Chapter 26

Life sailed along for another five years. I wrote three more Battle Babes, seemed I couldn't quite let it go. Four more Dark Handsome novels established him as a proven franchise, and Leah was already writing the second screen play, the first movie was as successful as any we'd produced. Issabella wrote two more romances, which made moderately successful movies.

The kids were growing like weeds, and the big house seemed a lot smaller these days. Tory and Cathy had gotten into showing horses, both theirs and some of the ones Jose bred. Cat would often be with them, showing Fell ponies. After talking it over, we took eight Fell mares, trained them, and built a small barn and a riding paddock. Three days a week mentally and physically challenged children and adults were brought out and given rides. Laura and Ursala both became volunteers, and did most of the work after being trained properly. Carmella helped, but her time was limited, because she often traveled with her husband. She had met Jerry, our casting director, at one of our shoots. They were close to the same age, and hit it off immediately. A year later, they married, an outdoor ceremony held at our farm.

Dorian and Leah talked me into opening a production facility right outside of Atlanta, in an abandoned old school. The old gym was perfect for a sound stage. What work we didn't do in Canada was done there, Dorian and Leah hadn"t been back to LA more than three times in the last four years, and then just to see his mother and stepfather.