I brushed my teeth and went on to bed after that, turning out my light. I think I was asleep nearly right away, though later I thought I

might have heard my door open, and then close again quietly.

7

I was nearly finished with my breakfast the next morning, when I asked Hannah quietly, so no one else would hear,

"Have there been any calls about Pepe from that ad in the newspaper?"

Hannah shook her head, looking regretful. "No. I would have told you if I'd heard something."

"I figured so. I just thought I'd ask," I said, with a sigh.

Guthrie, meanwhile, came back into the kitchen, asking me if I'd taken his biology book.

"I don't have it," I told him.

"Maybe you picked it up by accident, and put it with your stuff," he pointed out.

"I don't have it," I said, again. "Why would I take one of your books, when I have enough work of my own?"

"Well, I can't find it anywhere," Guthrie said, and started up the back stairs.

"Hurry up, Guthrie," Hannah called after him. "You'll be late."

I went to gather up my own stuff, preparing to leave. Adam was waiting on the front porch, just as usual, to see

Guthrie and I on our way.

"Ready to go?" he asked me, and I nodded.

"Where's your brother?" he asked then.

"Looking for a book he lost."

"Uh oh."

I paused in front of him, slinging my backpack over one shoulder. "I'll see you after work," I told him.

"I hope you have a good day," Adam said, smiling at me.

"I hope you do, too," I answered. I hesitated. "There hasn't been any answers about the newspaper ad," I said.

"No. Can't say as that's any big surprise, I guess."

"I thought I'd spend a few minutes after work, tacking up some flyers around town. See if anybody around Murphys might

be interested."

"Okay. Do you have them made up? The flyers, I mean?" he asked.

"No. I can do them in study hall today."

"Use your study hall for your schoolwork," Adam advised. "Do the flyers when you get home tonight."

"I'd rather do it during study hall," I said, and added, "That way they can be hung up today, instead of tomorrow. Even one day

might make a difference in the right person hearing about Pepe. I really want to find him a home."

Adam gave a brief nod. "Alright."

I stood there, studying him a bit. "He really is tame, Adam. And nice."

"Well, I'll just take your word on that," Adam said, and there was a bit of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"I have something to tell you," I said, not returning the hint of a smile.

He waited, and I said, in a hurry, "I've been holding him sometimes without gloves. Actually, quite a bit."

Adam was quiet for a couple of moments, and then said, "You have, huh?"

I nodded, and waited. I couldn't tell if he was surprised or not.

"I told you that because I was concerned about you getting bitten. I wasn't trying to be unreasonable," he said.

I wondered if he'd heard me complaining to Evan or Brian about how I thought he was overreacting, but then I dismissed

that. Neither one of them would have told him that I'd said that, and he hadn't been anywhere near by to overhear my comments.

"I know you weren't," I said. And, I meant it. Just because I'd thought he was overreacting, or being a bit unreasonable, didn't

mean that I thought that he felt as though he was. Adam had been issuing an order from concern, and nothing more.

"But, you think I was wrong," he said, quietly. "Is that it?"

He was surprising me right and left with the way he was approaching my confession. Instead of hollering at me, he was

making me feel sort of ashamed of myself. I felt my face get warm.

"It's just-" I hesitated. "Pepe's never shown any signs of being aggressive. I usually just hold him when he's calm. If he was really upset,

then I'd wear gloves for sure, just in case."

Adam was quiet, studying me, and I wondered if I'd spoken out too much.

Guthrie burst thru the door, and ran past us, down the stairs.

"Find your book?" Adam called after him.

"Yeah, I found it. See ya later!"

Guthrie jumped in his truck, and was gone, stirring up the dust down the driveway, and waving a hand out the window

at us.

I shifted the backpack again, and looked at Adam. I didn't want to leave without having things settled between us. But, he wasn't saying

anything. He was just looking at me, his expression sort of hard to read.

"Am I in the doghouse?" I asked him, hoping he would half-smile again.

"We'll talk about it some more later on," he said.

Well, that wasn't really what I wanted to hear. Now, I knew I would worry all day about whether he was going to be angrier when he'd

had time to think.

But, before I left for school, Adam told me to have a good day, just like he does every other morning.

7

During journalism class, Miss McQueeny said we had to start working on the first edition of this year's school newspaper. Assignments

were tossed around, and everybody could jump in and take their pick, for the most part.

Most of the kids in the class wanted to cover the football game on Friday night, and that kind of stuff. The others were to do

impromptu photos around school, in between classes. I went to her near the end of class, and asked what she thought of an article

about all the dogs and cats in our area that needed homes.

When she seemed interested, I went on to talk about the animals that my rescue group had fostered out.

"And I know that Ivy knows about a bunch more," I added.

"Ivy?" she asked, sitting on the edge of her desk, and looking at me. That's the thing about Miss McQueeny. When you're talking to

her, she always gives you her full attention.

"The new vet," I explained.

"Oh. Right. I've heard of her. Well, sure, Harlie, I think it's a good idea for an article. Go with it. And get a few pictures, too."

When I got to the vet office, ready for work, I was met by Ivy, coming out the front door, in a rush.

