Bart waited until supper was finished and the twins were in their room to fill Doralice in on that morning's happenings. "You sure Beauregard is coming with him?" was the first thing she asked.
"I'm sure. I guess Pappy and Ginny have been drivin' each other crazy. It'll do both of them some good for him to get out of her hair for a while."
"And into mine," Doralice murmured.
"I thought it might cheer up Maude for Pappy to come visit. She was awful quiet at supper tonight."
Her daughter nodded. "You're probably right. She was talking about Cristian this afternoon, and she seemed . . . you know how she gets. Beauregard will take her mind off what she's lost, I hope. I hate seeing her like that, Bart. She was so happy and alive, and now she's so sad all the time."
She was close enough that he could reach out and gather her into his arms, and that's just what he did. "Isn't there anything we can do to help? Something she can get interested in? Think we could get her involved again with the saloon?"
Doralice looked into her husband's eyes and saw the concern there. She knew the love and affection he'd always harbored for Maude, and it pained her now that he wanted so desperately to fix her mother's broken heart. "I don't think she has any desire to get re-involved with the saloon. It all seems to remind her of what she's lost."
He pulled her close and kissed the back of her neck. "What about somethin' new? I'm sure we could use her help with the ranch."
Doralice put her hands on his chest and gently pushed away from him just as someone knocked on the door. "We can give it a try and see what happens. But I wouldn't be surprised if . . . " There was no time to finish her sentence as she pulled the door open. As usual, Pauly Wilcox was early. "Come in, Pauly. Bret's gonna join us tonight, and he's not here yet."
"He'll be here right soon, Misses. I saw him comin' out of the tobacco store."
"Hello, Pauly. You ready to do some creatin' tonight?" Bart asked as he and the builder shook hands.
"Yessir, Mister Bart, and I'm glad to hear that Mister Bret is gonna be here. We gotta make sure this first house is just what he wants." Pauly headed for the kitchen table, which had been pulled into the center of the room to accommodate the number of people involved in the project.
Another knock at the door sent Doralice back to answer it. Lily Mae had ventured into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee while Bart got cups out of the pantry; Maude wandered out of her bedroom to see what the noise was all about. She stared dispassionately as Bret walked in, her interest peaked only when she caught sight of his father. "Nobody told me Beauregard would be here," Maude murmured to no one in particular.
Bart was close enough to hear her and apologized. "Sorry, Maude, I didn't get a chance to tell you he was comin' with Bret. Why don't you sit down and I'll put Pappy next to you." Maude smiled and headed for the far end of the table, and when Pappy made his way to the kitchen his youngest son made sure the two old friends were side by side.
XXXXXXXX
Lily Mae felt like she'd been up all night as she started another pot of coffee. It was sometime after midnight before the 'planning session' broke up, and right now it was almost seven o'clock. She heard movement in the twins' bedroom . . . and knew they'd be out soon, gathering eggs from the hen house in the backyard and watching her prepare breakfast. Before Maudie and Isabelle could appear to brighten her morning, Bart came striding out of the main bedroom, buttoning his shirt and tying his tie. "Good-mornin', Lily Mae," he greeted her, right before planting a kiss on her cheek. "How's my best girl this mornin'?"
"Tired, Mr. B. How can you be so bright and happy this early . . . " was as far as she got before the girls appeared, rolling into the kitchen just exactly as they had when they were smaller. The two tiny tornadoes had grown into two eight-year-old tornadoes; just as noisy and disruptive as before, only older. She handed Maudie the egg basket and the two of them went tumbling out the back door; peace was momentarily restored.
Bart was laughing and shaking his head. "Nothing ever changes, does it, Lily?"
"Not with this bunch," she answered. "How was Miss Maude last night after I went to bed?"
"Bright and happy as long as Pappy was here – she was almost like her old self. Quiet as a dormouse once he left with Bret."
Lily handed the man she'd watched grow up a full cup of coffee, and he accepted it gratefully. "Did y'all get anything worked out last night? It sounded like Bret couldn't make up his mind what he wanted."
"We did, finally," Bart told her as he sipped his coffee. "He's got three bedrooms and a semi-enclosed room in back where he wants to put a tub. He calls it a 'bath room.' It sounded kinda funny at first, but the more I think about it the more I like the idea. Pauly thought it was brilliant. We know where everybody's house is gonna go. And Wilcox made a pretty good estimate of what it'll cost and how long it'll take to get the first one built. He's gonna order enough to get started this mornin'."
Maudie and Belle came back from outside, and Belle presented a basket full of eggs to Lily Mae. Maudie was already sitting on her father's lap, begging sips of coffee from him. "Please, Poppy, please. Just a swallow. Your coffee is sooooo good."
