As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, and for the kind words. JS - yes, I am a physician. And yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I promise! Happy studying!

"He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning fork that had been stuck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Great Gatsby"

The sound of carriage wheels, and only minutes later, the screeching of children, drew Belle Watling to the large parlor windows that faced the front of the Ranch. Her hands flew to her coiffure, and then dropped, as she caught herself.

Perry, Dan and Gerry had already tumbled out of the first carriage, followed much more sedately by their parents, and Rose. From a second carriage emerged Ella, with a man who was presumably her husband, and a blonde young woman of similar age. Then, with slow, deliberate movements, a man that Belle hadn't seen in almost four decades, but recognized at once.

Charles Butler was almost as tall as his elder brother, and their features and build were similar enough that they had oft been mistaken for twins. His carriage wasn't quite as erect, and his views much more conventional - although his tastes, and his habits, had not always been as conservative as his philosophy. Which had been Belle's downfall.

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, she thought, with some acidity. She had never been religious, but Thad now dragged her to the Anglican services on Sundays, and she had to admit there was some comfort in the half-darkness of the church, and the ancient incantations that spoke of pain, and failure, and the ultimate triumph of the soul. The flesh is weak. A near-universal human truth her entire business model had relied on. It had certainly been true of Charles Butler. And herself.

"Charles….I'm expectin"

She still could conjure up the echoes of those words, spoken almost a life-time ago. She had been nineteen …. The daughter of a laborer on his father's plantation. Strawberry red hair, milky skin, and freckles. Not to mention an ample figure. He had been twenty-six. They had met that one languid summer that he had been away from the city, working on expanding the rice-fields. She had instantly fallen in love. He had instantly fallen in lust.

His face had changed almost immediately after she'd spoken. Become hard, and cold. She knew, without being told, that she was on her own.

She didn't know what she had expected. She did know that she had not expected…. this.

She had been shocked when she had learned he would come. Here. After all this time.

"Mother ….I just had a letter from Rhett," Thad had told her two weeks ago, when she'd come into the kitchen.

She had not been surprised, yet. He and Rhett had been corresponding for years, now, and apparently settled their differences. "And?"

"They would like to visit."

"How nice," she merely said, and meant it. She hadn't seen Scarlett since the day she had dropped off Perry, and would enjoy having her stay. She had missed having the boy around, as well. Perhaps because she had missed out on so much of Thad's own youth.

"You don't yet know who else is coming," he had said, with a strange smile.

She knew she had to move, but remained rooted in place by her spinning thoughts. Charles Butler had disappeared from her life, but then…. there had been Rhett. Rhett had been different. He'd been an outcast from polite society himself, who had somehow heard about her fate, and offered assistance. Eventually, after Thad's birth, he had offered ….more. After the defection of Charles, his attentions had been a welcome change, for Rhett took what he wanted – without, as he'd say, wrestling with angels or demons.

Until, he, too, had bowed his head before a God of his own making. And she had once again been left behind.

She watched the men help the servants unload the trunks off the roof of the carriages, and propelled her heavy limbs forward to greet them. Thad was still out riding with the men, and she cast a brief, worried glance at the young woman in the grey travelling dress who stood as still as a statue beside her parents. Belle was not deceived by her beauty, or her elegance, or her demeanor. Had Rose been born a different sort of a girl, and applied for a work at her former bawdy house in Atlanta, Belle would not have hired her. Her customers would have lost all their ardor when faced with those eyes. Uncanny – that was the word for that one.

"Belle. How kind of you to put up our entire horde." Scarlett, who looked ravishing despite days of travelling, walked towards her with outstretched hands. Belle took them, and a look of genuine warmth passed between the two women. They had both suffered at the hands of the Butler men, and had both come out ahead in the end. Scarlett in a happy marriage, and Belle with a son able to support her in her old age.

"You look wonderful," Belle said candidly, but without envy. She was, perhaps, ten years older than Scarlett, but knew she looked twenty.

"Thank you." There was not even a hint of cattiness in Scarlett's tone. She cast a fond glance at Rhett, which he returned in full measure. Her smile, and her face, were positively glowing.

