Chapter 277 – Thursday Morning Before the Show (long)
Thursday morning came early for most of the household. Jack, Doug and Nathan were up by five thirty to get ready. Frank and Father Mark were up shortly afterwards. The first three grabbed coffee on the way out to deal with horses. Frank and Father Mark, knocked on the girls door as well as Elizabeth's door as they headed upstairs. The twins were up and out the door shortly after Jack. The plan was to go turn out the horses, come back and eat, then get a short practice in.
Frank and Father Mark volunteered to make breakfast. Gran was grateful as she went through her morning and what needed to be done. Elizabeth came up as they were getting ready to make breakfast.
"Morning." Elizabeth said. "Gran, what do you need this morning?"
"Emily up?" Gran asked.
"No." Elizabeth said. "She didn't come into the room until well after midnight last night and she wasn't quiet about it. At least I am used to noise because of my sister and was able to go right back to sleep."
"I will talk to her." Gran said. "But I can start making the labels for the jam. We should be able to start putting the jars in the cellar later."
"I can do that." Elizabeth said. "Do you have labels that can be printed in the printer? I can make a template on the laptop."
"I think they can go into the printer." Gran said. "I usually hand do them. The labels are in the third drawer on the left in the pantry. So under the counter where the jars are sitting."
"I will go look." Elizabeth said.
She went and saw the package of labels and saw they could go in the printer. So she got her laptop and made a label on it. She counted the number of jars of each of the types of jam and then made the appropriate copies. She then took the labels and her laptop to the office and started printing them. She then came back out to the kitchen.
"I got them printing." Elizabeth said. "I can make one for tomato sauce and salsa as well."
"Thank you." Gran said. "I can type and check my email on the computer, but find it easier to do most things by hand."
"No problem." Elizabeth said. "I love working on the computer and it didn't take that long for me."
"Still." Gran said. "It would have taken me all day to figure out how to make them and get them to print right. I probably would have wasted half the labels."
"Well." Elizabeth said. "It can be confusing, but it is done."
Elizabeth then helped set the table as she knew the others would be up for breakfast soon. Trish came down about that time and checked what needed to be done. Seeing that everything was in hand, she sat with Gran as they made a plan for the day. Lee wandered at the time as well.
Twenty-five minutes after Trish came down, the group working with the horses came back. Frank and Father Mark put breakfast on the table as the others got cleaned up. They had made eggs, hash browns, biscuits and sausage gravy. They also put out the fruit platter.
Everyone sat and had breakfast. Gran joined them at the table and went over the plan for the day. She let everyone know that Abigail was coming over and would probably have Cody. They should be there within the hour. They were going to finish up baking, including making several loaves of bread. They talked about the need for a trip to town. Father Mark volunteered to go in and Frank said he would go with him.
"What is the plan with the horses?" Gran asked.
"We want to get a short practice in and a light workout." Jack said. "Nathan got a text from Greg and let him know that they would come here by one to help set things up. We still need to go through the poles and standards to make sure everything is clean and ready. All the horses have been moved from the arena over to the retirement center. We will take our horses down there the day they compete, otherwise they can stay up here."
"Don't forget that someone needs to stop at Quad Cities and pick up the certificates." Elizabeth said. "I was told that they would be ready before lunch. I will also need a few sharpie markers, including at least one ultra fine tip, all in black."
"I will add it to the list." Gran said.
"Thank you." Elizabeth said. "I can write out the certificates as needed. The ribbons arrived the other day and so did the banners. They are all down at the office in the arena."
"Good." Gran said. "Lee, please make sure I get a master schedule and that timeline of where people will be."
"Of course." Lee said. "I was going to get those printed later."
"I have something running in the printer, but it should be done soon if it isn't already." Elizabeth said. "Gran, add more labels to the list so we have them for the tomato sauce and salsa next week."
"I will do that." Gran said. "Anything else I need to add."
