Chapter 6 ~ Tae

Tae awoke to sunlight streaming through the windows. It had been the longest weekend ever, but surprisingly she had enjoyed it. After the terrible day Friday, Saturday turned out to be a day of relaxation and rejuvenation.

Since they'd been up until four-thirty in the morning, they both had slept past noon on Saturday, and then she had spent the day resting and talking to Rhett.

On Sunday, Rhett had brought the laptop to her on the couch and told her they were going to look for jobs. After zero luck, they gave up and took a break. The rain had died down a little, and he took her out to see Moony. Taylor was quickly falling in love with the horse, and it cracked her up how jealous Rhett would get when Moony turned from him to her.

Waking up today, Taylor felt like a new person. Being it was the first time she'd seen sunshine in almost a week helped. Getting out of bed, she looked out the window, it was a beautiful day. Rhett had told her yesterday that he would need to get out this morning, and actually report to work on the ranch, but he would be back by noon.

Deciding she needed something to eat, she headed towards the kitchen. She walked down the hallway, but stopped when she heard the clanging of pans ahead. Confused about why Rhett was back at eight-thirty in the morning, she continued into the kitchen.

Much to her dismay, it wasn't Rhett who was in the kitchen. No, it was the middle-aged woman that she had seen in the picture on the wall. She shrieked as she came around the corner, and quickly jumped back to hide. She hoped that the woman hadn't seen her, but she was quickly disappointed when she heard the woman say hello.

"Hello there, sweetheart, I'm glad you're looking better. I thought you might be hungry this morning, and I decided I would come down here and fix something since Rhett is out on the ranch," she said in a sweet southern voice. "Now, you don't have to hide, step on around and say hello."

Taylor stepped into the kitchen and stammered, "H, h, hi," taking a gulp of air, she cleared her throat as she gathered her bearings. "Hi, I'm Taylor. Rhett said you didn't know I was here." She felt bad about that, and quickly added, "Not that I'm trying to hide from you or anything, but Rhett had said it was better if you didn't know."

The woman showed the face of a disappointed mother and shook her head. "Of course he did. The first time he brings a girl to his home, and he won't even let me meet her," still shaking her head, she threw her dishrag down on the counter.

Taylor thought this over in her head.

I'm the first girl he's ever brought home?

That couldn't be true. Rhett was a little muscled in his buffness and a somewhat handsome man. She snorted to herself.

Very handsome, and good lord, yeah, he had muscles.

He'd had to have had a girlfriend some time. Staring at the ground she continued to ponder this.

"Well now, why don't we sit down with some coffee and get to know each other," the mother said gesturing to the table.

"Sure," Taylor said quietly.

Taylor moved to sit down, and Rhett's mom sat a cup of coffee beside her.

"I read the note beside the coffee pot. Rhett's handwriting said exactly how you like your coffee. I hope he's right," she said chuckling.

"Oh yes, he asked me how I liked it the other day, and he said he was writing it down. I thought he was joking. I guess not," she said, giggling as she took a sip of her coffee.

"That would be Rhett, always making sure to remember the little things. I hope he has been good to you," she said, giving Taylor a small smile.

Taylor smiled back at her. She admired this woman already.

"Your son has been more than good to me. He was very generous to offer his bed to me while I got myself together," she said to his mother. She instantly blushed, and quickly added, "he's been sleeping on the couch."

"Well honey, you were sick. What did you expect from him? For him to make you go home by yourself? I wouldn't have done a very good job of raising him if that was the case," she said smiling.

Taylor realized that his mother didn't know anything about her, other than she had been sick, she didn't know her history yet.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you know that I was here and that I was sick?" she asked her.

The woman winked at her with a mischievous smile.

"Sometimes a mother can just tell. When Rhett called me, saying that Luke was sick and needed help, I was skeptical. Luke has been cowboying since he was born, so he wouldn't have let himself get sick like Rhett had said. As Rhett continued talking, I asked him to describe Luke for me. One, Rhett described someone a little more feminine than Luke is, bless his heart, and two, he described everything in perfect detail, so I knew that the person was with him, but I also knew that Rhett hadn't seen Luke all day. So, this led me to believe that something was a little fishy about his story," she finished, smiling proudly at Taylor.

Laughing, Taylor took another drink of her coffee. She could tell that she was going to like this woman. She had a sassy personality that matched her appearance, and she fit the southern mama category to a tee.

