Inside This House
© 2007 by Linda Crist
Chapter 4
The shower drummed pleasantly from behind the closed door, mimicking the rain falling outside, the patter against the hotel room windows almost tranquil enough to lure Carson back under the covers. Kennedy got first dibs on the bathroom, stating she really wanted to get to work by 10:00 a.m. Carson smiled. Getting her lover to sleep in twice in as many weeks was a feat akin to a miracle.
The coffee maker emitted one of her favorite scents, and hissed as the final drops of morning nectar dripped from the filter basket into the pot below. Much as she loved watching the rain from their perch on high, her foggy brain craved its morning dose of caffeine more. She reluctantly tore herself away from the hypnotic show outside the window and poured up a cup, adding a packet of raw sugar and a drizzle of skim milk from a carton in the mini-bar.
As she took the first sip, a knock at the door signaled delivery of their breakfast. She set the cup down and trotted over, unlatching the security lever and allowing the attendant to push a small rolling cart into the room. "Thank you." She fished a generous tip from her wallet.
"On the contrary, thank you, ma'am." The attendant handed her the morning paper and grinned broadly, as he pocketed the cash and politely left the room.
Carson re-latched the door, then picked up her cup and took a sip, as she unrolled the paper. Glancing at the headlines, she immediately spewed coffee across the front page. There in bold letters, next to a clear color photo of her lover, the lead story proclaimed, "Liberal Lesbian for the Legislature."
"Hoo, boy." She scanned the story, then read it again more slowly. "Man, they sure did manage to dig up a lot of her history." The three-column story covered Kennedy's brief announcement of her intention to run, covered her accomplishments in high school, college, law school, and beyond, and was generally complimentary of the "lively lady from Lago Vista."
The shower cut off and Carson heard humming from the bathroom. In a moment, the bathroom door cracked open, as Kennedy allowed steam from the rather hot showers she enjoyed to escape. "Honey." Carson tapped on the door. "You decent?"
"No." Kennedy swung the door open. "Come on in!" Wearing nothing but her birthday suit, she flashed Carson a lusty smile. Carson blinked, momentarily stunned speechless. Not that she didn't see Kennedy naked on a daily basis. It just didn't matter. Long lean muscles and lovely curves, covered by soft, brown skin never failed to derail her thoughts, especially if it was unexpected.
"Buh --" Carson shook her head. "I think you should read the paper before you go to work."
"I usually read it over tea after I get there." Kennedy swiped condensation from the mirror, making a space large enough to see to apply the minimal make-up she wore as a concession to her clients.
"No. I think you need to do it before you leave the room." Carson laid the paper down on the counter next to the sink.
Kennedy gave it half her attention, as she rummaged through her overnight bag. "What happened? It looks like someone spit tobacco on it."
"I spit coffee on it." Carson shoved it closer. "Read, honey."
Kennedy leaned over and looked closer, then dropped a bottle of lotion, the plastic container bouncing around on the floor until it slid across the flagstone tile and stopped at the corner where the tub met the wall. "What the hell?"
"Is Chip going to be mad?" Carson pulled out a vanity stool and sat down.
"If he is, it's his own damned fault for letting that nimnod call a press conference without telling me about it." Kennedy picked up the paper, reading the story as she absently collected the lotion and began applying it to her legs. After a moment, she laughed. "They make me sound like a saint: 'An overachiever from an early age, Nocona maintained a straight-A average at Alpine High School, while winning back-to-back state archery championships, graduating valedictorian before going on to The College of Santa Fe on a full scholarship'." She snorted. "I guess I should send a gift to the Brewster County Sheriff's Office for all the times they kept my antics off the record."
"You're not worried about the screaming headline?" Carson picked up the paper again, smoothing it out and studying the picture, which was a very nice one from the press conference the prior day.
"Should I be?" Kennedy worked some mousse through the roots of her hair. "It's what I am. All things considered, it's not a bad article. They're just poking at me. I didn't give out any information on my agenda yesterday, and that's what they're after. They'll get that this afternoon."
"You think their focus will turn to your platform after today?" Carson stood, standing next to Kennedy and studying their reflection in the mirror -- her shorter frame covered in a complimentary robe, and Kennedy's long, naked body beside her. They looked nice together, she decided.
"No." Kennedy smiled and turned, circling Carson in her arms. "I think they will continue to focus on my orientation and my relationship with my beautiful girlfriend, once they meet you today." She tilted her head, engaging Carson in a lengthy kiss. As she surfaced, she rubbed noses with her. "You ready for that?"
"They gonna dig up my history, too?" Carson thought hard, trying to remember if there was anything truly controversial for the media to unearth. Other than her kidnapping and exposure of her former boss for legal malpractice, she hadn't done so much as smoke a single joint. "Not that they'll find much exciting if they do, I don't suppose."
"I think they will search for everything they can find, on both of us." Kennedy's brows knit together. "Kidnappings, breaking up drug smuggling and human trafficking rings. You know, boring stuff like that."
Carson reached up, cupping Kennedy's cheek. "Car wrecks in Galveston?" She stroked the soft skin beneath her palm. "I don't want to see you hurt, K, or watch you have to re-live the past. You've been in a really good place for a while now."
"Darlin'." Kennedy took Carson's hand, twining their fingers before she kissed Carson's knuckles. "You are my good place. Nothing can touch that. I don't want to see you re-live a kidnapping you've finally quit dreaming about."
"Those dreams? Shoot." Carson waved a hand in the air. "Those were nothing compared to the nightmares I had after you got shot." She hugged Kennedy tightly, burying her face against warm, clean-smelling skin. "Those finally went away. Nothing like having you wrapped around me while I sleep to hold those at bay."
"Hmmmm." Kennedy delicately disengaged herself from Carson's embrace, and grabbed a robe from the back of the bathroom door. "Com'ere." She sat down on the vanity stool Carson had vacated, and gently tugged Carson onto her lap, holding her close. "One last chance, sweetheart. The real press conference is this afternoon. Say the word now, and I'll withdraw from the race, and crawl back in that big ol' bed in there and make love with you until sunset."
"Ohhhh." Carson moaned softly, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against Kennedy's. "Don't tempt me." She opened her eyes, focusing on the blue ones inches from her own. "No." She stroked the dark head, ordering damp locks. "This is for us and our children, and for people statewide who value civil rights for everyone. I believe you can make a difference. Truly. I -- I know it may be a tough road getting there, and the stats say you have a flying pig's chance in hell of actually winning, but I think you have to try. Even just running, you can get people to think about things. You have a gift, K. Even on the radio, you have this magnetism in your voice that draws people in. If you withdraw, do it for you, not me."
"For you --" Kennedy kissed her quickly. "I can't withdraw. I --"
Another tap on the main door to the room sent them both leaping to their feet.
"I'll get it." Carson ducked out of the room and peeked through the peep hole, spying a uniformed hotel security guard. She cracked the door open. "Hi. Can I help you?"
"Miss Nocona?" The officer held up an ID badge for her perusal.
"I'm Carson Garrett. Miss Nocona can't come to the door right now." Carson opened the door wider. "Is there something wrong?"
"What's up?" Kennedy emerged from the bathroom, clad in the now firmly-closed and belted robe, which came to mid-calf. "I'm Kennedy Nocona." She joined Carson and opened the door, indicating a chair near the window. "Have a seat."
"Thank you." He entered the room and bypassed the chair, drawing the drapes aside and looking down at the puddle-dotted parking lot below. "Miss Nocona, I've been instructed to provide a distraction and have valet discreetly bring your vehicle to the hotel's back door, and provide an escort for you when you're ready to check out today."
"Why?" Kennedy joined him. She looked down at a growing melee and squinted, then looked up. "What's going on? Is the president in town?" Down below were a half dozen news vans, and despite the dwindling rain, a plethora of camera equipment and media personalities appeared to be stalking the hotel's entrance.
"You're what's going on." He dropped the drapes and held out a hand. "I'm Seth Adams, chief of hotel security." Kennedy dumbly shook his hand as he continued to speak, "It seems someone recognized your 4Runner out there and our phones have been jammed with inquiries as to your presence here since about 7:00 a.m. We pride ourselves in protecting our celebrity guests, and apologize for falling down on our duty with you. Your vehicle should have been parked in our private garage, out of sight."
"Celebrity?" Kennedy practically spit the word out. "I'm not a --"
A gentle but insistent hand snaked into the crook of her elbow. "As of yesterday afternoon, honey, you are." Carson watched shocked eyes widen, then register resignation. "I have an idea." She turned to the security officer, not letting go of her lover, who to her knowing eyes, was shaken. "How about you call a cab to the back door? Kennedy can take the cab. While she's going out back, I'll go out front and drive her 4Runner to her office. They don't know me yet, I don't think. Hopefully I can walk right past them and drive away before they realize her truck is gone. If they have looked me up and follow me, I can throw 'em off -- stop at Starbucks and a few other places first."
"Excellent!" Adams brightened considerably. "Just give me a call when you're ready. He handed her a card with his hotel office extension and pager number on it."
"Thank you." Carson escorted him to the door and closed it behind him, then leaned against it.
Across the room, Kennedy stood rooted in place. "I just became a gay rights poster child, didn't I?"
"Uh-huh." Carson crooked a finger, beckoning Kennedy to join her.
Kennedy willingly melted into her embrace. "I didn't expect this."
"I know," Carson soothed, rubbing her back through the thick, soft terry.
"I guess I should have." Kennedy sighed, raising a trembling hand and raking her drying bangs out of her eyes.
"You need to eat." Carson nudged her toward the room service cart and several still-steaming covered platters. "Your blood sugar is down."
"It is?" Kennedy took the hint and lifted a silver cover, revealing scrambled eggs. "Mmmm. Smells good."
"Yes, it does, and you're shaking." Carson picked up a plate and dished a healthy portion of eggs onto it. "That's how I know you need to eat. And so do I."
After a moment, Kennedy recovered sufficiently from the morning's shock to take over the job of filling her plate. "Thanks for taking charge with him." She smiled hesitantly. "I kind of lost it for a minute there."
"After everything you've done for me?" Carson patted her on the arm. "That's the least I could do."
"I think we need to relax and not let all this dampen what we shared last night." Kennedy bumped hips with her, careful not to jostle hard enough to make Carson spill her plate.
Carson looked over and winked at her. "Mind-blowing, babe. Simply mind-blowing. And I mean that in the best of ways." She received a cheeky grin in response, a sure sign Kennedy was quickly recovering from her momentary loss of equilibrium.
"Gotta live up to that 'Stud' nickname you keep tossing at me." Kennedy practically preened.
"From that first kiss, you more than exceeded my expectations in that department." Carson held out her hand, her ring catching the first rays of promising sunlight. "I love belonging to you."
"You don't --" Kennedy trailed off as Carson touched her face.
