Several days later, Andy didn't walk around the house- he bounced. "Ann's coming home!"
Rae laughed from where she sat at the kitchen table folding diapers. "Excited?"
"Yes!"
"You know that's she's only going to be home for three days??"
"I know.. but ... still!" Secretly, he hoped she would stay.
"I know that you're excited that Annie's coming home...but you aren't going to forget about the boys are you?"
"No..." He sighed.
She nodded. "Sippi said that he might let Ginny travel with Annie and he was going to see if Marty could come as well..."
"Really?" He looked interested in spite of himself.
Rae smiled. "Yes. Why don't you go see if Daddy will let you and Jeremy take the wagon into town and pick the girls up."
He grinned. "Okay."
Andy dashed from the room. "Dad!!"
"I think he's outside!" Rae called after him.
Andy ran toward the barn.
"DadDadDadDad!" he shouted.
Spot walked out of the barn. "What is it, son?"
"Can me and Jeremy take the wagon to pick up Ann and the other girls??" he asked
Spot was silent for a moment as he thought it over. "Only if you promise to pay attention to the wagon and not the girls, got it?"
"Why would I pay attention to the girls??" he demanded.
Spot shook his head and laughed.
"What?" Andy blinked. "Why are you laughin'?"
Spot ruffled his hair. "You'll understand when you're older, son."
He gave a bit of a snort but then seemed to perk up right away. "When do you think I should leave?" he asked anxiously.
"In a few minutes. You go get Jeremy and I'll hitch up the horses..."
He beamed. "Thank you!" And off he went.
Less than five minutes later the two boys headed down the road in the wagon.
Spot smiled, watching the boys leave.
"Tell me about these girls we're supposed to be picking up..." Jeremy said as they rode into town."Well," Andy began, guiding the horses around a curve, "one is my sister Ann. She kinda looks like me... only more like a girl. Marty, she's pretty... but she's not really very nice... And then there's Ginny. She's nicer than Marty. They're my sister's friends."
Jeremy nodded. "No boys?"
"Not unless Uncle Sip sent Jackson with them..."
Jeremy made a bit of a face.
"I hope he did...that way we'd be even."
"Me too," Jeremy agreed.
Jeremy watched Andy drive the wagon. "Can you teach me to do that?"
Andy grinned importantly. "Oh, I suppose I can." Andy handed him the reins and gave him the simple instructions that Spot had told him.
He grinned excitedly. "Hey, I'm doing it!"
Andy laughed.
"We're almost there right? I've never been to the train station..."
Andy nodded. "It's just around the next curve."
"Okay."
Once the station was in sight, Jeremy handed the reins back to Andy. Andy parked the horse and hopped down, grinning broadly as he tied the reins to a nearby post. "They're train should be here soon."
Jeremy followed him to the other side of the platform. "How old are all these people?"
"My sister and everyone?"
Jeremy nodded.
"About our age- Ann's my twin, so she's definitely my age."
Jeremy rolled his eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing. Here comes the train."
He stood on his toes to peer over the crowd. "Trains are so neat."
"Maybe if Mom and Dad adopt you and Joey, you can ride of the train...we go to Brooklyn sometimes," Andy said.
"All the way to Brooklyn??? Really!" Jeremy asked excitedly. "I've never been out of Pleasant Valley."
"Brooklyn's really dirty and crowded...and Chris and Molly got kidnapped..."
"Really?! Kidnapped?"
"Yep. They made the Duchess lady really mad..."
"There's a Duchess there?? Wow..."
Andy made a face. "I don't think she's a real duchess...I think it's just her name..."
"That's a weird name," Jeremy shouted over the screech of the train as it pulled to a stop.
Andy turned and tried to look over the shoulders of the people crowded around them.
"Do you think we should push through? Or will the girls wait for us?"
"Let's push through..."
"All right." And the pushing began! Much to the protest of many members of the crowd, Andy and Jeremy pushed them aside to clear a way through.
"Andy!" they heard a girl squeal.
"Ann!!" Andy shouted.
Ann dropped her bag and ran toward him.
He ran to her and hugged her tightly. "You're back!"
"I missed you so much!"
"Me too!"
Marty and Ginny came up behind them.
"Hey Marty! Hello Ginny," he said.
"Hi Andy," the girls said simultaneously.
Jackson followed them, grumbling about something.
"Jackson!" Andy shouted, waving. "You came!"
"Only because Beau made me..."
"Didn't wanna come?"
"Not with the girls."
Ann made a face at him as Ginny slapped his arm. Then she peered around Andy's shoulder. "Who's that??" she asked, pointing to Jeremy.
"Oh. That's Jeremy...he and a bunch of other boys are staying with us for a while."
Ginny and Marty peered over as well.
Andy waved his friend over.
Jeremy walked over hesitantly.
