Chapter Two

Marita scooped the scrambled eggs onto a plate that was already full of sausage and bacon. She then opened the stove and removed the biscuits she'd baked. From there she went to the small cabinets and retrieved some dishes and eating utensils. It was so strange for her to be in this kitchen cooking breakfast like she never left. After her mother died cooking for her pa became one of many new responsibilities she had to take on, but after the accident and her move to Toronto she hadn't had the opportunity to cook due to her Aunt and Uncle having a servant to perform such duties. Surprisingly she had missed the task and enjoyed revisiting it this morning. Marita removed the grits from the stove and poured them in a large bowl. She really should be asleep. She tiredly thought, considering how early it was and how exhausted she still was from her trip. However, she couldn't sleep, not anymore, not right now, not after having such a poignant dream. She'd had poignant dreams before most recently while she was in Toronto. Those dreams were in part what were driving her here. However the dream she had last night was different. She was walking through a field full of dandelions that were knee-high. The sun was high above her, hidden by an array of thick clouds as the cool wind blew around her. She had been so happy and excited as she walked towards something, someone. She couldn't wait to see him, to be with him….Him? She questioned with staggering realization as she remembered what she hadn't remembered before that in her dream she was going to meet a gentleman caller…

"Is that breakfast I smell?" Isaac asked walking into the kitchen, drawing Marita from her thoughts.

"Yes." She answered pushing the thoughts surrounding her dream aside. "I thought it was the least I could to considering how I showed up on you're doorstep unexpectedly last night then went to bed almost as soon as got through the door."

"Sweetheart you know you're welcome here at anytime." He said thinking she was always welcome in his life. She was his daughter, but he hated the idea of her being in Lexington. "And as far as your untimely need for sleep, well you'd just had a long trip and were tired so no complaints from me." He assured then kissed her on the forehead, causing her to smile.

"Milk or Juice?" She asked as her father took a seat at the table.

"Juice." He answered. Marita poured him a glass of juice then took it and a plate of food to the table.

"This looks wonderful." He said, his mouth watering at the sight of the hearty meal before him.

"Thanks." She said then returned to the counter and began prepping the pots she'd used for cleaning.

"Honey, what are you doing?" Isaac asked.

"I was going to cle…"

"You're going to do no such thing." He interjected. "Grab a plate and eat." He said. "There's no point in you cooking this wonderful meal and not sitting down to enjoy it."

"Alright." Marita said with a smile, a little surprised by her pa's response. Then she fixed herself a plate and joined her father at the table.

Father and daughter sat in a comfortable silence devouring their meals and examining their thoughts. Marita drifted back to the dream she had the night before. How strange it was to feel so much life and joy in a dream. How strange it was that those feelings remained with her as did the vivid scenery of the dream. And then there was the mysterious man whom she was going to meet. Who was he she questioned within trying to remember if her dream revealed the mysterious gentleman caller, but quickly realized that it hadn't. The dream had ended with her walking through the field.

"We didn't get a chance to talk much last night." Isaac began interrupting her thoughts. "We didn't get a chance to talk about why you decided to come to Lexington so suddenly." He said, stating what he'd been thinking since his daughter had arrived. He was happy to see her. After all it had been over a year since he'd seen her but her being in Lexington made him nervous. She hadn't been in there since right after the accident, and once he learned how risky it was for her to be there - how it could trigger unwanted memories. He quickly changed that by sending her to Toronto to start a new life.

"Marita?" Isaac said pulling himself from his thoughts when he realized she hadn't answered him.

Marita hadn't answered her pa because she was lost in her own thoughts wondering what she should tell him. Wondering if he would understand what she'd been feeling what she'd been dreaming. He'd always been so adamant about her remaining in Toronto that it was the best place for her to heal and start a new life. But would he understand her being back in Lexington not just for a visit but to learn about her missing past and to perhaps even stay?

"Marita?" She heard her pa utter again.

"I missed you." She finally said. "I haven't seen you in over a year." She continued, purposely leaving off the strange dreams and feelings she'd been having – for now.