"Don't." Carson stopped her. "I know. We're equals. We're partners. You don't like having defined roles between us. I know all that." She peered earnestly at Kennedy, setting her plate aside and taking her face in both hands. "I want to be a part of you, and if I'm part of you, then I belong to you. Nothing could make me more proud."
"That goes both ways." Kennedy smiled warmly, soaking up the current of emotion flowing between them.
They both retired to a cozy table next to the window, where they ate mostly in happy silence, as they watched the rain clear and the sun break through the clouds. "That's a good sign, I think," Carson pointed toward a rainbow on the horizon.
"Uh-huh. Glad I'm ducking out back. A rainbow in the background of pictures would be a little too cute, don't you think?"
Carson wrinkled her nose and nodded. "Much as I think they're beautiful, I have to agree with you there, partner."
"Alrighty then. You hit the shower and I'll get dressed and pack our bags." Kennedy pushed her plate back, and they both got ready to face the day.
At 9:50 a.m. on the dot, security knocked at the door. "Ready?" Carson reached across, smoothing the collar on Kennedy's cream-colored silk blouse. "You look beautiful. The cameras are going to love you."
"Thanks." Kennedy kissed her. "See you at the office in a few?"
"Soon as I can get there. Now, go." She patted her lover on the butt and placed her safely in the security detail's care.
"Okay," Carson spoke to herself once she was alone. "Let's get this sneaky little show on the road." She looked around the room to make sure they'd left nothing behind. Valet had collected their bags earlier, and deposited them at the back door to be placed in Kennedy's cab.
As the elevator car dropped to the lobby, her stomach dropped with it. "Might as well get some fortification." She grabbed one more cup of coffee from a hostess service at the front desk, and nodded at the guard who followed her, who then radioed Kennedy's escort to get her into the cab. Donning her sunglasses, Carson took the rotating glass exit door and stepped out into the sunlight.
"Miss Garret?" A reporter called out from the edge of the hotel driveway.
Before she knew it, a dozen other heads popped up, like so many prairie dogs. "So much for plan A," she muttered under her breath. As the pack descended, she steeled herself, plastering on a smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Kennedy ducked inside the cab, she heard static and confusion coming from Adams' portable radio. He leaned into the cab, making sure she was situated. "Have a nice day, ma'am. I need to take this call."
He started to close the cab door, when Kennedy held up a hand. "Hold on. What's going on in the hotel?"
The guard shrugged, and lifted the radio from his belt. "Adams, here."
"We need to beef up the security detail out front. The press has Miss Garret surrounded," a concerned voice answered him.
"Take me around front," Kennedy instructed the cab driver.
Hearing her, Adams leaned over again. "Ma'am, I'd advise against --"
"Sorry." Kennedy grabbed the door handle and pulled it closed. "Get me around there, now!"
"Yes, ma'am." The cab driver pressed the gas pedal and in a matter of seconds was pulling up under the covered driveway in front of the hotel.
"Thanks." Kennedy handed him a hundred dollar bill and one of her business cards. "Can you deliver the bags in the trunk to my office address? It's only a few miles from here."
"Sure. You need change?" He glanced back at her.
"No. Thanks." She was already exiting the vehicle, closing the cab door on his exuberant gratitude for her large tip. Approaching the crowd, she slowed her pace. No one had bothered to turn around and she paused for a moment, listening.
"Miss Garret, is Miss Nocona inside the hotel?" A reporter yelled out a question, holding a microphone up over a row of heads in front of him.
"No." Kennedy could hear Carson's voice, but couldn't see her. "I can safely say she's not inside." She could, however, see Adams and three more security officers exit the hotel and move in behind Carson, standing a polite distance back.
"Was she inside with you earlier?" the reported persisted. "Where is she now?"
"Um." Carson's voice grew hesitant, and Kennedy started walking again.
"I'm right behind you." Two dozen bodies spun around and Kennedy began to move toward her. "Stay put." She carefully made her way through the crowd and joined Carson, whose body language spoke of confidence, but whose eyes were large as saucers. Kennedy draped an arm over her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "I see y'all have met my lovely partner, Carson Garret."
"Miss Nocona, why is your partner staying at a hotel instead of at your house with you? Did you two have an argument?" The same reporter stepped closer, and seeing the brief flash of anger in Kennedy's eyes, stayed out of touching range.
Kennedy shoved down the desire to tell the man to take a hike and butt out of her business, and somehow maintained her composure. "We both stayed at the hotel last night. Carson met me after work for dinner, and we ate here at the hotel. Any of y'all who live here know they have the best fajitas in town. We had drinks with dinner, and it was a better idea to stay here, than to drive all the way back to Lago Vista."
"So, you were intoxicated?" A young blonde female reporter pushed a microphone under her nose.
Kennedy smiled thinly and carefully pushed the mic back a foot. "No. I don't drink and drive, even if I've only had one drink." It was the truth, just not the whole truth of why they were at the hotel.
"Was yesterday a special occasion, or just dinner?" The same reporter stepped closer, jockeying for a better position, almost losing her footing as the others shifted with her.
"As a matter of fact, it was a very special occasion." Kennedy held out her left hand. "We were engaged this past Thanksgiving, but took our time finding rings. Last night, we picked them up and went to dinner to celebrate."
"Oh, very nice." The reported peered at the ring.
"If you both stayed here, why didn't you come out of the hotel with Miss Garret?" The reporter who had questioned her earlier cut in. "I've been here since 7:30 and you didn't come out before she did."
"As a matter of fact, I went out the back door," Kennedy shot back at him.
"Why?" He jostled his way in front of the blonde reporter.
"I was trying to escape y'all, actually." This was met with a round of laughter, and she gently nudged Carson. "When I learned y'all had trapped Carson up here, I decided to come join her."
"Do you make a habit of riding to your partner's rescue?" The blonde reporter shoved her way back up front.
Kennedy opened her mouth, but Carson beat her to the punch: "Yes." Carson looked up at Kennedy, just as the taller woman looked down at her, their eyes locking in mutual adoration. For a moment there was silence, save the click of cameras.
Kennedy blinked, as she registered the strobe effect of the cameras flashing all around them. She reluctantly tore her gaze away from Carson and turned back to face the crowd. "Sorry to cut this short, but I've got work to do. Any of y'all with further questions, come on out to the press conference this afternoon."
With that, she tightened her grip on Carson and steered her toward the parking lot. The crowd started to follow and she turned back around. "Really. I promise I'll answer more questions this afternoon, okay?" As if on cue, the entire group stopped, allowing the two women to get into the 4Runner in relative peace.
Kennedy quickly helped Carson in, then trotted around to the driver's side and got in herself, fastening her seat belt, and starting the engine. "You okay?" She turned down the winding driveway and made her way out into mid-morning traffic.
"I think so." Carson reached across, resting a hand on her leg. "Glad you showed up when you did. I wasn't sure which was the worse answer - telling them we were both at the hotel last night or saying nothing and making them think I was there alone."
"We're a couple. Couples sometimes go to hotels together," Kennedy responded matter-of-factly. "But if anyone ever asks you a question about me you aren't comfortable answering, tell them it's none of their business, or tell them to come ask me directly. I don't give a rat's ass what you tell the press. My first concern is your comfort and safety, always. I trust you, sweetheart."
"Good." Carson sighed with relief. "Because I have a feeling that wasn't the last time that's going to happen."
"I can guarantee it wasn't." Kennedy pulled up in front of Starbucks on Congress Avenue. "Stay put. I'll get your drink. Vente non-fat no-whip latte?"
"Thanks. Make that a mocha with an extra shot, please." Carson leaned over and pecked her on the lips, allowing the mornings' stress to roll off. Watching Kennedy's cute swagger as she walked inside the shop worked sudden wonders on Carson's mood. She sat back and simply smiled, enjoying the show.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kennedy stood in a conference room overlooking the Capitol grounds. Outside was a much larger crowd than she had anticipated. Between the prior night's press conference and the morning headlines, it seemed she had drawn almost everyone in Austin, from the passionate animal rights activists to those who were simply bored and had nothing better to do. On two sides of the lawn, separated by barricades and a line of state troopers, a contingent of the local gay and lesbian task force faced off against followers of the Fred Phelps family, shouting angrily at one another and waving large signs with hate splashed across them.
It was a typical warm and humid Austin day, and she found it difficult to believe that many people would brave the swelter just to hear her speak. She briefly regretted the need for the monkey suit she wore, and determined to wear something more appropriate for her next outdoor event. Surely flip flops, cargo shorts, and a polo shirt could be construed as dressy in the summer in Austin.
A tug at her sleeve made her smile and she turned, to see Carson's earnest face. "You ready for this?"
"I wonder if anyone is ever ready for this," Kennedy replied. "But I'm glad you're here with me."
"I'm just glad I'm not the one who has to do the talking." Carson laughed lightly. "I think I would melt into a puddle on the stage if I had to speak in front of that many people."
"Oh, you may not be speaking, but I guarantee they'll all be looking at you. You're gorgeous." Her eyes roamed approvingly over Carson's red suit, a smartly-tailored jacket and slacks that fit her perfectly and gracefully clung to her curves. Beneath the suit, Carson had chosen to wear a simple white shirt that looked very nice against her lightly-tanned face. Her eyebrows hiked up as she noted Carson's footwear. "Come fuck me boots? Darlin', now I'm going to be thinking about the nice curve of your calves under those pants. You're going to distract me."
Carson blushed and looked down, pulling up her pants legs just enough to reveal a nice pair of Italian-leather short, black boots. "I figured the four-inch heels would keep me from looking quite so short next to you. Otherwise, every time I turn, unless I look up, I usually see your breasts first."
"Oh, do you?" A frank grin graced Kennedy's lips. "I'll have to remember that next time we --"
"Miss Nocona," Brian interrupted them. "Excuse me. You do plan to stick to the speech, correct?"
"Why do you ask?" He was, Kennedy realized, one of the most annoying individuals she had ever met.
"We need damage control." Brian peered out a window.
"Damage control?" Carson frowned.
"The paper." Brian fussed with his own tie. "You know. The headlines?"
"Brian." Kennedy placed a hand on his shoulder. "That headline was true. If that's the worst thing they come up with to say about me, you can count your lucky stars."
"Judging from the masses out there, I'm not so sure those headlines were harmful." Carson looked past him, out the window. "Do you usually draw this large a crowd when a candidate announces they're running for the state legislature? It's not like Kennedy's running for governor or president."
"No, we don't," Brian admitted.
"Well," Carson drawled. "Seems to me those headlines did you a favor. There's a lot of voters out there who want to hear what she has to say. Why don't you quit worrying and let her talk?"
"Miss Garret, they pay me a handsome fee to worry." He mopped his forehead with a handkerchief.