"Gatorade, please." Missy said. "I put the last of it in the fridge yesterday and there were only six small bottles, so I put them in the fridge in the gym."
"I will add that." Gran said. "Fruit punch, orange, and lemon lime still all okay?"
"Can you get some of the Cool Blue?" Maddie asked.
Trish nodded and Gran added it to the list. They talked about a few other things as the group finished up breakfast. As they finished, they took their plates to the sink, thanked the cooks and headed out to get their riding in. Elizabeth and Lee helped to clean up from breakfast so the kitchen was ready for Gran and Trish.
Once Elizabeth had helped in the kitchen, she went and got the labels from the office and started putting the labels on the jars that had been sitting there for at least twenty-four hours. They had used masking tape in front of the first and last row in each batch, so she knew which ones she could safely touch. She started to work on putting on the labels so they could be taken to the cellar later.
Lee went to get his laptop and make sure he had everything printed and ready for the show. He knew that Marco and Andy were going to take care of the course sheets, but he needed a master schedule with notes of where people were for each of the riders, as well as Gran, Elizabeth and himself. He also needed to print off the lists of all the competitors for the three judges, Marco and also Elizabeth so she had the proper spelling of each person and knew who was showing for the first time with the younger kids so she could get their certificates done.
After the kitchen was cleaned up, Father Mark went and did his morning prayers and Frank went to get a light workout in and take a shower. They planned on heading to town, closer to lunch time. They figured it would be easier and that Gran would probably have added to the list by that time. Abigail arrived with Cody and she got him set up in the front room with his blocks. The ladies started to get baking done as everyone else went about their plan. It was a busy morning with people running in different directions.
… … … …
Emily wandered upstairs after ten thirty and looked at Gran, Trish and Abigail in the kitchen.
"What is for breakfast?" Emily asked.
"Breakfast was several hours ago." Gran said. "But there are some waffles in the freezer that you can toast, but you will need to clean up any mess that you make. Father Mark, Frank, Lee and Elizabeth already cleaned up the breakfast dishes."
"When is lunch?" Emily asked.
Trish looked at the clock and then looked at Gran.
"We will probably sit about twelve thirty." Trish said. "Maybe a little before. It will depend on when the guys are done with their workout. Nathan's friends will arrive sometime around one to help get things set up."
"Gran, can I have the wi-fi password?" Emily asked.
"No." Gran said. "There is plenty of work that needs to be done and you are not going to play on your phone all day."
"But Lee is on his laptop?" Emily whined.
"And he is working." Gran said. "He is doing things for the show and he has been up since early this morning and has helped with things."
Emily huffed and went to get some coffee. She then opened the fridge and grabbed some fruit and sat at the table. Gran was not happy. She wasn't going to allow much more, especially after what Father Mark had said about having words with her last night. Gran wasn't happy with her granddaughter and she wasn't going to allow her to just lay around, because they had a houseful and with the show, there was even more work.
… … … …
Jack, Doug and Nathan got a nice ride in and the girls were able to take nice jumps on Bubbles and Squeak. They actually got them to clear the three seven fences, which was higher then they were currently registered for, so Jack was happy. When they were done with the horses, the guys sent the girls up to get a workout in and they would turn the horses out. Once the horses were turned out, Jack stayed in the stable and checked all the tack and made sure all the cases were ready for the weekend. He knew that they were going to be on the ranch, but he wanted to treat it like a normal show.
Once Jack had all the tack, he checked in with Katie and wanted to see how she was getting along. He found her filling out paperwork and entering information into the Ipad.
"How are you doing?" Jack asked.
"Good." Katie said. "I am loving this Ipad system. James got me two of them and the rest should be here soon. I even added a tab for supplements and James contacted the developing team to have them add that to all future Ipads. The greenhouses are up and I got things growing. James had promised that one of the guys would turn over a spot for a large garden in the spring. I have ordered other things for now, but I also don't want to make too many changes in the horses' diets during the season. For now, I will be watching them and tracking how they are doing and I also requested certain blood work on each one when the vet has a chance, that will give me a better idea of what they are missing."
