Future Fic

Old Flame

Crane crouched down to examine the tires on the passenger side of the truck. What had he driven through that would flatten both? There must have been glass or nails on the shoulder of the road that he just didn't see. Doggone it! There was one spare in the back, but... Well, at least Daniel was working at Walt's garage this week.

He walked over to the payphone and dropped in a coin. In a couple of seconds, he heard his brother's voice. "Henry's Garage, can I help you?"

"Hey, Daniel."

"Crane! What's going on, pal?"

"What's going on is I've got two flat tires. Have you got time to tow it in for a patch job?"

"Oh, man, what'd you do?"

Crane shook his head in disgust, "I don't know. I borrowed the ranch truck to get groceries for me and Molly, and when I came out of the store, both passenger side tires are flat as a pancake. All I can figure is I drove through something on the shoulder coming to town."

"Tough luck. Okay, I can be there in about fifteen or twenty."

"Thanks, Daniel. See you in a few."

Crane stared in resignation at the sad, old truck with its sad, flat tires.

"Well, well. As I live and breathe. It is a small world."

He turned at the voice and blinked in stunned recognition. "Renee? Oh my G—! What are you doing here?"

The centerfold beautiful woman in front of him just shook her head, smiling. "Well, I'm working. You just seem to be holding up that phone booth."

He laughed, "I just— How long has it been? I don't think I've talked to you since…" He thought for a second, "Since the end of junior year."

She bit her lip. "Has it really been that long? Didn't we see each other sometime senior year? Surely we did. Davis isn't that big."

"I might've seen you crossing campus, but I think you were avoiding me then."

Her expression was a mix of regret and embarrassment. "Oh, how immature. And there I was thinking I was so grown up. I hope you've forgiven me..."

Crane assumed a put upon air and sighed dramatically. "Well, you did break my heart..."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh, Crane, stop it. I've never known a more generous nature than yours. You're not still holding that against me—I know you better than that. Come here!"

He chuckled and wrapped her in a hug—both strange and familiar at the same time, and all the more poignant since he had once hoped it would last forever. But the feelings he'd felt for Renee were a pale shadow compared to what he now felt for Molly. Once upon a time, Crane had despaired of ever finding another girl. Talk about thinking he was grown up...

Renee's return embrace was fierce, showing she had no resentment either.

When he pulled back to look at her again, she seemed completely unchanged...tall, slender, with long dark hair hanging loose around her shoulders. She was dressed casually. He shook his head, "This is working? I thought you were going to Sacramento to be a big-time political operative. Jeans and a sweater don't scream political anything to me."

The same outrageous laugh. "No, you wouldn't think so, but you would be wrong! I am so the political barracuda I always told you I'd be. I work for Black & Benton."

Crane was completely baffled by the reference.

"Come on, you're not that far back in the sticks."

Crane gazed around pointedly to remind her of the obvious. "It's Murphys. We can't get much farther back."

She chuckled, "Oh, you're hopeless."

His smile matched hers, "You always thought so."

She tossed her head with teasing sarcasm, "But then, it was your hopeless devotion to me."

"Oh, yeah, that's right. 'Hopelessly devoted to-oooh you-oooh-oooh…'" He grinned wider, "So who are Black & Benton?"

"Only the biggest lobbying firm in the capital."

"Okay. Good to know. So...who needs lobbying in Murphys?"

She smiled and shook her head again, no doubt remembering prior discussions that had followed this same line—he being the ignorant hick that she patiently enlightened to the ways of the bright and glorious world of big cities, big business, and big money. "Oh you! I swear you work at being dense. I'm doing research for a client."

Crane tried to imagine what kind of client would need information from Murphys. "Research into what?"

Her expression and voice mocked a snobby disdain. "That's privileged. I'm not at liberty to give out that information. We wouldn't want our opponents getting wind of what we're doing."

Crane snickered. Like he had connections to anyone? Sure he was curious but decided it didn't really matter. What counted was seeing her again. "Well, regardless, I'm grateful to your client. I never expected to see you again, but here you are. And you're doing what you always hoped."

Her grin was genuine. "Thanks. That's nice of you to say. You know I always go after what I want."

"Like a starving man after his first meal as I remember."

She rolled her eyes, "I wasn't that bad!"

"Remember that time you wanted tickets to the art show for that Russian guy? Or when you wanted to see the Kings in the play-offs? Or when—"

"Oh, hush! Never mind about that...those...then...whatever. I'm much more mature now."

