“Jace, did you have to tell everyone!” Catherine gave her partner a long-suffering glance, which was returned with a twinkle in those seemingly innocent emerald eyes.

“I only told them the truth. It happened and we were sharing stories about each other, right?” The chuckle that accompanied the question had the other observers smiling indulgently and the person at the centre of amused attention sighing heavily.

Lisa, watching the adults with a quizzical look from puzzled blue eyes, Jace was telling the truth Catherine had run away from the nasty geese that day. She should know, the geese had been after her originally and then Catherine had arrived to save her.

Constantia was about to comment when she was stalled as Lisa spoke without thinking.

“Mom, you never told them about the horse! Now that had been great fun, don’t you think Cath…?” Her eyes bulged as Catherine seized the child by frail shoulders and picked her up as the rest of the interested onlookers cheerfully laughed at the affronted child’s expressions of distress.

“Enough! It’s someone else’s turn to be made ridiculous.” Her eyes snaring the youngsters, warning her that keeping quiet would be in her est interests at this moment in time.

Lisa glanced at Catherine then to the ground, which seemed miles away. Being held aloft by this tall woman, she wouldn’t really drop her would she? Mmmm better not take the chance you could never second-guess her Mother. She knew that better than most, having tried the older woman’s patience more times than anyone else ever had before, or so Jace would say from time to time accompanied a big grin on her face.

“Catherine, let the child go; she was only trying to be helpful.” Constantia glared at her niece. However, the ice that Catherine had always come to expect from her aunt was thinly veiled a large measure of amusement more evident.

Jace couldn’t help it she giggled at the chastised expression on her wife’s face. It was really something to see her partner being taken to task by the older woman who was Catherine’s double except forty years older. At least she now knew how her lover would look when she was eighty, magnificent!

“Helpful, yeah I’ve heard that before.” Catherine gave the child in her arms a long last stare and then gently let her down, whispering something in her ear as she did so. A sparkling smile passed between the two of them as Lisa skipped towards Jason and settled on his knee.

“Granddad, Catherine is going to tell us a story now and you wait she’s cool at that because she tells us stories all the time.” Jason grinned and kissed the child’s cornflower hair; she was a handful and so lovable it was easy to see how she wrapped both women who cared for her around her little finger.

“For once Lisa is right, Cath…Mother is a cool story teller she should take it up as a profession.” Jake shyly joined in the banter as he smiled at the women in his life. Elena snuggled fast asleep in his arms, a place that she staked a claim on whenever the boy was close by, strangely enough for a fourteen year old he didn’t appear to mind and if he did, Elena would scream her disappointment and that would solve that dilemma the boy dissolved under her tears.

“I can’t wait, nor, I am sure, can anyone else. Catherine, the floor is all yours now which story are you going to entertain us with?” Jason gave his daughter-in-law a slow understanding smile, never ceasing to wonder how his eldest daughter had managed to tame such a wild creature. When all the information and knowledge he’d gained first hand and by third parties clearly indicated she had been hard to understand and certainly not controllable. Yet, here before his very eyes she was pliable, entertaining and allowing other’s to tease her, love was indeed a many splendid thing as the old song used to say.

Jace smiled tentatively she knew that Catherine had a devious streak and if Lisa had been talking there was always a chance that her wife might, just might, use one of the child’s rather vivid imaginative renderings in payment for their eldest daughter’s impulsive outbursts, in the nicest possible way of course.

“Do I know this story, Catherine?”

“Yes you do, in fact, better than that, you are the star of the show.” Grinning at the look of surprise and uncertainty, which flashed across Jace’s face. Catherine slowly sank down into the love seat on the decking in front of the house; it was way too hot to stay inside, though they had managed to do so for the Christmas day meal, a traditional turkey with all the trimmings. Her roots coming to the fore as she endured all the banter over her heavy meal on such a beautiful day, a BBQ would have been more appropriate. However, indulging the owner of Destiny and her idiosyncrasies was all part of being a member of the ever-increasing family.

