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"Well, this certainly beats having pizza for dinner," Jack said as he put down his napkin and sat back in his chair. Lisa, sitting adjacent to him at a small square table, nodded, taking a last bite of her pasta.
"I agree, although, I on occasion like pizza," she offered up with a shrug at Jack. She patted at Jack's hand, "I must say it is nice to get out to dinner tonight. It's been a long week, and honestly," she let out a laugh, "I'm glad milk wasn't spilled all over me tonight."
"Yeah, Katie has been a bit clumsy lately," Jack sighed. "Sorry with you sitting by her you are taking the brunt of it."
"It's fine," Lisa waved. "I was just glad I had an extra outfit on hand to change into the other day," Lisa winked. "I do like having some of my things at the ranch."
The two were out for a nice dinner, opting not to have a pizza night with Lou and the girls. They'd traveled to the Italian restaurant in Hudson and had been catching up on the last few days. They'd been married now for three weeks exactly, enjoying their Saturday night date, and it was going well, as far as juggling their schedules and all. Lisa had been trying to ease into daily life at the Heartland home, which was proving to be a challenge.
"Can I just say I'm glad you finally agreed to stay at the ranch tonight," Jack said with a nod at her. "Let's just hope that Lou reigns it in."
"Yes," Lisa frowned as she put down her wine glass, "what has been going on with her? She's been very persistent with me, and I know it's personal."
"I don't know," he sighed as he shook his head, "but she's on me like a hawk too. It's driving me nuts, and I want to get to the bottom of it. She was just as bad, but in a different way, hovering after my heart attack. I need her to focus on her family and not so much on you and me."
"Agreed," Lisa said with a shake of her head. She glanced toward the door when it opened, the cold blast of wind shooting into the restaurant, and she groaned and made a face at Jack.
"What's wrong?"
Lisa dropped her head, putting her hand by her head to shield herself and eyed Jack, "So, I had an interesting day at Fairfield, and I was going to tell you about it, not just over our very nice dinner."
"Okay," Jack nodded.
She gestured, trying not to draw attention, "Don't look now, but the man at the door, he is a client, has a horse breeding business in Montana. He is up here for a couple of days checking out some of my studs."
Jack nodded as she spoke, and he tried to casually glance toward the door. He did so by slightly turning his body as he sipped at his wine glass.
"I've done business with him before, a few times actually," Lisa continued. She glanced up and saw him still waiting for a table. "Anyway, today, it got awkward."
Jack turned back to Lisa, giving her a quizzical look. She sighed and gestured, "Today when we finished with the contracts and all, he asked me to dinner, as in a date, and before you ask," she smirked, "yes, it was clearly meant as a date. He specified that, saying he's thought a lot about me over the last couple of years and thought we might enjoy seeing each other. I've picked up on subtle hints over the years, but today he was direct." She made a face, and Jack glanced back at the guy and then back to Lisa, nodding with a slight chuckle in his voice.
"It's not funny," she swatted at him with a groan. As she did that, unfortunately, her movement caught the eye of her client, and quickly, she gestured to Jack. "Shoot, he saw me and is headed this way."
"Oh, this should be fun," Jack said in a sarcastic tone, giving her a slight roll of the eyes. Lisa rolled her eyes right back at him, and she schooled her features as her client approached.
"Franklin," she flashed a smile up at him as she folded her hands on the table. "It's nice to see you this evening. I see you found the favorite dinner spot in town."
"Lisa, hi," he nodded, giving a glance at Jack and sizing him up. Jack was now leaning slightly forward in his seat, his wine glass in one hand. He gave a nod to Lisa's client and took a look at the guy who had been hitting on Lisa. Tall, athletic build, sandy blonde to gray hair slicked back, not the cowboy type, but that didn't surprise Jack. This guy was a horse breeder and certainly dressed the part with his expensive dress pants, shoes, and a gray sweater for the evening. He looked to be right around Lisa's age, somewhere in his late 40's or early 50's or so. In comparison, Jack was in his dark jeans, burgundy plaid shirt, and his boots. He looked over at Lisa, always looking great in, well, black dress pants and a gray sweater with a long necklace, looking very similar to her client.