"Sucks to be you," Carson mumbled, so low he couldn't hear her.
Kennedy stifled a laugh, turning it into a cough. "Brian, you need to relax. It's a long way to November and we're just getting started. At this rate you're going to have a coronary. I am what I am. You might as well get used to the idea that most people are going to love me or hate me. There isn't going to be much middle ground."
"I need a raise," Brian muttered.
"We ready?" Chip strode purposefully into the room.
"As I'll ever be." Kennedy took Carson's hand, following Chip from the room, down a hallway into the main corridor of the Capitol building.
Brian trotted along behind. "Miss Nocona, I don't think it's a good idea to -- your hands."
She gave Carson's hand a squeeze and turned. "What about 'em?" she growled, her face hard, daring him to make further comment.
"Nothing." He sighed in resignation.
As the Capitol doors opened, the buzz of the crowd grew exponentially. As agreed earlier, Carson, Chip, and Brian seated themselves in chairs to one side of the Capitol steps and Kennedy took the podium, adjusting the microphone to introduce herself. Three rows of press sat in a roped off section to her left, to which she briefly nodded, before facing the rest of the vast crowd before her. "Good afternoon, I'm Kennedy Nocona, and I'm running for seat forty-eight in the Texas House of Representatives." A roar of applause washed over her, almost making her step back. She took a deep breath, gripping the podium and collecting her thoughts.
"Most of you have probably read today's paper. It told you a whole lot about my history, who I was. Let me tell you who I am now."
"She's not following the speech," Brian fretted quietly.
"Shhh." Carson patted him on the arm. "Just listen."
Kennedy continued, her voice as steady and calm as Carson could ever recall. "By birth, I'm the daughter of a Native American member of the Comanche tribe and I'm the great-great grand-daughter of Irish immigrants who came to this country during the potato famine. By profession, I'm an attorney. I am paid very well to set-up high-tech corporations. I take that money and I help people with civil rights issues, immigration issues, health issues, and housing issues. I suppose you could say I rob from the rich and give to the poor." She paused again for a round of applause and laughter.
"By self-education, I'm a friend of the environment, of Lake Travis and the hills west of this city. Of Big Bend National Park, which is choking from pollution, thanks to NAFTA. Of the children of this state, who are so busy studying to pass standardized tests that they are no longer allowed to go outside and play during school, or to create works of art, or to learn to play an instrument. We are filling their minds with repetition, while stunting the growth of their hearts and souls. Of the cities in this state, and the growing number of ozone-action days when we can't go outside for fear of harming our skin and lungs. Of the Gulf Coast, where sludge and garbage wash up on the beaches. I want your children, and my children, and our grandchildren, to have a better life than the one we are creating for them now."
"Because my district is right here at the steps of the Capitol, by definition I will be working to help the city of Austin grow in a healthy and productive way, while looking out for the natural beauty of this place we are fortunate to call home, and serving the people of my district -- all the people of my district -- no matter their race, income, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. But since we are operating on the state level, I hope that by serving my district, I will serve the greater good of everyone in this great state we live in."
More applause rang out, and she held a hand behind her back, forming the sign for 'I love you,' to Carson. "I'm gay," she continued. "That shouldn't be any big secret to anyone here, by now. There is no denying that is one of the reasons the Stonewall Democrats came knocking on my door a few weeks ago. I didn't choose to be gay, but I'd not change it. If I weren't gay, I would never have fallen for the love of my life, Carson Garret, the lovely blonde woman sitting on the steps over here behind me." She turned, holding her arm out in Carson's direction, to another round of applause. "Being a lesbian is only one part of the whole person I am. I hope in the coming weeks to show you that I'm just a person, like all of you, with the same dreams, hopes, and needs: To be fed and clothed. To have a decent home. To love and be loved. To have hope for the future. To have joy in our lives. To be able to provide for those in our care, be they partners, spouses, children, lovers, fur-kids, siblings, or parents. If you will work with me, I promise to faithfully work with you, to make Texas a better state for all of us to live in."
The crowd cheered loudly, with a few jeers and boos floating among the generally upbeat roar. Kennedy smiled for the crowd, and for the cameras, glad beyond words that the speech itself was over. She could almost hear Brian's teeth grinding behind her. She'd meant to follow the original speech, right up until she reached the podium and saw the Fred Phelps contingent. Short and direct seemed a much better route to take, than the longer, more flowery words she'd originally penned. Brian would get over it. Chip would get over it. And the Democratic party of Texas would get over it. Or they wouldn't. She decided, right then and there, that there would be no compromising who she was. The voters would also get over it, or they wouldn't, and if they voted against her, well, then it wasn't meant to be.
The applause slowly decreased in volume, and she leaned into the microphone again. "I'll take a few questions, now." Hand shot up from the press section, and she pointed to a man on the first row.
He stepped forward to a microphone. "Are you and Miss Garret going to Canada to get married?" He studied some notes. "There was a blurb on the radio this afternoon stating you were engaged."
"We just got our rings," Kennedy replied. "At this time we haven't made any concrete plans as to a wedding or joining ceremony. Next question." She waved at the blonde reporter from the hotel crowd that morning.
"But you are going to get married, correct?" The reporter flipped her hair over one shoulder.
"We aren't legally allowed to marry in Texas," Kennedy responded. "We've discussed having a commitment ceremony for our friends and family. Next."
A man behind the blonde stepped in front of her. "So you're living in sin?"
"We're living in love. Last time I checked, that wasn't a sin," Kennedy shot back, not missing a beat. "Next."
A plain woman in a gray dress down to mid-calf stepped forward. "I have a question for Miss Garret."
"I --" Kennedy hesitated. "Miss Garret isn't --"
Carson stood. "Alright." She made her way to the microphone, glad for her high heels as she reached to adjust it for her shorter height. "What's your question?"
"You're Southern Baptist, correct?" The woman pushed back a prim hat on the top of her head.
"I was, but I'm not now." Carson tilted her head in question.
"Do you believe in God?" The woman stepped closer.
"I believe in a higher power," Carson answered. She had spotted the small Bible in the crook of the woman's arm, and more importantly, had watched her slowly make her way forward from the Fred Phelps contingent, while Kennedy was giving her speech. "But I seriously doubt my higher power is the same God you believe in."
Behind her, Brian squeaked.
"So you don't believe in the God of the Holy Bible?" The woman's voice rose with each question, and two security guards moved to either end of the Capitol steps.
"By the time I left the Southern Baptist Church, there was very little remaining there for me to believe in." Carson felt a drop of sweat trickle down her back, between her shoulder blades, and resisted the urge to squirm. "Let me tell you what I don't believe in." Carson leaned forward, looking the woman directly in the eye. "I don't believe in hiding behind God. If you're going to hate me, then own your hatred and stop blaming it on God. I believe that Bible you're holding says that God is love. What you hold in your heart against me, that didn't come from God, at least not a god I'd want any part of."
It began as a buzz and quickly grew to a roar, a thundering of applause and cheers that almost took Carson to her knees. "Blasphemer! Sinner!" The woman cried out. "You're going to burn in hell!" The guards quickly moved in, escorting her away, as she kicked and screamed louder. Across the lawn the Phelps crew and the gay and lesbian task force were very close to breaking through the barricades, and the state troopers turned on each side, facing the yelling mob, cans of mace and batons at the ready.
"Carson." Kennedy gently touched her shoulder. "We need to go."
Carson turned, to see a contingent of security guards circling them from behind. In a numb blur she followed, as they were whisked back inside the Capitol building and down a long hallway to the parking lot behind, where a long black car with dark windows was waiting, the back door held open by yet another guard. Carson climbed in and Kennedy followed. As soon as the door closed, Carson tucked up under Kennedy's open arm, burying her face into her, drawing in deep breaths of the familiar, comforting scent.
"Thought you didn't like to speak in front of crowds." The words could have been taken as an admonishment, save for the warm, loving tone, which floated over Carson, settling into the terrified corners of her psyche. "You okay?"
"I screwed up, didn't I?" Carson answered mournfully.
"No." Kennedy kissed her head. "I couldn't be more proud of you than I am right now."
"But I started a riot." Carson looked up at her and Kennedy brushed away a tear on her cheek. "And I messed up your campaign."
"Hmmm. Well, I think the troopers kept an actual riot from breaking out." Kennedy caught another tear. "As for my campaign, what you had to say, it sums up everything I said in my speech. That woman and people like her, they are why I have to do this -- if I can do just one good thing from all of this, I want to bring people together and help them see past their differences long enough to work together to solve problems."
"So I didn't destroy your campaign?" Gray eyes searched blue, begging for affirmation.
"No." Kennedy pulled Carson's head back down on her shoulder and stroked her hair. "You spoke the truth. If my campaign can be destroyed by that, it isn't one worth running."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My friends, you have a choice. A pagan liberal lesbian, living in sin, a woman who corrupted a good Baptist girl and led her astray on a path of debauchery, a woman who dares to make a mockery of the sanctity of marriage by calling her depraved relationship an engagement, or me, a married, church-going father of four, who loves my family, my god, and my country. Follow your conscience. Follow your heart. Follow the teachings of the good book, and do the right thing. Re-elect me, and nip this attempt to run roughshod over our values in the bud, and send this brazen woman packing back into obscurity. I'm Roy Sanderson, and I am the representative for District Forty-Eight." The speech, broadcast from the steps of Hanover Baptist Church, ended with wild applause from members who had been invited to stay over after the Wednesday night prayer service and hear the impromptu press conference.
"Do we have to watch network TV tonight?" Carson moaned pitifully. "I think if I see his ugly face one more time I'm going to puke. He's been at it all day long."
"Don't let him get to you, sweetheart." Nonetheless, Kennedy picked up the remote from the coffee table and switched to a documentary on coral reefs. "I need to hear what he's saying. He's the competition."
"That's Chip's and Brian's jobs, isn't it? Didn't they decide to brief you every morning?" Carson sunk back into the leather couch in a huff, crossing her arms. "And you did not lead me astray!" She fumed. "I became a heathen all by myself, thank you very much."
Kennedy wisely remained silent, suppressing a smirk. It was difficult, given just how cute her lover sometimes looked when she was mad. Instead, she cautiously slid closer and held out an arm, smiling when Carson tucked herself beneath it, curling against her.
"And a fine one you are," Katie answered instead from her comfy nest in the recliner. "If you ask me, that man has enough hot air in him to fly me back to Odessa in a balloon."
"You miss home, huh?" Carson was grateful for the segue to a change of subject.
"I miss my kids and I miss Parker something fierce." Katie looked down, twisting her wedding ring on her finger. "Darned if I don't find myself missing making PB&J sandwiches and driving them around to football, soccer, t-ball, Indian Princess meetings, piano lessons, and every other institution designed to keep kids busy and their mothers exhausted." She looked up and smiled. "I knew I was homesick when I caught myself missing washing Parker's smelly softball uniform."
