Love's True Obsession

He thought for a few seconds then wickedly replied, "Ummm...How about the...invisible one, baby?"

She laughed and said, "I think that's a great choice, baby." Then she closed the drawer and grabbed her hair brush from her dresser.

Ariel sat on the bed and brushed her hair. Jack sat there watching her, smiling as her bare breasts wiggled with every move she made. She was sitting Indian-style on the bed and Jack could see the outline of her mound through her panties. She paused in her brushing and yawned, then continued brushing her hair. "Jack, baby, would you please go over and get me a pony tail holder from the basket on the dresser?" she asked him.

"Of course baby. Any certain color you want?" he asked.

"No, any color is fine." she said. He went to the dresser, grabbed a pony tail holder for her, then went back to the bed, placing the holder on her knee, and caressing her leg tenderly.

She giggled as she said, "Thank you dear." Then she braided her hair and put the pony tail holder at the end of the long braid to secure it. She got off the bed and put her brush back on the dresser. She turned to her lover and said, "Jack, I'm going downstairs to use the bathroom and brush my teeth. Would you mind going down with me and checking that the tv and lights are off and the door is locked, honey?"

"Sure babe, I'd walk over hot coals for you baby. You don't even need to ask me, honey-bun." he said.

They went downstairs, did what they had to do, then went back upstairs. Jack pulled back the blankets and sheet on the bed and Ariel climbed in. Jack turned off the lights and climbed in bed beside her, pulling the blankets up over himself and Ariel. She snuggled close to him, resting her head on his shoulder. They kissed deeply, then fell asleep happily, listening to the sound of the rain falling on the roof above their heads, and the cat curled up on top of the basket of dirty laundry.

The next morning, Ariel and Jack both woke up at 6:00 am. They showered, dressed and made breakfast together. When they finished eating, Jack went out to the barn to feed and water the horses while Ariel washed the dishes and fed the cat. Jack came back inside, grabbed his car keys and the lunch that Ariel packed for him. He hugged her tight and kissed her deeply, then said, "See you tonight, baby. I love you. Have a great day at work, honey."

Ariel hugged and kissed him back and said, "You too Jack. See you tonight my love." She walked him out to his car and kissed him one more time before he got in and drove away, on his way to work at the lumber mill outside of town.

Ariel went back inside, packed her lunch, rechecked her hair and makeup in the bathroom mirror, then grabbed her purse and car keys. She turned off the kitchen light and left the house, closing and locking the door behind her. She got in her car and left to go to work at the Daycare Center. Fifteen minutes later, she was at work, preparing to welcome the twenty children who attend the center. All day long, she thought about Jack, jotting down ideas for the wedding, as well as for any changes that she might want to make to the cabin and corral. She ate lunch when the kids did, then supervised the afternoon playground time and nap time. She helped the kids with snack time, then helped them get ready to go home for the day, giving each child a hug like she always does.

Meanwhile, across town, Jack was hard at work at the Willow Bend Lumber Mill. He was on his lunch break and talking to his boss, Mike Miller, about the changes he wanted to make to the cabin in the woods off the "Maple Trail." Mike said, "Jack, that sounds like a great gift you gave to Ariel, and I hope that the two of you will be very happy. Do you have the measurements of the current buildings and of what you want done so we can figure out what lumber and supplies you'll be needing for it?"

"Thanks Mike. I know that Ariel and I will be very happy. As for the measurements, I have them written down but didn't bring them with me today. I'll bring them in tomorrow along with the floor plans that Ariel is working on for the new cabin."

PART TWENTY-SIX

Jack went back to work after his lunch break. He had to deliver a truck-load of lumber to a man named Mr. Williams, who lived about five miles out of town and was building a new barn for his horses. Apparently he had two dozen new foals in his herd and needed to expand the stables to accommodate them and the mares. Jack grabbed the key ring for the blue delivery truck from the hook by the door and went to the truck. He climbed in and started it up, then left the mill to make the delivery. About twenty minutes later, he pulled into Mr. Williams' driveway. He grabbed the invoice clipboard from the seat beside him and got out. Mr. Williams was there waiting for him by the partially constructed barn.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Williams. How are you today?" Jack asked him as he extended his hand for a handshake to the older man.