Andy put his arm around his sister. "Jerry, this is my sister Annie."
"Hi," she said shyly.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Annie," Jeremy replied.
She blushed. "Just Ann...."
Andy gave them both a funny look.
Marty cleared her throat and jabbed Andy in the back. "You gonna introduce us too?"
He poked her back. "Jerry, this is annoying Marty.""
"I'm not annoying!"
"Didn't I tell you, Jer?"
She scowled and jabbed him again.
Andy ignored her. "This is Jackson and his twin sister, Ginny."
"More twins??" Jeremy said.
Andy shrugged.
He picked up his sister's bag. "Let's go home."
"I can't wait to get home."
He grinned. "Well, hurry up!" He ran to the wagon The others followed him. Jeremy and Jackson helped Andy load the luggage into the wagon and then the girls. Ann squeezed into the seat between her brother and Jeremy while the other three crawled into the back.
"Daddy let you drive this all by yourself??" Ann asked as Andy snapped the reins.
"Yep."
"I bet I can drive better than Andy," Jackson said with a grin.
"Can not," Ginny piped up. "Beau won't let you drive his buggy anymore..."
Andy sniggered. "Why not?"
"Hush up, Virginia," Jackson hissed.
"Come on, tell us!" he said, egging her on.
"He nearly hit an old lady," Marty blurted out.
Andy howled in laughter.
Jackson scowled.
"Watch the road Andy! You can laugh at Jackson later," Ann said.
"No he can't! He can't laugh at me at all!"
Andy snickered, but kept his eyes on the road.
"Why don't you live here with your brother?" Jeremy asked Ann.
"Because I'm going to be a ballerina, but I can't do that in pokey old Pleasant Valley."
"Why you wanna be a ballerina?"
"Because I want to dance beautifully like Misha..."
"Who's Misha?"
Ginny giggled. "She and Beau are gonna get married."
Ann giggled too. "He's so funny too... he's so nervous around her."
Jackson rolled his eyes.
"What? We think it's cute," Ginny said.
"It's gross."
"No it's not!" the girls chimed in unison.
Before long they pulled up in front of the old house. Kendra and Sam burst out of the house shrieking merrily. Annie jumped down and hugged them both.
"Welcome back, welcome back!"
"Where's Momma and Daddy?" Annie asked.
"Right here," Spot said as they emerged from the house.
"Daddy!" she shrieked, throwing herself into his arms.
He laughed and hugged her tightly. "Hey sweetheart."
"What about me?" Rae asked with a smile.
Annie threw her arms around Rae's waist. "I missed you Momma."
She hugged the girl. "I missed you too."
Ann looked up at her. "Have you been sick?"
"It's nothing for you to worry about, sweetie," she said with a smile.
The girl nodded. "Where are the babies?"
"Inside. Come on in girls," she said, motioning to Ginny and Marty. "And you too, Jackson." She smiled.
They all went inside, the three girls chattering happily.
"Jeremy, Andy, make sure you wipe down the horse and water her, all right?" Spot called as the boys led the horse towards the barn.
"Yes sir," Andy called back.
"Is your sister gonna stay long?" Jeremy asked Andy.
"Two or three days..."
"That's it??"
"She has to go back to her silly dance classes," Andy said, making a face.
"That's stupid..."
"That's what I think."
"Why does she wanna dance anyway?" Jeremy asked as they removed the tack from the horse.
Andy shrugged.
"Girls are so weird..."
"Ain't that the truth."
"How long would it take her to become a ballerina??"
"I think Misha said it would take a long time..."
Jeremy tossed some hay into the trough in the horse's stall. "You think she's gonna do it?"
"I guess so...it's what she really wants to do." Andy looked at Jeremy. "Why did you wanna know??"
Jeremy shrugged. "Just askin'."
"Come on, let's go inside. I bet Gramma made some of Annie's favorite cookies."
Jeremy nodded and the two boys raced into the house.
----------
"Can I run ahead?" Kendra asked as she, Chris and Molly walked down to their new house.
"Just a little," Molly said.
"Stay where we can see you," Chris added.
"Yes sir," she replied, racing ahead.
Chris and Molly smiled after her.
"I'm glad the house is finished. It was getting kinda crowded in the big house."
Molly stretched. "Me too. It's so nice to have quiet."
He kissed the side of her head. She smiled, looping her arm with his. He looked back at the path and didn't see Kendra.
"Kendra!" he shouted.
"She couldn't have gone far, Chris."
"But I told her to stay in our sight. She could get lost. Kendra!!"
She suddenly appeared around the bend in the path. "Yes Daddy?"
"I told you to stay in our sight young lady."
She hung her head.
"I'm sorry..." she said with a pout
"You've got to learn to obey, Kendra."
She sniffled. "Yessir..."
"Stay with us."
