Date: Wed, 2 Nov 2011 22:03:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joe Collins <joecollins7420@yahoo.com>
Subject: Cabin by the Lake  Chapter 11

If this story is prohibited in your area, you are underage or gay sex
offends you, then please leave. If you are looking for hard core sex, you
won't find it here. This story is fictional and so are the characters.
However, the setting is a real and is located in Central Oregon. It does
sit on the edge of the Three Sisters Wilderness Area. Please feel free to
email me and be sure to include the title in the subject line.


Thanks, Randy, for the terrific job you are doing!

Now just sit back and enjoy!

The Cabin by the Lake
Chapter 11

The plane landed in Redmond. The guys went to a small restaurant that
served home cooked meals and had dinner. They were just getting in the car
when Dennis got a phone call from the Mitchells, the people who are running
the ranch in Christmas Valley.

"This is Dennis speaking. Oh, Mrs. Mitchell, I am so sorry! You're at the
hospital in Bend. We are in Redmond now. We'll stop and see you. What is
Mr. Mitchell's room number.. We will be there shortly. Good-bye."

"Well, guys as you heard we have to stop by the hospital. Mr. Mitchell had
a severe heart attack and is in intensive care. He may not make it through
the night," explained Dennis.

"Hey, Dennis, wake up. We are pulling into the hospital parking lot." Terry
said.

"I must have really been tired. I don't remember anything from the time we
left the restaurant and talking with Mrs. Mitchell. Let's go in and see how
bad Mr. Mitchell is. I have a very bad feeling," said Dennis.

"I think we had better check in at the information desk. Since Mr. Mitchell
is in ICU, he may not be able to have visitors," Terry said. He was
correct: no visitors except for immediate family and then only two at a
time. He had the nurse get Mrs. Mitchell.

Mrs. Mitchell told the guys, " My husband has been having troubles for
about three months and has been under strict doctors orders. We've decided
to leave the ranch and move to Northern California to be near family. We
were all packed and ready to go. We're waiting until you returned from your
vacation because we wanted to give our notice in person. Then all of this
happened and Mr. Mitchell had to be airlifted to the hospital. We called a
neighbor to watch the place and feed the livestock."

"Mrs. Mitchell, don't you worry about a thing. We'll take care of
everything. We have a little time before we start the summer operation.
We'll get the horses moved immediately, which will be one less thing for
you to worry you. In fact, the three of us, will get a u-haul and move you
when you are ready," Dennis said.

"That will be just swell. You could move us now. I am staying with friends
here in Bend and everything is packed and ready to go. Just remember that
all the furniture goes with the place. All the things we want to take are
in boxes in the living room."

"Mrs. Mitchell, I don't want you to think that I am prying or meddling in
your business, do you have medical insurance, other that the policy we have
for our employees?" asked Terry.

"Yes, Terry. We both have Medicare, and we have a good nest egg set aside
for rainy days. With our social security and what we have put into saving,
we won't have any financial problems. Thanks for asking and looking out for
us," said Mrs. Mitchell.

"Mrs. Mitchell, you will find a large severance check in the envelope with
your last paycheck. Why don't you call and tell them to look for us in four
days. We'll need a phone number and will call when we get close," said
Terry.

"I need a break, so I will go to my friends and call now," Mrs. Mitchell
said and gave a sigh of relief and with a big grin on her face. "Terry, I
will tell the nurse that you are our son and you can go in and visit with
your dad. Steve, our son is on the way and should be here sometime
tonight."

Terry returned shortly and everyone left the hospital. "Let's get a motel
room and spend the night here in Bend, I'm too tired to drive home
tonight. We might as well stay in town because we will be making a trip to
Christmas Valley," Kyle said. The other two quickly agreed.  That night in
the motel room Terry, Kyle and Dennis were discussing what had happened so
quickly.

"Remember the couple with the two teenage boys that we had out for
Christmas Dinner. He told me that he had grown up on a farm/ranch and had
worked for a place in Idaho until he got laid off. I wonder if he would be
interested in running the farm in Christmas Valley?" inquired Dennis.

"Hey, that is a good idea. Dennis, call the shelter and find out if the
family is still there," replied Kyle. "Terry, you will like this family.
Dennis and I fell in love with this fun loving family at Christmas time."

"From the sounds of things, I really missed out on a good time. My
Christmas was far from fun. If fact, I didn't leave my room all day," said
Terry, all misty eyed.

"Hey, oh, no you don't The past is over. The only reason we remember the
past is to learn from the mistakes so that we won't repeat them. Terry, no
looking back remember. All we do is live one day at a time. The future will
take care of itself. Come on, I want to see that great big smile that we
love," said Dennis. "Terry, I think tomorrow we will go Christmas shopping
and have our own little Christmas party when we get to Christmas Valley. I
can`t think of a better place to have a Christmas party."

"Christmas presents, decorated tree and all. Good idea, Dennis!" said Kyle.

"You don't have to do this," said Terry.

"You're right, we don't have to do this. However, it is something we want
to do. Big difference you know," replied Dennis. "I am going to make my
phone call now.

Dennis was able to make connections with Roger and Edith. He invited the
family to breakfast the next day. He was glad that they had the nine
passenger van. Now everyone could go in one vehicle.

Dennis picked up Roger, Edith and the boys and headed to a little family
owned restaurant. He told them about the situation and what had happened to
the Mitchells. "I'm now looking for new managers of the farm. I would like
all of you to go out with us and look the place over with the idea that the
job is yours, if you want it."

Edith started crying. Roger spoke up. "We don't have to see the place. We
have 37 cents between all of us. There is no possibility of any more coming
in. So yes, we will go to Christmas Valley and yes we will accept the job!
Why is it called Christmas Valley?"

