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Copyright 2004

The next time Jenny talked to her mother, Linda reported that Bob was treating her much better. She tried again to convince her to come for Chelsea’s wedding, but Linda refused to even broach the subject with Bob. She insisted that she preferred to wait and try instead to come a week early when Jenny’s wedding rolled around.

Meanwhile, preparations for Chelsea’s wedding went full steam ahead. Jenny picked up more of the office work, to allow Chelsea more time to get things ready. It had been decided that after the dust settled from the weddings, Chelsea, Jenny and Paula would share in the office responsibilities. That would allow each of them plenty of time at home, and still keep the position in the family.

Doc had come back to Mitch with figures and Rob was helping him to decipher it all. Dutch had offered to look the building itself over and evaluate its structural soundness, as well give him an estimate of a dollar value.

Time seemed to pass rapidly, and the week of Chelsea’s wedding arrived. The ceremony was scheduled for Saturday afternoon, with a rehearsal set for Friday evening. Karen and her parents were supposed to fly into Springfield on Thursday and stay until Sunday.

Jenny noticed that with each passing day, Chelsea seemed to become more nervous. She wondered if it was the wedding or her mother’s visit that was giving her the jitters. On Wednesday, they were working alone in the study and Jenny got her opportunity to find out.

“Chels,” Jenny asked, “You seem like you’re getting pretty antsy this week. Are you OK? Do you need to talk?”

“Oh, Jen,” Chelsea sighed, “I just wish we’d have eloped. I’m afraid of what’s going to happen when Mother gets here.”

“Well,” Jenny reasoned, “She really can’t do that much, can she? I mean it’s not like you’ve left anything up to her.”

“She can reek havoc on my whole wedding,” Chelsea moaned, “She can come in with her guns blazing and start fighting with Daddy. She can hate Dutch and attack him viciously. She can make everyone around here completely miserable.”

“Don’t worry, Chels,” Jenny soothed, “The guys won’t let her do that. Look how well they handled Bob. He didn’t stand a chance with them.”

“Bob’s a whole different animal,” Chelsea warned, “You’ll see what I mean.”

“Have you told Dutch how you feel?” Jenny wondered.

“No,” she confessed, “Not lately.”

“Then that’s what you should do,” Jenny advised, “Talk to him tonight. He’ll make you feel better. Lay it in his lap, Chels. Trust me.”

“You’re right,” Chelsea smiled, “I will.”

~*~

Jenny was at the main house on Thursday when the moment of truth arrived. Dutch had taken the day off, borrowed Bill’s car, and gone to the airport with Chelsea to pick up their guests.

“Here they come,” Kevin announced.

Everyone hurried to the living room, anticipating a major event, but uncertain about just what that event might entail. Rob was the only one of them that had ever met Karen and he had instructed them all to let him handle her.

They watched through the window, as Dutch got out and first opened Chelsea’s door, then moved to the back. A pleasant looking man, somewhere in his seventies, got out behind the driver’s side, followed by a serene looking woman of similar age. Dutch held the door on the other side and the woman who got out looked neither pleasant nor serene. The word that jumped into Jenny’s mind was severe. She was about Chelsea’s height and coloring, but her hair was pulled back tightly in a bun and her makeup was almost menacing. There was nothing soft or feminine about her. She wore a dark pinstripe suit that could have belonged to a man except the jacket was gathered at her waist by a thin belt and topped with shoulder pads.

Dutch went to the trunk and pulled out two suitcases and a suit bag.  Chelsea led the way up the steps and as they got closer, another word flashed through Jenny’s mind—judgmental. It was obvious that Karen was scrutinizing the house and property as she approached.

Sam jumped up from his resting place on the porch, first wagging his tail at Chelsea, then suddenly turning to Karen with a menacing growl. Her first reaction was to ignore him, but when he moved to block her from the door and bared his teeth, hackles up, she stopped.

“Sam,” Chelsea coaxed, “It’s OK.”

“Back off, Sam,” Dutch ordered, coming up the steps to stand by Chelsea.

Sam stood his ground, obviously deciding that his assessment of the situation was better than theirs. Karen’s expression went from smugness to extreme uneasiness. She backed up a step and Sam sensed her fear. He advanced toward her, growling louder and snapping his teeth together. Terror spread across Karen’s face.

“Good judge of character, isn’t he?” Jenny remarked, as they all still watched from inside.