"I hear you," Kennedy chimed in. "It's funny how quickly you get used to little things that should annoy you, but they don't."
"Like what?" Carson elbowed her in the ribs.
"Like coffee grounds that made it into the sink but not down the disposal." Kennedy elbowed her back. "And like shampoo lids not screwed back on tight enough, so I almost spill it every time I pick it up to use it myself."
"Oh, I get it." Carson joined in the game. "You mean like briefcases I almost trip over because they were dropped in the entryway and don't make it to the study? Or maybe you mean picking up soy milk at the store but forgetting to pick up the real milk."
"Does that make us even?" Kennedy ruffled her hair.
"Even." Carson grinned at her.
"Besides, most times the briefcase got dropped so I could grab you and kiss you senseless. And you seem to have developed a taste for soy milk." Kennedy teased.
"Punk." Carson tackled her, sending her sprawling backward on the cushions. "I gotcha!"
"Only 'cause I let you get me." Kennedy crossed her arms beneath her head in a smug, relaxed pose and stretched lazily, flipping Carson back across the couch.
"Oooooo!" Carson pounced, straddling Kennedy and tickling her. An all-out wrestling match ensued, taking them to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs that sent several furry bodies scrambling for safe ground. In mid-tickle, Carson looked up and caught Katie watching them, her face half-amused and half-wistful. Carson's expression quickly changed from gleeful to sympathetic. She knew Katie and Parker wrestled just like they were. She'd witnessed a similar display when they were in Alpine for Thanksgiving. "When is Parker coming for his next visit?"
"Easter, I think." Katie pouted. Easter was two weeks away. "Not that we celebrate Easter, other than painting and hiding eggs for the kids. It's because I have a doctor's appointment the day afterward and he's going to stay over and go with me. No house call for that one. They're going to run all kinds of tests and checks and see how soon we might be able to take these little ones, if we need to."
Both Kennedy and Carson scrambled back onto the couch. "You think you'll end up inducing, or maybe having a C-Section?" Kennedy asked. Katie looked miserable, and she was only six months along. It was amazing how big the belly of a tiny woman could get when it was full of babies. Not that Kennedy would ever say as much to her sister-in-law. Despite the large stomach, Katie had that radiant glow common to many pregnant women, and Kennedy could see why their spouses found them beautiful.
"I would eat liver and onions and then go run a marathon right now if I knew it would send me into labor and I would deliver two healthy babies." Katie laughed lightly. "But that's not an option. No, the doctor is keeping a close eye on things. I think he'll induce as soon as it's safe, unless these two little girls decide to start things up of their own accord. Inducing sometimes makes for harder labor, but I'd prefer to go that route, since Parker can plan to be here that way. Otherwise, if we wait for natural birth, they may get here before his plane lands. Each delivery was faster for me. Erin took almost an entire day -- twenty-three hours of mostly hard back labor. Ryan cut it in half at eleven hours, and I popped Nathan out in six."
"We'll all be here for you, Katie." Carson wrinkled her nose. "Except for the liver and onions. If you decide on those, you're on your own."
They all laughed, and settled back to watch television. It had been a long day in which the phone rang non-stop, most calls from journalists requesting interviews, with a smattering of random calls from strangers offering support, and a few from anti-gay hecklers. By three p.m., Carson had thrown in the towel and called the phone company to get an unlisted number at the house. Luckily, all the mail went to a post office box in town, leaving very few public records that bore the physical address of the house. Still, the few that did give the physical address had been enough to send a few news vans cruising by on the farm-to-market road in front of the house.
As if reading her thoughts, someone knocked at the door, and Kennedy groaned. "Please tell me people haven't been knocking on the door all day, too? Maybe if we ignore them, they'll go away."
"No. Lots of drive-bys and I caught a couple of 'em stopped out front snapping pictures, but no one had the guts to actually get out and come up to the house." Carson got up and peered out the peep hole. "Can't tell who it is, and the porch light isn't on."
"Miss Nocona?" A muffled voice drifted through the door, accompanied by more knocking. "May I have just a minute of your time?"
Kennedy got up and joined her, flipping on the porch light. She looked out. "Reporter. No more of this after tonight. They're coming tomorrow to put up the security cameras and gate for the driveway. They'll take out the old manual gate and replace it with an electric one we can open and close from a switch inside here, beside the door, along with a call box. We'll have remotes we can use from our cars to open the gates, and we'll have monitors for the cameras in here, in the study, and in the bedroom. I'm having a camera put on the back door and on the boathouse dock, too. That should cover all the points of entry unless they want to hike across the neighbors' land on one side or the other, or through snake-infested marsh grass. Now --" She tugged the door open. "Let's see which rag is rude enough to knock on the door uninvited at 8:30 at night."
A flashbulb was her answer, the bright light momentarily blinding both of them. "Miss Nocona?"
Another flash bore into Kennedy's eyes and she growled, grabbing the reporter's wrist. "Get the hell off my land!"
"I tried to call but the phone company said your number was unlisted." The man took another picture as she grabbed his collar and lifted him a few inches off the ground.
"You want an interview, you call my campaign manager like everyone else." She plucked a business card from his front pocket. "National Enquirer? Are you kidding me? Can you even spell 'Nocona'?"
"Of course," the man answered indignantly. "And I don't need an interview. We have our story. All I needed were pictures."
Kennedy glared at him and without a word, dropped him off the porch. He landed on his behind in the flower bed, dropping his camera in the soft dirt.
"Hey!" He picked it up, dusting it off. "That's expensive! Be careful."
"Whine at someone who cares!" Kennedy slammed the door, leaving him alone in the glow of an energy-efficient light bulb. "Geez!"
"Honey." Carson gently guided her fuming lover back to the couch. "Don't be surprised if those pictures aren't in the Enquirer next week with some bogus story. You know how they are."
Kennedy started to laugh. "I can see it now: Texas politician caught in lakeside love nest."
"Yeah, or 'Lakeside Lesbian Lust'." Carson laughed along with her. "But I am glad you ordered all the security. I have a feeling without it that might become a nightly event."
"Um --" Katie cut in, her voice sheepish. "I wasn't going to say anything, but two of them came by the house while I was here alone this afternoon. I was sitting on the back porch and one of 'em came all the way around back there. I thought Talia was going to tear through the screen door to get to 'em"
"You should've let her out." Kennedy's face hardened, all traces of mirth vanished. "And if anything like that happens again, you call the sheriff and then call me, okay?"
"I would have, but they left pretty quickly when they saw Talia, and by then I knew you'd ordered the gate." Katie shrugged. "No harm done. I think Alexis got their license plate number, in the event you wanted to file a complaint."
"I should, if it wouldn't draw more attention instead of deterring it. Trespassing is breaking the law, and disturbing a pregnant woman on bed rest is a hanging offense in my book." Something occurred to her and she turned to Carson. "Anyone bother you while you were out and about today?" Large grey eyes that met hers for a split second and then looked down were her answer. "Carson?"
"I'm a big girl. I can handle it." Carson slowly met her gaze. "But yes, someone followed me into the grocery store and asked me for an interview. I talked to them for a few minutes and posed for a picture, and they seemed satisfied. I think it was just the Lago Vista paper. No big deal."
"I can have Brian handle setting up your interviews, if you'd like," Kennedy offered. "I'm sure more than our little local paper will want to talk to you."
"Let's see how it goes." Carson frowned in disgust. "I don't care for Brian and I'd rather not have him messing in my personal schedule. Bad enough you have to put up with him."
"I thought he was going to have a coronary after we left the Capitol." Kennedy smiled warmly at Carson. "I don't think he was prepared for the force of nature you can be. I kept telling them I was not the one they should be afraid of."
"Ladies." Katie eased her way slowly up from the recliner. "I’m going to call it a night. I need to get settled in and call the kids before they go to bed."
"You need any help?" Carson moved to her side.
"No. It's nice to get out of that bedroom every now and then and have some company. Makes me feel less like an invalid if I watch TV out here with y'all. Oof." She straightened up, bracing one hand on her back above her hip. "Not sure how much longer I'll be able to waddle out here. Might as well enjoy it while I can." She reached the dog trot door. "Night, ladies."
"Good night," Carson and Kennedy answered in unison.
Kennedy retrieved two empty wine glasses from the coffee table and wandered into the kitchen to wash them. From the laundry room, she heard the rattle of puppy chow as Carson poured it into bowls for the dachshund triplets, followed by more rattles as bowls for Talia, Cody, and the cats were all filled. "Lord." Carson joined her at the sink with two water bowls. "It's like running an animal shelter."
"You know, the boys across the way have really taken a liking to the dachshunds." Kennedy watched Carson stiffen for a moment. She waited, hoping Carson would at least think about it. Cute as they were, caring for five dogs and three cats was starting to wear them out, especially Carson, who had taken on the greater share of the load.
"I know." Carson looked over at the puppies, who were all eagerly gathered around their bowls making happy puppy noises as they devoured their dinner. "Mrs. Shipley came over this afternoon and introduced herself, and told me they'd take Oscar and Felix, if we wanted to get rid of them. She even offered to pay for them, but I told her if we let them go, they could have them at no charge. I told her I'd discuss it with you."
"You know you'll get no argument from me." Kennedy put the wine glasses in the cabinet and tossed the empty wine bottle into a recycle bin. "But I told you we could keep them. It's not that I don't like them, Carson, but --"
"They're a handful," Carson finished for her. "I kind of hate to split them up, but I guess Daisy could go next door to visit her brothers if she gets lonely for them."
"All children leave home, eventually." Kennedy took one of the full water bowls and helped carry them over to their spot against the laundry room wall. "I think the Shipleys will take good care of them. Mr. Shipley has those horses and he's real good with them."
"Yeah." Carson set the water bowl down and stood. "Oh, I almost forgot. Your radio show called me this morning and asked if I'd come down with you on Monday and stay over for a thirty-minute interview. Do you mind?"
"Not at all. That must be what they called me about. I haven't had a chance to call them back yet." Kennedy smiled and drew her into her arms, indulging in a lengthy kiss. An explosion of happy endorphins surprised her and she surfaced for a second, meeting Carson's eyes, which were half-closed. So, the feeling was mutual. A bubbling laugh erupted from her throat and she dove back in for more, wrapping her arms tightly around the smaller woman and lifting her a few inches off the ground. Carson's tongue gently danced with hers and then pulled back, tasting her earlobe. She groaned pleasantly as she felt Carson's lips close around it, her breath warm against Kennedy's neck.
"Time for attorneys to go to bed," Carson whispered in her ear.
