Tight Fittin' Jeans

She got up and went to the kitchen for more beer. She pulled me down on the big bear rug in front of the fireplace and we sat close together looking at the fire. She took my hand, rubbed the calluses, and kissed my knuckles.

"Bill never said anything about the baby but I'm sure he knew it wasn't his. I wanted to tell you about Melody but I was so confused -- it was a hard time for me. Melody was born on Christmas Eve, by the way. Bill came home one night, told me he had found someone he thought would be better for him. It was strange; he was quite detached about it. He offered me a good settlement, but hell, I've got twice the money he has from a trust from my grandfather. He wanted the house because of the prestige and because it had been in his family for several generations.

"I moved back to Boston with my mom; she was pretty good about it. Sorry, Jake, Melody is not a Texan. She was born in Massachusetts." She laughed at this and continued," After the baby was born I was wrapped up with her for a while … then I started thinking about you. I guess I was afraid of rushing into another bad marriage. Then I just had to know if the magic of that night was real. I was afraid I might have over-glamorized it into something it wasn't. That was what the last trip was about. I just knew it would work out okay, but, still … anyway it was magic and, if you'll have this city girl, I'm yours!"

I didn't answer. I put the empty bottles away and we loved on the soft rug in front of the fireplace. Later the baby started crying and Laura slipped away. She came back a few minutes later and asked where the bedroom was. I led her and we crawled into what had been a big lonely bed for me for so long. This time we made love with a slow, sleepy touch and fell asleep still coupled, the bed no longer lonely.

THE DAYS OF HAPPINESS

She and Melody stayed on at the ranch with me. She had several more suitcases in the trunk and a van bought the rest her belongings a couple of weeks later. She loved the ranch and the three of us settled in comfortably. The daughter of a neighbor would sit for Melody so we could go out once a week or so.

We married a few months later. Her mom and dad came from Boston and some of her friends came from Dallas. We were wed at a church in Big Springs and had the reception at The Stampede. Jody Nix provided the music and a good time was had by all. I hadn't known I had that many friends. Over two hundred people showed up, including my ex.

Dixie had separated from the lawyer and cried a little when she saw Melody in her little white dress with the pink trim. She was a good soldier about it though and I gave her a hug and told her she would find the right person.

Before the wedding, Laura and I had a talk about her money. I told her I didn't care one way or the other -- to me it was just a tool and if she could do things with it that made her happy … well, great! I had no problem with having a wife with a smile on her face.

We bought a couple of nearby ranches and a farm. I hired a manager and turned the operation over to him. He lived in the house on one of the new ranches. I'd known his wife all my life and we all got on well. I switched from cows to horses for the home ranch. Laura got interested in miniature horses and we bred them for show. They were sure a hit for the kids.

We remodeled, expanded and modernized our ranch house but kept its essential character. I put up a couple barns and a workshop where I could go and putter around. We hired a cook/housekeeper and a nanny -- that worked out well and allowed us to keep going down to Jody's place. We had a lot of fun with that and Laura, of course, became very popular.

Melody is showing all the signs of being the classic beauty her mother is - for sure a lot of boys will hear music in their heads when she is around. Jake Jr. is now five and Travis three and they keep their mom slim chasing them around the ranch. We will have the money to let them make their own choices in life … and I was comfortable with that.

Laura was still wearing her jeans but now they were mostly Lee's or Levi's. Status just wasn't important to her. And, yeah, she still looks damn good in those tight fitting jeans!