“Impeccable,” Paula agreed, “Rob, I think he’s made his point, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Rob opened the front door, “Sam!”

Sam immediately sat down and stopped growling. Chelsea and Dutch walked past, patting his head, and entered the house.

“Hello, Karen,” Rob greeted, “And James and Virginia, isn’t it? Come on in. He won’t bother you now…not unless I tell him to.”

“Leave it to you to have the hounds of hell guarding your door,” Karen regained her composure and walked by Rob smugly.

“I can put him outside your bedroom door tonight if you like,” Rob grinned sardonically, “Or better yet, right next to your bed. Then you’ll have to get my permission to go pee.”

“You would,” Karen snarled, then looked at the rest of the family, sizing them up, “So, this is your little tribe, I take it?”

“Yes,” he walked up behind her and spoke menacingly in her ear, “And I’ve taught them all how to take a scalp.”

Jenny thought she saw a chink in Karen’s armor as Rob sparred with her. The rest of the family had been warned not to talk until he introduced them, and they were starting to understand why. Even Chelsea had stepped back to let Rob handle her mother.

“Dutch,” Rob addressed, “We’re putting James and Virginia in the study. Why don’t you and Chelsea get them settled in?”

“Certainly,” Dutch nodded and led the way.

“Karen,” Rob stepped between she and his family, “This is my wife, Paula, our sons, Jason, Kevin and Keith. This is Jenny. She’s about to be our daughter-in-law.”

“Hello,” Karen smirked.

“Hello,” they replied in unison.

“Boys,” Rob ordered, “Go back to your schoolwork. Karen, follow me and I’ll show you your room.”

He picked up her suitcase and she followed him down the hall.

“Whew,” Jenny let out a breath when they were out of earshot, “She makes Mitch’s mom look like Mary Poppins.”

“I’d have to agree,” Paula murmured, “I can’t believe someone like her actually spawned our sweet Chelsea!”

“Or that Terry would ever have married her!” Jenny shook her head, “Temporary insanity, I guess.”

They fell silent as everyone else returned to the living room. James and Virginia seemed to be visiting pleasantly with Dutch, but Karen had a permanent scowl on her face. Jenny felt the room grow cold with her presence.

“What a lovely home you have here,” Virginia remarked, “You must be Paula.”

“Yes,” Paula took her hand, “Thank you.”

“Smells like a farm,” Karen complained.

“Oh,” Paula retorted, unable to keep silent any longer, “We have that fragrance imported from the real farms nearby. Our meager hundred acres doesn’t qualify us for that category.”

Jenny had to choke back her laughter at the look on Karen’s face. She must not have expected trouble from anyone but Rob.

“If you’d like,” Paula continued, “I can raise the window in your room to let more of the smell in. Of course, that window does have a tendency to stick once it’s open.”

“There’s Daddy!” Chelsea pointed out the window at his truck approaching.

“Just when I didn’t think it couldn’t get any better,” Karen muttered, “Attila the Hun arrives.”

“Please, Mother,” Chelsea begged, “Don’t fight with Daddy.”

Terry walked in and looked around the room, sizing up the situation. He walked over to his daughter with a hug, “Hello, Sweetheart. Sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”

“It’s OK, Daddy,” she assured.

“James, Virginia,” he greeted, “You’re looking well. Flight go OK?”

“Fine, thank you, Terry,” James shook his hand.

“Hello, Karen,” he folded his arms and walked over to her, circling her, “Where’d you park your broom?”

“Daddy, please,” Chelsea ran to grab his arm, “Mother, don’t.”

“What would you know about brooms?” Karen ignored her daughter’s pleas, “You don’t need one when you live in a house with a dirt floor.”

“It’s a lot easier to bury the bodies in a house with a dirt floor,” Terry snarled, “Would you like me to show you?”

“That’s enough,” Rob stopped them, “If you want to kill each other, you’ll have to do it somewhere else.”

The front door opened again and Mitch walked in, “Hello…Hey, Princess!”

Jenny ran to him for a kiss, hug, and protection, “Hi, Sweetheart! I’m glad you’re here.”

“And who’s this?” Karen looked him over, “Oh yes! The bastard son come to haunt St. Robert!”

Jenny felt Mitch stiffen at that remark and she saw Rob flinch. Karen scored with that shot.

“I’m Mitch,” he stuck out his hand, “And you must be Karen. Chelsea’s description didn’t do you justice.”