"Only if cute, blonde former paralegals join them." Kennedy scooped her up, making it only as far as the bearskin rug in the den. Bedtime, it seemed, would have to wait a while longer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Continued in Chapter 5
© 2007 by Linda Crist
Chapter 4
The shower drummed pleasantly from behind the closed door, mimicking the rain falling outside, the patter against the hotel room windows almost tranquil enough to lure Carson back under the covers. Kennedy got first dibs on the bathroom, stating she really wanted to get to work by 10:00 a.m. Carson smiled. Getting her lover to sleep in twice in as many weeks was a feat akin to a miracle.
The coffee maker emitted one of her favorite scents, and hissed as the final drops of morning nectar dripped from the filter basket into the pot below. Much as she loved watching the rain from their perch on high, her foggy brain craved its morning dose of caffeine more. She reluctantly tore herself away from the hypnotic show outside the window and poured up a cup, adding a packet of raw sugar and a drizzle of skim milk from a carton in the mini-bar.
As she took the first sip, a knock at the door signaled delivery of their breakfast. She set the cup down and trotted over, unlatching the security lever and allowing the attendant to push a small rolling cart into the room. "Thank you." She fished a generous tip from her wallet.
"On the contrary, thank you, ma'am." The attendant handed her the morning paper and grinned broadly, as he pocketed the cash and politely left the room.
Carson re-latched the door, then picked up her cup and took a sip, as she unrolled the paper. Glancing at the headlines, she immediately spewed coffee across the front page. There in bold letters, next to a clear color photo of her lover, the lead story proclaimed, "Liberal Lesbian for the Legislature."
"Hoo, boy." She scanned the story, then read it again more slowly. "Man, they sure did manage to dig up a lot of her history." The three-column story covered Kennedy's brief announcement of her intention to run, covered her accomplishments in high school, college, law school, and beyond, and was generally complimentary of the "lively lady from Lago Vista."
The shower cut off and Carson heard humming from the bathroom. In a moment, the bathroom door cracked open, as Kennedy allowed steam from the rather hot showers she enjoyed to escape. "Honey." Carson tapped on the door. "You decent?"
"No." Kennedy swung the door open. "Come on in!" Wearing nothing but her birthday suit, she flashed Carson a lusty smile. Carson blinked, momentarily stunned speechless. Not that she didn't see Kennedy naked on a daily basis. It just didn't matter. Long lean muscles and lovely curves, covered by soft, brown skin never failed to derail her thoughts, especially if it was unexpected.
"Buh --" Carson shook her head. "I think you should read the paper before you go to work."
"I usually read it over tea after I get there." Kennedy swiped condensation from the mirror, making a space large enough to see to apply the minimal make-up she wore as a concession to her clients.
"No. I think you need to do it before you leave the room." Carson laid the paper down on the counter next to the sink.
Kennedy gave it half her attention, as she rummaged through her overnight bag. "What happened? It looks like someone spit tobacco on it."
"I spit coffee on it." Carson shoved it closer. "Read, honey."
Kennedy leaned over and looked closer, then dropped a bottle of lotion, the plastic container bouncing around on the floor until it slid across the flagstone tile and stopped at the corner where the tub met the wall. "What the hell?"
"Is Chip going to be mad?" Carson pulled out a vanity stool and sat down.
"If he is, it's his own damned fault for letting that nimnod call a press conference without telling me about it." Kennedy picked up the paper, reading the story as she absently collected the lotion and began applying it to her legs. After a moment, she laughed. "They make me sound like a saint: 'An overachiever from an early age, Nocona maintained a straight-A average at Alpine High School, while winning back-to-back state archery championships, graduating valedictorian before going on to The College of Santa Fe on a full scholarship'." She snorted. "I guess I should send a gift to the Brewster County Sheriff's Office for all the times they kept my antics off the record."
"You're not worried about the screaming headline?" Carson picked up the paper again, smoothing it out and studying the picture, which was a very nice one from the press conference the prior day.
"Should I be?" Kennedy worked some mousse through the roots of her hair. "It's what I am. All things considered, it's not a bad article. They're just poking at me. I didn't give out any information on my agenda yesterday, and that's what they're after. They'll get that this afternoon."
"You think their focus will turn to your platform after today?" Carson stood, standing next to Kennedy and studying their reflection in the mirror -- her shorter frame covered in a complimentary robe, and Kennedy's long, naked body beside her. They looked nice together, she decided.
"No." Kennedy smiled and turned, circling Carson in her arms. "I think they will continue to focus on my orientation and my relationship with my beautiful girlfriend, once they meet you today." She tilted her head, engaging Carson in a lengthy kiss. As she surfaced, she rubbed noses with her. "You ready for that?"
"They gonna dig up my history, too?" Carson thought hard, trying to remember if there was anything truly controversial for the media to unearth. Other than her kidnapping and exposure of her former boss for legal malpractice, she hadn't done so much as smoke a single joint. "Not that they'll find much exciting if they do, I don't suppose."
"I think they will search for everything they can find, on both of us." Kennedy's brows knit together. "Kidnappings, breaking up drug smuggling and human trafficking rings. You know, boring stuff like that."
Carson reached up, cupping Kennedy's cheek. "Car wrecks in Galveston?" She stroked the soft skin beneath her palm. "I don't want to see you hurt, K, or watch you have to re-live the past. You've been in a really good place for a while now."
"Darlin'." Kennedy took Carson's hand, twining their fingers before she kissed Carson's knuckles. "You are my good place. Nothing can touch that. I don't want to see you re-live a kidnapping you've finally quit dreaming about."
"Those dreams? Shoot." Carson waved a hand in the air. "Those were nothing compared to the nightmares I had after you got shot." She hugged Kennedy tightly, burying her face against warm, clean-smelling skin. "Those finally went away. Nothing like having you wrapped around me while I sleep to hold those at bay."
"Hmmmm." Kennedy delicately disengaged herself from Carson's embrace, and grabbed a robe from the back of the bathroom door. "Com'ere." She sat down on the vanity stool Carson had vacated, and gently tugged Carson onto her lap, holding her close. "One last chance, sweetheart. The real press conference is this afternoon. Say the word now, and I'll withdraw from the race, and crawl back in that big ol' bed in there and make love with you until sunset."
"Ohhhh." Carson moaned softly, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against Kennedy's. "Don't tempt me." She opened her eyes, focusing on the blue ones inches from her own. "No." She stroked the dark head, ordering damp locks. "This is for us and our children, and for people statewide who value civil rights for everyone. I believe you can make a difference. Truly. I -- I know it may be a tough road getting there, and the stats say you have a flying pig's chance in hell of actually winning, but I think you have to try. Even just running, you can get people to think about things. You have a gift, K. Even on the radio, you have this magnetism in your voice that draws people in. If you withdraw, do it for you, not me."
"For you --" Kennedy kissed her quickly. "I can't withdraw. I --"
Another tap on the main door to the room sent them both leaping to their feet.
"I'll get it." Carson ducked out of the room and peeked through the peep hole, spying a uniformed hotel security guard. She cracked the door open. "Hi. Can I help you?"
"Miss Nocona?" The officer held up an ID badge for her perusal.
"I'm Carson Garrett. Miss Nocona can't come to the door right now." Carson opened the door wider. "Is there something wrong?"
"What's up?" Kennedy emerged from the bathroom, clad in the now firmly-closed and belted robe, which came to mid-calf. "I'm Kennedy Nocona." She joined Carson and opened the door, indicating a chair near the window. "Have a seat."
"Thank you." He entered the room and bypassed the chair, drawing the drapes aside and looking down at the puddle-dotted parking lot below. "Miss Nocona, I've been instructed to provide a distraction and have valet discreetly bring your vehicle to the hotel's back door, and provide an escort for you when you're ready to check out today."
"Why?" Kennedy joined him. She looked down at a growing melee and squinted, then looked up. "What's going on? Is the president in town?" Down below were a half dozen news vans, and despite the dwindling rain, a plethora of camera equipment and media personalities appeared to be stalking the hotel's entrance.
"You're what's going on." He dropped the drapes and held out a hand. "I'm Seth Adams, chief of hotel security." Kennedy dumbly shook his hand as he continued to speak, "It seems someone recognized your 4Runner out there and our phones have been jammed with inquiries as to your presence here since about 7:00 a.m. We pride ourselves in protecting our celebrity guests, and apologize for falling down on our duty with you. Your vehicle should have been parked in our private garage, out of sight."
"Celebrity?" Kennedy practically spit the word out. "I'm not a --"
A gentle but insistent hand snaked into the crook of her elbow. "As of yesterday afternoon, honey, you are." Carson watched shocked eyes widen, then register resignation. "I have an idea." She turned to the security officer, not letting go of her lover, who to her knowing eyes, was shaken. "How about you call a cab to the back door? Kennedy can take the cab. While she's going out back, I'll go out front and drive her 4Runner to her office. They don't know me yet, I don't think. Hopefully I can walk right past them and drive away before they realize her truck is gone. If they have looked me up and follow me, I can throw 'em off -- stop at Starbucks and a few other places first."
"Excellent!" Adams brightened considerably. "Just give me a call when you're ready. He handed her a card with his hotel office extension and pager number on it."
"Thank you." Carson escorted him to the door and closed it behind him, then leaned against it.
Across the room, Kennedy stood rooted in place. "I just became a gay rights poster child, didn't I?"
"Uh-huh." Carson crooked a finger, beckoning Kennedy to join her.
Kennedy willingly melted into her embrace. "I didn't expect this."
"I know," Carson soothed, rubbing her back through the thick, soft terry.
"I guess I should have." Kennedy sighed, raising a trembling hand and raking her drying bangs out of her eyes.
"You need to eat." Carson nudged her toward the room service cart and several still-steaming covered platters. "Your blood sugar is down."
"It is?" Kennedy took the hint and lifted a silver cover, revealing scrambled eggs. "Mmmm. Smells good."
"Yes, it does, and you're shaking." Carson picked up a plate and dished a healthy portion of eggs onto it. "That's how I know you need to eat. And so do I."
After a moment, Kennedy recovered sufficiently from the morning's shock to take over the job of filling her plate. "Thanks for taking charge with him." She smiled hesitantly. "I kind of lost it for a minute there."
"After everything you've done for me?" Carson patted her on the arm. "That's the least I could do."
"I think we need to relax and not let all this dampen what we shared last night." Kennedy bumped hips with her, careful not to jostle hard enough to make Carson spill her plate.
Carson looked over and winked at her. "Mind-blowing, babe. Simply mind-blowing. And I mean that in the best of ways." She received a cheeky grin in response, a sure sign Kennedy was quickly recovering from her momentary loss of equilibrium.
"Gotta live up to that 'Stud' nickname you keep tossing at me." Kennedy practically preened.
"From that first kiss, you more than exceeded my expectations in that department." Carson held out her hand, her ring catching the first rays of promising sunlight. "I love belonging to you."
"You don't --" Kennedy trailed off as Carson touched her face.
