"¶¶ From young and old to rich and poor ¶¶" "¶¶ There was one thing that I know for sure ¶¶" "¶¶ Guaranteed someday you'll fall in love ¶¶" "¶¶ Guess Cupid has his ways and means ¶¶" "¶¶ Angels often act as go-betweens ¶¶" "¶¶ Take it from me ¶¶" "¶¶ Someday you'll fall in love. ¶¶" "The merger has already been approved by the shareholders." "All we need is for the regulators to sign off on it and we can proceed with the closing as scheduled." "That's why it's important that we have all the paperwork filed by the end of next week." "Oh, we are gonna make this happen." "I can feel it." "I mean think about it-- a combined $18.4 billion in assets." "Oh, I know, I know, but don't worry about that." "I am gonna take care of it." "You know I don't like to lose." "Okay, bye." "Fran?" "Yes?" "Yes, Miss Connors?" "Hi." "I'm gonna need those branch analysis reports that we talked about if we're gonna have this wrapped up by the 18th." "Okay, you got it." "Um, Miss Connors," "I was wondering if it might be possible to get out a little early on Valentine's Day." "Oh." "Who's the lucky guy?" "Joe Mars." "Joe Mars?" "From accounting?" "He got reservations at Le Bernardin." " Wow!" " Please?" " Oh, s-- yes yes, of course." " Thank you, Miss Connors." "And-- and I'll get you these reports right away." "Okay, thank you." " Hi." " Hi, Fran." " Did you hear that?" " Yes, I just heard that." "Joe Mars asked her out for Valentine's Day." "Uh, yeah, I know." "But the question isn't what does he see in her, but what doesn't he see in us?" "Well, maybe Joe isn't into successful women." "Okay, you are too much of a romantic." "Oh, says the girl dating the guy in the mailroom." "What can I say?" "I like 'em young." " What about you?" " Uh, what about me?" "Ha, I have a nine-year-old at home and a 60-hour-a-week job." "Yeah, you're right." "No fun for you." "I mean, or you could just put it all aside for one day, couldn't you?" "Come on, it's Valentine's Day." "I mean even you deserve a little fun." "Oh, thanks." " What is it?" " Ugh." " Bad news?" " Babysitter canceled." " Again?" " Yeah, I-- you know, I've gotta go pick up Kelsey." "I accept your apology." "Of course, it's forgotten." "Thank you." "Connors!" "Leaving a little early, aren't we?" "Yeah, I" " I know, but the babysitter canceled." " I've gotta go pick up my daughter." " You're not going anywhere." "We have a conference call with the board today at 5:00." "I know, but I" "And they're going to expect an update on the merger." "This whole baby is yours, Connors." "I know and I am going to have Fran reschedule, I promise." " It's just this one time I've got" " You said that a month ago." "Oh, that was the science fair." "It was very important to her." " And the month before that." " The school play." "I" " I'm a single mother." "Connors, I was under the impression that this job was important to you." "Oh, it-- it is." "That you were willing to do whatever it takes to close this deal." " I am." " Because when that phone rings in the middle of the night, I need to know that you're there to take that call." "You know I will." "All work, no play, 24-7." "That is my motto." "And you know, when this merger passes," "I'm gonna need someone I can trust to run operations." "Are you offering me a promotion?" "Well, of course, if you're too busy with this whole "Ozzie and Harriet" thing," "I assume I can give it to Anderson or Martinez." "Oh, no." "No no no." "That will not be necessary." "I mean I can do it." "I will do it." "The FDlC is already reviewing the paperwork and I am confident that this deal will go through next week." "That's just what I wanna hear." "And, Connors, don't worry about that babysitter." "You're gonna make so much money you're gonna be able to afford a nanny." "Kelsey will..." "love that." "Kelsey, sweetheart." "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." " I'm so sorry, sweetheart." " You're late." "I know." "And I promise it won't happen again, okay?" "You always say that." "But this time I really mean it." "I'm just gonna put that away, okay?" "Come on, I'm gonna make you something yummy for dinner." "Let's go." "Okay, I promise I will never forget you again." "Honey, I'm just gonna go down and grab the mail." "I'll be right back." "Zeus, Trooper was just telling me how he saved 10 people from an avalanche!" "Isn't he brave?" "Yeah yeah, he's a regular superdog." "What's going on here?" " What's it look like?" " Okay, it's time for bed, sweetie." " Mom?" " Yeah?" "That letter-- was it from Dad?" "Um, I'm not sure because I haven't read it yet." "Is he coming to visit?" "He didn't come last year for Christmas." "Well, um, honey, I'm not sure." "Then can we go and visit him and Grandpa?" "We never go back there." "Oh, I know, sweetie." "Well, how about this?" "I promise that as soon as Mommy is done with this silly work thing that I've gotta do, we will make a plan, okay?" "Okay." "Give me a kiss." "Okay, go brush your teeth and I'll be in in a minute to tuck you in, okay?" "Okay." "Love you." "Night." "All right." "A subpoena?" "What" ""You, Laura Connors Hackett, are hereby commanded in the name of the state of Texas to appear before the Probate and Family Court at Centerville, Texas, courthouse on the 10th day of February."" "Okay, so brass tacks, Sam-- what did you find out?" "It's a subpoena, Laura." "You and Kelsey both have to attend in person." "But, God, can't you just tell the judge that I'm a single mom?" "Well, maybe if you had come to me when they first sent the summons, yes." "But now there's nothing I can do." "Well, you know how busy I've been." "Look, it's too late." "You have to go." "Laura, this situation should have been resolved a long time ago." " Why haven't you gotten a divorce?" " Well, I was." "I mean we were going to really do it." "I just" " I" " I don't know." "Then I got the job and we moved and weeks turned into months." "I mean, I don't know." "It's been six years." "Isn't there, like, some sort of a common law divorce or something?" "No, there isn't." "Okay, all right." "So-- so what does this mean?" "How bad is it?" "Well, Dylan could say that you took Kelsey to New York without his permission." "What?" "Why do I need his permission?" "He is the father." "The law says that both parents need to agree on the health and welfare of a child." "I mean he could accuse you of a variety of things-  child endangerment" " Oh, you can't be serious." " I am." "Kidnapping." " What?" "That is ridiculous!" "He can just put himself on a plane and fly his butt down here anytime he wants." "You know that's not how it works." "Ugh." "Okay, all right." "So what-- what are my options?" "All right, so this is what you're gonna do." "You're gonna fly to Texas." " Okay, but I can't go to Texas." " Oh yes, you can." "You're gonna fly to Texas." "You're gonna explain the situation to the judge." "You're gonna tell him that you moved for work and although distance is not perfect for Dylan, you did what you had to do to give Kelsey a good life." "Well, you just make that sound very simple." "Look, you have carved out a great career for yourself, but you need to focus on your family, on your life, okay?" "Hey." " Hey." " How was your test?" "It was easy." "I'm pretty sure I got an A." "You did?" "Well, I am very proud of you." "That's great!" "Can we get some ice cream on the way home?" "Sure, but-- but first, honey, we have to talk about something, okay?" "What?" "Well, you know that Mommy and Daddy love you very much." " Yeah." " Right?" "Uh-huh." "Well, sometimes-- sometimes grown-ups disagree about things like where to live and who to live with." "Is this about the letter from yesterday?" "Sort of, yeah." "Am I gonna have to move back to Texas?" "Well, I don't know, sweetheart, but..." "Mommy does have to go to Texas to speak to a judge about that." "But I don't wanna move away." "What about school?" " Well, I'll talk to Mrs. Gustafson" " What about my friends?" "Well, honey, don't worry." "We're gonna try to work it out, okay?" "But in the meantime we're gonna have a lot of fun there." "I mean you'll love it there." "They've