Belle stared at her. She didn't remember her being quite this happy. Good for 'er, she thought. Some of us should be happy.

She greeted Rhett and Ella, and allowed herself to be introduced to Chase, and Charlotte. Rose, who had been standing a little to the side, stepped forward as well.

Belle was unable to completely hide the dislike in her expression when she acknowledged her. She knew without being told that Rose was behind this unexpected expedition, and she wasn't certain enough of her son's indifference to believe him completely beyond danger of being ensnared once more in her web.

"Miss Rose."

Rose gave a thin smile, and briefly, they glowered at each other.

Charles Butler, who had walked once around the circle to crane his neck at the stables and the pastures and the buildings in view, rejoined the group.

"Miss Watling," he said, with some embarrassment, but without artifice.

"Mr. Butler." She felt shy before him, suddenly, and wished she had taken the time to put on make-up, or dyed her hair. She sighed, irritated with herself. She was a respectable woman now, and had been for over a decade. No thanks to 'im.

She roused herself. "Please, everyone, follow me. You'll wanna settle in, and freshen up before supper."

She led them into the house. The guest quarters were in the East wing, far way from Thad's room, or her own, but to be safe she gave Rose the room at the very end of the corridor.

Then she left to oversee the preparation of supper.

~~oo~~

Thad entered the dining room after everyone had already assembled for supper. He wore a black suit jacket and a white shirt, which accentuated his light skin, and his dark hair. At thirty-six, he was a carbon copy of the two older men in the room, minus the skin tone, which was his one outward nod to his mother's heritage.

He greeted Scarlett with his usual affection, and then shocked almost everyone, especially Rose, by hugging Rhett warmly, and firmly.

"Had to bring the entire harem, didn't you, Uncle Rhett", he teased, a wide smile on his face that Rose had never seen before. "I suppose old Pirates really never die."

Rhett smirked back at him. "Jealousy is such a wasteful emotion, my lad. You'd be much better served trying to acquire your own. Not that anyone would have you."

"You have me there, Uncle Rhett. And I can't even argue quality over quantity, because Scarlett here looks as fetching as something that stepped out of a fancy magazine. One wouldn't imagine it, living with the likes of you." They grinned at each other.

From the back of the room, Rose blinked at them, owl-like. What else had happened in the last two years that she didn't know about?

Thad then greeted Charles Butler briefly, but politely, albeit without any noticeable enthusiasm. Charles had reverted to his usual reserve, and did not try to put himself forward. She watched Thad run the gamut of her remaining relations, and finally, stop before her. When their eyes met, her breath stopped.

"Dr. Butler." He smiled a half-smile that wasn't exactly mocking, or derogatory, but failed to reach his eyes. He gave her a searching stare, as if looking for something in her eyes. In the back of her neck, she could feel Belle's gaze on them. In fact, she felt sure everyone in the room was watching them, including those that pretended not to. She put up her little chin in defiance.

"Cousin Thad." She would not let him see just how much she was shaking internally. Would not let any of them see. Pride was the most damning legacy she carried from both parents, along with her father's perfectly composed, perfectly unreadable mien.

Whatever it was he had been searching for in her face, he had not found it. His expression became hard. "Yes. We are ….cousins, are we not," he said, now with a full-grown smirk, and a side glance at his natural father. "One forgets these things. Especially if one doesn't see one's …dearest relations. Or hear from them. In over two years."

Rose found herself wishing for Wade, or Phoebe …someone with natural tact, that could have stepped in, and defused the situation. She caught her father's eye, but he merely smiled reassuringly at her.

"I …." There was nothing she could think of to say. No excuse she could make, that he would accept, or understand. Not without making a thorough fool of herself. She wouldn't.

When she proved unable to formulate an answer, Thad's expression hardened further. "I understand. Perfectly. As you've said yourself - sometimes business takes precedence over….family."

