After seeing Ryan and Judy off, Daisy escaped to the break room to try and calm down before calling her brother. Her younger brother Coriander (everyone called him Cori) was a little surprised to hear his older sister had made plans for the evening but wasn't bothered until he heard what the plans were.
"You mean to tell me Ryan is picking you up and you're staying several nights with him and a few friends and you're just going to drop that bombshell on mom when you get home to pack tonight! Are you crazy!?"
Daisy's ears folded back and her tail-tip flicked irritably. "Well, Ryan is coming in with me so mom won't yell at me."
"So? You're going to drop this bombshell on mom then leave, and I'm gonna have to deal with the fallout!" Cori took a deep breath, then exclaimed with a wave of his paw, "You can't do that to me! Dad won't be home from his 6-week shift in the oil field till next week and I can't be left alone with mom after she finds out what you're up to!"
Daisy sat silently at the break room table, unsure how to answer. When their mom got her tail in a tizzy over some incident or idea that disturbed her, she didn't let it go for days and constantly brought it up making everyone around her miserable with her constant nagging and negativity. She wasn't always this bad, but after Daisy became close friends with a hare—a bunny—after they moved to Bunnyburrow, her mom felt betrayed.
Originally, there were four kits in their family. Daisy was the oldest, then their sister Magnolia (she had already gotten married and moved out), and then Cori, and then their youngest brother, Tarragon. But he died when he was seven and their mother, Rosemary, blamed a bunny for it.
They had lived far outside the city of Podunk in Deerbrooke County when their brother Tarragon had fallen severally ill. At first, they tried to nurse him back to health themselves thinking it was just the flu, but by the time they realized he wasn't getting better—only worse—they rushed him to the nearest hospital, which happened to be a prey run hospital. After arriving with a deathly ill Tarragon, the family found out the hospital only accepted predators with specific insurances.
The bunny in question (who was a jackrabbit herself) just happened to be the receptionist at the hospital and she absolutely refused to admit the young skunk kit on the grounds that he was a predator who lacked the necessary insurance to be admitted. They had argued with the receptionist for a while, but they couldn't budge her and eventually left after the bunny called for security. By the time they arrived at a predator run hospital clear across the city, it was too late to save Tarragon. Their mother's grief was unimaginable and she never fully got over her youngest son's death.
Thereafter, Rosemary blamed every and all bunnies for her son's loss, so she couldn't understand why Daisy would not only become friends with one, but had also fallen in love with him. After Tarragon's death and then all the bullying that Daisy and the others received growing up from other mammals—mostly small prey mammals like rabbits—Rosemary felt it the worst kind of betrayal for Daisy to fall in love with a bunny.
In many ways, she felt that Daisy had stabbed her and the family in the back by forgiving the species that had taken so much from them—that had made them suffer so much. And whenever Daisy hung out with Ryan, or he came over to the house, it always brought up painful memories of Tarragon's death. Seeing the tall jackrabbit her daughter was infatuated with always reminded Rosemary of all the things her son had been robbed of having died so young.
While remembering the reason for her mom being so upset with her choice, Daisy cringed inside. But it didn't make her change her mind about going to Ryan's tonight or joining them on the camping trip tomorrow morning. Daisy knew her mom was wrong to blame all bunnies for what happened to Tarragon. And even though the bunny receptionist was a bit of a jerk, it was the hospital's policies that were actually to blame, and the wealthy (stuck-up) prey mammals at the top who put them into practice. But Rosemary didn't see it that way. She wanted someone to blame for her son's death and so she turned her pain and anger on the rabbit receptionist who denied them admittance to the hospital.
"Uh, hello, Daisy? Are you still there or did you mentally check out on me?" Cori finally asked when his sister remained silent and lost in thought.
Daisy shook her head to bring her thoughts back to the present. "Sorry, Cori, I was thinking of Tarragon and why mom is so bitter about me spending time with Ryan."
"Yeah, it's really messed up how mom keeps blaming Ryan for Tarragon's death."
"Yes, it is." With a heavy sigh, Daisy added, "I just wish she could let it go. Holding onto all that hate and anger isn't helping anyone and it certainly isn't going to bring Tarragon back. And you know that's what's causing mom's ulcers."
"Yeah, I know." Shaking his head, he added, "Believe me, I know." Cori was usually the one who had to pick up their mother's ulcer medication. Like his sister, he wished their mom could let go of the past and start truly living in the present. Although there were a lot of specist rabbits and hares, they certainly didn't have a monopoly on bullying skunks. And there were other bunnies like Ryan who were extremely helpful and friendly. But their mother couldn't see that. Whenever she saw Ryan, a jackrabbit, all she could think about was the bunny who killed her son.
With a shake of his head, Cori asked, "Are you sure you're going to have fun on this trip? The others aren't going to tease you or make you feel uncomfortable are they?" He knew that some of Ryan's brothers liked to tease Daisy and make her uneasy.
Daisy shook her head. "You don't have to worry about that. Besides Ryan, his sister Patty-Mae and her boyfriend Joey are going and they've always been nice to me. And Ryan's friend Judy is going. I met her today and she seems like a really nice rabbit. She's actually the one who invited me." With a bright smile, she added, "After Judy invited me, Ryan insisted I come and wouldn't take no for an answer."
Cori nodded, then said, "Well, if you promise to have a lot of fun while you're gone, I suppose I can deal with the fall out of the nuclear bomb you're about to drop on the house."
Daisy giggled at his description and replied, "Thanks, Cori, you're the best."
"Yeah, yeah," her brother replied good-naturedly. "Just . . . just be happy, that's all I ask."
Daisy immediately thought of Ryan and how he'd held her paw today, and had stroked her cheek, and had, essentially, asked her out on a date tonight. There was no way she could be any happier than she was right now (except actually being on that date with Ryan). "I am happy, Cori—really happy. So you don't have to worry."
With a nod, Cori said, "Well, I better let you go. My boss is glaring at me for talking on the phone."