got horses and all kinds of animals." "No, I don't wanna move away." "I wanna stay here with my friends in New York." "Tell the judge." "¶¶ There's trouble in Texas ¶¶" "¶¶ No one suspects it ¶¶" "¶¶ When she smiles at them that way ¶¶" "¶¶ Yeah, from Fort Worth down to Galveston ¶¶" "¶¶ She's breakin' hearts one by one. ¶¶" "Mom, look at those cows." "Grandpa, do you still have all those animals?" "We have animals." "We have-- let's see-- a couple dogs." "I'm never sure about how many cats we have because we've got coyotes running around all the time." " Stop." "You'll scare her." " And we've got chickens." "Well, it's true." "Chickens" " Look, there's a coyote." " There's fresh eggs and lambs, sheep." " We got sheep and we've got" " Oh, any pigs?" "Pigs?" "Yeah." "Pigs-- coyotes like pigs too!" "Don't scare her." "Stop it." "I ain't trying." "Anyway, we've got horses." " Still got Nelly." " Who's Nelly?" " If you care to know, Nelly is" " Yes, Dad." "well, was her horse when she competed." "You competed?" "Yes, I did." "It was a very long time ago though." "But your grandpa still likes to talk about it all the time." " It's cool." " Beautiful country out here, isn't it?" " Yeah." "Look at the mountains." " Pretty as can be." "How about we make a quick stop in town before we get home?" "Pastor Frank would love to see you." "Come on." "Frank, got somebody for ya." " Well..." " Hi." " Oh wow!" " Hi." " What a surprise." " Great to see you." "Good to see you too." " Ha!" " There you go." " Sweetheart, this is Pastor Frank." " Hi." " Hi." "How do you do?" " Good." "And just who might this beautiful young lady be?" " I'm Kelsey." " No!" "Come on, you're not Kelsey." "Last time I saw Kelsey, she was only about this big." "Grandpa said you baptized me." "Grandpa's absolutely right." "I did baptize you." " And my mommy?" " Oh no." "No." "No, I'm not quite that old, but I did marry your mother and father though." " Cool." " That's right, he did-  actually in this very church." " Yep, right up there." " Cool." " Cool." "So you're in town." "Any chance I might see you in church on Sunday?" "Oh, um, actually we're not gonna be here for that long, so I" " I don't think so." "Okay, all right." "I understand." "But if anything changes, your plans-- anything at all, you know you're always welcome here, right?" " Thank you very much." " You're very welcome." " Thanks." " Nice to see you." "Well... gonna show 'em the sights of Centerville." " See you Wednesday, huh?" " Yes, I'll see you Wednesday." " All right." " Thanks for stopping by." "Kelsey, nice to meet you again." " You keep growing, all right?" " I know." "She doesn't stop." "Well, here we are." "Here, wait." "Kelsey, get your" "Whoa!" "How is she doing?" "Well, she's afraid the judge is gonna make her leave her friends and move away." "I can't believe he is putting us through this." "You know, it might be that they just wanna get to know each other better." "Dad, they know each other." "They see each other a couple times a year." "You know what I'm saying." "It's long distance." "We live in different states." "I don't know what else to say." "Honey, you know he cannot afford to fly back and forth between here and New York." " You know that." " Well, we were just here." "It was four years ago." "But, you know, then maybe he should have just moved with us instead of staying here." "Mom!" "I'm out here, sweetheart." "Mom, I saw a goat and a sheep almost knocked me over." "Dad!" "No one ever got hurt by a sheep now." "Right?" "And Grandpa said he's gonna teach me how to ride a tractor." " Mm-hmm." " Oh, really?" "Well, like I said, no one ever got hurt by a sheep, so..." "Well, that sounds like a lot of fun, but we've got a really big day tomorrow." "So I think we should just-- just get settled right now, okay?" "Sure." "And we can save the tractor riding for another day." "Okay." "I'll drop you off at the courthouse and show Kelsey around town." "Yes, well, if you just-- hello?" "Beth?" "Wh-- are-- are you there?" "Hello, B" " Beth?" "No, I just-- oh, come on." " Come" " Busy as usual." "Some things never change." "Hello, Laura." "Hello, Dylan." "So you couldn't just pick up the phone and call me?" "Well, did you ever think that maybe if you hadn't ignored the summons in the first place I wouldn't have had to do all this?" " Don't." " Don't what?" "Don't do that-- what you're doing right now." " Just cut it out!" " I'm not doing anything." "For-- I will see you inside." "Okay." "All rise." "Centerville Family Court is now in session, the Honorable Harriet Cramer presiding." "Cramer's the judge?" "Do-- do you know her?" "She lived next door to us when I was a kid." "I threw a softball through her attic window." "Well, maybe she's forgiven you." "Nope." "No no no." "We are here for the matter of Hackett v. Connors for the custody of Kelsey Hackett." " Are the parents present?" " Yes, Your Honor." "And if the paperwork is correct, the parents' marital status is separated for six years?" "I believe I have expressed my every intent to reconcile my daughter's relationship with her father." " Are you kidding me?" " Mr. Hackett." "Your Honor, my wife moved to New York City six years ago." "In that time I've had very little interaction with my daughter." "Okay, it was your decision not to come." "To leave everything and everyone I love behind?" "You didn't think I was gonna make it, did you?" "You thought what?" "I" " I was just gonna get it out of my system and come crawling back here?" "Of course not." "Your Honor, for the record," "I never prevented him from seeing Kelsey." "You did that the minute that you moved 2,000 miles away." "I couldn't see my daughter for Christmas last year because I couldn't afford the air fare." "Is it too much to ask that she comes back here for a change?" "It's not like I never came back." "Yeah, the last time was four years ago." "Well, you try raising a child while working the long hours that I do." "It's not easy." "Well, if it's so hard, then maybe you shouldn't have done it." "Apparently she was also too busy to sign the divorce paperwork." "Your Honor, our marital status is not the issue here." "No, I'm likin' it." "I'm likin' it." "I'll allow you to proceed." "Our daughter has her friends, her school." "Her whole life is back in New York." "And I'm not trying to take her away from any of that." " I just want shared custody." " Oh, just be honest." "This is about getting back at me, isn't it?" "What?" "You hated the fact that I moved to New York and now this is some kind of a revenge." "Yeah, my love for my daughter really revolves around a deep-rooted desire to see you suffer." " Uh-huh!" "I knew it." "See?" " What?" "What is wrong with you?" "You used to be sweet and kind..." " I am sweet and kind." " ...and considerate and humble." "You know, I grew up." "Why don't you give it a shot?" "Order order!" "It is the observation of this court that both Mr. Hackett and Miss Connors have some issues to resolve." " Therefore this hearing is suspended.." " What?" "...for three days until both parties can find some kind of solution." "Oh oh, no no no." "No no no." "You don't understand." "I am in the middle of a very important deal and I have to get back to New York, so if" "Apparently you are unable to properly prioritize your life on your own, so maybe I can help you." "If this deal is more important than your daughter, then by all means you leave." "But if you do, I have no choice but to award your husband full custody." "That is my final decision." "This court is adjourned until Monday, February 14th." "Valentine's Day-- that's perfect." "Oh, and by the way, I strongly advise the two of you to use this opportunity to discuss your personal problems." "Well, how was it?" "Awful." "The judge adjourned until Monday, and Dylan and I are supposed to come to some sort of an agreement or something." "Well, sweetheart, you ignored him for six years." "What do you expect?" "Well, Dad, for good reason." "He's egotistical." "He's insensitive." "He behaves like a child." "He won't grow up and he acts like this is just the simplest