"I need to go to the McMullins," she said, talking as she walked towards her truck. "Want to ride along, or stay here and answer

the phone?"

"I'll go along with you, if you want me to," I said.

"Sure. Come on."

I hesitated, looking down at my school clothes. "Do I have time to change?" I asked. I'd taken to carrying older jeans and t shirts

in a bag in my truck, so I wasn't ruining my school clothes.

"Oh. Gosh. I totally forgot about your clothes. Yeah, go on and change. I'll check my supplies while you're doing that."

Ivy seemed rattled about something. I thought she must just have a lot on her mind.

I went back into the office, and to the small bathroom, quickly shedding my school clothes and replacing them with the tattered

jeans and lime green t shirt.

When I came back out, Ivy got into the driver's seat of her truck and I got into the passenger side.

For a few minutes there was quiet in the cab. Ivy looked lost in thought.

"What's up at the McMullins?" I asked.

"One of their mares is in labor."

"Oh. Exciting," I said.

"A birth always is," she agreed.

After that, she asked me about my weekend, and my classes, and then we arrived at the McMullin ranch.

We were greeted by an anxious Mr. McMullin and his daughter, Candy, who's about seven or so.

Ivy tried to set his mind at ease, but we hadn't been in the barn with the mare very long at all, before even I could tell

that it was going to be a difficult birth. It wasn't so much that I knew anything, it was just the way the mare was behaving, and

my own gut instinct.

When the foal finally was born, a beautiful little filly, Mr. McMullin reacted with relief, and Candy began to jump up and down so much that her father

had to tell her to stop before she made the mare more nervous.

And then, when Ivy said she thought there was another foal, a twin, things got more exciting.

Twins are extremely rare with horses, and I remembered wishing all thru my childhood that one of our expectant mares

would have twins. I was always thinking up cute twin names for them. It never happened at our ranch, though.

I did what I could to help, doing whatever Ivy told me to do, and some smaller actions that were just instinctive on my part.

As the second foal was delivered, I thought suddenly of Doc G, and imagined his face if he would have been here to see it.

The second foal, a male, was stillborn, though. Candy began to cry, until she was nearly hysterical with sobbing.

Ivy was working with the first foal, to get it up and nursing, and I did what I thought would be the most helpful.

I took Candy's hand, and pulled her away a bit, just outside the barn.

"Let's sit down," I told her, and we sat on a bale of straw.

Candy kept crying, and I could hardly make out the words at times. I'd gathered from the conversation when we arrived, that

the mare was Candy's.

She seemed to be certain that the other foal and her mare would die, too, simply because the second baby was stillborn.

"Oh, no, Candy, I think your mare's going to be fine," I assured her. "And the baby, too."

I patted her back, trying to think back to when I'd been that age, and one of our animals had gotten sick, or died. I'd cried myself,

a few times, about a goat or a baby calf that died. Whichever brother happened to get the dubious duty of calming me down,

would generally give me a few minutes to cry, (with more sympathy depending on which brother), and then I'd be told it was

a part of ranch life, and that it was time to tend to the animals that were alive and needing us.

So, I reenacted parts of that with Candy.

I began to talk about the newborn colt, and how she needed to think of a 'just-right' name for it, and how it would need her,

as would the mare. She would have to make sure they both had what they needed, and check on them often for the first few days. All of that.

So, I might have been a bit gentler about it than my brothers had been with me, but I did incorporate some of their advice into

my talk with her.

When Candy seemed to settle down, I offered her a piece of gum from my jeans pocket, and after a while longer, Ivy and I made

preparations to leave. The McMullins tried to get us to stay for a cold drink, but we began our drive back to Murphys.

"What did you say to the little girl to get her to calm down like that?" Ivy asked me.

"I just talked to her."

"Well, you must have magic in your words or something. She was totally different when she came back into the barn. Still sad, but

ready to enjoy the other foal."

"I don't know about magic," I said. "I just talked to her like Crane or Brian or Adam would have talked to me in a similar situation."

"Amazing family," Ivy said, and I knew she meant us. The McFaddens.

After that, she got quiet again, until finally I asked her, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"You're just sort of quiet," I said.

"Oh. Well, I've just got some things on my mind, I guess."

"Something I can help with?" I offered. "I can come in on Saturdays to help out if you need me to."

"Thanks, Harlie. It's not really an overload of work. I mean, there's plenty to do and all-" she hesitated. "I'm babbling. That's

not it, but thanks."

"Okay," I said, figuring that I would let it drop.

We were coming into Murphys, and Ivy came to a near stop to let Mr. and Mrs. Imhof cross the street before she drove on.

"I guess I should let you know about it, though," she said then. "Since you're around the office so much, and all."

By now, she'd parked in front of the office, and we just sat there, while I waited for her to tell me whatever it was.

"You know how some of the ranchers around haven't really accepted me very well?" she began by saying.

I nodded, and felt my stomach get all jumpy.

"Some of them would like me to-well, for lack of a better word, move on," she said.

I stared across at her in the truck cab. "Did someone say something?" I burst out. "That's horrible!"

