Cottages

Chapter 16

Beau was out, patrolling his lane. The air was crisp, with a slight chill to it. He instinctively knew that the snow was going to come. Maybe not that night, but soon.

He watched as the last of the strange cars slowly made its way down the lane toward the gate. By unseen hands, the gate opened, giving the car and its occupants time to drive through. Then it miraculously swung closed. Beau waited for a moment then made his way over to his pack’s house. He lifted himself up onto two legs, resting his great paws on an outer sill of one of the windows. The window was open, just a crack to allow for fresh air. Beau could smell the smoke from the fire and see the members of his pack that stayed there. They were on the floor on the big thick rug, growling softly as they mated. Beau quietly dropped to all fours, made a circle around the cottage, inspecting the shed and greenhouse.

Inside the house both Emmett and Drew were reaching climax. With a mighty roar Drew shot his load and fell atop Emmett, as Emmett cried out his own release. They lay like that for a moment waiting for their breath to come more easily.

“That was definitely a touchdown,” Emmett gasped.

“And we made the point after too,” Drew grinned as he gently withdrew.

“A two pointer!” Emmett chuckled.

“What do you know about two pointers?” Drew asked quizzically. “You’ve never been interested in football.”

“Not till I met you.”

“And you now know what a two pointer is?”

“Yes, I do. I watch the games every time you’re commentating and I watch when we’re home and football’s on. You always have a game on if you can find one.”

“I didn’t know you were actually paying attention,” Drew said as he kissed Emmett and rolled away. He grabbed the afghan from the couch and threw it over them.

“Of course I listen. I know you love football and I’m actually growing rather fond of it myself,” Emmett declared.

Drew chuckled. “Fond of football?”

“Uh huh.”

“One does not usually grow fond of football,” Drew said using Emmett’s favorite word ‘one’ to explain.

“Oh?”

“One loves it or is rabid about it or hates it or…”

Emmett leaned over and kissed his husband to shut him up. “I don’t care what one does. I am growing fond of it.”

“I guess that’s a good thing. I love that you are actually interested.”

“I’m interested because you’re interested. I love you,” Emmett said softly. “If I had to say what I’m grateful for today, I would say you.”

“You are the sweetest, kindest, smartest, gentlest, sexiest…”

“Oh, stop, you’re making me blush,” Emmett protested with a laugh. “On second thought, continue,” Emmett giggled.

“Anytime, Emm.” Drew rolled over on top of his husband, ready for round two.

 

*****
 

As Beau finished his inspection of the shed and greenhouse, he heard a loud yell from the cottage where two of his pack lived. His ears perked up, sensing that something might be wrong. He waited. Then Beau heard a gentle chuckle coming though the open window, and he knew everything was all right. He sprinted across the roadway and back up to the newest cottage on his lane.

“Molly, do you want some more wine?” Owen Jr. asked. There was no reason not to enjoy themselves. Neither had anywhere to be until Monday. Taylor was sound asleep in his crib. And would most likely sleep through the night. Thanks to John and the wizardry of his workforce, their cottage was toasty warm, even as the last of the logs in the potbelly stove was turning into embers.

Molly smiled appreciatively at her husband as he refilled her glass. They snuggled closely on their plush sofa, enjoying the rest of the evening.

“Mmm, this is nice,” Owen commented as he swung his arm around Molly’s shoulder bringing her closer.

“Yes, it is,” she murmured.

Beau slowed as he came to the front of the tiny cottage. The front path was illuminated by the glow of the lamp in the garden and by the light coming from the cottage. He carefully patrolled around the cottage then stopped at the glass front door to peer in.

“Oh!” Molly gasped as she saw the large dog through the door. She had just come back from checking on Taylor.

“What is it?” Owen asked, quickly at her side.

“Just Beau,” Molly replied as she opened the door. “Hey, big boy, you want to come in?” Molly asked the large wolf-like dog.

Beau stood his ground as he cocked his head. He sniffed the air coming from inside the cottage, cataloguing all its various nuances. This female smelled like his golden haired master, as did her pup. The male was an outsider to his pack but a welcomed one. Beau gave a little yip, then sprinted away.

“I wonder what that was all about?” Molly asked as she shut the door. Owen made sure the door was secure.

“Haven’t a clue but I like that he’s out there,” Owen commented, and Molly agreed. They felt safe knowing Beau was on patrol. “Ready for bed?” Owen asked.

“Not just yet,” Molly said seriously. “I want to talk to you about something.”

“Uh oh.”

“It’s not that bad,” Molly said with a smile.

“I know that tone. I’m not going to like it, am I?”

“I went for an interview yesterday,” Molly blurted out.

“You did? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Let’s sit down and finish the bottle of wine,” Molly suggested.

“Liquor only loosens me up so far,” Owen warned.

“Every little bit helps.”

“Have you agreed to a job? Are you starting tomorrow? Is it at Kinnetik?” Owen asked.

“No, no and yes,” Molly replied. “I had an interview with Cynthia yesterday.”

“Why didn’t Brian mention it this afternoon?”

“Brian doesn’t know. I asked Cynthia not to tell him or Justin. I want to do this on my own.”

