CH6

Rick went down to the basement and into the laundry/freezer room and pulled out two 1 pound packages of ground beef. He had been impressed with the grocery store just before the first snow was scheduled to fall. The place was packed with people and the store had hired some teenagers to help stock the shelves. Rick saw two huge semi-trailers sitting out front as they unloaded one of them and filled the shelves while others priced everything. The other one was a freezer trailer that had frozen sides of beef, crate after crate of frozen turkeys and whole chickens, frozen bacon, frozen pork shoulders, and frozen baby back ribs.

Rick got his side of beef tagged and scheduled an appointment with the one of the two butchers. He turned his side of beef into 125 pounds of ground beef divided into 1 pound packages. 150 pounds were in cuts like steaks, roasts, ribs, brisket, and tenderloin. He picked it all up in four 12x12x12 boxes and had Alexis help him pack it all into one of his upright freezers.

Going back he picked up six 22 pound frozen turkeys, 8 whole frozen chickens and 12 frozen full racks of baby back ribs along with a case of 48 packages of frozen bacon. Next came 24 dozen eggs that also went into the freezer. He had read where it was possible to do freeze eggs so he hoped it worked. He added a case of bread dough that went into the freezer thanks to more research. When that ran out, he planned to mix up his own bread dough in big batches to freeze according to instructions he found on the internet. He needed to remember to double the yeast to compensate for the yeast that died off during freezing and to use only active dry yeast, not fast rising yeast. If this worked out they would have the smell of fresh bread each week for months.

He also bought frozen vegetables, case after case of canned vegetables, several packs of frozen bell peppers of three different colors (green, red and orange). Celery could be frozen as well, it would just have to be cut into 1 inch pieces and blanched first.

The meat came in individual vacuum sealed packages. It took him and Alexis hours to vacuum seal everything else themselves. "We're all done pumpkin, now what do we do?" Rick asked her. "I'd like pizza!" Alexis replied. It was the one thing they didn't have any of, frozen or not and he didn't have a pizza oven. Note to self: Next summer have a pizza oven installed out back.

"Fine. Go get your coat and make sure you take Midas and Maggie outside and pick up after them," he told her. They were her dogs so Rick was getting her to take care of them as much as possible.

"Daddy, can Paige and Jenny come over to play?" Alexis asked while eating pizza and kicking her legs. "Sure sweetheart. Ask them to bring their sleeping bags and pajamas and they can spend the night," he agreed. All he wanted was to make his daughter happy and so far she hadn't mentioned anything like what happened at her last school.

Alexis grinned while eating her pizza. That very weekend Rick let Paige, her mother Vicki, and Jenny and her mother Veronica in and took their sleeping bags and made sure that they had pajamas and a toothbrush rolled up inside just like last time.

"Paige has been asking me if today was Saturday yet for days," Vicki said knowing that Paige was excited to spend the night again. "Jenny hasn't been after me quite that much but she's excited too. This is awfully kind of you Mr. Rodgers," Veronica chimed in. "Please call me Rick. You're starting to make me feel old with the Mister stuff, and I'm glad to have them. If you and your husband want a date night just drop them off in the afternoon. Alexis and the dogs will keep them hopping and they'll just conk right out at bedtime," Rick said. "I don't know about Veronica but I might take you up on that. We don't find much time to be alone anymore," Vicki remarked. "Count me in," Veronica added. "Just call ahead and warn me and you're set." It's all Rick asked.

Their mothers had left some ago. Rick was working on BLTs again for lunch and was wondering where the girls were. It was too quiet. Then dogs started barking and he heard kids running and nails on wooden floors. It sounded like they had been downstairs and now they were upstairs. He was guessing they were in Alexis's bedroom which was where he took a large tray with lunch plates and glasses of milk. "Remember girls don't feed the dogs," he reminded them.

Rick was sitting in the living room working on his book and was actually about 5 or 6 chapters from being done. What he needed next was a new publisher to send it to, but that could wait for a bit. He heard but paid no attention to three girls running downstairs to the basement until suddenly all three of them were standing in front of him. Alexis and Paige each had a soccer ball from the game room. "Can we play outside Dad?" Alexis asked and used her best puppy dog eye look that had never failed her yet.

"Sure, put on your coats, hats, and gloves and take the dogs with you. And don't stray too far from the house," Rick told them, getting a yay from each of them as they scattered to find their coats. He soon heard a door slam closed and went back to writing.

He was only interrupted a couple of times when Midas and Maggie were barking. It looked to Rick like a soccer game using two balls with the three girls against the two Dobermans. The girls appeared to be doing all the scoring while Midas and Maggie looked content to try and intercept each ball that was kicked. They were both growing up fast however they were still just puppies.

Rick went back to writing until he noticed the time and decided the girls had been outside long enough. Then he heard the dogs barking again, only this time they were both barking non-stop and it didn't sound like a playful bark. He dropped his laptop on the sectional without saving his work, ran for the door, and looked outside. The girls were huddled together and were pointing while both Midas and Maggie were in front of the girls barking their heads off. He ran out into the cold. "What is it?" he yelled over the barking that still hadn't stopped. "It was a bear Dad," Alexis told him. "A really big one Mr. Rodgers," Paige added as Jenny nodded.