He turned with his effortless grace, and released her. Rhett stepped beside him, and murmured something she couldn't hear. She felt tears pricking her eyes, and turned her head, afraid they would spill over her cheeks. She wished, as fiercely as Rhett had over many a miserable year, that love had spared her. Who in their right mind would chose to be this miserable?

But Thad had changed, she realized belatedly. There was an ease in his manner with the others, that seemed to have grown from whatever had happened between her father and himself …..something that eluded her, but was as palpable as his previous derision had been. Watching him joke back and forth with Rhett and Scarlett, with the boys, and even Charlotte and Chase, threw his much more formal manners to herself, and Charles Butler, into painful focus. She wished she could shrink into her chair, and disappear.

Belle also scowled at her, whenever she was forced to look her way. Rose felt more miserable by the minute.

"Eat, Rose," her mother encouraged her. While the subtleties of the back-and-forth eluded her, she saw quite well that her daughter was barely touching her food.

"I'm sorry,' she mumbled, forcing herself to swallow a few bites. "I'm rather tired."

Perry, who was thrilled to be back West, had engaged Thad in a conversation about all the goings-on at the Ranch while he had been gone.

"What about Stripes?" he asked, remembering his piglet. "You promised to look after him while I was gone." A horrifying thought struck him. "You didn't….."

"Stripes?" Thad said, pretending to think. "Ah! Yes. You mean that delicious ham we had for supper last Sunday …"

"Cousin Thad!" Perry yelled, aghast.

Thad winked at him. "Relax, Perry. I moved him out of the carriage house into the stable. He now resides next to my horse, and has turned into a disgustingly huge hog. I suspect he wants to look like horse, too, not just live like one."

"Thank you," Perry said, reverently, with a sigh of relief. "I can't wait to see him. I hope he remembers me!" He turned to the other boys. "And tomorrow, we can all ride on the ponies! It'll be so much fun!"

"As long as you don't burn down my stables. You know the rules." Seeing Dan and Gerry eying him curiously, he added, "feel free to remind your brothers, as well."

"One week of mucking stables for every major offense", Perry cited, glumly, perhaps remembering the miserable week of aching muscles and joints after he had released most of the pigs, and been assigned to one of the stable boys. "Plus one month without riding for anything that's really dangerous." That rule, thankfully, had not needed to be invoked.

"Exactly."

"I may just leave them here with you," Scarlett said, shaking her head at the small, attentive faces. "Charleston just isn't big enough for them anymore! If it ever was," she added, with a sigh. Miss Addy nodded her head in full agreement. She held up her hand, as if an imaginary mouse-trap were attached to it.

"I never quite understood what you were doing there in the first place," Thad shrugged. "Come back to Texas. Rhett can work from anywhere, and the boys will do much better if they have regular exercise. I'd be happy to have them over anytime. And put them to work. "

"Believe me, I have thought about it," Scarlett said. Rhett shot her a look of surprise, but didn't comment. "The only thing keeping me in Charleston is …Wade and his family."

"Bring them, too. Wade enjoyed living here, and I'd enjoy having him close by."

"We will…..all have to talk about it more." Scarlett said, not adding that their living situation would greatly depend on what did, or did not, happen between himself and her daughter.

After supper, they went into the drawing-room. Thad, who neither drank nor smoked, still kept a selection of excellent Scotch and Cuban Cigars for his guests. The other three men partook appreciatively of the offerings, especially Charles, whose satisfaction with his base-born son's accomplishments was growing with each sip, and deep puff.

Charlotte made an effort to engage Rose and Thad in a mutual conversation. Unfortunately, she had retained her talent for making difficult situations worse, despite the best of intentions.

"Rose tells me you spend time in Houston, as well," she said. "Do tell me more about that."

"I run most of my business ventures out of Houston," he replied amiably. "The Ranch makes a small profit, but it is mainly a hobby of mine."

"I can see why," she smiled. "Rose spoke so highly of the place."

"Did she," he said, blandly. His dark eyes sought Roses', and held them.

In addition to making one miserable, love also makes one tongue-tied, Rose found. She could think of nothing to say.

