Page 57 of For the Love of the Lawyer

Since Audrey was out of commission, Jon imposed upon Karen to help him out regarding additional things Megan and Terrence would need after Mickey had returned to the Circle C. Karen had taken them shopping one afternoon so the kids had everyday clothes and dress clothes for the wedding, while Jon did his best to try to set things up for his new wards.

For Megan, he'd found an occupational therapy program for children with Down's. She'd be able to attend the program while he was at work and Terrence was at school in the fall. They were set to tour the facility on Tuesday of the next week, because Mickey was going to come home with them after the wedding weekend. Jon wasn't yet confident in making decisions alone regarding the children, because he felt overwhelmed, but when he'd talked to Mickey about it on the phone late one night, his lover assured him he'd help as much as possible.

"Yeah, sure, Meggie," Terrence grumbled in response to Megan's chipper assessment they'd be fine at a wedding celebration full of strangers. Jon knew Terrence didn't want to attend the function, but he hoped meeting the other residents at the Circle C and everyone from the Katydid might help lightenthe boy's spirits and maybe lift some of the worry from his shoulders.

Yelling caught Jon’s attention. He glanced toward the house to see Rocky and Ryan running out the front door. Those two boys meant the world to him, and he hoped they'd be able to help him out with Terrence and Megan. God knew, Ryan seemed to be able to befriend anyone, and Rocky was absolutely the sweetest boy on the earth.

Ryan tore open the car door and wrapped his arms around Jon's neck as the man struggled to get out of the bucket seat. "Hey, buddy. How are ya?" Jon hugged the boy, who seemed as if he’d shot up several inches since his last visit to the Circle C.

Rocky stared through the passenger side window into the back seat where two sets of eyes looked back at him. "Guys, these are my new friends, Terrence and Megan. This is Ryan and Rocky. They’re Matt and Tim's boys.”

The beautiful little girl cocked her head at Rocky, giving him that heartfelt smile which told Jon the child would get everything she wanted for the rest of her life. "You have pretty eyes," Megan told Rocky as he reached into the car to unbuckle her seat belt, helping her from the booster.

In the meantime, Ryan had run around to the passenger side to open the door and flip the back seat for Terrence, who had chosen to sit in back with Megan, away from Jon. "Hi! Nice to meet ya. You wanna see my new horse? I can't ride him yet cause Mick's workin' with him, but I'm almost too big for Josie, so Dad and Pop decided to get me a new horse now so I can start workin' with him, too. Rocky's got his own horse now.” The excitement was evident in Ryan’s voice.

Jon saw the disbelief on Terrence's face, but he could tell the boy hoped it was true. He looked at Jon with a questioning gaze. "Watch the horse and cow poop. I'll run to Southern States in awhile to get both of you some boots to wear at the barn. Mick told you he was a cowboy. Bet you believe him now?"

Ryan laughed. "Mick already bought ‘em stuff. Let's get your suitcase and take it downstairs. We getta use the whole basement this weekend, us guys. My uncle, Robby, is your age, I think. He'll be here tonight, and he's gonna stay here at the ranch with us. Pop promised the girls wouldn't bother us, so we can play games and stuff after the rehearsal dinner."

Jon opened the trunk for the suitcases, watching Rocky haul Megan up on his back and situate her little arms around his neck. "You hold on now, ya hear? It's a long way down. I'm five-foot, three inches tall, ya know."

Jon laughed as he reached to retrieve their bags from the back, but Ryan and Terrence grabbed them before Jon could get there. The two of them shot off toward the ranch house with Rocky following close behind, Megan bouncing on his back as he ran, giggling wildly the whole time.

Jon closed the trunk and shook his head, not sure what to think about how the kids had been swept away. It was almost like he felt on his first visit to the Circle C. He was swept away with the family he’d met, and he didn't even see it coming.

He walked into the house to see a flurry of activity. There was food lining the countertops, and Tim Moran was standing with Jeri Collins, perusing a list as they checked things off as though they were taking inventory.

"Hello?" Jon saw the kids had dropped the bags by the staircase before they took off out the back door. He saw Terry's battered Converse sneakers on the porch, so he knew they'd at least stopped to change their shoes.

"Jon, it's good to see you. Congratulations.” Tim greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Are you sure the kids and I shouldn't stay at a motel?" Jon knew the rehearsal dinner was at the ranch after the actualrehearsal at a small church in town. It was nondenominational, as he remembered Mickey explaining, and the pastor was only too happy to marry the couple.

The reception was to be at the Katydid the next day; an outdoor barbecue affair, but Mickey had assured him it would be a lot of fun for everyone, including the kids.

Jeri took her turn hugging Jon. He truly liked the matriarch of the Collins family. The woman was genuine in her words and affections, and in the world of elitist snobs in which Jon had been raised, it was a rare commodity.

"No, honey. They want family close. Rob, Deanne, and Savannah are stayin' with us up the hill, and Robby's lookin' forward to stayin' here with the boys. You and Mick are sharin' Rocky's room upstairs and little Megan gets Ryan's room, which is right across from Rocky’s in case she gets a fright.

"We've been workin' on this all week since Mickey told us about the kids. We knew your little girl would likely wanna be near you, so we moved things around to make it more accomodatin'. Anyway, where are they?" Jon wondered the very same thing.

"Oh, they came flying through here while you were on the phone with Aunt Katie about tomorrow,” Tim offered. “I have an idea for Megan. Do you think she'd care if Danny's niece, Kayley, stayed tonight? The boys are takin' Matt out for a drink after dinner, and I told Dan we'd have enough people around to watch her. Danny's brother, Zach, is in DC finishing up his internship, and Danny's usual sitter, Mrs. Philips, has her family in for a long weekend. I thought the girls would get along.”

Jon simply nodded, not accustomed to all the organized chaos. "Do you know where Mick is?"

Tim glanced at the clock. "Mickey, Danny, Adam, and Ethan went to Christiansburg to pick up the tables. Tonight, after the dinner and the clean-up, we're going to move them over to theKatydid for the reception tomorrow. I know it's all a mess, but I promise you, there's a method to my madness.” It was easy to see Tim was in his element.

“Matt's down at the barn if you want to go see him.” Jon was sure that Tim could tell he was uncomfortable, so he was giving him an out, for which Jon was appreciative.

"Um, sure. Are there muck boots in the tray I can borrow?"

Tim laughed. "There's a pair out there with a bow on them and a note. They're from your other half."

Jon grinned broadly before he let himself out onto the back porch to see the black rubber boots with red loops to assist with pulling them on. They were tied together with a green ribbon, and there was an envelope sticking out of one. Jon picked it up, seeing Mickey's distinctive handwriting.

Babe-

Now you've got your own boots, and I made sure they were different from Matt's because I know he just wears what fits him. I'll keep these with mine so they're here waiting for you anytime you can come out just like I'll always be.

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