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courage

So Many Irons in the Fire…

My grandmother used to warn me about having too many irons in the fire. I do love to stay busy… I’ve been writing! I’ve been writing the next New Parish book, the next Brigham Tea Magazine, and another project I’ve been working on for almost two years now, The Grandparent’s Field Guide to Long Distance Grandparenting.

The next New Parish book, Home in New Parish, is about three fourths done. It offers a completely different side of the romantic comedy that always happens in New Parish.

The next Brigham Tea Magazine is full of so much rich history of the west, beautiful new pictures of the wild and wooly west, and even a buffalo hunt. The buffalo hunt was with cameras only, of course.

The Grandparent’s Field Guide to Long Distance Grandparenting has been a labor of love. It’s full of stories and games that I created for my own grandchildren, to share with other grandparents who might not live very near their little ones. Or even if they live near, they could still use this fun and engaging book.

So as for my grandmother’s warning, I don’t think I have too many, irons in the fire… I think there’s just the right amount to keep me busy and out of trouble. I can’t wait to share it all with everyone!

Hannah’s Courage

In life we all have to face things we don’t necessarily want to face. Some of those things are more difficult than others, some can even destroy us, if we let them. In Return to New Parish, I chose to present a difficult thing that many women have had to face. Hannah faces all the emotions, fears, and heartbreak of this very difficult thing… Throughout her journey in Return to New Parish, she gains the courage to deal with this, and finds a way to move forward in her life. She has some great support in her sister, family, and Alex… but in the end, it’s all up to her to deal with what happened.

 

Excerpt from Return to New Parish:

Chapter 12 – Alex

 

“Have you talked to Uncle Alex?” Sarah asked.

            “We talk all the time,” Hannah avoided what she knew Sarah meant.

            “About Nathaniel?” Sarah probed.

            “No,” Hannah returned firmly.

            “You need to tell your husband about the man who nearly raped you,” Sarah insisted.

            “Who’s Nathaniel?” Alex asked from behind them. “What happened?”

            Hannah sighed and gave Sarah a disapproving frown, “I’d rather not talk about it.”

            “It’s too late for that,” Alex said gently. “I heard what Sarah said.”

            “Okay, but later,” Hannah pleaded, holding Annie close, almost like a little shield.

            “Yeah, but we will talk,” Alex nodded and returned to the paddock and the girls.

            “Grrrr,” Hannah growled softly at Sarah, so as not the scare Annie.

            “Growl all you want,” Sarah shrugged. “He’s got a right to know, especially since you’ve decided to not have a physical relationship. He is your husband after all.”

            Hannah sighed and tried not to think about the conversation she knew was inevitable. Holding Annie and watching the girls ride helped distract her mind, but not completely. She didn’t want to tell Alex but she knew Sarah was right, she knew she had to tell him, she sighed again.

            That night as Hannah finished tidying up her sitting room, she heard a knock on her door. She thought, “I have plans for spending the evening on the balcony, and then moving to the big tub before bed.”

            When she opened the door, she found Alex standing there.

            “It’s not my night to fix your dinner,” she said quickly and somewhat panicky, hoping she didn’t lose track of which night she was supposed to fix his dinner.

            “Nope,” Alex chuckled rubbing his tummy. “I’ve already had my dinner. Can we talk?”

            “Sure,” Hannah said, stepping aside so he could come in.

            Alex motioned for her to sit on the sofa and he joined her, “So, who’s Nathaniel? And, what happened?”     

            Hannah sighed heavily, feeling like all her emotions had just deflated and were filling back up with fear, dread, and anxiety. She looked out at the balcony she’d planned on spending the evening on, then back to Alex. “We’d been dating for a couple of months,” Hannah began. She watched his expressions as she spoke, “I’d just finished all my course work and passed my last exam. So, we went out for dinner to celebrate. We’d ordered our drinks, non alcoholic champagne, and we were ready to order our food. I was checking out the menu when the waitress told me that she saw Nathaniel put something in my drink. He denied it, but I could see a small pill dissolving quickly at the bottom of my glass,” Hannah paused to take a deep breath and try to settle herself.  “He laughed, like it was some kind of joke,” she took another deep breath to try and control her emotions. “It scared me so bad, I of course left the restaurant and went back to my apartment.