"You didn't have to leave your life in Toronto to come." He said. "You could've just wrote and said you wanted to see me.?" He stated, wishing that she'd done just that. "I would've made arrangements to come up had you asked."

"I know." Marita replied as she picked over her eggs and grits. "But you've come to Toronto the last couple of times we've seen each other. I thought it'd be nice if I came to see you." She said returning her eyes to him.

Isaac studied his daughter closely feeling that she was holding back, her answers deepening his worry. He knew that she was telling the truth when she said she wanted to see him, but there was something more to her sudden visit. Something she wasn't telling him. "Without sending a letter or telegram first?" He asked with concern.

"I thought I'd surprise you." Marita said as she got up from the table and took her half full plate and empty glass to the counter. "I knew that if I wrote and said that I wanted to come you would've stopped me." She explained.

"Honey you know I'm happy you're here." Isaac expressed once more, even though he knew that she was speaking the truth when she said he would've stopped her from coming. "I'm just trying to understand why you came so suddenly." He said again. "I feel like there's more to your visit than you're telling." He admitted.

"Pa I'm okay." Marita assured turning from the counter to face him. Then she paused. She was again debating whether she should tell him what she was really thinking and feeling what was truly driving her actions. Then she continued. "There is more…I'm here…I came here so suddenly because I feel like this is where I need to be." She said.

"What do you mean?" Isaac asked with confusion.

"I don't know." Marita answered. "I just feel drawn to Lexington, like I need to be here right now. I felt it so strongly in Toronto that I couldn't ignore it anymore." She explained. "So I came. And I know it sounds crazy, but somehow I know these feelings are connected to my past and strangely my future." She confessed feeling relief yet fear at openly stating what she felt – at the magnitude of it all.

"Does these feelings have anything to do with your accident?' Isaac calmly questioned, successfully maintaining his strong exterior even as he was rattled within. "Are you remembering what happened? He asked.

Marita oddly thought of the dream she'd had the night before. "No." She answered. "I still remember nothing….it was just these feelings about Lexington. The feelings were so strong that I became restless in Toronto." She said. "The amazing thing is I've only been here a few hours and already I feel…" She hesitated then continued. "I know I did the right thing by coming. I can feel it in my heart." She finished.

"Well that's all that matters." Isaac forced himself to say as stood from the table and brought his empty dishes to the counter. "You knowing you did the right thing." He said as he stared into his daughter's eyes, thinking that though he was happy to hear that she wasn't remembering anything new, the thought of her having such a strong pull to Lexington made him very concerned about where her sudden visit could lead. "So how long do you plan to stay?" He asked then asked as he proceeded to the door.

"I don't know, a week maybe two." She said now returning to cleaning up the breakfast dishes, knowing within that her stay would be longer.

"Good" Isaac asserted - feigning joy at her answer. He didn't like the idea of her being in Lexington even for a week or two, but what could he do? Nothing but allow this to play out. "So any plans for today?" He pushed as he removed his hat from its stand and turned to face her.

"I'm going to see Alice and Lexy." She said. "I can't wait to see them." She expressed aloud. "It's been so long…and maybe I'll take a walk to the pond, visit town…"

"Maybe you shouldn't try to take on too much today.," Isaac discouraged, again not liking the idea of her exploring "familiar" places, even visiting Lexy and Alice, remembering what the doctor had said. How such things, such places could reawaken her lost memories. "You just got here last night, and I'm sure you're still a little tired from your trip." He said. "Plus it's been awhile since you've been on the ranch. You might not…remember everything. A lot has changed on the property in the years you've been away. It might not be wise for you to venture out until I can give you a tour. You could get lost if you go alone."

"Perhaps you're right." Marita said even as she found her pa's statements odd. She was sure Lexy and Alice would be more than happy to give her a tour of the ranch. "Maybe I'll just stay close to the house and rest today."

"Good." Isaac nearly sighed with relief. "I'll take you around the ranch and into town tomorrow if not then later in the week."

"Alright."

"I have to get work." Isaac said as he put on his hatr. "No venturing out without me." He jokingly declared - though he meant every word.

"I won't." Marita promised. Isaac briefly held his daughter's gaze still hiding his concern while desperately hoping that she'd keep her promise before he then reluctantly left for work.

