Relocation Part II

By Elizabeth Goode

The two teenagers headed over to the stables, where they found Regan preparing to exercise Strawberry. The tall, red-haired groom listened as they related their story with a grin. "I think it's a good idea to get Maypenny's help on this one - I'd hate to see either of you get bitten. He's been working with wild things since before either of you were born. Say, while you're down there, could you give Dan a message?"

Stroking Strawberry's mane gently, Trixie said, "Sure, Regan. What's the message?"

"That he needs to get up to the stables and meet me for dinner. I haven't seen the kid in days! Now, I don't want to put you two on the spot, but if you don't mind telling me ... how's Danny getting along?"

Smiling, Trixie replied, "He's doing really well. I know I was kind of a pill when he first got here, but I'm really glad he came and that he's a Bob-White now, too. Bobby is absolutely crazy about him, and Mart is in seventh heaven having him around - I think he felt like it was about time he had someone around his own age to pal around with." She looked up at Jim, patting him on the shoulder. "I think Mart felt like Brian got Jim, I got Honey, and who was he left with? Di? In his dreams!"

"Hey, now," Jim said as he leaned against the corral railing, "There's enough Jim to go around. You don't have to fight over me." He grinned, feeling a little bit giddy with the knowledge that not only did he have friends and a brand new family, but also that said friends and family craved his attention as much as he did theirs.

Trixie shot him a look that conveyed amusement and sincere emotion simultaneously. His heart soared, just for a moment before he came back down to earth. Dan was going through something similar to what he had experienced not so long ago himself - gaining new family and friends and all of the confusion, happiness, and apprehension that came with it. The very least he could do was be a friend to the guy - even if he didn't entirely like the way the newest BWG looked at Trixie sometimes. He had often wondered why Regan had opted to have Dan live with Mr. Maypenny instead of taking him in himself, but that was a question he didn't feel comfortable asking, at least not yet.

Instead, he assured Regan that Dan was settling in well, and that the Bob-Whites were each doing their part to make him feel as welcome as possible. "Don't worry too much just because he doesn't come up here too often. The Manor House is a little bit intimidating to someone who's new around here. Take it from me. Sometimes, when I'm home alone, I still like to wander into the gallery and try my hand at yodeling, just to hear the echo."

This earned him a laugh from Regan and a snicker from Trixie, who added, "And sometimes, when you think you're home alone, and your sister just happens to overhear you and nearly die laughing!"

He flushed furiously at the memory, but offered a good-natured grin. "What I was trying to get at is that maybe instead of expecting him to come up here, you should go to him and bring him up here, to show him that it's okay."

Thoughtfully, Regan nodded. "That makes sense. I was trying to give him space, but if he's trying to give me space at the same time, he may graduate from high school before I can manage to have a decent conversation with him." He glanced at Trixie and Jim, then back down toward the clubhouse. "I guess I've taken up enough of your time - I have to get Strawberry here some exercise, and you two need to get Mr. Maypenny to help with the beast. Thanks for the advice, you two, and don't forget to bring my nephew with you when you come back. Jupiter hasn't been exercised today, so you should take him, and Trixie, you can have your pick between Lady, Starlight, and Susie."

After saddling Susie and Jupiter, they headed through the game preserve for Mr. Maypenny's cottage. The sound of wood being chopped rang through the trees long before the house came into view. Outside of the cabin, Mr. Maypenny and Dan were working on building up a supply of wood for the wood stove that would heat the cabin through the winter. Dan was loading some of it into a wheelbarrow when he caught sight of Trixie and Jim. He put the wheelbarrow down, and waved to them excitedly.

"Hi guys! What brings you out here?" Dan brushed wood debris off of his shirt and self-consciously ran a hand through his dark hair to brush out any sawdust.

Trixie spoke first. "We actually came out to get Mr. Maypenny's help." She paused, waiting for the elderly gamekeeper to join them. "There's a really big raccoon in the Bob-White clubhouse and it had babies on the sofa, and it's all Brian's fault because he left the back window open, and it tried to eat my library book!"

Dan looked amused at her rapid-fire delivery of the events. "Can't say I'm sorry to have missed that particular adventure. I'm still not a hundred percent comfortable with all of the aspects of country life. I probably would have screamed like a girl and run for my life."

She shrugged. "That's pretty much what I did. I just about ran Jim over on my way out of there!"

Jim addressed Mr. Maypenny. "Since she's got babies, I thought the best thing to do would be set a humane trap for big momma and catch the kids by hand so we can release them out in the preserve as a family. Wearing gloves, of course. I wouldn't want the babies to smell like human and confuse the mother."

Mr. Maypenny nodded his approval. "Good thinking, Jim. I'll come back with you kids and take care of it myself. I know of a spot in the preserve that would be perfect for a mother raccoon with a family to consider. Right by a stream, empty hollow tree - it's prime real estate."

Excitedly, Trixie clapped her hands together. "Can I help catch the babies? I'll be really careful!"

The gamekeeper smiled kindly at her. "Of course you can. You too, Jim. Daniel - if you want to, you can come too. I don't expect you to tame any wild animals unless you feel comfortable with it, though."

