Adam McFadden glanced at Evan, his tone all of a sudden impatient. The events of the last week had worn on his nerves. "We've already gone over that. Nobody's blaming you for Guthrie." Next, he turned to the sheriff. "Charlie, besides that last question for Crane, is that it?"

The lawman nodded. "For now."

Brian started, "What about Ev …?"

Evan interrupted, "Adam, it's not about Guthrie."

The second eldest sighed. He continued, "What about Evan's accident?"

Charlie said, "We're still working on it. Nothing conclusive yet."

Evan pleaded, "Adam …"

The eldest voiced his frustration, "Ev, you're beginning to sound like a broken record with the saddle again. Enough!"

The fifth brother pleaded, "It's important."

Hannah interceded. "Honey, let him talk."

"In a minute. We don't need to air our dirty laundry in front of Charlie." He rubbed his head. "Charlie, I'm sorry. We're all tired."

The sheriff gathered his things. "I understand. Too much going on."

"Damn straight." Brian walked with Adam and Charlie to the door.

"Sheriff, wait!" Evan's eyes welled. Everyone stopped and looked at him. "I'm sorry."

Adam's voice rose. "About what?!"

Hannah pleaded. "Honey, hear him out please." She sat on the couch beside her upset brother-in-law. Rubbing his back, she spoke in a gentle tone. "Calm down, Ev. What is it?"

Evan gasped, "It's all my fault. They said they were good. Crane said he wouldn't tell anybody. He promised."

Adam, Brian, and Charlie shared questioning glances with each other before approaching the couch. Adam knelt in front of Evan. "Who was good and what did Crane promise?"

Evan swallowed hard and composed himself. "Crane and the boxing guys. They said they were good, and Crane promised he wouldn't tell."

Adam rolled his eyes, the frustration creeping back. "Why is this like pulling teeth? What boxing guys?"

Before Evan could answer, Brian put a hand on Adam's shoulder. "Let me." He sat on the coffee table, meeting Evan's gaze. "Just tell us from the beginning."

"I …" Evan took a breath. "It was the day Crane picked me up from school last week. We talked on the way to Angels Camp. He told me he didn't look at the budget yet but we couldn't afford a new saddle and that I should think about earning my own money to pay for what I wanted. So while he was getting groceries …" Evan's voice broke. "I shouldn't have gone …"

Hannah placated. "Gone where?"

Evan sighed. "I saw a sign to box for money if you stayed a couple of rounds with the champ and signed up."

Adam's voice rose as he did. "You what!"

Hannah paled and pulled Evan close. Charlie and Daniel moved nearer. The room was thick with shock.

Brian's eyes widened. "There's no way … You would've gotten your head bashed in."

Evan gulped. "I know. I heard it all from Crane." He pleaded, "Don't blame him. It's all my fault. I begged him not to tell. I knew how Adam would react."

An awkward silence followed as everyone shared uncomfortable glances. Adam's hand splayed across his mouth. Brian started to speak but shook his head. Hannah and Daniel were speechless.

Finally, Charlie spoke. "I know the guys Evan's referring to. They're an amateur boxer and his handler who go up and down the state. I'm not sure how they offer prize money but it might be for expenses. They're licensed by the state, so it's a state matter."

Brian looked from Charlie back to Evan. "Did Crane do anything?"

Calmer now, Evan started to roll his eyes but thought better of it and stopped. "Hell, yeah. He made a scene, telling the boxing guys I was underage, and got me out of it. They shook hands and said they were good. He got upset and chewed me out big time. He said he was gonna tell Adam, and I begged him not to." His voice quieted. "I guess he kept his word."

Adam sighed. "He did."

Evan asked, "So you won't blame him?"

Adam cogitated before speaking. "No. I might not like it, but Crane's an adult and made a decision. I'll have to respect his judgment."

Mute until now, Daniel voiced the elephant in the room. "Do you think they had something to do with all of this?"

Charlie shrugged. "Why would they? I'll talk to them, and if need be, the state athletic commission. First, though, I'll have to talk to Crane and see why he was trying to get in touch with them." He warned, "Don't get your hopes up. I'm guessing this is probably just a matter of reporting them, and like I said, it's a matter for the state. We'll look into it as much as we can, but we still have at least one assault case and possibly another one with no witnesses. That's our focus."

~~00oo00~~

Hannah came out of a dream content and smiling. Still in the twilight part of sleep where one could drop back into la-la-land without any effort or come clawing back to consciousness depending on the outside world, she opted for the former. Bundled under a comforter and quilt against the chill, she nonetheless reached out by habit for her favorite warmer. Not finding him, she logged one more notch up the awake pole, rolling on her side and extending her arm. Still not gaining her mark, she moved further toward his side of the bed, stretching but grabbing nothing but a handful of jumbled sheets. Frowning, she opened her eyes. She was alone.

