Chapter 5

That following weekend, Frank and Elaina went to see her parents. He was amazed by the size of the ranch. Elaina explained that they had started out with just 50 acres and now they had over 300 for the horses to roam on. Their ranch had been voted as one of the top ten in horse training and riding. Her father used to let others come and ride at the ranch, but when she and her siblings grew up and moved out they concentrated on the breaking and training horses for parks as well as selling to the public. Most of the horses were from the Adopt A Horse Organization, they used those horses to work the ranch. The horses they trained came from auctions or other ways such as breeding.

“This place is beautiful. I could live here the rest of my life and never look back,” Frank said when they pulled up the long driveway. “Why did you ever want to leave here?”

“I liked the idea of catching the bad guys,” Elaina said. “Look Derek! There’s Grandpa and Hank in the pasture.” She pointed as Frank slowed the car to a halt. She got out and waved to them while Derek shouted excitedly about the horses.

They rode up to the fence while Elaina got Derek out of the car.

“There’s my little partner,” Hank said, then he spied the man with her, getting out of the car. “Is that the man who roped your heart?”

“Yes! Frank, get over here and meet my fathers,” Elaina said, smiling while Hank and George got off their horses.

Hank gave her a disapproving look for calling him father in front of George.

‘Hello, Mr. Blakely?’ Frank said and signed, acknowledging him first.

George smiled. He hated to be ignored and it pleased him when people signed to him right off. ‘Glad to finally meet you. You can call me George,’ he signed.

‘I love your ranch. It is very beautiful,’ Frank said and signed.

“You don’t mind too well do you. I told you not to refer to me as your father while he is here.“

“I’ve talked to Daddy. He told me I could acknowledge you as my father it wouldn’t bother him. He said it was the right thing to do.”

“Not in my eyes.”
“Listen, I also told him he would be called Daddy no matter what, I wasn’t going to change my ways to suit either of you,” Elaina stated.

“All right, I know better than to argue with you. When you’re ready to talk more, I‘ll be around,” Hank said while Frank and George walked over to them.

“I’ll be ready after I go in to see Mom and get settled,” Elaina said, smiling. “Take my boy for a short ride and then I should be ready.”

“Sounds like a deal to me. Come on, little man.” Hank said, taking Derek in his strong arms, placing him on the saddle. He instructed him to hold to the saddle horn while he swung up behind him.

Derek grabbed the reins with Hank putting his hands over them. “Go, horsey!” Derek commanded.

“We’ll be back in a little while,” Hank said, coaxing the horse to start walking.

‘You better get to the house before your mom sends out a search party,’ George said.

“We will, Daddy. Are you coming in too?” Elaina signed and asked.

‘Be there as soon as I get the horse taken care of.’

Elaina and Frank went into the house, she thought her mother would meet them, only she didn’t. Elaina heard something running in the kitchen, so she went to see her while Frank sat down in the living room to wait on them. “Hi, Mom,” she said, standing in the doorway.

“My sweet girl! I didn’t hear you come in.” She walked over and hugged her.

“Losing some of your hearing?” Elaina asked.

“I had the blender going,” Elizabeth answered.

“Is that what that was? Are you making Dad’s stew?”

“Yep, he would have made it, but he and Hank had a fence to mend,” she said. “Where’s your boyfriend, and my grandson?”

“Frank is in the living room and Derek is with Daddy Hank,” she answered, smiling.

“So, that is what you settled on calling him”

“Yeah. Hey, Mom, did you know Dad called me yesterday?” she asked, stopping her mom from leaving the kitchen.

“Yes, I was sitting with him.”

“I can’t believe he wants me to call Hank ‘Dad’ now and him George. I told him there was no way in hell I would do that.”

“So he told me. He thought you would want to but were afraid of hurting his feelings.”

“I thought long and hard about the news. I feel blessed to have two wonderful men raise me. I realize now just how much Hank acted like my father. He’d yell or pop my ass when I did wrong just as Dad did,” she said while they walked to the living room.

