Chapter 4

"Penny for your thoughts?"

The soft, feminine voice startled him, enough that Daniel was sure he'd actually jumped a little in place. No point in denying he'd been wool-gathering as his mom used to call it, so he just shook his head and answered. "They're hardly worth that much, Stacy."

She looked skeptical; wearing the same expression everyone else had tonight when they'd asked him if he was all right and he'd answered he was fine. There were times, lots of them in fact, when Daniel wished he didn't wear his emotions on his sleeve. And all over his face. Between Mike, Stacy and the guys, Daniel knew they were all well aware that he was far from happy tonight. Of course if he could just concentrate on getting ready to play his first set, instead of slipping back into the turmoil inside his head, it wouldn't be so obvious.

To give Stacy credit, she wiped the concern from her face and smiled. Waving at the curtain blocking their view of the crowded club beyond it, she said cheerily, "There's a full house out there that would beg to differ, junior."

Junior.

Usually Daniel didn't mind Stacy calling him that. She treated him like a big sister would most of the time, even more than Hannah who sometimes slipped into Mom mode. It had irked him at first but, once he'd realized Stacy had set her sights on Crane, he let the endearment roll off his shoulders. Crane was still suffering the sting of breaking up with Molly and seemed really comfortable in Stacy's presence, and that delighted Daniel. And Stacy was definitely into Crane, flirting with him all the time and even going so far as to give him her phone number.

Crane had reciprocated; with the flirting at least. They'd talked a lot in fact, enough that Daniel had learned from his brother that she was older, twenty-three; was from Pasadena; and had completed two years of college before quitting school. If Crane knew why she had dropped out he hadn't shared that information. Daniel was pretty sure Crane didn't know though.

Daniel had been disappointed that Crane had never called the pretty bartender. Now though, with her sudden resignation, Daniel was glad. The last thing his best friend needed was another girl breaking his heart.

Despite Crane never calling Stacy, Daniel hadn't made any moves on her either. Even though he'd really wanted to. She had curves in all the right places and, thanks to the skin-tight jeans she always wore he just knew her legs had to be amazing. And she was bold with a wicked sense of humor that helped her handle the patrons who overindulged, or rather tried to, at her bar. Though Mike had Mitchell Kane on hand as the club's bouncer, Stacy did a fine job of recognizing and defusing situations all on her own. Something both Daniel and Crane admired about her.

Even though his relationship with Tally Dean had ended in heartache, being with the talented songstress had pretty much ruined Daniel for ever going back to dating girls his age. And being lead singer of a band that was getting a lot of attention was certainly helping him adhere to that philosophy. At least, whenever Crane didn't come to Stockton with him. Daniel felt a little guilty about it at times… coming home even later than he had to but, you were only eighteen once, after all. Besides, he was being careful. Very.

He might not be quite the alley cat that big brother Brian was but, Daniel knew how to practice safe sex. And he'd definitely been getting the opportunity to hone his skills with some pretty terrific ladies. The only problem there was that, unlike Brian, Daniel was quickly coming to the conclusion that he must be monogamous by nature. He didn't want to treat these women like they were just notches on his bedpost, even though he knew in some cases that was all he was to them. He supposed he was more like Crane and Adam that way. Only Daniel was in no hurry to find Mrs. Right at all. He was too focussed on his music, not to mention too young, to take up with anyone seriously.

Admittedly, if it hadn't been for Crane, Daniel would've considered making an exception for Stacy.

Junior. Daniel sighed. Okay, so that might've been a factor too.

After tonight's fight with Adam, Stacy treating him like a kid too was beginning to rub Daniel the wrong way again. He'd have to let it slide though. After all, he appreciated that she was trying to make him feel better.

Especially when he knew that something was eating at her too.

Besides, she was right; the crowd was there for him. Though back when he'd started winning talent contests, his mom had taught him better than to ever gloat about it.