"So," Franklin continued, looking at the pair and back to Lisa, "you did mention having plans tonight." Lisa glanced at Jack and then up at Franklin nodding. She'd told him that earlier, but with the way he was sizing up his 'competition' in Jack, Lisa decided then and there to put an end to it.
"Yes, I did," she nodded, using her hand to gesture to Jack. "Franklin Bowles, this is my husband, Jack Bartlett." Jack did a double take at Lisa introducing him as she did, glancing around the restaurant. Thankfully, they were seated in the front corner, so there were no listening ears in sight. He tried to catch Lisa's eye, but didn't, not upset that she'd introduced him as she had, but certainly curious as they'd not told anyone in the family or Hudson that. Sure, they'd been happy to share that on their honeymoon, away from Hudson, but that had been there, and this was now here, at home.
Jack extended his hand to greet this client of Lisa's and finally caught her eye. Lisa gave him a nod, and she was glad he understood it, to just keep his cool and go along to hopefully get rid of this guy.
"Nice to meet you," Jack gestured ready to shake Frankin's hand.
Franklin's eyes widened, and Lisa recognized that almost embarrassment in his expression in the situation now. She could tell this should end any future attempts at a date and as she thought about it for a moment, was glad to have this cleared up right here in person.
"Good to meet you," Franklin nodded as he shook Jack's hand. He looked over to Lisa, and she saw that he was definitely embarrassed. There wasn't an easy way around this, but being direct tonight seemed to be the best. He made a face at Lisa, "I didn't know you were married."
"Recently, yes," she said with a warm smile and nod to Jack. She looked back at Franklin, "In fact, I'd appreciate it if you don't bring it up, at least this trip. We have some family out of town at the moment we want to tell in person, and well," she pursed her lips and nodded to Jack, "we just enjoy keeping our personal life just that, to ourselves."
"Oh, right, understood," Franklin nodded, again Lisa noted, sizing up Jack and definitely wondering what she saw in him. He gestured back toward the small bar area, "It was very nice seeing you again this evening." He turned to Jack, "Your wife has a knack for horse breeding and runs a tough bargain."
Jack nodded in a slight chuckle and pointed at Franklin, "Runs a tough bargain everywhere. She's a master negotiator in all she does and truthfully," he looked over and smiled at Lisa as she was watching the two interact, "I figured that out years ago and try just to make her happy."
"Ahh," Lisa said quietly as she gave Jack a small smile with a nod, but she glanced to Franklin and schooled her features again. "I look forward to working with you going forward with this new contract we finished up today."
"Same here," he nodded and looked toward Jack and then back to Lisa again. "I won't take up more of your evening, but it was nice to meet you, Jack. You two have a nice night."
Both gave him a nod, and with that, he retreated to the bar area to sit alone. Lisa met Jack's gaze, and while he was laughing quietly, she waved her hand at him. "It wasn't funny. It was so awkward," she sighed, shaking her head. She narrowed her gaze and subtly pointed at him, "He wouldn't have asked if I'd been able to wear my wedding rings. That would have fixed the problem right there."
"I'm sorry; you're right," Jack said leaning forward and taking her hand in his. He gave her a soft smile, "I'm glad you didn't invite him along on our date," and Lisa rolled her eyes at that. "Better yet, I'm awfully glad you didn't cancel our plans for a date with him." That had Lisa start laughing, and she nodded back at him.
"Maybe next time I will."
"Next time?" Jack raised his eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure he got the message this time, especially with you being so bold as to call me your husband, in public, in Hudson."