“Is that why you didn’t tell me?” Owen asked. He was slightly hurt that Molly hadn’t discussed this with him first.

“No, I didn’t tell you because I wanted to see if I would be interested in working at Kinnetik, and more importantly, see if they were interested in me. If they weren’t or I didn’t think I’d like the job, I didn’t see any reason to worry you.”

“I wouldn’t have been worried. I know you’re good at what you do.”

Molly smiled and caressed her husband’s face. “You are the sweetest man, but that’s not what I was worried about. I know you’d prefer me not to go back to work.”

“I want you to be happy.”

“I know,” Molly replied gently. “And I think I could be happy at Kinnetik … but only if you think we can make it work.”

“What about Taylor?”

“I took him with me, and we placed him in the daycare, excuse me, the school at Kinnetik while I had my interview. They call it a school because Bree wanted so badly to go to school when she was in daycare there. The women who run it are wonderful. They were great with Taylor. When I came back after the interview, one of them was bouncing Taylor on her knee and the other children were talking to him and handing him his rattle. He was smiling and cooing. The stimulation will be good for him.”

“When will you start?” Owen asked, knowing his wife had already decided that this was what she wanted to do.

“Huh?”

“You heard me. You know you want the job. I can see it all over your face.”

“I do,” Molly admitted. “I told Cynthia I wouldn’t be able to start until after Christmas, and she said that would be okay. What do you think?”

“I think you should do it, if that’s what you want.”

“You mean it?”

“I mean it,” Owen said smiling gently and sincerely.

“I love you so much,” Molly whispered as she slipped into his arms.

“Ready for bed now?”

“Definitely,” Molly replied, her eyes full of love.

 

*****
 

The big dog ran up the lane toward the big house that was situated on slightly higher ground than the cottages. The house sounded quiet except for two deep male voices coming from the kitchen. The kitchen door was slightly open in spite of the cold. Beau approached the door cautiously.

“The boys did real good today,” Steve commented as he took a puff on a small cigar.

“Yes, they did. That Emmett fellow sure knows how to keep a party moving,” Dr. Dan stated, as he took a puff on his own cigar.

“I wonder about him sometimes,” Steve said, savoring the rich and sinful tobacco taste.

“What do you mean?”

“Him and that Ironman, how’d he ever score a man like that?” Steve pondered then broke out into very unmanly laughter. Dan followed suit. They each had a small tumbler of bourbon that they were sipping as they puffed away. The cigar smoke wafted out the open door passing Beau and making him sneeze.

“Shit!” Steve cried out when the sneeze startled him. “Who’s out there?” he demanded. The door slowly swung in to reveal the dog. “Geez, Beau, good thing Dan here is a doctor. You damn near gave me a heart attack,” Steve said as he patted the big dog’s head.

“Beau’s not the only thing going to give you a heart attack, Steven McNally!” Claire said sternly, glaring at the cigars in their hands. Emily came out from behind her, equally dismayed.

“The jig’s up, Steve old man,” Dan said as he put out his cigar then downed the rest of his drink. Steve did the same.

“Yep, she used my full given name; my goose is cooked. Better get a move on back home, Beau. You don’t want to be around here when the fur starts flying.”

Beau looked up at the people in the kitchen, apparently feeling the tension. He sneezed once more then backed out the door. He could hear the silly humans laugh as they closed the door behind him.

Beau had one more house to check in on before he could call it a night.

 

*****
 

“I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much in my entire life,” Leda exclaimed. Leda and Jamie had put away the leftovers and had just finished cleaning up.

“You mean you’ve never eaten to excess on Thanksgiving?”

“Never.”

“Your family must have been very disciplined.”

“My family never did Thanksgiving. No, that’s not really true. We did celebrate but usually with a chicken or a roast. It was just another day for us. And then I left home as early as I could. Thanksgiving dinner was sliced turkey with all the fixings at whatever diner happened to be in the area. I was on the road a lot.”

“I’m so sorry,” Jamie said as she wrapped her arms around her lover.

“Why should you be sorry? I’m happy that I’ve had those experiences. It only makes me appreciate what I have with you all the more. I’m very lucky, Jamie. Very lucky to be here with you,” Leda purred into Jamie’s ear.

Jamie smiled as they locked up the cottage and prepared for bed. They snuggled together under the blankets.

“Maybe I’ll get lucky too,” Jamie whispered with a coy giggle as she dove under the blankets.

“Yeah!” Leda said as she joined her.

 

*****
 

Bree and Patrick had been put to bed. The girls were sharing Bree’s room. JR had no qualms about sharing with the six year old. Patrick felt very grown up when Gus had suggested that Patrick spend the night in his room. Patrick scampered to the upper bunk with a very satisfied look on his face.

It was still too early for the high school student and the college man to go to sleep so they decided to watch the news and work on some school projects up in Brian’s attic office. The men of Edna’s Treasures were still in the living room quietly talking and counting their blessings.

“So, big bro, am I going to have to get used to addressing you by your full title next year?” Brian snarked. He and Justin were stretched out on the sofa. The fire was still crackling away in the hearth. Brian was slowly rolling a brandy snifter of his favorite cognac in his hand as Justin dozed, his head pillowed on Brian’s chest. John and Bobby were sharing the other sofa. They too were enjoying the cognac.

