Chapter 49: Expansion

Monday morning, after seeing Lyndy out the door and spying from the window to be sure she stepped onto the school bus with no problem, Amy called her dad.

"Hi, Dad. We have a favor to ask. Might you and Jessica be able to come over to join us for lunch either today or tomorrow?"

"Hi, Amy, hang on just a second and let me check with Jessica." Amy waited, and Tim was back on the line in a few seconds. "Today should work for both of us. What time would you like us to come?"

"Noon ok?"

"Sounds good. We'll see you soon!"

Of course, his and Jessica's curiosity was up. They hoped it was nothing to worry about.

At his desk, Mitch pulled out the resumes he'd received for new hires and called to set up interviews. He would start with the ones recommended by Zeke and Charlie since they were trusted referrals. Perhaps they would have to look no further. Charlie had given Mitch the phone number for the potential cook, who he'd already let know about the job possibility, and Mitch ensured that the interview with Nina Lafleur would be at a time that Amy could be present, as it would be most important for her to be able to blend with their family. They were to meet with her on Wednesday morning. He set up the two ranch hand interviews for the next afternoon.

They still had enough roast to serve roast beef sandwiches for lunch, to which they added a veggie plate, keeping things simple. Tim and Jessica arrived right around noon, and since it was a sunshiny day, they decided to have lunch on the patio. Mitch suggested Amy take the lead in the conversation.

"Dad, I doubt you ever even knew this, but shortly after Lyndy was born, Ty and I drew up a will. We wanted to be sure that we had a plan for her if anything should happen to us. As you remember, things were a little uncertain with our family during that time, so when we considered who to ask to be Guardians for Lyndy, we settled on Caleb and Cass. They agreed to our plan, and yesterday, we talked with them again just to reaffirm that they were still onboard with the change in circumstances, and they were. Of course, we all hope that plan will never be needed, but with the loss of Ty, we know nothing is certain. When Mitch and I discussed this together, we thought it would be prudent to add someone to be a backup for what we have in place; thus, our reason for asking you to meet with us today. We'd like to ask if you and Jessica would be willing to serve as that couple?"

Both Tim and Jessica were silent for a moment just taking in what Amy had just shared with them, but Tim finally spoke turning to Jessica, not wanting to assume for both of them, "Hon, what are your thoughts about their request?"

"It's kind of a lot to think about, though I realize the possibility is remote. At our ages, I've not really considered being a mom, but we adore Lyndy, and she's not a baby. But what are you thinking should you have any more children?" Jessica asked. She'd brought up a very good question. It caused Mitch and Amy to realize it was something they should explore with Caleb and Cass at their next opportunity.

"Well, that's not something we've talked about yet. I know what I'd want, but Mitch, what are your thoughts?" Amy asked.

"I'd want any future children to stay together with Lyndy, not be separated," Mitch said with no reservation.

"That's what I'd want, too. I'm sure we'd have the will updated to include that, if that dream comes true for us," Amy affirmed.

Jessica looked thoughtful for a moment, then she expressed, "Even though it's a remote possibility, if you don't mind, I'd like for Tim and I to have some time to talk it over before we give you a final answer. Would that be ok with you?"

"Of course," Mitch answered. "We know it's a big responsibility, and we realize you are at a different time in life than Caleb and Cass. Please take the time you need."

Jessica responded with her next thought, "May I ask why you are not considering Lou and Peter?"

Amy gave Mitch a questioning look which he understood as her asking permission to share. He slightly nodded his head indicating he was ok with her letting them know the reasons. "When Ty and I first made the decision, Lou was at a time in her life that made asking her questionable. And you likely don't know, but one of the big factors in her breaking off her engagement to Mitch was different desires about having more children. That's not to reflect negatively on her. She has chosen a different direction for her life. But it does make it very awkward to even consider asking them to serve as guardians of Lyndy or any future children," Amy stated.

Tim and Jessica looked a little surprised by the revelation, but Tim responded looking toward Mitch, "Knowing Lou, that makes some things clearer about your past. Thank you for sharing that with us, and we will keep it confidential between us, as that's your information to share, Mitch. May I just add that Jessica and I feel really honored that you have asked us to fulfill this role. It was unexpected, but it means a lot! How about we give you an answer in the next two or three days?" Tim asked.

