake asked excitedly.

“Patrick Jacobs,” I said almost under my breath, waiting for the opposition to come.

The both looked shock, but said nothing as they thought it over. They looked at each other and then back at me.

“Pat Jacobs, huh?” Jake questioned. Again I nodded. “He does play a good smarmy, slick and conniving backstabber. He could pull the age off and he could manage all the riding and ranch work. He sure could pull off the cowboy bit,” Jake mused.

“And the price would be right,” Cody said with a smile. “Brilliant!”

“So, now what?” I asked.

“We call Blake,” Jake said simply, pulling out his cell phone. I watched nervously as he dialed, thankful that Cody reached out to hold my hand, immediately calming me with his touch. “Hey, Blake! How in the world are you?” Jake said. “Listen, I’m here with Cody and his girl Mary. Is it ok if I put you on speaker?”

I suppose Blake was ok with that as Jake switched his phone over and sat it on the coffee table between us. “Now, where are you again, Jake?” Blake asked.

“I’m here in Texas with Cody and his girlfriend Mary,” Jake explained.

“Hey Blake!” Cody said cheerfully.

“Girlfriend? Since when in the world do you have a girlfriend?” Blake gasped.

“A while,” Cody said vaguely. “Say hi to Mary!”

“Hey Mary! Where abouts in Texas are you?” he asked, his drawl becoming more prominent by the minute.

“Hey Blake! I have a ranch about two hours northwest of Midland.” I explained.

“Ah, my neck of the woods, darlin’,” he said smoothly. “Now what can I do for y’all?”

“Blake, have you ever read any of M.E. Welch’s books?” Cody asked, not beating around the bush at all.

“Well, I hadn’t until a few weeks ago. Jennifer kept going on and on about this one, saying there was this part in it that was perfect for me,” Blake said, causing the three of us to look at each other in shock.

“Where the Trail Ends?” Jake asked.

“Yeah! That’s the one. She said I needed to play Chase Thomas. She was so adamant about it that I read the book in one night. I damn near think she’s right too,” he admitted.

“Well, bro, what would you say if I told you I could make that happen?” Cody asked with a smile.

“I’d ask what kind of crack you were smoking, man. No one even knows who this M.E. Welch is, much less how to find her to make a movie,” Blake argued.

“Well, I have the rights. Actually Mary and I have the rights and we’ve formed our own production company so we can make the movie. We’re waiting on the screenplay to be finished. Jake’s about to sign on to direct and I’m going to be playing Travis. We thought you’d make a perfect Chase as well.” Cody offered.

“What? What? Wow,” Blake stuttered and stammered as what we were telling him sank in. Finally he blew out a deep breath. “When?”

“As soon as we get the script and can pull everything together. It’s not going to be a big budget film by any means. We’re shooting here at my ranch and in the surrounding area. You’d be close to your family,” I said, trying to entice him.

“I’m in,” he said suddenly.

“What?” we all gasped.

“I’m in,” he repeated. “Get me the specifics and let me know when and where and I’m there. I can’t pass this role up. I can’t pass up the chance to work in Texas and on a western no less. And to work with you and have Jake direct us? Heck yeah!”

“Great!” Jake exclaimed. “We’ll talk soon bro! Glad to have you on board!”

I collapsed back against the couch as Jake hung up the phone. I felt like a bit of the weight had been lifted off my shoulders. But how in the world could we get Patrick Jacobs? Suddenly it hit me……Julie!

“Guys, I’m going to call Julie and have her try contacting Patrick Jacobs and see if we can make any headway there. I’ll be right back, ok?” I said, smiling as I stepped into the kitchen.

I dialed and was immediately passed through to her office. “Mary! How in the world are you? It feels like I haven’t talked to you in ages!”

“I know! We got back from Red River late Sunday and then Jake got here today. Things have been busy,” I explained.

“Jake Morris is there?” she asked excitedly.

“Yes, and we just finished talking to Blake. He’s agreed to play Chase. But now we need your help,” I pleaded.

“How’s that?”

“We want Patrick Jacobs to play Blake’s father in the film. I need you to contact him, or his agent, or whoever you have to. Get them the book, give them the treatment, convince him to play Butler,” I said emphatically.

“I’ll do what I can. I’ll get right to work. Maybe I’ll have some word for you by tomorrow! I’ll be in touch!” she said, hanging up before I could say anything more.