"Okay, Cori. And thanks again. You're the best brother ever. Love ya."
"Love ya, too, Daisy. Bye."
"Bye." As Daisy disconnected the call, she sat back in her chair and thought once more of how differently—how intimately—Ryan had treated her today. And the fact he was taking her to the Blue Moon Diner still made her head spin. She couldn't wait for her shift to end today.
Looking at the time, Daisy figured Ryan should be home by now, so she decided to take an early break and call him. The store hadn't been super busy today, and their coworker Sherry had already returned from her own break, so her and Bobby could handle the customers while Daisy called Ryan to help plan the trip tomorrow.
Ryan picked up on the second ring and said she had called at the perfect time. After putting her on speaker phone, Patty-Mae then called Joey and put him on speaker, too, as he also couldn't make it in person. They then started making plans for the morrow.
It was decided that after the meeting, Patty-Mae would go over to Joey's place and the two of them would pick out King Emus for them to use on the trip. A couple of the largest King emus would work as pack animals, and with their size they should be able to get all the supplies loaded onto them. As for the others, Patty-Mae figured it would improve her King emus' selling points if she could show that the animals were sure-footed and safe to ride in the mountains so she wanted everyone to ride one.
Judy, of course, would ride Toot-toot and Ryan offered to ride JD since he was most familiar with the bird as he was the one who broke him to the saddle. Patty-Mae, Joey, and Daisy would ride one of the other King emus Patty-Mae was hoping to sell. This worked out for Daisy as her family didn't own any emus, just two rheas. Before heading to Joey's, though, Patty-Mae would run Judy over to her house to pack her things and pick up Toot-toot.
Seeing as they were taking seven birds with them, two of which were easily twice the size of the others, they decided to take two vehicles. Ryan would take his truck and bird trailer which the three largest birds would be carried in (JD and the two pack birds) while Patty-Mae would take her truck and one of Joey's bird trailers which the four smaller birds would ride in.
As Patty-Mae was heading over to Joey's after she and Judy picked her stuff up, and with Judy heading over to Bobby's for dinner afterwards while Ryan would pick Daisy up from work, it was decided they would all meet back up at the Lazy 'L' Ranch at about 7ish. That way everyone could enjoy their evening without feeling rushed. And once they were all together again, they would load everything into the trucks that weren't needed that night or first thing in the morning. Then, once all the work was finished, they could build a bonfire and roast marshmallows, make some smores, tell ghost stories—or anything else fun that popped into their heads.
With their plans for the night made, Daisy said goodbye as she needed to get back to work. Joey also needed to go. After the two calls were ended, Ryan didn't immediately get up from the table where he, Judy, and Patty-Mae were sitting at (they were in the carpentry barn as it was quiet in here today with most of their siblings working with their birds in preparation for the rodeo). As Judy and Patty-Mae rose to leave, Ryan raised a paw and said, "Before you two leave, can I make a suggestion?"
Judy and Patty-Mae glanced at each other and shrugged, then settled back in their seats. "Okay," Patty-Mae replied. "What's up?" Since they'd already finished with the planning meeting, she was highly curious to find out what Ryan had to say now. Judy was equally curious, as could be seen by her twitching nose.
Taking a deep breath, Ryan clasped his paws together and leaned across the table towards his friend and sister. "Okay, since the five of us are staying together tonight, I think it would be beneficial for us if we didn't stay at the house and be bombarded by a million questions by our overly curious and annoying siblings. Especially since there are several who are really good at making Daisy wish she hadn't come over."
Judy and Patty-Mae's ears drooped a little at hearing Ryan's remark, and then Patty-Mae pointed out, "I agree with what you're saying, but where else could we stay? We'd have the same problems at both Judy's and Joey's burrows."
"Well, yeah, Judy's and Joey's places are out of the question, but there is one place we could go and it would be just the five of us." Ryan's tale flicked behind him as he hadn't told anyone but his dad about the property he had bought a few days after buying Daisy's engagement ring. The place had the utilities but lacked any buildings (including a house) so everything had to be built from the ground up. Ryan was fine with this because it meant he got to decide how everything was built and ensured they had everything they needed. And with the help of his dad and a few of his friends, the place was ready to move into. He even had it furnished.
Patty-Mae's brow rose as she stared at her brother. "Oh really? And where might this place be?" she asked curiously.
"Okay, so this going to make more sense to Judy," he glanced at her, "after what I showed you at lunch today."
Judy's ears perked up. She knew he was referring to Daisy's engagement ring and it only took a moment for her to figure out what he must be talking about. A paw flew to her mouth as she exclaimed, "You mean you already bought a place!?"
Ryan nodded even as Patty-Mae exclaimed, "What do you mean, you 'bought a place'!?" Grabbing her ears and pulling on them, she added, "How can you buy a place and not tell your favorite sister!" Releasing her ears, she then pointed to Judy while still looking at Ryan and demanded, "And what did you show Judy that you obviously haven't shown me!?"
Ryan chuckled softly at his sister's pouty, outraged expression. She was right—out of all his sisters (he had 27 sisters and 21 brothers), Patty-Mae was his favorite. Not only did he help her breed and break her King emus, he and Patty-Mae did a lot of other things together, too. And next to his parents, Patty-Mae had been his biggest supporter of him going to veterinary school.
Meeting Patty-Mae's amber gaze, Ryan said, "You're probably wondering why Judy invited Daisy on our trip tomorrow."
Patty-Mae sat back in her chair and folded her arms. With a shrug, she replied, "I know she's your best friend. I wasn't too surprised."
Ryan gave a slight shake of his head, saying, "There's more to it than that." Reaching into his pocket to pull out the ring box, he popped the top and handed it to his very curious sister. "Daisy is your future sister-in-law."
Patty-Mae gasped as she took the ring box and looked down onto the engagement ring with a brilliant diamond nestled between two stunning sapphires set into a beautiful golden band. Covering her mouth in awe, she whispered, "You're going to ask Daisy to marry you!?" Looking up, she asked, "Have you two been secretly dating!?"
