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The Thorntons: The Second Generation.

1975-1978.

Fanny looked at the date with the big red circle on the calendar hanging in her office. June 14, 1975. Five days till the big party to celebrate Sunny'sTogs goingpublic and Phihp'sseventy-fifth birthday. Where had the last twelve years gone? One minute she was packing up Billie's trunks to send her off to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and the next minute her company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. She remembered the day Simon and the twins had come into her small cluttered studio and said, "It's time to go public." Then Simon had sweetened his announcement by saying Billie Limited, Billie Coleman's textile business, was going on the big board too.

So much had happened these past years. Philip's illness, SaUie's withdrawal from life, her own failure to follow through with her divorce from Ash, the love she held close to her heart for Simon that she denied every day of her Ufe. Sunny's Togs had rocketed to the top of the retail business. Riley Coleman, BiUie and Moss's only son, had died in a foreign land, flying a defective Coleman plane. Then, one year later, in 1970, Seth and Agnes died together, in a freak accident. Finally, Moss's death from leukemia, eighteen months ago.

No one could say that either the Coleman or Thornton family was blessed.

Today Fanny was feeling maudlin. Today she was going to have to deal with the drastic change in Philip's health and the vacant stare in Sallie's eyes. Today she was going to ask questions and not be put off with Sallie's vagueness about her own illness, about her plans, if she had any. Today she was taking SaUie down the mountain to town for a lunch outing-if SaUie didn't cancel. There was no reason to believe that after spending fourteen long years as Philip's slave, she would agree to leave the mountain today. SaUie spent her days reading incessandy, either to herself or aloud to Philip. Not once in the fifteen years had Fanny heard her mention Devin Rollins's name. As far as she knew, Sallie hadn't gone to the cemetery either, unless 408 Fern Michaels she went in the middle of the night. Mrs. Philip Thornton was a mountain recluse who no longer cared how she looked or what she wore. The sophisticated, well-groomed woman of yesteryear was gone. In her place was a blowsy, carelessly dressed person who tied her hair in a knot on top of her head and chain-smoked every waking hour of the day. Her beautiful, crystal clear voice was now harsh and husk)' from alcohol and cigarettes.

Fanny tidied her work area so that when she returned she could sit down and start to work. As she stacked swatches, designs, and patterns, she wondered about the big announcement Simon said his mother was going to make at the party. Fanny had been stunned that her mother-in-law was even planning to attend. Maybe today SaUie would give her a clue. Maybe a lot of things. Like, maybe tomorrow she could go up to Simon and tell him she loved him, that she would go away with him. She thought of Sallie again and her blood literally ran cold. In her own way, she was doing exactiy what Sallie had done. So much for role models.

Fanny checked her makeup, added fresh hpstick, ran her fingers through her new short wash-and-wear hairdo. Her dress, a summer print, said she was a classy matron on her way into town. She made a face at herself in the mirror. "You better be ready, Sallie, because if you aren't, I'm dragging you by your hair into town anyway," Fanny muttered as she climbed behind the wheel of her car.

Fanny sat in stunned surprise when she brought the car to a halt in front of the small cottage. Sallie was dressed in a light summer pantsuit with a long-sleeved sweater under the jacket. She looked bulky. A wealth of jewels rode high on her neck and in her ears. Her fingers and wrists sparkled in the bright sunshine. Sallie was taking the trip to town seriously.

"Surprised?"

"Not exactly. I was prepared to drag you by the hair."

"I know, that's why I decided to make it easier on you. I'd like to skip the lunch, though, and take you someplace. Someplace very special. You drive, and I'll give you directions."

"Okay. Anything to get you out of that house. How do you stand it?"

"I stand it because I have no other choice, Fanny. It's a way of life. I've had so many 'ways of life' I am now immune. I'm seventy-one years old. I never thought I'd end up like this. I've been thinking about going for a face-lift. What's your opinion?"

Fanny could feel her heart take on an extra beat. Something im- portant was happening here, and she didn't understand it. "Well, personally, I don't think Fd go under the knife for something as vain as a face-lift. Why would you want to do that, Sallie, at your age? I think I read somewhere that you have to diet first. Tell me why."

"I want to look good when I die."

Fanny swerved the car, almost going off the shoulder of the road. **You aren't going to die for a very long time." She waited, but Sal-lie didn't answer her, just stared straight ahead, her mouth set in a grim line.

