“I haven’t turned you into a sex maniac with only one night of passion, have I?” Ronnie teased.


“Only when it comes to you.” The young woman’s hand moved beneath the water to rest on her lover’s thigh. “I love you and I love touching you.”


“That goes both ways, you know,” Ronnie said, resting her hand on Rose’s cheek. “I’d better move to the other side or you’ll never get a chance to soak.”


“No, I’ll be good. I’d rather have you next to me.”


Good turned out to be a relative term as both took advantage of the intimacy the hot tub offered. Lips found a reason to meet often and breasts were never so clean. Soapy hands roamed freely, sometimes teasing, sometimes caressing, always promising an appropriate reward for such a long wait. Ronnie’s patience had been tested to the limit. Her fingers roamed over silky skin, yet she couldn’t touch the way she wanted. “Rose…” Her voice sounded raw, deeply sensual in its roughness. “I think it’s time to get out of the tub.”And into my bed.


Rose’s mind closed to everything except the large palms caressing her aching nipples. “Oh…you know just how to do that…” The touch was sweet yet torturous at the same time…just the right amount of friction as Ronnie drew small circles with her palms. Rose threaded her fingers through the silky black hair, only the ends actually having gotten wet, and pulled her lover in for a kiss. Ronnie’s hands became sandwiched between twin pairs of heaving bosoms and it only served to make both women want more. The kisses were passionate, driven by days of aching need, both silently having chosen not to pleasure themselves but rather wait until now, until this moment. Ronnie backed up long enough to free her hands from their soft prisons and scoop the smaller woman into her arms. She climbed out of the tub and paused long enough for Rose to grab some towels off the shelf before continuing into the softly lit bedroom. She sat the young woman down on the coverlet, not worrying one bit about it getting wet. They took turns toweling each other dry, both knowing that there was one spot that would not be drying off anytime soon.


Rose found herself laying on her back, the comforting warmth of Ronnie on top of her. “I think, my little rose, that I am hopelessly in love with you.” The loving words were punctuated with a gentle peck on her cheek. “Actually,” Ronnie corrected. “I know I am.” Rose felt a long finger trail its way down her cheek. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me,” her lover continued. “I know it’s sounds corny and all but it’s true.” The wandering finger found its way over her lips and Rose thought her heart would burst from the emotions running through it. “I love you.”


“I love you, Ronnie.” Rose’s wait was over when she felt soft full lips upon hers.I could kiss youforever,she thought to herself. “Yesss…” Dexterous fingers found her nipple and squeezed gently, drawing pleasure far greater than anything her own hands had ever done previously. She returned the kiss with fervor, her hands coming up to return the exquisite sensation. Ronnie broke the kiss and give a hedonistic groan. Rose remembered how much her touch was enjoyed the first time they made love and repeated the motions, pinching lightly with her thumb and forefinger.Yes Ronnie, that’s it.


“That…that feels so good, Rose.”


“I’m glad,” she replied, increasing the rhythm. Ronnie’s nipples grew to hardened peaks as their mouths came together again. Tongues darted and danced, giving and taking as they explored each other’s mouths. When the kiss finally broke, Ronnie shifted down and Rose felt damp curls brush against her thigh. “Ronnie, where are you…unggh….” Her nipple was surrounded by wet warmth, a skilled tongue working in concert with straight white teeth to pull the most wonderful sensations out of her body. “Yes Honey…yesss….” She buried her fingers deep into the silky hair, urging her lover on. Her hips began bucking upward in search of relief, finding it in the supple skin of Ronnie’s thigh. “Oh…” She raised up again, digging her heels into the bed. Blinding pain shot through her left ankle. “Ow ow ow…wait…”


Ronnie was off in a flash and reaching for the lamp. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you? Was I too hard? What?” The words came out in a worried flurry.


“No no, it wasn’t you,” she groaned, reaching for her unprotected ankle. “I wasn’t thinking.” The bed lifted slightly as Ronnie rolled off, returning a moment later with the brace.


“I’m not taking any chances on you hurting yourself again.”


“I’m sorry…” The rest of her sentence was cut off by Ronnie’s lips upon hers.


“Don’t be,” the executive said when the kiss ended. The brace was secured, the fit was checked, then as an added precaution Ronnie moved them sideways so Rose’s feet hung over the edge.

“Now where was I?”


“I believe you were right here,” Rose added helpfully, using her hands on either side of Ronnie’s face to guide the woman back to her erect nipples. “Ahh…” She laid back and let her dark-haired lover suckle her breasts, losing herself in the feeling. But soon those loving lips moved down, planting soft kisses on her torso. Rose felt her legs being separated and realized what was about to happen. She had read about it in a book at the library, even seen it performed on the adult video, but she never experienced the intimate act. Long fingers separated her folds and before Rose could react to the warm breath caressing her, she felt Ronnie’s tongue on her.


“Mmm,” the executive moaned with approval.


“Ohh…oh yes, that’s nice, Ronnie…nnggh…” It was indescribable, a rising higher than any she had ever known, yet there was no fear. She bucked against the invading muscle, her fingers as talons against the dark head. Ronnie’s tongue searched out every crack and crevice, causing Rose’s hips to take on a life of their own. “Yes…oh…” She felt her legs being lifted and soon found them resting on Ronnie’s shoulders as the loving tongue changed from long strokes to quick light flicks over her most sensitive part. “Oh God…Ronnie…”Oh no, not yet,she silently begged as her body began to spasm.Please, it’s too soon.But the young woman was powerless as her body surged to a climax against her lover’s tongue.


Chest still pounding, Rose barely had time to get her breathing back under control before her lips were claimed and Ronnie’s fingers found a wellspring of desire waiting for them.


“Rose…” She felt Ronnie waiting just outside her entrance, gently urging her to permit entry.Sosoon? I don’t know if I…ooh.Any doubt Rose may have had about being ready for more was erased when she felt Ronnie’s finger slide into her. Hot breath caressed her ear. “Oh Rose…that’s so nice…”


“N-n-n-nice…” she repeated, her focus tunneling to the spot where they were joined.

“More…ooh…” Ronnie’s finger filled her deeply, touching Rose in spots she didn’t know existed. She turned her head to see blue eyes smiling back at her.


“You like this?”


“Yesss…yesss…more…” She felt a sense of loss as Ronnie retreated back to the edge of her opening, then cried out with pleasure when two fingers stretched her fully.Oh God, it feels sogood. Please don’t stop. Rose desperately searched out her lover’s lips and moaned her pleasure into Ronnie’s mouth. A rocking motion was established as they kissed hungrily. Unable to use her left leg for support, Rose brought her right heel up onto the bed and arched into Ronnie’s thrusts. “Yesss…”

“Oh Rose…you feel sooo good, so nice…I love you.”


“I…love…you.” Rose’s words came out in breathless pants as the rocking motion increased. Ronnie’s fingers continued to fill and retreat while her thumb brushed back and forth against Rose’s erect clitoris. “Oh God…please.” She had no idea what she was begging for but she trusted Ronnie to give it to her.


“Yesss,” the dark-haired woman growled. Rose felt soft lips press against her neck and moaned her approval as her lover’s fingers searched out new places deep within.


“Oh yes, Ronnie…yes…oh that’s so nice…yes…” She arched her back, pressing her breasts against the firm body above her. Ronnie shifted, finding an erect nipple begging for attention. It was too much for Rose. The wetness against her leg, the fingers nestled deep inside her, the warm mouth loving her breast…a fire started deep within, pulsing outward until her legs stiffened, her breath caught in her throat, and her muscles clamped down, refusing to let Ronnie’s fingers go. “Oh Ronnieeee….I…I’m…”


“Yes Hon.” Trapped fingers wiggled as much as they were able. “I’ve got you, let it go…”


“I…I…oh God, Ronnie!” The inner muscles convulsed, the orgasm crashing through with more force than any Rose had ever known before. Nothing existed but the loving arms holding her and the soft words being whispered in her ear. Rose’s eyelids refused to open, her body pulsing with aftershocks. It was several seconds before she realized that her grip around Ronnie’s body was probably keeping her lover from breathing. She relaxed her arms, letting them fall limply back to the bed. “Oh Ronnie,” she sighed, her mouth dry and her body feeling completely boneless.


“Shh…I’ve got you, Hon.” Rose slowly opened her eyes, the gentle light from the lamp allowing her to see the loving smile on Ronnie’s face. “I’m going to pull my fingers out now, okay?” she asked, her fingers remaining absolutely still inside. Rose nodded and shuddered slightly as the intimate connection was severed.


“You’re wonderful,” she whispered, snuggling into open arms. “Mmm, I could stay like this forever.”


“I’d like that too,” Ronnie said. As her hand caressed Rose’s cheek, the young woman inhaled the scent of herself and her body twitched with the recent memory of where those fingers had been. She worked her left hand between their bodies stopping only when her fingers grazed damp wiry curls.


Ronnie groaned and her hips jerked forward in response. “Lie back,” Rose whispered.


Positioning her tall lover diagonally across the bed, she shifted until her lips found a wrinkly point to draw into her mouth. The firm hand on the back of her head spoke just as loudly as the moan coming from Ronnie’s lips. Her fingers found hot wetness waiting for them. Lifting her head up from its task for a second, she brought her fingers to her lips and tasted them, her tongue snaking out to draw off every drop. “Rose…God that’s sexy,” Ronnie huffed. Inspired by her lover’s words, the young woman proceeded to make a show of cleaning her fingers, rewarded by the anxious squirming beneath her. With desire, curiosity, and a good dose of nervousness, Rose pushed herself downward until her lips were near the dark triangle of hair. The hand on the back of her head remained, gently urging her on. Ronnie’s legs parted wide in invitation. Climbing over a leg and settling into position, Rose found her lips scant inches away from their goal. Coarse dark hairs tickled her face before her tongue parted the way and sank in to taste the sweet liquid. Ronnie’s moans were muffled by the thighs pressing against Rose’s ears but the young woman felt them just the same. Her mouth quickly learned its way around as Ronnie’s breaths came faster. “Yesss, oh Rose, right there…no…yes, right there, yesss.”


Long legs wrapped around her shoulders, pinning Rose to her place. Not that she minded. The feel of Ronnie reacting to her tongue was enough to keep the young woman in that position forever. She alternated from licking Ronnie’s clit to dipping lower and drinking in more of the liquid evidence of her effect on her lover. Gasps and moans fueled her on, her goal to send Ronnie over the same wondrous pinnacle that she had reached just a few minutes before. When she wrapped her lips around the small shaft and began sucking, Ronnie cried out and drove her hips upward, grinding herself against Rose’s face. Going on instinct, the young woman began sucking harder, her tongue firmly moving back and forth over the engorged clit. Soon Ronnie’s legs trembled and Rose wrapped her arms around them to keep her position. The muscles in her neck strained against Ronnie’s upward thrust as a loud cry was torn from the older woman’s throat. Rose sucked as hard as she could, her tongue moving rapidly over the bundle of nerves. Her joy at Ronnie’s moment of release rivaled the feeling of her own orgasm and her own sex spasmed in response. Staying away from the hypersensitive clit, Rose let her tongue travel along the folds, not wanting to end the intimate moment. Only when she felt Ronnie’s hands urging her up did she relinquish her prized location and give the lips covered with dark curls a final kiss. Strong arms pulled her up to rest against a broad shoulder. For long minutes neither spoke, content to simply rest in the afterglow. Hands traveled lazily over bared skin, silently communicating their love for each other. “I love you,” Ronnie finally whispered, giving Rose a kiss on her forehead.