"Well," she pulled her hand from his and leaned forward on the table, crossing her arms on the table, "I never said next time with him. You assume he's the first to hit on me at work. I know you might be pretty confident in your ability to woo me," she grinned, "but there have been many over the years who have tried to take me out on a date."
"Huh," Jack nodded, winking at her. "We did have plans tonight," he nodded and grinned, "but going forward, if you are free, well, enjoy those dates." Lisa laughed, lowering her head and glancing over at Jack with a big grin on her face.
"I'll remember that. Now, I was promised a quiet evening with my husband. Can I cash in on that, or do I need to go and cozy up with Franklin at the bar?"
Jack glanced toward the bar, which had Lisa laughing again. He winked at Lisa, but then gestured for the check when he saw their waitress. He sat forward while they waited for the check.
"I am sorry if work was awkward today."
She gave a small shrug, "I wanted to put an end to any other dinner offers from him. I didn't get to finish telling you, but when he asked me out on a date, I didn't get a chance to properly explain there either. I told him I was flattered and had plans, but as I was about to explain my plans, one of my trainers came into the office, so it just ended things. It had gotten really awkward, so it was good that my trainer interrupted, but I did want to end this tonight, so" she said with a single nod, "I suppose Franklin is the first in Hudson to know, besides Tim."
"I should tell him he's won a prize," Jack said sarcastically. Lisa giggled, and Jack pulled out his credit card when the waitress reappeared. Once they finished paying the check, the two stood to leave, Jack helping Lisa with her coat. "Your business associate is still sizing us up," he leaned into her ear to tell her. "I imagine he's wondering what you were thinking with me."
Lisa quietly chuckled, and she reached for Jack's hand as they walked out of the restaurant. They had to walk right by Franklin again, where Jack gave him a nod, and Lisa threw him a small wave. Once they were out on the street and walking hand in hand toward Jack's truck, he pulled Lisa in closer.
"You know, outside of Hudson, I hope you will wear your wedding rings, and as soon as Amy gets back, well, you can wear them here too."
"Thank you," she looked up at him, "while you have to admit though, it is an absurd conversation we even have to have," she sighed. "Hiding that we are married at our ages." She smacked at his chest and smiled at him. "It is romantic though," she said giving him a nudge with his hip.
"I am enjoying having this secret," he told her, turning her toward the truck, but first pulling her closer and leaning in to give her a kiss. She laughed at that, and he nodded to her, stepping into a loose hold on her, "You know, I remember talking to you about kissing random guys here on the street a long time ago."
Lisa smiled at the memory and nodded, "Yes, because you were jealous." He dropped his head, nodding and quietly chuckling.
He winked at her as he turned her toward the truck, and with a tip of his hat, winked, "Rightfully so, apparently, with all these guys hitting on you at work. I got the girl, though. The girl wanted her rugged cowboy, not some fancy horse breeder." At that, Lisa smacked at him before getting into the truck and was sure he could hear her laughing about it as he walked around to get in on his side.
It was late when they returned to the ranch, but the house was dark and quiet. Empty pizza boxes were stacked on the counter, remnants of the dinner Lou and the girls had enjoyed. An empty popcorn bowl was on the couch in the living room, but Lou and the girls had gone to bed. Jack and Lisa had settled on a late dinner with Lisa's meetings at work running into the evening, but it had paid off with that contract she'd settled on with Franklin. The two were shushing each other and were trying to keep from laughing as they entered the dark house. Lisa tripped over a pair of Georgie's boots at the door, but Jack caught her, which started the laughing. He made sure she was okay, but then also dissolved into laughing with Lisa.
"Quiet, Lise! Last thing we need is Lou out here all over us again," Jack tried to whispered as he locked up the door. He had two bags Lisa had brought over with things to leave at the house, and she spun around pointing at the boots.
"Those things are deadly. I know she's young, but she has to do better stacking the boots with everyone else's. Jack, you could have really hurt yourself."
He sighed at her, "Right, because I'm old."
