Edward was sure that a cow had stomped on his head and a skunk had crawled into his mouth and died. That could be the only explanation for the way he felt. Nearby he heard a clatter that reverberated like a cowbell inside his head and he realized that Emmett had stumbled out of one of the cots and had knocked over a wash basin. Groaning he slung his arm across his eyes.

"Jesus, Emmett!"

"Sorry, sorry," Emmet mumbled in reply, sounding just as bad as Edward felt. Good, this was all Emmett's fault. He was the one that had suggested a drink to forget their pain. He just hadn't realized that they'd finish several bottles.

"Why the hell am I sleeping in here?" Emmett asked as he stumbled over to one of the windows. As he did so he suddenly hollered, "Oh shit!" just as he started to fall over, having tripped over something between two bunks.

This caused Edward to finally look out from under his arm and it took him a moment to process that Emmett had fallen between two of the beds, having tripped over something that was now groaning on the floor.

Covering his eyes again he said, "You are as clumsy as your sister." Bella. Hot dang, he couldn't even drown away thoughts of that girl in liquor. He was pretty sure that if Emmett had been able to see his drunken dreams last night he'd be a dead man. He reached down under the sheet he was lying under to adjust himself.

Luckily, Emmett didn't seem to be paying attention and was looking to the floor where he had tripped. "What the hell are you doing down there, Jasper?"

This caught Edward's attention again and he turned his head in time to see Jasper's head peeking out from between two beds as he sat up. If he didn't think it would hurt, he would have laughed at seeing Jasper's hair sticking out in every direction.

Emmett was helping Jasper up, the latter looking a bit green around the gills.

How had they let things get this far? He had started drinking so he could drown out thoughts of Bella — she was Emmett's sister after all — and Emmett, well, he had kicked him in the balls pretty hard, though he had a feeling that his friend had really been trying to drown out thoughts about Rosalie down at the saloon.

And, Jasper? Well, he'd been too drunk to remember why Jasper had joined in and what sorrows he'd been talking about, but he wouldn't doubt if it was a woman. Right then and there he decided that all the stories about women from Pandora to Eve must be right. Women were at the root of all evil.

Jasper and Emmett had started stumbling about, trying to straighten their clothes up. Apparently Edward had been the only one to strip down before bed.

Sitting up he looked around for his own clothes, but couldn't find them. "Where are my clothes?" he asked, but of course he didn't get a response from either of his friends. As he got on all fours, peering under the bed and Jasper sounded like he was gagging, but it was Emmett that hollered out, "I don't need to see your bare ass sticking up in the air while I'm like this, Edward!"

Edward ignored them and crawled back onto the bed, having only found his boots. Where the fuck were his clothes?

Just then Tyler came in carrying two pails of water and some clothes tucked underneath one arm. "Carmen says y'all should wash up and change. Says she expects you all at breakfast and if you don't show up she'll come here and drag you out." Jasper looked even greener at the mention of food and covered his mouth with a groan, Emmett frowned, and Edward was still trying to figure out where his clothes were.

Tyler tossed Edward some clothes. "The gals are going to be helping Carmen with the laundry today, but Carmen said you can wash the cow shit out of your own clothes. Said some of Eleazer's old stuff would have to do for now since she didn't know where you left your trunk."

Without another word, Tyler turned and left the bunkhouse. Emmett looked at Edward and asked, "How the hell did you get cow shit on your clothes, Edward?"

Edward shrugged and slipped into the clothes that Tyler had given him. Edward was quite a bit taller than Eleazar and when he saw that the sleeves were halfway up his forearms and the pants fell several inches above his ankles, he pondered just going naked, especially when Emmett snickered at him. He was about to do just that when Jasper finally spoke. "Don't even think about it, Edward. There are some decent young ladies living here now."

Edward sighed as Bella's smiling face flitted across his mind again. He was a goner.

Emmet frowned and asked, "Ladies? Which ladies? I mean, there's Bella, but Carmen, well, she's a lady and all, but she's seen Edward and the rest of us buck naked enough times to make even Eleazer frown."

Jasper scowled. "Don't you remember? I came here yesterday with Alice."

"Alice?" Emmett looked confused for a second. "Wait? My Alice!" This little declaration made Jasper scowl even more and without a word he turned and left the bunkhouse. Emmett looked to Edward for clarification and to which Edward just shrugged. Going to one of the pails of water he splashed a generous amount on his face. "C'mon now, Em. We'd better being going. Carmen's not the type to make idle threats and I don't need her coming in here hollering at me at the moment."

Emmet pouted and made his way back towards the main house with Edward. It was obvious that he was confused about this new development. Well, that and he was upset at the fact that he'd met his future wife for the first time while three-sheets to the wind…and he couldn't remember what she looked like or what he'd said.

Entering the house through the back, Edward felt his stomach recoil at the smell of food, but he knew better than to show too much discomfort. That would only set Carmen off more and he was pretty sure that she wasn't happy with them as it was. Emmett wasn't so lucky and he dashed back out, throwing up over the side of the back porch's rail.

Edward wrinkled his nose as he heard Emmett retching, but he told himself to man up and straightened to his full 6'3"…which only caused his pants to hike up more.

Carmen was standing at the table and for a moment Edward felt like he was staring down the barrel of a loaded gun with the way she was glaring at him.

"Sientate a comer, Eduardo." Her tone left no room for argument and Edward just nodded and moved to sit down in front of one of the heaping plates of sausage, scrambled eggs, slices of fried ham, and biscuits slathered in gravy. At that moment he thought he was going to die. "Y te lo vas a comer todo." He was pretty sure that she would stand there and make him eat every bite, too. She was doing it on purpose, damn her hide.

Before he could muster the strength to pick up his fork and try to swallow the first bite full, she set a cup of good, strong black coffee in front of him. That's when he knew everything would be all right and she'd get over her anger at their behavior. He gave her a crooked smile and she sighed, shaking her head and made her way out to the back porch to check on Emmett.

Translations for chapter:

"Sientate a comer, Eduardo." = "Sit down and eat, Edward."

"Y te lo vas a comer todo." = "And, you're going to eat everything."