“Mmm, love you too.” She picked up her head, looking down into contented blue eyes. “Don’t ever make us wait like this again,” she warned.


“I promised you before I wouldn’t,” Ronnie said softly.


“I know, I just wanted to remind you.” Rose put her head back down and sighed contentedly.

“Can we sleep up here tonight? I’m comfortable.”


“You’re always comfortable on me,” the older woman chuckled. “We can sleep anywhere you like.” She looked over at the clock. “It’s still early. You want to watch television? A video? Make love again?”


“Hmm, let’s see.” Rose picked her head up and smiled devilishly. “Watch something we’ve already seen before and will be on again or make love to the most wonderful woman in the world.” She put her finger against her chin. “Boy, what a tough decision.”


“Well, let’s see what I can do to sway you,” Ronnie said, rolling the smaller woman onto her back. “Shall I start at the top and work my way down or from the bottom up?”


Watching from her spot on the floor, Tabitha yawned and began cleaning herself, certain her mistresses would not be letting her on the bed anytime soon.



* * *

At Rose’s insistence that she could navigate the stairs with her crutches, Ronnie had the adjustable bed moved into one of the guest rooms and the young woman’s belongings moved into her room. Tabitha discovered the window seat to be much more comfortable than her cat bed, much to Maria’s dismay every time she went in to vacuum. While Ronnie showed off her muscles moving the furniture around to accommodate the extra dresser, Rose stood next to the entertainment center going through the video tapes in search of something for them to watch. An unlabeled tape on top of the cabinet drew her attention. Thinking it was another one of Ronnie’s adult tapes, Rose put it in the VCR and turned on the television. To her utter surprise, it was a video of Ronnie’s office and Delores was standing there. The volume was off and her former foster mother looked like she was screaming. Rose hit the stop button and rewound the tape.

“Honey, why didn’t you tell me that Delores stopped by your office?”


Ronnie stopped moving the dresser and turned to face her lover. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”


“Was this before or after she had been here?”


“After.”


“What happened?” She glanced at the VCR when it clicked off announcing the tape was rewound. “Did she ask for money?” she asked quietly.


“Rose…” Ronnie walked up behind her lover and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, crutches and all. “You are everything to me. I didn’t want to see you hurt with this.”


“I want to see what happened.” Rose moved out of the embrace and worked her way to the bed.

“Sit next to me.” By the time Ronnie joined her on the bed, the volume was at the right level and Rose hit the play button.


The tape started with Delores entering the room and looking around. “Nice office. You hiring?” Ronnie noticed Rose’s embarrassed look and put her arm around the smaller woman, pulling her close. She knew the rest of the tape would be hard to watch. The scene played itself out, culminating with Delores being escorted out of the office.


Ronnie reached for the remote. “That’s it.” To her surprise, Rose held the controller out of reach.


“No wait, there’s more.” On the screen, Susan entered the office. “Ronnie? What happened? I heard they called Security to your office.” The dialogue continued, drawing Rose in as she studied her lover’s reactions. “I love you, you know,” she said softly when the tape ended.


“I know,” Ronnie smiled. “I was just trying to protect you, that’s all.”


“I saw that,” she replied. Leaning her head against the older woman’s shoulder Rose continued.

“I noticed you didn’t use the pen I gave you to write that check.”


“No, I couldn’t,” Ronnie admitted. “Even though I knew I would tear it up, I couldn’t use your pen to do it.” A thought occurred to her. “Rose…has she tried to contact you at all?”


“No, not since that day she was here and took the check.” She squeezed her tall lover against her.

“It was all a lie with her,” she said quietly, staring at the blank screen. “You’re the one that’s taught me what love means.” She looked up into endless blue eyes and smiled. “Love is about giving, not taking.” She snuggled closer. “Like what you and I have. It’s not just about the sex. It’s about honesty and caring and all the little things.” She gave Ronnie a gentle kiss. “What we have is…” Rose fought for the words. “…is…” Nothing came, no one word could describe how she felt about being with Ronnie. Finally she shook her head in defeat. “All I know is that when I’m with you I feel complete.”


“Funny, I feel the same way about you.” She returned the kiss, using her tongue to part Rose’s lips and slip inside for a quick taste. “I love you forever, Rose.”


“No more secrets, Ronnie.” The young woman’s lips moved along the executive’s jawline.

“Nothing hidden between us.”


The black-haired woman stiffened at the words.You don’t know what you’re asking, Rose. Youcan’t knowallmy secrets. I just can’t risk losing you.Ronnie decided that distraction would work and began nibbling the earlobe framed by golden tresses. “Speaking of hidden.” She opened first one, then two buttons on Rose’s shirt. “Why don’t you and I jump in the hot tub and play ‘find the soap’?” She let her tongue trace the outline of Rose’s ear and lowered her voice to a throaty growl. “Hmm? I promise to make it worth your while.” Another button surrendered to dexterous fingers. “What do you say, Rose? I know you’ve been wondering about that shower massager.”


“It really will…?”


“Um hmm…. I’d be happy to show you.” She scooped Rose up in her arms and headed for the bathroom, determined to put all thoughts of the past out of the golden haired beauty’s mind.



* * *

As the flowers bloomed and the days grew longer, Rose worked hard on her physical therapy. She took every opportunity to strengthen and build endurance in her ankle. While Ronnie made sure she stayed off it at home, the sometimes over-protective lover was unable to keep such a tight eye on her at the office. Rose had progressed from no weight bearing to toe-touching and the footrest under her desk provided the perfect resistance object to practice with during the day. When she would overdo it, as was common, Rose found Ronnie always willing to provide a foot massage that made all the aches and pains go away. Of course it often led to the new lovers finding other things to touch and rub but that was fine with Rose. The professional decorum they kept during the day at work was gone the instant they entered the house. Whether at the kitchen or dining room table, they sat next to each other, sharing from one another’s plates and passing kisses along with the salt. Dessert required only one bowl with two spoons and the warmer evenings were spent on the bench swing cuddled up together looking at the stars. It was heaven on earth and Rose could not imagine being any happier, except to be rid of the crutches.


When the day came in early June that the crutches could be left behind at Doctor Barnes’ office, Ronnie insisted they celebrate by going out to dinner A movie and a late night stop at one of the small drive-ins for soft ice cream and a few more minutes out followed the meal. They arrived home after eleven but neither showed any signs of being tired. On the contrary, an overture was accepted and their lovemaking went on long into the night.


The night had not even given way to the dim gray of morning when a horn blared in the driveway, waking Ronnie from her sound sleep. “What the hell…?” Grabbing her robe from the end of the bed, she donned it and padded over to the window. “Tabitha, get down. I swear you leave enough hair here to make another cat.” She leaned her knee against the white cushions of the window seat and looked out, her eyes widening in surprise at the truck and boat sitting in her driveway. “Oh damn.” She cursed as she remembered the date. She opened the window and stuck her head out. “Frank!” The man standing next to the truck smiled and waved up.


“Hey Cuz, come on, the fish are biting.”


“I forgot all about opening day. I can’t go.”


“Go where?” a sleepy Rose mumbled before sinking her head back into the pillow and promptly falling back asleep.


“What do you mean you can’t go? You’re awake, aren’t you? You have a lifetime license and today’s opening day. You have to go. We always go and I want to try out my boat on the Mohawk.” He looked at his watch. “Come on, Ronnie. I want to get there in time to catch something.”


Opening day of bass season was a long standing date between Ronnie and her oldest cousin, a tradition that dated back to when they were kids. She looked over at the naked woman on the bed, then stuck her head back out the window. “Frank, can Rose come?”


“Blondie? Sure, just hurry it up, will ya?” He looked at his watch again.


“Be down in five minutes.” She shut the window and walked over to the bed. “Rose…Rose, get up, Hon.”


“Did I hear you telling someone we were going fishing?” She picked her head up and looked at Ronnie tossing the robe off and opening various drawers.


“Yup. It’s opening day for bass season and Frank’s here to take us fishing.”


“I don’t remember you mentioning anything about us going fishing today…or anytime for that matter.” Rose sat up and stretched lazily, drawing an appreciative look from Ronnie. “And why go so early? It’s not like they’re going to pack up and leave the water if we wait a couple more hours.”


“If we wait any longer, they won’t be biting. Come on, lazybones. It’ll be fun.”


Rose sat in the jump seat behind the passenger seat, affording her a good view of the maniac Ronnie entrusted their lives to. Frank firmly believed his state of the art radar detector would warn him of any approaching speed traps and the eight cylinder Ford flew up the highway at stomach churning speeds. “So Blondie, you been fishing before?” he called over the blaring sound of country-western music.


“Um…no, not in a boat.”


“You’re baiting her hook, Cuz,” he said to Ronnie. “I hope she doesn’t get seasick.”


“Of course not.” She turned in her seat. “You don’t get seasick, do you?”


“No but I might get carsick if he keeps driving like this,” Rose said low enough for only Ronnie to hear.


“He’s trying to make up for lost time.”


“We’ll make up a lot of time if we’re all in the hospital.”


“I’ll slow him down,” Ronnie assured, turning back in her seat. “Hey Frank, you know the troopers have those laser detectors now. You can’t avoid them. Look, the trooper station is a mile up the road. You don’t want to get caught again this year, do you?”


The speedometer slowed to a reasonable speed just as they did indeed pass a waiting trooper hiding in the tree covered median. “Damn, they’ve got more of them out this year,” he said, keeping a better eye on his speed. Rose dared a glance at the dashboard, pleased to see only two digits near the end of the orange needle. Snaking her right hand around the seat, she gave Ronnie’s arm a gentle squeeze of thanks.


When they arrived at the boat ramp, Frank backed up to the dock, stopping the boat a few feet from the waterline. “We’d better get her in before I put the boat in the water.” They exited the truck and Frank climbed up into the twenty-two foot long, top of the line Ranger Bass Boat. Ronnie picked Rose up and after dropping the cane off in the truck, lifted the young woman into Frank’s beefy arms. A few seconds later Rose was seated on one of the cushioned benches.

“Here. You’d better put on a jacket. Ronnie will kill me if you become bait.”


“I thought there weren’t any dangerous fish in this river?” Rose asked as Ronnie started the truck up and backed the boat into the water.


“There aren’t, although the bullheads can give you quite a sting.”