When they walked into the room, Frank stood up and smiled.

“He is a tall drink of water, isn’t he?” Elizabeth said.

“Yep and he is all mine. Elizabeth Blakely, this is my fiancée Frank Donovan.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Blakely,” he said, kissing her hand.

“Please call me Liz. Let’s sit down and talk,” she said, motioning to them.

A fe minutes later, George walked in, throwing his hat in an empty chair. He noticed the minute he came in all of them started signing while they spoke.

‘Hank and Derek are back. The little one is fighting sleep I think.’ he signed.

“He was up early. He was excited about coming home.” Elaina signed and said.

‘Frank, would you like the ten cent tour?’ George asked.

“I’d love it! If the ladies don’t mind,” he said.

“Go ahead; it will be an hour or so before we eat,” Elizabeth said.

George and Frank walked out meeting Hank coming up on the porch with Derek asleep on his shoulder. George quickly signed about the tour, then he and Frank walked away while Hank went inside.

“Missy, you want this pup?”

“Elaina, his room is ready. I cleaned it this morning,” Liz said.

“Okay, then we will talk,” she said, taking Derek in her arms.

Elaina walked up the stairs. The door to her old room was open and she saw the crib complete with teddy bears, sitting where her bed once sat. The room she would sleep in with Frank was once her sister, Miranda’s room. It was slightly bigger because she shared it with their cousin Maria when she came to live with them.

She went back downstairs, her mother must have went back to the kitchen. Hank was standing looking out the window while he waited. She cleared her throat to get his attention. “Do you want to talk her or at your place?”

“I’d like to go to my place and show you something,” he said. “If you’re comfortable with that.”

“Don’t see why I wouldn’t be. Let’s go!” She held her hand out for him to take it when they walked out the door. She saw her dad and Frank saddling up horses to go exploring the ranch further.

“Missy, you picked a good man there. I can tell by how he looks at you,” Hank said while they walked up to the porch of his small home.

“I’m not so sure you can say I picked him. He picked me is more like it,” Elaina said, laughing.

“Either way, I can see the love.” Hank opened the door and let her go in first. He walked over to his favorite chair and picked up a book of some sort. “Your mom made this for me. I have several more, but this is the one I want to share with you.” He walked over to the kitchen area and placed the book on the table. “Sit down, Missy.”

Elaina opened the scrapbook, seeing a lot of baby pictures of her. Her first haircut, the first tooth she got, the first one lost. Yes, there were many pictures, only the thing she noticed most was the writing under each picture said “my daughter” or “Missy” in his handwriting. Hank was the only one who called her that. She wouldn’t let anyone else, not even her mom or dad.

“Mom didn’t let you miss anything.”

“Neither of your parents let me miss anything. I was a fool not to let you know the truth sooner. I hope you forgive me.”

“Daddy, there is nothing to forgive. I understand why you didn’t tell me. I do realize you were there for me anytime I needed you. I always felt a bond to you, so there was no harm; no foul. I have always loved you and now I know why it was so easy to talk to you,” Elaina said, holding his hand. “I will treat you and George the same as I always have. I will send you a father’s day card as I always have, only now I will sign it ‘your loving daughter’.”

“Missy, you’re gonna make this old man cry.”

“You are not old,” she said, smiling. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, daughter,” he said, hugging her tight.

That night after dinner, Elaina and Frank were summoned by George to his den. She loved this room; she used to hide in it when she was younger and needed to get away from her siblings. There was a huge oak desk in front of the picture window, looking out to the side yard and pasture. Along the wall, were awards for the horses she and her sister showed at the fair when they were younger. Along the opposite wall were family pictures and other memorabilia.

She and Frank sat down in the two winged-back chairs in front of the desk. Her father was waiting patiently for them with a file sitting in front of him. “What’s going on, Dad?” she asked, signing.

‘I have some papers for you to look over and sign,’ he signed quickly to her.