"That sounds good, Dad. And Jessica, though it's somewhat different, I can kind of identify with some of the feelings I suspect are surfacing right now. I know the gamut of feelings Ty and I had when we were considering fostering Luke. We also are glad to let you know that Mitch's adoption of Lyndy will be finalized in court on Friday. We decided just to have the three of us there for the court session, but as you know, we'll be celebrating with the family on Sunday. We are really excited about sharing that with everyone!"

"We are looking forward to that, too!" Tim confirmed.

They continued to visit while finishing up their lunch together, and then Tim and Jessica left to continue their day's plans. Afterward, Mitch said, "I guess it's really good that we met with them today because we hadn't even thought beyond Lyndy."

Agreeing, Amy said, "Yes, I'm kind of surprised we didn't, but it is something we need to talk with Caleb and Cass about next time we hang out."

That afternoon, Lyndy made her way to the house just fine after being dropped off by the bus. She was quite proud of herself. The Cutty family felt happy to find themselves falling into a natural routine.

Tuesday morning, Amy called to speak with Lyndy's teacher to arrange for them to pick her up from school right after lunch on Friday, explaining why. Her teacher was delighted and congratulated Amy.

While Amy was still working in her office, Mitch called his mom. "Hi, Mom! I need to ask a favor. Amy has a birthday coming up next month, and I want to give her a nice Bible of her own, but there's not really a resource here for purchasing one. I'd rather choosing one be more hands on than just looking online. Would you be able to choose one for me to give her and also have it personalized?"

Ginny was delighted to hear this. "Honey, I'd love to do that for you! So you trust my judgement in choosing the right one?"

"Of course, Mom, completely," Mitch replied. "And you know, it might be good if they have a good Bible story book, to get one we can read to Lyndy. She seems interested. Sunday, I told her the story of David and Goliath and taught her and Amy a couple of songs."

Ginny was really encouraged to learn that Mitch was getting back to his true self and embracing his faith again. It had been a prayer of theirs for some time now. Even with all she was going through with her stroke recovery, she knew that Afghanistan had really shaken him. "Sweetheart, that's wonderful! And I'll get the gifts this week and bring them when we come. Then, if for any reason, they aren't what you want, I can try again before we return on the fifteenth."

"Thanks so much, Mom! I really appreciate your help."

"You know that I'm happy to do it," she answered, and Mitch had no doubt that was true as he pictured her smiling on the other end.

In the afternoon, Mitch borrowed Amy's office for Zeke and Charlie to help him interview the candidates. An acquaintance of Charlie was the first appointment. He introduced himself, "Hello, Mr. Cutty. I'm Dax Justice."

"Hello, Dax. It's good to meet you. You already know Charlie, and this is Zeke Hunter. They would be your co-workers here on the ranch." Mitch said. "Have a seat."

In the interview, he learned that Dax, who he estimated to be in his late twenties, had worked on another ranch with Charlie a few years back, but the ranch had recently been purchased by a corporation that had other plans for the property. Unfortunately, they left several without jobs. Dax was a confident young man and seemed to have a lot of ranch experience under his belt. He had an affable, easy-going personality, and it was evident that he and Charlie already had a rapport. Mitch let him know what duties would be expected of him, the large range of territory the two properties covered, and what the upcoming additional temporary responsibilities would be with the addition on the house and the enclosing of the arena. Dax said he'd had minimal experience building, but that he was a quick study and looked forward to learning more. Mitch really liked his attitude. They walked over to show him the bunkhouse and what he could expect as far as the living arrangements. Mitch was thinking he'd be a good fit, but he wanted to talk with Zeke and Charlie about their impressions before he offered him the job, so he told him he'd let him know something in the next day or two.

The second candidate arrived about thirty minutes later. When he came into the office, Mitch greeted him, "Hi, I'm Mitch Cutty. You already know Zeke, and this is Charlie Scheuring. They would be your co-workers, should you be hired."

"Hello, Mr. Cutty, Zeke and Mr. Scheuring. I'm Ike Zacharias."

"Welcome, and have a seat," Mitch answered.