“Don’t you go scaring her,” Ronnie called from the truck. She gathered the various poles and tackle boxes from the back and passed them to Frank before untying the boat and moving the truck to the parking area. He had the motor running and ready to go by the time she returned.

“Okay ladies, hang on now. It’s time to go fishing.” He backed away from the dock and pointed up the river. “Let’s just see what four hundred horses can do on the open water.” The water behind them churned and the bow raised up as he gunned the engines. Rose looked nervously at Ronnie. “Please tell me he doesn’t drive a boat like he drives that truck.”


They stopped several miles upstream with the main motor pulled up in favor of the trolling motor. Ronnie baited Rose’s line first, then her own. Frank set up a couple of lines for himself and took up a position at the bow of the boat, settling himself into one of the upraised swivel chairs. Ronnie helped Rose into one at the stern and took the one next to it for herself. The early morning sun was beginning to lighten the sky and as expected the fish were jumping. Frank quickly made the first catch, a small-mouthed bass that barely made it over the limit. It landed in the holding tank with the hopes of being culled later.


“Having fun?” Frank asked.


“Just dandy,” Ronnie replied, sending her line out once again.


“Hey!” Rose held her pole in a death grip. “I think I’ve got something.” The tip of her pole dipped once, then twice, then a high whining sound filled the air as the fish took off, taking her line with it. She heard Ronnie’s pole hit the deck followed immediately by strong arms wrapping around her to help steady the pole.


“Start bringing back your line,” Ronnie said, her breath ticking Rose’s ear. “Don’t let him get any slack or he’ll wiggle off.” Rose found her lover’s hands covering hers and together they worked the spirited bass.


“Got a lunker there, eh?”


“Feels like it, Frank,” Ronnie replied. “Sure is bigger than that minnow you tossed in there a few minutes ago. Better grab a net for this one.”


The fish tried again to escape, nearly succeeding in pulling the pole free from Rose’s hand. “Oh Ronnie, it’s too strong. You take the pole.” She tried to hand the rod over but the black-haired woman refused it.


“No, you can do this,” Ronnie said as she released her grip and stepped back, leaving Rose to handle the feisty bass on her own. “That’s it, keep the line taut, wear him down.”


“Oh my, he feels so big,” the young woman exclaimed, the line still tugging hard with the fish’s attempts at freedom. Suddenly it jumped straight out of the water, showing them all what Rose was up against.


“Holy shit,” Frank exclaimed. “Hang on, I’ve gotta get the big net.”


“You’ve got a monster there,” Ronnie said, standing at her lover’s side. Thinking that her cousin was not looking, she reached over and put her hand on Rose’s shoulder, stroking it lovingly. The bass finally tired and allowed itself to be brought alongside the boat where Frank scooped it up in the net.


“Son of a bitch. What a big fucking fish,” he said happily, sticking his hand into the gills to hold it up so they could see it.


“Nice language, Frank,” Ronnie admonished, looking at Rose pointedly.


“Oh, she’s heard it before,” he said, drawing a glare from his cousin. “Hey Blondie, you sure caught one hell of a large mouth here. I should have brought a camera.”


“Look how big he is,” Rose said. “Can he go back now?”


“Back?” Frank laughed. “Honey, this isn’t the kind of fish you throw back. This is the kind you take to the taxidermist and have mounted.”


“Mounted?” She turned to Ronnie, who was busily removing the hook. “I don’t want to keep it.”


“I can’t believe how big he is,” the executive said. “Rose, are you sure you don’t want to make him into a trophy? He’s a beaut.”


“I’m sure.”


“Do you want to even touch him before I throw him back?” She held the wriggling fish up in front of Rose’s face.


“No,” she practically shrieked, shoving at Ronnie’s arm. “It’s big and it’s beautiful and I want it to go back in the water please.”


The Cartwrights exchanged looks before Ronnie bent down and set the fish into the water. She baited Rose’s hook again and they returned to fishing.


“He’s not mad because I threw the fish back, is he?” Rose asked once Frank was out of earshot.


“Mad? No, not mad. Shocked, but not mad.”


“Are you mad?”


Ronnie turned to face her. “You are so gentle it’s amazing.” Rose felt the warmth of her lover’s palm on her cheek. “No, love. I’m not mad. I can’t believe you let a prize-winning catch like that go back, though. You are definitely not the fishing type.”


“No, I guess I’m not,” she admitted. “But I am having fun, even if I do like to let the fish go.”


Ronnie smiled and sat back in her seat. “Just as long as you’re having a good time.”


“Anytime I’m around you I’m having a good time,” Rose replied, drawing a warm smile from her lover. Frank yelped with another bite, but the bass paled in comparison to the whopper that Rose had caught. Ronnie went to the bow to help him. “Gee Frank, catch another dozen or so of these and there might be enough for a sandwich,” she teased, holding up the small fish.


“Hardy har har, Cuz.” He frowned when Ronnie measured the fish and found it too short to keep.

“Maybe Blondie will catch us another one.”


“Her name is Rose.”


“Oh yeah?” Frank turned toward the woman in question. “Hey Blondie, having a good time?”


“Yes,” she called back, happily watching both her and Ronnie’s poles. “This is fun.”


Frank leaned in toward his cousin. “You and I have been coming out here for opening day for over twenty years now and never caught one that big.”


“She’s something else, isn’t she?” Ronnie replied, smiling in her lover’s direction.


“Dunno how you managed it, Cuz,” he said, looking at Rose. “Nice girl. If I believe the rumors floating around I should expect to see her at all the family functions from now on.”


“What rumors?” Ronnie deliberately lowered her voice, not wanting Rose to overhear. “What have you been hearing about her?”


“Come on, Ronnie. We’re Cartwrights. You know there are no secrets in our family. Everyone knows you two are sharing the sheets,” Frank replied. “Gotta admit though, after all the shit that happened when you were in college, I didn’t think you’d go for a woman ever again.” He looked at Rose again. “But she seems very nice.”


“I don’t think who I do or do not sleep with is anyone’s concern,” she said defensively.


“Take it easy, Cuz.” He held his hands up. “It’s not a big deal.” Ronnie relaxed slightly. “Hey, at least you nailed yourself a nice one. Not like you’ll have to go elsewhere looking for it when you have something like that waiting for you at home.”


“Hey Ronnie, I think you’ve got something,” Rose yelled out while watching the tip of the pole jerk.


“Yeah, you got something all right,” Frank teased low enough for only his cousin to hear. “Quite the catch if you ask me.”


Sure is,Ronnie thought to herself as she worked her way to the stern.So you like her too, eh?A smile formed on her lips as she watched the wind play with Rose’s hair. Frank’s acceptance of the young woman’s role in her life was important to Ronnie. The Saturday morning fishing trips that she enjoyed so much would continue as always…only now with the woman she loved there alongside them. Ronnie closed her eyes and turned her face toward the sky, letting the sun’s rays warm her tanned skin.Some days are just perfect,she mused.The sun is out, the fish arebiting…I have Rose…


“Ronnie, I mean it,” Rose said more insistently.


“Oh, sorry,” she said, snapping out of her thoughts.


It was around ten o’clock when they finally made their way back to the dock. Rose’s fish had been the biggest of the day, although Ronnie did pull in two impressive looking ones. Frank used every lure in his tackle box and still had nothing worthwhile to show for his efforts. Male pride made him throw back the puny catches that he did make. They went to an out of the way diner for lunch before returning home. While Rose made a beeline for the bathroom, Frank helped Ronnie bring the poles and tackle inside. “Good day of fishing, Frank.”


“For you and Blondie, maybe,” he snorted. “I would have had better luck catching a cold.”


“The season’s just started, Frank. You’ll get a trophy catch next time, I’m sure.”


“Yeah, but no matter how big it is it won’t compare to your catch, Cuz.” He looked at his watch.

“Speaking of catches, if I don’t show up home soon the boss is gonna think I found myself a cutie like yours.”


“There’s no one like Rose,” Ronnie said emphatically.


“I don’t doubt that. Must be something pretty special to stay with you after the accident.”


“Um, Frank…” She led him outside, away from anywhere Rose could hear them. “You have to watch what you say. She doesn’t know about the accident.”


“What do you mean she doesn’t know? Isn’t she the one that’s been on crutches and all? I mean, she is the reason your Porsche got damaged, isn’t it? I get a frantic call from you one night and then right after that she shows up. It doesn’t take a college degree to figure it out.”


“She doesn’t know about the Porsche,” the executive clarified. “Look Frank, that kind of thing can’t get back to Rose.”


“You’ve never told her?” He rubbed the short stubble on his face and looked at the house. “Oh man, Ronnie. You’re walking a thin line with that kind of secret. Damn, the worst thing I’ve kept from Agnes was a few insignificant affairs and a hidden bank account.”


“And I’m sure the mother of your children appreciates that,” Ronnie said dryly.


“Mother of most of my children, you mean.”


“Doesn’t she know about the boy?”


“No. I know enough to cover my tracks.” He opened the door of his truck and pulled himself up onto the bench seat. “She’s a nice girl, Ronnie. Bring her fishing anytime.” He turned the key, the Ford roaring to life. “See ya Monday at work.”


“Bye Frank.” Ronnie waited until he was out of the driveway before turning and heading back into the house, praying that she could trust her cousin to keep her secret.



* * *

Rose was typing a memo when the phone rang. “Veronica Cartwright’s office. Miss Grayson speaking.”


“Hi Rose, this is Wendy from Accounting. Is Ronnie around?”


“I’m sorry. She’s in a meeting right now. Is there something I can help you with?” She remembered the accountant from tax time when she had handed over her Money Slasher W-2.


“I’m right in the middle of Ronnie’s quarterly tax estimates and I can’t find the paperwork for her Porsche.”


“Porsche?”Ronnie never said anything to me about having a sports car other than the Mustang.

“Wendy, are you sure? I know she has the Cherokee and the Mustang but I don’t know anything about a Porsche.”


“Hmm, she did unless she got rid of it. Anyway I need the paperwork on it or I can’t finish this up. You think you can find it and have it sent down to me?”


“Sure. I’ll look for it right now.”


“Thanks, Rose. I’ll be waiting for it.”


“Okay, bye.”


“Bye.”


Rose put the receiver back in the cradle and reached for her cane. If there was such a car, Ronnie would have that paperwork in her private files. Reaching into her desk drawer, she retrieved a small key and headed into Ronnie’s office.


Sure enough, behind the files for the Cherokee and Mustang was a folder marked Porsche and Rose pulled it out of the cabinet and returned to her desk. She set the folder down and called Susan’s secretary to cover for her while she took the file to Wendy. When she picked the folder up again, a photo fell out. She looked at the red car, thinking it too speedy for Ronnie’s tastes. Opening the folder to put the picture back, her eyes fell on a receipt sitting prominently on top of the other papers. It was a repair bill from Hans’ Import Cars. Her eyes widened at the total at the bottom.I can’t imagine paying a repair bill like that.Calculations of hours and materials filled up the receipt, but it was a hand scribbled note just above the total that caught her attention.Repairs started 12-5, completed 1-18.