“Me?” Jace squeaked out and had to endure the inquisitive glances from her parents and friends, Grace, Colin, James, Constance and Claire not to mention anyone else who might turn up.

“Of course darling, who else, fair deal wouldn’t you say?” the expressive dark eyebrows shot to her forehead as she teased her lover, placing a hand on the seat beside her and beckoning over her wife.

“I suppose…exactly which story would you be taking about? Perhaps we could discuss it first.”

A delicious velvety laugh erupted from Catherine as she pulled the reluctant smaller woman into her arms. “How about I start and you can always stop me if I embellish it too much.”

“Please, Catherine, tell, I’m all ears waiting to hear exactly what story you can cook up about my daughter.”

“Anything for you Mother-in-law, now where do I start?”

“At the beginning silly, the field you remember…” Lisa trailed off as Jace gave her a glare, so they were in it together those schemers. If it turned out acutely embarrassing she would see to it that they had a fitting punishment even if it was Christmas.

Winking at the child, Catherine felt rather than saw the woman stiffen in her arms and kissed the top of the blonde head, knowing that would ease the tension. Right on cue Jace relaxed against her as she began the story.

“I’m tired aren’t we there yet?” Lisa asked grouchily they’d been walking for ages and she only had small legs didn’t they know that!

“Quit grumbling, Lisa we’ve only just started, it’s a ramble and picnic today, Catherine asked you if you wanted to come, you didn’t have to remember.”

“She said it was an easy walk not a twenty mile hike! I want to go home, I’d rather play in the yard with my dolls.”

“If she hears you I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes,” The boy replied. Knowing full well that their tall guardian wouldn’t do anything at all except wish she hadn’t taken them along and he wanted to go, it was always fun with the two adults.

“What will she do…?”

“What will who do?” both children looked up startled as the very person they were speaking off snuck up on them.

“Yeah who?” Jace joined in the conversation as she surveyed the beauty around her. She’d travelled a far slice of the globe with her old job and seen marvellous landscapes including her own country; somehow she always had her breath taken away every time she experienced a new place here. Though, she had to admit, her heart was biased, wherever Catherine took her would be the Garden of Eden to her, guess New Zealand was going to be her permanent paradise.

“No one, we were just talking, you know how we kids do.” Jake might tease his sister, which was quite normal however he would cover for her, especially in a sticky situation.

“Catherine, have we much father to walk…before the picnic that is?” Lisa added and grinned at her own quick thinking, she was rather proud of herself.

Jake looked over to the mountain range that was snow topped even in the summer months they looked spectacular. His aim one day was to go mountain climbing and skiing, he’d have to work on his guardians first though. Jace would probably be the first to capitulate and if he was lucky, Jace could persuade Catherine. It was all in how you approached the subject matter.  “I’m starving too, Catherine, any chance we can eat now?”

“Well, I was thinking we could get to the bottom of the range first and then eat, it’s only another…perhaps three miles.”

“Three miles?” Jace, Lisa and Jake all exclaimed in disappointment. Jake had to admit he was hungry also, breakfast now seemed like hours ago.

Catherine turned to the threesome and pushed a hand through her hair, she knew it...no way would they make it, no stamina. Jace, she could forgive, Elena was a handful and sapped her mother’s strength. This was the first day that their youngest child had been left behind without either parent, though Grace and her mother were thrilled at the prospect of the babysitting without interference from one of the doting parents for the day.

Jake, she was surprised at, he was fit and appeared to relish the prospect when she’d mentioned it earlier. Having overheard a partial conversation with him and his friend about one day climbing mountains and going skiing, this would have been a great starting point. Lisa, on the other hand, was an unknown quantity. The likelihood had been she would need pampering at some stage, which meant one thing and one thing only, the child would end up sitting on her shoulders part of the way. Not that she minded really their little princess was one of a kind.