There were several giggles stifled after that comment. Karen looked at her daughter and narrowed her eyes, as if trying to decide exactly what was meant by his remark.

“Yes, Mitch,” Rob joined in, “She is rather hard to capture with mere words, isn’t she?”

“You’re a fine one to talk,” she turned back to Rob, then sashayed over to Paula, “Don’t fool yourself, Honey. Mr. High and Mighty has a lot more where that one came from. He’s got them scattered all over the country, I assure you.”

“Well,” Paula snapped, her anger boiling over, “at least he didn’t want to kill them before they were even born.”

Chelsea’s mouth fell open at that and both Rob and Terry winced. Karen glared at Paula like she was about to eat her alive and Paula met her gaze with equal intensity. Jenny took a step closer to Mitch, prepared to see punches start flying.

“That’s enough,” Rob stepped up, put his hand on Karen’s shoulder and spun her around, “Now, you get this straight and you get it straight the first time. You will not come into my home and treat my family like they are lesser beings. If you can’t be civil to my wife, my sons, my brother, your daughter, Jenny and Dutch, then you can not…will not stay here! I will haul your ass out to the stable, throw you into a stall, slap a padlock on it and plant my dog next to it to keep you there!”

Karen gasped, “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Do you want to try me?” Rob challenged, “I see three other men in this room that’ll jump at the chance to help.”

At this declaration, Terry, Dutch and Mitch immediately stepped up to encircle her. Jenny looked at Chelsea and saw tears streaming down her face. She went to put an arm around her.

“I’ll play nice if you keep them under control,” Karen agreed, “But I don’t want to hear any more snide remarks flying around about me, either.”

“You just remember,” Rob informed, “You are here by my grace…and only because I love your daughter like she were my own.”

“Well,” Karen fired back, “you can’t lay claim on that one…I turned you down, remember?”

Rob caught his breath at that accusation and Paula’s jaw dropped.

Dutch reached out and grabbed Karen by the nape of her neck. She let out a cry and he pinched harder.

“Now,” Dutch spoke in a low, flat tone, “You and I are going outside to talk.”

Karen walked in front of him, his hand still griping her neck and they walked out the front door. Terry went to his daughter and took her in his arms. Mitch put an arm around Jenny. Rob and Paula looked at each other, their eyes speaking volumes.

“Oh, Daddy,” Chelsea cried, “I should never have let her come here. She’s ruining everything.”

“No, Honey,” he comforted, “It’ll all be OK.”

“Rob?” Paula’s voice was shaking, and tears were starting to fall.

“Please, Paula,” he reached for her, “Don’t fail me now, Baby.”

“Jen,” Mitch whispered leading her to the kitchen, “Maybe we should just clear out of here.”

“I don’t know, Mitch,” she confessed, “We may need to stick around and pick up the pieces. I hate to abandon ship right now. There seem to be a lot of bodies scattered on the deck bleeding.”

“What did I miss?” He asked.

“More of the same,” she reported, “I thought Bob was bad. He’d be an hors d’oeuvre for her.”

“I know,” he agreed, “Makes Mary look like Mother of the Year. Chelsea definitely wins the evil mother competition.”

“Hands down,” Jenny nodded, “Who should we go talk to? Chelsea or your folks?”

“Chelsea,” he decided, “I think Mom and Dad will be OK.”

They went back into the living room and found Chelsea and Terry on the sofa. Her grandparents were sitting nearby, telling her not to worry. Rob and Paula had vanished. Jenny wondered where Dutch had taken Karen, but she was glad they hadn’t returned.

“Chels,” Mitch knelt down at her feet, “Are you OK, Hon? I’m real sorry about all this.”

“It’s not your fault,” she told him, “I shouldn’t have let her come.”

“You win,” he winked, “Mary doesn’t even come close.”

Chelsea laughed through her tears, “I told you so.”

Jenny sat down next to her, “Do you want to come and stay with me and Grandma tonight?”

“No,” she shook her head, “Thank you, but I’ll be all right.”

Rob and Paula walked back in, both with signs of an emotional discussion on their faces. Mitch stood and went to Paula.

“You OK, Mom?” He asked.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “Are you?”

“Sure,” he told her, “She didn’t fire any direct hits at me.”

“You OK?” Jenny went to hug Rob.

“Yeah, Squirt,” he held her close, “Sorry you had to hear all that.”