Rose slumped into her chair feeling as if a sledgehammer had struck her in the chest.Repairsstarted 12-5.Right after the accident. If that wasn’t enough, another receipt showed the Porsche had passed inspection only a week before. “Oh God…” A sick feeling churned in her stomach and she had to swallow several times to keep her coffee down.


There was no mysterious stranger driving drunk. It was Ronnie.Tears started to fall, smearing mascara down Rose’s cheeks.That’s why you wanted to help me so much. It was all a lie toprotect yourself.Dabbing her eyes with a tissue, she reached out with shaky hands and opened the Rolodex. Her lower lip quivered and her vision blurred as she tried to find the number to the cab company Ronnie used to pick clients up from the airport.It was all a lie.Her hands shook so hard she misdialed the number twice before finally reaching the right one. Rose’s voice wavered as she spoke with the dispatcher. She was informed there was one only a block away and it would meet her in front of the building. Without waiting for Susan’s secretary to arrive, Rose gathered her purse and cane and left the office.It’s okay, Ronnie. You don’t have to worry aboutme anymore.She choked back a sob.I understand.


Maria was surprised to see a cab pull into the driveway and even more so to see Rose step out. She opened the sliding glass door. “What are you doing home in the middle of the day? Rose?

Child, have you been crying?”


“It’s nothing, Maria,” she sniffed. “Where’s Tabitha?”


“She’s lying down somewhere, why?” Rose didn’t answer, instead walking past the housekeeper and heading for the stairs. “What’s going on? Where’s Ronnie?”


“At work,” came the sad reply. To Maria’s dismay, the cab seemed to be waiting for Rose. A few minutes later, Rose came down the stairs, one of Ronnie’s suitcases in her hand.


“What is going on? Where are you going?” To her surprise, green eyes were rimmed with red.


“Would you please tell the man that this is the only bag? I have to get Tabitha.” She set the suitcase at the bottom of the stairs and went back to retrieve her cat.


“Rose wait.” Maria followed her up, stopping the young woman with a firm hand on her shoulder. “What’s going on? Did you and Ronnie have a fight?”


“Did you know she was the one that hit me?” The look in the housekeeper’s eyes answered the question. Rose nodded, having suspected as much. “I wish you had told me. I wish she had told me.” She swallowed hard, not wanting to start crying again. “I need to get Tabitha.”


“Where are you going? Does Ronnie know you’re leaving?”


“Maria, I can’t talk about this. Please, I just want to get my cat and get out of here.” At that moment the orange feline appeared at the top of the stairs and headed for her open arms.

“Tabitha, come here, Honey.” She scooped the cat into her arms. “Come on, sweetie. We have to go now.”


“Rose, please wait a minute.” Maria stood in front of the doorway, refusing to let the young woman pass. “Have you talked to Ronnie? You need to talk to her before you go and make any rash decisions.”


“There’s nothing left to say,” Rose sniffed, angrily wiping away an errant tear. “I’ll return her suitcase as soon as I can.”


“Where will you go?”


“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just have to get away.” The cab horn beeped, drawing her attention. “I need to go now. Please take care of yourself, Maria.”


“Rose, please don’t leave. I’m sure if you just talk to Ronnie…”


“No.” Her ankle was beginning to throb from the overuse. “Let her know that I’m not going to sue her or anything, so she doesn’t have to worry.” She walked out to the kitchen and then through the screen door. The driver helped her and Tabitha into the car, then came to the doorway to get the suitcase. Maria handed him a bag containing a box and several cans of cat food, her other hand busily pressing the speed dial on the phone.


part 13 (conclusion)


“Two percent growth is not what I expected when I hired you for this position,” Ronnie said, her eyes darting from the report in front of her to the nervous manager. The shrill sound of the phone drew a glare from her.It had better be damn important to ruin a perfectly good chewing out.

“Excuse me.” She reached for the phone before the annoying ring could be heard again.

“Veronica Cartwright…who?…Well, where’s Rose? Why are you answering my phone?

Fine…put her through.” She looked at the man seated across from her. “That’s all for now. I’d better see higher numbers next quarter.” She turned her attention back to the phone. “Maria?

What’s wrong?”


Susan was walking down the hall toward Ronnie’s office in search of her secretary when she saw her sister tear down the hall and head for the stairway. “Ronnie, what’s going on?”


“I can’t talk now. Gotta go.” The door opened and she disappeared, footsteps pounding down the metal stairs. The redhead entered her sister’s office. “Margaret, what happened here?”


“I don’t know, Ms. Cartwright. Rose called me to come cover for her for a few minutes while she ran something down to accounting but when I got here she was gone. I assumed she couldn’t wait but I haven’t seen her since. Funny thing is Wendy called up a few minutes ago looking for her.”


“You mean Rose never showed up?”


“No. I was going to go look for her but then Miss Cartwright’s housekeeper called and sounded real upset. I put her through to the conference room. Then Miss Cartwright came racing in here and grabbed her purse and left. Didn’t say a word to me. Do you want me to stay here?”


“No, that’s all right. You can go back to your desk now. I’ll close up in here. I don’t think either of them will be back today.”


Once her secretary left the room, Susan looked through the papers on Rose’s desk. Seeing the folder for the Porsche, she opened it. The receipt on top still showed watermarks where tears had apparently fallen.Funny, I don’t remember her saying anything to me about being in an…“Oh my God,” she whispered. “No.” Sitting in the chair, she turned the computer on and logged in under her ID. She opened the personnel file and compared the dates to the receipt. “Oh Ronnie.” The pieces clicked into place and she was certain that Rose had figured it out as well. She thought about calling over to Ronnie’s house but decided instead to drive over. If what she thought had happened, her sister would need her.



* * *

When Susan arrived, Ronnie was on the phone. “What do you mean you don’t know where she was dropped off? How many women with cats do you drive around everyday?…Well can you at least tell me if it was a hotel or a bus station? You think it was a hotel? Any idea which one?

You’re a lot of help, thanks,” she said sarcastically as she slammed the phone down. “They don’t know or they’re not saying. Damn useless cab companies.” She looked up to see her sister standing there. “What are you doing here?”


“I thought you might need help.” She pulled out the adjacent chair and nodded at Maria’s motion toward the coffeemaker. “I saw the paperwork for the Porsche on Rose’s desk. Ronnie, I have to ask. The accident…”


“It was me,” Ronnie answered sadly.


“And you never told her.”


“No.”


“So now she’s found out on her own and decided to leave you.”


“Looks that way,” Ronnie sighed, staring at the phone. “Came here, packed a few clothes, took Tabitha and left.”


“Maybe she just needs some time to think about it.”


“I’d say she’s already thought about it.” She combed her fingers through her hair. “She’s gone, Susan. She…she left me.”


“Ronnie, she’ll come back. You two love each other.”


“She thinks I lied to her.”


“You did lie to her,” the younger Cartwright pointed out. “Ronnie, you have to expect that she’ll be upset about this. You hit her and lied about it. I can’t believe you kept that a secret. How did you think she’d react to finding out? Especially after the two of you have…you know…become lovers.”


“I can’t be without her, Susan.” Her eyes fell on the empty chair which only hours before had been filled by Rose eating her breakfast. “I need her.” She looked at the phone again. “How many hotels can there be in Albany? Maria, get me the phone book.”


“I’ll help. Where’s the phone for the other line?”


“In the office. Ask them first if they take pets. That should eliminate most of them.”


Forty-five minutes worth of calling hotels turned up no sign of her beloved Rose. Ronnie was very upset and frustrated by the time Susan came out, a piece of paper in her hand and a triumphant smile on her face. “I tried to think like she would. You know how she’s worried about money. I started calling the cheaper motels and voila, found her.”


Ronnie took the scrap of paper and looked at it. “The Barcade? That roach motel on Central?”


“It must be the cheapest motel in Albany that allows pets,” Susan replied.


“I’ve got to go see her.”


“Ronnie, wait.” Susan put her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Maybe you should call and talk to her on the phone first. You’re upset, she’s upset. Maybe a face to face confrontation isn’t such a good idea. What if you get there and she doesn’t want to talk to you?”


“She’ll talk to me,” Ronnie said. “Why wouldn’t she? Rose is a reasonable woman. I’m sure once I explain what happened, she’ll forgive me and come home where she belongs.”


“I hope so,” Susan replied, not entirely convinced that her sister was right.



* * *

Ronnie pulled her car into the pothole-ridden parking lot. From the driver’s seat she looked at the aged and decrepit structure. The dingy cream colored paint was peeling away in several places and half the upper level was missing the railing. Dented doors and broken windows added to the flavor of the cheap motel. Ronnie was certain that she would be able to get Rose to come home with her. She was about to go into the office when she saw the familiar orange cat jump into one of the upper level’s windows.


Rose stomped on the roach she saw scurry out from behind the toilet. Tomorrow she would call around for another place to stay.Knock knock.“Rose?” Ronnie’s voice startled her. She had not expected to deal with her lover so quickly. Grabbing her cane, she walked across the stained carpet and stood behind the door, pressing her forehead against the cool metal.


“Go away, Ronnie,” she said softly.


“Rose, please let me in. We need to talk.”


“Please go home. I’m fine.”


“You’re not fine. If you were fine you’d be home with me.” The doorknob jiggled, showing the executive’s frustration with talking through the steel door. “Sweetheart, please just let me in so we can talk.”


“There’s nothing to say, Ronnie. Go home. You don’t have to worry. I won’t sue you or anything.”


“Sue?” The doorknob jiggled again. “Rose, let me in. I’m not worried about you suing me. Come on, Honey. We need to talk.”


“So talk. I can hear you.” Rose knew she could not open the door. She was on the verge of tears as it was and seeing Ronnie would be more than enough to push her over the edge. “What did you want to say?”


A long silence. “I wanted to say I love you. That I want you to come home with me and talk about this. Please Rose, I’m sorry I lied to you.”


“Sorry you lied or sorry I found out?” She closed her eyes. “Please…just go home, Ronnie.”


“I can’t leave without you.”


Rose slapped her hand against the door. “You…you were my knight in shining armor, you know. I really thought you had come down and rescued me like a real life Cinderella.” She did not bother wiping the tears that ran down her face. “And all this time you were just trying to protect yourself. What a fool I was.”


“No…Rose, you don’t understand.”


“What don’t I understand? You hit me, lied about it, made me think that everything you were doing was out of the goodness of your heart, then you let me fall in love with you.” Rose lashed out, slamming the side of her fist against the door. “Damn you, Ronnie. Damn you. Why did you let me fall in love with you?” The sobs refused to be held back and she collapsed to the floor.

“Please go away Ronnie. There’s nothing left to say.” She hugged her knees against her chest and cried.


“Rose, please.” The young woman refused to answer, even when the request was repeated several times. Eventually Ronnie walked away, her footsteps against the creaking wood drawing even more pain from the young woman’s heart. Rose threw herself on the threadbare blankets that covered the bed and cried herself into a restless sleep.



