The Michaels' Family: Book One - We Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus

Danny and David gave the horses their treats and Kevin hoisted David on his shoulders and Jacob did likewise to Danny. They carried the two boys to the house as Hank, Dusty and I walked behind them. We could hear the four boys talking but couldn't hear exactly what they were talking about.

The four young people stopped in the kitchen to get a bedtime snack and Dusty excused himself to go check on Mimi. Hank and I went to the living room, and Hank started a fire in the fireplace. We were sitting on the sofa when Kevin announced, "Dads, we're going to take Danny and David and get them ready for bed. We'll come join you after we get them settled."

Dusty came in and looked at us, "You two make the cutest couple. Mimi is still asleep. I guess I'd better go check on my sons to make sure they aren't driving Kevin and Jacob bonkers."

Before he could leave, Danny and David came down the stairs in their briefs.

Their Dad looked at them, "Guys, where are your pajamas?"

Danny looked at his Dad, "Dad, Kevin and Jacob don't wear pajamas to bed and we're going to sleep with them, okay? They're taking their shower and getting ready for bed."

Danny and David hugged and kissed the three of us and dashed up the stairs followed by four dogs.

Dusty looked at me, "Boss, look at what your sons are doing to my sons. They're corrupting them."

I decided to be funny, "Mr. Summers, I think you have it all wrong. Your sons are corrupting my sons. How many sixteen year olds do you know who wouldn't balk at taking care of two young boys?"

We were sitting talking about what had transpired during the day and it was approximately 30 minutes later when Jacob and Kevin came down the steps wearing just their briefs. I looked at them and asked, "Guys, shouldn't you maybe be wearing some additional clothes?"

Jacob looked at me, "Why, Dad? All three of you have seen us naked when we were swimming. Danny and David are asleep, and Danny went to check on his Mother and she was asleep. Dad R, do you have a problem with us being dressed like this?"

Hank laughed, "Guys, I have no problem with the way you are dressed. I'm rather enjoying the scenery."

The two boys plopped down on either side of Hank and me on the sofa, and Kevin started, "Dads we still haven't heard about what happened at the office this morning."

We explained what had happened and Jacob suggested, "Dad, it sounds like you need to hire a good lawyer to make sure that Mrs. Clark, her boy Joey and Mr. Conroy spend the maximum time in jail."

Hank hugged Kevin who was sitting beside him, "Son, your Daddy already has a lawyer."

I looked at him, "I do?"

Dusty was laughing, "Yep, Dad R., as your sons call him, just happens to be a lawyer in addition to everything else that he does. He's licensed to practice in every state in the United States."

I was dumbfounded as were Kevin and Jacob. Jacob regained his voice first, "Dad R., if you are a lawyer, why don't you have a practice. Dad, you're a very complex person."

Hank put an arm around me and pulled me close. "Guys, when I started college I had no idea what I wanted to do. I wasn't hurting for money and got addicted to video games and I knew that I couldn't make a living at that, so I decided to become a lawyer. I was in my last year of law school when I sold my first game and the manufacturers ripped me off big time and I decided to form my own company, which I did. You can't even guess the number of times that my legal experience has saved my company money. Now that's enough about me."

Kevin looked at Dusty, "Uncle Dusty, Jacob and I will both be tested on Tuesday to see if we are compatible donors for Danny. We'll see how many of our friends we can get to volunteer too. I talked to Cindy and she's checking with her parents."

Hank had pulled me even closer and looked at me with tears in his eyes.

Jacob totally changed the subject, "Dad R., how many more foals are we still expecting?"

Hank looked at my two sons, "We're expecting at least four before the end of the month."

That caught both boys attention and they both sat up and Kevin asked, "But what happens if no one is here when they arrive?"

Hank was very patient, "Guys, you people just happened to be involved in some difficult births. Most of the time the births take place with no assistance. Justin and Wayne are due back on Monday as are Ross and Rosa, so there should be no problems. Now what are your plans for tomorrow night and what can we do to help you?"

