Friday June 10th, 2005, Callan:
It was nearing lunch as Sean stood on the edge of the property staring at the lot, now topped with asphalt and parking lines painted on it. Tobin sat in his wheelchair next to him shaking his head. The lot seemed nearly profane in appearance when just two months ago it had been a lush and thriving parcel of land.
Their heads turned as they heard the sound of a large diesel engine coming down the road.
"I thought we were done with all of that racket?" Tobin said.
"Should be." Sean scratched his beard. "I suppose it could be for someone else. Better go see just in case."
Sean turned Tobin's wheelchair around, counter-clockwise, and Tobin chuckled as he saw the "new" barn again.
"I still can't believe you went along with that nonsense." Tobin continued chuckling.
Sean joined him in laughing.
"Aye, that young lady has a way of getting whatever she wants." Sean said as he began pushing Tobin towards the front.
As they reached the front of the house they saw a large flatbed truck slowing down and the driver looking intently towards the farm. Sean waved as he saw the large tarp covering something on the bed of the truck. The driver waved back at him.
"Are ya lost?" Sean inquired as the truck stopped and the air brakes were set.
"I hope not." The man laughed. "But it is possible. I'm looking for the O'Brien farm." He said as he leaned out of the window.
"You found it." Sean laughed. "What can I do for you?"
"I've got a delivery for Paige Dineen, in care of Sean O'Brien." The man said as he opened the door and read the manifest after shutting off the truck.
"Aye, that's me." Sean explained as he was walking out towards the road.
The man chuckled as he looked down the side of the house and saw the barn.
"Yup, if I had seen the barn I'd have known it for sure." The man told him as he held out the manifest for him to see.
"Carriage?" Sean asked, confused. "What has this girl done now? What's the barn got to do with knowing where you are?" Sean asked as he didn't see anything on the manifest about the barn.
"Just wait and see." The man just chuckled as he walked back and got the forklift off the back of the truck.
"Sean?" Louise called out as she came out on the porch.
"It's a carriage for Paige." Sean called back.
"A carriage?" Louise asked as she walked down the steps.
The man climbed up and loosened the restraint keeping the protective tarp around the carriage and then pulled the tarp off of it.
Louise gasped seeing such a fine, enclosed and stately carriage. Stark white like the barn with matching pink and blue trim and gold embellishments.
"Oh my Lord." Louise finally said. "It looks like something out of a Disney movie." She wrapped her arm around Sean's arm as he stood there gobsmacked as well.
The man worked carefully removing the restraints on the carriage itself. He climbed over onto the forklift before moving it around and then lining it up with the special lift spots and then they watched the carriage rise up off the bed.
"Where would you like me to place it?" The man asked after turning the rig around.
"Uh, right in front of the main door of the barn. I'll have to bring the team up and put it in the barn later." Sean said as he scratched his head.
"Well if you want to avoid using the horses, the two of us can probably push it in there." The man told him as he started driving back to the barn.
After getting the carriage lined up with the barn entrance Louise took hold of the shaft to keep the front wheels straight as Sean and the driver pushed and got the carriage into the barn. It was a good bit rougher than they thought, but they did it.
Sean wanted to call Ralph but they were already on the plane to return to Ireland.
Next day:
"Look at the barn!" Paige nearly crowed as they got out of the SUVs. "Daddy, they did it perfectly!"
Ralph chuckled as Paige hugged him tightly and then she grabbed Sean and hugged him too.
"Thank you for allowing this." Paige said softly.
"You're welcome, my girl. But next time you want me to babysit something for you, give me a heads up." Sean told her.
"Was there a problem?" Paige asked concerned.
"I didn't say there was a problem girl, I just didn't know why you hadn't told us." Sean said after they hugged.
"I'm sorry, I should have but I was worried I'd jinx it or something by talking about it." Paige grinned. "Everything about it was so…magical, that's the only word to describe it. From how I found it and the history involved in it."
"What's he talking about?" Veronica asked.
"Come see!" Paige said grinning as she pulled on Walter's hand.
Louise was too busy fussing over Emmett to really listen but she followed along with them as they moved back towards the barn.
Walter found the sight of the changed lot actually bothered some part of him. He didn't think he had any emotional connection to the land but the cleared land with an asphalt parking lot struck a sour note within him.
Sean stepped up and slid the barn door open.
"Cool!" Happy said as she squeezed Toby's arm when the carriage came into view.
"And the best part is, we can make a video of me arriving in it and us leaving in it and use it to advertise the Wedding Venue!" Paige told them. "This will be an amazing amenity to offer for weddings. Do you know how many girls dream of something like this for their wedding?"
"Is this what the twenty thousand you spent was for?" Walter casually asked as they moved around the carriage.
"Yes!" Paige grinned as she squeezed his hand.
