Silver Arrow Ch. 25-27

"Do you think that will happen?" I asked.

"No ... but let's not take anything for granted," she said with a soft smile.

Rose was right. It wasn't a problem and we moved most of her things to our house that afternoon. I was with her when she talked to the Cummings and could see that they were very supportive of her. The only change in our working schedule would be to meet with Harlan each afternoon to plan the next day, assuming it hadn't already been planned.

"I guess the next order of business is talking to your mother," I suggested.

"Yes. But don't worry. You already have her stamp of approval. I think she knew before I did that you were the one for me."

"What a huge relief it is to have everyone's blessing," I sighed. "Now, what about the wedding date?"

"No problem," my fiancée grinned. "Margaret, my mother, and I are already working on that. I'll let you know when."

"So, does this mean we're not getting married by Elvis in Reno?"

"Absolutely NOT!" she said fiercely.

"Huh, taking over already, are you?"

"Do you have a better plan?" she teased, poking me lightly in the ribs.

"Ah ... no ... not really. But I do want something to say about the honeymoon."

"Agreed. Start working on that. I want to see what you come up with. Then we'll talk."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm just a passenger on this railroad?" I groaned.

"Because you are. Some things are best left to those who are most equipped to handle them properly."

"Ohhh ... that stings," I groaned, silently relieved that Rose and Margaret would be carrying most of the load. Less chance for me to screw up.

We were on the back deck that evening, relaxing in the warmth of an early summer evening, quietly lost in our thoughts.

"Ever been skinny dipping?" I asked quietly.

"No ... well ... yes. When I was a teenager. We had a pajama party at one of my friend's home and her parents were out until about midnight. Someone dared us and the next thing I knew, a dozen of us were in the pool, naked."

"Well, we haven't got until midnight. Sandy is expected home by ten and we know Bill and Debbie will be later. That gives us a couple of hours. Want to get wet," I teased.

"What if one of them comes home early?" she asked, genuinely worried.

"We'll shoo them away until we can get out of the pool and into the house."

"When did you get so brave?" It was a serious question.

"When I met you. I assumed you were a brave person, so I had to be brave as well if I was going to impress you."

"I must have missed that part." There was a thoughtful pause before, "Do you really want to?"

"Yeah, I really want to. It was a hot day. It's a warm night. I can't think of anything I'd rather do that get naked with a beautiful woman and jump in the pool. We'll be refreshed and afterward we can take a shower and no one will ever know what we were up to."

"Just how long have you been plotting this?"

"Since last year," I answered honestly. "I've had a number of very erotic dreams about it since I first thought of it."

"Oh ... erotic, huh. So what are you planning if we were to be in the pool together ... naked?"

"Now, Rose. Surely your imagination is vivid enough to figure that out."

She gave me a long, hard look. One which I couldn't interpret, but I held her gaze as if it were a contest of wills. Perhaps it was, because after a minute or so she began to remove her tank top, then slip her shorts down and off. I grinned at her, then began to undress as well. When we were both naked, I picked her up, walked to the edge of the pool, and jumped in.

The look of surprise on her face when I did that was worth the effort. I'm not a big guy and I don't think Rose weighs a hell of a lot less than me, so it was an effort. When we surfaced, she was laughing while spitting out water and wiping her eyes. I still had a hold on her. I knew she could swim ... and swim very well, but I just enjoyed the pleasure of holding her naked body next to me.

"Oh, there's going to be payback for that," she smirked when her vision finally cleared.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't try. Just don't do anything silly that might hurt yourself."

"You let me worry about that, Mister Hansen. But now that we're here, you can tell me about those erotic dreams of yours."

I did. In fact, we engaged in some serious "show and tell," with lots of close contact. I think all thoughts of payback had slipped Rose's mind by the time we called a halt to our fun.

"I'm going to look like a prune if I don't get out of here," Rose said, only half joking.

"Look at the time," I suggested. The big clock on the outside wall showed it to be just past nine-thirty.

Rose was out of the pool and sitting on the edge in a flash. Her upper body strength was remarkable. I followed her, made a dash for the towels and her forearm crutches and we made for our bedroom before we were discovered. As it turned out, we had ten minutes to spare before Sandy appeared.

