Just Beyond The Moon

 Allie stood looking down the driveway watching the sheriff taking Maxine back to her cabin. Maxine had been wonderful with the horses as was the sheriff. The children that she didn't know had brought five horses to her ranch. They had heard grown ups talking about her ranch. The young brothers and sisters had known about these horses for quite some time and had been taking carrots and apples to them, but hey had no feed or hay for them. The horses would go to the little creek to drink that ran from the Double D onto the farm where the horses lived. They told her that they just knew that she would take good care of them so they decided to ride them over to her ranch. The barn on the farm was abandoned, but there were saddles and tack for the horses. Helping each other was a really big job, but they got it done after hours of working together. They had horses on their farm so they knew how to do it. Of course, the ranch hands took the horses  to the barns and were looked over by the ranch hands. They did need some tender loving care, good feed and even some dental work. Allie had had an equine dentist to the ranch caring for her own horse so she had Caydon give her a call again to come out and check out the new borders as soon as she could.

The hands took the horses and led them out to the pastures of good green grass where there was a small pond of fresh water. Two of the hands took a large round bale of hay out and unrolled it for the horses to enjoy. They immediately whinnied their thanks and enjoyed some good hay for the first time in a long time.

Virginia smiled and remembered how she had had such fun with her grandchildren on the ranch. She could just see in her mind's eye how they rode the square bales like horses and giggled and had such fun. She and Edward had had such a good life on the ranch. They had even gotten some small horses and donkeys for the grandchildren to play with. "Yes, this was the good life and to be able to watch it continue to make others happy is pure enjoyment. But both Allie and Josh drive me crazy. I'm going to go find Edward and talk that situation over. Hope he isn't still a puppy."

As Virginia floated about the ranch she heard some music coming from the fire pit area. How fun is this? Edward! Come out of hiding and come sit with me and listen to this guy play. Oh remember the old days? We had music at the ranch every Saturday night. It was Heaven." Edward grinned as he sat down beside her and said, "Yes it was, now we are in Heaven with an assignment on earth. He's good isn't he? Let's sit for awhile and let Allie and Josh settle their own problems. Oh Honey, he's singing an old Tex Ritter song that we used to love. Just Beyond The Moon. That's our song, isn't it?"

I'll walk just beyond the moon then I'll stop and wait for you

My mother and my father were in love for 50 years
So when dad died, we wondered why my mother shed no tears
We asked her once about it, but she wouldn't tell us why
Instead, she'd walk outside each night and smile up at the sky
Then just before she left us she called us to her side
She told us what my father said to her just before he died

I remember when you said you'd never leave me
Through these golden years I've kept the same vow too
But now that I am going please don't leave me
I'll walk just beyond the moon then I'll stop and wait for you

You can look up every night and you'll see me light the light
Where I'll watch for you to join me someday soon
We'll go lookin' through the stars for the heaven that is ours
And I know we'll find it soon somewhere just beyond the moon

I'll walk just beyond the moon then I'll stop and wait for you

I'll just sit there by a star and I'll watch you from afar
'Til I see you walking toward me someday soon
Then together hand in hand we'll find our promised land
And we'll settle down forever darlin' just beyond the moon

I'll walk just beyond the moon then I'll stop and wait for you

"Can't you just hear him sing that? Now we are together again. Oh how I love you."

                                                                *******

As she watched the sheriff's car disappear down the lane  she looked at the horses grazing, the now new sign that proudly displayed the Double D's existence for all to see when they approached the ranch. Allie could almost imagine her ancestors when they were children playing in the grass and talking to the horses as they grazed. "Who were you? Where did you come from? Were you tough? Were you ever unsure of yourselves? Did you make terrible mistakes that you lived to regret? I think I make a mistake every hour. I love it here, but it seems that Josh and I just can't agree on a doggone thing. Well, it's too late in the day to solve the world's and my problems. I think I will go in and take a long hot bath. As she got closer to the house there sat that cat. "Well look at you. Are you hungry? Okay, I'll bring you out some food and water, but you can't come in the house. Oh don't look so sad. Okay, I'll bring you out a pillow and an old towel to sleep on. Maybe I'll think about getting you a bed in the house and a litter box, but I'm not making you any promises"

After she finished spoiling the wild cat she did have to grin. "I guess I'm an old softie after all, just not to Josh. Why is it that he always rubs me the wrong way? Well, I'm not going to get a long bath, but at least a short bath, then I will read some more entries of the old journal. Maggie was something else and so was her sister, Whitney. I just feel that there was more to them and their parents and grandparents and their grandparents that I need to learn, but I'm so tired. What a day."

Josh's grandfather and Pat had gone back into town. Pat was driving and his grandfather was trying to smooth things over when he last saw them together. He shook his head. "I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I'm just like him. I just can't ever get on the good side of Allie for more than five minutes. She was nice today, though. I guess it was 'cause I was helping with the horses and the children. Come to think of it she didn't say much to me about anything other than 'do that, do this.' Hmm, well, Gramps said that I should try harder and he said he was going to apologize to Pat. Is that what Allie wants? An apology? I guess I could apologize if I knew what I had done wrong. I guess I'll stop over to the house before I go back into town and give it my best shot."

As he was walking from the barnyard to the house he thought he heard some soft music playing. He stopped and thought, "Now that's some pretty music. I think I'll see where it's coming from." Josh started walking toward the sweet sounds of some classic cowboy music. Where was it coming from? The fire pit. Ah, old time music like his grandparents used to like. It fits this place and it makes me smile. It was some kind of toe tapping stuff. Fun music. He decided he'd sit for awhile. The man's fingers seemed to have a mind of their own while the ranch hand held his guitar close to his heart. He listened to the cowhand play his guitar and as he continued to sing. He never acknowledged Josh but his song was no longer a happy dance tune, but a song of separated lovers. Josh no longer enjoyed the music, but got up and went back to town. He needed to rest. It had been a long day and he needed to think. Think about Allie and his and their future. Was it written in the stars? Was it a forever love?

After her bath Allie got on her pj's and took the journal to bed with her. "Oh this is interesting. Here is an entry about them going to a barn dance when they were little. How cool is that? The entries were so vivid that she could almost hear the music from long long ago. She fell asleep with a smile on her face with a song that had planted the seed of endless love into her mind as she slept; Just Beyond The Moon.