            Alex remained quiet listening to every word, as she answered his questions.

            “I’ve been scared ever since,” Hannah sighed. “I’ve never been intimate with a guy, I wanted that to be with my husband, the man I would spend forever with. He was going to take that from me, something that was mine to give to who I choose, not his to take,” Hannah knew there was anger in her voice now, but she couldn’t help it.

            Alex sighed softly and put his arms around her, he pulled her close and whispered, “You’re safe here sweetheart. If I ever meet Nathaniel, it’ll hurt.”

            Hannah sighed, she did feel safe in his arms, she put her arms around him not wanting him to let go. He caressed her face and gently brushed her hair aside, then gently kissed her forehead. He held her for a long time.

            A few tears escaped, but, Hannah thought, “It’s not fear, not anger, not even sadness.” She decided to analyze later, for now, she thought, “I’m going to just be glad I am where I am.”

            Things between her and Alex became easier, more comfortable, and exactly what Hannah needed them to be.

Find Return to New Parish, New Parish, and Brigham Tea Magazine on Amazon.com at the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Julie-Worthington/e/B00E6622QO?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1569181539&sr=1-3

    

Choices, Choices, and Choices…

We all have them, choices to make… Where we’re going to live, what career we’re going to pursue, who we’re going to marry… There’s always a myriad of choices that face us throughout our lives, and even on a daily basis. What movie are we going to watch tonight? What’s for dinner? In Return to New Parish, Hannah has many choices to make, some big, life changing ones, and some, all be it simple, still stressful ones.

Hope you’re enjoying her journey…

Excerpt from Return to New Parish:

Chapter 12 – Alex

“Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you that I have dinner with each of my wives on rotating evenings,” Alex grinned mischievously. “Tomorrow’s your turn.”

            “What?” Hannah felt like the proverbial deer in the headlights. “I’m not a very good cook,” she admitted honestly. 

            “I can eat just about anything,” Alex shrugged. “It’s just to talk and visit, really. To cover some ground.”

            “Okay,” Hannah sighed. “I make no promises on how dinner will turn out.”

            Alex smiled warmly, “Can’t be any worse than some of the stuff I had to eat when I was on trail rides.” He gave her a quick hug, and said, “I have to get out to the stables.”

………..

Hannah sighed, hoping for good news and opened the email from Brenda.

     “Hi Han,

                        Congratulations. Yes, I’ve heard, at

times, very loudly about your marriage. I’m

glad you’re finally getting into cooking and

have friends that have inspired and encouraged

you. I’m attaching several recipes that should get

you by.

I’ll send some more soonish.

                        Love you too,

                        Bren”

………..

Just as she placed the last pan in the drainer, there was a knock on the door. She ran over to the French doors and closed them, and took a long, slow deep breath before she opened her apartment door.

            Alex was standing there with a curious, questioning look, holding a bouquet of flowers.

            Hannah smiled, not really wanting to explain anything, “Avoidance is best,” she thought.

            Alex cleared his throat and said, “These are for you.”

            “Thanks, come on in,” Hannah smiled, breathing in the wonderful aroma of the flowers. She filled a vase with water, placing the flowers in it, then set it in the center of the dining table, which was just past where the food and plates were.

            Alex pulled a chair out for Hannah and scooted it in for her when she sat. He sat at the head of the table and said a short prayer.

            Hannah thought, “A prayer is definitely needed for this meal.”

            “How was your day?” Alex asked, obviously trying not to laugh.

            “Fine,” Hannah replied, determined not to talk about the disaster she’d made of cooking.

            Alex smiled and dished up.

            Hannah did the same, hoping it wouldn’t be as bad as she feared it would be.

            “We have a new foal in stable three,” Alex informed her, taking a bite of Sheppard’s pie.

            “Oh, wow,” Hannah said excitedly. “Can I go visit tomorrow?” She felt guilty hearing the crunching sounds as Alex chewed. She knew shepherd’s pie wasn’t supposed to be crunchy.

            “Sure,” Alex nodded. “She’s not going anywhere. I have high hopes for that little girl.” Then he encouraged, “So, tell me what you did in school.”