* * *

Susan walked into the outer office to find her secretary sitting at Rose’s desk. “How is she?” she asked.


“She hasn’t come out of her office all day,” Margaret replied.


“Are you still holding all of her calls?”


“Except…”


“I know,” Susan waved her hand dismissively. “Maria or Rose, right?” She shook her head and headed for Ronnie’s office. Margaret jumped up immediately.


“Ms. Cartwright, I don’t think she wants to see anyone.”


“Oh no, Margaret. She wants to see someone. It just isn’t me.” With that, she reached for the door handle.


“I don’t…” Ronnie began, stopping when she saw who it was. “Susan, I’m very busy.”


“Busy doing what? Hiding in your office and working yourself to exhaustion?” She closed the door and stood in front of her sister’s desk. “Ronnie, you can’t keep this up.”


“Don’t start playing mother hen with me. I’m not in the mood.”


“And what do you plan to do? Stay in this depression? Have you looked in a mirror lately?”


The strain had taken its toll on Ronnie. Dark circles under her eyes were a testament to the lack of sleep. Her cheeks were drawn, her hair given only the barest of care. The sullen woman had taken to spending the night in her office, finding an empty home too much to bear. Susan recognized her sister’s outfit as one kept in the office closet for emergencies.


“Come to my house for dinner tonight, Ronnie,” she urged. “You know Jack and the kids would love to see you.”


“No. I have things to attend to here.”


“No word from Rose yet?”


“She left the Barcade a week ago and checked into the Maverick. Traded in one dive for another.” Ronnie rubbed her face with her hands. “She must have left instructions with the front desk not to let any calls through. They keep taking messages but she won’t return my calls.” Susan nodded, having already known those facts thanks to frequent phone calls to Maria.


“Have you been over to try and talk to her again?”


“What’s the point?” Ronnie sighed. “I did that twice and she wouldn’t even open the door for me.” She buried her head in her hands. “She just keeps telling me to go away.”


“Sis, I hate to say this but maybe you should consider moving on.”


Ronnie lifted her head and gave her sister a look of total desperation. “I can’t, Susan. Don’t you understand that she’s everything to me?” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I need her like I need air or water. I feel so empty without her.” She turned her head away, angrily wiping away the tears that seemed to form so easily during the past week. “What’s all this worth?”


“Hmm?” Susan didn’t understand the question.


“What’s all this worth?” She gestured at the reports and papers on her desk. “What are gains and ratios and profits worth if there’s nothing to show for it? What’s the precious Cartwright reputation and status worth if the one woman I need most in my life won’t even speak to me?”


“Ronnie, you’re talking crazy now. You know as well as I do this business has to survive and make money.”


“For what? So we can have a few more zeros in our bank accounts?” She stood up and looked out the window. “It doesn’t mean anything without her.”


“Veronica?” Ronnie wiped her face with her hand before turning to see Beatrice standing in the doorway. “I was downtown doing some shopping and I was hoping you girls would join me for lunch.” She stepped inside and shut the door. “What happened to your friend? I thought she replaced Laura.”


“She left,” Ronnie said without elaboration. “I’m too busy for lunch today, Mother. Maybe Susan can go with you.”


“Well, it’s nothing important I guess.” She sat down on the leather sofa. “So that woman you tried to help left? I could have told you it wouldn’t work.” She looked at her younger daughter.

“Those people don’t understand what hard work is all about. They just want to sit around and collect a check. I suppose she’s filed for unemployment to pick your sister’s pocket some more.”


“Rose isn’t like that, Mother,” Susan defended. “She didn’t quit because she didn’t like to work. There were other reasons.”


“There’s no excuse for leaving a good paying job except pure laziness. It’s in their blood.”


“In whose blood, Mother?” Ronnie snapped. “The poor white trash that you love to talk about?” Her hands gripped the back of her chair, knuckles white with the strain. “I’m sure there are people like that, but Rose isn’t one of them. She’s good and honest and would give her last dime to help another person out.”


“Veronica…” Beatrice’s tone was low, warning.


“No. I’ve had it. You badmouth everyone who isn’t a blueblood like us. Rose has nevereverdone anything to earn your dislike, yet you treat her like a bastard at a family reunion.” Seething with anger, Ronnie let loose the words that refused to be kept back any longer. “I don’t care what you think, Mother, I love Rose and I won’t have you talking badly about her, do you understand me?”


Susan took a step back, certain that her mother and sister were about to have a royal battle of words. Never had any of them stood up to her mother and now Ronnie had just announced her defiance on the most taboo of subjects. Beatrice stiffened and pursed her lips.


“I thought that issue was settled years ago or have you forgotten your promise to your poor father?” The matriarch now stood in front of Ronnie’s desk, her hands resting on the mahogany top. “You swore to him that you were through with those perverted ideas.”


The strain of losing Rose sapped any tact or restraint Ronnie had left. “You think telling me not to love women would make those feelings go away? It didn’t. You two forced me to promise that no matter how I felt. What is so wrong with loving another woman?”


“Veronica, think about your position for a minute.”


“Fuck my position!” Ronnie shoved away from her chair and took a step forward noting that Susan quickly stepped between them. “Face it, Mother. Your oldest daughter is a lesbian. You can’t change that so you’d better learn to accept it. Rose is my lover and I’ll give up everything I have in order to keep her.” She lowered her voice, the tone deadly serious. “Including my family.”


“Maybe this isn’t the best time to talk about this,” Susan said, trying to guide her older sister away from their mother.


“No Susan,” Beatrice bristled. “It’s obvious your sister has decided to throw away everything her father and I worked for all these years.”


“Why is it so hard for you to accept?” Ronnie shrieked. “It’s my life.”


“Mother, there is no reason why she can’t be that way and still do a good job running the company.”


“Whose side are you on, anyway?” The matriarch turned on her younger daughter. “Don’t tell me that you accept this, that Jack accepts it.”


“It isn’t for us to decide who Ronnie loves, Mother.” Susan took a deep breath and looked at her older sibling. “And yes, Jack and I do accept Rose,” she added.


“I can’t believe this.” She walked over the couch and retrieved her bag. “I would have thought after poor Tommy’s death you would have realized what can happen from hanging out with the wrong element. And just how do you think the shareholders will feel about this?”


“It’s none of the damn shareholder’s business who I’m sleeping with,” Ronnie snapped. “It’s not like they can vote me out of office.”


“You don’t own controlling interest, Veronica. Don’t forget that.”


“Actually, Mother,” Susan interjected. “With Tommy’s shares between us we hold fifty percent of the stock. All we need is Frank, Michael, or John to vote with us and we have controlling interest.”


“So that’s it?” Beatrice’s lips were pursed, her frustration obvious. “Fine. If Veronica wants to throw her life away and you’re willing to help her, so be it. I’ll call a cab from downstairs.” She stormed out of the office, leaving the sisters alone again.


“Well that was productive,” Ronnie sighed as she sank into her chair. “I finally stand up to her and it doesn’t even matter because Rose is gone anyway.”


“You know I’m never going to hear the end of this, don’t you?” Susan said. “I’ll guarantee there’ll be a message on my machine when I get home.”


“I know, Sis. I’m sorry you had to get in the middle of it.” She picked up her pen, the present making her heart ache even more for her beloved Rose.


“Ronnie…do you want me to try and talk to Rose?”


“Do you think it would make any difference? She won’t talk to me.”


“I don’t think it could hurt,” Susan said.


“I’d make a deal with the devil if I thought it would get her to talk to me again.” She looked up at her sister. “Please. If you think there’s anything you can do or say to make her understand how I feel, do it.”


“Which motel is she at?”


“The Maverick on Central. About eight miles west of the Arcadia.”


“That’s almost on the city line of Schenectady, isn’t it? The one that puts out all those gaudy Christmas decorations each year?”


“That’s the place.”


“I’ll go talk to her but you need to tell me what really happened that night. She deserves to know the complete truth, not just whatever those papers she found told her.”


Ronnie hesitated, then nodded in agreement. “I was out at Sam’s…”



* * *

“There you go sweetie,” Rose said as she put the plate of canned food down for Tabitha. She threw the empty can in the trash just as there was a knock on the door. “Who is it?”


“Susan Cartwright.”


“Um…” Rose looked out the peephole, verifying that the redhead was alone. “I’m not really in the mood for company right now,” she said softly.


“Rose, it really is rude to leave someone standing outside the door.”


“But…” Reluctantly she undid the chain and bolt. She opened the door. “Susan, if this is about Ronnie…”


“Of course it’s about Ronnie,” the redhead said as she entered the room. “My sister is heartbroken and you won’t even give her the chance to explain. Hello, Tabitha.”


“Mrrow.”


“There is nothing really left to say, is there?”


“You tell me.” Susan sat down on one bed and motioned for the young woman to sit on the other.


“She lied to me.”


“Yes she did…about the accident. Not about how she feels for you. There’s a difference.”


“How can anything built on a lie be real?” Rose stood up and limped over to the tiny cube refrigerator to get some bottled water.


“Again, she lied about the accident. Everything else was real, Rose. Her feelings for you are real and you have to know that.”


“I know she feels something,” the young woman responded after she returned to her seat.


“If you could see her, you’d know that she feels more than something.” She reached out and took Rose’s hand. “Listen to me. We’re talking about my sister here. I know her. She’s not one to take people’s feelings lightly, especially her own.” Susan let go and looked down. “Rose, this is killing her. She’s not eating, she’s not sleeping, nothing matters to her now.”


“It hasn’t been a picnic for me either,” she confessed.


“Then why not go and talk to her? Come on, Rose. Think about it for a minute. If all she wanted to do was cover her tracks, then why did she stick around at the hospital? Why didn’t she just drop you off and let them worry about taking care of you?”


“I don’t know…maybe she felt guilty.”


“Tell me something Rose, when the two of you, you know…did it feel like guilt to you?”


“No, of course not.”


“Then why do you assume that everything she did came from guilt?” Susan smiled inwardly at the confused look on Rose’s face. “If she was just guilty, she wouldn’t have opened up her home to you. She wouldn’t have gone to the lengths she did to take care of you. Look, I know you’re hurting too but you have to look at the whole picture. Ronnie loves you.”


“How am I supposed to forgive her?” The young woman asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

“It’s been six months and I still can’t walk without pain. I have scars.”


“You see this?” Susan rolled her sleeve up to reveal a small white scar near her elbow. “Ronnie and I were fooling around on our bicycles and she wiped out causing me to fall. I broke my elbow and had to spend the summer in a cast. I still can’t extend that arm completely and I know whenever it’s going to rain now. Do you think I shouldn’t have forgiven her for that?”


“Of course not. It was an accident,” Rose said.


“Exactly. It was an accident when she caused me to fall off my bike and it was an accident when she hit you with her car.”


“It’s not the same, Susan.”