Ryan shook his head. "More like unofficially dating." At Patty-Mae's questioning gaze, he explained, "She's a predator—I'm prey. Neither of us was quite sure how the other felt and so we were both afraid to take our relationship a step further." Glancing at Judy with a wry smile, Ryan added, "But seeing Judy chase after her fox made me realize how dumb I was being." Meeting Patty-Mae's amber gaze again, he added, "I love Daisy, and I now know she loves me." He glanced at Judy briefly and smiled, then looked back at his sister. "I realize now how much time we've both wasted over the last couple of years and I don't want to waste anymore."
Taking the ring box back from Patty-Mae, Ryan continued, saying, "I'm taking Daisy to the Blue Moon Diner tonight for our first official date." Leaning forward, he met his sister's excited gaze and asked, "So I was wondering if Daisy could borrow one of your dresses for tonight? With the Blue Moon being the nicest restaurant in town, I don't want Daisy feeling self-conscious showing up in her work clothes."
With a happy squeal, Patty-Mae replied, "Of course! She'll look beautiful tonight." Turning to Judy, she asked, "How would you like to help me pick out a dress for her?"
"I would love to," Judy replied excitedly. Being able to help Ryan get the pred girl of his dreams warmed her heart and gave her more hope that she would be able to catch her own dream predator—her fox.
As the two girls began to get up, Ryan laughed, asking, "Aren't you forgetting something?" As the girls looked at him, he said, "You don't even know where my place is!"
Judy and Patty-Mae looked sheepishly at each other and then sat back down. When they were paying attention again, Ryan explained where his new place was and how to get there. One of their neighbors, Mr. Catterson, an old lynx widower whose kits had all grown up and moved out, was selling parcels of his land off as he had no one left to leave his land to. Ryan had bought up six acres.
The property sat across the road that ran along the west side of his family's land so Ryan's place was literally around the corner from his family's property (even though, being out in the country, 'around the corner' was still a few miles away). Patty-Mae and Daisy were both excited to see the place, but Ryan told them they couldn't see it until after Daisy saw it, which is why he suggested they all meet back up at seven. His dinner date with her should be done by six at the latest which would give them plenty of time to swing by Daisy's place to grab her stuff and make it back to his new place before everyone else showed up.
Judy and Patty-Mae readily agreed seeing as Ryan had bought the place for Daisy. After getting everything squared away for tonight, Patty-Mae dragged Judy over to the house and up to her room so they could pick out a stunning outfit for Daisy on her first official date with Ryan. It took them a bit of time rifling through her paltry collection of classy dresses (opposed to her normal button-up shirts and blue jean skirts), but Patty-Mae and Judy finally settled on the perfect outfit. After setting it into a pink and green gift bag, along with a few matching accessories, they handed it over to Ryan with the strict command that he wasn't to see the dress until Daisy was wearing it.
Ryan gave his solemn oath not to peek and then waved the girls off as they had to swing by the Hopps' burrow so Judy could pack her bags and pick up Toot-toot (Ryan had hooked up one of their smaller bird trailers to the back of Patty-Mae's midnight blue, Chevy Silverado truck). The girls arrived at the Hopps' burrow in good time and Judy was eternally grateful to see that the field where they parked the cars was mostly empty—testifying to the fact that most of her family was still over at the rodeo grounds.
Patty-Mae parked in the back, near the large bird barn to make it easier to load Toot-toot in, then snuck into the house through the side door. Not wanting to get bombarded with a thousand questions, Judy was trying to avoid running into anyone. They made it to her room easily enough, and Patty-Mae helped her pack, and yes—after some frantic searching—she finally found her phone under her pillow where it had slipped the night before. Upon realizing it was completely dead, Patty-Mae offered to let her charge it in the truck.
Judy thanked her for the offer and readily accepted, then wrote a note for her parents letting them know she was staying with Patty-Mae tonight, gave them her friend's number, then reminded them they were leaving first thing in the morning for Grandma Cecilia's cabin and wouldn't be back until Saturday afternoon.
As they were making their way towards her parents' study to drop off the note, they ran into a couple of Judy's nieces, Samantha and Chelsea. Samantha was a milk chocolate bunny with black markings on her ears, face, and paws, while Chelsea was a tan bunny with a white muzzle, chest, and paws. Chelsea also wore glasses and both girls were carrying thick books in their paws as they both loved to read. When they were done with their chores you could usually find them curled up with a good book or working on a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.
Judy greeted them warmly and introduced her friend Patty-Mae to the two. They were interested in meeting her, especially after learning Patty-Mae was the one who bred Judy's two King emus (they, too, were impressed with JD's size and fluffy white chest). They chatted for a few moments, then Judy explained she was headed back to Patty-Mae's for the night and that they and three of their friends were headed into the mountains for a camping trip first thing in the morning.
The girls were sorry they couldn't go but hoped Judy and Patty-Mae had a fun trip. Judy promised they would, then handed the note over to Samantha to put on Stu and Bonnie's desk in their study. The girls promised they would, then wished them a safe trip. After returning to the truck, Judy stashed her stuff in the back seat then she and Patty-Mae hopped into the barn to grab Toot-toot, along with her bridle.
Once the bird was secure in the trailer, Judy and Patty-Mae jumped back into the truck and Judy plugged her phone into the charger. After giving it a couple of minutes to charge, Judy turned it on and about had a heart attack from all the voicemail and text notifications that lit up her screen. After her heart slowed back down to a normal rate, Judy started checking through her text messages first but couldn't believe what she was reading.
Quite a few of her siblings—most of whom she hardly had anything to do with—were suddenly sending her messages, asking how she was doing, if she wanted to go to the watering hole, if they could go riding together, one of them found a nice place to read a book and would Judy like to join her. Another sister picked some ripe strawberries and would Judy like to eat some . . . ?