            “Programming, networking, if it had anything to do with computer tech, I was in on it,” Hannah replied, taking her first bite of shepherd’s pie. “It’s not too bad,” she thought, breathing a sigh of relief. “I’m going to send Bren a, thank you, email tomorrow.”

            “So when’s your last day on the job?” Alex asked with one eye squinted a bit.

            Hannah smiled, she couldn’t help it, just about everything about him seemed charming to her now. “Next Tuesday,” she replied.

            “Good,” Alex nodded. “I’ll start showing you how things work here next week.”

            “Okay,” she said. Then a thought came to her, “How long have you been doing the girls trick riding team?”

            “Oh, since Lexie got interested when she was about six,” Alex smiled. “She used to like to go watch me ride in the rodeo and she saw groups of girls doing trick riding and wanted to learn.”

            “Wow, that’s really cool,” Hannah said with admiration.

            “Once she got started, some of her cousins wanted in, and before long I had a whole team,” Alex chuckled. “Those girls were very determined.”

            “The ones now are too!” Hannah smiled. “I love watching them.”

            “Maybe you’ll like going to the rodeo then?” Alex winked. “There’s usually another team that does the same circuit we do. Sometimes they get a little competitive, but it keeps my girls on their toes.”

            “Like a rival football team?” Hannah proffered.

            “Yep,” Alex replied.

            After they finished the salad and Sheppard’s pie Hannah retrieved the almost apple pie from the warmer. It was a little burnt around the edges, but the middle was all the way delicious. That made Hannah feel a little better.

            Alex helped Hannah with the dishes and told her about the rodeo schedule for the summer. The customary good night hug was given and, as Hannah closed the door, she breathed a sigh of relief.

            “It wasn’t a complete disaster,” she thought.

 

Find Return to New Parish, New Parish, and Brigham Tea Magazine on Amazon.com at the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Julie-Worthington/e/B00E6622QO?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1569181539&sr=1-3 

   

Thanksgiving in New Parish – Part 1

 

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful time of year! Today I thought I’d share some of the Thanksgiving activities that happen in New Parish. In Return to New Parish Hannah’s family all come out to New Parish for Thanksgiving due to Sarah’s baby Parley, having a little head cold. So, of course, there’s a cowboy flair to this year’s Thanksgiving…

 

Excerpt from Return to New Parish:

Chapter 13 – Let’s Talk

“The morning her family were to arrive, Hannah thought, the holiday arrangements had gone pretty smoothly. The only kink in the plans had been when her mom insisted that she and her dad would be staying at Max’s, not Alex’s. Hannah had shrugged that off with the smirky smile thinking, “Really, it’s dodging a bullet, the less time Mom and Alex spend together the better.”

            Hannah remembered finding a bit of extra humor when Alex had told her, Cilla, Patty and Hope, “We’ll put ’em in the South wing.”

            “Maybe no one else would think it’s funny,” she thought, “but I do.”

            That whole area was empty, putting her family in the South Wing for the Thanksgiving holidays was perfect. It was the South Wing part that had given Hannah the giggles. Her southern heritage had long been a source of both pride and embarrassment, depending on the situation or the topic. When someone would say something had “gone south” Hannah always felt a twinge of embarrassment, but when they would refer to southern hospitality there would be a little beam of pride shining from her.

            Hannah pondered the memory of telling her sister wives about how her family all worked together to make the meal, “The prep, and cooking, and clean up are hang out times for us. We’ve always done it that way.” She was relieved and grateful they had embraced, and even gotten enthusiastic about her family’s traditions.

            A couple of weeks before the family were to fly out, her Mom had sent out the list of ingredients and supplies they’d need for the dinner. It literally took that long to gather all the supplies. Hannah supervised the extreme overloading of the house pantry. It was a very large pantry, twenty foot by twenty foot, but, it was so full with all the Thanksgiving supplies till it looked a bit inadequate. Some stuff had to be stacked in the main house kitchen. Hannah and her sister wives had decided that using the main kitchen probably wouldn’t be sufficient for the monumental job ahead. So, they planned on using Patty’s, Cilla’s, and Hannah’s kitchens to compensate and would probably have to use Hope’s fridge too.