The interview went similarly to the earlier one. Mitch learned that Ike, who he estimated to be in his mid-thirties, had been working up at Fort Mac in the oil sands for the last couple of years. That was where he and Zeke had met and hit it off as friends. Ike was hoping to move closer to his family who lived in Diamond Valley. He was unpretentious and had a quick-witted personality. He'd worked on a ranch for several years but also had carpentry experience, so Mitch was glad to hear that. They took him to see the bunkhouse, and Mitch let him know he'd hear something in the next couple of days.

When Ike left, the three of them talked, and agreed that they thought Dax and Ike would be a good fit. Mitch had learned in working with Zeke and Charlie since he'd hired them that Zeke was a widower in his early forties. They'd never had kids, and his wife had been killed in a single car accident about ten years earlier when she'd hit black ice driving alone one night. He'd worked in the oil sands previous to coming to work at Saddle Road. Charlie was in his early thirties and had been through a broken engagement. Mitch felt a kinship through that shared experience. With the age range of the four guys, Mitch felt it could be a good mix of younger energy and enthusiasm intermingling with wisdom and experience, and the four personalities appeared they would mesh well. Zeke and Charlie had similar observations, so they agreed Mitch should offer them the jobs, which he planned to do the following day.

Wednesday morning, Mitch and Amy awaited Nina's arrival for her interview. Charlie had let them know that she was a Cree woman in her mid-thirties who had fallen on hard times after losing her husband in a mountain-climbing accident. When she walked in the door, Mitch and Amy were both struck by her arresting beauty. She had clear, olive skin and big brown eyes that hinted of sadness, and dark, silky brown hair that flowed over her shoulders. Introductions were made, and after a few initial questions, she felt comfortable enough to tell them about losing her husband about five years before, so Amy immediately felt a connection. They'd been married ten years, but never had children though she said she did enjoy them, and she'd lost her parents several years earlier. She'd taken odd jobs here and there and had worked as a cook several different times. Despite the understandable sadness they sensed in her, she had an intriguing sense of humor that escaped a few times during the interview. Mitch asked her if she would mind stepping out of the office for a few minutes. When she did, he and Amy discussed their impressions, and both felt that hiring her could be of mutual benefit to them both. They decided just to give them some wiggle room, they'd hire her on a probationary period to start with.

Mitch asked her to step back in. She came in and returned to her seat, and Mitch offered, "Nina, if after talking with us today, you feel like this is a position you'd want to take on, we'd like to offer you the job on a probationary status of three weeks, and we can both re-evaluate at that point to be sure it's a good fit for you and us. Right now, we don't have quarters for you, but we plan to build an addition to provide a private room and bath for you. If all goes as planned, we hope to have it completed by May 24th. Are you in a position that you can hold out until then to start?"

Nina looked up with hope in her eyes as she responded, "Mr. and Mrs. Cutty, that would be wonderful! Thank you so much!"

Amy added, "It may be a little chaotic as you start, and you might even have some help from Mitch's mom for a while, as his parents will be coming to help us with the add-on and then will be staying to help while we enclose our outdoor arena, but if you think you can adjust to that, we look forward to seeing how things go. I have to warn you, I'm not a cook, though Mitch has been trying to help me learn a few things, so I won't be much help. And you would be using the family kitchen for the cooking, and would be cooking for us, yourself, the four hands and my assistant, a young man named Logan. Oh, and our family right now is Mitch, me, and our almost eight-year-old daughter, Lyndy. You and the hands meals would be served on the side patio. Does that sound satisfactory to you and something that you feel you are up to?"

"Oh, yes ma'am. My cooking jobs involved cooking for a good-sized crowd, so I should be able to manage," Nina replied confidently.

Amy added, "Nina, you don't know what a great help this will be for us. I don't know if Charlie told you, but besides the ranch, I have my own business in which I work with troubled horses. That keeping me so busy is part of why I've never really learned to cook. We look forward to you joining us here at Whispering Meadows."

"Thank you, Mr. and Ms. Cutty. I look forward to it as well."

Mitch said, "Would you like to come and see the kitchen and see where we plan to put you?"

"That would be nice, Sir, thank you."