"Twenty thousand?" Ralph and Sean both said shocked.
Paige ignored them.
"I'd found the shell of the carriage for free on the other side of Callan, back in February. I was just bored in class and surfing the internet, I hadn't even considered something like this. But the second I saw it my mind exploded with ideas. By the ad, it had been available since the day we met! I knew then it was kismet! So I contacted the owner. We talked a few times and he told me more about it. I pulled the picture into my art program at school and messed around with it for a few days until I had it looking like this. Then I had to find a repair shop that could do the work. There was a restoration shop in Kilkenny that could do the work on the schedule I needed, but it cost a little more." Paige explained. "Oh that reminds me. The farmer who gave it to me said he'd can't wait to see it in person. Even though we invited the whole town, I sent him a personal invitation to the wedding."
"Are you talking about Ed O'Connell?" Louise asked as she caught up with the conversation.
"You know him?" Paige grinned while nodding. "He said it had been something special for part of a St Patrick's day parade in Dublin. Believe it or not, the same year I was born!" Paige grinned. "A fairy carriage or something. So I tried to capture some of that element to it. It had been green for Ireland but I wanted it to match the barn."
"You did a great job." Walter nodded.
"You're not upset that she spent twenty grand on this thing?" Sean asked Walter.
Walter frowned as he looked at his Dad and shook his head.
"Why would I be upset? It's her money too, why shouldn't she be able to spend it as she wants?" Walter asked.
"That's our boy." Louise and Veronica both said.
"No, that's my man." Paige told them with a wink. "And to make it better, when he saw the picture the restoration company sent me, Mr O'Connell said his son has a team of Cyldesdales. He told me he'd be honored to borrow them the night before the wedding and come over in the morning to bring the carriage to Mom and Dad's. He'll drive me over for the wedding and then take us to the school for the reception and then back to the house."
"That's very kind of him." Walter grinned at her enthusiasm.
They all talked about it for some time as they looked around the carriage before moving over to check out the new outbuilding with the toilets and the hill that had been constructed behind them.
2:00 a.m. Sunday the 12th, Callan:
"Walter, wake up." Paige shook Walter.
"P-Paige?" Walter said tiredly. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, get up and put some clothes on." Paige told him quietly. "But not too many."
"Put some clothes on?" Walter frowned as he tried to look around in the available moonlight.
"Yes, clothes, you know, those items of cloth that cover your naked body." Paige told him with a huge grin. "Unless you want to go streaking."
Walter sighed as he threw back the cover and sat up on the side of his childhood bed.
"What's going on?" Walter asked as he stood up, pulling his pants up at the same time.
"I want to go for a walk." Paige grinned.
"At 2 a.m.?" Walter frowned, pulling on a shirt.
"Yes, at 2 a.m. Now hurry it up!" Paige said, shaking her head.
Before they left the kitchen Paige grabbed one of the candle lanterns and lit the candle before she walked out the door with Walter. They were followed by one of her agents.
Walter was confused as she walked straight to the wicket gate of the barn and opened it.
"I thought you said you wanted to go for a walk?" Walter said as he entered the barn with her.
Paige closed the door leaving the agent outside the barn.
"I did, I wanted us to walk to the barn." Paige grinned.
"You aren't making any sense." Walter frowned. And then he saw the blankets that were sitting on a bench. He started grinning as Paige picked them up.
"About time you figured this out. Some genius you are." Paige teased as she walked on back to the carriage.
Walter quickly opened the door and working together they quickly covered one of the benches before climbing into the carriage and removing their clothes.
Sean had awakened, sure he had heard the stairs creak. While that in of itself wasn't a big concern since it could have been one of the kids or even one agent trading places with the other. But he pulled his pants on and grabbed his shirt anyway. His head turned as he reached the bottom step. Did he just hear the barn door close? The agent that was usually in the front room while Paige stayed with them, was gone and he frowned. He walked back to the kitchen and saw one of the lanterns missing. Looking out the back window he saw an agent standing outside the wicket gate. Then he saw faint light moving in the barn through a side window. He smiled figuring Paige had wanted to see the carriage again.
As he turned to go back to bed he saw the shadows cast by that light through the opposite window against the side of the outbuilding. He saw roughly two figures and they were stripping their clothes off. At first Sean was a bit upset but then he started laughing. He was still laughing when he returned to bed where Louise was sound asleep. Until he woke her up and told her what was going on.
Thursday June 16th, Callan:
"Where are we going?" Happy asked Paige as she followed along behind her.
"I need to have a private conversation with you." Paige told her as they walked.
Happy nodded as she figured Paige wouldn't explain until she felt safe to bring it up.
Paige finally stopped as they reached the edge of the lake. She stood staring at the lake for a moment.
"Is this where you wanted to talk?" Happy asked puzzled.