Continuing with her story, she said, "I knew it had to be a girl when Rhett insisted that I not come down to his house. We live a mile away, so it wouldn't have been a hardship. If it had been a guy or one of his friends, he would have been fine with me coming over, but no, he wasn't having it," she said, rolling her eyes as she looked out the window.

Taking a drink of her coffee, she looked back at Taylor.

Taylor was smiling now and trying hard not to laugh. Rhett's mom loved him so much. She could tell this just by the five minutes that they'd been talking. She waited for her to continue, because she could tell from the sheepish smile that she wore, Rhett's mama hadn't got to the best part yet.

"I was outside already, headed to the truck to go to his house, when he told me, very strictly I might add, that I was not to come down. So, I sat there and waited. He has to go by the farmhouse to get here, you see," she shook her head and continued. "I hid behind the big magnolia tree when he went past, and then I peeked out at his truck," she said, shrugging sheepishly.

When she stopped, Taylor set her cup down, ready to hear what she had to say next.

"So you saw his truck and...?" she baited her.

"So, I saw his truck, and there you were curled up on his lap, passed out."

Taylor gasped and nearly dropped her mug of coffee.

"He was still on the phone with me, and as I told him he'd have to use skin on skin body heat to warm you up, he was looking down at you. I saw the torture in his eyes when he thought about it. It was hard for me to keep my cover when I could easily tell what he was thinking. He was too worried about upsetting you to do it," she said finishing.

Taylor sat back in her chair shocked.

"Of course, I mean obviously, he must have sucked it up eventually and just did it, or you wouldn't be healthy and safe right now," she added.

Taylor blushed at the thought of this, 'skin-on-skin warming', and felt the need to explain herself to his mother.

"I don't remember anything after I passed out," she explained, "and even before, it's a little blurry."

She didn't want his mother to think that they were in a relationship. Obviously, that was why Rhett had tried to keep her hidden.

Smiling to herself, Taylor thought that Rhett deserved to be deceived by his mother since he deceived her first. She liked this woman a lot. She could see herself opening up to her easily.

"All right dear, let's get to know each other why don't we? My name is Caroline Montgomery, but everyone around here calls me Mama Care. Now, you said your name was Taylor, correct?" she asked very seriously.

Taylor loved how serious she was about getting to know her. She could tell she really cared about Taylor. She hadn't felt that in years.

"Yes, my name is Taylor. Taylor Houston," she responded.

Caroline got up and walked over to the stove. Taylor watched as she opened the cabinets and shook her head.

"That boy. He never goes to the grocery store," his mother said, shaking her head, "I guess it's a good thing I brought over muffins."

Taylor chuckled at the comment. Rhett's bare minimum lifestyle was obvious.

"He is a bachelor," Taylor said shrugging.

"That he is, sadly," Care said.

Caroline gave Taylor a long, hard look as she said this. Taylor thought she was trying to tell her something, but she didn't understand.

"All right, tell me about yourself, missy," she said.

She trusted and liked Caroline enough after just their few minutes of talking that she thought she deserved to know the truth. Thinking of the best way to explain her situation, she started from the beginning. Caroline moved from the kitchen and back to the table during her story, and she now sat across from her, listening patiently.

Taylor had gotten to the part of being fired, and everything was blown to pieces, and at this, she stopped.

Caroline walked around the table and put her arms around her.

"Oh honey, you've had a heck of a time, haven't you?" she said as she hugged Taylor.

Taylor usually didn't feel comfortable embracing people, but with Mama Care, it was easy.

"Well, as Rhett said, I should be thankful that I was given the strength and ability to live through it, and come out on the other side," she said giving his mama a small smile.

"That boy, sometimes he makes me crazy, and then there are times like these, that he makes me so proud," she said smiling proudly, "but, that doesn't explain how you and Rhett met, and you ended up sick?"

"Well, I got evicted on Thursday, and on Friday," she paused a moment, "that was when I was let go," she said looking at the table.

"Oh, dear lord," Caroline said in realization.

Taylor nodded and explained, "I left the diner emotionally broken. I had been so worried about where I was going to stay when I got off shift, that when I was asked to work a double shift to cover, I took the offer graciously," she said shaking her head.

Getting a drink, she took a deep breath before resuming.

She continued, "After working on my feet for a straight sixteen hours, I didn't expect the boss to walk in and ask to talk to me. We went back to his office, and he told me they would have to let me go. We just don't have the money to keep paying all of you," she said mimicking the fat old man's voice.