They were only a few miles from the Tribe as the people in town called it that was based deep into the Black Hills National Forest. Though technically mostly in South Dakota, part of the National Forest was only a few miles from here. Rick's land was 179 acres and mostly wooded. The eastern-most edge was only a couple of miles from the state border.

He had chosen this place because of the clan that lived on the edge of the National Forest and deeper into it. He knew eventually that Alexis would see a bear, it looked like today was the day. Still Rick didn't see anything himself at the moment. "Midas, Maggie, shush that's enough. It's gone now." He bent down and petted them and told them they were good dogs to reinforce that they were to protect Alexis at all times and by default any of her friends that were with her.

He then gave them all hugs. "Pick up the balls and let's go inside. You've been out in the cold long enough. Your mothers are going to skin me if I send you home with colds," he told them.

Rick knew what he was doing tonight while the girls slept.

"Dad can we play pool?" Alexis asked him. "Of course, just remember to use the step stool, be careful with the pool cues, and remember to rub the chalk on the tips sometimes," Rick told them and watched them race each other downstairs to see who played against whom first.

He decided to start dinner. He could still barely hear the sound of pool cues hitting pool balls, telling him where the girls were and at least what two of them were doing. The next time he checked he could hear the unmistakable sound of them using the air hockey table. The problem with that was they only had the one step stool so that the tables weren't too tall for Alexis to use properly. Note to self: Buy another step stool.

Rick was just about done with dinner. "Girls, it's time for dinner. You three need to wash your hands and come upstairs for dinner." Dinner was Peking vegetable stir-fry with chicken and spices on sticky rice.

"You have a really nice house Mr. Rodgers," Jenny said with a full mouth. "Why thank you Jenny. We like it. We're still breaking it in and trying to figure out what we still need or what needs to be fixed," Rick replied. Dinner was silent until they were almost done. "Do you go camping?" Paige asked. Rick figured she must have seen the travel trailer sitting out in front of the garage on the side he can't park his truck in. "Have you been to Keyhole?" Paige asked just as she finished eating. "I've never heard of it. Do you know where it is?" he asked her and watched her nod. "It's north of here somewhere. Mom and Dad took me camping there once. We used a tent and had a fire and everything," she explained. "Do they have space for big trailers like mine?" he asked. "Uh huh" was his only answer. "They also have boats," she added. "Boats huh?" Suddenly Rick had an idea that was going to cost him money if he bought one.

"Mr. Rodgers, can I go camping with you?" Paige asked which told him that Paige had a reason for mentioning Keyhole. "Sure, but we're not going camping until at least spring which is months from now," he told her. "Can I go too?" Jenny asked softly. "Of course you can. It has bunk beds you two can use while Alexis can sleep on the sofa that folds out into a bed. You would have to share space with Midas and Maggie and need your parents' permission, but sure, you two can come sometime." He was willing to take them with him. Anything to make Alexis's friends happy.

That got smiles from both Paige and Jenny. Their new friend was turning out to be a gold mine as far as they were concerned. It didn't hurt that Alexis was nice to them. Plus she had dogs and the coolest dad with a big house.

"Does it get really cold here?" Rick asked since he had them talking. "Yep, it snows a lot sometimes too." Paige answered. "School never closes," Jenny added. That came as a shock to Rick. "Never?" he asked and watched both Paige and Jenny shake their heads. WOW! Just an inch in New York and the city went into a total shutdown, not to mention panic. Suddenly he was glad he had a big truck and took the tire package that he did.

"Do you put chains on your tires here?" Rick had never put chains on a truck, car or anything in his life. "Yup." Paige simply stated. "My dad hates them. He always has to get out in the cold to put them on. Sometimes he says bad words," Jenny added, which made him chuckle. He had no doubt that he would likely be cursing when he was out in the cold putting chains that he didn't even have yet on his truck. Another note to self: Buy snow chains for the truck.

The girls were off washing their hands and faces after dinner while Rick looked up chains for his truck and ordered some online. He prayed that UPS could get them way out here before the first bad snow storm.

"Do you three want to play a board game or maybe a card game? Alexis knows where they all are," he said. "Or how about a movie on the big TV?" Rick offered since he didn't get much of a response to the first offer. This time he got three nodding heads with big smiles. "How about Toy Story 2?" he suggested as Paige and Jenny nodded. Rick knew Alexis had already watched it, but then he didn't have that many movies suitable for her that she hadn't watched.

The movie had almost ended and all three of them were yawning big time, barely keeping their eyes open. "Okay, you three go to the bathroom and brush your teeth. You two need to find your sleeping bags, change into your jammies, and to go sleep in Alexis's bedroom. It's late," Rick informed them and watched all three drag themselves upstairs. "I'll be up in a minute to check on you," he said and turned off the player followed by the TV since he wasn't going to be needing it. The only ones that went up the stairs with any speed were Midas and Maggie.