“Isn’t it? Tell me something, Rose. Do you think she meant to hit you with her car?”


“No.”


“Then it was an accident, right? Even if it was her fault it was still an accident.” She shifted on the bed, trying to find a spot where the springs weren’t trying to poke through the thin blanket.

“What do you remember about that night?”


“Not much,” Rose admitted. “I was trying to get home and some men started chasing me. I remember running through the park and then onto Madison. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital.”


Susan nodded, the events fitting with her sister’s description. “Did you run out from the corner or the middle of the street?”


“I think it was the middle. It was snowing, I don’t know.”


“Ronnie says she was going up Madison when you darted out from between some parked cars. She said there was no way for her stop in time.”


“Then why make up the story about coming up after the accident?”


“She had some wine at dinner and worried she would be arrested for drunk driving. Yes, she lied to cover herself but she made sure you were taken care of. She tried to do the responsible thing, Rose. You have to give her credit for that.”


“It was an accident,” the young woman whispered. “If she hadn’t been drinking…”


“She still would have been unable to avoid you. If you’re looking for someone to blame, blame the men who were chasing you.”


“But why didn’t she tell me the truth later?”


“What happened when you did find out the truth, Rose?”


The young woman looked at her lap. “I left her.”


“You never gave her a chance to explain, did you?” She reached out for the woman she considered her sister-in-law. “Rose, the accident wasn’t her fault. She may be guilty of bad judgment but not anything else. Do you love Ronnie?”


Lifting her head to show eyes glittering with unshed tears, Rose replied. “Yes.”


“Do you think that she would willingly hurt you?”


“No.”


“Then why are you punishing her for something she had no control over? Let me take you home, Rose.”



* * *

Ronnie was sitting on the couch, the pendant she had given Rose for Christmas in her hands. There had been no word from Susan and the executive feared her sister’s intervention would have no effect on Rose. Tears feel freely, dotting her hands with the salty drops. The sound of the sliding glass door opening drew her attention toward the kitchen. When she saw Susan enter the living room alone, Ronnie’s heart sank. She opened her mouth to speak but there was nothing to say. Rose was gone and she wasn’t coming back.


“Ronnie?”


“It’s all right, Susan. I know you tried your best.” She stared at the pendant. “Did she…say anything?”


“She said a lot of things, but maybe it would be better if you just asked her yourself.” It was then that the sliding glass door closed, alerting Ronnie that Susan was not alone.


“She’s here?” She stood up and quickly wiped at the tear streaks on her face. “Is she here?” She sprinted past her sister and into the kitchen without waiting for an answer.


Rose barely had time to set Tabitha on the floor before she found herself caught in Ronnie’s powerful arms. The cane clattered to the floor as the tall woman spun her round and round, hugging her tightly. “You’re…crushing…me.”


“Oh, I’m sorry.” Ronnie quickly set her lover down and retrieved the cane. “It’s just…well…”


“It’s all right,” Rose said, reaching out to take the larger hand in her own. She was surprised to see such a haggard expression on Ronnie’s face. She realized the separation had been just as hard on her lover as it was on her. “I missed you too.”


“Please don’t leave again,” Ronnie blurted. She had not meant to sound so desperate but the thought of not having the blonde woman in her life was too much to bear. “I’ll do anything…just don’t leave.”


“I can’t promise that,” Rose said sadly, turning away and leaning her hand against the counter. “I have questions, Ronnie. We need to talk.”


“I think that’s my cue to leave,” Susan piped in from her position in the archway between kitchen and living room. “Sis, get Rose’s suitcase from my car.”


Ronnie’s eyes never left her lover. “Sure…I’ll be right back, okay?”


“I’ll be here,” the young woman replied softly, giving a wan smile. The executive reluctantly opened the sliding glass door and stepped outside. Susan walked over and put her hand on Rose’s shoulder. “Are you going to be all right?”


“Yeah,” she nodded, turning to face the redhead. “Thanks.”


“Rose, I know she hurt you but don’t forget how easily you can hurt her too. Be gentle with my sister. She loves you very much.” When Ronnie returned, Susan said her good-byes and left.


Once alone, an awkward silence fell over the lovers. They stood in the kitchen lost in their own thoughts and fears. Tabitha padded into the room and spotted the unmarred black of Ronnie’s slacks. “Mrrow?” She rubbed up against her tall mistress and began purring.


“Hey there.” She bent down and picked up the happy cat. “How have you been? You been taking good care of Mommy?”


“She missed you, you know,” Rose said, moving a couple of steps closer. “She kept crying for you and looking at the door.” She looked down at the floor. “I kept crying too,” she added quietly. Ronnie set Tabitha down and closed the remaining distance between them just as Rose’s lip started to quiver. “It just felt like some kind of horrible nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from.” Ronnie’s arms went around her just as the young woman collapsed into tears.


“Okay, Honey. I’ve got you.” She held Rose tight, fearing if she let go she would disappear. “Do you want to go sit on the couch and talk?”


“Sure,” the young woman sniffled. “If you want to.”


“Whatever you want to do, Rose. If you’d rather sit at the table…”


“No, the couch would be nice.” The motel room did not have a couch…well, not one that she had felt safe sitting on. Hands resting on each other’s backs, the couple walked into the living room. Rose took her usual cushion at the end while Ronnie hesitated, then sat down at the opposite end instead of the middle. To her surprise, the young woman scooted over to occupy the empty cushion. Ronnie took it as a good sign and rested her hand on Rose’s knee.


“I love you, Rose.”


“I know.” She took a deep breath and looked into the blue eyes that haunted her dreams. “And I love you too. I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t.”


“I’m sorry about lying to you. I wish there was some way I could make it up.”


“Do something now?”


“Anything.”


“Tell me what really happened.”


“Rose, it’s in the past. Why can’t…” She was silenced by Rose’s finger on her lips.


“Because I need to know what happened,” she interrupted. “Please Ronnie. You owe me the truth.”


The executive nodded and swallowed. “It happened so fast.” She shook her head, the dark tresses waving with the movement. “It was just so quick.” Looking into gentle green eyes, she continued. “I never saw you, Rose. I was driving, thinking that I had just wasted the evening with a jerk and all of the sudden there you were. I hit the brakes but with the snow on the ground…” Her eyes closed briefly at the memory of the total silence that preceded the horrifying thud.

“There was nothing else I could do.” She looked away again, focusing on the grandfather clock.

“There was so much blood, Rose. I thought I killed you. When I realized I hadn’t, I put you in my car and drove you to the hospital as fast as I could.”


“Why did you stay around?” Ronnie felt a small but insistent hand on her chin, forcing her to meet Rose’s gaze. “You did your job, you got me to the hospital. You could have left and no one would ever have known. Why didn’t you leave?”


“I needed to make sure you were all right. When they didn’t think you had insurance, they wanted to ship you off to Memorial. I wanted to make sure you got the best care and that was at Albany Med so I lied about the insurance.”


“And you were stuck after that?”


“No. Maybe until I had you sign the papers,” Ronnie admitted. “But not after that.”


“Then why did you keep coming back?”


Ronnie gave the only answer she could, the honest one. “I wanted to see you. To get to know you better.”


“You know what I remember about those first few days?” Rose looked toward the ceiling. “It’s mostly fuzzy glimpses here and there, just snatches really. They must have been giving me some powerful drugs then.”


“They were,” Ronnie agreed.


“I remember looking up and seeing you.” She smiled warmly and looked at her lover. “There you were, this wonderful woman telling me everything would be all right.”


“You asked me if I was an angel,” the dark-haired woman added, smiling to herself at the memory.


“You were to me, you know. You were my own personal guardian angel, looking out for me every step of the way. You were my knight in shining armor, my hero.” She lifted Ronnie’s arm and rested her head against the older woman’s chest. “I didn’t know why you took such an interest in me but I was grateful.” Her voice grew sad. “Now I know.”


“No.” Ronnie rested her palm against Rose’s cheek. “That first night I acted out of selfpreservation and fear but don’teverthink that I pretended to care after that.” Blue eyes searched green, begging them to understand. “I can’t explain it but there was something about you, Rose Grayson. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and the only time I was happy was when I was with you. I think I fell in love with you from that first day you woke up in the hospital.”


“What happened to the Porsche?”


“I had it fixed and then sold it. I couldn’t bring myself to drive it again.” She reached down and began stroking the golden hair cascading over Rose’s shoulder.


“Ronnie?”


“Mm?”


“When you realized I was falling for you, why didn’t you tell me then?”


Ronnie pulled the young woman closer, holding her secure in her arms. “By the time I realized you were falling for me, I had already fallen for you…hard.” Taking a chance, she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss atop the golden head, pleased when she felt Rose lean into it. Turning her head so her cheek rested where her lips had just been, Ronnie continued. “I tried so hard to pretend it wasn’t happening, but every day I fell in love more and more. I was scared that if I told you the truth you’d leave me. I couldn’t lose you, Rose, I just couldn’t.” Her voice broke and she had to stop and take a deep breath. A gentle squeeze encouraged her. “When you left…when Maria called me…” Words failed the executive and she tightened her hold.


“I didn’t know what to do, what to think,” Rose said. “It hurt so much.” Her fingers idly stroked her lover’s long dark hair. “But as much as that hurt, it was worse not being with you.”


“I love you, Rose.” She cupped the young woman’s chin and their eyes met. “I can’t change what happened in the past but I can give you my word that I’ll never lie to you again.” Her thumb brushed against Rose’s lower lip. “I know you can probably never forgive me for lying, but I love you and I know you love me.”


“I do,” the young woman said earnestly. “I’ve never loved anyone the way I do you.”


“You don’t know how much I wish that accident had never happened, that you never had to suffer through all that pain.”


“But Ronnie…” She kissed the thumb resting against her lip. “If it never happened then we wouldn’t have met. Sometimes things happen for a reason.”


“Then can we move on from here?”


“I’d like that.” She leaned her head against Ronnie’s chest. “Honey?”


The black-haired woman smiled at the endearment and rewarded Rose with a quick kiss on the forehead. “Yeah?”


“Can we just stay like this forever?”


Ronnie smiled broadly and squeezed her lover against her. “Sure.”



* * *

“You almost done in there, birthday girl?” Ronnie called from the other side of the door.


“Almost.” She fastened the top and looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Honey, don’t you think this bikini is a bit…revealing?”


“It’s meant to be that way.”


“You’re a pervert, Veronica Cartwright, you know that?”


“Only with you, my dear.” Tired of waiting, Ronnie opened the bathroom door and was treated to the sight of Rose standing there with only the barest of bikini tops on. “Very nice,” she drawled.


“Nice for you maybe,” the young woman countered, pulling the yellow bottoms on. Gold tufts of hair peeked out from the side. “Great.” She pulled them off again and headed for the toiletries.

“Why don’t you go on ahead, Honey. I have to take care of something first.”


“Sure you don’t want any help? I’d be happy to help you.”