thing in the world, like we should just be totally fine and why can't I just calm down?" "And let's just be" " Great to see you, Dylan." " Hey, Pops." " You take care." " How are you?" "I'm gonna go pick up your daughter over at your Aunt Harriet's." " "Pops"?" " Yeah." "What are you guys, like buddies now or something?" "Kinda." "That was kinda fun in there-- kinda like old times." "Yes, okay." "You know what?" "Let's just work this out, you and I, okay?" "How about she will come to you Thanksgiving and Easter?" "Twice a year?" "Wow." "Okay, fine." "What-- what do you want?" "Arbor Day or summer solstice or something?" " What?" "What?" " Tell you what-- since we have issues to resolve and we have to come to some kind of understanding, why don't we start with lunch today?" "Okay, now you're really pushing it." "You, me, Kelsey." "I'll make enchiladas." " You're serious?" " What?" " You used to love my enchiladas." " You" "Tell you what" " I'll get 'em started." "You guys come on over whenever you're ready." "I" " I didn't love them." "They were-- they were mediocre." "Sweetie, don't order too much, okay?" "We're having lunch with your dad." " Good morning, Judy." " Hey." "Laura?" "Hey!" " How are you?" " Oh, I'm good." " Nice to see you." " You too!" "I didn't realize that you're still working here." "Well, I actually own it." "Oh!" "Yeah, I bought it from Lillian a couple of years ago when she retired." " Congratulations." " Thank you." "Give it a look." "This is breakfast down here." "What do you see that you like?" "Orange juice-- so you can have orange juice." " Orange juice and..." " Yeah?" "...cheesecake." " How's Emma?" " She's great." "Here, let me show you." "Oh, she's beautiful." " She's so cute." " I know." "She says she wants a little brother, but, uh, we'll see about that." " I'm really happy for you." " Thanks." "So how'd it go this morning?" "Oh, I forgot-- everybody knows everything around here." "That's right." "Well, you know Dylan." "I have been married to that man for 15 years and he will never change." "You know, he might surprise you." "I mean he's been doing great." "Ever since his parents died" " I mean he whipped that ranch into shape." "He rebuilt the house, the stables-- everything." "I mean got his new business." "What business?" "These." "What-- does he make them?" "Yeah yeah, and he's doing furniture too." "Look at this." "It's beautiful." "That used to be our song." " Here, take it." " What?" "Oh, come on." "No no no." "Don't be silly." "No, you know what?" "You know what?" "This is my homecoming present to you." "I want you to have it." "Take it." "Thanks." "Thank you." "Now go sit down over there." "I'm gonna get you some real food, not that stuff you've been eating in New York." "¶¶ If all I had to show for all the years and all I've done ¶¶" "¶¶ Were the people that I've called my friends ¶¶" "¶¶ And the songs that I've sung ¶¶" "¶¶ If the sum of all my days could be measured by the mile... ¶¶" " Are you okay, Mom?" " Of course, honey." "I'm just not used to Grandpa's old truck, that's all." "Uh-huh." " ¶¶ Year after year ¶¶ - ¶¶ Year after year ¶¶" "¶¶ Pourin' my heart out, hopin' someone will hear ¶¶" "¶¶ Doin' what I was born to do ¶¶" "¶¶ I gave it all to you. ¶¶" "Daddy!" "Hey, baby!" "Ha ha ha!" "Oh!" "Look at you!" "You are so big." "You are so big." "Oh, I'm dying here." "You've gotten so big." " Good." "I missed you." " I missed you too, honey." "Oh, it's so good to see you." "Hi, Laura." " Hi." " Oh, good to see you." "Wow, Judy wasn't kidding." "I mean you really-- really did a lot of work to the place." "Yeah, a little of this, a little of that." " You like it?" " It looks fantastic." " I like the mailbox." " Oh good." "You like it?" " Yeah." " Huh?" "It's all right?" "Oh, you remember Anne Marie." "Oh!" " Of course." " Yeah, hi." "Anne Marie, this is Kelsey, my daughter." "Hi, cutie pie." "Hey." "Oh, hi." "Uh, we were in the, um, drama club together." " Oh, right right right." " "Annie Get Your Gun."" " You acted?" " Oh, just-- just a little bit." "A little bit?" "Are you kidding me?" "Your mom almost beat me out for the part of Annie Oakley." "I did not know that." "Almost." "So you're a doctor now?" "PhD-- doctorate of veterinary medicine." "You don't say." " She tends to my animals." " Oh." "I invited Anne Marie to come join us for lunch today." " I hope you don't mind." " Of course not." "I mean... the more the merrier, right?" "I did make her promise to make her famous dirty rice though." "It's not that good." "Oh, come on." "She's being modest." "You guys hungry?" "Come on in." "Let's make lunch." "Come on, Daddy." "This is gonna be fun." "This will be really good." "Whoo, you are gonna love these enchiladas." "Would you like some rice?" "And you are gonna love that dirty rice." " She's got famous dirty rice." " Ooh, I'll have some dirty rice." "All right." "There we go." " Want some rice?" " Would you like one?" "Yes, please." "Mm!" " Would you like it on your plate?" " Looks great, doesn't it?" " Excellent." " Need some of this?" "Mm-hmm." "Here we go." "All right." "Wow, look at that plate." "What?" "We just like to bless our food before eating it here." "Oh." "That's fine." "That's fine." "Don't-- don't worry about it." "How long has it been since you were in church?" "Well, um..." "You can't even remember?" "Well, no, we go to church." "I mean we go-- we-- all the time, don't we, Kelsey?" " No." " Well... a lot of the time my schedule doesn't allow" "I mean I work sometimes on the weekends and-- so we don't always have the opportunity to go." "Well, that's all right." "Kelsey, would you like to say grace?" " Oh, I don't know if she really" " No, it's okay." " I can do it, Mommy." " Oh." "Hmm." "Dear God, thank You for giving our family this wonderful food to eat." "And thank You so much for Mommy, Daddy," "Grandpa and Anne Marie of course." "And I really wanna thank Him for bringing me back to Texas." "It's so beautiful here." " That's sweet" " And I especially wanna thank Him for bringing Mommy and Daddy back together again." " Amen." " Amen." " Amen." " That was beautiful." " That was good." " What are you waiting for?" "Let's eat!" "Hey, Kelsey, how's those enchiladas?" "They're delicious." "Way better than the food back home." " Really?" " I mean it's different." "What she means is I don't always have the time to prepare a meal like this." " Mm." " Of course." "Dylan said you-- you're working in a bank back in New York?" "Mm-hmm." "We have branches all up and down the East Coast." "Hmm." "So are you a teller?" "I'm the VP of retail banking." "Well, that sounds important." "Yes, I oversee over 50 branches-- 75 if this merger goes through." "Good for you." "I think it's just great." " And all while raising a child." " Mm-hmm." "We do all right." "Don't we?" "Must be difficult doing it alone." "Yes, well, I-- yes, I have to admit it is difficult." "But, you know, we can't all be perfect just going to church all the time and having a PhD in veterinary medicine and making perfect dirty rice, so" "May I be excused?" "Oh, um, sure, sweetheart." "It's okay." " Wow." " Where are you going?" "I'm just gonna go talk to our daughter." " I'll take care of it." " Fine." "Wait." "You know what?" "And for the record, they offered me the part of Annie Oakley and I turned it down." "No, they didn't." "Thanks for coming." "Hey, uh, about before, I'm" "Oh, it's all right." "I" " I know it's hard." "So..." "Anne Marie, huh?" " What?" " Nothing." "I just-- she never really seemed like your type." "No no no." "Uh, she is just a friend." "Oh, really?" "Just a-- a blonde, beautiful," "PhD-carrying woman friend." "Laura, she's just a friend." " She really likes you, Dylan." " Well..." "You may not see that, which would make you really dumb, but I do." "Daddy, can I stay over?" "You're gonna have to ask your mama." "Please, Mom?" "Please, Mom?" "I don't know, Dylan." "I mean she-- she's" "I mean she's never really been around animals." "And she doesn't have a change of clothes or a toothbrush." "Laura, it's gonna be okay." "She'll be fine." " Okay, just