Daniel had never played a club that held as much capacity as The Brick Walk. The fact that the stage was a real stage with a curtain and space behind it was definitely a bonus. Crane would often hang out back here on the nights he came with Daniel, though he spent a lot of time sitting at the corner of the bar too, as much behind it with Stacy as in front. And Stacy would come back here during her breaks too. Though, when Daniel and the guys were playing, he'd often spot her off to the side, swaying or bopping to his music, the occasional glow of a cigarette painting vivid orange streaks against her silhouette.

He didn't envision her doing much bopping tonight though, a fact that softened his attitude toward her sisterly concern even further. After all, Stacy's cheer seemed kind of phony tonight. Not in an ill-intended kind of way. More like the girl just didn't have it in her to be happy.

He knew something was up. Hell, the first sign had been her impromptu resignation this week. He knew she liked working here; knew that she and Mike Talbot, their boss, got along extremely well. Daniel really had to wonder if what he'd said to Crane earlier tonight was true: that maybe Stacy was running from something. He could've sworn he'd seen the remnants of tears in her eyes when he'd first arrived at the place. And when Robin, one of their waitresses, had accidentally shattered a glass on the kitchen tiles, Stacy had looked so shocked and so pale, Daniel had worried just for an instant that she might faint.

He'd never seen her so jumpy. Hadn't thought nervousness was even in her makeup at all. It wasn't just how Stacy was acting either. Daniel had caught the boss watching Stacy a couple of times; wearing that tight expression that Adam seemed to have etched permanently on his face. Daniel was used to it with his oldest brother but not so much with Mike.

Aside from her saying she was moving out of state though, Daniel hadn't gotten any more out of Stacy than last night about her plans or why she'd suddenly quit. If there was something bigger and brighter on the horizon, she certainly wasn't acting like it.

Mind you, neither was Daniel.

With that in mind, he responded with an equally forced grin. "Nah, they're all just here for the chicken and rib combo," he quipped.

His smile was genuine when Stacy raised an eyebrow and answered with an incredulous, "Uh huh. Tell me another one, Hot-shot." Unfortunately he just didn't have it in him to hang onto the levity and, when he sighed heavily, her eyebrows drew together. "You sure you're all right?" He shook his head, about to deny his feelings once again but before he could, she asked him, "Does Crane not being here have anything to do with what's going on?"

He wondered then, not for the first time, about older women. Apparently Hannah wasn't the only one of them possessing a lot more insight than the girls he'd dated from school. Only tonight Stacy's perceptiveness was making Daniel feel a little too exposed so he decided to deny it and turn the tables on her just a little.

"No, something just came up at the ranch," he lied - mostly. "You know he would've been here to see you off if he could've though," Daniel added, throwing some playful innuendo in his voice when he told her, "But if you've got a forwarding phone number already, you know I'll pass it on to him."

Daniel sure as hell didn't expect Stacy to look so stricken all of a sudden. He didn't have a clue as to why what he'd said had been so terribly wrong, had actually brought a swell of tears to her sapphire eyes. And made him feel like a complete and utter jackass for saying it.

"I'm sorry, Stace," he apologized, meaning it whole-heartedly. "Gosh, are you okay?" He asked and then felt like a complete idiot again. Of course she wasn't okay. "Stacy, I'm sorry…I-"

Though he was failing miserably at saying the right thing to make her feel better, he was relieved that reaching for and squeezing her hand must have at least helped somewhat. Either that or Stacy was taking pity on him because she suddenly laughed lightly, wiped her eyes and pulled him in for a hug.

"Aren't we the pair?" she said with a husky chuckle that stirred something in him he knew was wholly inappropriate in that moment. Unfortunately, the feeling clearly wasn't mutual because the kiss she abruptly planted on his cheek was a sisterly one, purely platonic. Probably a good thing, he thought to himself despite his disappointment. He hid it well, he hoped, when she pulled away and her shining eyes met his. "Will you play a couple of songs for me tonight?"

"Sure, anything you want," he promised, meaning it.

"Play "Not a Bad Dream" and um-"

She paused in thought for a moment, long enough for Daniel to have two of his own: the first a feeling of pride that she'd selected one of his songs, well, one he'd written with Crane. The second was just how damn good those curves had felt pressed up against him. He shook that one off. After all, Daniel knew he wasn't the McFadden that Stacy was most interested in. Still, that didn't mean he wouldn't give the girl one hell of a send-off. A goal made that much easier when she named "Desperado" as her other request. Though he'd never performed it at The Brick Walk, the Eagles ballad was a cover he was confident he could slay.