"Sounds good." Jack said. "And you are settling in good?"
"Yes." Katie said. "Opal loves it here and she loves that you set up for her to ride. Marco and Andy have been helping her get started. They have been doing about twenty minute lessons a couple days a week. She is also loving helping Carlo, I think she is really going to miss him when he leaves in just over a month."
"I am sure." Jack said. "But she will be starting school, so that should help."
"Yes, she is looking forward to that." Katie said. "Thank you for everything, this is such a wonderful ranch."
"Thank you." Jack said. "I hope you are getting a chance to see some of it along the trails."
"Yes." Katie said. "I have been out a couple of times, but I am looking forward to riding more this fall as things slow down."
"Sounds good." Jack said. "I will let you get back to work, I have plenty to do today."
"Yes." Katie said. "If I don't see you, good luck this weekend."
"Thank you." Jack said. "Don't forget that Gran and Abigail will be up at the house, except close to when the girls will be jumping on Saturday and us guys on Sunday, so if you need to send Opal up there for a break, it will be fine."
"Yes, she let me know." Katie said.
"See you later." Jack said.
Jack left Katie working in the office and went up to the house to get a short run in before lunch.
… … … …
Gran, Trish and Abigail worked to get things set up for lunch as they were baking. They knew that not everyone was going to be sitting down at once and that was okay. When the girls were done with their workout and had gotten a quick shower, they had grabbed their tablets and were working on their homework before lunch.
Frank and Father Mark had left for town with a long list of things that they needed to get. There were several stops, but it was fine. The guys were happy to do it. Emily wanted to go with, but Father Mark said no, because they were taking his truck and they would need the room to put things. She wasn't happy, but he reminded her that they were running errands and not out just to be out. Gran told Frank and Father Mark to go and she would deal with Emily. Gran reminded her that they weren't there to entertain her and that if she couldn't follow the rules that she could find somewhere else to stay. Emily went to the library to pout. She tried to talk to the girls, but they didn't engage because they wanted to finish up their homework.
Nathan and Doug came up to get a light workout in and Lee joined them. Emily tried to go down to the gym when she learned Nathan was down there, but Gran stopped her and put her to work, chopping vegetables. Emily really wasn't happy about being made to work, but she also realized she had pushed her grandmother far enough and she needed to stay on her good side, if she was going to convince them to give her money.
Gran knew that something was going on with Emily and she wasn't going to let the girl do whatever she wanted. That morning, Gran had quietly shared her concerns with Trish and Abigail, so they could also help keep an eye on her. They were all worried that she was going to upset Jack and that was the last thing that they needed right now. He had finally started dealing with things and they didn't want him to have a setback, especially with the wedding coming. They were also afraid of Jack lashing out, especially with Emily being an adult. They all knew that if she pushed Jack it might happen and it wouldn't be good for anyone.
… … … …
When Nathan, Doug and Lee came upstairs after their workout and shower, they started to sit for lunch. Gran knew that James wasn't coming up as he had taken a sandwich and stuff with him that morning. They weren't going to wait for Jack, as he had asked them not to. Because they didn't have enough bread, Trish had made a large batch of quick dinner rolls for them to use for lunch. They were making bread, but it wasn't ready. The dinner rolls went over well with the guys. Once things were set out on the table, Gran had everyone gather.
"Doug." Gran said. "Please lead us in prayer. JP can join us when he is done. James is not coming up."
"Yes, Gran." Doug said. "Heavenly Father, please be with those not around our table this afternoon. Keep us safe as we work this afternoon and allow the group of new friends to arrive safely. Bless this food to our bodies and the hands that prepared it. Amen."