“I’m sorry she said it,” Jenny comforted, “She must be the most miserable woman in the world to feel the need to hurt people like that. If she wasn’t eaten up with jealousy over what you’ve got, she wouldn’t try so hard to destroy it.”

“Jenny’s right, Dad,” Mitch told him, “Misery loves company and based on what she dishes out, her life is unbearable.”

The door opened and Karen and Dutch walked back in. Karen’s mascara was smeared, her eyes were red and swollen, and her nose was running. Her hair was still in the bun, but several strands hung loose now around her face.

“Chelsea,” Karen walked over to her daughter, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your wedding. Perhaps I should stay somewhere else.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Chelsea replied, “Perhaps we could find you a hotel in Springfield.”

Karen nodded, then looked at Rob and Paula. She walked over to them and Mitch and Jenny stepped aside.

“Rob,” she swallowed hard, “I’m sorry. Paula, I apologize. I should thank you for taking my daughter in and treating her like your own. She is lucky to have you.”

“Karen,” Rob told her, “You can stay here, if you behave.”

“You have my word,” she agreed, then walked down the hall to her room and shut the door.

“My God, Dutch!” Terry jumped up, “What did you do to her?”

“We just came to an understanding,” he shrugged, “That’s all.”

“Thanks, man,” Rob acknowledged, “I owe you one.”

“No, you don’t,” Dutch shook his head, “I figured if I didn’t lay down the rules now, I’d never have another chance. She’s going to be my mother-in-law, so she needs to know who’s in charge and how things are going to be run.”

“I don’t care how you did it,” Chelsea hugged him, “All that matters it that you did. Thank you.”

“It’s all right, Precious,” he kissed her, “I’d do anything for you.”

~*~

Friday morning, Jenny went to the stable first as usual. Mitch was in the office with Rob waiting to see her. She was greeted with the customary hug and kiss, but Rob didn’t leave the office this time.

“Are you coming for lunch today?” Jenny asked.

“No,” he informed, “I’m seeing patients through lunch today so I can get out early for the rehearsal tonight. Shall I pick you up at Grandma’s or here?”

“Grandma’s,” she answered, “I’m taking off early too.”

“OK, Baby,” he kissed her again, “I’ll see you later then.”

“Love you,” she gave him a tight hug.

“I love you too, Princess,” he squeezed, then left her with his father.

She turned to see Rob silently watching from the desk. He seemed older than usual today. Karen had landed several blows before Dutch had subdued her and Rob was showing the effects.

“Hey,” Jenny went around the desk and sat on the edge next to him, “You OK?”

“Yeah,” he smiled up at her, “I’m fine.”

“Daddy,” she put her hand on his shoulder, “if you need someone to talk to, I’ll listen. You’ve certainly been my sounding board enough times.”

“Thanks, Squirt,” he reached up and took her hand, “But I’m not sure talking will change much. I’ll just be glad when this weekend’s over. Then we can start getting ready for your wedding. We can just enjoy that one.”

“How’s Chelsea this morning?” Jenny asked.

“I haven’t see her,” Rob sighed, “I’m not sure. Bless her heart. This is supposed to be the happiest time in her life…”

“Daddy,” Jenny asked, “What Paula said yesterday…Did she just say that or was there truth in it?”

“You mean about killing unborn babies?” He wondered, “There was truth in it. Something I told Paula and she shouldn’t have repeated. Chelsea should never have heard that.”

“Paula was defending you,” Jenny soothed.

“I know,” he admitted, “But Chelsea got hurt. Remember that talk you and I had about consequences? Well, there were a lot of consequences catching up to people yesterday.”

“Like Chelsea finding out that her mother wanted an abortion,” Jenny assumed.

“Um-hmm,” he nodded, “Among other things.”

“So what stopped her?” Jenny pursued.

“Terry,” Rob informed, “It’s a long story, Jenny. It all came out in the divorce. I shouldn’t have told Paula as much as I did. I’m not going to tell you any more. I know she didn’t mean to hurt Chelsea, but that’s still what happened.”

“And what about Karen’s accusation?” She wondered, “Surely that wasn’t true.”

“That I have kids scattered across the country?” He raised his brows, “I don’t know. It certainly could be that there are more out there. I don’t know of any, but then I didn’t know about Mitch until a couple of years ago.”

“I meant about her turning you down,” Jenny clarified, “That wasn’t true, was it?”