Hell, maybe by the end of the night Daniel would become the McFadden brother Stacy was most into? Either way, with Stacy facing big changes come morning like he was, the least he could do was give her a memorable show.

Adam pulled the old International up along the gate, shifted into 'Park' and sighed. Heavily. Despite it not yet being eleven-thirty, it had been an incredibly long night. Not to mention an awful one. He usually enjoyed these outings with his bride. Though they attended these dances in an official capacity as chaperones, Adam always did his best to treat his girl to a good time. They'd dress up, hold hands and even dance a little but tonight he'd been in no mood for romance. Thankfully, Hannah had felt the same way. Not that he was happy that she was as miserable as he was... it was just such a relief, not to mention privilege, to have someone by his side who understood him so well.

They hadn't said much to each other during the drive into Murphys, Adam having been fairly lost in his thoughts at the time. Once they'd arrived at the dance though he'd fully expected Mrs. McFadden to find a quiet corner somewhere in the gymnasium to chew him out. She didn't though.

They'd found that corner a few times, in between making sure none of the students had spiked the punch or that none of the teenage couples had located any quiet corners of their own.

He'd surprised himself. Likely Hannah some too, by being the one doing most of the talking. Damn, he was frustrated. Thank God for Crane and Ford because the two boys in between them were going to be the death of Adam. Guthrie too, trouble-magnet that he was but, well, that was a completely different kettle of fish. He still had time with that one. Evan and Daniel though? They might be approaching manhood but, Adam figured his hair would be gray or gone altogether before they finally got there.

Thankfully, he'd come to a bit of a truce with Evan. They'd fought hard over the boy's desire to quit school and start the rodeo circuit. Though he'd never, ever wish harm coming to any of the rodeo kids Evan hung around with, Adam had to guiltily admit that Sally Liston being thrown bad enough to hurt herself had been a bit of an ill-fated godsend. Her fall had scared Evan, and her still ongoing recovery had been eye-opening for their seventeen year-old.

Not eye-opening enough, however.

Though the near-tragedy had led to a cease-fire between brothers, with Evan promising to stay in school and graduate with the rest of his class, it hadn't extinguished his desire to join the circuit afterward. He was still taking rodeo classes at every opportunity and had recently set his sights on bull-riding. Because apparently getting tossed off and potentially stomped on by a thousand pound saddle bronc wasn't sufficiently appealing. No, he'd rather give his big brother a heart-attack and take on a beast half again as big with horns and a vengeance seeking temperament to boot.

And then there was Daniel, Adam's current "problem child." The one, according to Crane, Adam was successfully driving away from the family.

Didn't they realize Adam wanted nothing more than to keep all the kids under his roof - correction, their roof - for as long as possible? Hell, forever if he was being honest with himself… though he knew that wasn't being even remotely realistic.

On the ranch, though? Wasn't that a possibility? They had lots of property, plenty of room to sever off some lots to build homes on and raise up more kids. Hell, maybe Adam and Hannah would even move out of the big house and into one of them… in about six years' time.

Once Guthrie was grown and safely off to college.

They could leave the big house to Crane, the sibling Adam was convinced would finish up with a large brood like their mom and dad's someday. Though knowing Crane he'd end up adopting as many as he and whatever lucky lady he married would whelp the traditional way.

But that was a long way off yet. Never mind waiting until he found the perfect girl to steal his heart, Crane still wasn't done with raising the boys, including Daniel.

And, by the look of things, doing a hell of a better job at it with that one than Adam was.

Adam had noticed the duffel in Daniel's hold but hadn't clued in to what it had symbolized. He'd figured the kid had just grabbed a change of clothes. Despite the money Daniel was apparently pulling in, living as they did with mostly hand-me-downs and second-hand clothes had certainly taught the boy the value of a buck. Adam knew Daniel's wardrobe for the stage was limited, it only made sense that he might start wearing it less; changing out of his good shirts once he was done the show.