"Well, if the shoe fits," and with that, they both started laughing again with the reference to shoes and Lisa just tripping over the shoes. Lisa moved the boots in line with the rest of the family boots, and she stood up and gestured to it. "Just make sure to be careful. I don't need that call that you've fallen and broken a hip."
"Last time we came in here late at night in a laughing fit, Lou, Peter, and Georgie caught us. Shhh," he said again, still laughing. Lisa smacked at him, and he continued to laugh while she walked through the house toward their bedroom. Once inside and after Jack had closed the door, the two broke out into a laughing fit. Finally, Lisa put her hand on the dresser to steady herself and gestured at Jack.
"To be honest, what are we laughing about anymore? It just feels good to laugh."
"I don't know," he shook his head, sitting down in the chair to take off his boots. "You almost made a grand entrance falling into the house. That's the last I remember."
"Hmm, yes, and I suggested if it had been you, you could have broken a hip. Well," she finally stopped laughing and turned around, smiling at him. "We did it. We successfully avoided anyone tonight. I feel like some teenager sneaking into a boy's bedroom, which, by the way," she pointed at him, "I never did."
Jack held up his hands, "I didn't either, but I might have if I'd known you back then," he winked. Lisa rolled her eyes at him. "Right because with our age difference, that would have gone over so well back then." The two continued to laugh, and Jack stood and put Lisa's bags on the bed for her to unpack. He nodded to her, "I'm going to brush my teeth and get ready for bed if you want to start figuring your things out. I'd offer to help, but I know better than to become between you and your clothes. One thing I love about you is how beautiful you always look in whatever you wear." Lisa smiled, bashfully, at him. Jack gestured at her, "I'll be right back. Then, the bathroom is yours."
"Alright, and when it's my turn, I'll make sure not to use the bunny toothbrush Katie has in there," she flashed a smirk at Jack, which had him chuckling again as he pointed to her before leaving the bedroom.
Lisa looked around then, really for the first time being alone in the room since they'd gotten married. She liked this room. It was cozy and relatively quiet even with its proximity to the living room. It was nice to not be in the same hallway with the kids; yes, sometimes you could still hear them, but it was just one more level of privacy. It was especially nice not to hear all of the crying from Katie. She was much better now, but Lisa remembered Jack complaining about that when Katie was a baby, and she'd even experienced it more recently when Lou had been gone, and Katie was missing her mom. Lisa started to work on putting her things away, appreciating the space Jack had created for her. The closet was rather large, and she studied it, thinking through the setup she wanted. It would need some shelving and shoe storage, but that wouldn't be a problem. Jack would happily take care of anything she asked; she knew that. She continued working, moving around to put clothing in the dresser and finally to plug in the extra phone charger she'd brought. She even added a book to the nightstand, one she'd bought flying back to Canada from France but hadn't started yet. Maybe she'd read at night; she knew Jack liked to read in the evenings. Lisa couldn't help but smile at the pictures Jack had added on the nightstand, her nightstand. She'd taken a lot at Banff and had printed and framed them, giving some to Jack last week. Jack had added two of them to her nightstand, and with a glance over at the corner desk, he'd put two more there as well.
Jack walked back into the room with his button up shirt slung over his shoulder and now thermal shirt visible, humming, and as Lisa listened, she nodded, noting the tune. It was the same one he'd been humming when they were stuck in the mountains overnight. She knew he really liked that song, mainly because it was one Lyndy had written, but Lisa liked it too. Now, it reminded her of their night stuck camping in the mountains. When she caught his eye, Lisa smiled at Jack and held up one of the photos.
"This was a nice surprise to see over here. Thank you."
He nodded, "You are welcome to move those pictures as you see fit. It's your space too. She grinned and nodded, making a face.
"Still feels a bit strange," she gestured around at the room. "I don't know how to explain it. I mean, we're married," she gestured with her hands up. "I suppose some of it feels like sneaking around since we haven't told anyone yet, and I suppose," she rolled her eyes, "with both of us set in our ways, even this is a bit of an adjustment."
