"I got the dishes." Crane said to Hannah when they'd finished eating.
"Thanks." She smiled up at him and kissing his cheek she left the room.
"I'll help." Evan said and Crane raised his eyebrow surprised.
"You are volunteering? You must've hit your head pretty hard in that wreck." Crane said turning to the sink.
"No, look Crane, there's something I should tell you." Evan shifted nervously.
"What?" Crane said washing a dish and handed it over to be dried by Evan.
"I cut school." Evan said.
"Today?" Crane asked surprised.
"No, before everything happened. I cut school to practice for the rodeo."
"Oh." Crane said. "Is that why you were doing Ford's chores?"
"Yeah. He knew about it. I'm really sorry." Evan said.
"Okay." Crane said.
"Are you gonna tell Adam?" Evan asked surprised.
"Nah. Adam's had enough to worry about, hasn't he? Besides, you won't do it again. Least not for a while. I'm just glad you are still around, you know?"
"Me too." Evan said. "I guess things will get back to normal again."
"I don't know if we have a normal." Crane said laughing.
***7***
The jeep sparkled in the sunlight and Brian couldn't get used to it.
"It doesn't look right." He told Daniel.
"Too shiny." Daniel agreed.
Finley had brought the jeep herself. Hannah had forgotten all about the card that Finley had given her, and even about the jeep itself. She'd been so exhausted when she'd spoken with Finley. She only had a vague memory of the conversation.
"I knew you wouldn't call him." Finley said when she arrived on their doorstep the day after Guthrie's return home. "So I took care of it."
"It's beautiful." Adam said. "But you don't have too. . ."
"Oh, it wasn't me really. The dealership is giving it to you. There's a card inside. Once I told him all about you, well, everyone wanted to help. So you have a new jeep. It's bigger than your other one. I wasn't sure about that. I told him you were ranchers and need one that could handle the work. He promised me this one would." She smiled at them.
"Finley come inside. You are staying for dinner, aren't you?" Hannah asked.
"Oh, no. I have to get to work. My assistant should be here any minute to pick me up. I swear he drives like an old lady! I just wanted to see you and see that everyone really is alright. I am so glad that Guthrie is home now."
"We are too." Adam said. "You'll have to come back and visit us again. Hannah doesn't get too much girl time around here."
"I can imagine. Thank you." Finley said surprised and touched by Adam's generosity.
Later, as he stood beside Hannah watching Finley drive away, he said, "She's nice Hannah. I wasn't sure the first time I met her. She seemed kind of . . ."
"Like she was showing off?" Hannah asked him.
"No, like she was jealous of you. She seems more content now."
"Why would she be jealous of me?" Hannah asked surprised.
"You are beautiful, for starters. And you are . . ." He tried to find the right word to express it. "You are beloved. There isn't a man in the house that doesn't think the sun rises and sets with you, girl." He smiled at her.
"How many beers did you have?" She asked him laughing.
"Zero." He said.
"Well, you are talking crazy." She said turning to go inside. "I gotta get dinner started. I've got every single one of your brothers to cook for! I hope I remember how."
***7***
"I'm pretty old to be tucked into bed, don't you think?" Guthrie asked looking up at his older brother.
"Nope." Adam said sitting beside Guthrie who was in his own bed at last. "What do you think?" He asked his wife.
"Oh, please! She'd tuck Brian in, if he let her." Guthrie groaned.
"What an interesting idea." Brian said coming in from the kitchen.
"Get your own wife!" Adam said as Hannah turned red and Brian laughed.
Brian sat on the other side of Guthrie and Hannah stood by Adam, her hand resting on his shoulder.
"How do you feel, hon?" Hannah asked.
"Tired I guess. It sure felt good to wake up in my own bed this morning."
"I think you overdid it today. We'll move you upstairs to our room in the morning. You can rest all day." She smiled at him.
"Sounds really boring." He said.
"Sounds smart." Brian said. "You do what your mama says, Guth." He grinned at Hannah who blushed again.
"Did you sleep okay last night? You didn't get too cold?" Adam asked.
"No, but I had a dream. It was one I had in the hospital but I forgot all about it."
"Was it the bad one?" Adam asked concerned.
"No, not that one. I don't have that one anymore. No. this was different." Guthrie paused to yawn. "Did Mom have reddish hair?"
"Yeah. It was a really pretty auburn - like Danny's in the summer." Adam said.
"I dreamed of her. Her voice was singing - that song you always sang when I was little. It was like I was small and we were in a rocking chair. Do you think it was a dream? Do you think maybe when I was sick she was there with me?" Adam said nothing too stunned to even speak. Their mother had rocked Guthrie to bed every night.
"She loved you, partner. I wouldn't put it past her to come to you when you needed her." Brian said softly.
"It felt like she was really there and I wanted to stay, but she said,'Time to go, Cubby Bear.' Did she call me that?" He looked up at both his brothers whose eyes were wide with surprise.
"Yes." Brian whispered.
"You always loved to snuggle close and be held, like a little bear." Adam said through tears. "So she called you that." After her death, none of them could bring themselves to call him by her nickname, and so the name had died with her.
"Maybe it was real, then because that's what she called me. And then she said, 'Your mama is waiting go on now.' And when I opened my eyes, Hannah was there." Hannah looked up shocked.
"That was real, Guthrie." Brian said. "Mom would've loved Hannah probably even more than we do. She must be happy to know we have her now."
"It would be nice to have a real memory. I hope it was real." His eyes closed. "She was really sweet." He yawned. "It is so good to be home."
"Night, partner." Brian said kissing him. "I'll be here later."
"Night Guthrie." Adam said kissing his cheek. "We love you, pal."
"Night Guth." Hannah said softly brushing his bangs back off his forehead. She rose to leave with his brothers but he caught her arm and opened his eyes.
"Could you stay for a little while?" He asked her.
"Course." She said sitting back down.
He closed his eyes again. "Can you sing to me?" He asked.
"Sure, hon." She sang a soft lullaby her own grandmother had sung to her.
Sleep, my child may peace attend thee
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I, my loving vigil, keeping
All through the night
She bent to kiss him, believing him asleep, but as she bent near, he whispered softly, "Thanks Mom."
She kissed him then, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Night son. I love you."
She clicked out the lamp and went out to the porch where Adam had her brothers sat, watching the stars come out one by one. Adam sat on the top step and she sat down beside him. Brian leaned against the porch rail, and Daniel stood beside him. Crane came out then too and sat a step down from Adam and Hannah, a guitar in his hands.
"The babies are all tucked in." He grinned. It was what they used to say every night when the brothers were still small.
He strummed the guitar lightly. "Sing something, Dan'l." Daniel smiled.
"I'll try. This old ribs of my aren't cooperating all the way, just yet."
They sang together under a blanket of stars. The music of their voices blending together with guitar and harmonica, and Hannah rested her head against Adam's shoulder, unable to even sing after a time; her heart was too full.
Maybe leaving school and coming here was just a simple turn in the road, but then again, maybe that turn was put there on purpose so that she would one day find herself here on this porch with these brothers; home at last; home forever.
