A/N: Welcome to my unofficialdas9 entry, a Misty Cove/"After the Fall" sequel. I thank you all for the love you gave the teaser a week or two ago, and hope you've found your way here having read all of "After the Fall" and its two sequel stories, "Time Moves On" and "All In A Name." Information from those will be threaded throughout this future-set Chelsie story.
For those of you who've already read the teaser, please feel free to skip down to the divider, where the rest of this first chapter continues.
Much love to all of you for the love YOU'VE shown for this little American-set Chelsie world of mine. I've missed it more than I ever thought I would, and it's good to be back. And if you have a moment after reading, I'd love a wee review to hear what you thought.
xxx,
CSotA
It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in Misty Cove. Elsie smiled as she drove down the winding country road, shifting in her seat to make her back more comfortable. After three days of beautiful and almost frightening thunderstorms over the ocean, her spine ached more than usual, making the sun and dry air quite welcome, indeed. She looked around at the long grasses blowing in the gentle breeze and the sunlight bouncing off of window panes, pond surfaces, and the occasional lawn ornament, and her heart felt a sense of peace. This was home. As if to prove her heart right, Andy was out in his yard and spotted her car, giving her a hearty wave and a shouted greeting, one which she returned in kind through her half-open window.
She turned at the familiar white fence, and as she accelerated again to reach the moderate speed limit, her heart rate quickened. It had been several weeks since she'd been to the farm, although that wasn't out of a lack of desire. Simply put, life had been getting in their way. Grandparenting had been getting in their way, and neither Elsie nor Charles would complain one iota about that. But mixed with house-sitting for Thomas and Logan for two weeks, Juliet's visit, repair to the master bath, and the other general odds and ends of life, the time had sped by uncontrollably. It was why Elsie and Charles had so enthusiastically replied to Anna's note about coming by for a relaxing dinner on the patio by the pond - a dinner to which Beryl and Bill had also been invited. As Charles put it, it had been much too long since they'd seen their dearest friends.
She slowed once more when she neared the sign for the farm.
They've painted it, she thought, noting that its letters were now golden and shimmery instead of blue and dull. A broad smile lit up her face as she pulled into the driveway, seeing the empty paddock but knowing that once she parked and alighted from the vehicle, at least one horse would show up around the corner to greet her. It wouldn't be Scarlett - that much she knew. Her girl was much too old now to be running out to greet anyone, and Elsie realized with a pang in her heart that it wouldn't be much longer before Scarlett wouldn't be occupying one of the stalls at the L'il Farm at all.
Twenty-six. She heaved a deep sigh.
Still, she pushed that melancholy thought out of her mind as she put the truck in park and climbed out, giving the door a good slam to close it tightly. The dull red hue didn't pick up the sunlight as it once had when it was brand new, and the multitude of scratches and dings that made Charles cringe only made Elsie more determined than ever to keep the old thing. After all, it had been the first birthday gift her husband had ever given her, back in the early days when she still wasn't sure she'd be calling him her husband at all.
Sure enough, as she crossed the driveway, one of Anna's newest acquisitions to the farm came out from the back door of the barn to greet her. Elsie grabbed a couple of carrots from the sack by the door and met the tall, white horse by the fence, where he lowered his head to nuzzle hers before accepting the treats she offered.
"My, my, Fred. Aren't you looking handsome today?" She reached up and stroked his mane, which must have just been brushed that morning. "Looking ready for a show soon, I think. Who's riding you these days? Is it Scotty, or maybe Lisa?"
"It's Rachel," came Anna's voice from several yards back, and Elsie turned swiftly in surprise.
"Anna!"
The younger woman pulled Elsie into a fierce hug, one which she returned just as tightly. "It's been much too long, dear. You're looking wonderful!"
"As are you," Anna replied with a laugh. "I think someone wants the rest of his carrots."
"Oh, quite right."
Anna joined her friend at the fence as they chatted about the farm, and she got Elsie caught up with information regarding clients and the contractors whom Anna and John had recently met with about fixing the barn's roof and water supply pipes. Over the years, Anna and John had become owners of the house outright, but Elsie still maintained the controlling share in the ownership of the farm. It had allowed them all a bit of financial freedom when the house was in a rent-to-own situation, and now that those payments had been completed, capital had been freed up to repair and expand the business aspect of the farm - hands-on equine therapy for children struggling with various psychological and physical needs - in addition to the Christmas tree farm that John still managed in the winter months. Business was booming on both ends, and the four friends were grateful for how easily it had all worked out.
"I'm sorry the boys aren't here," Anna said. "They'd have loved to have seen you."