She nodded and walked beside them quietly.
A few minutes later they reached the house by the lake. "Yaaaay!" Kendra shrilled, racing up the front porch.
"Do you remember which room is yours?" Chris asked.
"Yep!" she beamed. "Can I go up? Can I? Can I?"
"You may go up to your room, but I want you to unpack and put away your clothes before you start playing."
"Yessir!" And she bolted up the stairs.
Molly turned toward Chris. "Don't you think you're being a little hard on her?"
"I'm not being hard on her. Just firm."
"But Chris...unpacking her clothes by herself?"
"Molly, she's almost 6 years old... she needs to learn to do things on her own."
Molly sighed and walked toward the kitchen.
Chris frowned a bit. "You're too soft on her, Molly. She'll be spoiled rotten if you do everything for her."
"But she's still so young, Chris!"
"She'll be starting school in the fall!"
"But still-"
"But nothing!"
"D-daddy?" Kendra said softly from the doorway.
"Yes?"
"We forgot Pape and the kitties."
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I knew we forgot something."
He looked down at her. "As soon as you finish unpacking your clothes and the rest of your toys, you and I will back up to the house and get her."
"Promise??"
"I promise...unless Momma has dinner ready, we will go as soon as all of your clothes and toys are put away."
She grinned and scampered away.
Molly turned to Chris. "I can't work with you standing there watching me!"
He smiled a bit. "Did you want my help then?"
She turned her back to him and began slamming pots on the counter. "I can manage by myself."
He frowned. "All right...."
Sighing he turned and left the kitchen. He paused at the top of the stairs and leaned against the doorframe as he listened to Kendra talk to her babies as she took them out of the boxes.
He smiled a little as she introduced them to the new doll on her bed. She then proceeded to explain to them why they had to sit on the window seat while the new doll got to stay on the bed. He chuckled to himself. She had quite the imagination
She glanced up at him and grinned.
"What do you babies think of the new girl?"
She wrinkled her nose. "They don't like her too much..."
He smiled. "What do you think?"
"I like her a bunch."
"That's good to hear. Do you think the others will learn to like her and play with her too?"
"I hope so...they just being mean."
He glanced around. "Well, it looks like you have most everything done. Let's say we go get Pape and her kittens?"
"Where is Pape gonna stay?" she asked as they walked down the stairs.
"Why don't we leave her box in Grandpa's room?"
"Do you think he will mind???" she asked.
"I don't think he'll mind at all."
She beamed. "Okay!"
He smiled down at her. "You need to think about naming your kittens."
"Oooh, yes!"
She slipped her hand into his. "Did you get my new baby?"
"I sure did."
She grinned. "Thank you, Daddy."
He hugged her. "You're welcome. Take good care of her, okay?"
"I will!"
He grinned and scooped her up. "Then let's go." She squealed in delight.
"Molly, we're going to get the kittens! We'll be back shortly," Chris called.
"Dinner will be ready when you get back," she replied.
"Sounds good. Does that sound good to you, Kendra?"
"Yep!"
"Then let's hurry."
"Yes! I bet Pape is hungry too!"
He laughed and led her back up to the big house.
Spot answered when they knocked. "Back already? Couldn't stand to be without us?" He grinned.
Chris laughed. "Actually, Kendra forgot her kittens."
"Yes! Pape must be so worried!" Kendra said, bustling into the house.
Spot chuckled. "Sammy noticed that you left her...so we put her and the kittens in a box for you..."
"Good kitty!" Kendra said, hurrying over to the box near the door.
Chris walked over and lifted the box. "Come on, kiddo, Momma's waiting dinner on us."
"Yep yep! Bye!" Kendra waved vigorously to Spot and Rae.
"Goodbye," Rae called.
Kendra skipped alongside Chris. "Kitty kitty kitty kitty!" she sang merrily.
"Have you thought of any names for the kittens?" Chris asked.
"Um.... not yet"
"Maybe Momma can help."
"Oooh, I bet she'll think of really good names!"
"I'm sure she will..."
"Do you have any ideas Daddy?"
"Not at the moment."
She furrowed her brow in deep thought.
"Well, I'll have to take a good look at them." He smiled.
She skipped along side him. "Kitties kitties what will I name you?"
"Why don't you think about it until after dinner?"
"Okay. I'll think really hard!"
"Open the door for me," he said as they stepped onto the porch.
"Yes sir!" And she pulled the door open, chanting "Kitties!" again.
She followed him through the kitchen and into the small bedroom on the back of the house.
"Let's set them right near the door so the kitties can get out and find me if they need me," Kendra said.
"I don't think they'll be going anywhere soon."
"But still."
He gave her a look.
"They'll be big soon won't they? They'll be able to get out soon..."
"Soon...now go wash up and help Momma set the table."
She gave a sigh and nodded. "Yessir."