Molly and I waited a little while before moving on to what was the next item in making sure we were prepared for whenever Leona's wedding was to take place. We know that her Uncle likely started the day early, as many of the local ranchers did, but we didn't want to bother him when he was just getting started, and we honestly weren't fully sure on what his schedule was with the cattle that Molly and I now owned after the Smith's cattle had been sold to us. It was about ten AM when we made our way down to Michael York's home to see if we could talk with Molly's Uncle.
"George, Molly, what a surprise," was the response we got from Michael York at the door, "I normally only see you when your on your way into work."
"They keep us busy," I replied.
"So what brings you here?" Michael York asked, "a lot of the cattle have started calving already and everyone is making sure we don't lose any. I only came in for a cup of coffee."
There was a pause for a moment before the elderly man asked his next question.
"Would you like some?" Michael York offered.
"No, thank you," Molly replied, "coffee doesn't agree with our systems all that well."
"You sure?"
Molly and I nodded.
"So, what can I do for the two of you?" Michael York asked.
"We'd like to talk with my uncle, actually," Molly answered.
"Something wrong?" Michael York questioned.
"No, it's that something exciting has come up and we will need a little help in the way of transport," Molly answered.
"May I be curious, or..."
"It's a friend's wedding," I told him, "and we'll need a ride to Peoria."
"Oh" Michael York gave slight smile that reminded me of the way my father looked when he was proud of me or being friendly, "tell your friend congratulations for me."
"We will, thank you," Molly replied.
"Come with me," Michael York then continued, "I'll take to where Mr. Rhoer and his daughters are working at the moment."
++++++++++++++++++++
Frank Rhoer and both daughters were in the section that Michael York had devoted to the cattle that Molly and I received from the sale of the Smith's estate through Michael York's friend Ames. They were finishing with the birth of a young calf who was now standing up on wobbly legs and looking toward Molly and I as we approached. The mother cow made one nervous sounding "moo" but didn't move that far. We tried to be careful to make sure we didn't startle the animal.
"Hello, George, Molly," Frank Rhoer said politely while Nessie and Meredeth finished up the work they would have to do, "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing is wrong, Uncle Frank," Molly answered him.
"We'd merely like to talk to you about a possible favor," I added.
"Oh," Frank Rhoer spoke with a nod.
He then reached down and picked up a paper towel from a roll that they had on the ground to clean off the various fluids related to the birth of the calf. Once this was done, he looked up to both Molly and I.
"So, what is this favor?" He asked as he finished cleaning his hands.
"We will need a ride to Peoria in the fairly near future," I told him, "it'll actually be in about a month or so, but the destination will still be Peoria."
"Peoria?" Frank Rhoer wondered, "I thought your folks essentially disowned you, Molly. What do you need to go to Peoria for?"
"They have," Molly gave a low growl, indicating that her parents were not a subject she wished to talk about, "we're going to a wedding, actually."
"A wedding?" Frank Rhoer asked, "aren't you and George already married?"
"Yes, yes we are," Molly nodded, "but the wedding we're going to isn't "our" wedding."
"Do you know Leona Washburn?" I asked, hoping to clarify some things for Frank Rhoer who looked somewhat puzzled by things.
"Only by what I've seen on the news," Frank Rhoer replied.
"Well, to some extent she's become a sort of friend to Molly and I... mostly by explaining things when I was transformed," I continued, "we called her recently to see if there was anything we could do, since she lost the lawsuit to the people that wanted to become animal people."
"The news said she was against sharing it..." Frank Rhoer spoke.
"She was," Molly nodded, "and was frustrated and depressed by it all," Molly nodded, "but she did have some good news, and that was the man she had been unofficially dating... he's also her parole/probation officer by the way... proposed and she's getting married and asked me to be a bridesmaid."
"Oh," Frank Rhoer then nodded as he realized what we were getting at. He then smirked, "You know, Molly, most young women go bridesmaid, THEN bride. You've gone in reverse. Bride then bridesmaid."
"So long as I have George, I don't care about the order," Molly answered and hugged my arm softly.
"And we will need someone to drive us to Peoria for the ceremony, since neither Molly nor myself are small enough to drive a vehicle," I told him.
Frank nodded, "I take it you're wanting me to drive you?"
"You or Meredeth or Nessie," Molly told her, "We only need one person to drive us."
"It'd be me then," Frank sighed, "Nessie and Meredeth's small side jobs probably wouldn't allow for it... when is the happy day for Ms. Washburn?"
"That we don't know for certain," I sighed, "the wedding can not happen until after Leona's period of probation is over... and that will take about a month. We're asking you know because once Leona's probation does end, we may need to go fairly quickly."
"I see," Frank Rhoer replied, "I can drive you, that'll be no problem... though I don't know if you'd be comfortable going across the country in the bed of my truck."
"We still have my vehicle from before my transformation," I told him, "you can drive that. We can ride in the backseat of it."
"Then, I guess we have a plan then," Frank Rhoer shrugged, "give me a call when Ms. Washburn's probation ends, and we can hit the road."
"Thank you, Uncle Frank!" Molly exclaimed as she lifted him up into a hug.