He called Midas and Maggie back downstairs and took them outside so they would do their business then went upstairs to check on the girls. "Good night pumpkin, I love you." Rick kissed her head as she settled down to sleep on the floor with the others. "Good night Paige and Jenny," he said quietly and stroked their hair. He turned on the night light which slowly changed colors from red to blue then to green and back again to red.

Rick waited until midnight before going outside slowly so as not to alert either Midas or Maggie who were also sleeping the night in Alexis's bedroom, likely curled up against one of the girls.

He used the front door to exit the house and started walking until he reached the tree line which wasn't that far away. He worked to stay on only certain areas like he had been taught. No that wasn't right. More like forced to follow when he was a kid. He stripped his clothes and shoes off and changed. It was really dark since the moon was barely a sliver. Still he didn't need his eyes to get to where he wanted to go, he had his nose as he breathed in and out silently as he had been taught, no…forced to do.

His huge paws barely made a dent in the pine needle-covered ground that he traveled over. When he thought he had reached the area the girls and the dogs had seen the bear he slowed down. He nosed the ground and wandered around. Finally he caught a whiff of a scent and followed it until he found the spot. Even with his eyesight he could spot the huge paw print of a bear and shoved his nose down to it to breathe in the scent. He had no trouble identifying it and while he was a little surprised, he also wasn't. "Losing your touch old man…or you did it on purpose?" Which was more likely. It was also likely that he let the girls and the dogs see him before retreating. It was probable Rick was being watched right now, either as a human with night goggles or a bear using smell.

He knew his father wasn't going to show up at his front door unless he was desperate and his father was never going to be desperate enough to do that. Show up to make demands certainly, but to ask him for something? Never going to happen. Which suited Rick just fine. "You can sit on your throne and rot for all I care." Rick had what he wanted so he headed home and changed back when he reached his clothing.

He knew one of these days he was going to have to run the boundary of his property and get a proper feel for where they lived now. This was not New York City and the rules were different here. Though he had to admit changing into his bear had been fun. It had relieved some of the pressure on him. It left him wondering what it would be like to run when it snowed and toboggan down a hillside on his belly. Be a kid again, growing up, without his father this time.

Once he got back into the house he went to find his phone knowing that his friend would still be up even at this hour. Actually Rick wondered if he ever slept. "Hi Grey, it's Castle. I need a favor."

"A little birdie told me that Richard Castle doesn't exist anymore." Grey was happy to hear his voice. "Your little birdie is well informed. I needed to get away. Some people that I trusted were actually hurting me and more importantly, my family," Rick told him."Who are they and what have they done to Alexis?" Grey was going to make them disappear. "And why don't you show up on my ID?"

"Satellite phone. Cell phones can be traced too easily and if those ladies find me again I'll let you know," Rick said, not knowing that he had already told Grey just enough.

"So what's this favor you need?" Grey got down to business. He had Rick's new number now since he had been typing while talking. "I have a new home on 179 acres and I want the perimeter monitored," Rick told him. "I think I have just the system. I just need to figure out how many sensors you need for 179 acres and if you'll need any relays. It's really simple to use. I'll send you the install DVD which will explain how to install the sensors and how to monitor them using your laptop. Just so you know, each sensor uses a 9 volt alkaline battery that won't be included. Plus you'll need to change the batteries at least yearly. You'll get a warning on your laptop when a sensor goes down and what the error code means," Grey advised him.

"Sounds like just what I need. I owe you. I'll tell you where to send it," Rick said. "No need. Newcastle, Wyoming is definitely not New York City my friend," Grey told him as he stopped typing since he had all he needed. "Don't forget who you are talking to Richard." Rick chuckled. "One of these days I'll learn. Thanks, you're a life saver," he told him. "Just don't put any of this in one of your books. I know where you live, and if you're stupid enough to ever get married again I expect an invitation for that one. And Richard…hug and kiss that sweetheart for me. Your little girl is going to grow up to be something special." Grey ended the call, leaving Rick to stare at his satellite phone.

A quick peek into Alexis's room told him that the girls were still fast asleep, though both Midas and Maggie were awake and just lying there. "You two stay there," Rick whispered softly and partially closed the door then headed for his bedroom.

"So we have a lake nearby with a boat ramp do we," he said to himself as he opened up his laptop to begin his search. First up was what it took to winterize a boat and could it sit outside covered in snow? Armed with those answers he began his search. He knew he had a weight limit, beyond that he didn't know what he wanted in a boat. That got him to look up the lake to see just how big it really was, thinking maybe that would help.

Sailboats sounded like fun but that would mean sailing lessons that were likely to be hard to come by way out here. So he stuck with motorized and soon found he had a choice. Inboard motor or outboard? Plus how much was he really willing to spend on a boat that might get used he didn't know how many times a year. Still that hadn't stopped him from buying a travel trailer. Especially when he hadn't even given it any thought.

Then he closed his laptop. "Let's see if we like camping in a trailer first before we go boating," Rick told himself as he got up to change and go to bed. He still had to get up early and make breakfast for the girls before their mothers' came to collect them and take them home.