"Don't." Carson stopped her. "I know. We're equals. We're partners. You don't like having defined roles between us. I know all that." She peered earnestly at Kennedy, setting her plate aside and taking her face in both hands. "I want to be a part of you, and if I'm part of you, then I belong to you. Nothing could make me more proud."
"That goes both ways." Kennedy smiled warmly, soaking up the current of emotion flowing between them.
They both retired to a cozy table next to the window, where they ate mostly in happy silence, as they watched the rain clear and the sun break through the clouds. "That's a good sign, I think," Carson pointed toward a rainbow on the horizon.
"Uh-huh. Glad I'm ducking out back. A rainbow in the background of pictures would be a little too cute, don't you think?"
Carson wrinkled her nose and nodded. "Much as I think they're beautiful, I have to agree with you there, partner."
"Alrighty then. You hit the shower and I'll get dressed and pack our bags." Kennedy pushed her plate back, and they both got ready to face the day.
At 9:50 a.m. on the dot, security knocked at the door. "Ready?" Carson reached across, smoothing the collar on Kennedy's cream-colored silk blouse. "You look beautiful. The cameras are going to love you."
"Thanks." Kennedy kissed her. "See you at the office in a few?"
"Soon as I can get there. Now, go." She patted her lover on the butt and placed her safely in the security detail's care.
"Okay," Carson spoke to herself once she was alone. "Let's get this sneaky little show on the road." She looked around the room to make sure they'd left nothing behind. Valet had collected their bags earlier, and deposited them at the back door to be placed in Kennedy's cab.
As the elevator car dropped to the lobby, her stomach dropped with it. "Might as well get some fortification." She grabbed one more cup of coffee from a hostess service at the front desk, and nodded at the guard who followed her, who then radioed Kennedy's escort to get her into the cab. Donning her sunglasses, Carson took the rotating glass exit door and stepped out into the sunlight.
"Miss Garret?" A reporter called out from the edge of the hotel driveway.
Before she knew it, a dozen other heads popped up, like so many prairie dogs. "So much for plan A," she muttered under her breath. As the pack descended, she steeled herself, plastering on a smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Kennedy ducked inside the cab, she heard static and confusion coming from Adams' portable radio. He leaned into the cab, making sure she was situated. "Have a nice day, ma'am. I need to take this call."
He started to close the cab door, when Kennedy held up a hand. "Hold on. What's going on in the hotel?"
The guard shrugged, and lifted the radio from his belt. "Adams, here."
"We need to beef up the security detail out front. The press has Miss Garret surrounded," a concerned voice answered him.
"Take me around front," Kennedy instructed the cab driver.
Hearing her, Adams leaned over again. "Ma'am, I'd advise against --"
"Sorry." Kennedy grabbed the door handle and pulled it closed. "Get me around there, now!"
"Yes, ma'am." The cab driver pressed the gas pedal and in a matter of seconds was pulling up under the covered driveway in front of the hotel.
"Thanks." Kennedy handed him a hundred dollar bill and one of her business cards. "Can you deliver the bags in the trunk to my office address? It's only a few miles from here."
"Sure. You need change?" He glanced back at her.
"No. Thanks." She was already exiting the vehicle, closing the cab door on his exuberant gratitude for her large tip. Approaching the crowd, she slowed her pace. No one had bothered to turn around and she paused for a moment, listening.
"Miss Garret, is Miss Nocona inside the hotel?" A reporter yelled out a question, holding a microphone up over a row of heads in front of him.
"No." Kennedy could hear Carson's voice, but couldn't see her. "I can safely say she's not inside." She could, however, see Adams and three more security officers exit the hotel and move in behind Carson, standing a polite distance back.
"Was she inside with you earlier?" the reported persisted. "Where is she now?"
"Um." Carson's voice grew hesitant, and Kennedy started walking again.
"I'm right behind you." Two dozen bodies spun around and Kennedy began to move toward her. "Stay put." She carefully made her way through the crowd and joined Carson, whose body language spoke of confidence, but whose eyes were large as saucers. Kennedy draped an arm over her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "I see y'all have met my lovely partner, Carson Garret."
"Miss Nocona, why is your partner staying at a hotel instead of at your house with you? Did you two have an argument?" The same reporter stepped closer, and seeing the brief flash of anger in Kennedy's eyes, stayed out of touching range.
Kennedy shoved down the desire to tell the man to take a hike and butt out of her business, and somehow maintained her composure. "We both stayed at the hotel last night. Carson met me after work for dinner, and we ate here at the hotel. Any of y'all who live here know they have the best fajitas in town. We had drinks with dinner, and it was a better idea to stay here, than to drive all the way back to Lago Vista."
"So, you were intoxicated?" A young blonde female reporter pushed a microphone under her nose.
Kennedy smiled thinly and carefully pushed the mic back a foot. "No. I don't drink and drive, even if I've only had one drink." It was the truth, just not the whole truth of why they were at the hotel.
"Was yesterday a special occasion, or just dinner?" The same reporter stepped closer, jockeying for a better position, almost losing her footing as the others shifted with her.
"As a matter of fact, it was a very special occasion." Kennedy held out her left hand. "We were engaged this past Thanksgiving, but took our time finding rings. Last night, we picked them up and went to dinner to celebrate."
"Oh, very nice." The reported peered at the ring.
"If you both stayed here, why didn't you come out of the hotel with Miss Garret?" The reporter who had questioned her earlier cut in. "I've been here since 7:30 and you didn't come out before she did."
"As a matter of fact, I went out the back door," Kennedy shot back at him.
"Why?" He jostled his way in front of the blonde reporter.
"I was trying to escape y'all, actually." This was met with a round of laughter, and she gently nudged Carson. "When I learned y'all had trapped Carson up here, I decided to come join her."
"Do you make a habit of riding to your partner's rescue?" The blonde reporter shoved her way back up front.
Kennedy opened her mouth, but Carson beat her to the punch: "Yes." Carson looked up at Kennedy, just as the taller woman looked down at her, their eyes locking in mutual adoration. For a moment there was silence, save the click of cameras.
Kennedy blinked, as she registered the strobe effect of the cameras flashing all around them. She reluctantly tore her gaze away from Carson and turned back to face the crowd. "Sorry to cut this short, but I've got work to do. Any of y'all with further questions, come on out to the press conference this afternoon."
With that, she tightened her grip on Carson and steered her toward the parking lot. The crowd started to follow and she turned back around. "Really. I promise I'll answer more questions this afternoon, okay?" As if on cue, the entire group stopped, allowing the two women to get into the 4Runner in relative peace.
Kennedy quickly helped Carson in, then trotted around to the driver's side and got in herself, fastening her seat belt, and starting the engine. "You okay?" She turned down the winding driveway and made her way out into mid-morning traffic.
"I think so." Carson reached across, resting a hand on her leg. "Glad you showed up when you did. I wasn't sure which was the worse answer - telling them we were both at the hotel last night or saying nothing and making them think I was there alone."
"We're a couple. Couples sometimes go to hotels together," Kennedy responded matter-of-factly. "But if anyone ever asks you a question about me you aren't comfortable answering, tell them it's none of their business, or tell them to come ask me directly. I don't give a rat's ass what you tell the press. My first concern is your comfort and safety, always. I trust you, sweetheart."
"Good." Carson sighed with relief. "Because I have a feeling that wasn't the last time that's going to happen."
"I can guarantee it wasn't." Kennedy pulled up in front of Starbucks on Congress Avenue. "Stay put. I'll get your drink. Vente non-fat no-whip latte?"
"Thanks. Make that a mocha with an extra shot, please." Carson leaned over and pecked her on the lips, allowing the mornings' stress to roll off. Watching Kennedy's cute swagger as she walked inside the shop worked sudden wonders on Carson's mood. She sat back and simply smiled, enjoying the show.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kennedy stood in a conference room overlooking the Capitol grounds. Outside was a much larger crowd than she had anticipated. Between the prior night's press conference and the morning headlines, it seemed she had drawn almost everyone in Austin, from the passionate animal rights activists to those who were simply bored and had nothing better to do. On two sides of the lawn, separated by barricades and a line of state troopers, a contingent of the local gay and lesbian task force faced off against followers of the Fred Phelps family, shouting angrily at one another and waving large signs with hate splashed across them.
It was a typical warm and humid Austin day, and she found it difficult to believe that many people would brave the swelter just to hear her speak. She briefly regretted the need for the monkey suit she wore, and determined to wear something more appropriate for her next outdoor event. Surely flip flops, cargo shorts, and a polo shirt could be construed as dressy in the summer in Austin.
A tug at her sleeve made her smile and she turned, to see Carson's earnest face. "You ready for this?"
"I wonder if anyone is ever ready for this," Kennedy replied. "But I'm glad you're here with me."
"I'm just glad I'm not the one who has to do the talking." Carson laughed lightly. "I think I would melt into a puddle on the stage if I had to speak in front of that many people."
"Oh, you may not be speaking, but I guarantee they'll all be looking at you. You're gorgeous." Her eyes roamed approvingly over Carson's red suit, a smartly-tailored jacket and slacks that fit her perfectly and gracefully clung to her curves. Beneath the suit, Carson had chosen to wear a simple white shirt that looked very nice against her lightly-tanned face. Her eyebrows hiked up as she noted Carson's footwear. "Come fuck me boots? Darlin', now I'm going to be thinking about the nice curve of your calves under those pants. You're going to distract me."
Carson blushed and looked down, pulling up her pants legs just enough to reveal a nice pair of Italian-leather short, black boots. "I figured the four-inch heels would keep me from looking quite so short next to you. Otherwise, every time I turn, unless I look up, I usually see your breasts first."
"Oh, do you?" A frank grin graced Kennedy's lips. "I'll have to remember that next time we --"
"Miss Nocona," Brian interrupted them. "Excuse me. You do plan to stick to the speech, correct?"
"Why do you ask?" He was, Kennedy realized, one of the most annoying individuals she had ever met.
"We need damage control." Brian peered out a window.
"Damage control?" Carson frowned.
"The paper." Brian fussed with his own tie. "You know. The headlines?"
"Brian." Kennedy placed a hand on his shoulder. "That headline was true. If that's the worst thing they come up with to say about me, you can count your lucky stars."
"Judging from the masses out there, I'm not so sure those headlines were harmful." Carson looked past him, out the window. "Do you usually draw this large a crowd when a candidate announces they're running for the state legislature? It's not like Kennedy's running for governor or president."
"No, we don't," Brian admitted.
"Well," Carson drawled. "Seems to me those headlines did you a favor. There's a lot of voters out there who want to hear what she has to say. Why don't you quit worrying and let her talk?"
"Miss Garret, they pay me a handsome fee to worry." He mopped his forehead with a handkerchief.
"Sucks to be you," Carson mumbled, so low he couldn't hear her.