for one night." " Deal." "Come here." "After you give your mama a hug, go on into the house, peanut." " I'll be in in a minute." " 'Kay." "Good night, sweetheart." "Mm!" " Love you." " Give me a kiss." "Okay?" "I'm gonna see you in the morning, all right?" " Okay." "Love you." "Bye." " Go inside." "I love you too, sweetheart." "So I guess we gotta figure out what we're gonna tell the judge on Monday, huh?" "I think I know exactly what we should tell the judge on Monday." "You do?" "Dylan, I think you should revoke your request and grant me full custody." "You think that's in her best interest?" "Well, I think that I know what's in her best interest better than you do." "She needs a father." "Well, she's been doing just fine without one." " Ah." " How are you this evening?" " How many in your party?" " Three." "We may have a fourth." "Got it." "I've got the place for you." "Thank you, thank you so much." "Excuse me." "Bet you're from Tokyo?" "Korea?" "China?" "Hello?" "Connors, where are you?" "Paul, hi." "I thought I told you-- I have that thing back home." "Yeah, you told me, but I ignored it." "You're supposed to be here." "Remember Mr. Tagiku from Tokyo?" "Oh, I'm sorry." "I forgot." "Forget it." "We have bigger problems." "Oh?" "Parker's Heller projections were off, so the FDlC is threatening to reject the merger." "What?" "We have to refile or the Fed won't approve the deal." "Oh, no." "Well, that's not a problem." "I can fix it-- the first thing, as soon as I get back next week." "Next week?" "I" " I need you here right now." "I can't." "The judge postponed her decision until Monday." "Monday, fine." "Fly back up here." "Spend the weekend on it." "Fly back Sunday night on the red-eye." "You don't understand." "If I leave, she will give full custody to Dylan." "What kind of lawyer would let her pull a stunt like that?" "I didn't bring one." "You went to court without a lawyer?" "Are you crazy?" "Would you go on a safari without a gun?" "Would you go swimming with sharks without a cage?" "When my third ex-wife sued me for alimony, my lawyer ended up having her pay me and I still got to keep my dog." "I didn't want to make a big deal out of it." "Big deal?" "It is a big deal!" "The clock is ticking and my future executive vice president is stuck somewhere in Arizona." " Texas." " Whatever." "Look, I brought my laptop with me." "I will just go through the revisions with Beth." "Fine, but kid or no kid," "I want you on the red-eye as soon as this is done." "There is a lot riding on you-- a lot." "Do you follow me?" "I follow." "So sorry." "I did not mean to dishonor our meeting." " Anyone in the mood for karaoke?" " Not during business." "And if you ever heard him sing, you wouldn't wanna do karaoke." "You speak English." "We're all on the same page." " Oh, it's a wonderful world." " This is marvelous." "What do you recommend, my dear?" "Well, I wouldn't get the moo goo gai pan," "I can tell you that." "Little Pikachu back there is in a snit." "No moo goo." "Uh, rice?" "Rice is safe." "Rice is safe." "What else can I get for ya?" "You've got to have something to go on it." "What-- and what do you want to drink?" "You could use a good stiff one." "Yeah, but I wanna stay healthy, so vodka and V8 juice." " Very good." " Make that two." "Well." "What?" "I see you found your old clothes." "Well, I didn't bring enough for a week." "I wasn't planning on still being here." "It's only four more days, honey." "Laura, if Dylan bothers you this much, why did you not get the divorce papers signed?" "I don't know." "I just" " I" " I kept putting it off." "I was busy." "I mean I don't know." "What?" "Just seems to me that someone who runs such an organized and strict life as you do... would find the time to do something like that." "Good night, honey." "Good night, Dad." "So why did Mommy stop riding?" "Whoa now, you know that your mama was like the best rider in the county and she could've gone to nationals?" " What happened?" " She had a bad fall." "She broke her collarbone, sprained her ankle." "That was it." "She never rode again." "Was that why you broke up?" "A little more complicated than that, but" "Do you love her?" "Of course I love her." "Then what's so complicated?" "I'm gonna let your mama answer that question." "I think you are ready for a horse ride." " Yeah!" " Let's find you a horse." " Hurry!" " Come on, let's go." "All right, you think you got it?" " Yeah, I think" " You don't need my help?" " I can do it." " You are an independent girl." "Oh my goodness, look at that." "Wow!" "So if you had some reins here and you wanted to control the direction of this horse, you'd be able to steer it just like a little car." "Like this?" "No no, but with your-- with your reins." "You just hold it like that." "You give a little turn right there and then you give a little kick on the side-- boom." "We'll take it nice and slow." "How do you feel up there?" "Okay?" " Yeah." " You gonna fall off?" " No." " All right." "You look good." "You look natural." "Come on, Jackson, let's bring it up a little." "Whoo!" " Come on, Jackson." " Come on, Jackson." "Give Jackson a little kick in his side." "There we go." "There you go." "That'll get him going." "Perfect!" "There you go." "You're doing great!" "That's it!" "Yes!" "You're riding!" "Hold on." "Stand up in your-- stand up in your stirrups a little." "You're doing great." "Oh, that was fantastic." "Oh my gosh." "Amazing." "Come on down." "Oh!" "You did good." "Oh, so proud of you." "Judge Cramer, hi hi." "I told you I'd see you on Monday." "Oh, I just wanna talk for one minute." "Okay, go." "Now I" " I understand what you're trying to do." "You just want us to work things out." "And I just want to resolve this in the quickest and easiest way for everyone." "You mean for yourself." "No." "I mean everyone." "No, wait." "I-- you know, I'm sure" "I know that you're so busy with tons of cases and I just think that it would be better if we handled this as a legal matter." "Oh, and for what it's worth, I am really sorry about what happened all those years ago with the attic window when I was a kid." "Maybe in the city people treat marriage like some kind of game, but down here I like to think of marriage as an institution-- an institution based on communication." "Now you've got two and a half days left." "I wouldn't waste any more time." " But I" " Your minute's up." "I'll see you on Monday." "So I just went to talk to her to try to come to an agreement." "I mean just make it a legal matter instead of all of this stuff we're going through." "And then she says that marriage is an institution based on communication." "I mean we're-- we're talking about custody here, not couple's therapy." "You know, she probably just wants what's best for Kelsey." "Well, I think what is best for Kelsey is that if we just get out of here as soon as possible." "She has her father's eyes, you know?" "Ugh." "Do you know what Dylan did?" "Do you know that he invited Anne Marie to dinner at his house with us last night?" "Yeah, well, she has been spending a lot of time up at the ranch." "Oh ho ho ho ho." "I know she is just dying to get in there and push me out." "She has always been in competition with me." "I mean all through school she just always had to be better than me." "Laura, don't even." " What?" " Be honest." "The only reason she is bothering you is because you're jealous." "Oh!" "Oh ho ho." "Oh, that's insane." "You are afraid that they're gonna end up together." "Oh, please." "He could do a lot better than her." "Like you?" "Like someone... a lot better than her." "You know, I remember when you first got married." "You always had this way of knowing what was best for everybody." "Well, what is that supposed to mean?" "It means that maybe sometimes things don't have to make sense." "Sometimes you just have to let go, live in the moment." "I don't like doing that." "No, you don't." "You hate that!" "Yes, I hate that!" "Whoo!" "Ahh!" "Ah, there you go." "Daddy, come up here." "All right, what do you say?" "Let's go-- let's go chase after that pig." "She's here." "All