They all headed to the house, and Nina seemed pleased when she expressed that she'd never worked in so fine a kitchen before, and she thought the planned room would be more than adequate. She mentioned that she had a single bed and a chest of drawers that she could bring with her if she could get someone to help her move them. But outside of that, she had no other furniture. Mitch and Amy appreciated her simplicity and grateful attitude.

Mitch told her, "I'm pretty sure one or two of the hands would be able to help with the furniture. We'll be in touch with you, should anything change with the timeline of finishing the addition. Let us walk you back to your car." They chatted walking back toward the barn, told her to feel free to call with any questions she might think of, and bid her farewell until time for her to move in.

As she pulled out, Amy said, "I really like her. It's obvious she has been through a lot, and I was surprised how much we have in common with the tragedies we've faced. I expect we will get along very well."

"I got the same feeling," Mitch said. "As we'd hoped, it seems it will be a mutually beneficial relationship."

Mitch then called Dax and Ike to offer them the jobs and asked them if they would be able to move in and start on Wednesday, May 10th, thinking that would give them a few days to get some training in before they had to add building to their schedules. They both happily agreed. He told them about hiring Nina but gave them a heads up that they'd generally be on their own with Zeke and Charlie for the first couple of weeks for meals until they could make things ready for her. He suspected it would also be a great incentive for them to help get the addition finished as soon as possible. Then he called Jack to let him know of the new hires and asked him to relay the information to Tim and the rest of the family and to let Lou know they'd hired a cook, so she didn't need to keep looking for someone. Jack was pleased to know that things were falling into place for the merger.

He turned to Amy and said, "Well, they both accepted, and Jack is pleased. I'd also like to ask Zeke to take on more responsibility."

Amy was thankful Mitch wanted to delegate some of the weight he was going to be taking on. She stayed to work in her office while Mitch continued his plan.

Mitch then texted Zeke to ask him if he could join him in the house for a few minutes. When Zeke came in, Mitch offered him some iced tea and invited him to join him at the table.

"Zeke, with the new hires and all the changes that are going to be happening, I wanted to ask you if you would be my Foreman? You are familiar with all that needs to be done now…well, except for the couple of months that we'll be having extra building going on, though you and Charlie have been through some of that with us already. But I could surely use the help, and it would take a load off me if you could take care of scheduling and assigning the chores and work and oversee most of the training. It would mean a raise as well."

"Mitch, I'd be honored. You and Ms. Amy are going to have your hands full, and I'd be most happy to do anything I can to help."

"I'm thinking you will be able to use Charlie as your right-hand man in training Dax and Ike. In fact, let's go tell Charlie the news together, and I'll let you be the one to ask his help," Mitch suggested, so they headed to the barn together. Upon learning of Zeke's request, Charlie was most agreeable for the chance at the new responsibility.

Early Thursday morning, Tim called to ask if they might have time to swing by the loft after they got Lyndy off to school. Mitch and Amy weren't sure what to expect, but they took the revised will with them just in case. When they got there and sat down together, Tim began, "Jessica and I have discussed your request. We'd like to accept with a condition. We know that you are just getting started, and that right now, Caleb and Cass are your closest friends. However, we don't know what the future holds, and Jessica and I aren't getting any younger. You may, at some point, find yourselves having another set of close friends or someone else you feel would be better suited to care for Lyndy and any possible future little ones. We want you to feel free to have the option to change your minds, knowing that it would not offend us. We love Lyndy to pieces, and we know we'd feel the same about any children you may have, but we also want them to have the very best care, should that ever be needed."

"Dad and Jessica, thank you so much! That sounds quite reasonable and sensible. I think you'll also be glad to know that we've added to the will that any guardians would be sure that both of our families would always remain paramount in Lyndy's life. And that would be the case with any future children as well," Amy assured.

"That's really good to hear, Amy and Mitch. And we are glad you are thinking about such an important thing to have in place as a young family," Tim commended.

They wrote in Tim's and Jessica's names on the will and had them sign and date their signatures. They'd be able to file it with their attorney next time they were in town during office hours.

"Thank you both for being willing to accept our request," Mitch added.

"You're most welcome," Tim replied and shook his hand.

