Rough and Ready

"I am not sure. I can't afford professional help, and to be honest, I don't think I need it. I don't think it is a compulsion. The boys like to tease me about it, but I think I can stop anytime I want to. I am just so pissed off about what Anne did to the boys and me. That's all I think about when I am swinging that axe. I am not looking for revenge, but I think a little closure would be nice."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Tom smiled as he looked at her. "You already have. Yesterday, I spent more time thinking about you than I did thinking about Anne."

"That's good, I guess. Isn't it?"

"I am not sure. Most of the time I was thinking about us taking a shower together. I might be replacing anger with sexual frustration."

Tracey giggled to the point where she had to set down her wine glass. "Oh, I see. Now you are trying to blame it all on me. That's not fair."

"If I have one more sip of this wine, I am going to have to go outside again and start splitting logs."

"Okay. Okay. I get the picture." She took the glass from his hand, set it on the table, and then started to walk towards the bedroom. "I was hoping to do this when the boys were not at home, but since you are turning into such a nag, we'll have to risk it now."

There was a lock on the bedroom door, but the cabin was still quite small. For the next hour, Tracey did her best to relieve all of the sexual tensions that Tom had built up, as well as a few of her own. They both found it highly erotic trying to have sex and keep perfectly quiet. There were times when the feelings got so intense, that they had to smother the sounds with down pillows. Eventually, they both fell asleep.

Saturday morning came with the smell of fresh coffee and bacon. Tom and Tracey woke, realizing that the boys now knew of their dalliance. After taking a few minutes to arrange themselves, they came out to face the music, only to be greeted with two enormous smiles and glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice. Today, instead of melon, Tracey had bacon and eggs for breakfast.

The meal was far quieter than normal. The adults were a little embarrassed in front of the boys, however, the feeling wasn't mutual. Greg finally broke the silence.

"How soon can we go? We have everything together. We memorized all the moves. How soon can you get ready?"

Tom and Tracey both felt a little relieved. The boys were far more interested in the parkour plans for the day, then how Tracey and their father spent the night. It was like an unintentional vote of approval. Ten minutes later, Tom was watching his sons and his new houseguest jog down the road. As they disappeared around the bend, he was trying to decide if he wanted to take a shower or start splitting wood.

The mile-long jog down the road was good for loosening everything up. Without a word, Tracey suddenly veered off to the right and started up the rocky hillside. Bradley and Greg watched in fascination as she leaped from rock to rock with the grace of a gazelle. She propelled herself with her hands and feet, over obstacles like actors in a cheap Chinese Kung-Fu movie. They had memorized all the moves and watched all the You Tube videos but were still mesmerized by seeing it in person.

"Are you two going to stand there all day? Get your butts moving now."

Tracey couldn't help smiling as she watched her protégés struggle with the unfamiliar situations. It would take time, but they were eager and in good shape. She came down as easily as she went up. The boys were quick to learn the importance of momentum and fearlessness that was necessary to complete most of the moves. Hesitancy would result in injuries. Confidence was of the utmost importance. Many of the exercises required special or unique physical obstacles, so today, they could only learn those moves that were needed for this area. After two hours of steady work, they were ready for a break.

All three were sitting atop the biggest boulder on the ridge, when they noticed the unexpected visitor.

"Tracey McMann, I need to speak to you." He was half way down the hill, looking up at the trio. She didn't recognize him and had no idea why he was calling her name. Through the tree limbs and underbrush, you could see that he was at least six feet tall with a dark complexion. He had on one of those ridiculous looking duster coats, like you would see in an old Clint Eastwood movie. What troubled Tracey was that in his left hand was a sawed off pump shotgun.

"Bradley. Greg. Follow the ridge and get back to the house as fast as you can. Don't worry about me. He'll never catch me in the woods, and I won't let him get close enough to use that shotgun. Hurry. Use what I taught you."

As the boys ran and vaulted down the ridge, Tracey moved in the opposite direction. Her antagonist was trying to follow, but doing a poor job of it. She could tell that he was in good shape, but he didn't have the skills necessary to best her in her environment. She toyed with him, until she felt that the boys had enough time to get back home, and then started for the cabin. The boys were smart enough to avoid any danger.