right." "Kelsey?" "Dylan?" " Are you back here?" " Mommy, get her." "Okay okay okay okay." "I got her." "Okay, wait wait wait!" "Ahh!" " Ooh!" " You got her." " Are you okay, Mommy?" " Yeah." "Yes, I did." "You all right?" "Can I talk to you for a second?" "Uh, yeah, sure." "Honey, why don't you go on and get cleaned up?" " Okay, what" " Go easy on him." " We were just having a little fun." " Oh, okay." "I will." " Aha, hmm." " You got a little-- a little" "Oh, yeah, you're a riot." "That was pretty funny." "Dylan, she's a city girl." "She could get hurt." "She's fine." "It was just a pig." "You remember when we first got married and I brought home that pig?" " And you thought it was so dangerous." " It was." "It was a dangerous pig." "Yeah, and then you liked that pig so much that you named it." "Oh yeah, I forgot about that." " What was it?" " His name was Hoggle." " Oh, God, Hoggle." " Uh-huh." "And you loved that pig." "Oh, I tolerated that pig." " What, like you tolerated me?" " Mm-hmm." "Okay, you can try and fool everyone that you're like this nice little city girl, but I" "I saw you take that hit." "You took that hit like a country girl." "Okay." "But still, she is a city girl and you have to be careful." "She's fine." "Oh oh, I forgot-- you are dating a doctor." "Oh, wow!" "Well, first of all, she's a vet." "Oh, my mistake." "Excuse me." "Sorry." "And second of all, we're not dating." "We're just friends." "I have known Anne Marie a lot longer than you have and, trust me, she always has an agenda." "Okay, Mom, I'm ready." "Can Sadie come?" "Uh, no." " Why not?" " No." " Please?" " Absolutely not." "¶¶ Seems the leaves are changing color ¶¶" "¶¶ A little late this year ¶¶" "¶¶ Putting off the memory ¶¶" "¶¶ And sparing me the tears ¶¶" "¶¶ 'Cause they return each fall, but when winter calls ¶¶" "¶¶ And I remember when ¶¶" "¶¶ She walked out the door for evermore ¶¶" "¶¶ Into that cold November wind ¶¶" "¶¶ She was passion, she was fire ¶¶" "¶¶ That could burn in steady rain ¶¶" "¶¶ And the tattered mess my life's become ¶¶" "¶¶ Can never be the same ¶¶" "¶¶ As it was when she still loved me ¶¶" "¶¶ Now my heart can never mend ¶¶" "¶¶ 'Cause her memory comes back to me ¶¶" "¶¶ On that cold November wind. ¶¶" "Hello?" "Why are you whispering?" "Because I am supposed to be eating with my family right now." "What is going on?" "Did you get my email with the revisions?" "Yeah, about that-- the board found out about the Fed's response and they called an emergency meeting-- tomorrow-- and Paul wants you on the phone." "But I" " I am supposed to be spending time with my family." "That man is on a warpath." "Come on, we both know how much time you put into this deal." " Don't blow it now." " What time?" " 3:30." " Okay, fine fine." "Okay, great." "I'll let him know." "You can also let him know that he'd better be serious about that promotion." " You can tell him yourself tomorrow." " I will." "Okay, where are you anyway?" "In a nightclub." "No, I'm in the Chinese restaurant on the corner." "Sounds like a nightclub." "All right, bye." "Okay, bye." "Kelsey, do you want some pancakes?" "Kelse?" "Oh, sweetheart." "Oh, honey." "I'm so sorry that you have to go through all this." "And your Daddy and I should be able to handle this more like adults, but" "It's your fault." "Why did you have to break up?" "Why did we have to move away?" "Was it because of your accident with the horse?" "No no, honey." "Your daddy and I-- we fell in love when we were really young and we just weren't ready for the responsibility" "You mean you weren't ready for me." "No." "No no no no no." "Okay, let's put Sadie down just for a minute." "Here." "Okay okay." "Come here, sit on my lap." "Come on." "Of course I don't mean you." "We were too young and we weren't ready for the responsibility." "So-- so you just couldn't try to figure it out?" "Well, I did, sweetheart." "We did." "Why didn't you try?" "Wh" " I" " I" "Do you love him?" "Of course I loved him, honey." "No, I asked if you love him." "Of course I love your father." "And I will always always always have a very special place for him in my heart." "But, honey, your father and I-- we're different people and-- and we want different things." "And in the end Mommy wanted a change and your daddy wanted to stay here." "But I never even get to see him anymore and we never come to visit." "I know, honey." "Well, New York is really far away and it's expensive to travel, so" "But if you got back together again, then you wouldn't have to travel." "Honey... your daddy and I are thousands of miles apart." "We are from-- it's like we're from different worlds." "But you're not from different worlds." "You're both from Centerville." "Honey, New York is our home now." "And your daddy's home is here." "Come here." "Come here." "Come here." "Come here." "Come here." "Come here." "Listen." "Listen to me." "This is what we're gonna do." "How about you go and get dressed and then I'm gonna take you riding at the equestrian center?" " Would you like that?" " Can Sadie come?" "I-- you know what I think?" "I think that Sadie maybe should stay here and take care of Grandpa." " Okay." " Okay?" "Come here." "We're gonna have a great time, okay?" "Will you give me a little smile?" "A little one?" "A little smile?" "Come on." "That's you." "I love you, sweetheart." "Get dressed." "Come on, let's go, let's go go." "Come on, Hunter." "Come on, come on." "There it is." "There it is." "There it is." "Keep that going." "Let's go." "Come on, come on." "Yah yah." " Can you still run like that?" " Oh, that's called cantering, honey." "And, you know, I'm not sure." "It's been a long time." "There you are." "There you go." "Come on." "Come on." "Laura, don't tell me you're riding again." "Oh me?" "No no no no." "I just brought Kelsey over to ride Nelly." "Oh, Nelly's a great horse, beautiful horse." " Can you show me how to jump?" " Oh!" "I really don't think I'm the right man for that job." "You ought to ask your mother." "She's a much better jumper than I'll ever be." "Oh, well, Mommy's retired from that profession." "So I think that" " I think this might be your man." "Tell you what-- why don't we start with the easy things first?" "You ever feed a horse an apple out of your hand?" " No." " Oh, they love that." "Yes, they do." "That's right where we're gonna start, okay?" " Okay." " Last one to the barn's a rotten egg." " One, two, three, go!" " Cheater!" "Come on, boy." "Come on." "Come on." "Oh, you better go." "You better go." "Come on." "You're doing great, sweetheart." "Just try to keep your heels down." "If I didn't know any better, I'd say this place was growing on her." "Yeah, she's having fun." "But it's been hard too." "You know, this whole custody thing-- it hasn't been easy on her... or me for that matter." "Well, nobody ever said that marriage was supposed to be easy." "You know, sometimes I wonder why we should do it at all." "Well, because it's important, silly." "Why do you think marriage is one of the most popular metaphors in the Bible in the first place?" "Isaiah 54:" ""For thy Maker is thine husband;" "the Lord of hosts is his name;" "and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel."" "See, God refers to Himself as the husband of Israel, of its people." "That means that marriage is meant to be a lifetime union between a husband, a wife, a child and God that's not easily broken." "But I" " I look back to when Dylan and I got married and I can't even" " I can't even remember why I" "I feel so disconnected to him." ""I" " I" " I" " I--"" "There's always going to be excuses." "There's always going to be accidents." "There's always going to be arguments." "But those aren't reasons." " I was" " What?" "We drifted so far apart." "That was a long time ago now." " We don't have any" " Yes yes yes yes yes." "And yet here you are." "You're hanging out with your old friends." "You're teaching your daughter how to ride your old horse." "We missed you, Laura." "We did." "And I know you'd hate to admit it, but I think you kind of missed us too, even Dylan." "Yeah." "So what do you say?" "It'd