"Geez, I hope not. You were never boring—just one of the many things I loved about you."

She basked in the compliment and responded in a genteel voice. "Thank you, kind sir."

He bowed with a flourish. "You're most welcome, dear lady."

She grinned at him curiously, "So you're still here in Murphys? At the ranch?"

He nodded once. "Yep. Still working the old home place."

"How are your brothers?"

"Great, actually. Adam got married a few years ago. Brian's still at home. Daniel, Evan, and Ford have all graduated, and now Ford's up at Davis, too. And Guthrie's a sophomore in high school."

"A sophomore? How is that possible? He was so little when we were together."

"Not anymore. Tall, lanky, deep voice. You wouldn't know him he's changed so much. They all have."

"That's fantastic. And the ranch?"

Crane shrugged nonchalantly. "We're doing pretty good. A whole lot better than when we were scraping together my tuition every quarter. Brian, Daniel, and Evan occasionally take work off the ranch and bring in some additional money which helps, but the ranch is doing pretty well on its own."

"Well, that's great. I guess you've made your dreams come true, too."

"I'm certainly trying anyway." Just then, he heard a short beep as Daniel drove up in the wrecker. "Speaking of Daniel..."

He led Renee over to where the truck sat against the curb as his brother double parked and turned on his hazard lights.

"Hey, Crane! Here to rescue you! Oh—" Daniel swallowed his next comment when he laid eyes on Renee.

Crane tried unsuccessfully to bury his amusement when his brother was unable to hide his admiration. Crane cleared his throat dramatically, "Daniel, remember Renee Tessler that I went to college with?"

Daniel blinked in sudden recognition, "Sure. Of course. Wow. Uhh...I…"

Crane bit his lip to keep from laughing as he glanced at Renee to check her response which was amazingly restrained. "He's not really an idiot. He does occasionally use complete sentences."

Daniel sputtered indignantly, "Crane! Sorry, Renee. It's just been a really long time, and I didn't expect to see you. Here. Today. Now."

She grinned back innocently. "Apparently." She glanced at Crane, her eyes full of humor. "Just a chance coincidence. I'm walking down the street and see this guy in the phone booth. I had no idea he still lived around here."

Kind of surprising she'd thought that. Crane had never given any indication he'd be anywhere else. His intention of returning to the ranch was one of many things that led to their break up all those years ago. And Murphys was such a small town that she must have realized she might run into him. Of course, he'd given up trying to figure her out a few weeks into a relationship that had lasted nearly two years.

Crane cleared his throat again, "So, Daniel. The tires."

Daniel snapped back to reality. "Yeah." He turned to look at the wheels. "They're flat all right."

Crane sighed patiently. "I know that. Can you fix 'em?"

"Sure. No problem. I just need to get it back to the garage and up on the rack. You're coming, right?"

Crane winced, "I've got eggs and ice cream that need to get to the house. You got a 'fridge in that garage?"

Renee shrugged, "I can give you a lift."

Crane blinked in surprise, "You don't have to do that."

"I don't mind. It'll give us more time to catch up. Lot of water under this bridge."

"Well, okay. That'd be a big help, thanks."

"Uh, Crane? Buddy? You want me to bring the truck out when I get it fixed?"

"That'd be great." He turned back to Renee, "Just let me get the bags, and we can go." He pulled the grocery sacks from the truck and followed her down the street. "See ya later, Daniel!"

He heard his brother's response. "Yeah. Later. Count on it!"

SB4SB

Riding in Renee's metallic turquoise 'Vette, Crane listened vaguely as she told him of the exciting life she lived in the capital. Still surprised by her sudden appearance in his hometown, he let his mind drift back to when they first met, her voice a pleasant backdrop to his memories.

He'd been completely head over heels from the moment he saw her on campus. She was beautiful, exciting, unpredictable, ambitious. At the time, pretty much the exact opposite of him. Surprising everyone—including Crane himself—she'd said yes when he asked her out. Not that he lacked for confidence, but even then she'd seemed a bit out of his league. But one date led to another and another and another. Soon, they were a steady couple and expected at events together.

He'd been upfront with her from the beginning, though. He didn't want to mislead her about who he was. He and his brothers had to scrimp and scrape to get him through school, and there wasn't much left over for entertaining a busy sorority girlfriend. The surprise was that she seemed okay with that. She didn't mind kicking in money for dinner or tickets and didn't expect him to chauffeur her around—which was good since he didn't have a car. Her background was strictly middle class, but she was an only child and eventually ended getting most of what she needed and wanted from her folks.

