Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Forty-One

As Scarlett was riding back from her sawmills, she was lost in thought. All three of her businesses were making a profit. After six months of managing all three businesses she was pretty sure they were going to stay solvent. That was thanks to her hard work and Rhett's loan. And Rhett for finding her a manager for the second sawmill.

That made Scarlett think about Ashley and how bad a businessman he was. How she had just kept making excuse after excuse for him. The amazing part was that she had done it despite being so avarice as she was then. She really had behaved like a dodo bird as far as he had been concerned. She had hidden her head in the sand also. If the war hadn't come, he would have managed to run Twelve Oaks into the ground also. Melanie would never have said anything to Ashley about his poor management of the plantation because a good wife didn't criticize her husband, ever.

That afternoon when Rhett stopped by the store, Scarlett informed him rather coolly, "I don't have time to sit on the porch and socialize. I have three businesses and two children to take care of, which means I don't have a lot of free time. What free time I have I like to spend with my children. You can come back next week, and I might have more time for you. Excuse me, I have work to do."

With that Scarlett turned around and walked back into her office and shut the door. Rhett was mad at being talked to so offensively and so rudely.

Rhett left the store, and he was in a snit at the rude way Scarlett had dismissed him. Clarence had shouted, "Stop! Go to the park. Sit down. Think about it."

Rhett did go to the park, and he found a bench away from everyone else. Rhett said, "Materialize. I don't want to think I'm talking to myself."

Clarence did materialize. Rhett said, "Explain."

"No, you think about it. What was her state of mind before you left?"

"Confused."

"Do you think she shut down those thoughts and went straight to sleep?"

Rhett smiled and said, "No."

'Right now, your biggest problem with Scarlett is that she is scared to trust you."

"How do I get her to trust me?"

"By not behaving badly. Go back in a couple of days and try to coax her into a better mood by being your playful self. This is what both of you do. You don't talk about your feelings you just lash out at the other one then the other one lashes out at the first person, and it gets worse and worse."

Rhett laughed and said, "And neither one of us will ever apologize even if we know we are in the wrong."

"Especially if you are in the wrong."

Rhett laughed loudly. He said, "Especially if we are in the wrong."

Finally, Rhett stood up and said, "Let's go find a birthday present for a one-year-old."

Back at Kennedy's Scarlett was feeling bad for the way she had treated Rhett. She had been rude to him, and it was because of all the unsettling thoughts he was causing her to think. It was because she was enjoying his company again, she was looking forward to seeing him again, she had been daydreaming about being married to him again. She had to keep him at arms' length from her. She would like to say not let him back into her heart, but the truth was that he had never left her heart.

Scarlett decided she would apologize later, full well knowing she wouldn't. Neither one of them ever apologized. Apologizing was a sign of weakness. She had a thought, 'Didn't it show more strength to openly admit one's mistakes than never admit them.'

At the toy store, Rhett looked at several toys and finally Rhett said, "I know what I will give her. I will have a ragdoll made for her with green eyes and red hair."

"No, Rhett. That's not a good idea."

"Why? It is a great idea. I had one made for Bonnie. I gave it to her on her second birthday. She had gotten one for her first birthday, but it was kind of small and kind of ugly."

"Tell me more about the first ragdoll."

"There isn't anything more to tell."

"Do you know who gave the first ragdoll to Bonnie?"

"I don't know Mammy, I guess. She was always putting it into the crib with the baby. I knew Bonnie loved the ragdoll, but I knew she would like the one that looked like her more."

Clarence stared at the man. Could he really have been so obtuse? Incredibly he could. This was one time that Rhett had unknowingly hurt Scarlett. And Scarlett not only hadn't said a word about her pain or even let Rhett know that he had hurt her. Clarence stared at Rhett and wondered if it would have mattered if he had known. The man during that time was riding his horse as fast as he could down the road of destruction. Finally, Clarence said, "Scarlett gave her the ragdoll."

"No, Scarlett would not have given her child anything she had made herself. She would have just bought something with my money."

"She had made it herself. She was enormously proud of it because she had never made anything like it before. She was thrilled that her baby girl loved the ragdoll."

"I can hardly believe Scarlett gave Bonnie that doll. It was so badly made."

"It was badly made because it was the first time, she had ever made a ragdoll. She made one for Melanie and Tricia also. They looked much better." After a few minutes of quiet, Clarence went on, "It had been her only bond with her daughter. Every other thing she had given the child you had taken away from Bonnie."

"If I had known Scarlett had given the ragdoll to Bonnie, I would have taken it away from her also."

You literally took Bonnie away from her. How many times did you take Bonnie out of her arms?"

"She never said anything."

"About what? The ragdoll, all the gifts she had given her child that you took away, or how many times you had taken her daughter away from her? No, she didn't because she knew you would make a rude, mocking comment about her being a bad mother."

"I guess I would have. I got where I did that without thinking because it always hurt Scarlett. That and any negative comment about the mansion. I was so afraid she would steal Bonnie away from me. That Bonnie would love her more than me."