be awfully nice to see you at church on Sunday." " Ah." " Ah!" " You're very convincing." " Yes, I know." " We will try, yes." " Okay." " We will try to make it." " Good good good good." "Thank you very much." "Great job!" "You look super." "Are you having fun?" "Yeah." " Maybe we'll ride again later, okay?" " Okay." " Hey, peanut!" " Daddy!" "Whoa, man!" "Oh, hi." " Hey." " What a surprise." "Yeah, your dad told me you'd be up here." "Oh." "Of course he did." "Of course he did." "Yes, he did." "Rahr!" "So, uh-- so what's up?" "Well, I thought since today was the first day of the Valentine's Day carnival" " Carnival?" " Yeah." "I thought we'd go eat some sugary sweets." "We could ride the carousel, pan for gold." "Oh, I don't know." "I-- we" " Come on." " Please, Mom?" " Just like old times." " Yeah." " Oh, all right." "Okay." " Thank you!" "Oh, thank you." "I guess we can all have a little bit of fun." " No, a lot of it." " A lot of fun." "All right, I will see you guys at 2:00?" "Does that work?" "All right, it's a date." " Okay, you know what I mean." " I'm just-- okay." " All right, all right." " Can Sadie come?" " Who's Sadie?" " The pig." "The pig?" "Honey, I think you really wore the pig out yesterday." "Probably shouldn't bring the pig to the carnival." "Yeah, you know, I think maybe Sadie should just stay here this time" " and maybe she can come next time." " Yeah, I think so." "I think so." " Okay." " All right?" "Boop." "I'll see you guys at 2:00." " All right." " Bye, Daddy." "Bye." "Come on." "¶¶ With my 4x4 pickup truck ¶¶" "¶¶ Ridin' along with Lady Luck ¶¶" "¶¶ Whoohoo ¶¶" "¶¶ Got the radio playing my favorite song ¶¶" "¶¶ Down the country road we're rollin' on ¶¶" "¶¶ When the stars are shinin' in the desert sky ¶¶" "¶¶ It's only love that's calling us tonight ¶¶" "¶¶ Hold on tight ¶¶" "¶¶ There's nothing but lovin' coming ¶¶" "¶¶ Underneath that starry sky. ¶¶" "Daddy, I wanna ride the pony." "Yeah, that sounds good." "Can we do it?" " Let's do it." "Let's go." " Come, let's go, let's go, let's go." " Oh, wait." " Laura." "Hi!" " Hey!" " Hey, hon." " How are you?" "Hi, Dan." " Hello." "Good to see ya." " Good to see ya." " You too!" "Hi!" "Look at you." "Emma, you got so big!" "Looks like you guys are having a good time." "Whoo!" "A natural country girl." "Look at that." "Look at that." "Yes, we are." " We are." " How's it going?" "It's good." "You know, he's been really looking forward to this." " Oh, really?" " Yep yep." "Really?" " Honey!" " What what?" "Look, I'm only saying what he said." "You know what?" "We're gonna go ride the ponies, okay?" "Yeah, good idea." "Go ride the ponies." "Looks like Kelsey's having a great time over there on that pony." "She's really having a blast." "I mean there is nothing like this in New York City." "New York City street fair-- there are no ponies." "Well, I'm not sure it's really the pony that's making her so happy." "And you guys look good together." "I know, it's just-- it's not that simple." "Isn't it?" "What do you want, babe?" "I" " Dylan." " Hey, Anne Marie." " How are you doing?" " Well, good." "How are you?" " Oh..." " ...not that." " Go." " Uh, excuse me!" "Kelse, look who's here." "Anne Marie's here." " Hi." " Hi, sweetie." " Look at her go." " Mm, not bad." "Not bad." " I think she had a good teacher." " Mm, you know..." " Hi." " Oh." " Is that yours?" " Thanks." "Yeah, so, um, why don't you let us have a little-- a little family time... alone?" " That's funny." " Hey, Anne Marie, why don't we" "I'll call you tomorrow." "Nice seeing you." " Okay." " Yeah." "All right, have fun tonight." " Talk to you later." " Enjoy." " Bye." " Bye." " Bye." " Bye, Kelsey." "Bye bye." "Oh no, she doesn't like you at all." "So a little family time, huh?" " You know what I mean." " Yep." "I wanna ride on the carousel." " You wanna ride the carousel?" " Okay." "All right, sounds good." "We'll do that." "We'll do it as a family." "Oh, would you-- know you, that's enough." " Okay, which one you wanna go on?" " Oops, sorry." " This one." " Okay." "Here we go." "All right, babe." "Hey, that looks like a good one, honey." "Oh, here we go." "We're movin'." "Whoo!" "Here we go." "Lookin' good." "Had fun today?" " Yep." " Yeah, it's been awesome." " Go sit down with Mommy." " Had a good day." "What's that?" " Go sit down with Mommy." " Okay, all right?" " You good?" " Yes." " You gonna be okay?" " Yes." "Go." "Okay, sounds good." "Oh!" "Man!" "No hands." "You okay?" "Yeah, I'm okay." "Are you okay, Mommy?" "I'm okay, sweetheart, yes." "And you're okay about what?" "It just feels so good to be together." "You know?" "But-- but" "But what?" "Everything has changed." "We can't" "I don't know." "If you could press a button that would make things go back to the way they were... would you press it?" "¶¶ But your love never fails ¶¶" "¶¶ Mm mm ¶¶" "¶¶ Oh ooh ¶¶" "¶¶ You've stayed the same through the ages. ¶¶" "You know what, sweetie?" "Why don't you go on over and talk to your Aunt Mary?" " Okay." " And you guys hang out for a second." " I just wanna" " Can I have your hat?" "I just wanna talk to your mommy for a minute." " So" " So" "You-- you start." "Go ahead." "Um..." "I guess I just wanted to say that I-- despite what you may think," "I hope that you know that I didn't mean for any of this to be difficult for you or Kelsey." "I know." "I know." "You know, after a lot of thinking" "I know I'm a little slow, but I do finally realize that the only important thing in life is family." "Kelsey's gotta know how much I love and care for her." "Oh, I" " I think she does." "I was talking to Pastor Frank a few weeks ago and he told me that-- he asked me, "At the end of your life are you gonna be happy with how you did things?"" "And the answer was no." "And he showed me that the only thing that truly matters in life is who you love." "And to be significant" "I have to put other people before myself, so" " I don't know" " I mean I think maybe asking for custody was some way for me to... fix some of the things I've done wrong." "Did you think it would bring us back together?" "Did it?" "Hey, honey." " Whoa!" " Whoo!" "You got my lid all dusty." "Oh no!" "Just like everything else you're wearing." "All right, sweetheart, you gotta say good night to Daddy, okay?" " Night, Daddy." " Good night, sweetie." " I love you." " I love you." "I love you." "All right, we'll see you." " Bye." " Night." " Samantha Pierce." " Hey, it's Laura." "There you are." "I have some excellent news for you." "Oh?" "I had my investigator look into Mr. Hackett." "You investigated Dylan?" "Yep, and they found out something very interesting." "Wh-- what's that?" "Well, apparently his company is not doing as well as he says." "In fact he's burned through his capital and he's running at a severe loss." "He's bankrupt, Laura." "But-- but his ranch..." "Did you know it was up for sale?" " He's selling the ranch?" " Yeah." "Apparently it's the only thing of value he has left." "But, Sam, that's very important to him." "It's been in his family for generations." "Look, I know." "But the fact is there is no way that he can support Kelsey and there is not a judge in this state that's gonna grant him custody, shared or otherwise." "Laura, I thought you'd be happier about this." "I know." "I know." "Did-- have you told anyone else about this?" " Just you." " Okay, good." "Keep it that way." "You do understand what I said, right?" " You can't lose." " I know." "I-- just-- just let me think about it first, okay?" "Okay." "Of course." "I mean it's your decision." "But just remember, you have to be before the judge on the 14th, and that's the day after tomorrow." "I'll be on a red-eye tomorrow night." "Then I will see you in the courthouse." "Okay." "I'll see you then." "Bye." "I am hungry!" "Well, set you down there." "What would you like?" " Um, pancakes." " Uh-huh." "Laura, come down for breakfast." " Laura!" " Yeah, I'll be right down." "Hello?" "It's Sunday morning and guess where I am." "I" "I'm in my office doing the extra paperwork you were supposed to be doing!" "Well, I'm not actually doing