As she entered the clearing behind the outbuildings, she noticed Tom splitting wood. He acknowledged her presence and motioned her to go in back of the cabin. He seemed unusually cool, considering the situation. Surely the boys told him that the man had a shotgun. She looked around, but didn't see them anywhere.

A few moments later, he came out of the woods at the same spot Tracey did. He was a lot taller than she had estimated. He walked directly towards Tom, who calmly continued to split wood.

"Where is she? Where is the woman who just ran through here?"

Tom looked at the man and pointed towards his left ear, indicating that he had a hearing problem. The man moved closer, still holding the shotgun casually in his left hand. Tom stopped splitting wood and turned to face him.

"I am sorry. What were you saying?"

"I said, where is the woman who just ran through here?"

The big man was so arrogant and self-confident, that he felt no threat from Tom, even though he was holding an axe. He didn't budge as Tom walked up to him.

"You mean that woman?" Tom pointed directly at Tracey with his left hand when he said it. As the man looked in Tracey's direction, the axe in Tom's right hand seemed to spring up, knocking the shotgun away from the intruder. He hadn't moved his arm at all. The motion all came from his wrist. As the tall man bent over to grab his smashed fingers, the back of the axe came up again, and caught him square in the face.

About that time, the sheriff was pulling up to the house. The boys came running out as Tracey walked towards her hero. It was a stupid thing that he did. What man in his right mind would confront someone with a shotgun when they only had an axe?

Tom, Tracey, and the boys sat on the porch as the civil servants worked things out. They had to call the EMT unit for the big guy. He lost a few teeth and had his nose and hand broken, but was still able to explain that he was only there to serve Tracey McMann with papers. He was hoping that the shotgun would provide him with enough intimidation to get the job done. The shotgun was not loaded. He followed Todd Werner to the area and then tracked Tracey down by talking to the neighbors.

They all sat quietly as the sheriff verbally berated Tom for using excessive force. The sheriff decided not to file charges against Tom only because the man had the shotgun. He did however, have a whole slew of charges again the big man. The paper that was supposed to be served on Tracey, had mysteriously disappeared.

In no time at all, everybody was gone. Tom asked the boys to make lunch and then insisted that Tracey tell him what was going on. Under the circumstances, she felt that she couldn't refuse. The grilled cheese sandwiches were ready just as she finished up. She told Tom almost everything, but conveniently forgot to mention that she was filthy rich.

After lunch, Bradley and Greg were off to the woods to practice. Tom went out on the porch, and Tracey brought coffee a few minutes later.

"I looked over your illustrations this morning after you left. They're are a little different from what Anne did, and perhaps a little better. Don't let that go to your head, because the publisher gets final approval."

Tracey didn't say anything. She was glad that the drawings met Tom's approval.

"If you can do three more, I'll be able to put a package together for the mail on Monday. What do you think?"

"Just tell me what you want and I'll have them for you tomorrow evening."

Far off in the distance, you could hear the whoops as Tom's sons careened around the mountainside. Tracey crossed her fingers. They didn't need any broken bones today.

Later that afternoon, Tracey called Tanner to let him know about the morning fiasco. He wasn't there, but Sarah was very interested. She asked specific questions and seemed to know exactly what she was doing. Tracey couldn't help thinking that she was more than just a housekeeper.

When the boys came home, they told their dad that they were going to be staying overnight at a friend's house. Bradley gave Tracey a small wink as they left. Tom dropped them off and picked up a couple of pounds of shrimp on the way home.

The kitchen table was covered with several layers of newspaper and piles of shrimp and shrimp shells, when Bradley and Greg returned the next morning. Two half finished bottles of beer sat beside several empties. It was apparent that the special supper was abandoned before it was finished. Tom's sons turned and left as quietly as they came in. They stood on the porch and giggled to each other before leaving for the mountainside behind the cabin.