Picking up the razor, Rose smiled at her lover. “If you ‘helped’ me, we wouldn’t get anywhere near the pool today.” She turned away only to feel Ronnie’s arms wrap around her.


“So? Would that be such a bad thing?”


“You are incorrigible.” She turned to see dark eyebrows wiggling lecherously at her. “I’m certain this bikini is more of a present for you than for me.”


“You know me so well.”


“Uh uh uh.” Rose reached down and intercepted the wandering hands. “None of that right now.”


“But it’s your birthday. Are you sure there isn’t something else you’d like to do besides lounging around the pool?” Ronnie tried to resume the playful fondling but was stopped once again.


“At the moment, no,” Rose said. “And you already did that this morning.” She looked from her pubic hair to her shaver and back again. “I’m not sure if I need a razor or a weed whacker.”


“Yeah? Try having black hair,” Ronnie replied. “The slightest stubble shows.” Her hand began running circles on Rose’s abdomen, steadily heading south. “You sure you don’t want help?” she queried while nuzzling the smaller woman’s ear.


“Isn’t this why we didn’t get to go swimming yesterday?” She stepped out of Ronnie’s embrace.

“You go take the iced tea out and I’ll be down in a few minutes.”


Once alone, Rose sat on the toilet and spread her legs to trim the wild patch of blonde curls. Her mind wandered over the events of the last year.A year ago I was working at Money Slasher anddidn’t have a dime to my name much less anything else. Now look at me…sitting in a mansiongetting ready to wear a bathing suit and hang out by the pool.She shook her head in disbelief. Looking down at her bare legs, she found it almost hard to believe that only six months ago they were in casts.I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk again.As it was, it had been over a month since she left the cane behind and it was only when she pushed herself too hard that she felt any pain her legs or ankle. The thin scar on her cheek where the stitches once were had faded into a line so faint it was barely visible. Still Rose knew it was the one spot most kissed on her face, except for her lips, of course.I wonder if she even realizes that she does that,she mused. It was one of the little habits Ronnie had that she found so endearing.My Ronnie…I love you so much.Suddenly feeling lonely without her beloved, Rose quickly finished trimming her pubic hair and pulled on her bikini bottoms. A hasty run of the brush through her hair and she set off in search of Ronnie.


The late August sun beat on the white concrete, causing the barefoot executive to stick to the shady areas while bringing the pitcher of iced tea out to the table. The pool was a brilliant blue, crystal clear and ready for swimming. Setting the tray down, Ronnie walked to the diving board.


Rose arrived just in time to see her lover walk down the length of the diving board. The two piece black thong bikini Ronnie wore hid nothing, much to the young woman’s enjoyment. Her own pale yellow outfit was a bit more reserved…but not by much. Instead of being a thong like Ronnie’s, Rose’s had a small strip that covered the crack of her rear and half of each cheek. The top, however, barely covered her nipples and she was certain that once again a smaller size was purchased to make her show more cleavage.A present for me, hmm? I think it’s more of apresent for her.


Lowering herself into the shallow end, Rose watched as Ronnie sprang off the board again and dived into the water with barely a splash. Soon Ronnie joined her and they splashed and played about for a while before retiring to the padded lounge chairs.


Ronnie used a napkin to wipe the sweat off the outside of the glass before handing the iced tea to her.


“Thanks, Hon,” Rose said, draining half of the cool drink before setting the glass on the side table. “I can’t believe how hot it is out here today.”


“The humidity is up,” Ronnie replied, wringing the excess water from her hair. “Five minutes and I guarantee you we’ll be wanting to go back into the water.” She wiped her brow. “I think I’m perspiring already.” She took her glass and laid down on the lounge chair, grateful that the umbrella provided shade for them against the burning sun. She did not see Rose fish an ice cube out of the pitcher and gasped in surprise when it landed on her chest. “Whooo, that’s cold!” she yelped.


“I thought you said you were hot?” the young woman grinned. The predatory look in her lover’s eyes quickly apprised her that she had made a mistake. “Uh oh. Um…Ronnie Honey? You know I love you, right? You wouldn’t think of seeking revenge, right?”


“Me?” The tall woman feigned innocence, her fingers digging cubes out of her glass. Rose found herself pinned to the lounge chair before she could move and several cubes were shoved between the yellow bikini top and her skin.


“Oooh, get them out of there. Oh that’s cold.” She pulled the top up, freeing the ice, which bounced harmlessly to the concrete ground.


“Well, that was worth the effort,” Ronnie quirked, her mouth only inches away from the bared nipples made erect by the cubes. “Would you like me to help warm you up, birthday girl?”


“But we’re outside.” Rose looked around even though she knew no one was nearby.


“Well then I’d better make sure you’re covered,” Ronnie said.


Rose gasped as a hand covered her left breast and soft lips claimed the other. “Oh Ronnie…Um, wh-what do you think you’re doing?”


“Mmm, loving you,” came the muffled reply. Rose found herself pressed back against the cushion of the lounge chair and the feelings began to build up within her.


Why am I fighting this?the young woman thought to herself. Reaching between their bodies, her fingers found what they were looking for. Soon Ronnie was breathing just as hard as she was and Rose was certain they were going to make love right there on the lounge chair when the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway caught her ear.


“Damn,” Ronnie muttered as she moved off. “Someone’s here.” She grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her waist while Rose fumbled with her top.


Susan’s sons Timmy and John came running around the side of the house. “Aunt Ronnie, Aunt Rose!” the younger boy shouted. “Mommy said we could come over here and go swimming today, isn’t that great?” Ricky had his arms full with the PlayStation and obviously was planning on taking over the television for a few hours if the number of games he’d brought with him were any indication. John jumped onto Rose’s lap and wrapped his arms around her neck. “Aunt Rose, would you go swimming with me?”


“Sure Hon, but only in the shallow end.”


“Okay.” His little face beamed. “Can Tabitha go swimming with us too?”


Rose laughed at the thought. “No John. Tabitha is a cat. Cats don’t like water.”


“Speak of the devil,” Ronnie said, nodding her head in the direction of the house. The sliding glass door had been left open and the curious feline wandered out in search of new worlds to conquer. She looked at the boys. “Why don’t you two go get changed. There are towels in the pool house.” She turned to Rose. “You think you can handle things out here?”


“Sure.” She scooted the boy off her lap. “John, I think there’s a ball in the pool house that we can play with. See if you can find it, okay?”


“Okay, Aunt Rose.” He followed his brother away from the pool. Ronnie watched them leave.

“Looks like we’re going to have company for a while.”


“Seems that way,” the young woman agreed as she stood up. “Why aren’t they using their own pool?”


“Susan said something about her pump breaking. Sorry Hon, ” she said apologetically. “I know it’s your birthday and all, but…”


“No, it’s fine that they’re here,” Rose said. “I just wish I was wearing something else. I feel really naked in this.” She tugged at the thin strap of her bikini top.


“I’ll get you a tee shirt.”


“Make it one of yours or else bring a pair of shorts with you too.” Covering herself with the towel, Rose greeted Susan and Jack as they approached.


Ronnie returned a few minutes later carrying one of her tee shirts. She had changed from her two piece bikini to a more appropriate black one piece that covered most of her rear and provided very little cleavage.


“Is that your family get-together suit?” Rose asked when her lover reached her side.


“You think I want to be the subject of my nephew’s fantasies?” she asked while handing over the tee shirt. “Hi Susan.” She turned and nodded at her brother-in-law. “How are you, Jack?”


“Fine, Ronnie, and yourself?”


“Perfect,” she said, flashing a smile at Rose. “Well, since you’re here, why don’t we have a barbecue? It won’t take long to heat up the grill and I’m sure we have something that isn’t frozen.”


“Sounds good,” Susan said, sharing a wink with her sister when Rose was not looking. “It’s just a lazy day and you two weren’t planning on doing anything, were you?”


“No,” Ronnie replied. “I’ll go look and see what we have that we can grill up.”


An hour later Jack was busy tending the grill while the women and boys played around in the water. Timmy and Ronnie raced each other across the length of the pool while Rose and John splashed around in the shallow end, occasionally playing with the brightly colored beach ball. When the young woman asked Ronnie where Susan was, she received a vague answer about the redhead not being a swimmer. John’s fair skin showed signs quickly of turning pink and when Rose offered to take him inside, Ronnie stepped up and said she had to go get something anyway. A few minutes later Jack came over to the pool and whispered something in Timmy’s ear, causing the boy to exit and head inside, leaving Rose as the only person in the water.


Feeling awkward, she climbed out of the water and wrapped herself in a towel, thinking to herself that Ronnie had been gone too long. She was headed for the house when Jack stopped her. “Rose, come take a look at these steaks and tell me what you think.”


“Sure.” She moved over to the grill and looked at the various pieces of meat sizzling over the gas fire. “I hope everyone’s hungry. You made quite a bunch here. They look fine, though. Maybe a few more minutes.”


“Could you keep an eye on them for me? I have to visit the little men’s room.” He handed her the turning fork and walked away.


Ten minutes later the steaks were done and there was no sign of Ronnie or anyone else. Rose carefully piled the food on a plate and shut the grill off. “Where is everybody? I thought we were having a cookout,” she said to the empty air.


Inside the living room, Susan was supervising the hanging of the final decorations.


“Up a little,” the redhead said. “No, that’s too high. Bring it down a bit.” Ronnie stood on one of the upper rungs of the ladder, thinking that her sister was a pain in the ass when it came to decorating. The banner was perfect where it was before but Susan insisted it would better if it were up just a foot. John, Ricky, and Timmy were busy running multi-colored rolls of streamers around the living room.


“We have to hurry up or she’ll see it,” the executive grumped. She spared a glance at her watch.

“Where’s Maria, anyway? She was supposed to be here with the cake a half-hour ago.”


“She’ll be here, and if you’d just make it level, we’ll be done,” Susan said. They turned at the sound of the door sliding open. Ronnie shoved the thumbtack through the banner and stuck it to the wall, hopping off the ladder just as Rose stepped through the archway.


“Happy Birthday Rose!” They shouted, echoing the words printed on the banner. The young woman stood there speechless, her eyes wide with surprise. While she had thought it odd no one except Ronnie had wished her a happy birthday, she chalked it up to them not knowing. She had never guessed Ronnie would give her a party. John tugged on her wet shirt. “Aunt Rose, does this mean I can give you your present now?”


“In a little while, John,” Susan said, shooing her son away. “We have to eat first.”


“Um…uh…oh my.” Rose turned her shocked expression to her lover. “You planned this?”


“Maria’s on her way with your cake and I think Frank and Agnes are stopping by later,” Ronnie replied, crossing the room to stand in front of the overwhelmed woman. “Happy birthday, Honey.”


“It’s been so long since anyone gave me a party for my birthday,” Rose whispered. “I can’t believe this.”


“Believe it. You can count on this being an annual occurrence from now on.” She looked at the boys. “You guys go help your father make up the plates.” Once they left the room, she turned her attention back to Rose. “I love you. You didn’t think I’d let your birthday go by without throwing you a party, did you?”