Or done fooling around with whatever girl had taken a liking to his music.

Adam wasn't born yesterday.

Daniel was a good-looking kid with a lot of charm. He was on the football team. And he played guitar. In other words, Adam's little brother was a chick-magnet.

Just like his oldest brother had been… until he'd gained custody of six kids.

And since Adam was well aware that underage girls seemed genetically predisposed to know just what clothes and make-up to wear to get themselves into bars without being carded, he worried about the other kind of magnet Daniel could be…

The teenage pregnancy kind.

Yup, that one kept big brother up at night.

He'd tried to talk to the boy but, in typical Daniel fashion, he'd gotten all offended and pissy about it. Had informed Adam he wasn't stupid and, besides which, he wasn't interested in any teenyboppers anymore. Which Adam knew had to be a crock. After all, what red-blooded all-American eighteen year-old wasn't interested in the girls throwing themselves at him?

Considering how late Daniel was dragging himself in the door some Friday and Saturday nights or worse, Thursdays, Adam felt justified in his concern.

And in his irritation.

So was it really all that wrong for Adam to have found Daniel a paying job closer to home? Where everyone knew everyone else and Dad wouldn't have to worry so damn much?

Then again, Adam should've known better. After all, being less worried often had a way of flipping around and biting him on the ass.

About three years after they'd lost their mom and dad, Adam had foolishly begun to think the last of his deepest worries were over. Once he'd made it to twenty-one with no huge calamities befalling the kids and still with a roof over their heads, CPS had eased off. No more unscheduled visits, no more needle-fine scrutiny. The first six months of just battling for custody of the boys had been a living nightmare so, for some time after, Adam hadn't been able to shake the fear that at any moment Children's Services would swoop in and tear them apart. Finally figuring out that Adam McFadden - despite assuring the court that, with the help of his community, he was perfectly capable of picking up where his parents had left off - was a fraud.

Three years on though, and with a supportive case-worker at the agency, Adam had finally allowed himself to breathe easier. Oh, he hadn't entirely let go of the dread of the hammer still falling and smashing his hard fought parental rights into smithereens but, at least Adam had been able to sequester it into the recesses of his mind.

His near complacency had lasted almost a full year. Until an almost hysterical eleven year-old Evan had stopped Adam's heart with the news that Daniel had fallen off Gibson and 'was hurt really, really bad'.

The memory of finding Danny lying dazed and broken in a heap would forever be etched in Adam's brain. Daniel suffering a mild concussion, broken wrist and collarbone had promptly sent his guardian reeling into guilt and self-doubt. He hadn't needed CPS to show up again to remind him of his failings but, thanks to an innocent remark made by her twelve year-old patient, an overzealous city-bred nurse had set that ball in motion. And, with a new case-worker on board to complicate matters further and knife-twisting words like 'child endangerment' and 'child labor violations' being whispered in the days and weeks after the accident, Adam had found himself in fear of losing the boys again. In the end, reason had prevailed but, the incident had left Adam battered, bruised and in a renewed and constant state of high alert.

It wasn't so much that he became over-protective; raising kids on a cattle ranch pretty much precluded that as an option. But, whenever he sensed a threat, he'd damn well do everything and anything in his power and beyond to snuff it out.

Even if that meant stomping on one of the boys' dreams.

Okay, so he was willing to admit that he should've checked with Daniel first before saying yes to Wheeler. That was Adam's mistake. How the hell was he supposed to know the kid had signed a contract though?

And, sure, in retrospect it hadn't even occurred to him that Ford might be hurt that Cleo wanted Daniel to sing at her party. Hannah had enlightened Adam on that screw-up. Watching Ford mooning over the girl all night at the dance had certainly brought that message home too.

Thank God Wheeler had planned on Daniel's presence being a surprise for the little thing. At least Adam wasn't going to break her heart when he headed over to the Far Valley Ranch come morning to talk to Russ.

With his tail tucked between his legs, he thought ruefully.