            Hannah felt like she needed to heave a sigh of relief and brace for impact at the same time, as she waited for Max to arrive with the South Wingers. About an hour before the plane was to arrive at the small local airport, Max dropped Sarah and the rest of the family off at Alex’s so they could be there to greet the incoming family. Everyone was excited to see everyone again, and for some it was the first time meeting, so there was excitement all around.  Even Del was there, feeling better, and looking a bit more plump.

             Alex had Buck and the boys on standby, to take the bags to the designated rooms. Hannah watched, at the side windows as Max’s van slowed to stop. The South Wingers began emerging from the van, and Buck and his crew began unstrapping the luggage that was attached to the top of the van.

            “So far, so good,” Hannah thought. Then she took a deep fortifying breath, “This is gonna be fun. I hope…”

            The next little while was full of hugs, kisses, and laughter. Everyone was shown their rooms, and given help with settling in, everyone except Samantha and David. Their things were left in the van. Hannah noticed her mom avoiding Alex, and Alex not minding.

            After the settling, they had lunch in the big kitchen. As they were finishing up with the meal David leaned over to Hannah and asked, “So, where are all those Palominos you told me about?”

            “In the stables,” she chuckled. “I can show you in a bit, after the dishes are done. Okay?”

            “Sure,” he smiled.

            “I can walk out there with you. If you want to go ahead out?” Alex offered.

            “Alright,” David nodded, getting up to follow Alex, “Thanks.”

            “You’re welcome,” Alex said leading the way out of the kitchen.

            Hannah didn’t worry about this matchup, she smiled, thinking, “It’ll be good for them to get to know each other.”

            After inventorying and assessing the supplies, Samantha gave Hannah her approval, “Looks like you got everything, Sweetie. We’ll get an early start on it in the morning.”

            “Yep,” Hannah smiled, feeling a bit proud of her new position in the Thanksgiving hierarchy. All previous years she’d been the gofer, the assistant, and the “go put this in the garage fridge person,” which she didn’t mind at all. She was sure those roles would resurface in the morning. These roles were all comfortable for her. This new role was much more stressful, but she liked it all the same.

            “I made tea so we can have a nice visit in the sitting room,” Cilla said as she joined them in the pantry. “It’s herbal,” she smiled seeing the look on Samantha’s face. “Mint, no caffeine.”

            “Oh,” Samantha’s expression still looked awkwardly uncomfortable as she nodded.

            “Come on Mom,” Hannah chuckled, “it’s not against the Word of Wisdom.”

            “I know,” Samantha said, trying to recover from her obvious awkwardness at having tea.

            “It’s really good,” Cilla smiled. “Del grows it in her garden, all organic.”

            Entering the sitting room Hannah noticed that it was an all girl tea party. She looked questioningly at Sarah, “Max took the kids and Dave and Paul out to the stables to see the horses.”

            “Ah,” Hannah nodded, sitting down on the sofa close to Patty and snagging herself a chocolate chip cookie.

            “Here Mom, take this chair,” Brenda got up from the armchair she was sitting in and took a seat next to Hannah. It was a tight squeeze, but she was a very petite person and made it work.

            “Thanks, Sweetie,” Samantha smiled.

            “So, Samantha,” Patty began the conversation. “Tell us about your Thanksgiving tradition. Why do you all get together and do this? I know there has to be an interesting story in it.”

            Samantha nodded and looked pleased, “My great grandparents were immigrants, from England. They came over in 1915, just as the war was beginning. They were very proud to come to America and become citizens.

            My great grandfather already had some family that had immigrated a few years before, so they had a place to come to. It was in August, and believe me, South Georgia in August is an experience. My grandmother said that her mother told her she felt like she was going to die from the heat that first summer. She didn’t, they survived, and became citizens just before Thanksgiving. So, for them it was a special time to celebrate every year, both being American and being grateful.

            My grandparents taught me that when a family works together, they are close and stay that way. Their family had always worked together, so that’s what my grandparents did. As things changed and the world evolved with different job opportunities becoming available – things other than farming. Well, they made sure there were still opportunities for the family to get together and work together. Over the years that work opportunity has become our Thanksgiving tradition.”