He nodded, walking around toward her and pulling her into an embrace, kissing her head, "Yeah, it is, but it's a good change, right?" He looked down at her, and she rolled her eyes. He patted her back, "That's what I thought, so sure, it's a bit odd getting used to sharing this room and seeing your things in here, but it's something I like and look forward to. In fact, the days and nights you aren't here, it will be nice to be reminded of you with some of your things here."
She stepped back and patted his chest, nodding, "It was nice you willingly," she said stressing the word with a smile, "came over to Fairfield last week. I enjoyed that and am convinced we can make this two household thing work." She narrowed her gaze, "I never did hear-did you get the grand inquisition the next day?"
"No," he shook his head. "One good thing about ranching hours is that I was still able to drive home before Lou was even up and out of the house. She didn't seem to notice I wasn't here overnight."
"Good," Lisa patted his chest again and pointed toward the bathroom. "I'm going to get ready for bed myself. I'm dying for a hot shower."
Jack narrowed his eyes at her and pointed to the closet, "I did something that will probably surprise you."
"What's that?" Lisa chuckled, watching Jack now walk toward the other side of the room. He smirked.
"I bought some new towels, a set for each of us. I've had all of mine confiscated over the years and for as long as I can remember have just grabbed whatever in the bathroom. I was getting kind of tired of the pink and purple towels the girls have acquired, and well, with you here now, at least we have a set that is ours and not the entire household. There's a towel bar on the back of my closet door. We can both use that, or I can add one to your side."
She smiled with a nod, "That is very sweet, and yes, I know what a mess that bathroom can become. Thank you for the towels," she said accepting the pile of gray towels from Jack. "I acknowledge you are making a big effort to make me feel at home. I will happily bring things like this from Fairfield too. I can share, but you are very sweet, Jack. Thank you."
"Trying," he smiled with a nod. "I know it's hard to step into a complete home, full of people, full of history, memories, and a lot of things. I want you to feel at home, and as we just said, it is an odd feeling now. It won't come overnight, but I am trying. I'm in your corner and want you to be happy here, with me."
"Thank you, Jack," she said, squeezing his hand and leaning up to kiss him. He pulled her in for a long, lingering kiss, and she eventually started to chuckle in their kiss. He swatted at her backside as she stepped away, gathering her things for the bathroom. She gestured at him, "I won't shock Lou by leaving all of my things out in the bathroom, at least just yet."
Jack chuckled and pointed at her, "Good point. Don't forget Katie. She'd want to try out all the new things on the counter, all of your lotions and all. She's already gotten into my shaving cream on more than one occasion."
"Oh," Lisa nodded with a grin, "at least someone is using it." Jack smirked at her, and she winked before leaving the room.
When Lisa returned, Jack was reading a fly fishing book in bed. He nodded at Lisa as she put things away, "I forgot to mention," he started, and she turned to face him from the dresser. "Tim is going to take care of the morning chores. I did speak to him about sharing in the load more, as you and I discussed," and Lisa smiled at that, "and since he skipped out on them what three or four days this week, I strongly suggested he take care of them tomorrow."
"Well, that is a nice surprise," Lisa nodded. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. No plans, just thought we could enjoy our coffee and for one morning at least, your first official morning here, just enjoy our time, read the paper, relax. If it's not too cold, we could even enjoy our morning coffee outside."
"Sounds like a date," she grinned, walking around and getting settled in bed. She turned off her light, and Jack did the same, both adjusting pillows and getting situated for the night. Jack put his arm around her, whispering in her ear, "Apparently, I have to be persistent in landing dates with you. Word has it, many gentleman callers are chasing after you. Someone needs to protect you from all the boys."
"Gentlemen callers, all the boys," she started to laugh, and quickly, Jack started laughing too, their evening ending with a lot of heartfelt laughter from the two.