"I sat there completely speechless while he explained, and then I just simply walked out into the pouring rain. I had nowhere to go, so I decided I was going to walk to my old house, but I never made it there. In my numb state, I had started walking in a completely different direction. I didn't have a sense of time or anything, I was so numb. I didn't feel anything," she sighed as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Caroline wrapped her arms around her and gave her a big mama hug. Taylor accepted her strength with open arms.

Taylor continued to explain how Rhett had saved her.

"That's all I remember of it because it's all a little blurry. Rhett told me the story, but I know he left out certain things to make me feel better. I've remembered more, now that he's told me," she explained to Caroline.

"That sounds about like that boy. I still can't believe he wasn't going to tell me that you were staying with him. He's so infuriating sometimes. Hmm, and the way he treated you at first. He needs his hide skinned," Caroline said, shaking her head deep in thought.

Laughing, Taylor giggled at the thought of Rhett getting his hide skinned.

"But other than that, I'm sincerely sorry that you've had to go through this," Caroline said with a sympathetic smile.

Taylor smiled, "It's okay. I'm doing better now that I'm with Rhett and have worked through the pain of everything."

"Oh, I understand that more than you'll ever know," Caroline chuckled. "Jack was like that for me."

"Is Jack Rhett's father?" Taylor asked.

"That he is. He also helped save me as Rhett did you. I grew up an orphan. I went through the system, and by the time that I was a teen, I was working multiple jobs as you were. I was severely depressed until Jack walked into the diner I was working one day. I fell in love instantly with his crooked smile and personality," she said with a love-filled smile.

"It sounds like it was love at first sight," she said.

"It was, as much as Jack wanted to deny it. He came in every day at lunch and made sure to sit in my section," she said.

"That's sweet," Taylor said in wonder.

"Well it didn't all go smoothly, of course, we had our struggles. And I remember the first time he brought me home to the ranch. It scared me so much when I figured out by Montgomery, he meant, The Montgomerys, who owned the second largest ranch in Texas at the time. When I saw the ranch I freaked out. I didn't believe that I deserved to be here," she said softly.

"Well of course you did," Taylor said, "you loved him."

Caroline nodded.

"That's enough to make you deserve anything," she added.

Caroline spoke up, "I didn't feel as if I belonged among the people of his family, and I worked my butt off trying to prove myself. It wore me out, and I began to doubt our relationship. He had to remind me over and over that he loved me."

"Well at least he was there for you," Taylor said with a smile. "He sounds like a good man."

"He's a good man that's made bad choices," Caroline said softly.

Taylor barely caught what she said, but Caroline was already moving on.

"He and Rhett are a lot alike. Rhett definitely gets his broody personality from him," Caroline said with a laugh.

"He's not all that bad, he's just a little moody. His moods switch like the weather," Taylor said.

Laughing with Taylor, Caroline said, "Yes, that, he is. He's always been moody, but I don't know why he was so violent and angry with you at first. He can be a grouch, but he usually doesn't turn pure mean like it sounds like he did. I think he should learn a lesson."

Giggling again, Taylor wondered what this mama had planned for her boy. She could tell that Caroline had been genuinely hurt by what Rhett had hidden from her.

"And what might you have planned?" Taylor asked.

She was beginning to believe that Rhett had deceived his mama for far too long.

"I know he kept you from me because he doesn't think I'm capable to see him with a girl and understanding that they aren't going to get married. He can't blame me though, because I know he isn't like these other boys his age. He's probably one of the only twenty-five-year-olds in his group that isn't running wild," she said looking at Taylor.

"Don't get me wrong, he has his wild nights, I know. But he isn't a wild party kid like the rest of the guys. He has a plan for his life, I think. He tries to say he is just living day by day, but he hints every once in a while that he wants more. Did you know, that he built this house with a room meant to be a nursery? He can't tell me he doesn't envision a future," she said shaking her head.

Taylor was surprised at this little piece of information.

A nursery? Rhett wants kids? That doesn't seem likely, she thought.

"Wow, I would not picture Rhett as the type," she said simply. But then, thinking to herself, she could picture him throwing a little girl up in the air, playing catch with a boy in the yard.

"Oh, he is," Mama Care said.

"Hmm, and to think of all that handsomeness," Taylor said with a giggle.

Caroline smiled broadly at her statement.

"Well, I think it's time he stopped trying to hide the female population from me," Mama told her.

A wicked smile broke across her face. Taylor smiled meekly at her and nodded.

Then, looked out the window and let out a small prayer that Rhett didn't kill her for what they were about to do.