Crane was right. The idea of backing out on the deal he'd made with Wheeler nearly made Adam ill. His ears already burned from embarrassment. He'd felt ten feet tall when Mrs. Wheeler had dragged her husband over to him outside of Ben Gunn's place. Watching the arrogant S.O.B. choke on his words as he asked Adam for 'a favor' had been the highlight of Adam's week. Felt even better than successfully negotiating the use of that four year-old stud the man had imported.

Pride had gotten the better of Adam. And, instead of acknowledging that Daniel's objections were legitimate, with the recent track-record of fights they'd been having, Adam had just blasted away at him. Including, dumping the future of their breeding program on the boy's shoulders. As though singing for Cleo would make or break the ranch. Adam had no right to burden Daniel with that responsibility. He'd done it though. And had even managed to belittle the kid - and his talent - in the process.

Or so Hannah had told him.

Hell, Adam wasn't that much older than Daniel, was he? He sure remembered a time when he'd kill for fifty bucks. Or damn near get himself killed. Come to think of it, hadn't that been the bet between Brian and John Cutler when Adam had raced in the Gold Rush?

Apparently Daniel's music was worth more though.

And that thought worried Adam damn near as much as any bucking bull Evan would ever ride.

His thoughts went back to those he'd had just a few hours ago, the ones acknowledging the boy's talent. Lord knew the kid's heartfelt lyrics could cut Adam to the core but, were they good enough to move an audience that hadn't grown up with him? Or one that wasn't part of the community that had rooted for and watched a little boy recover his voice after tragedy had silenced it?

Hell, both Tally Dean and Stormy Weathers had told Daniel his lyrics needed work, right?

So, was his music really good enough to justify becoming the house band - to sign a contract, no less - for a club in a city the size of Stockton?

And even if it was, Stockton's music scene was still a far cry from Los Angeles. Besides, though he hadn't heard the kid perform in front of an audience since they'd all sung in church with Meg Palmer at Christmas, Adam knew Daniel's playlist. And he highly doubted singing covers for a bunch of drunken barflies or underage girls would warrant a record deal.

Damn it, if that kid headed down to Los Angeles, he'd get eaten alive!

It wasn't that Daniel was fragile. On the contrary, he actually seemed to weather the rejection he'd had to face so far from places he'd auditioned for like The Alamo or Pony's quite well. Problem was, Adam thought shamefully, these places had eventually said yes. Which only encouraged the boy. And the idea of Daniel with all his tenacity kicking around the fringes of the L.A. music scene, with all its hustlers, pushers, drugs and alcohol, in the hope that some club or agent or record company would relent and give him a break, well, that terrified Adam.

He had good reason too.

Daniel was just so easily star-struck. His relationships with Tally and Stormy were glowing testimony of that. And despite the hard knocks he'd experienced in life already, he was still naïve enough to see the good in everyone. Adam knew too that, though Daniel had learned an excruciatingly hard lesson after the boys and Jenny Barrett had been trapped by the Howling Man mine collapse, the kid was still inherently impulsive.

Easily star-struck.

Naïve.

Impulsive.

Could there be a deadlier combination in a place like L.A.?

Adam shuddered at the thought.

"You okay?" Hannah's soft voice startled him though the gentle hand rubbing along his thigh helped soothe his nerves. "You ready to go in?" She asked and Adam only then noticed that Evan and Ford were already mid-way up the porch steps making their way to the front door.

He must've really been lost deep in thought not to notice those two jumping out of the bed of the truck. He chose not to acknowledge Hannah's question, knew it was redundant anyway. Instead, he clasped his wife's hand, drawing strength from her as slender fingers laced through his.

"Yeah, I guess," he replied as their grasp broke apart. "You think Crane's still pissed with me?"

Opening the truck door, she held Adam's uncertain gaze with a confident one of her own. "He won't be once he realizes you're on the same side."

Climbing out of the vehicle too, he looked across its hood. "You mean once he realizes how willing I am to grovel?"

"Something like that," she answered; the moonlight illuminating her small grin. He caught up with her at the gate, holding it open for her before slipping his arm around her waist and guiding her through. Hannah looked at him again then, her expression more serious. "Adam, you know an apology isn't going to be enough. You two are going to have to come to a compromise."