"So, you tried to make sure Bonnie didn't love her at all."

"I guess."

"The worst part was that she was criticize no matter what she did. If she tried to keep Bonnie in her arms you forcefully took her away while telling Scarlett, she was a bad mother. If she didn't fight you, you used it as proof she was a bad mother because she didn't care to fight for her daughter."

"That one wasn't really my fault."

"It was your fault because you had created such a hostile environment, she couldn't communicate with you. Anytime she asked you a question, you responded with a sarcastic comment."

"I guess so. Let's go buy Ella a rattle. I didn't hurt Scarlett that way, did I?"

"No, but you did give Ella a rattle for a birth gift during the first timeline."

"Yes, but these aren't going to be the same. This is going to be a plain rattle and that one was a sterling silver rattle. Come on let's go."

Rhett bought the rattle and had it wrapped. He ignored all the strange looks people were giving him. He knew they thought he was talking to himself. That was better than them thinking he was talking to a celestial being.

A week later Rhett went by the store, although Scarlett's words were friendly there was no more warmth than there had been the week before. Rhett said, "It is a beautiful day. Come sit on the porch with me for just five minutes."

After Rhett and Scarlett were seated on the porch, he said, "You were the first woman I wanted that hadn't thrown herself at me in a matter of weeks if not days."

Scarlett smiled. She said, "That must have been hard on your conceit."

"Indeed. You have given my conceit a real beating."

"Rhett, am I just the one that got away?"

"No, if you were, once we were divorced, I would have been able to forget about you. Not only did I not forget about you, but I also hired a woman to pretend to be you."

"What?!"

"I hired a woman with green eyes and black hair to pretend to be you. She lived with me and slept with me, but we weren't intimate."

"How?!"

"How could I restrain myself?" With Scarlett's nod, Rhett went on, "I couldn't. I hadn't been able to since our night together."

"The night that was just like all the other nights in your life."

"Hardly. Why would you say that? From what I remember it was a wonderful night for me, but I know it was a horrible night for you."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you said it was after I returned from Belle's."

"You had just told me you left my bed to go to another woman's bed, of course, I was going to say it was awful."

"I didn't go to anyone else's bed. I ran away because I didn't know what I had done. I, of course, couldn't just say I was sorry because at that time I never admitted I was wrong. I am sorry for forcing myself on you."

"I'm not sorry about that I'm sorry you didn't stay."

"I'm sorry for my cruel words on the staircase that caused you to fall. I thought you were going to die."

"I'm sorry for attacking you. I called for you, but nobody would go get you. Stupid people and what was proper. I was dying. Didn't they think I would want my husband with me even if I was suffering from a miscarriage."

"I got drunk, sobered up, and got drunk again."

"I am beginning to see why you got what was it of the liver?"

"Cirrhosis."

"You can't have relations."

"I can have them now." When Scarlett looked at him with disappointment, he lied and said, "I don't have to be with a woman to achieve an erection. All I have to do is think about you in a romantic way." Scarlett blushed and smiled. Rhett added, "And I do that a lot." Scarlett blushed deeper. Rhett said, "Let's change the subject before you get any redder. How are the birthday plans coming?"

"I think Wade is more excited than Ella."

"Of course, he is. He knows what is happening. How are things at Tara?"

"They are in harvest. A lot of men showed up and agreed to work if Careen and Will would feed them."

"What did they do?"

"Slaughtered the hog." Rhett laughed. Scarlett added, "Did I tell you that Careen is making my aunts do all the cooking?"

"Those old biddies knew how to cook?"

"No, but between Mammy and Ida they have been able to serve some adequate meals. They are not gourmet meals, but nobody is going hungry. Liberty is going to give them cooking lessons in the winter." At the puzzled look on Rhett's face, Scarlett added, Ida – wet nurse, Liberty – cook. She was moved out to the field because she could pick more cotton than two old women."

"Really?"

When the biddies complained that they were working harder than the field hands, Careen offered to let Liberty and her trade places with them. They shut up pretty quick."

"How do you know so much? You usually aren't that aware of what is happening at Tara."

Scarlett smiled and said, "Careen is a much better correspondent than Suellen. Because Suellen is such a poor correspondent, I knew I could get Frank to the altar before he found out the truth."

"You are lucky that he didn't take his anger out on you."

Soberly Scarlett said, "Yes, I am. I have been lucky that way with all of my husbands having self-control."

"Although one of your husbands really did want to take a horse whip to you one or two times. Just to make you wake up and see I was the better man."

"I certainly would not have thought you were the better man if you had taken a horse whip to me."

Rhett smiled and said, "I guess that is why I never did it. No, the truth is I could never hurt you physically except that night, but that was …."

"Erotic physical pain."

"Yes, but we aren't going to indulge in that ever again."

"All right. If you say so."

Rhett smiled a smile of promise. He said, "I will let you go. I have taken up much more than five minutes of your time."

"All right, come by later this week and coax me out on the porch, even if I say I am too busy. You are a refreshing break."

"I would be happy to."