Downtown Lexington had been unusually busy. It had taken nearly two hours for Clay to pick up supplies needed for the horses and more than 45 minutes for Alice and Lexy to pick up their dresses from the cleaners. Then once they'd picked up their supplies, they'd had to deal with the gridlock in the middle of town. It had been a bit of a nightmare. They had been hoping to go to town and quickly return to the ranch, because they didn't like leaving a stranger – MaryLynn, alone in their home for a long period of time. Though she was always the perfect lady when their pa was around, when he was away, she became a completely different woman. Often times prancing around the house, snooping in places she shouldn't or disappearing without a reasonable explanation, while treating them like a thorn in her side, sometimes like they didn't even belong in their own house. She was trouble. They all knew, and somehow they had to figure out what they could do to remove her from their lives.

"When did pa say he'd be home?" Alice asked as Clay drove their carriage out of the gridlock and away from downtown Lexington. "Sometime tomorrow?"

"No." Clay answered. "He said that he would be returning late this evening."

"He's going all the way to Lancaster and back today?" Lexy skeptically questioned.

"That's what he said." Clay stated.

"That makes no sense." Alice said. "He must have business first thing in the morning."

"I wish that were the case." Clay replied. "But it's not."

"So what is the case?" Lexy asked now looking out towards the mysterious woods that were slowly drifting by.

"MaryLynn." Clay dryly answered.

"MaryLynn?" Lexy questioned, turning her gaze back to her brother.

"He's returning for her?" Alice questioned incredulously, ignoring Lexy's assertion.

"I didn't say that." Clay countered, briefly glancing at Alice.

"You didn't have to say 'that.' " Alice strongly replied. "There's no other explanation for him rushing back home from 20 miles away."

"Would you two quit ignoring me and tell me what's going on?" Lexy irritably requested.

"Do I have to spell it out?" Alice retorted slightly turning in her seat so she could eye her sister who sitting on the seat behind Clay. "Pa is returning from Lancaster to be with MaryLynn."

"We don't know that for sure." Lexy challenged. "We do have a couple of foals due any day now. He could be returning to make sure he's here when they're born." She said, voicing her hope aloud.

"Lexy, Clay and the other ranch hands have more than enough experience to handle the birth of a couple of foals." Alice stiffly pointed out, her words instantly deflating Lexy's hope. "So what is it this time?" She continued, now returning her attention to Clay. "Another show at the Rialto? A picnic at the lake…"

"No, dinner at Corbett's." Clay interjected, displeasure apparent in his voice.

"Are you sure?" Lexy asked with dismay, still not wanting to believe what she already knew, that her pa was falling for MaryLynn.

"Yes." Clay answered his eyes remaining fixed on the road ahead. "I overheard him speaking to MaryLynn before he left. He told her that he couldn't wait for their dinner tonight at Corbett's."

"Great another romantic outing for that woman and pa." Lexy sighed.

"Why didn't he tell us? Why didn't you tell us?" Alice then asked, now giving Clay an accusing look that he couldn't see. "Why all of the secrecy?"

"I'm telling you now." Clay retorted.

"Yeah after I just happen to ask when pa was going to be home from Lancaster." Alice snapped. "I guess if I hadn't asked, Lexy and I would've learned…."

"What are we going to do?" Lexy asked with concern, interrupting Alice. "MaryLynn's getting too close to pa."

"They're just going out to dinner." Clay sighed, annoyed more with the situation surrounding MaryLynn than Lexy's constant questioning. "They're not getting married."

"But that's how it all starts." Lexy countered. "Pa has already taken her to a show. Now he's taking her to Corbett's. Next they'll be planning a wedding."

"Bite your tongue." Alice instantly scolded as she glared at her sister. "Pa is not marrying that woman."

"Well then what does it all mean? If it doesn't eventually mean marriae?" Lexy questioned with annoyance.

"It means that he likes her Lexy." Clay explained with frustration. "That's what a man does when he's fond of a woman. He courts her, takes her out to nice places."

"But to what end?" Lexyargued. "If pa keeps seeing her, eventually he'll want to ma…."