Kennedy stifled a laugh, turning it into a cough. "Brian, you need to relax. It's a long way to November and we're just getting started. At this rate you're going to have a coronary. I am what I am. You might as well get used to the idea that most people are going to love me or hate me. There isn't going to be much middle ground."
"I need a raise," Brian muttered.
"We ready?" Chip strode purposefully into the room.
"As I'll ever be." Kennedy took Carson's hand, following Chip from the room, down a hallway into the main corridor of the Capitol building.
Brian trotted along behind. "Miss Nocona, I don't think it's a good idea to -- your hands."
She gave Carson's hand a squeeze and turned. "What about 'em?" she growled, her face hard, daring him to make further comment.
"Nothing." He sighed in resignation.
As the Capitol doors opened, the buzz of the crowd grew exponentially. As agreed earlier, Carson, Chip, and Brian seated themselves in chairs to one side of the Capitol steps and Kennedy took the podium, adjusting the microphone to introduce herself. Three rows of press sat in a roped off section to her left, to which she briefly nodded, before facing the rest of the vast crowd before her. "Good afternoon, I'm Kennedy Nocona, and I'm running for seat forty-eight in the Texas House of Representatives." A roar of applause washed over her, almost making her step back. She took a deep breath, gripping the podium and collecting her thoughts.
"Most of you have probably read today's paper. It told you a whole lot about my history, who I was. Let me tell you who I am now."
"She's not following the speech," Brian fretted quietly.
"Shhh." Carson patted him on the arm. "Just listen."
Kennedy continued, her voice as steady and calm as Carson could ever recall. "By birth, I'm the daughter of a Native American member of the Comanche tribe and I'm the great-great grand-daughter of Irish immigrants who came to this country during the potato famine. By profession, I'm an attorney. I am paid very well to set-up high-tech corporations. I take that money and I help people with civil rights issues, immigration issues, health issues, and housing issues. I suppose you could say I rob from the rich and give to the poor." She paused again for a round of applause and laughter.
"By self-education, I'm a friend of the environment, of Lake Travis and the hills west of this city. Of Big Bend National Park, which is choking from pollution, thanks to NAFTA. Of the children of this state, who are so busy studying to pass standardized tests that they are no longer allowed to go outside and play during school, or to create works of art, or to learn to play an instrument. We are filling their minds with repetition, while stunting the growth of their hearts and souls. Of the cities in this state, and the growing number of ozone-action days when we can't go outside for fear of harming our skin and lungs. Of the Gulf Coast, where sludge and garbage wash up on the beaches. I want your children, and my children, and our grandchildren, to have a better life than the one we are creating for them now."
"Because my district is right here at the steps of the Capitol, by definition I will be working to help the city of Austin grow in a healthy and productive way, while looking out for the natural beauty of this place we are fortunate to call home, and serving the people of my district -- all the people of my district -- no matter their race, income, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. But since we are operating on the state level, I hope that by serving my district, I will serve the greater good of everyone in this great state we live in."
More applause rang out, and she held a hand behind her back, forming the sign for 'I love you,' to Carson. "I'm gay," she continued. "That shouldn't be any big secret to anyone here, by now. There is no denying that is one of the reasons the Stonewall Democrats came knocking on my door a few weeks ago. I didn't choose to be gay, but I'd not change it. If I weren't gay, I would never have fallen for the love of my life, Carson Garret, the lovely blonde woman sitting on the steps over here behind me." She turned, holding her arm out in Carson's direction, to another round of applause. "Being a lesbian is only one part of the whole person I am. I hope in the coming weeks to show you that I'm just a person, like all of you, with the same dreams, hopes, and needs: To be fed and clothed. To have a decent home. To love and be loved. To have hope for the future. To have joy in our lives. To be able to provide for those in our care, be they partners, spouses, children, lovers, fur-kids, siblings, or parents. If you will work with me, I promise to faithfully work with you, to make Texas a better state for all of us to live in."
The crowd cheered loudly, with a few jeers and boos floating among the generally upbeat roar. Kennedy smiled for the crowd, and for the cameras, glad beyond words that the speech itself was over. She could almost hear Brian's teeth grinding behind her. She'd meant to follow the original speech, right up until she reached the podium and saw the Fred Phelps contingent. Short and direct seemed a much better route to take, than the longer, more flowery words she'd originally penned. Brian would get over it. Chip would get over it. And the Democratic party of Texas would get over it. Or they wouldn't. She decided, right then and there, that there would be no compromising who she was. The voters would also get over it, or they wouldn't, and if they voted against her, well, then it wasn't meant to be.
The applause slowly decreased in volume, and she leaned into the microphone again. "I'll take a few questions, now." Hand shot up from the press section, and she pointed to a man on the first row.
He stepped forward to a microphone. "Are you and Miss Garret going to Canada to get married?" He studied some notes. "There was a blurb on the radio this afternoon stating you were engaged."
"We just got our rings," Kennedy replied. "At this time we haven't made any concrete plans as to a wedding or joining ceremony. Next question." She waved at the blonde reporter from the hotel crowd that morning.
"But you are going to get married, correct?" The reporter flipped her hair over one shoulder.
"We aren't legally allowed to marry in Texas," Kennedy responded. "We've discussed having a commitment ceremony for our friends and family. Next."
A man behind the blonde stepped in front of her. "So you're living in sin?"
"We're living in love. Last time I checked, that wasn't a sin," Kennedy shot back, not missing a beat. "Next."
A plain woman in a gray dress down to mid-calf stepped forward. "I have a question for Miss Garret."
"I --" Kennedy hesitated. "Miss Garret isn't --"
Carson stood. "Alright." She made her way to the microphone, glad for her high heels as she reached to adjust it for her shorter height. "What's your question?"
"You're Southern Baptist, correct?" The woman pushed back a prim hat on the top of her head.
"I was, but I'm not now." Carson tilted her head in question.
"Do you believe in God?" The woman stepped closer.
"I believe in a higher power," Carson answered. She had spotted the small Bible in the crook of the woman's arm, and more importantly, had watched her slowly make her way forward from the Fred Phelps contingent, while Kennedy was giving her speech. "But I seriously doubt my higher power is the same God you believe in."
Behind her, Brian squeaked.
"So you don't believe in the God of the Holy Bible?" The woman's voice rose with each question, and two security guards moved to either end of the Capitol steps.
"By the time I left the Southern Baptist Church, there was very little remaining there for me to believe in." Carson felt a drop of sweat trickle down her back, between her shoulder blades, and resisted the urge to squirm. "Let me tell you what I don't believe in." Carson leaned forward, looking the woman directly in the eye. "I don't believe in hiding behind God. If you're going to hate me, then own your hatred and stop blaming it on God. I believe that Bible you're holding says that God is love. What you hold in your heart against me, that didn't come from God, at least not a god I'd want any part of."
It began as a buzz and quickly grew to a roar, a thundering of applause and cheers that almost took Carson to her knees. "Blasphemer! Sinner!" The woman cried out. "You're going to burn in hell!" The guards quickly moved in, escorting her away, as she kicked and screamed louder. Across the lawn the Phelps crew and the gay and lesbian task force were very close to breaking through the barricades, and the state troopers turned on each side, facing the yelling mob, cans of mace and batons at the ready.
"Carson." Kennedy gently touched her shoulder. "We need to go."
Carson turned, to see a contingent of security guards circling them from behind. In a numb blur she followed, as they were whisked back inside the Capitol building and down a long hallway to the parking lot behind, where a long black car with dark windows was waiting, the back door held open by yet another guard. Carson climbed in and Kennedy followed. As soon as the door closed, Carson tucked up under Kennedy's open arm, burying her face into her, drawing in deep breaths of the familiar, comforting scent.
"Thought you didn't like to speak in front of crowds." The words could have been taken as an admonishment, save for the warm, loving tone, which floated over Carson, settling into the terrified corners of her psyche. "You okay?"
"I screwed up, didn't I?" Carson answered mournfully.
"No." Kennedy kissed her head. "I couldn't be more proud of you than I am right now."
"But I started a riot." Carson looked up at her and Kennedy brushed away a tear on her cheek. "And I messed up your campaign."
"Hmmm. Well, I think the troopers kept an actual riot from breaking out." Kennedy caught another tear. "As for my campaign, what you had to say, it sums up everything I said in my speech. That woman and people like her, they are why I have to do this -- if I can do just one good thing from all of this, I want to bring people together and help them see past their differences long enough to work together to solve problems."
"So I didn't destroy your campaign?" Gray eyes searched blue, begging for affirmation.
"No." Kennedy pulled Carson's head back down on her shoulder and stroked her hair. "You spoke the truth. If my campaign can be destroyed by that, it isn't one worth running."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My friends, you have a choice. A pagan liberal lesbian, living in sin, a woman who corrupted a good Baptist girl and led her astray on a path of debauchery, a woman who dares to make a mockery of the sanctity of marriage by calling her depraved relationship an engagement, or me, a married, church-going father of four, who loves my family, my god, and my country. Follow your conscience. Follow your heart. Follow the teachings of the good book, and do the right thing. Re-elect me, and nip this attempt to run roughshod over our values in the bud, and send this brazen woman packing back into obscurity. I'm Roy Sanderson, and I am the representative for District Forty-Eight." The speech, broadcast from the steps of Hanover Baptist Church, ended with wild applause from members who had been invited to stay over after the Wednesday night prayer service and hear the impromptu press conference.
"Do we have to watch network TV tonight?" Carson moaned pitifully. "I think if I see his ugly face one more time I'm going to puke. He's been at it all day long."
"Don't let him get to you, sweetheart." Nonetheless, Kennedy picked up the remote from the coffee table and switched to a documentary on coral reefs. "I need to hear what he's saying. He's the competition."
"That's Chip's and Brian's jobs, isn't it? Didn't they decide to brief you every morning?" Carson sunk back into the leather couch in a huff, crossing her arms. "And you did not lead me astray!" She fumed. "I became a heathen all by myself, thank you very much."
Kennedy wisely remained silent, suppressing a smirk. It was difficult, given just how cute her lover sometimes looked when she was mad. Instead, she cautiously slid closer and held out an arm, smiling when Carson tucked herself beneath it, curling against her.
"And a fine one you are," Katie answered instead from her comfy nest in the recliner. "If you ask me, that man has enough hot air in him to fly me back to Odessa in a balloon."
"You miss home, huh?" Carson was grateful for the segue to a change of subject.
"I miss my kids and I miss Parker something fierce." Katie looked down, twisting her wedding ring on her finger. "Darned if I don't find myself missing making PB&J sandwiches and driving them around to football, soccer, t-ball, Indian Princess meetings, piano lessons, and every other institution designed to keep kids busy and their mothers exhausted." She looked up and smiled. "I knew I was homesick when I caught myself missing washing Parker's smelly softball uniform."