After they'd been dating almost a year, he brought her home to meet the family one week between their sophomore and junior years. She'd officially stayed at the rooming house in town, but most of her time was spent with Crane and his brothers at the ranch. It had been an eye opening experience for her to have that many boys and animals around. They'd all been kind to her and on their best behavior, and Crane felt they'd made a good impression. When she left to go home, he didn't notice or expect any difference in his girlfriend when they returned to school in the fall.

He still wasn't certain what had changed. He didn't know if it was her experience at the ranch that week or her job for the rest of the summer. She'd gone to work for her congressman in Washington D.C. in a coveted internship that she'd won over numerous candidates. She spent the summer living the life she dreamed in the high stakes world of big time politics. When she came back for fall quarter, the first month or so was spent recounting endless stories from the many events she'd seen and taken part in, along with details of the inner workings of a congressman's office and the Capitol.

But slowly, Crane began noticing subtle changes in her and their relationship. Little encouragements and suggestions she offered, making him aware that she wished Crane to be somewhat…different. It wasn't blatant requests or arguments, more like a hint that another way of dressing or behaving might be better. Questions and comments that let him know his goals weren't congruent with her own and that she didn't completely understand his ambitions—although she was so clear cut about her own plans that he didn't really see why she couldn't comprehend his, regardless of how modest they seemed.

During the break between winter and spring quarter, a definite chill developed when he refused a request to spend time with her parents. The fact that his brothers had planned an early spring roundup that week—simply because Crane was available to help—seemed to have no bearing at all.

They tried to patch things up during spring quarter, but nothing Crane did seemed good enough. He didn't have enough ambition to suit her, he behaved and dressed like a lumberjack, he was too provincial!...he remembered that accusation specifically. And the week before the end of term, they had a huge fight and completely broke it off. For the rest of that week and most of the summer, he'd been depressed and mopey. He'd dreamed of a future with her, hoping she would come to see that life on a small cattle ranch could be good—even great. Having that dream shattered, however unrealistic, was a hard row to hoe. And seeing her around campus their senior year was tough, but he ended up refocusing on his studies and graduated with honors.

Crane was roused from his memories as they got near the turnoff for the ranch, and she began lowering her speed. "It's somewhere near here, isn't it?"

He was surprised she remembered; she'd only been at the ranch that one week. "Yeah, but just keep going. We're leasing a spread just past our place, and I'm living there."

"Well, well. Branching out, are we? And I remember you trying to get me to settle for a little ranch in the mountains. You had plans for expansion all along."

He grinned, "I don't think I ever said we wouldn't expand if the opportunity arose. And at the time, money was so tight that we didn't even consider the idea. Never even crossed our minds."

"But it obviously has now since you've leased the ranch next door."

"Actually even better than that. The place we passed just before ours belonged to a neighbor who let us run cattle on his land. That agreement went back to before Dad passed away. Anyway, the man's granddaughter inherited and eventually decided to sell it to us. We've got a mortgage on it, and we're also leasing the land where I'm living, so our range is more than double what we had when you and I were dating." Crane couldn't help the pride. He and his brothers had worked hard to grow the Circle Bar Seven and were succeeding beyond their wildest dreams. Brian, Daniel, Evan, and Hannah had all contributed outside cash to the fundraising effort that resulted in a college fund for Ford and Guthrie and—eventually—capital for expansion. And when opportunities for growth presented themselves, they'd been ready to move. Now, he could proudly tell Renee that, while his goals in college had been modest, he'd met and surpassed all of them.

"Crane, that's wonderful! I'm very happy that everything's working out for you."

"Thanks. Up here is where you need to turn…on the gravel road."

"This isn't going to tear up my suspension, is it?"

"It shouldn't. But if it causes any damage, Daniel'll fix it."

"What a handsome guy he's grown into!"

"Don't say that around him! He's hard enough to live with already!"

She laughed, "So he's working in a garage?"

"Temp work. Mostly, he's still at the ranch, and he's working on a music career."

Renee glanced over. "Well, if he's serious about music, he'll probably have to leave Carbon County."