it myself." "Actually I'm more like supervising." "Not that you would know, because you were not on the call yesterday." "Oh, I'm sorry." " I forgot." " I know." "I know." "You were too busy hay riding or cow tipping-- whatever it is you're doing down in New Mexico." " Texas." " Whatever." "Connors, I like you-- you know that-- which is the only reason, as far as I'm concerned, that you still have a job." "You should be managing this." "Would you stop worrying about it?" "I have been speaking to Beth and we have the entire situation under control." "I think you should know I had a lovely conversation with Anderson yesterday, and I think he would really appreciate that promotion." "Stop worrying about it." "Everything is going to be fine." "I'd worry less if you were here." "You know what?" "If you'll excuse me, Paul, I'm actually going to go have breakfast with my father and my daughter." "And I am going to call you as soon as I am out of court tomorrow." "Wait a minute." "I have one more thing" "Okay, bye." "So how was the carnival?" " It was awesome." " Uh-huh." "Mommy and Daddy kissed." "They what?" "They kissed." "Morning." "Good morning, darlin'." " What's for breakfast?" " Pancakes." "So what are you girls gonna do on this bright sunny day?" "Ahem, well, I was thinking that we might go to church." "What did you say?" "I said we might go to church." "Really?" "And today I wanna talk about something that I haven't talked about very much in this church-- hello-- something that is very important." "I wanna talk about marriage." "Now I've married a lot of couples over the years, some of whom are actually sitting in this church right now." "They always come to me with the same wish." "They want a perfect marriage." "So today I wanna ask everybody here exactly what is that?" "What is a perfect marriage?" "Now a wife might tell me that a perfect marriage is one where her husband is devoted without question." "He's loyal." "He's deeply sensitive to her needs." "But a husband might tell me a perfect marriage is one where the wife goes out on Sunday afternoon so he can sit down and watch the game." "Yeah." "My point is everyone has their own definition of what a perfect marriage should be." "And as long as that's the case, no marriage can ever truly be perfect." "Perhaps the question is not what we want a relationship to be, but rather what we need one to be." "Maybe there's an emptiness inside their soul." "They're looking for something to fill it." "But marriage is not some kind of spiritual spackle." "See, only God can fill that void." "What we need is a partnership." "And that, like any partnership, takes skill, takes effort." "That's why sometimes all we need to do when we're faced with these problems is turn to the Lord." "Listen to the Holy Spirit." "Galatians 5:22 says that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." "Sounds like a pretty strong recipe for a pretty strong marriage, doesn't it?" "Okay, so I'd like to end this sermon with a message from First Timothy 1:5." "The goal of His command is love which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." "So as you go out into the world today, remember what the goal of His command was." " What is the goal of His command?" " Love!" "Yes, that's right!" "Look at that, we're on time." "Now go ye, therefore, out into the world and love one another." "Go on." "Thank you." "Thank you for coming." "It was a pleasure." "Thank you for that short and inspirational" "Oh, you're welcome." "The shorter and more inspirational, the better." "Thanks a lot." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Thank you." " Everything all right?" " Um... you know-- you know you can always come to me if you ever need anything, ever." "Thanks." "I know how hard you've been working to rebuild your ranch and start your career." "And I know that's not cheap, so I just" "Who told you?" "My lawyer." " I didn't want you to know." " I know." "But you realize if this got out" "Well, it's a little bit late for that, isn't it?" "Well, not necessarily." "Well, I guess I should congratulate you then." "Wait." "I don't-- what?" "Well, you finally got what you want-- a reason to take Kelsey away from me for good." "No, all I'm saying is that you could have come to me sooner." "Oh, that would've gone over great." "You don't have to deal with this alone." "You know, I thought things were getting better for us." "They were." "They are." "They are." "And what, you were just out there looking for information to use against me?" "Did I say I was gonna use any of this against you?" " You don't have to." " I said I want to help you." "Oh yeah, great." ""Um, I can't support myself, so I had to accept money from my soon-to-be-ex wife."" "The judge is just gonna love that." "No, I don't want you to lose everything." "I don't care!" "I don't care about my business." "I don't care about the ranch." "I don't care what anyone thinks about me." " All I care about is my little girl!" " I know that." "Is that why you hired your lawyer?" "Because you care so much about how I feel?" "Dylan, I didn't know what was gonna happen." "Well, I guess that makes two of us." "Well, maybe we both made a mistake." "Yeah, I think you might be right." " Wait, Dylan." "Dylan, wait." " Nah, I'll talk to you tomorrow." "Wait!" " Daddy." " Sweetie, not now." "What happened?" "What did you say?" "Oh no, nothing, sweetheart." "You drove him away again, didn't you?" "No no no, I didn't." "Stay away from me." "I don't wanna talk to you." "¶¶ Never thought that I'd get caught ¶¶" "¶¶ With a diamond on my hand ¶¶" "¶¶ Always felt I needed to be free... ¶¶" "Hi, sweet." "¶¶ But now I see what freedom means ¶¶" "¶¶ And I found it here with you... ¶¶" " Hi." "Hi, sweet." " ¶¶ By your side ¶¶" " ¶¶ Is where I'll always be... ¶¶" " Hi." "¶¶ You're the one I've always dreamed of ¶¶" "¶¶ In the middle of the night ¶¶" "¶¶ You're the one I need ¶¶" "¶¶ To make it all feel right... ¶¶" "Yeah," "I think I might have really messed up this time." "I don't know if I can fix it." "But I'm gonna try." "I'm definitely gonna try." "I am." "You ready to go for a ride?" "You wanna go for a little ride?" "I know, it's been a long time." " Let's see what we can..." " ¶¶ You always see the best in me ¶¶" "¶¶ Even when I've given up ¶¶" "¶¶ Here tonight I finally understand ¶¶" "¶¶ You're the one I've always dreamed of ¶¶" "¶¶ In the middle of the night... ¶¶" "Mm-hmm." "Let's go." "Come on." "¶¶ You're the one I need to make it all feel right ¶¶" "¶¶ When you're holdin' me so tenderly ¶¶" "¶¶ All my worries come undone ¶¶" "¶¶ I've been fooled before ¶¶" " ¶¶ But, baby, you're the one... ¶¶" " You're a good girl, yeah." "Don't worry, we're not going near those calves." "Don't you worry about a thing." "¶¶ Why should we take it slow?" "¶¶" "¶¶ Book the preacher and buy the ring ¶¶" "¶¶ And we'll go... ¶¶" "Good girl." "¶¶ Oh, you're the one I've always dreamed of ¶¶" "¶¶ In the middle of the night ¶¶" "¶¶ You're the one I need to make it all feel right... ¶¶" "Hi!" " You're really good." " Thanks." "Come here, Nelly." "You're feeling pretty good, aren't you?" "Yeah." "Like she never got off." "¶¶ You're the one I've always dreamed of ¶¶" "¶¶ In the middle of the night ¶¶" "¶¶ You're the one I need ¶¶" "¶¶ To make it all feel right ¶¶" "¶¶ Oh, so right ¶¶" "¶¶ When you're holdin' me so tenderly. ¶¶" " Mommy?" " Yeah, sweetie?" "What's gonna happen tomorrow?" "Well, I don't know, sweetie." "That's up to the judge." "But what do you want to happen?" " I wanna go home." " You do?" "And I want Daddy and Sadie to come too." "Well, we'll see what Mommy can do, okay?" "Okay." " Good night." " Good night." " I love you." " I love you." "Sweet dreams." "Oh, hey." "You sure looked good out there today." "It's been a long time since I've been in the saddle, that's for sure." "Yeah well, you looked good." "Thanks, Dad." "Your attorney called today." "Staying at a motel-- Deerfield, I think." "It's right over there by the phone." "Okay." "Thanks." "What are you gonna do tomorrow?" "I don't know." "I have no