“You didn’t say anything except about the bikini so I thought…” She shook her head and smiled.

“I should have known. Cartwrights love parties.”


“Well, that may be true, but this particular Cartwright had more of a reason to throw you a party than just your birthday.” At the quizzical look, Ronnie merely gave a sly smile. “You’ll see later. Come on, go get changed into something dry so we can dig into dinner before it gets cold.”


Maria arrived a short time later, the back seat of her car taken up with a large sheet cake. Ricky and Timmy got their fingers full of frosting before Ronnie could get it placed up out of reach. John insisted on sitting on Rose’s lap during dinner and the sight made Ronnie smile. The people who meant a great deal to her were there to help celebrate the birthday of the person who meant the most to her. Not a word was said when Maria joined them for dinner and the atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable. Little side conversations took place all around her but the executive paid them no attention. Her focus was on the green-eyed beauty and the thought of the present hidden in the office.


Frank and Agnes arrived just as dinner was ending. Rose had to laugh at the sight of the big burly man carrying a fishing pole wrapped in dainty tissue paper.


“Gee Frank, I have no idea what you got her,” Ronnie said with a smirk.


“You know fishing poles aren’t the easiest things in the world to wrap,” he replied. “Took Agnes forever to get it done.” He walked over to Rose and gave her a kiss on the cheek while handing her the present. “Happy birthday, Blondie.”


“I guess it is time to open presents,” Ronnie announced.


“Well here, open mine first,” Frank said.


“It’s beautiful,” Rose said as the final wrapping was removed.


“That’s not just some run of the mill fishing pole you’ve got there, Blondie,” he said. “That’s a top of the line Power Pole with ultra sensitive tip and left handed reel. Maybe next time you go fishing you won’t toss the lunkers back in.”


“Oh, I probably will,” she admitted. “But it sure is fun to catch them.”


“I wouldn’t know. I’ve caught more sunfish than bass this season,” he grumbled good-naturedly.


“Aunt Rose, will you open my present now?” John asked, holding the gift in his hands.


“Of course I will, Sweetie,” she said, taking the present from him. The wrapping was torn away to reveal a bottle of her favorite perfume. “Thank you, John. It’s very nice.” She gave the young boy a kiss on the cheek. Looking up at Susan, she indicated her silent thanks with her eyes. Timmy and Ricky gave her presents as well, followed by a joint present from Susan and Jack while Maria gave her a brooch that was simply breathtaking.


After seeing the presents the other Cartwrights had given her, Rose knew the bikini was not the only present her lover had in store for her. Her suspicions were confirmed a minute later when Ronnie and Frank disappeared into the office.


Together they carried out a big, bulky looking box covered in green wrapping paper. Jack and Ricky moved everything off the coffee table to make room. Rose stood up and smiled. “Thank you,” she said. “I wonder what on earth it could possibly be? Looks kinda big.” The box was easily as long as her outstretched arms and half as high.


“Looks can be deceiving,” Ronnie replied, sharing a knowing grin with her sister as Rose began to unwrap the large box. While the box itself proclaimed that a twenty-seven inch color television was waiting inside but the young woman knew from the weight it was not the case. Besides, there were already a half dozen televisions floating around the house as it was. Surely Ronnie would not have bothered to buy another one. Her curiosity was piqued when she opened the box to reveal another box inside, this one wrapped in red holiday paper. “I ran out of birthday wrap so I used Christmas paper. I hope you don’t mind.”


“Ronnie, you could have wrapped it in newspaper and I wouldn’t have minded,” Rose assured, pulling the smaller box out. Ricky moved the first box out of the way. The red box was unwrapped and opened only to discover another box inside. “Oh, blue paper this time.”


“Wouldn’t want you to be bored with the same old paper,” Ronnie joked. Two more boxes with different colored papers had the boys in fits of laughter and the adults chuckling. “I can’t watch this,” Frank said with a huge grin on his face. Tabitha was having a grand time playing with the paper as it fell to the floor. “How many boxes did you wrap?” Rose asked after the sixth box opened only to find another one waiting inside.


“Oh, a few more.” The devilish grin and wiggling eyebrows sent Susan’s sons into renewed giggles. Finally a coat box wrapped in silver paper with gold ribbons was revealed. “That’s got to be it,” Frank said. Jack and Susan nodded in agreement. With all the excitement of a child, Rose opened the box to reveal a bright green and black ski jacket. “Oh, it beautiful,” she said, pulling it out of the box and holding it up for all to see.


“That is nice, even if it is a bit early for snow,” Susan said. Rose was already standing up to try it on. It fit perfectly. “Sharp,” Ricky said. John added a request for one in the same colors. Ronnie merely stood back and smiled at the image before her. “It may be early for snow here but not everywhere.” The corner of her lip curled up with a smile. “Rose, what’s in the inside pocket?”


“The inside…” She unzipped the jacket and pulled out a stack of papers. The bright stripes on the outer paper left no doubt as to its contents.


“I hear the Alps are just lovely this time of year,” Ronnie drawled. “I do believe we both have some vacation time stored up.”


“Oh my, tickets to Switzerland?” Rose’s fingers trembled as she pulled not two but ten tickets out of the sleeve. “Ronnie…” Her voice stilled as the names of several far away countries appeared before her eyes.


“I believe Germany, Austria, and France are in there too, aren’t they?” the executive teased just before an overjoyed Rose flew into her arms.


“Ronnie, you are something else,” her sister said.


“I can’t believe you,” Rose whispered into the warm skin of her lover’s neck. “This is too much.”


“Nothing is too much for you, Honey,” she whispered back. “We’ll bring the laptop and write it off as a business expense.” That made the woman in her arms chuckle. “Seriously, I would love to take you on a tour of Europe and this is the perfect time of year to go.”


“I love you.”


“Love you too. You’re not crying on me again are you?” Ronnie stepped back to see that indeed her lover was weeping with joy. Susan came up alongside them and silently held out a handkerchief.


“Thank you.” Rose took a few seconds to compose herself before turning to face the rest of the guests. Maria came up to give the young woman a hug. “What a beautiful gift,” the housekeeper said.


“It is very nice,” Agnes said, shooting her husband a look. “It seems some people would rather spend time with the ones they love instead of running off to some lake in the middle of nowhere for two weeks.”


“Umm…” Frank looked at his cousin for support and found none as she was too busy beaming at the happiness on Rose’s face. “Oh hell, Agnes. I guess two weeks in Hawaii won’t be so bad.”


“I knew you were a big softy,” Ronnie teased.


“Yeah, just like you, Cuz,” he countered good-naturedly. Looking down at her lover, the executive could only nod in agreement.



* * *

After the last of their guests left, the happy couple retired to the living room.


“I can’t believe you did this,” Rose said softly, looking at the tickets sitting on the coffee table.


“Why not?” Ronnie shrugged. “Now that you don’t need a cane and physical therapy is over, it’s a perfect time for us to take a nice long vacation.” Although she had been to many of the countries already, she knew the memory would pale to the new ones that would be created with Rose by her side. Looking at the jacket, Ronnie smirked to herself. Not every present had been opened yet.


Rose kicked her shoes off and tucked her feet up under her legs. “How did you manage to plan a vacation without me knowing?”


“Easy. My travel agent did the work. All I did was tell her what countries I wanted to visit. One phone call, a couple of emails and voila.”


“You are amazing.” Rose rested her head against her lover’s chest. “I’ve only dreamed of going to places like that,” she said wistfully.


“Well now your dreams will soon be a reality,” Ronnie replied. She leaned down for a quick kiss.

“I’m glad you liked your presents.”


“I love them and I love you,” she replied. “You didn’t have to do this.”


“It makes me happy to make you happy. You know that.” The phone rang, causing Ronnie to mutter a curse and reach for the receiver. “Cartwright Residence.”


“Ronnie?”


“Mother?” Turning to face Rose, she raised her eyebrows to indicate her surprise. It had been almost two months since they had spoken. “Um…how are you? Really?…How did that go?…uh huh, what about it?…Yeah, she was here earlier…It’s Rose’s birthday.” Ronnie’s eyes grew wider. “Uh…yes, it was nice….uh huh…no, no problem at all, Mother…What?…Um…yes, I’m sure that’ll be fine…of course…okay Mother, good-bye.” She set the phone down.


“She just called to say hello.”


“Really?” Rose reached out and put her hand on Ronnie’s shoulder. “Is everything all right?”


“Yeah,” she nodded. “She just said that we should come over for dinner this Friday.”


“Us?”


“Yes, us,” Ronnie said. “I don’t get it.”


“Maybe it’s your mother’s way of offering an olive branch.”


“But after everything that’s happened?”


“After everything that’s happened, you’re still her oldest daughter,” Rose said. “She really said both of us?”


“Yeah.” Ronnie shook her head and pulled her lover close. “I don’t believe it, but I’m not going to fight it. Maybe everything will work out with us.”


“You are wonderful.”


“You think so, hmm?” Ronnie’s heart began beating faster. “We may not have started out in the best of ways but I can’t imagine my life without you.”


“I feel the same way.”


“I’m glad to hear you say that.” Her face became serious. “I think you missed something in your jacket pocket.”


“What? After all this?” Rose held her hands out to indicate the stack of presents and the airline tickets. She picked the jacket up and laid it on her lap. As her hand fell over the pocket she felt the hard object hidden within. “Ronnie?” Her fingers traveled over it, her eyes widening. “Is this what I think it is?”


“I don’t know,” the executive replied nervously. “Maybe you should open it up and find out.” As the zipper was opened, she added, “I hope you like it.”


Rose’s hand trembled as she pulled out the small velvet box. Tears were already beginning to well up in her eyes. “Oh my…” Her hands shook even more and Ronnie had to steady them with her own.


“Open it, Rose.”


The jewelry box opened to reveal a gold band adorned with a triple row of diamonds across the top. “Oh…” Ronnie’s equally shaky fingers removed the ring from the box, turning it around for her to see the inscription.




To my Rose, love forever, Ronnie


“Rose Grayson, would…” Her voice cracked, forcing her to swallow and start over. “W-would you be mine…forever?” The young woman could not find her voice and had to give a shaky nod, tears of happiness streaming down her face. “I love you,” they said at the same time. Holding the ring between her fingers, Ronnie took the smaller hand in her own. Tears fell from her own eyes as the gold band slid over Rose’s ring finger. As it passed over the last knuckle their fingers intertwined and both tried to bring the joined hands to their lips. Ronnie used her strength to gently press her lover back down on the cushions while their fingers separated. Rose’s hands went to the hem of Ronnie’s shirt and slipped beneath.


“I love you, Rose.”


“And I love you, Ronnie,” she replied before their lips met.


Lying on the floor, Tabitha looked up at her mistresses. With a healthy stretch and a yawn, the cat stood up and headed for the stairs. She would have the bed to herself for the night.

THE END

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