Now fully awake, she listened. The house was still. She glanced at the clock: three fifteen – far from time to be up. Something wholly unseasonable came to mind: The children were nestled all snug in their beds, or rather, now, the cowboys were nestled all snug in their beds, except one. Curious, she got up, put on a robe, and entered the hall.

Looking over the railing, in the dim light she could just make out the sleeping forms of Brian and Guthrie on the pullout tucked under the stairs in the living room below. Again, she listened, the only sound the groan of the mattress as Brian slid onto his side, draping an arm over his little brother and pulling him close. In his sleep, Guthrie moved with him, letting himself be hauled into Brian's bear hug of an embrace. It was an act played out night after night, habitual in a confined space, overtly personal and affectionate. She smiled. This lot of brothers she had married into presented as rough and tumble on the outside as any other, but here was one of those intimate moments one would little expect.

Stepping carefully to avoid the creaky parts of the floor, Hannah made her way to the bathroom. It never failed: Nature's call demanded attention once one was vertical. Several minutes later, she entered the hallway again. Noticing the nearest door just ajar, she looked in. Ford and Evan lay in the familiar bunk beds. Careful to avoid the pile of crutches within arm's length of Evan's bottom bunk, she arranged Ford's jumbled quilt over him, a quiet "Thanks, Hannah" barely heard in grateful reply. She lightly brushed his hair and thought she noticed a hint of a smile.

Turning the doorknob to close the door, she moved on to the next room. Again, the door was open just enough to let in a thin stream of dim light from the hallway. Peaking in, she spied Adam reclining on the desk chair, his arms across his chest and his legs extended and crossed in front of him. He watched his brothers in the dark, his gaze seeming to focus more on Crane, moving to Daniel every so often. Finally, he stood. After a few steps to Daniel's side for a moment finishing with a light touch to the shoulder, he moved on to Crane, where he lingered. He took in his third brother's slightly shallow breathing, the binder on his ribs hindering a deeper breath. He touched the back of his hand to Crane's cheek and seemed relieved to find it cool. Hannah thought it odd as Crane had not run a temperature, but then again, it was a connection, that overt affection belying these sometimes loud, stubborn, and combative brothers.

As Hannah backed out of position, the sliver of illumination in the room darkened. How she had managed to not cast a shadow until now, she could not say, but Adam looked up and met her gaze. His expression that of a little boy found with an errant hand in the cookie jar, he squeezed Crane's arm and pulled the quilt to his brother's chest before stepping into the hall and soundlessly closed the door. Draping an arm around her and pulling her close, he led them back to their own room.

Ensconced in the safety of a snug bed and each other's arms, they rested for a few minutes. Mindlessly stroking Adam's hand, Hannah asked, "Worried about the boys?"

Adam shrugged. "I don't know. Couldn't sleep. Just kept thinking about everything that's happened, and how it could have been a lot worse. Guess I just want to make sure they're really okay." He sighed. "They drive me up a wall a lot of the time, but I don't know what I'd do without them." He pulled her closer. "Or you."

Hannah giggled. "You better include me, Mr. McFadden."

"That goes without saying." He sniffled and let out a breath.

"What?"

"I don't know. Maybe I have mixed feelings. Crane did what he thought was best, and I accept that. I would have knocked Evan upside the head for being so … for not thinking."

Hannah sounded hopeful. "But he took responsibility for it tonight."

"But not until he had no choice. We'd have found out once Charlie talked to Crane. There was no way to hide it anymore. And it sounded like Ev thought I'd blame Crane for the whole thing."

"Would you?"

Adam chuckled ruefully. "I don't know. If my temper got in the way, probably, and he wouldn't have deserved it. If anyone's at fault, it's Evan. He knows better."

"Yes, he does, and he realizes it now. And more important, I think, is how he tried to protect Crane." She turned to face him. "You trust him with so much, but we all have a lapse of judgment sometimes. Overall, he's a pretty responsible kid."

Adam sighed. "And if I'm gonna be honest, they all are – responsible, for the most part, I mean. Even Guthrie."

Hannah drew her finger on his arm. "So, Mr. McFadden, you must have done something right. I'd put any of you up against anybody any day."

Adam smiled. "You're not so bad yourself, Mrs. McFadden." He hugged her then turned somber. "But once again, my famous temper got the best of me, and I left Ev to stew in his own misery. I thought he deserved it, but it sounds like Crane gave him enough grief. He didn't need any more from me."

"So talk to him. He needs to hear it's okay. From you."

He kissed her lightly on the head. "What would I do without you?"

Hannah smiled. "You say that a lot. And I always answer, let's not find out."

The hushed tones quieted. Mollified, Adam yawned, his lids struggling to stay open as he gazed at Hannah. Smiling, she closed hers. Snug in her embrace, he felt free to do the same.