“Is that too far, we can cut corners and cross by the field over by the stream and then we will reach the mountain range quicker, what do you say?”

All eyes turned to the field, it didn’t look that far away, they could do that. “We can do that, can’t we kids?”

Jace winked at the children they would do it; Catherine had looked so disappointed when they’d replied despondently. A part of her wanted to take the tall woman in her arms and hug her but Catherine wouldn’t have welcomed such a show of affection in front of the children, especially if it was regarding a sign of weakness.

“Yep, we can do that.” They all had a sudden influx of energy as they were given a dazzling smile by Catherine, who nodded her head and set off in front of them. Rio at her heels the only one not protesting about the walk in someway.

Thirty minutes later flagging feet finally reached the field and faced a chagrined Catherine who hadn’t opened the gate to allow them entry.

“Oh no, don’t tell me it’s private property and we can’t cut across the land?” Jace couldn’t help herself, her expression clearly upset at the prospect of them having another walking session prior to eating.

“No, no not that, though it is private property but, nothing to worry about,” Catherine pulled at her lower lip in concentration.

“Right, of course I know, it belongs to you. Now why aren’t I surprised?”

Jake and Lisa chuckled at the remark as Catherine frowned slightly with the apparently acid laced comment from her partner.

“Actually, yes, I own this land, all the land we’ve walked so far. Does that cause a problem Jace?”  A note of uncertainty flooded the question; they’d been together now for over a year but still hadn’t talked much about personal wealth, especially hers, it hadn’t ever been important or so she thought, perhaps it was!

“No! No, of course not, what’s the problem you look kind of out of sorts?”

“Sheep!”

“Sheep? Pardon me for not being a country girl and knowing immediately what you mean by that could you elaborate for me please?”

A raised eyebrow greeted the comment and Catherine sighed, “I’m no country girl either, Jace, remember?”

There was a moment’s silence as both women realised that this was a stupid conversation.

“Point taken darling, have we a problem? I know I’m hungry and the kids will be after the additional exercise.”

“Yeah, we are. Can we stop here, Catherine, please?” Lisa pleaded in her best Sunday voice, which usually did the trick with the taller woman.

“The field is full of sheep, Jace, I didn’t realise that Colin had allowed them to pasture this far out. We’ll have to take another route, won’t be more than…say another half hour.”

“Nope! Not me, love. We can cross the field, surely sheep are docile animals and certainly Rio won’t cause them any trouble you can put him on his leash that’s why he has one.” Though Rio would probably wonder what was happening, he rarely if ever had a leash attached now that Catherine didn’t need his particular talents as she could partially see now.

All eyes moved down to the guide dog, who had happily walked alongside his tall mistress and occasionally back tracked to check on his smaller mistress. Lisa often played with him in the yard and gave him treats meant for her toys. “I’m not worried about Rio, he’s trained….”

Jace exasperated and affronted by the remark, as she placed her hands on her hips and glared at Catherine. “Don’t tell me you think we as in us,” pointing to the three of them in an exaggerated fashion. “Can’t be trusted in a field of sheep? Well let me tell you, Ms. Country girl, we can!”

Without waiting for a response Jace mounted the gate and climbed over, she hated climbing, heights were definitely not her thing. This time she swallowed hard taking the initiative she’d show her lover exactly the kind of country girl she was, as she vaulted over the fence.

Splat!

Catherine closed her eyes and kept them closed for as long as possible, opening them as Rio barked in excitement and the kids shrieked in amusement.

Damn, she knew that was going to happen, they’d had heavy rains in the plains in the last couple of weeks, kind of made the place boggy and this bog had been immediately beyond the fence.

Cautiously opening her eyes she couldn’t help it she burst out laughing, as she saw the woman she loved encased up to her knees in the middle of the bog, her face a picture of outrage and incredulity splattered with brown marks from the fall into the depths of the soggy area.

“Are you okay, Jace?” A tentative rejoinder, as Catherine slowly walked closer to the gate wondering how she was going to solve this little problem.

