glorawen | Soon to be a Family of Five

"Stop teasing the dog!"

While working on the garden sprinkler system, Arthur had kept an eye on Krystal while she played fetch with Dakota. More than once the girl had only pretended to throw the stick, hid it behind her back, and then laughed at Dakota as the dog looked around in confusion, wondering where the stick had flown to.

Dressed in one of her pink and white dresses, Krystal frowned and protested, "I didn't."

Arthur looked down at his daughter and replied firmly, "Yes, you did, and now you're lying about it. Dakota is trusting you to play your side of the game, and you're betraying her when you hide the stick."

Krystal said sullenly, "It's not like she knows what I'm doing."

"She knows more than you think she does," Arthur countered. Disappointed in Krystal's lack of respect for animals, he added, "I would have thought you had learned your lesson after what happened with Jasper."

Krystal had also been teasing the cat in a similar manner. Getting tired of Krystal not playing fair and often bouncing his toys off his head, Jasper had given the girl several scratches across the front of her calves. When Krystal had gone crying to her mother, Gwen had said gently, "Play with him nicely and he won't scratch you."

Both Jasper and Dakota typically had friendly, playful dispositions. Neither of them had ever bitten or scratched Arthur or Gwen. It was only when Krystal teased them that there had been any incidents.

Crossing his arms, Arthur said gravely, "If this is how you're going to treat animals, I don't think it's a good idea to let you learn how to ride a horse. If you try these stunts with a horse you'll end up being bitten, kicked, or trampled."

Pouting, Krystal replied as she strode off toward her tree-house, "I don't care. Horses stink."

Arthur signed before kneeling down to pet Dakota and said softly, "Don't worry, it's not you're fault. You're a good girl."

When he had spoken with his father Nicholas about Krystal's behavior, the older man had asked, "Could she just be rebelling because of the move?"

Grimacing, Arthur had answered, "She's done this before. She lacks empathy for animals even though Gwen and I have both tried to teach her to respect them and remember that they have feelings to."

At least little William was getting along with the family pets. Now that he was learning to talk, he would often point to the Dakota and exclaim happily, "Kota!" Whenever the cat would go sauntering by William would say, "Japper!" Both pets were patient and gentle around him, tolerating his excited pats and enthusiastic hugs.

Both experienced riders, Gwen and Arthur had planned to buy or adopt a couple of horses after getting settled, but were fearful of their daughter getting hurt if she decided it would be funny to offer a carrot then jerk it away just as the horse was reaching for it. Even the most gentle horse could become dangerous if it was made to feel fearful or confused. And a confused or fearful horse could do a lot more to a little girl then just scratch up her legs.

At least Krystal seemed to be settling in at school. She had made some friends and had agreed to allow Gwen to sign her up for an after school activity. As for which activity, Krystal refused to become involved with scouting. Nor was she interested in the art club (much to her mother's and grandmother's dismay). Finally she agreed to be signed up for the ballet class, mainly because Krystal loved the idea of dressing up in a pretty pink dress. After attending a couple of classes, Krystal announced that when she was all grown up she would move to Starlight Shores (a place even more artificial than Appaloosa Plains). Arthur could only sigh and hope that in time his daughter would become more down to earth.

While he had been speaking with Krystal he heard Gwen returning from running errands in town. Although their farm was thriving and providing them with eggs, milk, fruits and vegetables, they still needed to get their meat and fish from the grocery store. Coming into the kitchen after Gwen had placed the week's groceries in the frost box, Arthur remarked, "You were gone a while. I was starting to wonder if there was a problem."

Gwen assured him, "No problems. I ran into Cathleen and we got to talking. You remember her, don't you?"

Nodding, Arthur answered, "Of course. How are she, Kendall and the children doing?"

His wife answered as she gentle pushed a lock of her long pale blonde hair away from her face, "Wonderful. In fact they're expecting another little one."

With a laugh, Arthur replied, "There must be something in the water. My father recently told me that the Hunts who live next door to them are also expecting a baby."

An impish smile appeared on Gwen's face as she said, "If that's the case, then the 'something' is also in our water." As Arthur stared at her blankly, she spread her hands and announced happily, "We're going to need another crib! That's why I was gone so long. I stopped by the doctor's office to make sure."

Little William, who was playing in his playpen nearby, briefly stopped playing with his toys and looked at his mother curiously before returning his attention to the pen's abacus.

After Gwen's words had sunk in, Arthur wrapped his arms around his wife and replied as he hugged her warmly, "That's wonderful!"

Drawing back a bit, Gwen asked, "Really? You're happy? I know the timing not great since we've just settled in and William is still so young."

"It's perfect," Arthur assured her. Turning toward William, he asked, "Here's that, Will? You're a little boy who is about to be a big brother."

William glanced at his father, then yet again returned his attention to the abacus. Whatever his parents were discussing really didn't require his attention at that time.

Suddenly frowning, Gwen stated, "Krystal probably isn't going to be happy about this."

To that Arthur replied, "We won't tell her just yet so we can have some time to enjoy the news, but she'll adjust. We can tell her tomorrow after she comes home from school." He pondered a moment before asking, "Do we still want to look for some horses? You're not going to be able to ride."

With a laugh Gwen replied, "Just while I'm pregnant. If we find any that would suit us, we should get them."

"All right, I'll keep making inquiries," Arthur assured her. Placing his hands on her waist, he continued, "I know we'll love the baby no matter what, but...any preference? With the gender I mean."

Placing her hands on her belly which was not yet showing signs of the child she was carrying, Gwen answered, "Since we have a little boy right now, I wouldn't mind another girl." Laughing she added, "And maybe this one will actually like living in the country."

As William continued to chatter to himself and play in his playpen, Arthur leaned down and said cheerfully to the child in Gwen's womb, "We're waiting for you, little squirt. You're quite an unexpected surprise for us. Unexpected, but not unwelcome."

*~*~*

Soon to be a Family of Five

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