Charlotte, who had hoped Rose would pitch in, felt her own cheeks stain red. "Yes," she said brightly. "Every time we were together, she would mention it! She really loves being here."

Thad looked at her, as if seeing her for the first time. His searching gaze swept over her face, dipping into her pale, blue eyes, and he suddenly smiled – a full, warm smile, and unconsciously sensual. "You're a very good friend," he said, softly. Charlotte was thrown into a sea of confusion. No man like that had ever paid her any sort of attention. Of course, he was only a …..but it was hard to remember just what he was, when he looked at her like that. And spoke to her. Like others before her, she suddenly realized his voice was his most seductive feature. Like Rhett, he was simply too …male for comfort. But Rose….she blushed even more deeply, and cast down her eyes.

Rose had been staring at them with an expression of shock. She turned around. "Excuse me," she said, blindly. She turned to Belle. "I'm sorry. I'm very tired. I will retire to my room."

Ignoring Scarlett's voice calling after her, she almost ran out of the room. She could almost hear Belle's thoughts…...hear her pleasure that the first meeting between her son and the girl she disliked had gone so poorly. But she couldn't stand for another moment, and watch him pay attention to every woman but her. And Charlotte…..

Once she had found her room, sat down on her bed, and taken a big breath, she tried to reason with herself. Charlotte had merely tried to be helpful. It was not her fault.

She heard a soft knock on the door. "Come in," she said, wearily. Why couldn't people leave her alone? Why had she let Charles, and her parents, persuade her to come?

Scarlett entered before Rose could finish diagnosing herself with an inherent, incurable masochistic streak. Seeing her daughter's expression, she swiftly sat down beside her on the large bed. "Rose. Love. What is it?"

Rose remained silent.

"My dear, throwing temper tantrums has never attracted any man," Scarlett told her, firmly. "What's needed here is a little gumption!"

Despite herself, Rose laughed. "And how does one go about displaying….gumption?"

"I'm surprised at you," Scarlett said, shaking her head at her youngest daughter. "You've had beaux proposing to you since you were about thirteen! I would have thought you knew how to catch them!"

"But I never did anything," said Rose, despondently. "When one…..has the sort of good looks she…..I mean, that I have, men take their dreams, and dress them up with your face. And then they propose, because they don't know any better. It doesn't mean anything. That's why I ….you see, Thad …."

Such distinctions were far above Scarlett's ability to abstract. "I have no idea what you are talking about, love," she said, merrily. "But I do know that this is not the way to go about it! Next time you see him, ask him about himself. Then, once he is talking, slowly direct the conversation back to you." She eyed Rose, critically. "Then, once you have his attention, flutter your lashes, and cast them down. Like this." She demonstrated her technique very credibly. "And then, peep up again, and look at his lips. Then take care to blush, and flutter your lashes again. See?"

Rose sputtered with sudden glee. "Mother! I now see clearly why Daddy stood no chance against you." It was true – Scarlett's display was entirely captivating. Not because of her methods - they were, in fact, laughably crude - but because of the deeper things which lay behind them. The fierce joie de vivre, her inherent sensuality, and her innocent pleasure in herself.

"Now you're smiling again," Scarlett said, approvingly. "Smile, and do what I just told you, and you'll have him eating out of your hand in no time! Remember, men like a girl with a happy temper much better than a morose fish!"

With those encouraging, but enigmatic words, her mother left the room, and her daughter to her thoughts.

~~oo~~

Some time later, after silence had fallen on the Ranch, Rose stepped outside. The half-moon cast a gentle light over the world, and the bright Western stars glittered above her. She walked slowly, and, closing her eyes for a brief moment, turned the corner to the back of the stables, where she had sat with Thad so many times in years gone by.

When she opened them, she almost staggered with disappointment. She had hoped against hope that he would be waiting for her. That he wanted to talk to her, as much as she wanted to talk to him. She moved forward slowly, and, gliding down, sat in her usual spot, staring into the gentle, moon-lit darkness. She waited for over an hour, but he did not come.

Finally, stiff with cold and disappointment, she rose, and walked slowly back into the house.