They rode in silence for almost an hour.

"We're almost there," Sallie finally said. "Make a right when you see a dirt road. I imagine it's overgrown, but there was a mailbox of sorts on the side of the road."

"Where are we going, Sallie?"

"I told you, to a very special place."

"What makes it special?" Fanny asked.

"There it is, turn right. It resdly is overgrown. They're just weeds and grass, it won't hurt the car. It's not far. The cottonwoods are more beautiful than I remember. Smell the sagebrush, Fanny. It's very sweet this year, isn't it? You can stop the car and we'll walk the rest of the way. I think I might have Chue come here and clean this up. Do you think that would be wise, Fanny?"

Fanny's heart thundered in her chest. She stared at her mother-in-law, trying to fathom the strange look on her face, the singsong quality of her voice, and the questions she was asking. It didn't seem to bother Sallie that she wasn't responding.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Fanny stared at the small house nesded in the cottonwoods. "Oh, yes, Szdlie. Whose, house is this?"

"It was Devin's house. He left it to me in his will. I'm giving it to you today. I don't want to put it in my will. I signed over the deed a few weeks ago. I cannot think of another person besides yourself who will love this place as I did ... do. Devin christened it the Sallie and Devin's house of happiness. Alvin Waring left it to Devin. I'd like it if you wouldn't tell people about this place. Tell Simon, but no one else. I want you to have it... as a place of solitude, your own private place. In the years to come you might need a sanctuary. I'm not a doomsayer, but one never knows what the future holds. The stock market could crash tomorrow. Interest rates could drop. One needs a litde nest. That's how I always thought of it, my nest. I loved keeping the secret, so did Devin. VVhen we came here, 410 Fern Michaels no one knew where we were. For a long tune there was no phone. Come along, I want to show it to you."

"WTiy today, Sallie?"

"Because I wanted to be able to come here one last time. I wanted to be the one to show it to you. I didn't want to tell you about it or have you read it on a piece of paper. I'm . . . going to die soon, Fanny. Very soon."

"Take that back, Sallie," Fanny said, too loudly.

"Now look what you've done, you've scared the birds out of the trees. Darling Fanny, I can't take it back, it's true. I can't wait. I know you don't understand, but..."

"What do you mean, you can't wait?"

"It's time for me to go, Fanny. Mama and Cotton and Devon, they're waiting for me. It's been too long. Devin and I had many talks over the years about what we would do if something happened to either of us. I knew Devin couldn't Hve without me. He knew I wouldn't walk away from my resfX)nsibility in regard to Philip. I tried, and you see what a mess I made. Devin did what he had to do, just as I did."

"You were kiUing yourself taking care of Philip. You should have let the trained professionals do it. You didn't do this to yourself, Philip did it to you. Philip was fine two years after his stroke. You coddled him for another year and a half. Bess told me that. The doctors said he wouldn't walk again. Philip walked. Those same medical marvels said his speech would be defective. Philip talks almost as well as you and I. He fooled us all, and by doing so he shackled you to him, and you allowed it because you felt guilty."

"He made me atone for Devin. I paid the price, Fanny. I've paid in ftill. Now tell me, is it true what you said about dieting before a face-lift?"

"Yes," Fanny said.

"How long do you think it will take me to lose thirty pounds?"

"Twenty years. I don't want to talk about this, Sallie."

"I'm serious."

"Six months, maybe longer."

"I don't have six months. I need your help, Fanny."

"I can't talk about this. People don't get a face-lift when diey're . . . they're . . ."

"Dying? How do you know they don't? I'll eat lettuce and carrots and take lots and lots of vitamins. I should be able to drop the weight in two months. A week later, I'll get the face-lift. That leaves me three weeks. The doctors could be wrong, I might have longer. Philip is the hdng proof that they can make mistakes. Of course I might not be able to ... be up and about, but that's okay, a face-lift can heal in bed."

"Shut up, Sallie. You're making me crazy. How can you be so goddamn matter-of-fact?"

"Because I've lived with this for a long time. I didn't want to burden amyone."

'*What do you think family is all about, SaUie? Not for just the good times, the bad too. I could have. . . been there to listen, if nothing else. I would have come to the cottage more, but I thought you didn't want me there. Every single night I cried for you, and every single night I said a prayer for you. It was all I could do."