"I have absolutely no idea. I guess we will have to google it and find
out. I've never really given it a thought." said Terry. "Regardless, of why
or how it got its name, I think Christmas Valley is a place where one can
forget all about the past and live in magical bliss if only for a short
time."

"We are going to have another Christmas party. Terry didn't have one and we
are giving him one-a little late but we feel like celebrating again. What
about you guys, want another Christmas?" asked Kyle.

"You bet!" said one of the boys.

The group finished eating breakfast, went shopping, and headed for
Christmas Valley with every thing they needed for another Christmas. During
the hour's drive, Dennis discovered that the other two families, who were
Christmas guests had found employment and had moved out of the homeless
shelter and the area completely.

Terry pulled into the drive way of the ranch. "Well, gang this is
it. Everyone out and lets go exploring."

The boys were the first out of vehicle and were met by two large dogs. The
boys hugged their necks and received a bunch of doggie kisses. It was hard
to tell who enjoyed the attention more, the boys or the dogs.

A tour of the house was first. Although nothing real fancy, It had a cozy
and warm feeling. "You know, Roger, it would be really easy for me to call
this home," Edith said with tears in her eyes. The boys quickly agreed with
her 100%.

"Hey, let's go out to the barn and then take a tour of the rest of the
ranch," Kyle said.

"You four young kids can go into the barn and load 5 bales of hay on the
trailer and we'll use the tractor to hall it out to the feed lot." Terry
put his fingers to his lips and give a shrill whistle. Horses and mules
came running from everywhere and were rewarded with a lot of hay.

"Let's tour the ranch with the tractor and trailer. Jump on and we will go
for a ride. You might want to sit toward the middle so if we hit a bump,
you won't fall off. If you do you'll have to run to catch us because we are
not stopping. Call the dogs and they'll jump up on the wagon and go for a
ride also. They love riding," Terry informed the group.

"Do the dogs come with the place?" asked Luke.

"Everything you see will stay on the place. The only exceptions are the
boxes stacked in the living room. The Mitchells want to take those with
them. You will find a big bunch laying chickens, a whole pen of fryers,
three hutches of rabbits, three pigs, two milk cows and calves, and a
couple of beef steers. Of course the horses and mules will go out to the
lake for the summer. There will be four horses left here for you to ride
left here at the ranch." Terry said.

"Kyle, you've just been elected driver. You can take us by the vegetable
garden, which is just starting to grow and then the orchard which is in
full bloom. You won't have to worry about buying fruits and vegetables. You
will have all you want here and they'll certainly be fresh. Then you can
head out to the lake, actually just a large pond which was made by damming
a creek." Terry said.

The Johnsons were extremely impressed with the lake and creek. This area
was covered with large juniper trees, native bushes, grasses and
wildflowers. Spring had arrived early and all the plants were starting to
grow and bloom. It was like a hayride through a park.

"The water from the lake is used to irrigate the fields. In the summer it
is a great place to swim. Summers can get very hot here. Boys, it is
secluded and no swim suits are necessary--that is, if you can sneak away
from your mother. There are three wells that are also used for
irrigation. The house has its own well and has the best water in all of
Central Oregon. Not only is it pure but also the coldest. Can't beat it,"
Terry said.. "The lake has some of the best fishing in the whole country. I
know your dad will keep you boys busy and he will sneak off and go
fishing."

Kyle drove the tractor to the back of the property and hit a dirt road and
headed back to the ranch house. Just before they reached the home place,
Dennis saw the farm that joined his was for sale.

"Terry, I didn't know that the Harrison place is for sale," commented
Dennis.

"It must have just gone on the market. There was no sign the last time we
were out. I wonder what they are asking for it? Terry replied. "I might
just look into it."

"Oh, no you don't. You have a job and I need someone to tuck me under his
wing and keep me going. Just kidding. I want whatever will make you
happy. It might be nice for you to have a new beginning." Dennis said.

"Just don't try to play match maker. I can find my own partner," chuckled
Terry. Terry called the owner of the farm and they set up an appointment to
meet right after lunch. The old couple wanted to sell out and move to
Northern Washington to be near their daughter and grandchildren.

Terry wanted Dennis and Kyle to go with him when went he for his
appointment. The three of them already knew the place so it was just a
matter of discussing the details of the sale. The owners wanted $10,000
earnest money. All the farm machinery would be included in the purchase
price. The owners would keep all the household furniture except for the
appliances. All the power tools and miscellaneous tools in the machine
shed, and the farm animals would go with the place.

Terry wrote out a check for the $10,000 and made arrangements to meet again
in 3 days. If more time was need, all Terry had to do was give them a call.

On the way over to Dennis's place , the guys were doing a little
talking. "Terry, you can tell me it is none of my business if you want. How
much are you going to have to finance." Dennis inquired.

"Oh, probably about a hundred thousand. Why do you ask?" replied Terry.

"Dad just inherited a large amount of money from Kevin. He was asking what
he should do with it. I could give him a call and see if he would like to
invest in the farm with you," Dennis said. "If he doesn't want to go that
route, then I think that I could swing what you need," Dennis responded.

"Dennis, are you sure this is what you want to do, if your Dad doesn't want
to invest in the farm? ." Terry asked.

"Terry, I will give Dad a call and see what he says and then we can go from
there!" Dennis suggested.

"I think that is a very good idea," agreed Terry.

Dennis made his call and his dad was extremely excited but wanted to wait
until he had a chance to look the place over. Jim would be leaving Texas
the next morning and would be on the road about six days. He was going to
take the scenic route home.

Terry called Mr. Harrison and postponed the purchase for two weeks.

TBC