"Don't even say it." Clay ordered his sister, halting her words. "Pa could wake up tomorrow and decide to "end" things with MaryLynn."

"That's a big if." Lexy challenged. "She's been in the house for weeks, and she and pa have only got close." She continued as she briefly turned her gaze to a quiet and contemplative Alice. "I just don't think it'll end any time soon." She said.

"So what are you suggesting we do?" Clay asked. "Kick her out. Pull the same stunt we pulled with Miss Beatrice?" He continued sharply, reminding her of the scheme they executed many years before per Sean's duplicitous planning. "We don't have the power to kick her out. And pa would not stand for the stunt we pulled with Miss Beatrice a second time around."

"I don't know what we can do." Lexy replied, her tone distressed. "I just know that if we don't stop what's happening between her and pa...I don't know...I just don't get a good feeling about her."

"None of us do." Alice chimed in, finally rejoining the discussion with a response. "But like Clay said, what can we do except maybe talk to pa about what we're feeling." She suggested. "Maybe we can convince him to slow things down...that'll give us more time to figure out a way to stop what's happening."

"Do you really think we can convince pa to do that?" Clay stiffly questioned "He hasn't even said when she's moving out. And she's certainly well enough to do that. " He said, thinking how they'd asked about the woman moving back to the boarding house weeks ago, but their questions had been instantly dismissed.

"I know." Alice replied with worry, thinking about the same conversation as Clay. "But we have to at least try." She said. "Our opinions have to mean something to him."

"They didn't mean anything when we mentioned how we were uncomfortable with her staying in the house before." Lexy reminded her sister.

"Lexy's right." Clay said as he pulled the horse's reigns slowing down the carriage due to their closeness to the ranch. "We're not going to get anywhere trying to convince pa to kick MaryLynn out or to end their 'courtship'." He said. "We're going to have to get her to leave, to end things with him."

"And how are we going to do that?" Alice asked, the doubt apparent in her voice. "You just said another plan like the one we used on Miss Beatrice is not going to work."

"I don't know." Clay declared as he now directed the carriage down the long driveway that led to their home. "Give me some time. I'll figure something out."

MaryLynn cased the Logan's office, looking at all of the prestigious books, sculptures and works of art that graced the walls. She couldn't believe that people actually lived like this, with priceless items decorating their homes and servants at their beckon call, but Ned Logan did. And here she was, MaryLynn Grimes, in the mist of it all. What she wouldn't give to live like this for the rest of her life she thought, again letting her mind wonder to the dangerous idea of turning this into a job that would only profit her. MaryLynn then quickly pushed the thought from her mind and again became focused on why she was in the office. She then made her way over to the desk and searched it for the item she was looking for. When she didn't find it on top of the desk, she then moved to the drawers, rummaged through its files when she finally found the item she'd come for. MaryLynn then pulled the item from the drawer, then tidied up the desk to make it appear undisturbed before she then left the room. As she quickly made her way down the hall towards the stairs, she heard the sound of the front door opening accompanied by voices, which halted her stride. Thinking quick on her feet, MaryLynn returned to the decorative table she'd just passed moments before and hid the item she was carrying underneath some papers in one of the drawers. Now hearing the voices drawing closer, they must've heard her moving around, she thought, MaryLynn retrieved one of the books that was stationed on top of the desk and had just moved away from the stand when Alice and Lexy appeared in the hallway.

"MaryLynn." Alice coolly uttered, surprised to see the woman in the hallway.

"What are you doing down here?" Lexy questioned in a tone that bordered on annoyance.

"I was going to take the air on the veranda and thought I'd take something to read from the study." She innocently fibbed. "I hope you don't mind." She haughtily stated.

"Of course we don't mind." Alice replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"As long as you return it when you're finished." Lexy dryly added.

"Of course." MaryLynn sharply declared with a "niceness," that failed to hide her distain for the young girl. "I wouldn't dare do otherwise." She proclaimed then sauntered away, leaving a suspicious Alice and Lexy behind, hating to leave the ledger in the drawer where it might be found before she could return and retrieve it.