With wide eyes, Judy scanned through the texts, then started deleting the ones asking if she was okay and why hadn't she replied yet. Many of her family had sent her similar texts when she first arrived home and was so depressed, but after two months of not getting much of a reply from Judy (she had hardly looked at her phone when she first returned home as she was too depressed to talk to anyone or keep up with social media), most of her family stopped bothering her . . . so why was she getting a ton of texts now?
She was no longer moping around the house, she had bought two emus and had plans of getting a new job—so why were they suddenly asking her to spend all this time with them? It didn't make any sense and left Judy confused. She replied to a few saying that she was spending the next several days with friends and wouldn't be home. After getting tired of going through her texts (she couldn't believe how many her siblings had sent her!), Judy switched to listening to her voicemails. They were from the same siblings who had sent her all the text messages and were basically asking the same thing.
Patty-Mae watched from the driver's seat as her friend's confusion turned to frustration at the messages she had received over the phone. "Is this normal for them to call you like this?"
Judy shook her head. "It was when I first returned home and was such a mess, but it hasn't been this bad in almost a month." With droopy ears and a twitching nose, she added, "Most of these messages are from siblings I'm not even that close to which makes it even more puzzling." Shaking her head again, Judy groaned, "I have no idea why they're calling—they should already know that I'd turn them down—and now they have my inbox completely full so anyone else trying to call can't even leave a message! It's ridiculous!"
With an annoyed huff, Judy turned her phone off and left it to finish charging, saying, "I'll deal with it later. I'm determined to have an enjoyable evening and having to listen to my obnoxious siblings acting all cute and innocent while secretly trying to annoy the shitake mushrooms out me will just ruin my mood." With another huff, she folded her arms and stared out the passenger-side window.
Patty-Mae was quiet for a moment, then thought of a subject they could talk about. "Okay, then how about you tell me about the conversation you had with Ryan this afternoon? He was talking about Daisy, wasn't he?"
Judy immediately brightened at this change in subject and they spent the rest of the time discussing Ryan and Daisy's unofficial relationship and how they were both happy and excited for them to finally get together as an official couple and wondered how soon Ryan planned to propose to Daisy.
-/-/-
After Judy and Patty-Mae left him, Ryan went in search of his dad to let him know the details of their trip tomorrow and inform him they would be borrowing one of the horse trailers. Tyrone Leaps was a large, strong jackrabbit in his fifties with a lot of wisdom shining in his deep amber eyes (Patty-Mae inherited his eye color). His fur was a medium brown with the typical black and gray fur speckled across his head and down his back, with a white underbelly and a black tail. His ears were black as were his paws, with the black of his front paws traveling up to his elbows, much like it did with red foxes.
Ryan found him in his study going through the family finances to make sure everything was on the up and up. As Ryan sat down, his dad laid his paperwork aside and turned his attention to his younger son who, with his love of woodworking and ranching, took most after him. Listening patiently as Ryan told him of his and Patty-Mae's plans, Tyrone wasn't the least bit surprised to find out Daisy was going on the trip as his son did a lot of activities with the pretty female skunk.
He did raise an eyebrow, though, when Ryan told him they would all be staying at his new place tonight. Although Ryan's new home had been finished and furnished for the last few weeks, Ryan had yet to move in. Tyrone had assumed it was because Ryan didn't have anyone to come home to (and he had a strong suspicion of who his son was waiting for).
At his dad's questioning look, Ryan took a deep breath and reached into his pocket to show him the engagement ring he had bought for Daisy. As his dad took the ring box, Ryan explained that he had a date with Daisy this evening and that he hoped to propose to her by the end of the week.
Tyrone merely nodded. Daisy was the only girl Ryan had ever shown any interest in, so the old buck was simply waiting for the news that the two were finally together. Tyrone didn't like seeing his son alone but knew a relationship between a predator and prey couldn't be rushed and so he patiently waited until the two were ready to take that next step from friendship to mates.
Ryan relaxed at his dad's easy acceptance of his chosen mate. "You're fine with me choosing Daisy?" he asked just to be sure.
Tyrone chuckled at his son's question. Motioning towards Ryan, he answered, "Son, Daisy has spent so much time over here—and with you—that I already consider her part of the family. I'm just glad the wait is finally over."
Laughing in return, Ryan scratched the back of his head, saying, "Yeah, it's been a long time in coming."
Tyrone nodded. "That it has." With a nod of acceptance, he added, "You just be sure to treat that girl right. I know the likelihood of the City Council approving a marriage between you two will be a long, hard fight, but you better treat Daisy with the utmost respect as if you did have that marriage certificate."
Ryan grinned widely. "Don't worry, Dad, I'll take it a step further. With or without a marriage license, I plan to exchange vows with Daisy. She'll be my mate for life, you can depend on that, because I can't imagine myself with anyone else."
With a curt nod, Tyrone said, "Good. Then you have my full support. Just be sure to keep that girl happy." Standing up to pat his son on the shoulder before pulling him into a strong hug, he added, "Out of all the girls you and your brothers have brought home, Daisy has to be one of the sweetest and I can't wait to make her officially part of the family."
Ryan squeezed his dad back as tears smarted his eyes. "Thanks, Dad, this means a lot to me."
They broke from the hug and Tyrone suggested Ryan go inform his mother of his plans. Nodding, Ryan left his dad's office to go in search of his mom. After traversing their large, 4-story ranch house, he eventually found her sitting in her sewing room trying to finish crocheting the last of the booties she was making for her grandbabies due to be born sometime next week. She had already made five sets of little hats, sweaters, and leggings so all that was left were the booties.
Walking into the room, Ryan immediately saw several of his sisters and a few sisters-in-law sitting around crocheting, knitting, or sewing (there were several sewing machines in the room). Sitting down in an unoccupied overstuffed chair that was used to sit in while knitting or crocheting, Ryan watched his mother and sisters fuss over their various projects.
