The Runaways

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Sam I would like you to met Miss Edythe and Miss Penelope Meriwether," Jim said smiling at his step-daughter. "Ladies this is my step-daughter Sam Roberts Morgan owner of the Rocking R Ranch and your hostess while you stay here with us. Sam they have come all the way from New York City to request our help. I was very good friends with their late father Mathew Meriwether. John was kind enough to bring them directly here."

"Roland informed me we had two visitors," Sam replied to her step-father then looked toward Edie and Penny smiling at the two young women who looked at her with shock written on the faces as to how she was dressed. Something she enjoyed doing most of the time. "Welcome to the Rocking R ladies. I am afraid you two will have to share a room for now since we have many guests here for my husband Jake's Forth of July celebration."

"Thank you but we did not intend to impose upon you," Edie told Sam.

"If you came for help we intend to provide it if we can," Sam replied and smiled at the copper headed sisters thinking the people in town would think they were related to her because of their hair color. "Will it require us to travel to New York City," she asked looking now back once again toward Jim.

"Not at the moment," Jim replied. "But...that might happen in the foreseeable future. We will sit down after dinner and discuss their problem and see how we can resolve it. Alex has come up with a few things he will try before we are force to travel there we hope will achieve something."

Jim looked back toward the sisters. "When you ask for my help that help also includes help from my men and their wives along with my wife Julie," he told them.

"Roland said to inform you that dinner would be ready in an hour. That leaves me just enough time to bathe and dress," Sam told the assembled group. "After dinner those of us who haven't heard their story can be filled in. Roland is waiting outside to escort the Meriwether sisters to their room so they can settle in before dinner."

"Is he friendly?" Penny asked as she got up from her seat.

"Yes, very," Sam replied smiling at the young girl.

"He's spoiled rotten," Luke said smiling at Sam as he was leaving.

Penny stopped and let the dog sniff her hand then she gently petted his head before leaving the room.

Everyone soon filed out of the study except Sam and Jim and Duke.

"Well what sort of help do they need?" she asked him causing Jim to smile at her.

"I tell you after dinner but I will tell you this much that if you had walked into the study about ten minutes before you did you would have heard not only John Calhoun proposing marriage to Edythe Meriwether but Luke as well and that is all I will tell you."

"What! Luke of all people proposed marriage! And John too!"

Jim walked out of the room laughing leaving Sam standing in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips and her mouth a gape.

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Penny asked Edie once they were in their large beautiful room. Edie had been shocked that they had electricity out here in the middle of nowhere along with this huge house. She expected to see some small ranch house not this house which would take up almost a half a city block in New York City and their large home probably would fit into this one at least twice if not more.