Disclaimer:  I don't own the characters, and I'm not making money.

Jonny Quest:  The Real Adventures


Desert Serenade (Part 2)

Benton was actually disappointed when Rachel showed him her home
in the distance.  Although he was unaccustomed to the bumps and
bruises associated with horseback riding, he had felt very contented
beside Rachel.  He did not want to see the ride come to an end.

They stopped, and Rachel quickly bounded to the ground.  With
some difficulty, Benton managed to tumble down beside her.
He looked at her home in awe.  The ranch house was enormous.
It had high ceilings and many large windows.  Rachel rapidly dragged
Benton inside.

"Well, did you find him?" a gruff voice called.  An older man briskly
entered the hallway.  He was thin and had bright silver hair.  Seeing
Benton, he added, "I see you found something."

Rachel glared at the man and admonished, "Dad, the bull almost
trampled this poor man.  I thought the least we could do was
offer him a little help.  This is Dr. Benton Quest.  Dr. Quest, this is
my father, Doug Wildey."

Benton reached out and shook Doug's hand.  The older man's
tight grip actually made Benton wince a little, but he tried to hide
his pain.  Then, he turned to Rachel and said, "Please, call me
Benton."

Rachel's eager smile lit up the room, "Okay, Benton, why don't you
sit in the living room while I get the first-aid kit."

As he sat down on a cushy sofa, Benton saw Doug shaking his head
and walking away.  He could hear the older man muttering, "Maybe
he is a doctor, but what type of man doesn't have enough sense to
get out of the way of a charging bull."

Trying to ignore the sting of those comments, Benton began absently
brushing the sand from his clothes.  He could not figure out why he
cared about what some old rancher thought about him.

Before he could get too flustered, Rachel appeared in the doorway.
She knelt near him with the first-aid kit and a bag of ice.  Carefully,
she began to dab ointment on the little cuts and scrapes covering his
arms and face.

The major injury was a large bump on his forehead.  Rachel gently
pressed the ice to the bruised area.  After she inspected the damage,
she gazed at Benton.  When she saw that his deep brown eyes were
merely inches away from her, she blushed.  She had not realized just
how close they were.  Rachel might have been more upset, but she
saw that Benton's cheeks had flushed bright red, also.

To ease their embarrassment, Benton offered, "I suppose I could
hold that."  As he took the ice from her hands, their finger tips
brushed, and they both felt the heat return to their cheeks.  Finally,
she sank into the sofa beside him.

"So, Benton, you looked like you were collecting samples.  Are you
doing some type of research?" Rachel asked.

"Yes," he responded with a smile.  "I'm working with a team that's
studying the desert ecosystem.  I was taking plant samples.  That's
pretty much all I've been doing for a month.  Luckily, I only have
two months left."

Rachel's eyes grew wide, and she backed away from him a little.
Benton instantly regretted his last remarks.  "So, you don't like Las
Cruces?" she demanded.

"Well, I'm not used to the heat, and I've never spent much time in
the desert.  I have been terribly busy, so I haven't had time to see
much . . ." He trailed off when he noticed that Rachel still eyed him
skeptically.

She folded her hands in her lap and looked away.  Abruptly
refocusing the conversation, she questioned, "What exactly are you
studying?"

"Various desert plants and animals," Benton started to explain.
However he was interrupted as Rachel's father entered the room.

"I wish you scientists would work on something useful.  My cattle
keep getting sick, and none of the vets know what's wrong.  Why
don't you eggheads try to figure out how to help them?" Doug
exclaimed.

Ignoring the insults, Benton answered, "Actually, Mr. Wildey, some
of my colleagues are studying the current cattle problems.  I'd be
happy to take some blood samples from your animals and have
them analyzed."

Doug visibly brightened.  "I suppose it couldn't hurt," he observed.

"I could come by tomorrow with some equipment," Benton offered.

Doug's blue eyes twinkled as he smiled.  "That would be just fine,"
he answered.

Benton returned the smile.  Then, he noticed the time.  "It's getting
late," he remarked.  "Do you mind if I use your phone?  I should
let my team know where I am."

"Of course, it's down the hall, second door to your right," Rachel
explained.

As he walked away, Rachel observed him closely.  He seemed
incredibly distinguished and intelligent- not to mention handsome.
Rachel could not remember a time when she had been so captivated
by a man.

Doug approached his daughter who seemed oblivious to everything
but the retreating man.  Putting a protective arm around her, he
stated, "That is an . . . interesting man."

Rachel hugged her father and exclaimed, "Isn't he wonderful?"

Taking several steps way from her, Doug stared at his daughter.
"Now, Rachel," he chastised, "you barely know that man.  He's
much older than you, and you have no idea how long he plans to
be here.  Honey, I just don't want you to get hurt.  He's a perfect
stranger."

"He is perfect, isn't he?" Rachel murmured happily.  Doug sighed
and shook his head.  However, he was determined to try again.

"Rachel, please be sensible.  Try to take things slowly.  I don't want
to see you fall head over heels for . . ." he suddenly stopped talking
as Rachel elbowed him in the ribs.  Benton was in the doorway.

Benton and Rachel gazed fondly at each other.  Huge toothy grins
slowly appeared on their faces.  For a long time, they simply looked
at each other.

Surveying the two of them, Doug sighed even louder.  His brow
furrowed as he said, "Did you get in touch with your friends?  If
not, I'll give you a ride back to town."  Doug could not suppress
the urge to get this stranger away from his daughter.

"Actually, I did get through to them.  They were familiar with your
ranch, so they should be picking me up soon.  Mr. Wildey, according
to my friend, you have a remarkable reputation as being one of the
finest ranchers in the area."

After hearing the compliment, Doug softened a little.  He began to
think that this guy may not be so bad after all.

"Some of my colleagues have isolated a bacteria that's been affecting
the local cattle.  They think they have a treatment for it.  We'll come
back tomorrow morning and examine your herd."

"That's great.  Thank you so much," Rachel declared.

They all heard a car pull into the driveway and honk it's horn.  Benton
peeked out a window.  "That's my ride.  I should be going."

While they walked to the door, Rachel rapidly muttered, "Benton,
maybe you don't like Las Cruces because you haven't seen much of
it.  If you want, I could show you around.  We could go hiking
tomorrow."

Benton shyly took Rachel's hand as he whispered, "I would love
that.  See you tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow," Rachel sighed.

"Bye!" Doug loudly declared.  Benton got in the waiting car, and
Rachel watched as it drove away.  Once, Benton had looked back.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw that Rachel saw still standing
in the doorway.  The sun made her golden hair shine, and she looked
like an angel.

When the car was finally out of sight, Rachel reluctantly stepped
away from the door.  In one last futile attempt to reason with his
daughter, Doug began, "Please, Rachel."

However, she cut him off with a kiss on the cheek.  Beaming, she
exclaimed, "Dad, it's too late!"  She joyfully skipped off to her room
counting the minutes until she would see Benton again.


The End of Part 2