She wasn't talking about Crane anymore. "I know," Adam replied, immediately regretting the defensiveness in his tone. Even without thoughts of the state calling his parenting capabilities into question fresh on his mind, he still had the tendency to be over-sensitive when anyone offered advice on the subject. Crane and Brian were used to it; Hannah not so much. Stopping them at the top of the porch, he said, "I'm sorry," and meant it. "It's just-"

"You're scared."

God, how he loved her insight. Drawing Hannah into his chest, Adam placed a kiss in her hair before resting his chin atop it. "Yeah, I am," he admitted, holding her tighter. "Have been for the last ten years."

"Hey," Crane said distractedly, half-heartedly greeting Evan and Ford as they jostled each other walking through the door. He was full of anxiety and hoped it wasn't showing. No point in ruining their sleep tonight too.

Hearing the truck pull up had gotten Crane's blood pumping. At first foolishly thinking it might be Daniel home already. Then concern - wondering what frame of mind Adam would be in. Giving Adam time to stew on something could sometimes backfire, allowing him more time to dig in his heels whenever he thought he was right.

That wasn't the case tonight.

"You okay?" Adam asked softly as Crane met him at the door.

Before Crane could answer, Hannah slipped out of from under her husband's arm and squeezed Crane's hand. "Who wants hot chocolate?" The offer was made to them all and with forced cheer but, as she ushered the two younger boys toward the kitchen, Crane knew her intention was to give him and Adam a moment alone.

"None for me; thanks," Crane said, though he made his appreciation clear in his tone. Turning back to Adam, his big brother lifted an eyebrow, still waiting for an answer apparently. "No, I'm not," he answered honestly. "You?"

Adam's shoulders slumped. "'Bout the same. Worried. Pissed off – with myself," he hastened to add when Crane raised his own eyebrow. "Mostly sorry, I guess."

Crane could read the regret in his big brother's face, the concern too but, he wasn't feeling terribly sympathetic. He was wrung out from running probable scenarios through his mind all evening. None of them had ended with Daniel staying home beyond the next inevitable battle with Adam, so Crane couldn't muster up any forgiveness either. Besides, it wasn't his to give.

"Yeah, I know." Crane sighed before making his way over to the couch furthest from them. Slumping down heavily into it, he waited for Adam to follow, though big brother sat down across from him. "But that's not going to be enough this time," Crane added pointedly, failing to keep all of the bite out of his words.

"Enough for what?" Evan asked, appearing suddenly over Crane's shoulder.

"Yeah; and why is everyone so serious?" That was Ford. "What's going on? You two have been quiet all night."

Ford was addressing Hannah now, who had joined them, and Crane watched as she shot Adam an apologetic look. Her husband gave her a strained smile and cleared his throat. Crane could usually read Adam well but, right then he honestly had no idea what the eldest McFadden was about to say. Though Adam could never be accused of coddling the boys, he was certainly protective of all of them and Crane knew Adam would want to spare them any worry.

"Wait a minute..." Too late; Crane could already hear the concern in Evan's voice as he met the teenager's laser beam gaze. "Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be in Stockton?"

"Did something happen tonight?" Ford was focusing equally intense eyes on Adam now, and Crane began to worry that Adam might feel cornered.

"Fellas, come on. Settle down," Hannah implored, obviously sharing a similar concern. "Adam and Crane just had something last minute to deal with so Daniel went by himself."

It wasn't exactly a lie and it appeared to successfully appease Ford who visibly relaxed with Hannah's words. Crane shifted his attention to Evan next though and quickly realized the kid wasn't buying what their sister-in-law was selling. Those light blue eyes were zeroed in on Adam now, though their elder was oblivious. With Adam's shoulders slumped and his head bowed lower between them, it was no wonder their fifth-born was picking up signals that something was seriously wrong tonight. Still, with Evan's next words, Crane learned that their rough and tumble cowboy was a lot more intuitive than Crane would have ever given him credit for.

"What did you do?" There was a lot of accusation in those words and that definitely brought Adam's head up.