“What kind of papers?” she wondered.

“I’m giving you and Frank the ranch when you get married.”

“We haven’t set a date. I think there is plenty of time for paperwork.”

‘I talked it over with Hank, he is going to run the ranch until you’re married. It will then be up to the two of you as to his duties,’ George was signing with lightning speed as he always did when he was all business.

“Dad! Wait a minute. Why are you doing this?” Elaina asked.

‘Your mother and I have decided to retire. You are the only one who showed interest in the business.’

“Dad, we have a career we love. I won’t have time to run this place. Just let Hank run it for you,” Elaina argued.

‘I have always backed you in your career. I want you to think about this, but before you leave I want you to find a way to do both.’ He got up and walked toward the door.

Elaina rushed to stop him. “You’re asking for a lot!”

‘No more than I know you can handle with a husband at your side.’ George walked out, leaving them alone.

Elaina looked over at Frank. He was just and dumbfounded as she was. “How can I work in Virginia and run this ranch?”

“We can always not get married,” Frank said, joking.

“No! I will not be forced into taking this place over, nor will I end our engagement because of it.”

“Then what do you plan on doing?”

“I’ll do what I was trained to do: negotiate.”

“I don’t think he left that as an option.”

“Not with him with the FBI. I‘ll find a way to stay here,” she said, smiling.

“It might help you, but I’ll have to stay on the east coast. Won’t I?”

“You can try to be stationed here if you want. You can fight your own battles,” she said, smiling.

“I just might do that!”

A couple of days later, Elaina was sitting on the porch with Derek while he played with his toy horses. Frank came up on the porch to sit with them, acting very excited about something.

“Hank wants to know if we’d like to help with a round-up,” he said.

“Hold on a sec.” Elaina went to the door and asked her mother to come out to watch Derek while she talked to Frank.

“Why are you calling your Mom out here?”

“I need to talk to you privately,” she said.

“Do we have an assignment?”

“No, but it does have to do with work. I called the agency and I took it upon myself to talk to your handler…me.” She laughed. “They are sending us satellite pagers so they can reach us no matter where we are. My transfer to CNU was approved it will be a week before they start calling me, but the CIA is keeping me active due to my specialties,” Elaina explained, walking off the porch when her Mom came outside.

“After seeing this place, I wish I had never joined.”

“It gives you incentive to stay safe.”

“So, if I want to stay here full time, I have to call the Director of the CIA myself?”

“Afraid so. I told you, you had to fight your own battles.”

“True. Now, why are we heading out to the barn?”

“You’ll see. Hank Morgan, where are you?” she said, going into the barn.

“What’s wrong, Missy? You didn‘t call me Daddy Hank am I in trouble?” he asked, peering down from the loft.

“Are you trying to get my soon-to-be-husband hurt? He doesn’t know anything about a round-up,” she argued.

“Why you have been gabbing to your mom in the house and playing games with Derek, I have been teaching Frank the finer points of it,” Hank explained. “I would never ask him to do anything dangerous.” He climbed down the loft ladder to join them.

“Did you use Larry to teach him?”

“I thought the horse’s name was Laramie?” Frank wondered.

“It is. Missy calls him Larry,” Hank answered, “Laramie is the best cutting horse on the ranch.”

“I know, sorry for jumping to conclusions. So, when do we go?” Elaina asked.

“You both need to be ready and in the saddle by 4:30am.”

“I’ll be ready. What about you, city boy?” Elaina teased Frank.

“I’ll be ready, don’t you worry,” Frank said, “I think I will go spend some time with my boy.” He gave Elaina a quick kiss then left her and Hank alone.

“Missy, did George tell you why he was retiring?”

“He and Mom were going to travel for a while then maybe settle in Texas or Florida.”

“He didn’t mention anything else to you?”

“You look worried. Do you know something I don’t?”

“Maybe he wants to surprise you,” Hank said, wishing he hadn’t started the conversation. George didn’t tell him not to talk about it with her though. “He is going to have a cochlear implant put in so he can hear again.”

“After all this time? Why?”

“No one told you this because he didn’t want you to worry, but I think you should know. Last year while on a round-up we took a break. Something spooked the herd and your dad didn’t hear them coming at him. I barely made it to him in time,” Hank explained.

“Oh my God!” she said, putting her hand to her mouth in shock.

“After it happened, he started looking into the implants and found he was a good candidate for them. So, if he was going to surprise you, act like you didn’t know,” Hank suggested.

“I will. I’m so glad you reached him in time. I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost him this soon. I’m not ready for any of my parents to go yet,” she said, hugging Hank.

“I’m not going anywhere for a long time. You better promise me the same.”

“I promise. I have a wedding to plan and more babies to have and a ranch to run,” she said, smiling.

“So, you have decided to take the offer?”

“Offer? It was a demand and yes I plan to with a few conditions.”

“Care to tell me what they are?” Hank inquired.

“Frank and I discussed it and we want you to run the ranch when we work. You make all the decisions if we can’t be reached.”

“Aren’t you taking a lot for granted. Maybe I don’t want to work for my daughter,” Hank said sternly.

“You won’t be working for me. You’ll be working as you always have, keeping my interests safe.”

“You plan on paying me for this?”

“That would make you an employee if I paid you,” Elaina said. “Were you an employee for Dad?”

“Nope.”

“I’ve seen the books. Why did you get paid a salary?”

“When I gave up my share of this ranch, I did it because I love you. I was going to leave, but your father said I deserved to be in your life. He said he would pay me a salary, so I’d have a nest egg for my retirement.”

“So, it’s actually a retirement fund not a working salary. I can live with that. Do you want a raise?”

“Yep.”

“How much?”

“Two hugs each morning. An ‘I love you’ at least once a day and a kiss goodnight every evening.”

“You drive a hard bargain, but I think I can live with it. You have a deal,” Elaina said, putting her hand out for him to shake.

“Nope. I want a hug!” he said, laughing.

“I love these type of deals,” she said, hugging him. She turned around when she heard a noise.

“You negotiate pretty well,” Frank said, holding Derek in his arms. “He’s ready for his nap.”

“Thanks for the compliment. Do you want me to take him in?” she asked.

“Kiss mommy,” Derek said, puckering up.

Elaina kissed him then he reached for Hank.

“All right, little pup,” Hank leaned over and gave him a kiss too.

The next morning, Frank slammed the alarm off when it rang at three-thirty in the morning. He reached for Elaina, only finding that she was gone. He reached for the light on the nightstand and flipped it on. His eyes didn’t want to adjust to the brightness but he forced them open.

“Why did I want to do this?” he muttered.

“Because you thought it would be fun.”

He turned to see her standing all ready dressed for the day. “How long have you been up?”

“Since three. I have coffee going and Mom is making breakfast. Don’t drag your feet too much Hank won’t wait for you. Neither will I.”

“Yes, Ma’am. I’ll be down in plenty of time.”

“I’ll see you outside,” she said, grabbing her cowboy hat as she went out the door.

“Geez, she even gets in Agent Blakely mode for a round up,” Frank said, heading for the shower.

When he was dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans, he went down to get some breakfast. Elizabeth was talking to George when he arrived in the kitchen. “Good Morning,” he signed and voiced.

“Did you get enough sleep last night?” Elizabeth asked.

“I hope so. Elaina was up before me. Did she say how she slept?” Frank wondered, sitting at the table.

“She always gets up early for round-ups, even in this cold weather. Do you have a warm coat with you?” she asked, setting a large plate of eggs, bacon, sausage and toast in front of him.

“Hank has one for me,” he answered, sipping his coffee. He set the cup down and got George’s attention. ‘Are you going today?’ He signed.

‘With you and Elaina, he has a full crew. I plan on holding up here with Derek. Don’t get enough time with him.’

‘Sounds like you will be having fun today.’

‘Pay attention to orders and you will have fun too,’ George signed with a serious look on his face.

‘I will. I better get going before they leave me here.’

The horses were in some small hills, to the north of the ranch. The objective was to move them to the pasture by the house. Each pasture was enclosed with a gate to allow access. Hank assigned one hand to open each gate when they approached. The horses that were now in the barn pasture had been moved the night before into the pasture by the house.

Gathering all the horses was the first part of the day. It took them most of the morning to accomplish it, then they took a break allowing the herd to get used to being together. The hands could rest but they had to stay alert at the same time that nothing cased the herd to spook.

Hank took count of the horses as they were gathered to make sure they were all there. When he was finished he rode over to where Frank and Elaina were resting on their horses.

“We’re one short,” he said. “Do you two want to go looking for it?”

“You counted wrong. They’re all there,” Elaina said, looking at the herd.

“I counted twice! There is one missing,” Hank countered.

“Twenty-five head, right?”

“Yes, that is right. I counted twenty-four!”

“Are you two going to argue about this all day?” Frank inquired.

“No, we’re not. She’s going to go look for the stray as I ordered.”

“You didn’t order us. You asked us. My answer is no. There is no need to look.”

“You are as mule headed as your father,” he said a bit frustrated.

“You should know,” she said, looking at him, winking.

“All right. I’ll take your word that there are twenty-five. But if George counts twenty-four, you and me are going to tangle,” he warned.

“I’m willing to wager on it. Are you?” Elaina asked.

“How much?”

“Fifty dollars to Derek’s trust fund if I’m right. Fifty to your retirement fund if I’m wrong.”

“Make it one hundred and you have a deal.”

“Done!”

After Hank rode off, Frank looked at her amazed by the exchange. “Are you that sure there are twenty-five?”

“No, I just know there isn’t twenty-four there,” Elaina said, smiling. “I never once said there was twenty-five, now did I?” She took off to where she was to be for the drive.

Frank didn’t know what to think about his soon to be wife. Was she toying with Hank just to rile him or was she right about the count being wrong? He looked forward to the end of the drive to find the answer.

Elaina and Frank’s job was to flank the horses to keep them from straying on the drive to the front pasture. If one did, it was Elaina’s job to get them back in the group since she was more proficient with a lasso if it was needed.

Hank barked orders to the others hands and knew Elaina and Frank would work well enough without telling them what needed to be done. He taught her a long time ago what to look for when herding the horses; he trusted her instincts too.

It was three in the afternoon by the time they reached the pasture. It was to snow soon and they needed all the horses nearby so they could care for them properly. In a few days, the horses that were moved next to the house would be sold to a riding academy in Denver and the routine of training these horses would begin. Even in the coming winter months they would work with them to make them as gentle as they could before putting a saddle to them. Hank believed in getting the trust of the animal was more important than breaking it to ride. You couldn’t do one without the other in his book.

Elaina and Hank rode up to the gate where her father, George stood counting. “How many Daddy?”

‘Twenty-five as there should be,’ he signed, smiling as Frank came up.

“Looks like you were right, Lady,” Frank said.

“Now hold on, I counted twenty-four, twice, out there. Explain to me how I missed one horse each time,” he said, pushing his hat up to look at Elaina.

“That short bay over yonder. I was watching him and he kept beside that big roan while you counted,” Elaina said. “Unless you looked at an angle, you might have missed him.”

“Missy, you have a line of bullshit a mile long. If I missed that horse, so did you,” Hank argued.

“If I missed it, how come I made the bet with you?” Elaina wondered.

“All right you win. I’ll give you the money tonight at supper,” Hank said, riding away.

‘Did you count the horses,’ George asked.

“No,” Elaina said and signed.

George and Frank laughed.

“You better apologize to him,” Frank said.

“I plan too.” Elaina smiled, taking her horse to the barn.