Jacob started, "We have everything under control. We called Mr. Stoyover and ordered the meats, which one of us needs to pick up at 10:00 in the morning, and we ordered some German potato salad, German salad fixings and some German desserts from this German restaurant that Mr. Stoyover recommended. All we need to do is pick the things up and cook the meat. We decided to use throw away plates and utensils."

Jacob looked at us, "May we have one of those eggnog things with some bourbon?"

Hank looked at me and I nodded yes. Hank answered "Yes, but only if you bring us each one too."

After the eggnog disappeared, Kevin and Jacob took the glasses and washed them. They hugged us and went up the stairs and Kevin stopped and said, "Dads, don't do anything we wouldn't do?"

Dusty looked at me, "Boss, were the guys saying they are gay?"

I started to laugh, "Dusty, if they're gay, I would be the most surprised man on the planet. They just have to have the last word. They both have girl friends, but I don't think either of them has had any sexual experience except the usual adolescent messing around."

Dusty excused himself and went upstairs. I was sure I heard him look in Kevin and Jacob's room. I looked at Hank, "Sir, let's go get ready for bed. It's been a long day. Remember, you promised that it was my turn to receive tonight."

Well Hank delivered on his promise, and I was glad that I wasn't going to go riding horses anytime soon. When we woke up, I looked at the clock and I felt something was wrong. Danny and David arrived still in their briefs, "Granddads, we can't find Kevin and Jacob anywhere. Where are they?"

We climbed out of bed even though we were naked and threw on some clothes. Hank looked at the two boys, "Guys, go get dressed. We'll be in the barn. We went to the barn and Nappy and The Count were gone. As soon as Danny and David arrived, we left in the Hummer for the other ranch since there was no sign of the dogs.

We hadn't hardly pulled to a stop before Danny and David were out of their seat belts and the vehicle, racing to the stable because they saw Nappy and The Count.

Hank looked at me and whispered, "Please, don't let anything be wrong."

When we got to the stable Danny and David were standing on one of the stall gates. David yelled, "You guys are a mess. Granddads, go get Jacob and Kevin some clean clothes so we can go home after they have a shower to get cleaned up."

Jacob looked at us, "So much for later in the month. Dad R. you have three new daughters. Come on, Kevin, let's get a shower while the Dads go and get us some clean clothes. Maybe one of them could fix us some breakfast in the meantime. We have a lot of work to do today."

Hank and I went to the main house and I went to get some clothes for the guys. I found what I wanted and took them to Hank. Hank, take these to the guys while I fix breakfast like they ordered."

I started to look around and see what I could fix. I found a coffee cake and some eggs and a slice of ham but the cupboards were bare. I didn't know about the other refrigerator and freezer and the shelves in the pantry. I fixed some ham and cheese omelets and the coffee cake thinking that was the best I could do.

Well did I get taken down a peg when I suggested to Hank that we needed to go get some food. Kevin and Jacob stood and pulled me toward a door. Kevin started on me, "Dad, there is enough food in this house to feed an army. Next time just ask."

They led me to the pantry and showed me all of the food that was available. Jacob pulled out a some fresh melon and took it and cut it and some orange juice. After they had totally humiliated me, we went and sat down and started to eat. Dusty arrived with Mimi and she was looking much better. Jacob jumped up, "Aunt Mimi, what would you like for breakfast?"

Mimi looked at Jacob, "I'd like a soft boiled egg on toast and a piece of the coffee cake. I don't think I'm ready for anything that is greasy or acidic. After breakfast, I need to go back to bed. I'm still feeling a little woozy from the medicine."

David jumped down from his chair, "Mommy, are you and the babies going to be okay?"

Mimi hugged him, "Yes, we're going to be just fine. You just need to be good for your Daddy and everyone."

Both boys nodded, "We will Mommy."

After breakfast, Kevin looked at me, "Dad, would you and Dad R. please go to pick up the things that we ordered at Mr. Stoyover's? Here is my debit card. Jacob is going to go to the German restaurant and pick up the things with Danny while I take David with me to pick the other things we need. We are running out of time. Uncle Dusty, could you please clean up the mess we made while Aunt Mimi rests?"