“Yes, I’m fine, can’t you see that!”

Opps, obviously not! Catherine turned to the children and placed a hand to her lips to silence their laughter with an accompanying wink.

“Kid’s, take the knapsack and Rio, settle by that stream we’ll eat there. I’ll…help Jace, leave something for us though, your Mom wouldn’t be happy if nothing was left, would she?”

“No way, Jace would stop our privileges for a week if we left her to starve.” Lisa announced as she pushed at Jake to take the provisions so they could have their feast, she was starving. “Come on, Rio, time to eat.”

Smiling at the comment, not exactly true, but close, very close to the truth, Jace loved her food and right now she wouldn’t be in a happy mood, which usually made her eat even more.

Turning to her love she smiled slowly, “I’ll…well I’ll give you a hand shall I?”

“A hand, Catherine, this is all your fault! You knew this would happen why didn’t you tell me? I’m filthy and the smell is appalling what is it?”

Coughing slightly, blue eyes twinkled in amusement as she answered softly, “sheep droppings.”

“Sheep droppings! How could you, Catherine.” The whine was so pathetic Catherine actually felt responsible for all of a few moments and then laughed at the absurdity.

“Yeah right, my fault. Who didn’t wait to hear the rest of my sentence? Though I’m impressed, darling, you vaulted the gate like a natural and all those times you wanted me to hold your hand.” A smile permanently plastered over Catherine’s face, how she loved this woman, regardless if she smelt of sheep dung and a soggy bog, it really didn’t matter. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder and she was a fantastic woman.

“I never did!” Jace pouted at the truth, Catherine was right she had done well under her own steam even if she had landed in a none so friendly environment. “Anyway, isn’t it time you helped me out of this, I’m soaking and I think stuck as well!”

“Aw, Jace ,you said you were fine,” the expression on the blonde's face was enough to change Catherine’s mind as she carefully climbed over the gate, tentatively finding less soggy ground.

“Take my hand.”

Reaching across Jace clasped the hand held out to her and felt the strength of the fingers that gripped hers as if she’d never let go. That was her girl, Catherine would never let go, she never had, ever no matter what troubles came to pass and they’d had a few!

“Want to join me?” Jace responded with a flippant comment as she pulled at the hand, taking Catherine unawares, who toppled towards her and landed with a heavier splat in the bog beside her. “God, Jace, why?”

“Hey lover, share and share alike, right?”

Catherine considered the comment a moment and then chuckled, “you’ve been listening to me and my strange comments too long lady.”

Grinning at the dark haired woman who was now as smelly as she was, and who hadn’t become angry at all, wonder what the payback would be. “Sure, and I love all your odd comments. Shall we ask the kids for help?”

Catherine grinned, this was love, it had to be how the hell else would you put up with all this…shit in the natural kind of way. “No thanks, no knowing what Lisa would do.”

“Yeah, that’s true, we love her more for it though don’t we?”

“Yes, a rather unique little princess I would say.”

As the two women were talking unbeknownst to them a herd of sheep were coming closer and closer inquisitively.

“Let’s go have lunch, then I’ll call Colin and he can send a vehicle for us. Somehow I don’t think either of us would enjoy walking in this state.”

“Oh how I love you, Catherine, you read my mind.”

Grinning happily, Catherine reached over and kissed her love tenderly, even in the middle of a smelly bog that wouldn’t change anything to her. Jace was the sexiest woman on the planet and the keeper of her heart and soul. Damn, how had she become so romantic, it was  kind of wonderful!

A white plastic bag descended on them as they broke the kiss, obviously a part of the food packaging that had blown away as the kids unpacked.

“We need to go and now!”

Hearing the determination in Catherine’s voice, Jace gazed around her wondering why.  “Why, are those sheep getting closer?”

“Great observation darling, let’s go.” Heaving themselves out of the bog they managed to mount the gate as the heard of sheep surrounded the spot they were embedded in.