Tracey woke up to the whooping sounds as they vaulted across the ridge. The sunlight came through the side window and glistened as it reflected off her firm breasts. She figured that she had a few minutes for a quick shower before the little rascals got back. Tom hadn't budged. The muscles in his back were as well developed as those on his arms and stomach. Who would have thought that a simple axe could produce the same results as an expensive Bow Flex?

Tracey had dusted off the waffle iron that she found on the back of a top shelf. It was warmed up and ready to go when Bradley and Greg returned from their short work out. She couldn't help thinking how nice it was to be young and have unlimited energy. The juice and syrup was on the table, and a few minutes later, the hot waffles were coming. Tom appeared, freshly showered, shortly after wearing a big smile. After noticing a slight frown on Tracey's face, he toned it down a little, but just a little.

Shortly after breakfast, Sarah Weiser showed up. The rough directions Tracey had given her seemed to work.

"Tanner is in San Francisco, but he will be returning this afternoon. Can the two of you come over at about six for a little supper? He is bring back some fresh crabs from the Wharf."

"Good news or bad news?"

"You can't wait until tonight. Tracey?"

"Did you find out anything about the guy that was here yesterday?"

"He squealed like a pig. Tremble hired him and three other guys. There was a five thousand dollar bonus to the one that got to serve you with the papers. His problem was compounded a little because of that shotgun he was carrying. It was just a bit illegal."

"How did you find all this out?"

"Tracey, I am not only Tanner's favorite houseguest, but I am also his personal attorney. I flashed an ID and told the local police that I was there to represent your visitor. Hell, I didn't even know his name when I walked in, but nobody questioned me about it. I left after ten minutes, and they never realized why I was really there."

"You're Tanner's attorney?"

"Have been for twenty years. By the way, I will have some papers ready for you to sign this evening."

"You never told me what Tanner found out in San Francisco."

"You are right. Tanner always said you were sharp."

Tom and Tracey waved as Sarah walked back to her car.

"Tracey, she never gave you an answer."

"You noticed that too. You sure are getting smart since you met me."

Tom spent the afternoon working on the jeep, while Tracey entertained her artistic side, by finishing up the drawings that were still needed. She was pleased that he wasn't splitting wood.

The boys were gone most of the time and things were fairly quiet. The big decision of the evening was what type of pizza was going to be ordered and what was the PayForView video choice. Tracey stood by amused, as the two teenagers fought it out.

Before leaving for Tanner's place, Tom put the manuscript and illustrations for the new book together in a mailer. It was ready to go, first thing in the morning. Now he had to figure out how to show his appreciation to his new helpmate.

The fun part of the evening, at Uncle Tanner's, was watching Tom struggle with the boiled crabs. He observed what everyone else was doing around the table and then jumped in with shear determination. Everything turned out well in the end, and she found that the way he approached the unfamiliar situation to be enjoyable.

Tracey explained to her uncle that she felt obligated to inform Tom about the situation. Tom sat through about half of the tedious discussion, and then finally excused himself. He spent the rest of the evening on the front porch watching the stars. Sarah brought him fresh coffee and a friendly smile. He couldn't figure out which was worse: the legalese or the business talk.

Unfortunately, Tracey was forced to sit though it all. Uncle Tanner had quickly figured out what was going on. There were several options that could be taken to get the situation under control. Tracey had no trouble deciding on one of them.

With the amount of company stock that Tanner still held and the stock that Tracey owned, Tanner could get complete and absolute control of the company immediately. Sarah had all the papers necessary for the transfer, and Tracey signed them without any hesitation. She still had her annuity and all the money she had invested over the years. Giving up the stock would not change her life style at all, and would save the company.

Since Tanner and Sarah were going to move to San Francisco for an undetermined amount of time, Tracey asked if she and Tom could stay at the lodge. All she had to do now was convince Tom that moving there would be beneficial. Tom loved the cabin, but it did hold some bitter memories for him. Maybe the relocation would help. She was sure that Bradley and Greg would be excited about it.

"Hey, wake up sleepy head."

Tom had fallen asleep, even thought the Adirondack chair was uncomfortable as hell. "Sorry. I guess we are ready to go, right?"

"Right. I apologize for the boring evening."

Tracey and Tom said their goodbyes and started back to the cabin.