"Not bad at all today, Mr. Coltrane. Just finished helping my white mare, Snow, deliver her third foal, a little gray colt, just about an hour ago." Mr. Williams replied. Jack looked at the man and noticed some blood stains on his overalls and shirt sleeves.

He smiled and said, "Congratulations, sir! That makes what, twenty-five foals this season so far?"

"Yeah it does, and every single one is doing great and getting stronger every day. I still have 4 mares due to give birth within the next month though." he said.

"That's great! I'd love to bring my fiancé Ariel Jones, out here to see them sometime, with your permission of course." Jack said.

Mr. Williams smiled and said, "You both are welcome to come for a visit anytime. Just give me a call and we'll arrange it."

"Sounds great sir. Now, here's the invoice for your lumber order. I'll give you a minute or two to check it and make sure it's right, then I'll unload the lumber for you." Jack said as he handed the man the invoice.

After a couple of minutes, Mr. Williams gave Jack the invoice and said, "Yup, everything's here Jack. You can use my fork lift to unload the truck and just stack the lumber over here by the barn." Mr. Williams pointed to the left of where they were standing so Jack would know where to put the lumber.

Jack unloaded the lumber, using Mr. Williams' fork lift tractor, piling the lumber neatly by the barn. Mr. Williams had gone into the house, coming out a few minutes later with a check for the lumber and two glasses of ice cold lemonade, handing one to Jack when he climbed down from the tractor. They sat on one of the stacks of lumber and drank the lemonade. They talked about the new barn, the horses, and other things. Mr. Williams gave Jack the check, and Jack gave him his copy of the invoice marked "Paid In Full". Jack put the check with the original copy of the invoice on the clipboard then put it in the truck. He went back to sit on the lumber with Mr. Williams.

After a few minutes, "Old Sally", Mr. Williams' Golden Retriever, came out of the barn. Behind her came a group of eight fluffy pups, tumbling over each other trying to keep up with their mama who was walking toward the two men. Sally sat loyally at Mr. Williams' feet, her head resting on his knee. The pups played all around them, wrestling with each other, pulling ears and tails. One pup, smaller than the others, sat all alone off to the side by Jack, looking up at him. Mr. Williams nodded to Jack and said, "That pup seems to have taken a liking to you. Go ahead, pick her up. That's why she's looking at you like that." Jack looked down at the puppy, who was slowly inching her way closer to Jack. He reached his hand down and scooped up the little ball of blond fur with the little wet nose and wagging tail.

"She's the runt of the litter, always hanging back when the other pups are playing, always the last one to nurse from "Old Sally" here. Poor little tyke had to be bottle-fed for the first four weeks of her life." Mr. Williams said to Jack. The pup nuzzled Jack's chin and licked his nose. Jack laughed and stroked the pup's soft fur and scratched her behind her ears, which got him another puppy kiss. Mr. Williams laughed too, then said, "She really likes you, Mr. Coltrane. Tell you what. You stop back here tonight after work and I'll give you this pup to take home to give your fiancé. No charge for her either. You may consider the pup an early wedding gift from me to the both of you."

Jack smiled and said, "Thank you very much, Mr. Williams. I'll pick her up after work tonight. Ariel's going to love this little gal. Well sir, I better be heading back to the mill. The boss has probably got another delivery or two waiting for me before the end of the day. I'll stop at the pet store to pick up a carrier, bed, food and toys for the pup before I come out here to get her, so I'll be here around 6 pm or so, if that's ok."

"Yeah, that's fine, son." he said. The two men shook hands and then Jack checked to make sure none of the pups were under the truck before he got in and started it up to leave the farm. He left and fifteen minutes later, pulled into the lumber yard, parking the blue truck beside the loaded red one.

Jack took the keys, and the clipboard into the office, and handed them to Mike, who said, "What took you so long, Jack? I have another delivery for you to make before you leave for the day. The construction site out at the ballfield is waiting for the load of four by four's, two by fours, sheet rock and plywood that's loaded on the red truck. They'll unload it, all you have to do is drive it out there and wait for the payment. Should only take an hour or so, so you better get going." "Sure Mike, no problem. Here's the keys to Big Blue." he said as he handed Mike the blue key ring. Mike gave Jack the red key ring with the keys for the red truck that they all called "Old Red". Jack grabbed the invoice and left the office to deliver the lumber.