“What was all that about? Did they think we were one of them?”

“The only time you are one of them, my love, is when you are snuggled into that soft wool robe after a shower and let me tell you, you smell a hundred times better.”

“Why thank you, darling, I love you too.” Jace reached up and kissed her lover soundly, this might not have ended as expected but what the hey, it was fun. Everything was fun when she was here with her family, Catherine and the kids would always be her family no matter what happened in the future.

“Let’s go eat or the kids will devour it all…”

“I can’t believe you told that story, Catherine, it wasn’t even interesting.”  Jace looked up and caught the sly smile that crossed her wife’s lips.

“Don’t be silly, Jace, it’s a great story and reminds me of when you were young, now, Catherine, I could tell you some stories….” Jason responded to his daughter’s comment and heard everyone groan.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Catherine gently slipped out of the love seat she shared with Jace, caressing her shoulder as she did so causing a shiver of anticipation to flood the blonde.

“Jason, trust me you sound like a doting parent about to bring out the naked baby photos... we can do that later.” Grinning as she heard the squeak from Jace, leading her father-in-law away for a drink in the dining room.

Constantia had listened fascinated, not only to the story, which was enlightening. but the way Catherine told the story, evidently there were memories attached to the basic story that hadn’t been voiced, as one would expect.

“Jace, forgive an old woman, why did the sheep come after you both?”

Constantia wasn’t the only one who hadn’t understood that aspect either, pleased she’d asked.

“Can I tell? Can I please, Mom?” Lisa piped in, finally she had an opportunity for centre stage again, and disappointed that Catherine had taken her grandfather away from them. It was always good when the grandparents came by they always brought presents with them even when it wasn’t Christmas.

“Let Jace, Lisa, you say too much already. Anyway, come on we need to feed the ponies we have treats for them, it’s Christmas!” Jake dragged the girl away protesting he was a spoilsport.

“Seems I’ve been volunteered that task.” Grinning as she watched indulgently her two eldest children move towards the paddock, it was a wonderful feeling knowing that they were hers and no one could take them away.

“And?”

“Well, according to Catherine, some of the farmers with their sheep take certain feeds in plastic bags to the fields at feeding time. Naturally the sheep thought when they saw the white bag that it was feeding time, and came over to see what we had for them.”

“Would you have been hurt in the stampede?” Jace’s mother asked appalled at the perceived danger.

“No, sheep are timid creatures, all Catherine said was that we would have smelt even worse than we did if we hadn’t got out of there.”

Grace stood up laughing, “You know, Bardley, I’ll give you credit for one thing out of that story.”

“That would be, Grace?” Jace smiled wickedly at her friend.

“You know how to make a rather dishy dip.”

“Oh really, Grace! Is that the best you can do in the joke stakes.” Laughing at the thought she had to agree on that one Catherine had been a rather dishy dip that day, any day come to that.

“My partner in crime has gone what can I say. See you all later for dinner.”

* * *

The decking area was silent except for the faint sounds of crickets and the deep breathing of the woman sound asleep on the lap of the taller woman watching the clear night sky.

They’d had a great family dinner, opened the residual presents, except for one, which she had kept for Jace to open when they were alone. After drinks and the general chitchat everyone had finally gone to bed, and she was loath to wake Jace from her slumber. Her wife having fallen asleep an hour earlier, the day’s exertions taking their toll on her, especially now in her condition.

Twins wow! Hard to believe but a fact and one she wouldn’t alter for the world. Not only that, one of those children would be a product of her too, a blood relation, part of her DNA. The more she thought of it the more she felt the miracle of life and how totally incredible it was, knowing the real marvel was the woman asleep on her lap.

Sometimes she went through the ritual of pinching herself to make sure everything she had at the moment was real. Three children and two more on the way, a family, albeit a mixed bag, wonderful nonetheless and the most important element that made it all reality, Jace. Looking back on her life she had to kick herself that she hadn’t realised earlier and found her lover way back when she was younger. Then again, she realised that she had needed to experience certain aspects of life, even if they had been cruel and sad, to appreciate what she had now and never allowing it to leave her again, ever!