"Watch your tone, young man." Adam snapped, using his most lethal Dad voice.

It didn't back Evan up in the slightest. "Did you two have another fight?" Despite Ford placing what was clearly intended as a calming palm against his roommate's back, the riled up teen didn't even wait for Adam's response. "What did you say to Daniel?"

Crap, the last thing their family needed was Evan and Adam going toe to toe again too. "Evan, give it a rest!" Crane outright shouted, knowing that his raised voice - used much more sparingly than Adam's or Brian's - tended to have more impact with the seventeen year-old.

The kid ducked, as did poor Ford, and promptly shot Crane a look full of both hurt and betrayal.

Crane sighed, took a minute to gather his thoughts and tamp down the bile that wanted to accompany his next words. "Look, you're right. They had another fight-" He raised his hand, effectively forestalling any further input from Evan. Crane knew he might be crossing the line with Adam here but he decided honesty, if not full disclosure, would be the best policy. "And I'm not going to lie to you; it was a bad one." Crane's gaze had drifted to Ford and the kid looked so crushed by the news, older brother had to briskly look away. Meeting Adam's guilty gaze this time, he continued. "But we love each other; they love each other and we're going to figure this out." Trying to lighten the mood and remove the twin looks of misery from his younger brothers' faces, Crane forced a weak smile. "So… the sooner you two hit the hay, the sooner we grownups can hash out a plan to fix this, all right?"

Evan stood stone still for a moment and Crane sent up a little prayer that the stubborn kid would relent. It was in that instant that the kettle began to emit a well-timed and distractingly shrill whistle and Ford lightly rapped his knuckles against his brother's arm. "Come on; let's take those hot chocolates to go."

Evan breathed out a long sigh then and Crane allowed himself the same luxury. "Yeah, okay," the kid said. "We'll go."

As the boys made their way into the kitchen, Hannah sat down next to Adam and settled under his arm. All three adults watching in silence as Evan and Ford returned in no time with mugs in their hands. Crane doubted that either of them was in the mood for hot chocolate any longer.

The teens slowly plodded past the couches; neither acknowledging their elders or saying 'good night' even as they climbed the stairs. Crane couldn't say he blamed them. Tonight was about as far from a good night as they'd had in a long time.

Assuming that they wouldn't hear anything more from the boys until morning, he was a little surprised when Evan called down to them from the landing at the top of the stairs.

"Guys?"

"Yeah, champ?" Adam replied, straightening up as he addressed him.

It was actually Ford who answered, looking as solemn as Crane had ever seen him despite sounding so impossibly young. "You are gonna fix this, right?"

"Later, man," Cory called out to Daniel as he and their fellow band member, Sam Davies headed toward the club's back exit.

"See ya tomorrow, guys," Daniel responded a little hoarsely as his friends slipped through the door; out into the back lot where The Brick Walk staff including the band all parked their vehicles. It was after one a.m., the bar was closed for the night and, including Daniel, there were only about half a dozen people left in the place.

Unexpectedly he felt a shove from behind as Red, their bassist cackled gleefully.

"Jerk," Daniel said with a grin. "You outta here too?"

"Yeah, just about," Red replied, his expression losing all its levity. "You sure you don't want to bunk at my place tonight?"

Daniel shook his head. He'd declined the same offer a few times already.

Though, after seeing Brian tonight, he'd seriously considered it. Correction, he only thought he saw Brian. Over near the crowded bar while he was lost in the midst of a kick-ass guitar solo. Daniel had been absorbed in the rush of both the audience and those chords bending to his will and had just barely caught a glimpse when he came up for air. By the time the rousing song was over, Brian, or rather the phantom Brian, had disappeared.

It had been his imagination, he realized now. But the thrill of seeing Brian followed by the deep disappointment of being mistaken had hurt more than it should have. And for a flickering moment, Daniel had truly dreaded the idea of going home.

But then he'd remembered his promise to Crane.