"We'll go say hi to everyone at the house and see how things are going. And Jessica, we found a recipe we think will be fun for the Adoption Celebration-Naming Ceremony. I'll leave the list with Lisa and Lou, but I was wondering if you might bring your Crème Brûlée again?" Amy asked.

Jessica smiled and answered, "I'd be happy, too. I'm so glad you and Mitch love it so much!"

"There should be about fifteen of us," Amy added.

"That's good to know," Jessica answered.

They joined Mitch and Amy as they headed to the house, and when they walked in the door, everyone was surprised to see them.

"We thought we'd drop by and see how things are going, make sure everyone is still planning on Sunday, and talk about the menu," Amy said.

Lou chided Amy a bit, "You are wanting to talk about a menu?"

"What can I say? Mitch is rubbing off on me," Amy said proudly. "We found a recipe that will feed a lot of people that we thought would be really fun. It's called Snow on the Mountain. I've made a list of all the items we'll need. It's a kind of stack up meal. Mitch and I will take care of the Creamed Chicken, the brown rice and Soy Sauce. Caleb and Cass are coming, so I'll ask them to bring shredded Cheddar cheese, and we'll ask Doc and Ginny to bring the crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, and the sliced almonds and sunflower seeds. It calls for several toppings that you can choose from to put over rice. Lisa and Lou, if you can divide up and bring the remaining items of white rice, chopped tomatoes, Chow Mein noodles, chopped celery, diced green onions, and sliced green and/or black olives, I think we'll be set. And if you want anything other than tea or water, feel free to bring any drinks. Oh, and Jessica is bringing the dessert."

"Wow, Amy! I'm quite impressed, and it sounds like a very interesting combination," Lou complimented.

"Yes, that's a completely new recipe to me, but it sounds like it could be an adventure," Lisa added.

"Lou, will Peter be able to make Sunday?" Amy asked.

"Yes, he's to get in Friday evening, so he'll be there," Lou answered.

"Thank all of you for helping out," Mitch said. "So how are plans coming on the Dude Ranch expansion?"

"Oh, Jessica and I submitted the blueprint for the new cabin to a couple of contractors, and we've decided on one," Lou answered. "We are hoping to get started next week, wanting to get it completed by at least early June before we start to have too many guests arriving. We are hoping to cut down on any noise they might have to endure. Then sometime in June, I'll start seriously looking into the Vancouver Maggie's expansion."

"Grandpa, did you tell everyone about the new hires," Amy asked.

"Yes, I did, and we are looking forward to meeting them," Jack replied.

"And, Mitch's adoption of Lyndy will be finalized in court on Friday. It will be really quick, so we thought just the three of us would attend, and then we'll have the celebration with all the family on Sunday. We plan to tell Lyndy tonight. We didn't want her to have too much time to feel anxious about going into a courtroom," Amy informed them. "We are pretty excited!"

"That's wonderful, guys! We are so happy for you!" Lisa stated. She looked at Jack, and he got her message.

"While we have everyone here, Lisa and I want to invite all of you to come here for dinner Sunday after next. With us more spread out now, we wanted everyone to have a little notice. So please make plans to be here," Jack announced.

It seemed a little suspicious, but everyone agreed it sounded good and would not turn down the chance to all be together. Jack and Lisa would be letting Lou know the plan in hope that Peter would be able to arrange his schedule to join them.

"Well, we'd best get back to work," Mitch announced. "We'll see you on Sunday at about one o'clock!"

That evening, they told Lyndy what would be happening the next day, and she was thrilled that Mitch was going to officially be her daddy in every way. She was almost too excited to go to sleep, so Mitch sang her a song, and it didn't take long for her to give in to heavy eyelids.

A/N: "Oil sands" – a map of where these are located will be posted on the following three Facebook groups: Kevin McGarry Fan Page Home of #McGarries and SuspendersUnbuttoned Podcast; Nathan Grant Fanfiction! Home of Sunday Night Serge; and The Heartie Analyzers: All things Kevin McGarry, KEVLA and WCTH.

"Snow on the Mountain" – Perhaps my readers have heard of this recipe, but I was first introduced to it a few short years ago at a brunch with my Community Bible Study group. I was most pleasantly surprised at how delicious the intermingling of such a combination of surprising ingredients ended up being! By the way, I would probably also add craisins as a topping.