Suddenly remembering Regan's message, Trixie burst out, "Oh, Regan said for us to tell you that he'd like you to come up for dinner tonight. He's out with Strawberry right now, so if you want to come back with us, you can help with the clubhouse first and then head over to his apartment."

Jim noticed the tension under Dan's smile and felt a wave of empathy for the newest BWG. He clearly remembered the awkward, unsure, nervousness that came with being the new kid. He remembered it because to some degree, he was still experiencing it himself. He knew that Dan wouldn't want to talk about that with Trixie standing right there, so he said, "Say, Trix - if you want to give Mr. Maypenny a hand with those traps, I'll hang on to Susie for you."

"Sure, Jim!" She said brightly, passing Susie's reins to him and jogging off after the elderly gamekeeper.

Feeling awkward but determined that this was the right thing to do, Jim spoke, "So ... how's country life treating you?"

Dan flashed him a rueful smile. "Better each day. Boy, you can take a guy out of the city, but it's really hard to get the city out of him! I'm used to being able to hit a diner at midnight if I want to - here in Sleepyside, things actually close. Not to mention that you really need a car to get anywhere except Mr. Lytell's store."

Jim nodded sympathetically. "I'm used to the country, but it was still a little rough getting settled in. Every now and then I have to pinch myself to make sure it's real. Now that you're a Bob-White, the station wagon is at your disposal as well - if you need a ride, ask me or Brian, and we'll get you where you need to go. Between the wagon and his jalopy, we manage to get where we need to. When do you get your license?"

"Not for several months. And, I'm not too sure that Uncle Bill is going to let me do much driving, if he even lets me get my license before I'm 18. He doesn't trust cars at all, and I know he doesn't trust me."

There was no self-pity in Dan's voice, but something about the matter-of-fact tone of his voice bothered Jim. Regan was a good guy. He had helped Jim so much with adjusting to his new life and was always willing to listen to him. Why was it that Regan was so good with a random adopted runaway like him, and so clueless when it came to his own nephew? Did he really not trust Dan, even after all he had done to make up for his less than stellar choices in the past? He hated to think so. After talking to Regan today, it seemed more to him like Regan was unsure of how to interact with his nephew. You can help with this, Frayne. You can help them fix it. Just don't freeze up!

His inner monologue spurred him to action. "I don't think it's that. I think he's just been a guy without a family for so long that he doesn't know how to go from that to being a guy with a nephew to look out for. I mean, he's pretty young, if you think about it. He can't be thirty yet."

Dan nodded. "I like him, and I'm really glad he brought me here, but I can't help but wonder if he was actually happy to hear he had a nephew, or if I'm just some kind of burden - a wild kid who might bolt back to New York at any given moment." He paused, taking in Jim's s surprised expression. "Don't worry, man. I'm not even thinking about bolting. Old Maypenny's been pretty cool, opening his home up to a stranger like he did. Sometimes I forget for a moment that he's not the one related to me. Even my mom didn't badger me to eat the way Mr. Maypenny does!"

Off in the near distance, they could hear some clattering as Mr. Maypenny and Trixie moved things around in the storage barn to find the humane trap for the raccoon. Trixie's voice was clear, sailing through the air as she chattered away with the old gamekeeper. "And then Mart called me an 'impetuous harridan', and he thought I didn't know what those words meant, but I knew - someone called Lucy Radcliffe that same thing in one of my Lucy mysteries. I told him to take a prolonged sojourn from an abbreviated wharf. I'm really glad I got that thesaurus for my English class this year!"

Dan burst out with a short guffaw. "I would have loved to have seen Mart's face when she pulled that one out!"

"Me too. Trix has a mind like a steel trap, as long as she's interested in what she's doing."

They listened for a moment, trying to hear the rest of the conversation. Mr. Maypenny was smiling as he listened to Trixie talk. "I'll bet young Martin liked that! What did he say?"

"Nothing, Mr. Maypenny. He didn't say anything at all!"

At this, the gamekeeper laughed. "I'll bet he didn't. Ah, here it is! Why don't you run this over to the boys while I get Spartan saddled and ready to go?"

"Okay! Thanks, Mr. Maypenny. I'm not usually a scaredy-cat about animals, but that raccoon was so - so big, and I really didn't expect it to be there, and - "

" - and what, Trixie?"

"And I kind of screamed. Shrieked, really. And I didn't expect anybody to be there, but when I opened the door, Jim was right there. Do you think he thinks I'm chicken now?"

Jim suddenly felt guilty for listening in, and judging from Dan's expression, he did too. Dan shook his head. "I don't think Trixie's scared of anything! I mean, the way she went right into that cave after Bobby, even though there was a catamount on the prowl ... let's just say I was envisioning myself as kitty treats!"

Nodding his agreement, Jim said, "She's pretty unflappable. I sure wasn't about to wrangle an angry raccoon out of the clubhouse!"

For just a moment, Jim followed Dan's gaze over to where Trixie was jogging toward them, humane trap in hand, and felt a twinge - okay, he allowed, more than just a twinge of jealousy. Geez, way to be a jerk, Frayne. He's just looking at her, and it's not like you're dating or anything ...

He banished his jealousy and summoned a smile for Trixie as she approached, blissfully unaware that her conversation had been overheard.