"I hear you," Kennedy chimed in. "It's funny how quickly you get used to little things that should annoy you, but they don't."
"Like what?" Carson elbowed her in the ribs.
"Like coffee grounds that made it into the sink but not down the disposal." Kennedy elbowed her back. "And like shampoo lids not screwed back on tight enough, so I almost spill it every time I pick it up to use it myself."
"Oh, I get it." Carson joined in the game. "You mean like briefcases I almost trip over because they were dropped in the entryway and don't make it to the study? Or maybe you mean picking up soy milk at the store but forgetting to pick up the real milk."
"Does that make us even?" Kennedy ruffled her hair.
"Even." Carson grinned at her.
"Besides, most times the briefcase got dropped so I could grab you and kiss you senseless. And you seem to have developed a taste for soy milk." Kennedy teased.
"Punk." Carson tackled her, sending her sprawling backward on the cushions. "I gotcha!"
"Only 'cause I let you get me." Kennedy crossed her arms beneath her head in a smug, relaxed pose and stretched lazily, flipping Carson back across the couch.
"Oooooo!" Carson pounced, straddling Kennedy and tickling her. An all-out wrestling match ensued, taking them to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs that sent several furry bodies scrambling for safe ground. In mid-tickle, Carson looked up and caught Katie watching them, her face half-amused and half-wistful. Carson's expression quickly changed from gleeful to sympathetic. She knew Katie and Parker wrestled just like they were. She'd witnessed a similar display when they were in Alpine for Thanksgiving. "When is Parker coming for his next visit?"
"Easter, I think." Katie pouted. Easter was two weeks away. "Not that we celebrate Easter, other than painting and hiding eggs for the kids. It's because I have a doctor's appointment the day afterward and he's going to stay over and go with me. No house call for that one. They're going to run all kinds of tests and checks and see how soon we might be able to take these little ones, if we need to."
Both Kennedy and Carson scrambled back onto the couch. "You think you'll end up inducing, or maybe having a C-Section?" Kennedy asked. Katie looked miserable, and she was only six months along. It was amazing how big the belly of a tiny woman could get when it was full of babies. Not that Kennedy would ever say as much to her sister-in-law. Despite the large stomach, Katie had that radiant glow common to many pregnant women, and Kennedy could see why their spouses found them beautiful.
"I would eat liver and onions and then go run a marathon right now if I knew it would send me into labor and I would deliver two healthy babies." Katie laughed lightly. "But that's not an option. No, the doctor is keeping a close eye on things. I think he'll induce as soon as it's safe, unless these two little girls decide to start things up of their own accord. Inducing sometimes makes for harder labor, but I'd prefer to go that route, since Parker can plan to be here that way. Otherwise, if we wait for natural birth, they may get here before his plane lands. Each delivery was faster for me. Erin took almost an entire day -- twenty-three hours of mostly hard back labor. Ryan cut it in half at eleven hours, and I popped Nathan out in six."
"We'll all be here for you, Katie." Carson wrinkled her nose. "Except for the liver and onions. If you decide on those, you're on your own."
They all laughed, and settled back to watch television. It had been a long day in which the phone rang non-stop, most calls from journalists requesting interviews, with a smattering of random calls from strangers offering support, and a few from anti-gay hecklers. By three p.m., Carson had thrown in the towel and called the phone company to get an unlisted number at the house. Luckily, all the mail went to a post office box in town, leaving very few public records that bore the physical address of the house. Still, the few that did give the physical address had been enough to send a few news vans cruising by on the farm-to-market road in front of the house.
As if reading her thoughts, someone knocked at the door, and Kennedy groaned. "Please tell me people haven't been knocking on the door all day, too? Maybe if we ignore them, they'll go away."
"No. Lots of drive-bys and I caught a couple of 'em stopped out front snapping pictures, but no one had the guts to actually get out and come up to the house." Carson got up and peered out the peep hole. "Can't tell who it is, and the porch light isn't on."
"Miss Nocona?" A muffled voice drifted through the door, accompanied by more knocking. "May I have just a minute of your time?"
Kennedy got up and joined her, flipping on the porch light. She looked out. "Reporter. No more of this after tonight. They're coming tomorrow to put up the security cameras and gate for the driveway. They'll take out the old manual gate and replace it with an electric one we can open and close from a switch inside here, beside the door, along with a call box. We'll have remotes we can use from our cars to open the gates, and we'll have monitors for the cameras in here, in the study, and in the bedroom. I'm having a camera put on the back door and on the boathouse dock, too. That should cover all the points of entry unless they want to hike across the neighbors' land on one side or the other, or through snake-infested marsh grass. Now --" She tugged the door open. "Let's see which rag is rude enough to knock on the door uninvited at 8:30 at night."
A flashbulb was her answer, the bright light momentarily blinding both of them. "Miss Nocona?"
Another flash bore into Kennedy's eyes and she growled, grabbing the reporter's wrist. "Get the hell off my land!"
"I tried to call but the phone company said your number was unlisted." The man took another picture as she grabbed his collar and lifted him a few inches off the ground.
"You want an interview, you call my campaign manager like everyone else." She plucked a business card from his front pocket. "National Enquirer? Are you kidding me? Can you even spell 'Nocona'?"
"Of course," the man answered indignantly. "And I don't need an interview. We have our story. All I needed were pictures."
Kennedy glared at him and without a word, dropped him off the porch. He landed on his behind in the flower bed, dropping his camera in the soft dirt.
"Hey!" He picked it up, dusting it off. "That's expensive! Be careful."
"Whine at someone who cares!" Kennedy slammed the door, leaving him alone in the glow of an energy-efficient light bulb. "Geez!"
"Honey." Carson gently guided her fuming lover back to the couch. "Don't be surprised if those pictures aren't in the Enquirer next week with some bogus story. You know how they are."
Kennedy started to laugh. "I can see it now: Texas politician caught in lakeside love nest."
"Yeah, or 'Lakeside Lesbian Lust'." Carson laughed along with her. "But I am glad you ordered all the security. I have a feeling without it that might become a nightly event."
"Um --" Katie cut in, her voice sheepish. "I wasn't going to say anything, but two of them came by the house while I was here alone this afternoon. I was sitting on the back porch and one of 'em came all the way around back there. I thought Talia was going to tear through the screen door to get to 'em"
"You should've let her out." Kennedy's face hardened, all traces of mirth vanished. "And if anything like that happens again, you call the sheriff and then call me, okay?"
"I would have, but they left pretty quickly when they saw Talia, and by then I knew you'd ordered the gate." Katie shrugged. "No harm done. I think Alexis got their license plate number, in the event you wanted to file a complaint."
"I should, if it wouldn't draw more attention instead of deterring it. Trespassing is breaking the law, and disturbing a pregnant woman on bed rest is a hanging offense in my book." Something occurred to her and she turned to Carson. "Anyone bother you while you were out and about today?" Large grey eyes that met hers for a split second and then looked down were her answer. "Carson?"
"I'm a big girl. I can handle it." Carson slowly met her gaze. "But yes, someone followed me into the grocery store and asked me for an interview. I talked to them for a few minutes and posed for a picture, and they seemed satisfied. I think it was just the Lago Vista paper. No big deal."
"I can have Brian handle setting up your interviews, if you'd like," Kennedy offered. "I'm sure more than our little local paper will want to talk to you."
"Let's see how it goes." Carson frowned in disgust. "I don't care for Brian and I'd rather not have him messing in my personal schedule. Bad enough you have to put up with him."
"I thought he was going to have a coronary after we left the Capitol." Kennedy smiled warmly at Carson. "I don't think he was prepared for the force of nature you can be. I kept telling them I was not the one they should be afraid of."
"Ladies." Katie eased her way slowly up from the recliner. "I’m going to call it a night. I need to get settled in and call the kids before they go to bed."
"You need any help?" Carson moved to her side.
"No. It's nice to get out of that bedroom every now and then and have some company. Makes me feel less like an invalid if I watch TV out here with y'all. Oof." She straightened up, bracing one hand on her back above her hip. "Not sure how much longer I'll be able to waddle out here. Might as well enjoy it while I can." She reached the dog trot door. "Night, ladies."
"Good night," Carson and Kennedy answered in unison.
Kennedy retrieved two empty wine glasses from the coffee table and wandered into the kitchen to wash them. From the laundry room, she heard the rattle of puppy chow as Carson poured it into bowls for the dachshund triplets, followed by more rattles as bowls for Talia, Cody, and the cats were all filled. "Lord." Carson joined her at the sink with two water bowls. "It's like running an animal shelter."
"You know, the boys across the way have really taken a liking to the dachshunds." Kennedy watched Carson stiffen for a moment. She waited, hoping Carson would at least think about it. Cute as they were, caring for five dogs and three cats was starting to wear them out, especially Carson, who had taken on the greater share of the load.
"I know." Carson looked over at the puppies, who were all eagerly gathered around their bowls making happy puppy noises as they devoured their dinner. "Mrs. Shipley came over this afternoon and introduced herself, and told me they'd take Oscar and Felix, if we wanted to get rid of them. She even offered to pay for them, but I told her if we let them go, they could have them at no charge. I told her I'd discuss it with you."
"You know you'll get no argument from me." Kennedy put the wine glasses in the cabinet and tossed the empty wine bottle into a recycle bin. "But I told you we could keep them. It's not that I don't like them, Carson, but --"
"They're a handful," Carson finished for her. "I kind of hate to split them up, but I guess Daisy could go next door to visit her brothers if she gets lonely for them."
"All children leave home, eventually." Kennedy took one of the full water bowls and helped carry them over to their spot against the laundry room wall. "I think the Shipleys will take good care of them. Mr. Shipley has those horses and he's real good with them."
"Yeah." Carson set the water bowl down and stood. "Oh, I almost forgot. Your radio show called me this morning and asked if I'd come down with you on Monday and stay over for a thirty-minute interview. Do you mind?"
"Not at all. That must be what they called me about. I haven't had a chance to call them back yet." Kennedy smiled and drew her into her arms, indulging in a lengthy kiss. An explosion of happy endorphins surprised her and she surfaced for a second, meeting Carson's eyes, which were half-closed. So, the feeling was mutual. A bubbling laugh erupted from her throat and she dove back in for more, wrapping her arms tightly around the smaller woman and lifting her a few inches off the ground. Carson's tongue gently danced with hers and then pulled back, tasting her earlobe. She groaned pleasantly as she felt Carson's lips close around it, her breath warm against Kennedy's neck.
"Time for attorneys to go to bed," Carson whispered in her ear.
"Only if cute, blonde former paralegals join them." Kennedy scooped her up, making it only as far as the bearskin rug in the den. Bedtime, it seemed, would have to wait a while longer.
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Continued in Chapter 5