"Did everything go all right?"

"Most of it. We only have one small problem and I need your help."

"I don't know what help that I can be, but I am all yours."

"Tanner and Sarah are going to be moving back to San Francisco for an indefinite period of time and they need someone to stay in the lodge. I told them that we could do that for them."

Tom didn't respond immediately. "I thought that you were only going to be here long enough to get your problem solved. Does this mean you will be staying a while longer?"

"I will, if you can help me. I can't look after that big place by myself. I figure that I can handle it, if you and the boys help. Are you up to it?"

The inside of the jeep was dark, but she could see the smile on his face from the headlights of the passing cars. Her anticipation was unwarranted. All she had to do now was wait for Uncle Tanner to move out.

Bradley and Greg were still up when they got back. They had never seen the lodge, but were excited about the move. It meant that Tracey would be staying, and that was more important than a new house.

Tom and Tracey excused themselves and headed towards the bedroom together. She glanced back and saw the boys giving each other a high five. She still didn't feel comfortable having unbridled sex with them in the house, but no longer felt the necessity to hide the fact that they were now a couple.

Tracey was up before the boys and had breakfast ready. They asked a hundred questions about the new house. They would each have their own bedroom and high speed internet. What more could a boy want? Tom came out just as they left for school. He ignored the wink he got from Bradley.

Tom left just before opening time at the post-office. Tracey was caught off guard when the landline phone started to ring. There were seldom any calls on that line.

"Hello, Henderson residence. Can I help you?" It was corny, but she didn't know what else to say. There was no answer on the other end. She was just about to hang up when a meek voice responded on the other end.

"This is Anne Henderson calling. Who are you?"

This was definitely a worst-case scenario. Out of all the people who could have been calling, why did it have to be her? More importantly, why was she calling? Tracey's mind was racing as she tried to answer that basic question. It had to be one of two things: she needed money, or she was coming back. The money part didn't bother Tracey, but Anne's possible return would not be acceptable.

"I am the house keeper. And who are you again?"

There was another pause, as if Anne was struggling to come up with an answer.

"I am Mrs. Henderson. Tom's wife."

"Oh, I am sorry. You have to excuse me. I was under the impression that Mister Henderson was divorced. I wonder why he lied to me about that?"

"I don't think he really lied to you. I sent him some divorce papers a few years back, but they were from Nevada and they were not actually legal. Actually, we are still married."

"Why would you send him phony divorce papers?"

"That was not my intention at the time. It just so happened that when I did it, I didn't do it properly, so the divorce is invalid."

"Why would you do that?"

The long pause indicated that she was again having a hard time coming up with a good answer.

"I am sorry, but that is really none of your business. Can I please speak to Tom?"

"Oh, he is not here. He is down at the tax office again. He spends a lot of time there lately."

"Why is he at the tax office?"

Tracey couldn't help snickering to herself. "Well he is two years behind on his income taxes: state and federal. He owes three years of property taxes: state and county. All of his credit cards are at the limit and he owes his publisher for an advance on a book he never finished. I am afraid he is looking at some hard jail time."

"I can't believe that. Tom was always so stable. He always took care of things. What happened?"

"You left him and everything fell apart. How could you ask such a stupid question?"

There was silence on the other end of the line. Tracey waited several moments. "Hello. Hello. Are you still there?"

"Yes, I am still here."

"What did you want anyhow? Maybe, I could help."

"I have a small problem and I was hoping he could send me money for a plane ticket, so that I could come home."

"Can't you get it from your boyfriend?"

There was no answer.

"What do you consider to be home?"

There was a short pause again. "I don't think I want to talk to you anymore. I'll call back when Tom is there."

The timing of the phone call was too coincidental, and it bothered her.

Tracey was waiting on the porch for Tom when he came back from town. She told him about the call from Anne. He didn't say anything. A few minutes later, Tom called the phone company and cancelled the landline service. He disconnected the phone from the wall, and threw it into the closet. He asked her not to mention the call to the boys, and then he went down and started to split wood. Damn it. She thought she was making headway, and one phone call screwed it all up. Why did she pick this time to call?