Mayblossom Leaps was a petite jackrabbit with light tan fur that faded into the white of her muzzle and underbelly fur. She had the typical black tipped ears and dark markings around her eyes with just a smattering of black and gray fur mixed in with the slightly darker tan fur of her back. She also had rich, mahogany eyes that were full of joy and laughter. Hardly anything got her down and she was always bustling about with smiles and hugs for anyone who looked in need of some cheer in their life. Being able to help someone in need, no matter how big or how small the effort needed, always brightened Mayblossom's day. She just loved putting a smile on someone's face.
So, seeing her son come in and plop down on a chair without saying more than a customary 'hello' had Mayblossom a little worried. It was obvious her son needed to speak to her but wasn't willing to speak in front of his sisters. He didn't look very down, though, just thoughtful, so she hoped whatever he had to say was nothing dire.
Setting aside the tiny booties she was working on, Mayblossom stood up and motioned for Ryan to precede her out the door. After excusing herself from the room, and promising her daughters she would be back shortly, Mayblossom led her son up to the second floor and down the hallway to her room. As Ryan didn't want to be overheard, she knew her bedroom was the safest place to talk.
After shutting the door, she walked over and sat down in the rocking chair she had inherited from her great-grandmother, then motioned for Ryan to take his father's chair next to her. Both chairs sat in front of a small stone fireplace.
Ryan sat down and started rocking slowly but didn't say anything. After a few moments of sitting comfortably, his mother finally broke the silence.
"So what do you need to talk to me about, son?" Mayblossom asked curiously. Her son Ryan, though quiet and thoughtful, wasn't usually so reserved.
Folding his arms across his lap, Ryan answered, "I asked Daisy to go on a date with me tonight."
Mayblossom immediately perked up and her eyes started shining with excitement. "Really!? You finally asked Daisy on a real date!? That's fantastic! Where are you taking her?"
Ryan's ear twitched at his mother's excited acceptance of him and Daisy dating, though he shouldn't be too surprised. Nothing got past his mother's observant eyes. Ryan had inherited his own observant attitude and the ability to see a person's real intentions from his mother, after all. "I'm picking her up from work and taking her to the Blue Moon Diner."
Mayblossom clapped her paws together. "That's perfect!" Pausing to picture the cute couple on their first date (a first date that should have happened ages ago!), she then asked, "Does Daisy have a dress to wear? I know she prefers wearing jeans, but she absolutely must dress up for tonight. I doubt her mother will let her borrow one of her dresses if Rosemary knew Daisy was dating you."
Shaking her head in sorrow and a hint of irritation, Mayblossom added, "I swear, that female has a burr stuck up her tail something fierce. And whenever we meet at the store, she glares at me like I had just trampled all over her prized begonias! And afterwards, she scurries off like I have the plague or something!" Shaking her head in disbelief, Mayblossom said, "I know she only does it because I'm your mother and Rosemary doesn't think you should be hanging around her daughter, but still, she takes her disapproval a little far, don't you think?"
Ryan sighed at hearing how Daisy's mom treated his own, though he could kind of understand. Daisy had shared with him how her mom blamed a bunny (specifically a jackrabbit) for the death of her youngest kit and how she had never gotten over it. Ryan hadn't shared the story with anyone though, as he didn't feel it was his place.
Leaning back in the rocking chair while staring into the blackened, empty fireplace, Ryan finally said, "Yeah, Rosemary is going to have a conniption fit when she finds out Daisy went on a date with me tonight." With a heavy sigh, he added, "I'm sure she'll blow a gasket when Daisy tells her she's spending the next several days and nights with me and a bunch of bunnies." Glancing at his mom with a smile, he added, "Judy invited her along for our trip to the mountains tomorrow." With a wider grin, he added, "But you don't have to worry about a dress. Patty-Mae is letting Daisy borrow one of hers and I know she'll look absolutely stunning."
Smiling brightly, Mayblossom replied, "Well, if Patty-Mae picked the dress out then I have nothing to worry about. You have to take pictures for me, though."
Ryan chuckled lightly. "I will, I promise."
Mayblossom nodded, then asked, "And how soon can I expect a wedding?" At Ryan's raised brow, she waved her paw at him and said, "Don't give me that. The way you two have been dancing around your feelings for years, I'd say a wedding is long overdue. There have been several times I just wanted to smack your heads together and ask what the problem was? Why weren't you dating already?"
Pointing her finger at her son, she continued, "Do you know that whenever Daisy steps into a room, she always scans it looking for you. And when she finds you, this soft, shy smile always finds its way to her lips. And when you're busy with something, she watches you like a hawk! It's like no one else exists!" With a satisfied smile, Mayblossom added, "And don't think I haven't caught you watching her the same way when she's in the middle of something."
Ryan's jaw went slack at his mother's detailed observations, then snapped his mouth shut and wiped a paw down his face. "I wish you had pointed this all out to me over a year ago."
Mayblossom merely grinned smugly. "Like I said, this wedding is long overdue, so when can I expect it?"
Dropping his paw, Ryan shook his head as a wide smile spread across his face. Reaching into his pocket once again, he leaned forward to hand his mom the ring box. As his mom opened the box, he said, "I plan to propose sometime this week."
Putting a paw over her mouth, Mayblossom 'aahed' over the beautiful ring, then looked up and said, "Good. It's about time you answer that sweet girl's prayers and marry her." With a grin and wave of her paw, she added, "And once you guys get Judy's cabin fixed up, you can have a simple, little ceremony up there." Closing her eyes as she pictured a wedding up in the mountains, surrounded by trees and sweeping vistas as you could practically touch the deep blue sky, Mayblossom hummed in excitement. She didn't know the exact location of Judy's cabin, but imagined it to be high up a ridge and overlooking a valley.
Ryan's jaw dropped. "You think Daisy and I should have our wedding up in the mountains?"
"Oh, yes," replied his mother. "A mountain wedding will be so romantic. Wait until the rodeo's over and then make another trip up there with your friends."
Ryan's ear flicked. Although the idea was highly tempting, he hadn't even asked Daisy to be his girlfriend yet. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Don't you think that would be moving a little too fast?"