"It's good enough, I suppose." Paige finally said as she kind of gestured around them. "This was Walter's spot, back before we met, whenever he was overwhelmed by other people."
Happy frowned and looked around trying to understand why this spot was a place Walter would come to when he was overwhelmed.
Paige bent over and picked up a flat rock and then threw it and watched it skip across the water.
Happy nodded then, realizing what the allure was. It was a mindless physical activity that allowed his mind to contemplate what he felt.
"I need to tell someone besides Walter, but I need your promise you won't tell anyone anything." Paige said as she turned and looked at Happy.
Happy nodded.
"You're my sister, you come first." Happy told her.
"I'm pregnant." Paige blurted out.
Happy's mouth dropped open and then she rushed Paige. She grabbed her and hugged her tightly as tears ran down her face.
"I'm so happy." Happy told her. "When did you find out? When are you due?" Happy demanded after breaking the hug.
"I tested positive back in April. I got pregnant around the 16th of March and they are saying I should deliver around the 7th of December." Paige told her while grinning.
"I can't believe it. How have you and Walter kept it this quiet?" Happy demanded from her.
Paige laughed.
"I'd worked with Walter for about a month before we knew we were pregnant in how to hide it." Paige told her.
"Wait…so this wasn't an accident? You meant to get pregnant?" Happy stood stunned as Paige nodded.
"I went off my birth control pills back at the start of the year. I really wanted to make Walter's prediction about December come true." Paige told her with a grin. "We took a lot of precautions when we made love before March to decrease the chance of me getting pregnant until March. It was funny, if I'm right it happened on March 16th. According to the test I was ovulating and I had sent a message to Walter because he wasn't at the house. He ran all the way home from the hotel he was having a meeting with the guys from Elia's car program. Boy were they mad that Walter just left them there like idiots." Paige laughed.
Happy stood staring at her in wonder. Her hand seemed to rise up and slowly reached towards Paige's stomach.
Paige grinned and pulled her hand over against her stomach.
"Much too early for that I'm afraid." Paige grinned.
"I'm going to be an Aunt." Happy said in wonder.
"But you have to be careful now, Happy. I don't want anyone to know." Paige warned her.
"I won't let it slip. As I said, as my sister you come first." Happy promised her.
"Well that also goes for doing little things, like acting overprotective of me doing things." Paige told her. "That's been the hardest for Walter, but then he was always a bit overprotective so that kind of covers his slip ups." Paige explained.
"That's a good point. I'll do my best, I promise." Happy said, still grinning almost like Paige was about the carriage.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well!
LouBe - So glad you have enjoyed the last 2 chapters! Hopefully this one meets your approval too! hehe This whole storyline has had me doing so much research. From viability of a vineyard in Ireland to the greeting between Sean and Ralph to what are American porta-lets called in Ireland? LOL Definitely do not want a whiffy barn! LOL Funny story, my Mom is from a small town about an hours drive from us. When I was a child a lot of times when we came home from visiting her folks Dad would take the "backway" home instead of the interstate. Quite often I'd fall asleep as most kids do and there was a pig farm along this route. My parents always knew when we were close because even asleep I would start gagging from the smell. lol Paige definitely weaved her spell around their hearts! lol Looks like Paige has succeeded on orchestrating a new livelihood for the O'Briens. Paige was pretty sure the romance she put into everything would be wasted on Walter, but she enjoyed doing it nonetheless. lol I wouldn't put Walter into an accident, the Muse however...she just might...you never know. Yeah, not a lot of Waige or Quintis, hopefully the next few chapters will satisfy that urge to see them. hehe After all the work and money spent...Oh, Paige would be in so much trouble! LOL Better not elope gurl! I was happy to read JerBr will be coming back to us!
Pearliegirl - Glad to see you back! Was worried about ya. Trust me, as someone who depends on electricity to survive, even a few hours can be daunting. I've been amazed at how nice this June has been here...scary nice! Though if one weather prediction comes true, we're looking at potentially nasty weather starting tomorrow. For Callan, things are fairly normal, the O'Brien Farm on the other hand is quite turned over. lol But, don't get too comfy...never know what is going to happen next chapter...Maybe Walter gets cold feet? Hey Jer, Pearliegirl says "Hi!" hehe
Railman - Happy is definitely a different mixed bag and Toby is just along for the ride! lol We'll get to learn a bit more of them and what Happy's been up to these past months in a few more chapters.
2LawDog - hehe Thank you, glad you like the idea of them becoming B&B providers! I do have high hopes for the coming endeavor and Louise is definitely in her element. Back when I was about 10, they finally started working finishing connecting 2 ends of a US interstate together and some of the local stay at home adults tended to have some rapport with the workers. So I borrowed from it. hehe Definitely need to keep the goal in mind as well as all the inbetween goals!
To the Adventure! -Tim