Chapter 23 #2
“Silas has talked with me about that. We’re working on a position that would take advantage of all your skills.
Silas needs help with the trail rides, exercising horses, and back country excursions.
I need tech support for the business. We need to upgrade the website and make it more interactive.
And we really need help expanding the winter businesses: winter trail rides, authentic sleigh rides, an ice skating rink, a sledding hill, expanded trails for cross country skiing and snowshoeing.
And I’d like to start the state’s first dogsled race.
The original plan was a fishing resort for old men.
The current goal is a year-round resort for families and people of all ages and interests. ”
Becky’s face exploded into a big grin. “I want to help with that so much. Thank you for thinking of me. I would work so hard for you, I promise. I hope it works out. It would be so fantastic.”
“We’re working on it.”
“Thank you.”
Molly looked at her with a smirk on her face. “You do know the guys call you Molly Mack, Jr.”
“That’s the nicest compliment I’ve ever gotten.”
The new friends parted with a high five.
August went by quickly.
The pups started selling. Molly spent a lot of time showing pups and negotiating prices.
The custom in the industry was to keep newborns with the mother for twelve weeks.
Molly gave the pups a second week of training.
They were potty trained and responding to basic obedience commands.
She made several sales sight unseen based on the internet and videos, but most happened when the buyer visited Summer’s End, viewed the pups, bonded with one, and pulled the trigger.
Red had finished the outdoor dining area and the walk-in beer refrigerator at the store, and was working on the foundation for the new cabin.
Red and his father had built all the cabins, so they had that drill down.
After the cabin, he’d start on the new RV sites, then the stable addition.
Molly was already thinking about winter projects.
With the strong summer cash flow, Molly paid off the resort line of credit she inherited from her father.
Ever since inheriting the business, Molly’s goal had been to retire the debt and operate off cash reserves.
This was the first time to her knowledge the resort had sufficient cash reserves to fund the annual capital projects.
Rather than take an extra draw herself, she poured every available dollar into the resort, dreaming about more improvements.
She took a modest draw to buy groceries and gas.
Honestly, she just didn’t need money, and she loved improving the family business.
Molly went on an as-needed basis with Silas for the exercise program. With Ginger out of the rotation, they were back to four riders and four horses. But Becky had been slammed with trail rides and helping Willie and Buck. When Becky didn’t have time to exercise, Molly filled in for her.
But even on days she exercised other horses, Molly still took Ginger for a ride.
It was the best part of her day, the part she looked forward to.
Sometimes they exercised, and sometimes they just rode.
Molly took her to all her favorite places, and the bond between rider and horse developed by the day.
She couldn’t believe her good fortune in finding Ginger; she thought she’d never have another horse as important to her as Jo.
Molly was increasingly unsettled about Bart.
She felt very close to him when he was at the cabin.
The last visit with his family had been so nice.
They were busy and doing everything together.
She was fiercely independent and usually liked being alone.
But with Bart, she loved having a partner.
He didn’t crowd her. He didn’t hover or try to direct her.
He was happy to let her be who she wanted to be.
She loved having him at the cabin, in the kitchen, helping with the pups, and sitting around a campfire with cognac.
But when he was away, she felt them drifting apart.
It bothered her that he was choosing to be away from her.
He had to know he was welcome at the cabin.
And he seemed happy there. But after he’d done his business, he was ready to leave.
Leaving was his choice. He was choosing not to be with her.
He was choosing to be alone. He seemed happy to stop by for a visit once a month, get laid, and have company, but after he’d had his fix, he was ready to go again.
Each time he left, it was harder on Molly.
Was he capable of settling down? She wondered about the relationship he’d had with Megan.
They were planning to get married and have a family.
He’d said she wanted a big family and that he did too.
Then the unthinkable—a horrible accident.
And she was gone, leaving him to deal with that tragic void.
Both Bart and Kitty had used the word “snapped.” Something snapped when Megan died.
Bart was one person before and another person after.
How did that bear on his relationship with Molly?
Had his ability to commit to someone snapped too?
Megan was likely too good to be true. She was the oasis, the safe landing, after his nightmare in Afghanistan, then she became the next nightmare, the nightmare that pushed him over the edge.
Was he still over the edge? Had the passage of time and the wilderness escape helped him deal with that?