"Thank you." Gran said. "I know we normally do this around the counter, but we were running out of counter space and I didn't want someone to cause the bread to fall that is rising. So there are two platters of lunch meat and cheese that can be passed. The same with the fruit and veggies. You can just grab a small bag of chips from the bowl in the middle or pass the bag to someone when they ask. Since we are low on bread, there are fresh rolls in the baskets."
The group started to make their sandwiches and passed the macaroni salad around.
"Frank and Father Mark in town?" Nathan asked.
"Yes." Gran said. "They have a long list of things to get and places to stop. I suspect they will be gone for a couple of hours. They left around eleven."
"I will text Frank then." Nathan said. "I realized something I need."
"Okay." Gran said. "That will be fine, but I might be able to help you."
"It is okay." Nathan said. "I realized that my deodorant was almost gone. I also needed a new blade for my razor."
"I could probably help you with the blade, but you might as well have them pick up what you need." Gran said.
"Thank you." Nathan said.
They ate and talked a bit about the plan for the afternoon. Jack came up and joined them. He made his lunch and sat there quietly. Gran looked at him, but he shook his head. She wondered what had happened, but she was going to wait until later to ask him. Elizabeth also noticed that Jack didn't seem happy.
About half way through lunch, Nathan got a text to let him know that Greg and the group were on the way. He apologized about the phone at the table, but texted back to go to the arena entrance and they would be down shortly. Jack then texted Marco and Andy to let them know that Nathan's friends were on their way and they were finishing up lunch and would be down.
As the guys finished up, they put their dishes in the sink and headed down to the arena. Jack was the last one left, because he was the last one to sit down.
"Girls." Jack said. "If you want to go help, you can unless you have homework to do."
"I would like to see how you care for the poles." Maddie said.
"Me too." Missy said.
"Then go on and head down." Trish said. "But I expect your homework to be done by noon tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am." The girls both said.
Both girls got up, cleared their plates, kissed their mother and Gran before heading down to the arena to help. Trish, Gran and Abigail looked between Jack, Elizabeth and Emily who were the only ones left at the table. Gran knew that Jack had made the suggestion to get the girls out of the house for some reason. Trish had picked up on it as well.
"Everything okay?" Gran asked.
"Just thinking about everything that needs to be done." Jack said.
He wasn't ready to share, he didn't have confirmation of what happened and he didn't want Emily to have time to come up with a lie. He hoped that Devin was wrong, but he didn't see how he could be.
"I know when you aren't saying something." Gran said.
"Fine." Jack said. "I got an alert from Devin about something posted online. He wasn't happy and wanted to know if anything had changed in the last twenty-four hours around here."
"Oh." Gran said, looking at Emily.
"What was online?" Elizabeth asked.
"Word is out that we are engaged." Jack said. "No official confirmation, but it is on several gossip sites that an unnamed source close to the family has said that we were engaged."
"It will be okay." Elizabeth said, leaning over and giving him a kiss. "I trust you and I know that you will keep us safe."
"I know." Jack said. "But it is going to make going to the races next weekend and the next three shows a little more tricky."
"We will deal." Gran said. "But I am sorry that you have to deal with it at all."
"But we will deal." Elizabeth said. "As much as I love watching you jump, if I have to stay back to keep you safe, I will. We will figure it out. Like I said, I trust you."
"Thank you." Jack said.
"What are you going to do?" Gran asked.
"I told Devin to bring the full weight of the law down on whoever decided to break policy and leak information to the media." Jack said. "I told you I wasn't going to play around anymore. People have been warned and I am done playing."
Gran just looked at him, but he just raised an eyebrow to her. Finally she just nodded, because she knew that Jack wasn't going to play around with his or Elizabeth's safety. As much as she didn't want to see Emily get into trouble, she had brought on whatever happened herself. Trish and Abigail also saw that Gran agreed with Jack. Albeit reluctantly, she had agreed that Jack had the right to punish whoever had leaked the information.
… … … …