SaUie sat down in the weeds. "I love you like a daughter, Fanny. Will you help me?"

"Of course I'll help you. Did you think I wouldn't even for a minute?"

"No. We need a plan."

"We need more than a plan. What's wrong -with you, SaUie?"

"Everything. What kind of plan? A face-hft takes fifteen years off my life. I saw that on television. I should look just the way I did when Devin .. . when Devin saw me the last time. Think about how remarkable that is, Fanny."

Fanny sat up in the tall grass and hugged her knees. "I miss you already. What will I do without you?" Tears dripped fi-om her eyes.

'*You'D come to your senses, get a divorce, and marry Simon. You should have done that fourteen years ago. The nice thing about fam-iUes, Fanny, is, you live on through your children. You'll see me in Simon every day of your life. The best of me is in Simon. I don't know how that happened, but it did. That's my legacy to you, that and this house in the cottonwoods. It hurts me to see you cry for me. Come on now, I said I wanted to show you the house. Then we'll make plans for my diet and the face-lift. Oh, you have to cancel the party. There's no time for a party. Phihp didn't want one anyway. I already called half the guest list and canceled. You'll have to do the rest or have Sunny and Billie do it"

"You're telling me this now, at the eleventh hour? Sallie, it's too late."

"No, it isn't. It's never too late. Simon always does things at the eleventh hour. Phihp has gone into kidney failure. He won't last the week. God must not think I'm such a bad person after all. He's going 412 Fern Michaels to take Philip first, so he won't be a burden to anyone after I'm gone. It's amazing how things work out."

Fanny followed Sallie through the waist-high grass in a daze as she tried to comprehend everything Sallie had just said.

"What do you think? Isn't it wonderful?" They stood in front of the house together, arm in arm. "Let's go inside. It's quite charming. Devin made some of the wooden tables."

"Why don't we come back another day. I'll .. . I'll keep the tables, I won't change anything. I give you my promise, Sallie." Fanny hung back. Somehow, she couldn't bear the thought of going inside.

"You're right, we need to get back. I want to check on Philip. I need to caU Ash and Simon. What will you do with the cottage after we're both gone?"

Fanny jerked open the door of the car. "Do?"

"I'd like you to bum it down."

"Bum it down. You want me to bum it down?" Fanny said, a stupid look on her face.

"Yes."

This wasn't happening. She was dreaming. This was a nightmare and she was going to wake ciny second. "All right."

"Make it look like an accident. Don't claim it on the insurance. I wish I could tell you how much I hate that cottage. Make sure the wind is right or you'll bum down the mountain."

Oh, God. Oh, God. Fanny nodded.

"When I go, Fanny, I want you to dig up Devin and mix our ashes. You might need help doing that. Sunny or BiUie Coleman can help you. No one else."

F2mny lowered her head to the steering wheel. She cried as she'd never cried in her life.

"I guess you're sorry you suggested this outing," Sallie said. Fanny's head bobbed up and down. "Is it too much for you to handle, Fanny? I've always believed that God never gives a person more than they can handle."

"No, no, I can handle it. I don't want you to die, Sallie. I'm selfish-I want you to live forever. I don't know how to handle death. I don't know where Billie got the strength to go on after her mother, her husband, and her only son died. A mother isn't supposed to bury a child. I don't think I have that kind of strength, SaUie. I'll fall apart and you'll.. . you'll be up there saying you screwed up by picking me to ... to bum your house down and . . . and ... all that other stuff."

"I know strength and character when I see it, and I saw it in you the minute I met you. Simply put, dear Fanny, there is no one else I would trust. We need to get back on the road, dear."

Hell yes, they needed to get back on the highway. Fanny's tires squealed as she barreled out to the road, her foot heavy on the accelerator. All she wanted was to get back to her Htde studio, lock the door, and crawl into one of the big red chairs.

Fanny brought the car to a full stop in front of Sallie's cottage. "Would you like me to come in, SaUie? Is there anything I can do?"

Sallie's voice was cheerful. "Not a thing, Fanny. Here's the list of names for you to call to cancel the party. I put a check next to the ones I called. I'll come over to the studio early this evening, and we can work on my plan. Will that be all right?"

"Of course. You don't have to ask, Sallie. Can we stop being so polite to one another?"

