Chapter 1

"Paul! They are talking about you again on the TV!!" Ashlee yells from inside the RV.

I groan and put the beer I had been sipping into the cup holder on the armrest of my chair. "What are they saying now?" I yell back at her.

She pokes her head out of the RV door, "They are accusing you of buying the election again."

"Are you kidding me?" She shakes her head. "Ignore them honey."

"What is that all about?" Tony asks me from his chair next to mine out next to the grill.

"The national news media are trying to drum up a response to my support of a few congressional and senatorial candidates. They think that I did something wrong by giving money to them during the last election cycle."

Tony, the man, the myth, the legend, is a friend of mine. Though Tony is not his given name. Thornton Reginald Samuelson III is his given name but after growing up with the name and dealing with the teasing all his life, he took the nickname of Tony when he joined the Army and that is the name that he gave me two years ago when Ashlee and I met he and his wife at a camping overlanding convention in the desert southwest. He has been Tony ever since.

"Oh." He took a pull from his beer and thought about it all for a moment. "Why are they upset?" he finally asked me.

I went to the grill and checked on the sausages that were cooking. "I supported a bunch of 'Tea Party' candidates and just about every one of them won. The media is trying to say that I bought the election since I supported so many candidates and they all won. You know, liberal media, conservative candidates, constant conflict."

TSSSSHHH

Ah, the sound of meat cooking on the grill.

"Honey, do you need another beer?" I looked toward the voice not sure which honey is being asked. It was Tony's wife Megan doing the asking.

Tony upended his beer bottle and thanked her. She walked past me and I lifted my empty bottle up and wiggled it, "I'll tell Ashlee." she said laughing at me.

I moved the sausage from the grill to a platter and Tony was there with me to help. His limp wasn't too bad and it didn't require him to use a cane which is good since I was handing him a large platter of food for the table.

Why was he limping? Well, that is a long story. I'll try to sum it up for you. He grew up in Massachusetts the eldest child to the Samuelson fortune. Ya, that Samuelson family. When he got to high school, he figured out that he was going to be expected to join his father in the family business but it just wasn't something he wanted. He wanted to serve, to be something outside of the family and to travel. So, ROTC was his first stop in high school, then he went onto college under a ROTC scholarship even though he didn't need it. After he got out of college he went right in as a Private E-2 and worked his way up through the ranks finally achieving the rank of Captain. He would have stayed in if not for a lone sniper who damn near shot his leg off. The bullet caught him in the calf and severed it really badly. Another man in his unit got to him, tied off the bleeding and helped him rescue eight other men from his unit as the Taliban attacked their base 'over there.' He couldn't tell me anymore about it other than it was 'over there.'

After the attack was subdued and he got his men out of there, the military gave him a Purple Heart, the Distinguished Service Cross and several others medals all because he got shot, saved a bunch of guys and managed to get everyone out of harm's way. Yeah, I have thought many times that he should have gotten the Medal of Honor, but he just waves it off and tells me that what he did wasn't worthy of the medal. I don't argue with him, even though he has a limp, he could still kick my ever loving ass.

Tony's wife. Now that is another good story. Megan Suzy Samuelson (Franklyn) has been friends with Tony for as long as they both know. They told Ashlee and me that they met in grade school and became fast friends. They sort of broke up just before they hit puberty, but when they went to the same high school, the friendship was rekindled and became deeper. They dated each other all the way through school and then through college. She went to school to learn how to run a hotels and restaurants while he was going through ROTC training and a history degree. They were married during college but had been lovers long before then. They were each other's first love and first sexual partner. Getting married was only a formality to these two. They had been together from the beginning and both agreed they would be there until the end. Being married was only to make it 'official'. I heard them joke once that they had been married since 3rd grade when they played dress up as kids and had their teddy bears as witnesses and a stuffed giraffe as the official up in her parent's attic.

Seemed like a dream family doesn't it. Well, they have had their own challenges. No kids. He produces enough sperm, but her tubes won't allow eggs or sperm to pass through and her uterus was not accepting of a fertilized ovum either, rendering her sterile. Procedures had been done. Tests performed. Fertile eggs planted, but nothing worked. They are without kids and would not have their own naturally.

Adoption? Well, while he was active duty, no one would let them adopt. Now that he is retired with full benefits but disabled, no one will adopt to them either. A major catch-22 if you ask me.

Which is why they were drawn to us when we met. Ashlee and I had three of the cutest kids in a buggy at the overlanding convention when they saw them, they fell in love with them and have been friends with us ever since. The kids got their attention, but we drew them in and forged a friendship that has lasted the test of time.

"DADDY!!"

I looked up. That was not a happy daddy, but a slightly panicked daddy. I looked around and saw a little girl running my way. At least I think it is a girl. From what I saw, she looked like the swamp thing instead of a girl. She was covered in mud from head to toe. A second little girl was running after the first and a solemn little boy was bringing up the rear. Well, not the actual rear, our nanny was carrying a backpack with a look of horror on her face was bringing up the rear.

"DADDY!!! JUSTIN PUSHED ME INTO THE MUD!!!"

"DID NOT!! BRYNN DID IT!!"

"DID NOT!! JUSTIN DID IT"

The four of them finally got to camp, Jessica was covered in mud, Brynn had mud on her knees and hands while Justin was wet from the waist down but not muddy. Our nanny got there just as the kids tried to argue their case and tattle on each other.

Ashlee and Megan came out of the RV both carrying food for dinner just as the kids and the nanny arrived. They were both horrified at the mess the kids were, but you could tell that they were both trying not to laugh out loud. I mean, twin girls and one boy all dirty, followed by a nanny who was doing her best to keep them under control was a very funny picture.

"Ok, who wants to go first?" Ashlee asked standing at the picnic table after putting the food down.

"Justin pushed me into the mud No I didn't Brynn did it No I didn't I was just walking she pushed me No I didn't You were playing..."

I looked at Ashlee, to Megan then to our nanny who I finally waved over to our side of the conversation. "What happened?"

"Jessica tripped over a rock and fell into the mud over by the creek."

I nodded my head. "What about the other two?"

"They tripped over the same rock and fell into the same creek."

"Ok."

"You know what a little leader Jessica is. She was out front, tripped on the rock and the other two fell over her and into the creek."

"Thanks." I said quietly to her and went to Ashlee. I quickly related the story to her and she had to cover her face with her hands to keep from laughing out loud.

"Ok. Here is what we are going to do. All of you are going to strip right there while you dads set up the outside shower. Then all of you are going to get clean, then into your jammies and sit down to dinner." Ashlee said in full mom mode.

Jessica piped up, "What about Justin? He pushed me!" she whined.

Ashlee got down on her knee in front of her daughter's face, "Honey, look at the scratch on your boot. That scratch says to me that you tripped and your brother and sister tripped over you when you fell down."

Jessica looked down at the large scratch on the toe of her boot and blushed. At least I think she blushed. The drying mud on her face hindered us from seeing exactly what was going on.

"Ok mom."

Tony and I walked to my RV, pulling curtains and putting down rubber mats on the ground to allow the three kids to get clean without standing out in the open naked. It works pretty well and the hot water heater in the RV allows everyone to get their shower.

Once the curtains were up, Ashlee, Megan and our nanny all work together to strip the kids, wash them all off and then carry wet, naked kids into the RV to put their jammies on.

I went to the table where Tony and I filled our plates and sat down. Megan joined us and filled her plate as well. I held out my hands to them, they took them and we all bowed our heads to thank the good Lord for the meal and our time here. "Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the meal, for the company and for the beauty you have given us to enjoy. Bless this food to your glory and our good. Amen."

They join me in an amen then we grab our forks and dig in. The sausage was awesome. The fire charred outside gave way to a juicy meat inside and the whole thing was simply perfect.

"How's your meal Tony?"

"This is very good. How did you get so good at cooking?" He asked me with a mouth of food.

"Yeah, not many men can do this, certainly not my Tony. I love you honey." Megan teased her husband.

I swallowed my bite, took a swig of my drink and tried to answer them. "My first wife and I cooked all the time. Our son was going to be a cook since he loved it so much so we got into the habit of having him in the kitchen helping when we made dinner. It was a family thing."