"Well, let's just make sure it won't be another couple of months before we see you all again," Elsie replied. "Besides, it's wonderful that they wanted to spend some time with Mary's three."
"And how's Daisy?"
Elsie laughed. "About as one would expect: overtired, going crazy, and loving every second."
"Those first weeks are just so very hard," Anna said with a nod. "How I remember! John was wholly unprepared for how much energy a newborn just sucks right out of you."
"Isn't that the truth?" Elsie smiled fondly, remembering how hard it had been to get on with some semblance of her normal life when Juliet had come along.
They watched as Fred swished his tail, swatting at a couple of flies. He snorted, making Elsie laugh a bit.
"He's quite a character," Anna told her. "The kids just love him because he's absolutely immense, but he's really funny as well. Makes them laugh."
"Which is wonderful, of course." Elsie turned to look out over the property, leaning her back against the paddock fence. "It all looks great, Anna. Truly."
"Thanks! We've been so busy this year, but the painting and new fence have made a really big difference. And once the roof and water issues are sorted, we can add the new stalls to the barn, too."
Elsie took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the freshly-cut grass mixed with the scent of the barn. It had always been a comfort to her, that smell, and today it didn't disappoint.
They stood and chatted for a bit longer, and then suddenly Anna quieted.
"What is it?" Elsie asked.
"I think you have a visitor," Anna replied with a hesitant smile. "I wondered when he'd show up."
"Charlie?" Elsie asked, assuming quite incorrectly that it was her husband who'd appeared behind her. It didn't even dawn on her until a few seconds after that she'd have heard his car approach. She turned around, and any other reply she might have had simply died in her throat.
Anna watched as Elsie paled, but before she had time to worry, she watched a broad smile cover her friend's entire face, saw the color return, and saw Elsie's eyes fill with tears.
"Anna," Elsie whispered. "Why didn't you say?"
"Well, I was hoping it would be a nice surprise."
Elsie stood still, patient and unafraid, as the horse who'd so recently appeared in the paddock slowly made his way to where she stood at the fence. She lifted her hands slowly, waiting for him to sniff them and deem her acceptable. As soon as he did, she placed her hands on his head, patted his nose, and allowed her fingertips to brush the familiar pale spot on his forehead. A small tear escaped her eye and in her emotionally overwhelmed state, all she could manage to utter was one whispered word ...
"Star."
The sound of plates and cutlery clinked on the granite counter as Elsie and Bill handed the place settings across to Charles, who'd been charged with setting the patio table. Elsie brushed her fingers across the cool stone, smiling approvingly at the upgrades Anna and John had made to the kitchen. She turned her head and glanced at the double wall oven, the gleaming new refrigerator, and the new window treatment over the sink.
"It looks wonderful," Bill said, and Elsie turned to smile at him.
"It does. Last time I popped in, everything was torn apart and upside down. This is much nicer," she laughed.
"I'm sure. That must have been hard for you."
His comment took her aback, but after a moment, she nodded in agreement. "It was, rather. I didn't feel I had a right to feel anything about it by then, given that the house is all Anna and John's now, but it was difficult to see so much that was different."
Bill reached over and squeezed her forearm gently. "It was a good thing you did, Elsie, making this place work for them. They've all thrived, and you and Charles have built a lovely home over on that beach. Change, sometimes, is worth it."
"What's all this about change?" Charles's voice boomed in the small space, and Elsie giggled.
"Nothing for you to worry about," she replied, standing on her tiptoes to place a kiss to his chin. "Now, how's that table looking?"
"As if you have to ask," he huffed playfully. "Anna was telling me about Star."
Elsie nodded. "Yes, I'm so glad they were able to take him back. I'd made that bargain all those years ago, that if it didn't work out at his new place he'd always have a spot here, but I never in a million years imagined they'd have a barn fire. It was a miracle they all survived - animals and humans." She shuddered.
"And that they found homes for all the other horses," Charles added, giving his wife a squeeze just as Anna bustled in, pushing everyone else out.
"All right then, everyone. It's been remodeled, but it's still a small kitchen. Go on out and pick your seats. I think John's started opening the wine."
The Carsons did as they were asked, taking seats across from Bill and Beryl at the Bateses' table. John handed over glasses of wine, then water, and added a ginger ale to his own place. As if they'd timed it perfectly, Anna began bringing out the dinner dishes just as he finished.
"Here we are," she announced, placing them in the table's center. Beryl cast an approving eye over everything before her: baked salmon, a homemade pilaf, and early peas and beans from the garden.