Or were they pushing him further away from civilization?
Could he commit to another relationship?
Was he testing the water with Molly? He was happy to be with her for a few days.
He didn’t seem ready for more than that.
The PTSD had been less apparent during his family’s visit.
He seemed quite normal. She was aware watching Kitty’s barrel race that he was constantly looking around the crowded stands.
She was also conscious that Brett stayed close to him, especially in public places.
The twin brothers worked the pig roast together.
They went to the parade and sat together in Mack’s VIP section.
They went back to the cabin after the parade to check on the pig together, then returned and sat together at the rodeo.
She now realized that Brett had been watching over his brother.
Brett, more than anyone, would understand what Bart had been through.
She guessed having Brett close was like a security blanket.
The two of them could handle anything that might come up.
Bart wasn’t alone when he was with his Army Ranger brother.
They sat together around the fire, Brett close by.
Maybe that was one of the reasons she wasn’t as conscious of the PTSD. Brett had a comforting effect on Bart.
How much of a factor was the PTSD in Bart’s decision to be off the grid?
How much was his writing a factor? Was the absence of distractions critical to his writing?
Could he write while dealing with civilization?
Or did he need to be alone for that? He didn’t write when he was at the cabin.
He checked on the business of writing, but she never saw him settle in for several hours of writing.
Was his writing a factor in not wanting to spend more time with her?
Thinking about his gift of Ginger had originally given her some peace of mind.
Certainly, that was a significant indication of his feelings for her.
No man would ever pay that kind of money to gift a girlfriend unless he was pretty serious.
But the more she processed that, the less significant it became.
The family ranch was likely worth millions.
Bart would be entitled to a quarter interest in that.
But he was willing to gift his share to Kitty if she wanted it.
Just like that? Give a million dollars to his sister?
He lived on $300 a month and was proud of it.
He banked his disability check. He didn’t need or want that money.
He never cashed a check or spent a penny.
He had money, but it didn’t mean anything to him.
The fact that he would dip into his savings to buy Ginger was probably not an indication of how he felt about her.
The more likely scenario was that he just didn’t care about money.
Ginger was a generous gift that he felt like giving.
He wanted to do something nice for Molly.
But the expense of the gift didn’t mean anything because he didn’t care about money.
She decided it was a beautiful and thoughtful gift, but not an indication of his long-term commitment to her.
Molly thought about Bart daily and looked forward to his next visit.
But thinking about him didn’t offer any answers.
Only Bart had those answers, and he was playing his hand very closely.
He was very introverted. He didn’t volunteer anything.
Any information she had, she’d pulled out of him.
That was his nature, and she wasn’t going to change that.
All she really knew now was that he enjoyed visiting her once a month. Anything beyond that was a mystery known only to Bart.
His next visit in early September was very similar to prior visits. She was nervous and anxious. Her concerns melted when he took her in his arms. The lovemaking was warm, tender, and beautiful, like it had always been. It was like he hadn’t been away.
She’d decided not to raise the long-term issues, hoping he might say something.
She’d hoped the pups would be sold, opening the possibility of visiting his cabin in September, but she still had four pups when he arrived.
She didn’t want to separate Shadow from the pups, and she wouldn’t go to Dark Hollow without Shadow.
They confirmed plans for her to return with him after his early October visit.
When she’d asked how long he wanted her to stay, he replied simply as long as she wished.
Molly hadn’t known what to do with that.
Would she stay a week or two, then return alone?
She couldn’t stay a month. She had a business to run, and even though October marked the end of the summer season, winter was the most exciting expansion opportunity.
She had a lot to do in October and November.
So she assumed she’d be staying a week, two at the longest, then would return on her own.
Something about returning alone didn’t sit very well.
But she wanted to see his place. No, she needed to see his place.
She needed to understand that part of him.
She needed to see him in his element. And she wanted to have time with him alone, more than two or three days.
She decided that the Dark Hollow visit would be the turning point in the relationship.
He made fewer visits out in the winter. So they were headed for a time when they’d be apart even more than the last six months.
She was resolved to push the envelope. If he was determined to remain in the wild, then that signaled one kind of relationship.
She needed to know the answer to that. She’d decide later what her response would be.
But, first, she needed to know his intentions.