Hank and I went and took our shower and as we were driving to the meat market, Hank looked at me, "I don't want the guys paying for the things for today. They need to be saving their money for college."

I shook my head no, "Hank, Kevin and Jacob are very thrifty. Not that they are tight, but they don't spend money frivolously. Please, let's just do as they ask or they are going to jump our asses and mine is already sore enough from what you did to me last night. Believe me the guys will ask for help when they need it. Their grandparents left them with sizeable amounts of money. So grin and bear it."

We got to the Stoyover Meat Market and Mr. Stoyover waited on us, "Steve, I was surprised when your sons called and placed their order. I guess your friend liked the hot sausages because your sons ordered two more of them. Let me get their order. It's in the back cooler."

When he returned he kept talking, "This must be going to be some shindig to need this much food."

Neither Hank nor I responded, I handed Mr. Stoyover Kevin's debit card and it cleared immediately. As we were leaving, Mr. Stoyover called out, "Tell the boys to call me the next time they're having a party."

When we got back to the ranch Danny was helping Jacob carry things into the house and they put everything into the almost empty refrigerator. It wasn't long before Kevin arrived with David and as they were putting their purchases away a Camry drove up.

Danny and David immediately went to greet the couple, "Hi, Grandpa and Grandma. We thought you weren't coming back until Monday."

The couple leaned down and kissed the two little guys, "Your Dad called and said you were having a party here tonight, and we thought maybe we could help. We were bored at Uncle Tom's and Aunt Mary Lou's house so we decided to come home and see if we could make you behave yourselves."

Danny put his hands on his hips, "Grandpa and Grandma, Kevin and Jacob won't let us be bad."

We gathered in the kitchen, Jacob and Kevin were looking for what they could fix for lunch. Jacob was lamenting, "We need to find something that won't upset Aunt Mimi's stomach."

Rosa spoke up, "Guys, I'll take care of Mimi. You worry about the rest of you."

Danny spoke up, "Can we please have some cream of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich?"

So guess what we had for lunch, with a piece of the cake that Jacob and Danny had bought because Danny thought it looked good. I thought to myself as we were eating, 'We're all going to be as fat as a lamb being led to the slaughter.' Little did I know what the guys were going to have us doing.

When we finished lunch, Kevin looked at us, "Dads, would you please take care of the dishes? We want to take Grandpa Ross to see all of the new little ones and make sure they are okay before we start getting ready for the mob. Dad, you may need to go pick up Cindy and Katie since we are so far behind schedule."

The four young guys took Ross to the stable and showed him the new little one and they left for the other stable. When they returned it was very evident that Danny and David were very excited. "Granddad, Lucky Lindy had her baby and it's a girl. We gotta go clean up so we can help Uncle Kevin and Uncle Jacob get the food ready."

I thought to myself, 'There is no way this party is going to come together on time.'

Everything went like a well oiled machine. Kevin and Jacob had everything planned down to nth degree. Kevin left to get their dates while Jacob finished the preliminary set up with the help of Danny and David. Every now and then he would ask someone to do something. It was ten minutes until four when the first car arrived with Tim, Tad and their two dates.

Jacob looked at Tim and Tad, "You guys are in charge of making sure the horses are ready for those people who want to ride. We're going to eat at 5:30 so we can go back to the house on the hill and swim for a couple of hours after we clean up this mess."

I watched to see how Tim and Tad might react. They didn't, other than Tim, who was the older of the two boys, commented, "Why didn't someone tell us this was going to be a cowboy swimming party? We're dressed all wrong."

Jacob looked confused, "Tim, what are you talking about? You're all wearing jeans and western clothes. What's the problem?"

Tad picked up, "You don't understand, Jacob, these are our Sunday clothes. These are the only pair of jeans that we have that don't have holes in them and we are going to have to wear them to church tomorrow. Uncle Hank, which horses can we ride?"

Hank looked at the guys, "You have my permission to ride any of the adult horses except Alhambra. I don't think he will tolerate anyone else riding him except me."

Jacob giggled, "Don't count on that, Mr. Rodgers."

Hank leaned over to me and whispered, "I think the four guys will get along just fine."