"It's not fancy," Anna told them, "but it's all local and fresh."
"The best kind of food," Beryl reassured her.
The group made small talk as dishes were passed around and filled, and then the room was filled with sounds of happy approval as each dish was tasted.
"So, Beryl," Elsie began, once they were partway into the meal. "What's the prognosis?" She tipped her head toward Beryl's face, upon which sat a very dark, very large pair of unbecoming sunglasses. "For how much longer do you need to wear those?"
"She doesn't need to wear them now," Bill said quietly.
"Hmph," Beryl replied, turning her attention to Elsie. "I think two more days."
"But the doctor didn't recommend them, love," Bill reminded his wife. "You're just afraid is all."
"And what if I am? They're my eyes!"
Elsie hid her smirk behind her wine glass as she took a sip. "I think there's nothing wrong with being extra careful, even if cataract surgery has come a long way. If it makes you feel better, that is. But you're seeing well?"
"Oh, it's as though I'd forgotten how clear everything was!"
"All the better to see that granddaughter of yours, I bet," John added with a kind smile.
"Absolutely," Beryl replied. "She's such a good baby, too."
Conversation turned to talk about the five-month-old Laura, a topic about which everyone had something to say. Anna and John had experienced their first night babysitting for Daisy and William when the younger couple was out celebrating their anniversary with their parents. As the mother to only boys, Anna had appreciated having a little girl to watch over, and John had been reminded how nice it was to have a baby in the house again.
"But not too nice," Anna teased, jabbing him in the side.
"I don't know," Charles teased back at her. "Three isn't really that much more work than two."
"Says the man who didn't carry any of them," Elsie muttered.
John just laughed, his glance landing on one of his friends, then another, all around the table. He got up and refilled everyone's drinks, then raised his own glass.
"I'd like to propose a toast - to all of you," he said, and he smiled when Anna reached for his free hand and squeezed it gently. He swallowed a lump in his throat, took a deep breath, and continued. "For a very long time, back when it was just Mum and I, I never could have imagined having this - a beautiful, smart wife, two glorious children, and dear friends who have simply become family along the way. Here's to all of you, who've changed my life so very much. I don't say much most of the time, and you'll not get this many words out of me again until maybe Christmas, but I am truly grateful for you all, especially since Mum's been gone."
"Hear, hear," Charles said, and everyone clinked their glasses together.
The rest of the dinner passed easily, and cleanup was handled by the men as the women got a fire going in the pit by the patio.
"That was nice of John," Elsie said quietly to Anna as she handed the younger woman a lighter torch.
"He's been missing Fiona so much," Anna replied, lighting the paper beneath the kindling. "Her birthday was last month, and it hit him very hard. And you know John - always something he's mulling in that great mind of his."
"I miss her, too," Elsie agreed. "What a kind, gentle soul she was. I'm glad your boys got to know her."
"Me, too."
They rejoined Beryl, who'd taken off her glasses since the sun began to set.
"Looking good," Elsie quipped.
"Well, I see no real danger when the sun's down, but I'll tell you one thing, Elsie: I'm not having that procedure ever again, so I'm taking good care of these eyes now."
The ladies settled into a comfortable quiet, looking out over the pond as a couple of ducks swam by.
Eventually, it was Anna who spoke. "It won't be the same with the condominiums going up back there," she said, pointing past the pond to the land which had, up until recently, been another horse farm.
"Thank goodness for the trees," Beryl said. "They'll help block the view, anyway."
Anna nodded. "I know. John wants to plant more, but I don't think it's worth it. Just a sign of the times."
"I remember when this was such a quiet little town," Elsie mused, twirling the wine in her glass. "So much has changed since I moved here."
"Not all bad, though," Beryl told her with a smile. She reached over and squeezed her best friend's hand. "Husbands, children, grandchildren. I'd never have imagined in my wildest dreams that we'd have children who married each other, that we'd be grandmothers together."
Elsie laughed. "The fact that I'm married is still a marvel at times!"
The gentlemen joined their wives then, pulling chairs around the fire.
"Nicely done," Bill said, nodding approvingly at the fire.
"Thank you," Anna answered, and then she looked at John. "My kitchen is spotless, correct?"
He gave a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am."
Everyone laughed as the men settled into their seats, and Elsie gazed up at the sky as dusk began to settle in.
"I love it here," she murmured.
Charles just looked over at his wife, at how the sunlight bounced off of her auburn tresses, highlighting the silver threaded liberally through at her temples and her part.
"Me, too," he whispered, taking her hand. "Me, too."
tbc