            “That’s so wonderful!” Hope said. “I’m glad we get to be part of it.”

            “Oh, me too!” Patty beamed. “Your Grandmother was right. Working together does bring people close.

            “Gran was an amazing lady,” Hannah sighed. “We called her Gran, but actually she was our great grandmother, we never got to meet our grandmother.”

            “Oh?” Patty queried.

            “She and my father passed away when I was a very young girl,” Samantha interjected. “I was raised by my grandparents.”

            “Oh, I see,” Patty nodded understandingly.

            Soon the tea party was over and everyone was back together. Hannah thought the whole house seemed to be alive with life and laughter, and noise. Later that evening was a true cowboy dinner with large rib eye steaks and baked potatoes from the grill and a huge cast iron pot of baked beans cooked over the fire pit. When Alex had said he’d take care of dinner that night Hannah had had full confidence in his abilities but was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. She watched as he and Max manned the grill, including Max’s older boys, teaching them the fine art of manly grilling.

            Hannah got a good laugh when her Dad commented on how good the steaks were and asked where Alex had gotten them. Alex smiled broadly and replied, “Fresh off the hoof.”

            Later that night all the kids were gathered to Hannah’s apartment for the traditional slumber party. All the nieces and nephews along with Liam, Cassie, and Bella were there. Even Rosie and Mia stayed which was a bit of a surprise to Hannah, but she was very pleased they felt that comfortable with her. There was popcorn, movies, and not much floor space when the dust of things settled.”

Find Return to New Parish, New Parish, and Brigham Tea Magazine on Amazon.com at the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Julie-Worthington/e/B00E6622QO?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1569181539&sr=1-3

   

Hannah’s Thoughts…

We all have our own unique way of thinking about things. Sometimes we know we’re justifying ourselves, but, continue on anyways… Hannah has a lot to sort out, and sometimes she justifies herself too… But, she does have Sarah to keep her honest.

I love the relationship between Sarah and Hannah, I hope you all enjoy it as well!

 

Excerpt from Return to New Parish:

Chapter 6 – Things Change

            “Waking early the next morning Hannah did her best to swipe the vivid memories, of the annoying, recurring dreams, of the old cowboy and his horse, from her mind. She showered and dressed quickly so she would have time to go for a walk before the shopping trip.

            Pulling on her sneakers, she heard a light tapping on the door, it opened and Sarah said, “Hey, I’m glad you’re up.”

            “Oh, yeah, why?” Hannah queried with a “what’s up” look.

            “Mom, called last night,” Sarah said with a raised eyebrow.

            Hannah knew all too well what the raised eyebrow meant. It meant she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. She also knew that if her mom had called things were about to change, for better or worse, things were going to change.

            Sarah continued, “She wanted to know how you’re doing and when you plan on heading home. You haven’t told her what you’re planning on doing have you?”

            “Um, no,” Hannah replied a little defensively. “I didn’t want to add any drama to my decisions.”

            “Coward,” Sarah accused her, bluntly.

            Hannah chuckled, “I’ll tell her, eventually.”

            “Han,” Sarah said firmly, “If you can’t tell Mom and Dad what you’re going to do then maybe you shouldn’t do it. This is a very serious commitment, you have to be all in.”

              “Fine, fine,” Hannah sighed. “I’ll call them tonight.”

            “Okay,” Sarah smiled, “We’re leaving at nine.”

            “Cool,” Hannah said as Sarah left her there to dread the call and the changes it would bring.

            Grabbing her coat, scarf, and gloves Hannah went outside. The gardens were all frost covered and when she breathed out there was a white mist where her breath touched the air. Everything seemed too quiet, nothing was moving, no wind, no sound to be heard from any direction. This made Hannah think of the old saying, “calm before the storm.” As she walked past the barn and toward the long driveway that led out of the ranch she wondered, if, there was an impending storm…

            Climbing up on the fence near the end of the driveway, Hannah sat on the top rail. She watched the cows in the pasture, they were standing still, almost like statues. “I guess it’s too cold for them to move around much,” she thought to herself. It was beginning to feel more and more like one of those surreal moments that don’t make sense till later, if ever. It felt almost like time were standing still and waiting for her to get the clue, but she just wasn’t getting it. “Maybe it’s this funk I’ve been in lately,” she pondered to herself. She couldn’t figure out why she was feeling the way she was feeling but decided it wasn’t a bad feeling so she would just file it away for now and sort it out later.