"We do this every morning, Maudie, and every morning I tell you no."
She looked at him sweetly, with as much sincerity as she could muster. "And I beg you until you let me have some. Wouldn't it be easier if you'd just give me a swallow to begin with?"
"Lily Mae, help me here," Bart practically begged.
The long-time housekeeper chuckled as she shook her head. "That's payback, Mr. B, for all the times you drove your Pappy crazy beggin' for the same thing."
Belle had joined her sister, standing next to Bart and watching him closely. "You too, buttercup?" he asked plaintively.
"Yes, please."
It always amazed Bart that Maude was so verbose with her requests and Belle was just as succinct. There was no sense stalling any longer; neither girl was going to give up until she'd had her 'coffee.' He lowered the cup carefully and gave first one, then the other, one swallow from his cup, then handed it back to Lily Mae for a refill. "Where's your brother?" he asked his oldest (by almost five minutes) daughter.
"Where he always is, Poppy. Still in bed."
While his daughters were more than eager to go to school, his oldest boy Beauregard wanted nothing more than to remain in bed and sleep the day away. 'Just like me,' he thought, remembering all the school mornings his father had to threaten him within an inch of his life to get him up.
"I've got him," Doralice offered as she half-carried, half-dragged her oldest son into the kitchen.
"Is he alive?" his father asked.
"Barely," came his mother's answer.
"Beauregard," Bart practically shouted.
"I'm awake, father. There's no reason to yell at me," proclaimed the small lump on the floor, right where his mother had dropped him.
"Then stand up," Bart instructed.
"Must I?"
"Yes."
"Breakfast," Lily announced, and both girls were instantly in their chairs with their plates in front of them. Beauregard was still struggling to stand up. "Breakfast, Beauregard," Lily announced again, and set a plate of scrambled eggs at the table where he was expected to be.
"Tell me again why we didn't stop at two," Bart pleaded with his wife.
Doralice grinned and gave him a kiss. "Because we were havin' too much fun."
"And where are the wee ones this mornin'?"
"Still in bed. They looked like such angels, I just let them sleep. Lily, I'll cook them breakfast when they finally get up."
Lily Mae just laughed and pointed. Hand in hand the two littlest Mavericks, Breton and Lily, slowly walked across the floor towards the kitchen. "They smelled it," Lily Mae smiled, watching them head straight for the table. Breton helped his sister into her 'high chair' and then took his place right next to her. Both faces looked up hopefully and broke into big grins when Lily Mae set a plate of eggs down in front of each one. Breton handed Lily her fork and made sure she had a firm grip on it before picking up his own and digging into breakfast.
Bart shook his head. It never ceased to amaze him that his youngest son, named for his brother, was so protective of his little sister. Lily had been a happy surprise, and her daddy was thrilled when his wife suggested naming her for the only woman he had any conscious memory of as a mother. Lily Mae considered it an honor and was particularly pleased. Breton had become Lily's guardian and protector, and when she needed something, he was always there for her. It reminded Bart of the way Bret watched over him growing up, and well into their adult lives.
"Well, now that the chickens are all having breakfast, I'm goin' to the saloon. I've got some paperwork to catch up on, and I'm meetin' Pauly around noon at the Emporium."
"Placing the first order?" Doralice asked.
"Yep. Pauly's got a crew ready to start work, but he needs those supplies by next week. With any luck, Bret's house will be up in no time."
"Good. It's gonna be a race between the house and the baby." Doralice smiled, happy for once that it wasn't her race. "I think I'll take the little ones and go see Ginny today. Unless you need me for something."
Bart swept his wife into his arms and kissed her passionately. "I always need you for somethin'."
The blonde beauty giggled and kissed her husband back. "Smartypants. Try not to spend all our money today, would you?"
"It's not just our money, darlin'. It's big brother's money, too."
"I'm glad, for Bret's sake." There was a time when money was tight for Bret and Ginny, but that time had passed. Ginny was once again drawing a full salary from Pinkerton, and Bret had been riding a winning streak for months on end.
"So am I." No longer worried about his brother's financial status, Bart had pushed forward with building the B Bar M. "Love you, blue-eyes," he told his wife, and listened to the chorus of "Good-bye's" that followed him out the front door. Doralice watched him go and sighed.
"You really love that man, don't you?" Lily Mae asked.
"With all my heart and soul," Doralice answered. "He's everything I ever wanted." She turned back to the kitchen table, where five pairs of eyes were watching her intently. "Come on, everybody. You've got places to be and things to do."
Lily Mae handed Doralice a plate of eggs and a cup of coffee. "He's a lucky man, that one."
The beautiful blonde shook her head. "We're both lucky, Lily Mae. Both of us."