A Guy Who Wanted Too Much

"Am I?"

"I think so. You just called me darling."

As to be expected, Darby burst into tears. Hayden thought she would be highly charged at the thought of getting Tess back. And then he grimaced, thinking what if the present owner refused. There were some people who would not be budged by money.

Sipping a second cup of coffee, the much calmer Darby heard Hayden outline his plan for her future, including everything he'd discussed with Lenka, including the possibility of marriage.

"You have it all worked out and without consulting me."

"Yes," he said nervously.

"God its brilliant, but so much depends on me being able to perform."

"You like it?"

"I love it. I knew you weren't all about getting my ass, that you had a vision that included me. I knew because you're that sort of person. My mom warned me about men like you who hunt down a princess and then lock her in the top floor of the castle tower."

"You're kidding."

"Yes but she did warn me about possessive men. Are you possessive Hayden?"

"No, at least not unduly."

"That was my thought at the time of your radical request for me to leave my job and travel with you. I was left feeling there was an air of promise about you and I had good vibes about you, that it was a chance and I should gamble and take it."

"Well there's a long way to go."

"There is Hayden, there really is and so much depends on me."

Darby sighed and began undoing her jeans. "Come over here darling, I wish to be attended to lovingly. I'm feeling so emotional."

"Er, are you protected. Women are more likely to become pregnant when they feel emotional, or so I've read."

Laughing she said, "Yes of course I'm protected you fool."

* * *

The phone call after dinner went very well. Nadia Bliss had screamed and cried almost incoherently before she and her daughter talked. Her father Damon was also delighted to hear from his daughter again and was most contrite. Neither parent made any fuss when Darby told them she was having an affair with Hayden who was ten years her senior.

Astonished that Darby had made such a strong connection with the Jeffs family, Nadia and Damon flew in next day for the formal reconciliation and stayed the night. Damon insisted he'd do the right thing and buy back Tess for Darby and get her delivered to the Jeffs' ranch. Dana appeared to be a changed person, relating so well with Nadia as they talked about Nadia's childhood and horses.

On Saturday morning ten days later Tess arrived on a horse transporter to a full family turnout. Dana and the men remained dried eyed watching the reunion between Darby and Tess who definitely recognized and muzzled Darby. Liz was on the phone relaying what was happening to Nadia while Charlton filmed it. Dana had tear-filled eyes when Darby handed Tess to her and said, chokingly, "Go on darling, take her down and make the introduction. It's best this occurs with only you three involved."

Although Calais was three years younger than Tess and they were in Calais' domain, there was no problem and after a bit of excited ho down between the horses, shortly afterwards they were together, heads over the gate, watching the retreating and smiling Dana. That afternoon Dana and Darby set out with packs to spend the night at one of the cabins on the nearby mountain horse trail.

"This is going to be so great for Dana," Liz said to Charlton and Hayden as they watched the young women ride off.

CHAPTER 3

Everyone at the top tried hard, none more so than Darby, to ensure her apprenticeship in preparation for her being absorbed into the company's top management team succeeded. But within a couple of months the cracks were showing.

Probably Hayden noticed it first. Darby appeared to be losing interest in sex, first in frequency in terms of multiple engagements at any one session and then the occasional immediate 'not interested' sign was relayed, the reason given being tiredness.

At first he was suspicious, thinking Hayden had found another guy and was finding it tough keeping both of them satisfied, but she remained completely relaxed with him and anyway there really was no evidence of incriminating suspicious behavior. So he chatted with Lenka.

"How's Darby going?"

"Oh quite well."

"And quite well means?"

"Hayden I think we should give Darby more time to settle in before I answer that question."

"So she's not coping well."

"Fuck you Hayden. Why do you have to push me? No she isn't. In fact she's showing signs of stress. She knows absolutely nothing about public affairs management and PR procedures and doesn't know about reporting and general office procedure and who can blame her Hayden? She's never worked in anything but the hospitality industry and then only in interfacing with the public and doing rudimentary cash balances. She is out of her depth and now you are going to callously give her the chop or have me do the dirty work for you."

"No nothing like that. I want you to take her out to lunch tomorrow and tell her it's for a review of progress. Tell her you are disappointed at her rate of progress."

"Oh crap Hayden."

"Shut up and listen. She will agree with you. You say it isn't her fault that I'm at fault for setting impossible goals for her at this stage in her working life. And repeat that, at this stage in her working life. Then you give her the way out."

"You brute, you want me to hand her a piece of paper and pen..."