            The sky was starting to light up with a breathtaking array of pastel colors, Hannah sat there on the rail and watched the show. “Time’s not standing still,” she thought, “it’s moving wonderfully ahead.””

Find Return to New Parish, New Parish, and Brigham Tea Magazine on Amazon.com at the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Julie-Worthington/e/B00E6622QO?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1569181539&sr=1-3

   

Return to New Parish Available Now!!!

Hannah’s journey has begun! Join her in her quest to overcome her fear, pain, and the terrible haunting of…

She finds many things in New Parish, the comfort of her sister, an annoying cowboy, horses, and finally her very own happily ever after… and peace.

Excerpt from Return to New Parish: The rest of Hannah’s ride…

Chapter 3 – Palominos

“A tapping sound in the distance brought her attention to the fence line on the other side of the stream. She saw a palomino horse that made her think of the one she’d seen when she was entering New Parish. The one the old cowboy rode to rescue the boy… the tapping sound continued as she tried to get a glimpse of the old cowboy. She half hoped to get to meet him, she had sort of envisioned him as a real life hero when she saw him that first day.

            Watching the horse stand there like a statue she almost wondered if it was real then she saw an old cowboy come around from behind it and put something into the saddle bags.

            “No flipping way!” she thought. “It can’t be him…,” but it was… Her heart sank as she realized it was, “It’s Alex James. That grungy, arrogant, old cowboy, that called me a red headed horse!” Her anger was on the rise once more.

            Hannah saw him push his hat back and wipe his forehead, then he stopped and stood motionless for a moment. He was looking straight at her, Hannah felt a flush of embarrassment flood through her. The instant thought, “Why didn’t I just ride on? Why did I stay here and watch him?” Hannah saw him hold his hand up high and wave.

            “Oh, grrrr!” she growled to herself, and pulling the reins, she turned the horse in the opposite direction, touched her heels lightly on Smarty’s sides. The horse instantly responded and the freedom of the ride was returning to Hannah’s heart.

            She could hear Alex James shouting something, but she was determined to leave him behind as quickly as possible. She glanced back over her shoulder in time to see him jump on that huge palomino and quickly ride back the other way, then run his horse straight at the fence he’d been repairing. The horse jumped it with ease and was barreling after her with incredible speed – to her shock and horror.

            “What the heck?” she thought, as she urged Smarty to go faster. “He must have some ego!” Hannah tried to suppress the fears and panic that were building inside her. Thoughts of, “What’s he going to do?” and knowing that she was on her own to defend herself out here in the middle of nowhere raced through her mind.

            She encouraged Smarty to run faster, but in less than a minute he was grabbing her reins and pulling the horse to a stop.

            “Whoa, there!” he shouted.

            “Leave me alone!” Hannah shouted back at him. “Let go! What’s your damage?!” She threw a wild punch at him, but missed, as he leaned back in his saddle and pulled her horse around.

            Hannah was desperately pulling her reins, trying to get away from him. Alex held onto her reins with a vice like grip.

             “Hold on there Lady,” he tried to calm her.

            “Let go!” Hannah shouted at him again, tugging hard on her reins.

            “No, ma’am!” he returned firmly. Alex pulled the reins and led her just a few feet away in the direction she’d been going, then he pulled the reins to stop the horse, “Look,” he said through clenched teeth.

            Hannah angrily looked at what he was pointing at, and almost fell off her horse. It was a deep sinkhole or gully that had obviously been washed out recently, but what made her a bit nauseous was that it was full of debris and jagged limbs.

            “We had a flash flood a couple of months ago,” the cowboy explained, still holding her reins. “It washed all this mess in here.”