Tim looked at Hank, "Uncle Hank, can we take the truck to the other stable and bring back four horses? Sally and Terry can help poor Jacob get his act together."

Hank shrugged his shoulders, "That's okay with me if the young ladies don't mind."

Sally looked at Hank, "Mr. Rodgers, you know very well that I am the oldest of six children. I'm used to getting my family out of messes like this. My parents said to say hi. Jake what can we do to help?"

Everyone worked together as a team. Tim and Tad arrived back with four additional horses from the other stable as three cars filled with teenagers arrived. The dogs ran to greet them.

When everyone was assembled, Jacob took charge, "I think most of you know most of the people here, but let me introduce everyone to make sure. There are two young men here that most of you don't know." He started with David and Danny and introduced them to everyone.

When he was finished with the introductions, he announced, "Tim and Tad and their assistants, Danny and David, now have the Rodgers' Riding Academy open for those of you who would like to take a ride on one of the beautiful thoroughbred horses. Remember, the meal is being served in an hour."

Everyone left to go riding except, Kevin, Jacob and their dates as well as Danny and David. Everything had been cooked when the group of riders came back. The serving line was opened and everyone was sitting on the patio deck eating even though it was December 30th because it was unseasonably warm.

As the guests were going through the line, I watched as Kevin, Jacob, Danny, David, Cindy and Katie walked to the stable. I looked to see what Cowboy's reaction might be. He didn't react until Jacob came out of the stable on Alhambra. He had David on the saddle in front of him. Cindy was on Ginger and Spice. Kevin was on Count Nappy with Danny and Katie were on Queen Anastasia. Everyone watched as they raced across the paddock and back. They led them back into the stable and seemed to be gone a long time.

When they came out, they went through the food line and the six of them were sitting at a table eating when Tim stood, "Kevin and Jacob made this mess. The young ladies who are present can take care of the clean up, while the guys can help us make sure the horses are settled for the night. Jacob or Uncle Hank, you need to take care of Alhambra because he won't let Tad or me near him."

It was like clockwork because the cleanup was completed and the guys had the horses settled for the night and everyone was ready to depart for the house on the hill at 7:00. At the last minute Dusty and Mimi decided not to go because Mimi wasn't feeling too well again.

Danny and David looked at Kevin and Jacob as if asking if they could still go. Hank recognized what was happening, "David and Danny, you still need to go to make sure that no one drowns. You can ride with Poppa and me."

Both of the little guys let out a visible sigh of relief.

Editor's Notes:

If you see any weird mistakes in this thing, it is because my keyboard that I have been using has its 'e' key not working, so I am using the laptop's silly keyboard. The keys are not in the right place to feel comfortable.

This was a very good chapter. Of course that is no surprise to anyone who reads E Walk's stories.

I am about to rant on the English language; E walk used an expression which is in common use: "The weather was unseasonably warm." Does that mean that you can't put salt or pepper, or rosemary or thyme on it? I think we should say, "The weather is unseasonally warm." But no one listens to me.

I know there is nothing that can be done about it, but hey it is fun to rant once in a while. Another phrase that gets to me is, "This thing is second to none." Dose that mean that none is better than it is? "Nothing beats Tide for getting out dirt." Well then, maybe I should use 'nothing' if it beats Tide for getting out dirt. Of course what they are really saying is that Tide is just as good as any other detergent. And the other one is saying that it too is just the same as some other brand if it is second to none. However, both statements are very misleading and are purposely used to be able to say something entirely different than what they want you to think they said. They can't be sued by someone for false advertising, even though they are not being fully honest, they are telling the truth. Duracell batteries are no better or worse than Energizer ones and the ad says that very clearly, if you listen to it. "No other battery lasts longer than Duracell batteries." That may be true, but it is misleading, since the other batteries might not be better, but they are just about the same. Advertisers like to use the word "virtually", because most people think it means some kind of superlative. Well, it means that it is not real; that is what it means. It seems real but it isn't. The term 'virtual reality' is an oxymoron. Is an oxymoron someone who uses that pimple cream but is not very smart?

Okay, I've had my rant, now let's hope for a new chapter soon.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher