Chapter 3

David stood next to the glass wall in the great room of his home that gave him a view of mountain next to the compound. He nursed a cocktail while he watched the falling sun alter the hues and shadows on the mountain's craggy surfaces. Deep in thought, he wondered how his wife reacted when his mother told her that she was pregnant. A part of him dreaded the possibility of some hurt feelings, and another part of him believed his wife could handle anything. He'd learned to admire the well-concealed compassion behind Nora's outward and real show of strength and determination. Before a hurried phone call, his mother had asked him not to phase out and visit Nora at her work, so he hadn't discussed the issue with his wife.

He turned to sounds and saw Nora set her purse on the console table in the entry. He was reminded of the stroll of a cougar as she moved toward him exhibiting the fluid grace of the feral cat. She didn't look around. She fixed her sultry green eyes on his, moved next to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her lips to his. It wasn't a passionate kiss. It was slow and warm and soft — a comfortable embrace.

When it ended, she leaned back and said, "It's okay if the child is yours, David." She smiled. "I'd be surprised if it wasn't. That said, let's go with Pops' approach. It's his baby — period. End of discussion."

He smiled. "Why?"

She kissed him again, this time with more passion, and then said, "Because that's what my father wants. His wife is pregnant. He will be the baby's father."

"All right. I'll leave it at that," he said.

"With the way we are, the baby will have three mothers and two fathers anyway," she said. "What are you drinking?"

"Scotch on ice."

"Fix me the same while I shuck my clothes and freshen up. When I get back, you can tell me about your charitable good deeds."

"We're having dinner at Mom's house and then spend some time in the communal room. Dress is formal."

When Darla designed and built her home on the acre in the compound that David had reserved for her, she had included a large room that provided sensuous comfort for up to six lovers or pairs or other combinations at the same time. They called it their communal room, and it had been a stunning success.

"I know. Carol told me," Nora said and smiled enigmatically. "It should be an interesting evening."

David wore a regular black tux, but Joe was decked out in Western formal wear: a highland frock coat over a red "Twin Cities" vest. The ladies were resplendent in slinky formal gowns. Little George wore a dark suit and red silk tie, which he hated. He'd pulled it loose, and then discovered he could twirl it like a propeller.

They dined in candlelight, and the catered meal was as sensuous to the palate as the setting in which it was served. The wines were superior vintages (Carol drank sparkling water), and the desserts were sinful. The dinner conversation revolved around charity in the trenches and what each wanted from the new help they planned to hire.

"I've met most of the women at the Johnson shelter," David said. "While on my flight tonight, I'll look for candidates for the cook and housekeeper jobs. I'll also connect with Darrell at the homeless shelter and move around in his past for a day or two, so I can connect with some of the homeless folks in the CASS shelters."

"Most of the battered women have children, David," Darla said. "Housing them could be a problem."

David's shoulders slumped. "Dammit, you're right, Darla."

"The bunkhouse and cottage at the ranch are vacant," Carol said. "The cottage can house a combination cook/housekeeper and one or two children, but if we do that, the ranch foreman will have to stay in the bunkhouse. If the foreman is married, he should occupy the cottage."

"We have three guests suites and a half-dozen vacant bedrooms at the compound," Darla said.

"That'd work temporarily," Nora said. "But what we really need are two-bedroom suites like in hotels: a bedroom for the mother, another for the children, a private bath, and a living room, in other words, a home, not just a room."

"What about a kitchen?" David asked.

"Not at the ranch," Carol said. "There's a kitchen and large dining room next to the bunkhouse."

"Sounds like you're going to need two cooks for the ranch," David said to his mother. "One for the big house and one for the bunkhouse."

"I don't think so," Carol said. She took Joe's hand in hers. "I can do the cooking for Joe and me. Nora, Darla, how will you handle the cook for the compound? She'll have to cook for the help and two houses, three, if you count mine."

Nora groaned. "The more we talk about this the more complicated this becomes. Mom, with a baby on the way, you'll need a cook as much as Darla and I. It seems to me that our lifestyle dictated how the compound was designed, and servants weren't considered, especially servants with children. The ranch was designed as a working ranch, and it can house its cook and ranch hands, if they're all single males. But, Carol, you were right. The cottage should be reserved for the ranch foreman. The cook and a housekeeper, if they're female, will need to be housed in the big house, which doesn't work if they have children. I say again, the women and children need homes, not rooms."

"My first interview will be for a driver/bodyguard," David said. "Don't leave security personnel out of the mix."

"And if children of varying ages become members of our households, we'll need to alter our lifestyle. Nudity is fine, but fucking whenever or wherever the urge strikes us will have to stop," Darla said.

"Shucks," David said with a grin. Then with a sigh, he said, "Are the problems too cumbersome? Should we go traditional and hire help through employment agencies and preclude children from the mix?"

"No," the three women said simultaneously.

David looked at Joe. He shrugged and said, "We need the help, and I like the idea of giving folks down on their luck a leg up in life. And children under foot don't upset me, just the opposite. Nora's idea about a home not a room makes sense, though. There's enough land at the ranch and the compound to build housing for the help. Unfortunately, design and construction will take four or five months, so the problem is a matter of timing. With some stable hands, I can run the ranch until the two-bedroom suites are built, so Carol and I can house the cook and housekeeper in the cottage. I'll hire the foreman later, or promote someone from the stable hands I'll hire."

"The bunkhouse needs some work," Carol said.

Joe laughed and said, "Don't make it too fancy, buttercup, or the stable hands won't feel comfortable."

"I'm talking paint, mostly," Carol said. "Maybe new floor covering. Something impervious to dirt that's easily cleaned, and the bathroom will need new fixtures. A large armoire with drawers for each hand. Indian rugs on the floor. Western décor."

Joe laughed again. "What? No frilly curtains?"

She laughed with him. "If you want frilly curtains, cowboy, you'll get frilly curtains, but frilly won't match the Western décor I have in mind."

"Okay," David said, "that solves the help at the ranch. How should we handle housing at the compound?"

"Use the guest suites for the mothers with adjacent rooms for the kids until the new units are built," Nora said.

"Uh-uh," Carol said. "Use my house for the help at the compound. It'll be temporary, so I won't mind."

"We'll do both," Darla said. "And when we design the new units, we'll fix the communal kitchen and eating area problems at the same time."

"Speaking of a communal room, let's take this discussion to ours," Nora said.

"Go ahead," Carol said. "I'll send the caterers on their way and join you in a few minutes."

"And I'll put George down for the night," Darla said.

Temporarily sated, David found himself cuddled with his mother on large pillows in a private corner of the communal room.

"Is the child mine?" he asked quietly.

"Don't know," Carol said.

"Will you do the tests?" he said.

"Yes. That's between you and me, son."

"What will you do if I'm the father?"

"Abort."

"An abortion could cause irreparable harm between you and your husband," David said.

She said nothing.

"Mom, we have millions. If the child is mine, hire the best and find out if the child is defective before you abort," he said.