            Hannah sat there on Smarty in shock, she knew that they would have been hurt very badly or worse if the cowboy hadn’t stopped her. She knew she wouldn’t have been able to see it in time to stop. The horror of what might have happened flashed through her mind then a wave of embarrassment washed over her. That embarrassment fueled her anger, completely overriding the fear that had been there previously.

            Hannah closed her eyes to block out the image of what could have been, took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. She turned to the old cowboy who was still holding her reins and looking at her with concern in his eyes, “Okay, thanks. Now will you let go of my reins please?” she said with as much calm as she could gather.

            Alex James returned her reins to her with an odd quizzical look on his ruggedly handsome face, as though he didn’t know quite what to make of her. Hannah took the reins and guided Smarty away from the deep hole full of jagged ominous looking branches and roots. She could see Sarah’s home in the distance, she touched Smarty’s sides with her heels and took off in that direction, this time she didn’t look back, she was very determined to put that incident behind her and leave it there.

            When she reached the barn Alex, Max’s son was holding a shovel and on his way in. He smiled at Hannah and said, “I’ll take her in for ya, Aunt Hannah, if you’d like?”

            “Thanks kiddo,” she said as she dismounted and handed him the reins.

            Once inside the house Hannah felt the need to talk to Sarah, so she headed up to her room – she knocked and waited. She didn’t want to walk in on something, so the old tap and enter from when they were kids was not an option.

            She heard Sarah say, “Come in.” So she opened the door and seeing the mess and disorder shook her head and laughed.

            “Hey,” she said, looking around the room. “Did you get more stuff or is this just the other stuff shifted around again?” she teased her sister.

            “I got more stuff,” Sarah said defensively. Then she chuckled as she looked over the mess of her sitting room that was going to be her nursery.

            “So, there was a thing while I was out riding,” Hannah tentatively began her exposition.

            “What thing?” Sarah asked with eyebrows raised as she reached for her chiming cell phone. After quickly reading the text she looked at Hannah with worry in her expression, “Okay, what happened? Max just text me wanting to know if you’re okay and if you got home okay.”

            Hannah could see Sarah replying to Max’s text and insisted, “I’m fine, I’m fine,” it was her turn to be defensive.

            “He’s saying that you almost rode into the sinkhole! And that Uncle Alex caught you just in time to stop you,” Sarah looked at Hannah accusingly.

            “Okay,” Hannah said, trying to play the events of her ride down, “So, this is what happened.” She plopped down on part of a sofa that wasn’t full of baby stuff, sighed, and continued. “I was riding near the stream and heard a tapping sound coming from the fence line that was just beyond the creek.” She waved her hands to show the direction of the fence, “I looked to see what it was and saw a big beautiful palomino standing on the other side of the fence, like a statue, then that guy came around the horse to put stuff in his saddle bags,” Hannah paused to make a face of disapproval and blow out a big sigh then continued. “I didn’t want to talk to him so I took off in the opposite direction and before I knew what was happening, he was jumping on his horse, jumping the fence, and chasing after me!” Hannah threw her hands in the air for effect and gave Sarah a “what the heck” look. “So I go faster not knowing what he was up to, he catches me and grabs my reins!”

            Sarah interrupted her with, “You didn’t punch him did you?” there was a pleading sort of begging tone to Sarah’s voice.

            “I tried!” Hannah defended her actions. “But he’s pretty quick for an old guy. Sheesh!”

            “Hannah!” Sarah shouted at her in exasperation.

            “I missed!” Hannah shouted back still trying to defend herself.

            “Hannah! He was saving your life!” Sarah shouted back.

            “I didn’t know that’s what he wanted to do!” Hannah shouted, “For all I knew he was going to do something else out there, with no one else around,” her voice trailed off. Quickly thinking of a way to refocus the conversation she asked, “Besides, if he’s so rich why is he out mending fences anyways? Can’t he afford to hire people for that?”

            “He’s a cowboy,” Sarah answered, with exasperation in her voice. “He’s always doing cowboy things. Yeah, he’s rich, but he’s very hands on.”

            “He’s very annoying,” Hannah shared her opinion of the old cowboy.”

Find Return to New Parish, New Parish, and Brigham Tea Magazine on Amazon.com at the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Julie-Worthington/e/B00E6622QO?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1569181539&sr=1-3