“Perhaps,” John said with a smirk. “However, if you continue to show me proper respect, I’ll let you call me Mr. Anderson instead of doctor,” John said with a chuckle.

“I’ll call you an asshole if you keep up this shit,” Brian said with an arch of his brow. Justin shifted in his sleep. Brian gently patted his back. “Seriously, John, I am proud of you. Claire must be over the moon.”

“She was pleased when I told her.”

“What about you, Red?”

“I’ve always known that John is very special. It’ll be my honor to call him doctor,” Bobby said as he winked at his spouse. John blushed.

“Hmm, gives a whole new meaning to the phrase playing doctor,” Brian said with a leer.

“That’s enough, you two,” John growled at his brother and spouse.

“What?” Brian and Bobby said in unison and then they all softly laughed.

“This was a good day,” John said when they settled down.

“I agree, except for one asshole who shall remain nameless, this was a very good day,” Brian said as he raised his snifter for a toast. John and Bobby raised their glasses as well while Justin peacefully slept on in his lover’s arms.

 

*****
 

“I still can’t believe that this is all ours!” Lindsay exclaimed as she came out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. She was wearing a thick plush robe and nothing else. Melanie was similarly dressed in her robe.

“I know. I keep pinching myself wondering when I’m going to wake up. John did such a fantastic job and I love that we have a fireplace in practically every room!”

“So do I but I think we should have asked the guys about how to actually build a fire,” Lindsay said with a straight face. And then both girls cracked up with laughter.

When they had gotten back to the cottage, the girls stowed away all the goodies Emmett had given them then immediately went to light the fire in the main fireplace. They had watched Brian and Justin use their fireplace for years with relative ease. But the girls soon discovered that building a fire in their own big fireplace wasn’t as easy as it seemed. The damper wasn’t opened as much as it should have been, making the smoke billow into the living room instead of flowing up the flue. Fortunately, Lindsay opened the flue sufficiently, but not before both women found themselves covered in soot and ash. It was a great excuse to share a shower.

“Do you think the kids are upset that we left them with Brian and Justin?” Lindsay asked.

“No. They genuinely wanted to stay. I’m still amazed how well they get along. I guess we did some things right,” Mel said wistfully. Her relationship with Lindsay was back on track and Mel was determined to keep the lines of communication open with the children, especially JR. Both women were extremely grateful for the second, well maybe fourth chance they were given to finally get it right. Their new cottage was a big part of it.

As the girls shared a bottle of wine and some of Emmett’s delectable tidbits, Beau was following his stream to where it flowed near the grotto Brian had designed. The big dog carefully followed the familiar scents toward the new cottage. The surrounding grounds and cottage still held onto the scents of his masters. Beau approached the building cautiously.

“Should I close the window?” Mel asked just before she snuggled next to Lindsay in front of the fire.

“No, I like a bit of fresh air. It’s warm enough,” Lindsay replied softly as she sipped her wine. The flames reflected red and gold off her hair. Mel gently caressed Lindsay’s hair then ran a finger down her cheek.

“I love you,” Mel whispered as she leaned in to give Lindsay a kiss. “I am very thankful for what we have, for what we share. I promise to do all that I can to keep us together,” Mel vowed.

“And I vow to work at our relationship and take nothing for granted,” Lindsay promised.

As the girls sealed their promises with many kisses, Beau stood at the base of the open window. He could hear their whispers of love and their promises. He could smell their familiar scents, recognizing them as an important part of his extended pack. Beau circled this cottage, memorizing the terrain and the scents associated with it. It was now part of his territory.

Beau heard the giggles emanating from within the cottage. Other than the trickle of the stream flowing over the rocks and the girls’ laughter, the only other sound was the rustle of the trees in the wind. It was getting colder. Beau shook his thick fur then decided it was time to go home.

 

*****
 

“Where have you been all night, Beau?” Gus asked the big dog as he trotted into the sun porch and to his corner. Gus could hear the swooshing of the doggy door as it settled back into place. Beau took a good long drink and ate a few kibbles from his bowl. He then went to his bed, turning around a few times on his thick oversized pillow before flopping down. Beau sighed loudly then fell asleep.

“Looks like you had quite a workout, boy,” Gus said with amusement as he walked into the living room holding the portable phone. “Pop, it’s Mr. Bloom,” Gus said as he held the phone out for his dad. Brian scowled as he took the phone.

“Sidney?” Brian growled into the receiver.

“I know it’s late Brian and it’s a holiday but this couldn’t wait...” Sidney began and then proceeded to explain himself. Justin roused as Brian gently maneuvered them both up.

“Brian, is everything all right?” John asked with concern. Brian was not looking happy.

“Bri, what is it?” Justin asked rubbing his eyes, now fully awake.

“Hold on Sidney,” Brian grumbled then held out the phone for his lover. Justin reached for the phone to take it from Brian. Brian hesitated. Justin cocked his head.

“Sunshine, London’s calling.”

-TBC-
 

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