We got everybody home in one piece and helped Beau and Joseph to Ben's house. Then we took Abby to our house and asked Maudie and Belle if she could stay with them until we could get their place built.
"Sure," Maudie answered.
"Of course," came Belle's reply. Then all three girls squealed.
I sent Benny to Pauly's house to retrieve our resident inventor. When Pauly appeared he took one look at me and asked, "We need another house, Mr. Maverick?"
"Pauly, I told you, it's Bart. And yes, we need another house. Down by Bret's, and we want three bedrooms and a nursery. All three good size, please."
"We got another Maverick?"
"We do. Ben's son Beau and his three children."
"I don't mean to be nosy, but I thought Beau lived in Baton Rouge," Pauly sort of asked me.
"He used to, but he's back to stay. I thought Bret would appreciate havin' Beau down there. The two of them were really close when we were kids."
"I'll get on it right away," Pauly promised and left the house humming.
"When everyone has a chance to get settled I'll go to Ben's and see what I can find out," I told Doralice.
"I'm dyin' to know," Doralice responded.
Actually, it was gonna take longer than that because Beau was exhausted and begged for our understanding. The way he looked I had to agree. Tomorrow was soon enough.
XXXXXXXX
The next morning I went and got Bret and took him with me to Ben's house. Beau wasn't up yet but Joseph took care of that shortly when he began crying. Ellie tried to get to the baby before he woke his father but she was unsuccessful. Instead, she started warming milk and Beau emerged from the bedroom, looking better than last night. Most of the dark circles under his eyes were gone, but I heard Bret gasp when he saw how thin Beau was. They embraced after Beau handed the baby to Ben. "My God man, you need to gain some weight. Miss Ellie, fix this boy breakfast, would you?"
"Ellie, I just want . . . "
"Don't tell me you just want coffee, Beau. We're not in Baton Rouge anymore and you're going to eat some food. But I will give you all some coffee in the meantime."
We sat around the table while grandpa fed the baby and we drank coffee. Beau shook his head. "I can't believe you got me out of there, Pa. I thought I was gonna die there."
"I could've gotten you out sooner if you hadn't wanted to bring this little feller with us."
Beau looked startled. "How could I leave him? To grow up with a mother that's mentally deranged? Nobody deserves that."
"Now son, you don't know for sure . . ."
We all looked at Beau as he nodded his head. "Oh yes I do. That woman is not the woman I married twenty some odd years ago. She was sweet and kind and passionate. Now she's as cold as ice and looney to boot. Why if I hadn't . . ."
I interrupted. "Beau, just tell us what happened."
Before he could get started, Pappy walked in. There was no such thing as knocking on the door to Pappy. He figured he was responsible for all of us, so he had a right to go wherever he wanted to. "Go ahead, boy, tell us your story."
"You know how happy we were that we were gonna have another baby, Pa. But things started to go wrong from almost the first week after Dani found out she was with child, and about two months later she lost the baby. We had made love the night before it happened, and she blamed me. The doctor insisted that had nothin' to do with it, but she wouldn't listen. We were both grievin,' but you'd never know it from the way she carried on. She turned a cold shoulder to me, physically and emotionally, and I just couldn't stand it. I broke down. I'm ashamed to say I took comfort with Emma Swanson, one of the girls that worked at the saloon. She was understanding, and kind and patient, all the things I wasn't gettin' from Dani. My wife acted like nothin' had happened.
"It was a long time before she showed any interest in me at all. Almost three years, and that whole time I had nobody but the kids and Emma. Finally, Dani came to me and offered me a deal . . . she'd have another baby if I'd sell the saloon. There were other promises made; she'd stay home more, and invest more in us as a family, and be more loving towards me, and all I had to do was get rid of The Gilded Lady. So that's what I did, and in due time she told me she was gonna have another baby. I was ecstatic. And then the demands started. First we had to have a maid to clean house because she was too tired to do it, then we had to have a parlor maid to answer the door and take care of guests, then we had to have a kitchen maid because she was too exhausted to cook. And, of course, I was to pay for them all.
"When Joseph was born she laid down more rules. Someone was to be with him at all times. She wanted me to account for every minute of my day, so she knew when I'd be home to be with the baby. She wanted to make sure that I had no contact with Emma. When Benny got the letter informing him he could apply for the master's program, she pushed me to insist he enter it. She'd withheld the inheritance money that Abby and Benny were supposed to receive, but promised she'd turn it over to them if they continued to abide by 'her' rules. Of course, there was always some excuse that they'd violated the rules, so I never told them about the inheritance.
"I started plotting ways to get out from under this tyrants wings. God help me, I even contemplated murder. I have no doubt that if I'd have been there much longer, I'd have either killed her or myself."
Beau had tears in his eyes, and when I reached over to grab his hand he was trembling. "What did you have to do to get him out, Ben?"
Ben handed Joseph back to Ellie, who burped him expertly and began to sing to him as she rocked him. He giggled and cooed and acted as if there was nothing wrong in his world. I suppose there wasn't. He was warm and full and sleepy, and he had a loving heart and a soft voice holdin' him. Ben cleared his throat and began. "We had to agree to pay for all three maids for the next year. The house is to be transferred to Dani's name only, and there will be no further demands made on Dani for anything regarding any of the children. Benny and Abby will receive their inheritance from their mother's money; I have it with me. She will get one-third of the profits from the land brokerage business; a manager of Beau's choosing will handle all transactions there. The proceeds from the sale of The Gilded Lady are Beau's in full, and have been wired to The Little Bend Bank and Trust Company."
"Is there gonna be a divorce?" Bret asked.
"Yes," Ben answered.
I threw in my two cents worth. "I talked to Smithson Talbet. That can happen as soon as Beau wants it to."
"Right away," was Beau's reply.
"I thought you might say that. He's ready to file everything for you when you go to town to see him."
"You trust him?"
"I trusted him with my life," I told Beau, and he smiled faintly.
"Look, I'm not the type to sit around and do nothin'. As soon as I get my head on straight and am livin' in my own house, I'd like to buy into the ranch."
"Did anybody tell you that Dandy Jim Buckley has property here, and works for us?" Bret asked.
"Are you kidding me? Buckley's here? What's he do, cheat the cowboys out of their wages?"
I took umbrage at that question. "You've been talkin' to Bret too much."
"Even I have to admit, he's got velvet hands when it comes to the more difficult horses we have," Bret admitted.
"And he doesn't cheat," I insisted.
"I've got no problem with Dandy," Beau asserted.
"I think you've had enough problems for one man," Pappy finally added.
"I agree. Come on outside with me, Beau, and have a cigar," his father offered.
Once they were outside Bret shook his head. "What do you think about him buyin' into the ranch?"
"I think it' a good idea. If he can ever shake off what Dani did to him, it'll give him somethin' to do. It just ain't been right without him here. We'll see how things settle in." I'd already been givin' Beau bein' part of the B Bar M a good deal of thought, ever since he told me he was here to stay. Now we had to keep Danielle out of Beau's life for good. I had the feeling that wasn't gonna be an easy task.
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