Crane's smile dimmed. He knew that would happen if Daniel's music ever really took off. "Well, he and his band go on tour when they can—when things aren't so busy on the ranch. Most of the guys in the band have regular jobs around here just like Daniel, so their tours are seasonal. But they really are good. And Daniel's been writing songs for a long time. He's made some contacts with big names, and he might have a future doing just that."

"But he's working in a garage?"

Crane heard the slight condescension but decided to ignore it for the sake of their friendship. Still, he was going to defend his brother. "Sometimes. He's a great mechanic. The guy who owns the place can't be there twenty-four/seven, and Daniel covers for him from time to time. It's good money, a nice change of pace from the ranch, and he likes it."

"But if he wants a career in music…" She took a deep breath, "Sorry. It's none of my business." Crane was a little surprised she didn't continue. When they were dating, Renee would have wailed at the lost opportunity, poor focus, and lack of drive. Maybe she had changed.

"Oh, Crane! Is this where you live? It's beautiful!"

He glanced up at the small cottage he and Molly shared. It came with the property, and the owner had requested that they find someone to live there when the McFaddens leased the land. It was a nice, wood frame cabin that had been well maintained despite being over fifty years old. Crane hoped to eventually find a place closer to Bear Valley so Molly wouldn't have to drive so far, but his bride was quick to point out that she made 'barn' calls all over so it didn't matter where they lived. And she really loved being so close to the family. It was about ten miles to drive to the ranch, but only about five going cross country on horseback. Which was how he usually got back and forth since they still had only Molly's Jeep. The only reason he was driving the ranch truck today was to do their grocery shopping.

"It's lovely! I don't know what I was expecting, but this isn't it. This is just so perfect!"

Crane grinned at her reaction. Not what he'd expected from a big city girl who'd tossed him over for not being sophisticated. "Well, I just live here. I can't take credit for how it looks."

"Oh, you! Men! What do you know anyway?"

He shrugged, "Exactly my point." He climbed from the low slung sports car—Daniel was going to love it. Of course, he'd love seeing the driver again just as much or more.

"Well, come on in. Let me show you around." He led Renee up the porch steps and opened the door while struggling with the grocery bags. "Make yourself at home while I put this stuff in the 'fridge."

He headed straight back to the kitchen as she paused by the door. The cottage was basically one large room with stairs by the door leading up to the loft where he and Molly slept. Windows overlooking the porch stretched out to the right with a fireplace on the side near the front. Gathered around the hearth were a couple of easy chairs, a coffee table, and the sofa. Behind the living room furniture was a small dinette, and the kitchen was in the rear of the cabin with a bathroom tucked under the stairs.

"This is so cozy, Crane. You must love it!"

"Yeah, it's been perfect actually." He threw the ice cream in the freezer and tucked the eggs in the door of the refrigerator. Then he contemplated supper as he looked back to his guest. "Would you like to stay for dinner? I owe you for the lift."

She looked at him for a moment. "You don't owe me anything, but dinner would be nice if it won't put you out. I'd hate for you to do to anything special on my account."

He smiled, "No trouble. I imagine Daniel will join us since he's bringing the truck out."

She pursed her lips and then shrugged. "Well, sure. I'd love to."

"Then it's settled." He glanced at the clock and realized he needed to go ahead and get started. Molly would be home pretty soon. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"How 'bout a beer?"

Crane blinked in surprise. She'd never really liked beer when they were in school, always leaning toward more sophisticated mixed drinks and wine. But tastes could change, so… "You got it." He grabbed a couple and popped the caps as he considered what to do about food. He'd planned hamburgers, but with company—and one of Crane's old girlfriends at that—Molly would not be happy if they served their guests junk food. So…spaghetti. He'd use the meat in the sauce, dress up some noodles, turn the hamburger buns into garlic toast, and open a bottle of wine.

"So tell me more about your brothers. You said Adam got married?"

He started chopping an onion for the sauce. "Yep. That's a funny story."

She joined him in the kitchen. "Tell me."

"So everybody but me and Guthrie were out on roundup—this was about three, four years ago—and they come home after a week in the mountains. Adam cleans up and goes straight to town without any explanation. He comes home a couple hours later…with a wife."

"You're kidding?"

"We didn't know he was seeing anyone, and she hadn't met us and didn't know we all lived at the ranch together."

"Oh my—!" She laughed, "She'd never even met you? I'd have killed him."

He chuckled, "If we weren't used to surprises—and if Hannah hadn't been pretty open and flexible—I'm sure we'd have had either a funeral or an annulment in the first few days! But we all rolled with it. It was a crazy start for them, but she really came through for us in a big way. She's terrific, and the two of them are really happy."