“Penny for them?”

Grinning at the softly spoken question, “for you only darling it’s free. I was thinking how incredibly lucky I am and all the love we have here.”

Shrugging off the sleep that had invaded her system, and still did, their bed would be quite welcome now. “Oh darling, I think everyone who comes here to Destiny is struck by the love that enfolds them, and they never want to leave. Do you know how I know that?”

“How?”

“It’s beauty, space and peace but most of all the person who owns it lives its ideals.”

Perplexed Catherine gave Jace a sharp glance, “ideals?”

“Yes, ideals, it’s in everything you do for me, the kids, friends, and even work colleagues and everyone else who comes across your path. You are one of the few who still hold old fashioned principles darling, and believe the best of people until they do you wrong. Even then sometimes you still let them inside look at me.”

“I don’t understand, Jace, I’m not like that, you know my past life. As for you, you are inside my heart and soul I can’t let you go even if you want to.”

“Sure I do, it was a masquerade, and you had to find the right place to drop the façade. Look at you now my wonderful wife, how you try to keep everything together for the people you love and care about, regardless of the cost to you, and I don’t mean financially though that comes into it. You give your heart, Catherine, and feel sadness when occasionally it doesn’t work out, a part of you cries for that failure. Look at all the things that have worked out though love, no matter what you think you are the heart of Destiny we all know we are safe to love here.”

Catherine turned away at the words they brought tears to her eyes and she stumbled to speak, knowing that words couldn’t always convey what she needed to say.

“I have something for you.”  Reaching into her pocket and removing a small present wrapped in a wonderful foil Christmas wrap with holly and robins on.

“Catherine, we decided that this year we wouldn’t give each other presents. I haven’t anything for you.”

A heavy sigh left Catherine as she tilted the blonde head towards her a tender smile creasing her lips, “you gave me a gift this Christmas that is invaluable darling, my gift is trivial in comparison, and please open it.”

“I love you Catherine I’ve always loved you from the first moment I saw you.” Jace reached up kissing the full lips, which held that wonderful smile causing her heart to eat rapidly as she carefully unwrapped the gift.

As she did so a small volume slipped out of the folds of the wrapper, her jaw dropped as she read the title and the author.

“Cat got your tongue love?”

“I…I…darling I’m speechless.” Laughing Catherine hugged her wife tightly; “do you think this would work on Lisa?”

“Oh my love this is incredible, I love you do you know that.”

“Yes, I do, go on open it.”

Jace looked once more at the slim volume, ‘A Hearts Desire’ Poetry by Jace Bardley.

Turning the pages she saw all her work that she had composed for Catherine it was a manuscript of how she felt about her lover.

“I took the liberty of composing the dedication, I hope you don’t mind.” As Jace turned to the page she couldn’t help herself the tears flowed as she read the simple message.

‘To my one and only, always.’

“You are you know.” Jace whispered through her tears.

“Yes I know, as you are mine.” Catherine pulled Jace back into her close embrace and they held each other silently for a few minutes.

“How about we go to bed, tomorrow is going to be another busy day.”

“Did I ever tell you everyday with you is like a brand new start? I love to wake up knowing you are there beside me, and together we can share whatever comes our way.”

“Oh, Catherine, I think you should write the poems with statements like that,” smiling at her wife as she was gently carried towards the house and their room, a perfect ending to a perfect Christmas day.

“No, I’ll leave that to the published part of the family, let’s go to bed.”

“Did I ever tell you I loved you?”

“Mmmm, tricky question…” feeling the gentle nudge in her ribs she laughed softly. “Yep you did my Californian beauty; I love you too now and forever.”

“How about Merry Christmas..?” they went up the stairs, their gentle whispered banter proved again and again that Destiny was theirs and entwined with love.