Sallie walked around to the driver's side of the car. She leaned in and hugged Fanny. "You are the dearest, sweetest person walking this earth. I would do anything to see you happy. I see the shadows in your eyes, and that bothers me. You deserve happiness, and it makes me sad that I won't Hve to see you truly happy. We need to work on that before I go. I'll see you later."

Fanny bolted to the studio, her hands trembling so badly she could barely shoot the dead bolt. She ran to the oversize red chairs, curled herself into a tight ball, and cried, her shoulders shaking with grief. A long time later, exhausted with all the crying she'd done that day, she reached for the phone. Her voice was barely recognizable as her own, raspy and hoarse. "Mr. Tinsdale, please. This is Fanny Thornton." When the attorney's voice came over the wire, Fanny squared her shoulders. "Mr. Tinsdale, file my divorce papers. I know it's been fourteen years since you drew them up. I'm ready now. It's very important to me that they be filed today. No, I will not change my mind. I appreciate your patience with me. Yes, I'll give your regards to Sallie. Good-bye."

Fanny's next call was to John Noble. When his comforting voice came over the wire, Fanny felt so relieved her tense body relaxed immediately. "John, I need to talk with you about something very important. I just want you to listen . . . and when I'm finished, tell me if. . . if it can be done."

Ten minutes later, Fanny cleared her throat. "I know I can handle it, but what will it do to Sallie?"

"Fanny, I have always been of the opinion that when a person is 414 Fern Michaels nearing the end of their life, their wishes should be taken into account. Sallie is a very- strong-willed woman. If she wants a face-lift, let her get a face-lift, but she should get it now. If she wants to diet, let her diet. She's going to do it any-way if she's as determined as you say she is. Do you want me to get in touch with a plastic surgeon I know and make the arrangements?"

"Yes. Call me when you know the date and the time. There is Philip to ... to consider."

"Yes," John said, "there is Philip to consider."

Philip Thornton was laid to rest on a clear sunny day. Only the immediate family and the employees of the R & R Ranch were in attendance.

"When I die I want you 10 play Dusty Springfield's rendition of 'If You Don't Love Me,' " Sallie whispered to Fanny. "Promise me?" Fanny nodded.

As a buffet lunch was being served, Ash drew Fanny aside. "So you're really going through with the divorce." It wasn't a question, but a statement. "Fine."

"I didn't think you'd mind. I feel compelled to say I didn't think you'd show up today."

"Jesus, Fanny, that's pretty low even coming from you. WTiy wouldn't I show up, he's my . . . was my father?"

"Where were you in the early years when he had to be fed and diapered? You ran then. I don't think he ever forgave you. Ash."

"This is not the time to pick a fight, Fanny. What's done is done. We'll see if he forgave me when it's time to read the will."

"Philip's will is one paragraph after all the legal stuff that goes before the bequests. He left everything to Sallie and a small bequest to each of the kids. That's it Ash."

Ash stared at Fanny in stupefied amazement. "He wouldn't do that. What about Simon? Who gets R & R?"

"R & R goes to Red Ruby. I think it was hers all along. The chicken business is . . . was . , . Sallie's. Philip got a salary and a bonus. That's the way Philip wanted it. I thought you knew all that."

"Well, I didn't. What's that mean, I'm out in the cold?"

"You need to discuss business with your mother. Things may have changed over the years. Sallie has never confided in me with regard to her business or her finances. I know you think she has, but she hasn't. Excuse me, Ash, I want to say good-bye to Red and the others."

Ash found Simon in the cemetery, sitting on a low stone waU under the cottonwoods. He hung back when he heard Simon's low voice. When there was a break in the monologue, Ash called out. "Simon?"

"Here, Ash. I'm talking to Pop, saying all the things I wanted to say for over forty years. It's not that I didn't try over the years, I did, but he didn't want... he didn't like confrontations. I spoke with him a week or so before he slipped into his coma. I was looking for some small measure of comfort. Needless to say, I didn't get it. Ash, have you taken a good look at Mom?"

"Yeah," Ash said, sitting down on the wall next to his brother. "I tried talking to her about a month ago. I wanted her to give me the go-ahead to build that casino and hotel I talked to you about. She stared at me like I was an alien from another planet. I realize now she probably knew Dad didn't have long to live. Fanny told me Dad left everything to Mom and a few small bequests to the kids."