"That's amazing! And a really great story. Do they have kids?"

Crane's smile dimmed a fraction, remembering the ectopic pregnancy that almost claimed Hannah's life. "Not yet, but they're not worried. Not like there aren't plenty of people in the house."

"Everybody else is still there?"

"Most of the time. Brian's still at home. He sometimes takes a job at a lumber camp up in the mountains to remind himself how much he loves the ranch. He's always had a little wanderlust, and it's good for him to get away every now and then. Daniel has his band, and they go on tour when they can.

"Evan grew into a rodeo cowboy. He's been on the circuit for a couple years and doing pretty well. It's not a full time thing for him, but he's away—off and on—about six months a year. He comes home every two or three weeks, works on the ranch a while, and then heads out again for another rodeo or two. He also trains horses when he has time. So he keeps pretty busy.

"Ford is up at Davis now, studying animal science and management. He's also a volunteer paramedic with our local rescue squad when he's at home. And little Guthrie just turned sixteen; he's tall and has this deep voice that still shocks the heck out of me whenever I hear it."

"Good looking son of a gun like his big brothers, I imagine."

"Breaking hearts all over Carbon County."

She smiled as he stirred the meat into the pot. "Well, I'm happy for you, Crane. Everything you always talked about in school, and it's happening for you."

He nodded once, glad that she remembered. "Thanks. Looks like we both achieved our goals."

"Well, yes, but you know I'm never satisfied. When I achieve one objective, I'm on to the next. There's always something bigger and brighter to reach for."

He laughed, "I should've known. 'Content' is never a word I would use to describe Renee Tessler."

She glanced around the cottage. "I don't know. This is looking pretty good, and you seem happy."

He shrugged and smiled. "I am."

He heard a car door slam and voices coming up the porch steps. Sounded like Molly and Daniel had both arrived at the same time.

The door flew open as Daniel burst in, and Dr. Molly McGraw followed with a big smile on her face.

Daniel called out in awe, "Crane, is that Renee's car?"

Molly's salutation quickly followed, "Hi, honey!"

Crane pulled his wife into a hug as her lips met his. "Hi, yourself. I missed you."

She grinned, "I missed you, too. Sounds like you had an interesting day."

He looked a question at her, not understanding her reference.

"The tires? Daniel said you had two flats."

He shrugged, "I guess I drove through something." He just couldn't quit smiling whenever she was close.

Renee had followed Crane back to the living room, and Daniel stood beside her. "Actually, you didn't. The air was let out."

That pulled Crane's attention away from Molly. "What? How'd that happen?"

"Can't answer that. The tires are fine; I just re-inflated them."

"That doesn't make sense, Daniel."

His brother shrugged. "Just telling you, man."

Molly poked Crane in the shoulder from where she stood in his embrace. "Honey, are you going to introduce us?" A tilt of her head toward Renee reminded him of his social obligations.

"What? Oh, yeah, sorry. Renee Tessler, I'd like to introduce my wife, Dr. Molly McGraw McFadden. Molly, this is Renee. We dated in college."

Molly leaned forward and offered her hand. "Pleased to meet you, and welcome to our home."

Renee blinked and then shook her head with a slight smile as she returned the handshake. "I'm sorry for being so dumbstruck, but your husband failed to mention he'd gotten married."

Then it was Crane's turn to blink in surprise as laughter burst out of Molly and Daniel. "Are you sure?"

"I think I would remember you saying you had a wife, Crane." Renee's voice held a hint of humor.

He quickly reviewed their conversation and realized he probably hadn't. Of course, he had considered himself part of a couple for so long that he forgot that some people didn't already know about Molly. It never even occurred to him anymore that he wasn't half of a duet. He was embarrassed and grateful that Molly saw the humor. "I'm sorry, Renee. I forget that everyone doesn't know how happy I am as a husband."

Molly stroked his face and kissed his cheek, and Crane found his arms pulling her close again. Geez, he was completely head over heels.

Daniel cleared his throat significantly. "Do I smell food?"

Crane grinned and managed to tear himself away from Molly. "Yes, you do. And I need to get back to it. Renee's staying for dinner. I suppose you expect to as well?"

Daniel's smile was broad. "I do expect. I did do all that work on the truck."

Crane smirked, "Yeah, hard work blowing up tires."