"Well, they've actually done a little more than say something," Ivy said. "They've started a petition, from what I've heard."

I was so shocked that I was still for a few moments. "A petition to do what?" I asked, though I was fairly certain already.

"To have me resign," Ivy said.

"Well, nobody will sign it," I declared stoutly. "At least not more than a handful of those old busybodies."

Ivy gave me a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks, Harlie, but I hear that quite a few more than that have signed already."

"Well, you don't have to resign, do you?" I demanded. "Even if some people say you should?"

"No. Technically, I wouldn't have to," Ivy said.

"Technically?" I questioned, not liking the sound of that.

She nodded, and I said, "They can't make you!"

"No. They can't force me. But, they could make things very unpleasant."

I began to ask her in what way, when there was a tapping on the side of the truck, making us both jump, startled.

"Sorry, there, Miss Ivy," said Harve Barber, standing there and holding a shaggy little mixed breed dog. "Didn't intend to scare you."

"Oh, hello, Harve," Ivy said, getting out of the truck. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you could take a look at Tiger for me. He just doesn't seem to be gettin' any better."

"Of course. Come on inside the office," Ivy said. She turned to look at me, where I was standing in front of the truck. "I'll see you tomorrow,

Harlie."

"I can stay and help," I offered.

Ivy gave a glance at her watch. "It's long past the time you're supposed to leave. Nearly a quarter to five. You should go inside and call

your house, and make sure they're not worried about you."

"Adam thought I was doing something after work anyway, but, yeah, I'll call," I said.

I followed her and Harve inside, after Ivy had unlocked the door, and started heading towards the back.

"See you tomorrow," Ivy said again, to me.

I told her goodbye, and dialed the number to the house.

When Hannah answered, she sounded out of breath.

"Hi, Hannah."

"Hi, sweetie. What's up? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I was out on a call with Ivy, and we just got back. I'm getting ready to hang the flyers up around town now, so I

might not be home by supper."

"Oh. Well, alright. How much longer do you think you'll be?"

"I don't know. Not too long."

"Alright. I'll put a plate back for you," she said.

"Okay. Thanks, Hannah."

After that, I went back outside, pausing in front of the office, debating on where it was best to start putting up the papers. I realized

that I needed a staple gun or something, and went back inside again, sorting thru Doc G's supplies. I found an old staple gun, and set out

on my way again.

I walked for a couple of blocks, tacking up posters wherever I thought they'd be best seen. I tacked one up inside the general store,

and the hardware store, too.

By the time I was done, and had trekked back to my truck, my arms were aching from lifting them over my head so many times to staple

to the poles.

I drove home, thinking longingly of the supper that Hannah had waiting for me. Glad that I only had trigonometry, and no other homework,

I started thinking. First, about Ivy. Poor Ivy. This was so upsetting. I didn't want her to be coerced, or made to feel unwelcome.

And, Adam. Wondering what he was going to say to me.

7

At home, I parked my truck, and gathered up my backpack and my bag of clothes, and went up the front steps and into the house.

Guthrie was sprawled out on one of the couches, reading from a science book, and tossing popcorn into his mouth.

Crane was seated at the desk, bent over paperwork and ledgers.

"Hey, Har," Guthrie greeted me.

"Hi," I said, closing the door, and dropping my backpack onto the other couch.

Crane paused, and turned in his chair to look towards me.

"Your supper's on the table," he said.

"Okay."

I started to walk towards the kitchen, and Crane said, 'Hey."

I stopped to look at him.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yes. Hungry," I told him, and he grinned.

"Well, that's good. You have much homework?"

"Trig."

"Okay. Let me know if you need help," he said.

I nodded, and went on to the kitchen. Adam was there, sitting and talking to Hannah at the table. Clare, meanwhile, was bustling

around, stirring sugar into a cup of tea.

They all greeted me, and then Hannah told me to put my plate in the microwave.

Then she got a look at my clothes, traces of blood and mud on them.

"Or do you want to shower first?" she asked me. "Looks like you had a rough afternoon."

"A new foal over at the McMullins," I shared. "Yeah, I'll go shower real quick. I'm starving."

"Did you get the flyers put up?" Adam asked me.

"Yes."

"That's good."

I paused at the bottom of the back stairs. "Am I in trouble? For what I told you this morning, about Pepe?"

"Adam understands, don't you, hon?" Hannah said, in an attempt to help. "If you promise to wear gloves from now on when you

handle him, then-"

"Hannah," Adam said. He said it quietly, but it caused Hannah to stop talking, and look at him.

Even Clare stopped what she was doing, and stood still.

"Go on and take your shower," Adam told me.

I went. I was out of the shower, and in my pajamas quickly, and back downstairs to the kitchen. Everybody was gone now, to

the other room. I heated my plate in the microwave, and was pouring myself a glass of milk when Adam came back into the

kitchen. I turned to face him, remembering the way he'd spoken to Hannah. Not meanly, just firm. I decided to just 'take the

bull by the horns', as they say.

"Adam, I'm hoping I find a home for Pepe soon. I'm really going to try hard to find him one. But, until I do, I won't promise I

won't hold him. I can't."

7