"That was fun," Rose laughed as we changed into our clothes.

"It's good to see you laugh," I smiled, holding her to me.

"I've laughed more since I met you than I have in years. Thank you for that, Doug. You make me feel good. Most of all, you make me feel like a whole woman. I love you for that alone."

"You are a whole woman, Rose. Don't ever think otherwise.

Chapter 27 Not Where I Thought I'd Be

The conversation with Katherine deSilva was ... unique. I think she knew exactly why I wanted to talk to her, and she decided to make it as difficult for me as possible.

"Uhhm, Mrs. deSilva, ... Katherine ... I wanted to talk to you ... about Rose."

"Yes," she said, expressionless.

"You see, I'm in love with your daughter and I want to marry her." I'd pretty much nervously blurted this out.

"What makes you think you're a suitable husband for my daughter?" Again, with the deadpan delivery.

Now that question I hadn't anticipated.

"Well, I have a good job, a nice place to live, and ... and ... I love Rose."

"Your job is driving a bus, the place you live is at the discretion of Harlan Cummings, and I haven't heard you tell me that Rose is in love with you."

This was getting frustrating. I decided to go straight to the heart of the matter.

"Katherine, Rose is in love with me. She has consented to be my wife. She will live with me and my children in the house. I'm asking you for your blessing, not your permission. We are both mature adults and can make these decisions for ourselves."

Kaboom! I really laid it on the line in a rare moment of frustration. For a moment I thought I'd ruined everything, but then I saw just the hint of a smile from Rose's mother.

"That's better, Doug. You've had my blessing all along. No one has reached Rose the way you and your family have. I worried for a long time that she would never find a man who would be good enough for her. She has very demanding standards, as you've probably already discovered. I think she's chosen very well and I wish only that the both of you will be very happy."

I breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Katherine. I will take very good care of Rose, I promise."

~*~

The wedding took place in September in Davis at a very nice, modern church. There were about eighty people in attendance. I was happy that my parents had come, but even more pleased that Diane's parents and Christie had made the effort to be there. That was something I didn't expect, but it made the day for me. Christie's wedding present was a balloon payment on her mortgage, far ahead of any projection I had. She was becoming a very successful entrepreneur and would be a wealthy woman some day. My only hope was that she would find the man she was looking for who would complete her life.

Debbie enrolled at Sacramento State for her freshman year. She still hadn't decided on which course of studies she would choose, but I noted that she and Rose spent a good deal of their time together discussing options. Her first year classes were all the standard courses, buying her time to make a more informed decision. She was in a car pool with four other students and only needed our vehicle once a week.

Bill made the football team in his senior year and was the starting outside linebacker. For a guy I always thought was a pacifist, he hit and played like a linebacker. I remember standing on the sidelines near Coach Warner and listened as he yelled encouragement to his players. He was a very good coach, and I think Bill did well because he wanted to please the coach. By mid-season, Bill was an assistant defensive captain. He wore that title with pride. He had earned it.

Sandy was doing well, but was missing her sister. She had become very dependent on Debbie and now Rose had to be her advisor and mentor. She was entering that part of her life where I wouldn't be much help. Thank goodness Rose was there to guide her. The one thing Sandy had was plenty of friends. She collected them like kids collected trading cards. Her personality was her magnet and she enjoyed all the attention it brought her.

It was great to have Rose with me all the time now. I was driving Harlan and her to their meetings in Harlan's big Cadillac, listening to their strategy conversations as we rolled toward our destination. Of all the ones I heard, the meetings with government regulatory officials were the most interesting. I was hoping some day I could sit in on them and hear the back and forth first hand.

As it was, I had the best of both worlds. I had a great job, and beautiful wife, a lovely home to live in and three great children. We should live happily ever after, but if there's one thing I'd learned from my life since "the accident," anything can happen.

If someone had told me that I would marry three times, move to California and try to learn all there was to know about nut farming, I don't think I would have believed a word of it. But ... here I am. What comes tomorrow? Who can say? I'll just take it a day at a time. I like my life and how it's turned out. What more could I wish for?

END

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Once again my thanks to ErikThread and DaveT for their editing skills and helpful suggestions. Any errors are mine alone. Thanks for reading, Coaster2