I sat down the phone and started to walk back to the living room. Again I could hear Cody and Jake talking. I paused for a moment, not wanting to intrude but curious about their discussion.

“Cody, I don’t know what you’ll think about this idea, or if it would even be a possibility or if she’s even done anything like this before…” Jake rambled.

“What the heck are you trying to ask me man?” Cody chuckled.

“Do you think we could convince Mary to play Mattie in the film? She’s just how I envisioned her when I read the book,” he said hopefully.

Cody broke into one of his full blown, from the belly, deep rumbling laughs, leaving Jake looking confused and a little bit hurt. Cody held up his hand as he got control of himself.

“No, bro, I’m not laughing at you. It’s just, well, I already told Mary Beth that the only way I’d play Travis was if she would play Mattie,” Cody explained.

“And she agreed?” Jake asked.

“She did. She did a lot of plays in high school and college before, well, just before. It’s been a while, obviously, but I think she’d be a natural,” Cody said with pride.

“I think you’re right.” Jake smiled as I stepped back into the room. “Well, then, it seems we have our starring roles cast.”

“Julie is working on Patrick Jacobs. We’ll see how that goes. Hopefully he’ll do it and we won’t have to think about anyone else for the role. I know Cody is heading back to work next week, so I’ll get most of the screenplay done then I imagine,” I said a bit sadly.

CODY’S STORY

It was going to be sheer misery being away from Mary Beth. I craved her. I ached for her. It seemed like only yesterday that I had walked through her front door, and now it was our front door. When I thought about it that way, I was anxious to get to L.A. and get all my stuff packed up and moved. I wanted her to know how truly serious I was and how completely committed I was to her and Tommy.

Jake had stayed two nights, discussing all aspects of the film with us. I was so thankful to have him on board. He’d been in the business for so many years and knew so much. We had definitely made the right decision trusting him to direct this project.

I was driving him back to the airport, leaving Mary Beth at home to write. We dropped Tommy off on the way. As we pulled away from the school, Jake let out a long whistle.

“What?” I asked.

“I just never would have pictured it,” he said, shaking his head.

“Pictured what, Jake?”

“You as a family man, but I have to say, it suits you.” He smiled, still shaking his head.

I smiled. To me, it was a huge compliment. I was still smiling four hours later when I arrived back at the ranch. Mary Beth was so wrapped up in her writing she didn’t even hear me come in. She looked so sexy, sitting there in front of her computer, her feet tucked up under her, her hair up in a messy bun on top of her head, her glasses perfectly framing her face. I just stood there and watched her work for probably a good ten minutes before she realized I was there.

“Cody!” she gasped, catching my reflection in her monitor.

I crossed the room in two steps, spinning her chair around and reaching down and scooping her up into my arms. Wordlessly I carried her up the stairs, kicking open our door and tossing her on the bed. She propped herself on her elbows and watched me curiously.

“Oh Cody, I love you,” she breathed as I collapsed next to her, pulling her against my chest.

“That was amazing, baby. What came over you?” She said as she kissed my chest and smiled up at me.

“Just talking to Jake about where I am in my life now and then walking into the house and seeing you sitting there at the computer, working, writing, creating, looking so sexy. I just couldn’t stop myself. I needed you. I needed to be with you,” I admitted.

“Mmmm, I always need you,” she said sleepily.

“We have time for a nap before Tommy gets home. Close your eyes, honey,” I said as I snuggled us down further into the bed and pulled the cover over us.

I was going to miss this. I knew I’d only be gone a week, maybe two, but I couldn’t imagine a day, much less a week.

MARY ELIZABETH’S STORY

Cody had been gone for almost a week. We talked more times a day than I could count. Every night he would call and talk to Tommy before he went to bed. I hated it, but I still felt so loved. Cody knew how to love me, better than anyone ever had.

I’d taken advantage of the time, writing furiously, trying to finish the first draft of the screenplay. Julie had managed to get Patrick Jacobs to commit to the project. Everything was truly coming together.

I finished as much as I could on the film before Cody got home. I had emailed him the first draft of the screenplay last night and now I had two days until he would be here. Two days to work on my surprise for him. Two days until he’d be home with all his belongings. Two days until he’d be home to stay.