"Oh, pish-posh," Mayblossom answered, "You too have been dating for years, you just haven't admitted to it." With a flick of her paw towards her son, she explained, "So after dating for so long and spending so much time together, the only logical step now is getting married, isn't it?"
Not waiting for an answer, Mayblossom stood up and handed Ryan his ring back, then entered her large, walk-in closet while speaking over her shoulder, "I know you can't get a marriage license right away, which is why I suggest a small ceremony up in the mountains. You'll have Patty-Mae, Joey, and Judy as witnesses and that's all you really need. And if you have the wedding up there, then the news of your marriage won't spread through town. I know how much Daisy is picked on for being a skunk, bless her heart."
Ryan had followed his mother to her closet entrance and watched as she rifled through a row of black, zip-up dress bags. As she found the one she wanted, the older doe brought it out and handed it to him to hold up, then she unzipped it to reveal a beautiful white wedding gown with a lacy bodice and a flowing skirt. Ryan's eyes about fell out of their sockets as he stared at what could only be Daisy's wedding gown. "You made a wedding dress for Daisy!?"
"Of course, I did. How else was she going to have a gown ready in time?" Flicking her tail, Maryblossom continued, "I didn't know when you two would get married, but I knew for sure her mother would never help her out. And needing to buy a wedding gown is so expensive!" She tutted in thought for a second, then added, "And finding the right one can be such a hassle. I had a sister—your Aunt Maryann—who bought one at a store in the city and I swear, she must have looked through and tried on over a hundred different gowns before buying one and it still wasn't exactly what she wanted."
Leaving Ryan to hold (and ogle) the dress, she showed him the veil and matching gloves. Then she walked over to her dresser and took out a long, flat box that a necklace would be placed in after being purchased. Removing the silver lid, a shimmering silver necklace was revealed. The main chain of the necklace was a twisted braid, while the front half of the necklace was a silver vine with small leaves spread out from it. Two round, light-blue sapphires connected the twisted parts of the necklace to the vine, as two more round, light-blue sapphires split the vine in half on both the right and left side of the necklace. The centerpiece was a larger, teardrop-shaped sapphire surrounded by a multitude of tiny, crystal-clear quartz rhinestones.
Seeing the awe and wonder in her son's eyes, Mayblossom explained, "This is my wedding gift to Daisy. It's something blue and something old as it belonged to your grandma Sherry. I want Daisy to have it now."
Ryan nodded thoughtlessly, too shocked by everything to give a more thought-induced response.
Mayblossom then picked up a white, lace bow that was worn around the ear. "This is something borrowed and is what gave me the inspiration for the lacy bodice on Daisy's dress."
Taking a closer look, Ryan realized that the flowery lacy pattern of the dress matched the flowers in the bow, though the lace flowers of the dress had been slightly enlarged from the ones in the bow. Furthermore, the little flowers just happened to be little white daisies.
Lastly, Mayblossom grabbed a larger ring box and opened it up to reveal two antique gold wedding bands. "These were your great-grandpa and great-grandma Lepuson's wedding bands. And now they'll be yours and Daisy's."
Looking the gold bands over, Ryan noticed a tiny vine etched into each ring as it crawled across the gold and met up with itself in a never-ending loop around the band. "You know the story of your great-grandparents, so I won't bore you with the details now, but you have to admit that their story isn't so different from yours and Daisy's in some respects. And if Daisy asks about them, you be sure to tell her their story."
Moving her mahogany gaze from the rings back to her son, Mayblossom continued, "You make sure Daisy knows that she's family, and has been for a while now." With a small shake of her head, she murmured, "Heaven help us when Rosemary finds out about you two." With her nose twitching, she murmured, "I only pray that she doesn't disown the poor girl." Meeting Ryan's light brown gaze, she stated, "If that happens or her mother claims to never want to see her again, you assure Daisy that she has a family here. Your father and I have long since considered her our daughter and have only been waiting for you two to officially get together so we can formally welcome her into our home and family."
Watching her son's flabbergasted expression as he stood in stunned silence, Mayblossom finally asked, "So what do you think?"
Ryan worked his jaw for a moment, then finally said, "I think I need to sit down."
With a laugh, Mayblossom zipped the dress back into its protective bag and laid it across the bed, along with the jewelry that went with it. Putting a paw on Ryan's arm, she guided him back to the rocking chair where he collapsed. Sitting back in her own rocking chair, she waited for her son to wrap his head around the ideas she had just given him.
Ryan dropped his head into his paws and took several deep breaths. He had always hoped his parents would support a relationship between him and Daisy as they never had a problem with her being over, but this was far more support and acceptance than he ever dreamed of receiving.
Lifting his head and resting his chin on his clasped paws, he asked, "You and dad really see Daisy as part of the family?"
"Of course, we do." With her ears drooping comfortably behind her, Mayblossom leaned back in her chair, saying, "The first time you brought Daisy home your father and I knew immediately that there was something special between you two. And as the years passed, that something grew and matured. She stares at you with such love and adoration—it's the same way I looked at your father when we first started dating. And then seeing how protective you are of the girl and how you go out of your way to give her what she needs and to make her smile, well, we just knew you two were meant to be."
Ryan nodded, then asked, "And you're fine with us getting married up in the mountains?"
"Well, if you're asking if I'm fine with missing it, I admit that I wish I could be there, but we both know those fuddy-duddies on the Town Council will never approve a pred-prey marriage, so there's no point in even attempting to have a wedding down here." Lightly touching her chin and tilting her head, Mayblossom added, "This will also give you a chance to settle into your new roles as a married couple without a bunch of finger-pointing and species' slurs being slung at you—at least for a little while, anyways."
With a shake of her head, she then said, "I'd like to think the town won't put up that much of a fuss when they find out about you two, but it's best to get settled into your new life before having to deal with the few old gossiping fools who insist on putting their noses in where they don't belong."
Ryan nodded, then laughed. Standing up, he pulled his mom to her feet and enveloped her in a huge hug. "Thanks, Mom, for everything. This wedding is going to be perfect."