Over all, the night had been a tremendously successful one, with a great crowd, and not just the girls screaming his name, that soaked up their music. But, whenever Daniel hadn't been on stage singing his throat raw, he'd found himself drifting into that same melancholy state he'd been in before their first set had started. A mood he definitely hadn't been able to hide from a long-time friend like Red. Somehow, over the course of the evening, Red had managed to get Daniel to spill his guts about what was wrong. That he'd had another blow-up with Adam and had come to the painfully difficult conclusion that it was time for Daniel McFadden to leave home.

He'd even called Walt Henry from the bar; just to make sure the mechanic would be working his typical half-day Saturday tomorrow. They'd agreed to meet at one-thirty at the garage, after he'd closed up shop. Daniel had told Walt that he had a proposition for him involving Walt's apprenticeship offer. Upon hearing that news, the older man had sounded pretty pleased.

At first.

But then he'd started asking questions...

"Wait, don't you still have school?"

"Yeah, I do," Daniel confirmed before hastily adding, "But only part days this semester and that's only for a couple months before final exams. Then I'm done."

Though Daniel didn't exactly hate school, he was definitely going to be relieved when he walked out BHU's doors as a student for the last time. As far as he was concerned, his classes weren't serving him a purpose anymore... especially not with his music career starting to take off.

"Well, I guess that's all right then," Walt replied, sounding a lot more hesitant all of a sudden. "What about the ranch though? Have you talked things over with Adam? Last thing I want to do is get on his bad side. Or God forbid Brian's."

The enthusiasm in Walt's voice was waning and that worried Daniel. And irritated him. After all, he hadn't even given Walt any details yet and the man was already balking. This was not good.

Daniel had just given away every cent he had - stupidly, he was willing to admit - so, despite the good money he was making at The Brick Walk, he really needed Walt to accept the deal he was going to propose: hopeful that the kind-hearted mechanic would be willing to let Daniel work off not only room and board but also build himself a car in the process.

I should have known Walt's loyalties would lean toward Adam and Brian first, Daniel thought bitterly.

Still he had to try.

"That won't be a problem, Walt," Daniel assured him. "Look, I don't really have time to explain right now-" That was definitely true. He was expected back on stage shortly. "Can we just talk about this tomorrow?"

"Sure, sure," Walt replied, not really sounding all that sure at all. "Just as long as it's okay with your folks."

"I'm eighteen, Walt," Daniel ground out, immediately regretting his tone. He was getting awfully tired of being treated like a kid though and, damn it, he was old enough to make decisions like this one without Adam's say so.

"I know y'are, son," Walt said, clearly trying to placate him. The deep sigh that followed made Daniel wince though. "Still, Adam's a friend and I sure wouldn't want to jeopardize that; you understand?"

Daniel did understand but, well, he needed the man's friendship more than Adam did right now. And, with that in mind he figured he should stop trying to bite the hand he desperately hoped was going to feed him. Glad that he'd had the foresight to ask his roommate to accompany him tomorrow, Daniel offered up an apology and a solution. "I'm sorry, Walt. And I get it but… can we just meet up at 1:30? I'll bring Crane along if that'll make you feel better."

"Crane? Well, sure. Why didn't you say so?"

Walt's response had been much more upbeat then, more like the beginning of their conversation. Relieved that the mechanic's attitude had improved greatly, it still irked Daniel to no end that it had taken the assurance of one of his baby-sitters accompanying him to appease the man.

He had to let it go though. Walt was a really super guy and he and Daniel had gotten along famously working together to fix up the Mustang for the Gold Rush. He felt confident that a good working relationship could continue between them in the future.

And with that future starting in the morning, Daniel was going to have to decline Red's offer again too and head home tonight. He had every intention of getting up early to do his chores, so that neither Adam nor Brian could hold anything over his head before he and Crane went into Murphys.

"Nah, thanks, Red," Daniel said sincerely. "I gotta get home tonight. Too much to do in the morning. Besides, I prom-"

"I know, I know. You promised Crane," Red interrupted. "I really should know better," he continued, shaking his head and chuckling lightly.

Daniel just shrugged his shoulders. Yeah, Red should've known better. After all, Daniel wasn't the kind of man to break his promises, especially ones he'd made to Crane.

.

To be continued.