Jack was back at the lumber yard in an hour and a half. He checked with Mike to see if there were any other deliveries. "Nope, that's the last for today Jack. If you have all your paper work done, you can go home to that pretty gal of yours." Mike said with a chuckle and a wink.

Jack said, "Paperwork's all done, Mike. I got a couple errands to run before I can go home though. I've got a special surprise for Ariel tonight. Mr. Williams gave me one of Old Sally's pups. So I have to stop by the pet store and get the carrier, bed, food, and some toys for the pup, then I have to drive out to his farm to get the pup. I'm gonna leave the pup in the car when I get to Ariel's and have her take the dog out of the car."

"Good idea, Jack. Hope everything goes good for you! See you tomorrow, buddy!" Mike said, and the two men shook hands, then Jack left.

PART TWENTY-SEVEN

Jack went out of the office, clocked out, then went to his car. He looked at his watch - 4:45 pm. He picked up his cell phone from the center console of the car and dialed Mr. Williams' number. He told the older man that he would be there in about forty-five minutes to get the puppy. Then he called Ariel. He knew she was still at work at the daycare center so he left her a message on the answering machine. "Hi honey, it's me. I just wanted to let you know that I will be about a half hour late getting home tonight. I have a couple of errands to run before I come home. I'll see you soon baby! I love you, honey!" he said to the answering machine, then he hung up the phone.

Jack started the car and left the mill yard. He drove to the pet store, parked the car and went inside. He took a cart and went to the pet food aisle, put a bag of puppy food in the cart along with a food dish and a water dish. Then he went to the bedding aisle and got a large pillow doggy-bed. He also got several squeaky toys, some dog treats and rawhide bones, a puppy collar and a larger collar and a leash, and finally a large breed dog carrier that they could use for a long time for the dog. He went to the register and paid for the items, then loaded everything into the car. All the items went into the trunk except for the carrier, which he put in the back seat.

He left the parking lot and drove to the Walmart store. He purchased a large red bow to tie onto the carrier. He then drove to Mr. Williams' farm. The old man was sitting on the his front porch. Old Sally and all the pups were there too. Ariel's pup was sitting on Mr. Williams' lap with a pink bow tied around her neck. Jack saw the bow and smiled. "Had to make this little girl ready for her new mistress, right?" the older man chuckled.

Jack laughed and said, "Yeah. Ariel's going to love this little bundle of fuzz! I just need to put the carrier together, then I'll take her home. Do you mind if I put it together here, Mr. Williams?" Jack asked.

"No, no, Not at all. Do you need any tools for it?" he asked. "Just a pair of pliers and a flat-head screwdriver, sir." Jack replied as he took the carrier from the car. Mr. Williams put the pup in the little fenced area away from the others, then went into the garage to get the pliers and screwdriver. He came back with the tools and helped Jack assemble the carrier. When it was done, Jack put the carrier in the back seat of the car. It just fit through the door of the car. He tied the red gift bow to the door of the carrier while Mr. Williams got the pup. The two men talked for a few minutes about the dogs.

Mr. Williams told Jack, "During the day when you and Ariel are at work, the pup will be fine staying in the barn with the doors closed as long as she has food and water in there where hay and dirt wouldn't get into it. I have an extra stall in the barn set just for the dogs, and they sleep in there at night. There are toys in there for them to play with too. If you put the pup in the barn when no one's home, she can relieve herself in the stall when she has to."

Jack said, "That's a great idea! Thanks a lot. Now I better be getting this little girl home to her new momma. Thanks again for the pup, Mr. Williams. See you around! Have a great night too sir." The men shook hands and Jack left in his car, the pup snuggling on the seat beside him.

About ten minutes before he got to Ariel's driveway, Jack pulled the car to the side of the road. He got out with the pup in his arms, opened the back door of the car, then the carrier door, and put the puppy in the carrier, closing the door afterward. The puppy would ride there the rest of the way home. Ariel's car was already in the driveway when Jack pulled in. He blew the horn of the car and Ariel came outside. She came to the car and threw her arms around him as he got out of the car. He spun her around in a big hug, her feet flying out as he spun. He hugged and kissed her and said, "Hi baby! I sure missed you today!" He held her back from him and looked at her. She still had her work clothes on, but she had taken off her shoes and was wearing her silly fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

"I missed u today too, Jack." she said.