"Well, it better be," his mom laughed back, "considering how much effort I put into making sure it happened." Mayblossom was thinking of the wedding dress she'd spent weeks making, along with the years she'd spent praying for the two to make their relationship official.
Squeezing his mom one last time, Ryan stepped back and met her warm, loving gaze. "We'll all be staying at my place tonight and leave from there first thing in the morning." With a wide grin spreading across his face, he added, "And if everything works out, by the time we get back, Daisy and I will be engaged."
Mayblossom gave a churr of happiness and said, "I cannot wait to see that ring on Daisy's finger! And if you're showing Daisy your new place today, does that mean you'll finally be moving into the house?"
Nodding, Ryan replied, "Yeah. I'll start packing my room up once we return from the trip. If we get back early enough, I should have time to get the essentials packed before I have to be over at the rodeo grounds for the barreling racing event." With a flick of one of his long ears, he added, "But I'll need to raid the kitchen. I have absolutely nothing to eat at my place."
With another laugh, Mayblossom said, "Come on, I'll help you put this stuff in your truck and then we can raid the kitchen together."
With a soft chuckle, Ryan nodded, then grabbed the dress bag from the bed as his mom grabbed the ring and necklace boxes. They had just finished putting them in the back seat of his truck when Patty-Mae and Judy returned with her stuff and Toot-toot.
Upon hearing that Patty-Mae would take Judy over to Bobby's and that he would then drop her off at Ryan's place at 7, Ryan told them not to bother taking Toot-toot out of the bird trailer. He was heading over to his house to drop a few things off and plug everything in—including the fridge as it needed time to get cold before they could put anything in it—and so would simply take Toot-toot and JD over with him when he went.
The girls agreed and after unhooking the trailer from Patty-Mae's truck and onto Ryan's, they then helped him put birdfeed in the bed of the truck before loading JD into the trailer. The three of them then loaded up all the halters, lead ropes, bridles, and saddles into the bed of the truck and made sure everything was secure. Judy then followed Patty-Mae into her room to help her pack.
With a grin, Ryan followed the girls into the house. While they ran upstairs to Patty's room, he walked down the hall to the large kitchen to pick up the non-perishable food items his mom was packing for him.
Whistling as he went, he met his mom inside and took the four reusable bags filled with food that she handed to him, then kissed her on the cheek before heading out to the truck. With the food safely sitting on the floorboards of the passenger seat, he ran back to his room to pack his things for the trip tomorrow. He also made sure to grab clean clothes for his date tonight.
Ryan then drove down the lane and around the corner to his new home. The driveway was long and cut through a patch of thick trees for about a quarter of a mile, then thinned out and opened up into a meadow that revealed the quaint log cabin sitting on a cobblestone foundation, with a wide wrap-around porch.
The bright, amber logs were thick and rounded and sat snuggly one atop the other with a pitched green roof that blended in with the trees surrounding it. Driving off to the right of the house, Ryan looked over the barn and corrals. Stopping in front of the yellow barn with white trim, Ryan led the emus out of the trailer and released them into the small pasture behind the barn and then carried the saddles and halters into the tack room before dropping the feed off in the feed room. After making sure the birds had plenty of water, he carried Daisy's dress inside and hung it up in his bedroom closet, then went back for the jewelry and his own clothes.
Next, he put the food away and plugged everything in (the fridge, microwave, tv, blu ray player, and several digital clocks). The house definitely had a homier feel to it with food out on the counters. He had filled the two large, glass containers sitting on the counter by the fridge with flour and sugar and had a bowl of fruit sitting on the snack bar that opened up into the dining and living room area.
The faint glow of the clocks to mark the passing of time gave the place a nice lived-in vibe, too. There was even a large grandfather clock Ryan had found at an estate sale and snatched it up before anyone else could buy it (Daisy had commented on several occasions about missing the grandfather clock her own grandparents owned when she was little).
Once everything was put away, Ryan returned to his room to change for his date tonight. After donning a clean pair of black jeans, a black cowboy shirt with a blue and white stylized pattern running up and down the dark fabric at either side of the blue buttons, he then put on a bolo tie that had a bright blue sapphire set into the silver buckle. After straightening the tie, he slipped on his blue belt with its silver belt buckle that had daisies etched into the shiny metal.
Ryan finished the outfit by digging out his black Stetson. Dusting it off, he glanced over the sapphire-blue hat band with silver-metal daisies evenly spaced around it (Daisy had given it to him as a birthday present a couple of years ago). The hat also had a hatpin in it that was made up of a lock of Daisy's white tail fur, bound together with a strip of black faux leather and sporting a bright blue sapphire (it wasn't a real sapphire, but you couldn't tell to look at it).
After taking one last look in the mirror, Ryan dabbed on some cologne (it had the light scent of cinnamon and cloves—another present from Daisy), and then headed outside. After locking up, he hopped in his truck and headed back to his family's house to drop off the small bird trailer Patty-Mae had used to pick up Toot-toot. He would pick up the larger trailer when he came back for the refrigerated food after his and Daisy's date. The refrigerator should be cold enough by then.
After parking near the barn, Ryan hopped out and unhitched the trailer when a couple of his sisters (Cynthia and Camellia) walked past him into the barn. Upon seeing their sister Shirleen saddling up her female rhea, Camellia called out to her in a sing-song voice, "Hey, Shirl-een, guess who came to town?"
Shirleen was a tan, black, and gray brindled doe with solid black ears, nose, and tail. Glancing over as her sisters walked towards her, she gave a shrug and asked, "I don't know. Who?"
With a giggle, Camellia, who was a tan and gray doe with just a little bit of black sprinkled through her fur and black marking around her eyes and the tips of her ears, answered, "There's a new red fox helping out at Gideon's bakery and he is to die for!"
Shirleen glanced over at Cynthia for confirmation.
The black and gray bridled Cynthia nodded, saying, "Camellia is right, this fox is pretty hot stuff."