He sighed, “I can’t lie to you, Squirt. She was telling the truth.”

“Holy Moly!” Jenny exclaimed, “What on earth made you want her? Was that before or after she was married to Terry?”

“Does it matter?” He shrugged, “It was wrong, regardless. And now I’m paying for it. Something I did all those years ago gave her the ammunition to shoot me down in front of my family.”

“Hey,” she patted his shoulder, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. It was a lifetime ago.”

He looked up at her, a tear in the corner of his eye, “I have no right to ever lecture any of you kids. You are all so much wiser than I was at your age. I’m sorry, Jen.”

“You’re wrong, Daddy,” she corrected him, “You have every right. You know why? Because you’ve learned those lessons the hard way. You have lived those things and you know exactly what it’s like to pay for it. You are just trying to keep us from having our lives littered with land mines waiting to blow our legs out from under us twenty years from now.”

She hopped off the edge of the desk and pushed his shoulder enough to make the chair roll back. She plopped down in his lap and put her arms around his neck. He grinned at her.

“Now,” she told him, “You stop raking yourself over the coals, OK? We all love you and respect you and we’d be lost without you. Got it, Daddy?”

He pulled her into a hug and chuckled, “I got it, Squirt. Thank you, Punkin. I needed to hear that. Guess maybe I needed to talk after all.”

~*~

They were all gathered at the church, listening to Dutch’s brother-in-law explain who should be where, when Karen decided to make another attempt at a coup. She was at the rear of the chapel, raising a ruckus amongst the boys, who were supposed to act as ushers.

“Mother,” Chelsea called, “Is there a problem?”

“Yes!” Karen snapped, “I’ve just been informed that no one special has been assigned to usher me to my seat! The mother of the bride is supposed to have her own escort, Chelsea.  You know that.”

“I’ll do it,” Jack offered, “Then I can take my seat on the other side at the same time.”

Karen looked at him in disgust, “I think not!”

“Karen!” Dutch took a step toward her, “If my dad doesn’t suit you, then I have a particular friend of mine in mind that will do the job. His name is Jake and Paula can tell you all about him.”

Everyone chuckled at the suggestion and Karen shot a look back at Paula.

“Oh yes,” Paula informed, “Jake would be perfect…Tall, dark, handsome, and he’s out of prison now, so he’s available.”

Karen got a horrified look on her face and Jack took a step toward her.

“I think she and I will do fine,” Jack observed, “Won’t we, Karen?”

“Yes,” she gulped, “Of course.”

Jenny was helping Chelsea with the final touches in the dressing room. Karen had been kept away by several of Dutch’s friends attending the wedding, and Chelsea was calmer than she had been all week. There was a tap on the door and Jenny went to answer.

“It’s me,” Mitch called, “Is it safe for me to come in?”

“Sure,” Jenny opened the door, “We’re ready now.”

He stepped in, dressed in his tuxedo, and took Jenny’s breath away. He let his eyes fall down her long green satin gown and smiled. He obviously was as taken by the sight of her as she was by him.

“Hi, Mitch,” Chelsea greeted, “You’re looking very handsome.”

“Wow!” He grinned, “Look at you! You’re gonna knock Dutch’s socks off!”

“How is Dutch?” She came over to hug him.

“Nervous,” Mitch reported, “How are you?”

“The same,” she confessed, “I haven’t seen him or even talked to him today. I’m about to come unglued.”

“Just relax, Sweetie,” he told her, “In a few hours you’ll be married and on your way to a week of nothing but each other.”

“Is Mother behaving?” Chelsea asked.

“She has no choice,” he reported, “She is surrounded by Dutch’s buddies and every time she blinks wrong, they move closer. He has instructed them to keep her contained whatever the cost. I heard one of them talking just loud enough that she could hear, telling the other one about his biker buddies in California.”

“You’re kidding,” Jenny giggled.

“Bet that made her squirm,” Chelsea laughed.

“She was white as a sheet,” he informed, “I think Dutch has her convinced that his arm reaches from coast to coast and just like Santa, he’ll know whether she’s been bad or good.”

“Who’s taking her to the airport tomorrow?” Chelsea wondered.

“I am,” Mitch answered, “And don’t you worry. Dutch gave me a number to call if she gets out of hand. Apparently some guy named Davey knows exactly what to do if I call him.”

 Go To Chapter Eleven
Wedding Bells