Jack put her down and took her hands in his and said, "I have a surprise for you, baby. Look in the backseat of the car, honey."

She did, and let out a happy "Awwwww!!! How cute!!! A Golden Retriever puppy for me, Jack?" He nodded, then took the carrier out of the car, setting it on the ground by the car. Ariel quickly knelt down, heedless of the dirt getting on her skirt, opened the carrier door and called the puppy out. The pup quickly went to Ariel to be picked up, pet and kissed by this beautiful woman. "Jack, does she have a name yet?" Ariel asked, her eyes shiny with unshed happy tears.

"No honey, not yet. I thought that you would enjoy choosing a name for her." he said.

Ariel thought for a moment, looking at the puppy cradles in her arms. Then she looked at Jack and said, "I think I'll name her 'Precious', Jack, because she's a precious gift from my true love and future husband,"

He smiled, knelt down, kissed Ariel and rubbed the pup's head and said, "Welcome to the family, Precious."

Precious licked his hand as if saying, "Thank you." to him.

"Well honey, you should take Precious inside to get her acquainted with her new home. I'll put all the supplies into the carrier and bring everything in at once. It's a good thing I bought a carrier with wheels on it." he laughed, "I bought lots of stuff for that little girl, baby." He stood up, helped Ariel up, then opened the trunk of the car. Ariel took the bag with the collar and toys in it. Jack put the pillow bed in the carrier, then put in the food and other bags of supplies in before shutting the drunk and closing the carrier door.

He pulled the carrier into the house as Ariel held the door open for him, then she closed it after he came in. He wheeled the carrier into the corner of the kitchen, then took everything out of it. Ariel quickly washed the food and water dishes, put some food in the dish and some water in the water bowl, then put them on some newspaper on the floor by the carrier. She put the bag of puppy food in the cupboard by the closet. Jack lined the bottom of the carrier with newspaper. Ariel took the pillow bed upstairs with Precious in her arms. She put the bed in the corner by the dresser, then sat on the bed with the puppy. Ariel was holding Precious like a baby, petting her gently and talking to her softly. She laid down on the bed and the pup laid beside her, licking her hand.

Within moments, both Ariel and Precious were sleeping on the bed. Jack came upstairs and stopped in the doorway. Ariel was laying on her side on the bed, facing the door, and Precious was curled up beside her with her head resting on Ariel's arm. Jack quietly walked over to the bed, leaned down and kissed both of them, then went downstairs. He went out to the barn and fed and watered the horses. He fixed up the third stall in the barn for the pup, adding more boards to it and cleaning up the hay and old straw in it, putting fresh straw in one corner. He boarded the walls and door of the stall with plywood and put a small wooden platform in there that would hold her food and water dishes. The pup would stay in here when Jack and Ariel were at work during the week, but when they went to the cabin, the pup would go with them as a watchdog.

When Jack was finished with the stall, he went back inside. He looked at the clock. It said 7:30 pm. Ariel was still upstairs, so he decided to make dinner for her. He took a package of chicken from the freezer and defrosted it in the microwave, then put it in a baking pan in the oven. He set the timer for thirty-five minutes. While the chicken was cooking, he went out to the garden and picked four ears of corn, a cucumber, and two tomatoes. There was still some lettuce in the refrigerator so he didn't have to pick anymore. He took the vegetables inside and cleaned them, then peeled the corn, placing it in a pot of water on the stove to cook. Then he cut up the cuke and tomatoes, mixing them with the lettuce, some Italian dressing and salt & pepper in a bowl as a simple salad. He covered the bowl and put it in the fridge. Jack took the barbeque sauce from the fridge and poured some on the chicken.

PART TWENTY-EIGHT

Jack set the table, placing the yellow taper candles beside the flowers in the center of the table. Dinner was almost ready so he went upstairs quietly to wake Ariel. When he went into the bedroom, Precious was looking at him. Ariel was still asleep. Jack sat on the edge of the bed and brushed a strand of Ariel's soft silky hair back from her face. Precious stood up, stretched, yawned, and walked to Jack. He picked her up and took her downstairs. He took her leash from the bag on the chair, hooked it to her collar and took her outside to do her business. He took the pup back inside after she was done, and put her in the carrier with her food and water dishes, then closed the carrier door.