"That's an understatement! Nick is tall and lean and carries himself with an air of confidence you hardly ever see in a country fox." Reaching out to grab her sister's arm, Camellia added with a huge grin, "He's from the city and has this rich, smooth voice I could listen to all day." With another giggle and shining amber eyes, she said, "And his eyes! He has these bright pine-green eyes that I wouldn't mind getting lost in."
Shirleen was just rolling her light-brown eyes at her sister's new pred-craze (every few weeks Camellia would come up with a new predator she would talk about pursuing, but her pred-crazes never amounted to anything more than talk and pred-watching), when their conversation was interrupted by Ryan.
Grabbing Camellia's arm, he spun her around to face him and quickly asked, "This city fox named Nick—his last name wouldn't happen to be Wilde would it?"
His sister's amber eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Yeah, it is. Nick Wilde. How did you know!?"
Releasing her arm, Ryan ran a paw down his face. "He came. He actually came," he muttered to himself. With a laugh, Ryan then grabbed Camellia around the middle and hugged her tight as he picked her up and spun her around. "You're the best!" he cried before setting her down and kissing her on the forehead before taking a step back.
The girls all glanced at each other in confusion, then Shirleen asked, "Ryan, what are you talking about?"
With a shake of his head, Ryan replied, "I need to talk to Nick." Glancing to Camellia and Cynthia, he asked, "You said he was helping Gideon out, right?"
"Yeah," Cynthia answered. "He was helping out in the morning but then left to help Gideon make his deliveries but didn't come back when Gideon did. We spent most of the afternoon there, but Nick never returned.
Ryan shook his head again. "Doesn't matter. If he's not there right now, Gideon will know how to get a hold of him." Spinning around he sprinted for his truck. Opening the door, he hopped in, but then stopped (still standing in the door) and glanced back at his sisters to say, "Camellia, Nick's already taken so there's no point in chasing him."
Camellia's jaw dropped, but then she quickly asked, "How do you know that? And how do you know Nick?"
Ryan simply grinned. "Nick is unavailable, but if you were to ask Jaxon out, I doubt he'd turn you down." Although his sister's predator interest kept jumping around, she always seemed to come back to Jaxon, a bobcat who had been the runt of his litter, making him small for his species (he was shorter than most female bobcats).
Jaxon was nice enough, though, and seemed to be interested in Camellia, too, as they would always stop and chat together whenever they ran into each other in town. But like Ryan and Daisy, neither Camellia nor Jaxon were confident enough to take their friendship a step further. They were from two different worlds—predator and prey—and there was no getting around it. Or so they thought. Ryan hoped to prove them wrong. And then maybe they could do a double date—or a triple if Nick and Judy started dating, too.
"Wait!" Camellia called out as Ryan dropped down into the driver's seat. "Are you serious!?"
"Absolutely," he called over his shoulder. Not waiting for a reply, Ryan shut the truck door and sped off. He was going to be half an hour early picking Daisy up, and at first, he planned to just sit and wait for her to get off work, but now that he knew Nick was in town, he figured that 30 minutes could be better used tracking down the fox.
Speeding down the highway, he made it to town in record time. Slowing down as he came up to the town proper, he found a parking spot just down from the bakery and hopped out. A bell chimed as he pushed the door open and Ryan spotted Travis behind the counter. Hopping over to him (Travis seemed extremely surprised to see him), Ryan asked, "Hey, Travis, I heard Nick Wilde is helping out in the store. He wouldn't be in the building by any chance, would he?"
It took Travis a moment to collect his thoughts. Having Ryan walk into the store and ask about Nick was the last thing he expected to happen today. "Uh, yeah, he is." Jerking his thumb over his shoulder, he added, "He's upstairs in the apartment."
"Can I see him?" Ryan asked. "I really need to talk to him."
"Uh, sure. Come this way." Motioning for the jackrabbit to follow, Travis turned and led him through the kitchen (and past an equally surprised Gideon who was up to his elbows in flour) and to the door that connected to the hallway that led up to the apartment. "He came back about 45 minutes ago, so you're lucky to catch him," Travis explained as he stopped to let the jackrabbit pass him.
Ryan nodded, but as he slipped through the door, Travis asked in a hesitant voice, "Um, Ryan, you aren't . . . dating . . . Judy are you?"
Freezing with his foot on the bottom step, Ryan spun his head around and exclaimed, "No, I'm not dating Judy. Who told you that?" Fearing Bonnie had already gotten the rumor mill going, he shook his head and quickly said, "I hope to be married in another week or two, so why would I be dating Judy?"
Travis's jaw dropped and then he squeaked out, "You're getting married in a week!?"
Realizing what he had just admitted to, Ryan turned to face Travis directly and said, "It'll probably be closer to two weeks, but yes, I'm getting married." At least he truly hoped to be. Ryan felt sure he would die if Daisy rejected him. "But it's a private wedding. Very private—as in don't tell anyone I'm getting married. Got it?" Pointing to the smaller ferret, he waited for his answer.
"I won't say a word, Ryan. I swear," Travis quickly agreed, still stunned about this unexpected news.
Glancing over Travis's shoulder to meet Gideon's flummoxed blue gaze, Ryan pointed to him, too, saying, "You, too, Gideon, not a word."
Waving his flour-covered paws in the air, Gideon hurriedly said, "I, I, I promise. Won't say a word."
With a nod, Ryan accepted their promise of silence and then sped up the stairs, taking them two at a time in his hurry to meet Judy's fox and hopefully learn how he felt about her. No matter what, he was going to drag Nick on their trip tomorrow just as Judy wanted. Well, tonight really. They couldn't have a sleepover if one of their party members was missing, could they?
WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed this extra long chapter. Next time, we'll see what Nick and Judy were up to preceding Ryan's arrival at the bakery. We'll also see Ryan and Nick's conversation.
Ch. 23: Unexpected, will post in 2 weeks. Take care and enjoy the weekend. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.