idea." "Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" "Yeah, I do." "You, of all people... with nothing to do." "Thanks, Dad." " You okay?" " Yeah yeah, I'm fine." "All rise." "Centerville Family Court is now in session, the Honorable Harriet Cramer presiding." "We are here to resume the matter of Hackett v. Connors for the custody of Kelsey Hackett." "I see both parents are present." "So if there are no objections, we may move forward." "Your Honor, I would like to make a statement." "I don't suppose "no" is an option." "Your Honor, I left Centerville six years ago to pursue a job in New York, and that job turned into a terrific career." "And I brought my daughter with me because I didn't think that my husband was capable of raising a little girl." "I blamed Dylan for everything because I never really believed that he took our marriage or being a father seriously... but I was wrong." "What are you doing?" "What I should have done in the first place." "I was the one who left." "I was the one who prevented him from seeing his little girl except for a handful of visits." "And I was the one that was so busy that I couldn't even handle the divorce paperwork." "I neglected my family, my friends, my church and my husband." "A good friend told me that I shouldn't judge him too quickly, and she was right." "I mean look at him." "He-- he's fixed up the ranch." "He started his own business and all the while remaining dedicated to his family and friends." "I think that he deserves an opportunity to be a father for Kelsey." "And I have decided that I am not gonna stand in the way of that." "So if you still want me to sign that paperwork, I will." "Thank you very much, Laura, for that very thoughtful statement." "Now if there are no further objections, we may move forward." "Your Honor, I would like to make a statement too." "Oh, why not?" "See, I missed my daughter Kelsey more than anything in the whole world." "And these past years since she's been so far away-- it's broken my heart in more ways than words can describe." "But I haven't been totally honest." "You see, starting a business is not easy and it's not cheap." "The truth of the matter is is that I'm broke." "I even had to put up my family farm just to make ends meet." "So while I love my daughter Kelsey with all my heart, the truth is is that I just don't have the money to support her in the manner in which she deserves... not alone." "Laura, I know that our relationship has had its bumps and bruises." "And I have found you at times to be uncompromising, obstinate, stubborn." "But these last few days" "I remembered that you are also honest, kind, sweet, loving and, above all, brave." "I saw this girl take a hit from a pig like a true country girl." "Laura, I think it's amazing that you made it in New York." "And I think it's even more amazing that you raised our daughter all by yourself there." "All those years ago I will admit I didn't follow you because I didn't think you'd make it." "I was wrong." "I should have had more faith in you." "For that I'm sorry." "I don't know much about the city." "I know I don't know a lot about a lot of things." "But I do know this" "I want Kelsey back in my life." "But I also want you." "I don't want custody because I don't want a divorce." "Laura, I love you." "I wanna be with you, except this time for good." "So if that offer to move to the city with you still stands," "I'd like to discuss it." "I love you too, Dylan." "Um, order order order!" "Now I can see that when I advised you two to discuss your personal matters, you took me seriously." "I see no reason to move further." "So unless either of you party disagree, this court is adjourned." "Come on." " Yes." " Ha ha!" "Oh, wait." " It's Paul." " Oh." "I have to take it and it will take one second." "Hi, Paul." "Excellent news, Connors." "Beth resubmitted the paperwork you sent her." "Looks like the Feds are gonna okay the deal after all." "That is fantastic news!" "You see, I told you you had nothing to worry about." "So everything set down there in Arkansas?" "It's Texas, Paul." "My secretary has booked you on a 3:30 flight back to New York." "Oh, you know," "I think I'm actually gonna stick around here for a few days." "What?" "Well, everything's all wrapped up over there, so I don't see any real need" " to rush back." " But" "Oh, and that executive vice president offer?" " Yeah, about that" " I accept." " But" " On one condition." "Okay, what?" "I wanna work from home one day a week and no nights and no weekends." "I wanna spend time with my family." "Okay, Connors, I think we can accommodate that." " Oh, and one more thing." " All right." "It's Hackett." "I don't care what you call yourself, as long as you get the job done." "Bye, Paul." "Happy Valentine's Day." "Family values-- wow." "I like it." "Get me marketing." "Whoever's there, yeah." "Yeah, it's Paul." "Yeah-- okay, I'll wait." "Yay." "Oh, boy." "This is just gonna be so great," " isn't it?" " It is." " Oh, bravo!" " Daddy!" " Hi!" " Hey!" "Here we are." "Hi!" "Ho!" "Ah, man, you are big and fat." " Dad, your shoes." " I will never forget that." "Hi." "Word travels fast." " Hey, there we are." "There we are." " Congratulations." " We're gonna give it a shot." " Thank you." " It was quite a ride, Pop." " We're so happy." "You sure are patient." " Thanks." " "Good things," as you said." "Oh." "Welcome home, honey." "Thank you very much." "Good work." "Can't tell you how proud I am." "Great job." "Oh, you know, I was thinking about what you said at the service yesterday." "And while I don't know what a perfect marriage is," "I sure am ready to put all the effort and hard work and everything I can into my family." "All right, that's great." "Don't forget, the Holy Spirit's always there to help." " Thank you, sir." " Thank you." " You're welcome." " We're going off to Wednesday's." "Yeah." "Hey hey, but remember, next time you come into town, stop by the church." "I'm comin'!" " All right." " Thank you, sir." " Bye." " All right, you guys." " We'll see you next time." " Okay, we'll see you soon." "Bye." "Don't forget to say goodbye to your friend." " Oh yeah." " We'll talk." " Yeah, you'll send me the bill." " Oh yeah." "Come on." " Well..." " So?" "...what do we do now?" "I don't know." "Well, there is room for you in New York." "Are you serious?" "As long as you promise not to give up your ranch." "Come on!" "Well, we're gonna need a place to stay when we come back and visit, aren't we?" " All right." " Yes." " Right?" "Wouldn't you like that?" " Yes." "You guys want to have a place to stay here in town, we can make that happen." " That sounds good." " Good." "I never" " I don't wanna forget where we came from." "Yeah, I know." "So what now?" "I think that we should all go for a ride." " On horses?" " Yeah." " Oh yeah." " You wanna do that?" " You wanna do that?" " Yes!" " Let's go." " Come on now, let's go." " Ready?" " Here we go." "Whoo!" "Look on over there." "You see my-- you see my 12 acres?" "¶¶ Nothing can separate ¶¶" "¶¶ Even if I ran away ¶¶" "¶¶ Your love never fails ¶¶" "¶¶ Mm ¶¶" "Subrip: easytobeaman" "¶¶ I know I still make mistakes ¶¶" "¶¶ But You have new mercy for me every day ¶¶" "¶¶ 'Cause Your love never fails ¶¶" "¶¶ Mm ¶¶" "¶¶ And You stay the same through the ages ¶¶" "¶¶ Your love never changes ¶¶" "¶¶ There may be pain in the night ¶¶" "¶¶ But joy comes with the morning ¶¶" "¶¶ And when the oceans rage ¶¶" "¶¶ I don't have to be afraid ¶¶" "¶¶ Because I know that You love me ¶¶" "¶¶ And Your love never fails ¶¶" "¶¶ The wind is strong and the water's deep ¶¶" "¶¶ But I'm not alone here in these open seas ¶¶" "¶¶ 'Cause Your love never fails ¶¶" "¶¶ Mm ¶¶" "¶¶ The chasm was far too wide ¶¶" "¶¶ I never thought I'd reach the other side ¶¶" "¶¶ But Your love never fails ¶¶" "¶¶ Thank you, Jesus ¶¶" "¶¶ Thank you, Jesus... ¶¶" "¶¶ You stay the same through the ages ¶¶" "¶¶ Your love never changes ¶¶" "¶¶ There may be pain in the night ¶¶" "¶¶ But joy comes with the morning ¶¶" "¶¶ And when the oceans rage ¶¶" "¶¶ I don't have to be afraid ¶¶" "¶¶ Because I know that You love me. ¶¶"