"No, I want her to remain with the company. You suggest the north garden center as it's the closest to our ranch and she starts there as a trainee management."

"With no plant and gardening knowledge, ha!"

"Her dad's plant manufacture's horticultural chemicals and she's worked in the business during school breaks. Also she's helped her parents' plant 15,000 trees and shrubs on their ranch designed to become a showpiece and worked on maintaining them. Ever since she was a little girl, according to her mother, Darby helped her in the flower and vegetable garden. I know this because I spoke to her mom before I began this conversation with you. Further, she'd completed two years at college taking horticultural science before she dropped out. I'd known nothing of this."

"Then they might be hope for her?"

"That depends on how you handle this and how manager Glenys Finch at the center relates to my little honey. If Darby takes this option tell her I'll simply think she is entering stage two of the plan and you then go out and butter up Glenys."

"And if this doesn't work?"

"Well she'll have to be fired. I'll do that."

"You're a ruthless bastard Hayden Jeffs."

"We have to act commercially Lenka and you know that. I'll find her a job she can handle."

But he didn't have to bother. Darby acted independently.

* * *

Darby entered Lenka's office, white-faced but smiling and relaxed.

"Sit down Darby."

"No standing is fine. Thank you for lunch and assisting me to bring my personal crisis to a head. I can see clearly now. I'm guilty of allowing myself to be seduced into believing I was capable of being a huge achiever. My mom did that to me all through my earlier life and then I fell under the spell of sweet-talking Hayden Jeffs and so began Round Two. Well it's time to take charge so here is my resignation Lenka. May I leave right now?"

"Yes of course Darby. It would be wrong of me to attempt to stop you because this challenge not of your making is beginning to pull you down. I have seen it happening."

"Thank you and goodbye Lenka. Thank you for trying with effort."

"Goodbye dear."

When Hayden arrived back at the office just after 5:00 his mom, who'd been waiting for him, came out to meet him.

"Bad news for you Hayden, Darby has resigned."

"Oh shit."

"You attempted to change her and failed, that's all it is. I don't believe she'll hate you."

"Did I rush it? Yes, that's it – I wanted too much too fast."

Liz hugged him. "That's a thought. My thought is your were pushing someone who didn't want to be changed."

"The bitch – then why didn't she say?"

"Would you have listened had she attempted to pull back? Actually my thinking is she was so overcome by you she hadn't paused to think was this what she wanted. I think you came into her life when she was very lonely."

"Oh god, what have I done?"

"Go home to her now son. She'll want to talk."

Hayden raced home. He didn't find Darby but he found her note.

'Dear Hayden: By the time you find this you'll know I have resigned. Your plans for me were too much for me. You wanted to change me into I person I wasn't. I tried hard to please you but failed. I decided to ride off into the sunset. Dana found me filling my backpack, questioned me and appealed to come with me. It's what she wanted so I said yes but made her call the riding school. She was given six weeks leave without pay. We are going to ride the high country. She is taking CB radio with spare batteries but please don't you and your mom attempt to contact us. We want solitude and companionship and time out. We have a full month before the earliest snows are likely so will return in about four weeks. Don't be mad at me Hayden. I'm doing this hoping to work out my immediate future in life. I left money to cover the food we took from Liz's pantry. We have maps and Dana has her rifle. Adieu.'

Hayden hurt his hand thumping the table. He called his mom who was only a mile away from home.

"They've gone."

"I wondered if that might happened. They've become very close."

"I haven't said who they are."

Liz laughed. "You're distraught and not thinking straight Hayden. I guess Darby left a note."

"Yes." Hayden gave Liz details.

"That was the better choice."

"What? They've had no more than a two-hour start. I'm going after them on my dirt bike."

"No Hayden and here's why. You're not thinking. I don't mind them being up in the hills. There are cabins all along the riding tracks for some two hundred miles. I was fearful when you told me they'd gone they might have hit the road."

"So?"

"Dana is not ready for that but in a month's time when they return your sister will appear calmer and noticeably matured because she's riding with a superb role model."

"Mom, no. I'm..."

"No Hayden. I can see our ranch; I'm only minutes away. Wait, I need to calm you. You might catch up with them and attempt to stop them but then what? What if Dana pulls her rifle on you? You are attempting to interfere with their freedom of action."

"Christ mom, you've got it wrong. I can stop them and bring them back home."

"Listen asshole, you've attempted to wreck Darby as a person and she'd had the sense to pull out. Don't try the second time."

"You called me asshole?"

"Yes and think about it. Well deserved don't you think? I'm turning into our track now. Stay where you are asshole."

THE END