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Title: Heard it Through The Door
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Another ten chapter have raced by. I figure it's time for another one. I wish I had an imagination like Annie Proulx, but unfortunately, I do not. Any familiar characters are hers; no profit is being made from this.

Francine told Ennis that chicken and rice would be ok for dinner. Jr. was not talking to him, he was sure his girls had heard then through the door. He shuffled around the kitchen, using what little culinary skills he had.

Jr. was huddled on the couch under a blanket. "Yeh cold?" Ennis asked, realizing she was too tall for the blanket, and her bare feet were sticking out from under it. "I'll light a fire, ok?" Francine responded for her sister, "A fire would be great, thanks Daddy."

"Yer welcome."

The girls were setting the table when Ennis realized Jack should be woken. "Cain yeh watch the food, make sure it don' burn? I gotta go get Jack up." He had asked Francine, thinking Jr. would choke him if he mentioned Jack to her.

"Shore, Daddy."

Jack was snoring lightly, laying on his back, one leg on top of the covers. Ennis quietly closed the door behind him. He put a hand on Jack's bare stomach and rubbed the muscular six pack.

"Hey Rodeo, time to get up."

Jack groaned and rolled over, shoving his head into the down pillow.

"Five more minutes?"

"No. Dinner's ready."

"Argh."

"Sure are lucky I didn' send Francine in here ta getcha."

"Huh?"

"Yer stark naked. Poor girl mighta' died a shock."

Jack grunted, but stayed under the blanket. "I ain't that ugly, am I?"

"Naw, yeh ain't ugly at all."

Jack smiled mischievously at him. "Yeh think?"

"Yeah. Matter a fact, I think yer purty. C'mon, get up 'n' get dressed."

"Fine." Jack took his time pulling his clothes on over his casts. In just two weeks, the ones on his legs were coming off. He had to admit, he was a little nervous to see what was under them. All the same, he was excited to walk on his own two feet again, take a leak standing up, and Ennis had even promised him a ride through the country once all of his casts were off. In a way, he felt like a kid, who was just waiting for his punishment to be lifted.

"So, what's fer dinner, anyways?"

"Chicken 'n' rice."

"Sounds familiar." He smiled as he teased Ennis, who was helping him pull his shirt on over the bulky cast. Ennis playfully smacked him.

"Francine picked it, not me."

Jack nodded. "Sure she did."

Ennis smacked him again and kissed him quickly on the lips before turning around at an "Ahem."

"Junior." His voice cracked as he spoke her name, having been caught acting like a real partner to Jack, not just a care taker.

"Francine says dinner's all done, so ya'll best hurry it up."

Ennis nodded before she stalked out of the doorway.

"Sorry, Ennis. Didn' mean fer ya ta get inta trouble."

"It's fine. It ain't yer fault. At leas', not just yer fault."

Jack stared at Ennis sadly, before Ennis picked him up easily and carted him into the kitchen. "Thanks fer dishin' all this up, Francine." His voice came out low and gruff, a sad attempt to cover up his embarrassment. "Yeh didn' have to."

"I was hungry." She laughed and sat down.

"Do you and Jack say grace?"

"I don' think we had since..." Ennis grunted beforeJack could continue talking, "since Jack's first night here."

She smiled at her nervous father, he thought his daughters would judge him. Francine knew that she would not. Her father was in love, she couldn't blame him for loving someone, no matter how taboo the relationship seemed to her or Junior.

"Well, then we ought to do it again. How long have you been here Jack?"

He choked on his words. They didn't spill out of his mouth like words often did for him. "Uh...Just over...ahem...a week."

"Just over a week? That's far too long to go without saying grace." Her face still held a small, relaxed smile.

Jack and Ennis nodded ashamedly. "You wanna say it Daddy?"

---------------

Ennis didn't have a washing machine. If he needed to, he would wash his clothes by hand, but only as a last resort. Since he had Sunday off and Jack's arm was bothering him, he figured they could go to town, do the laundry and pick up the prescription they had gotten over the phone.

"You girls wanna come ta town with me 'n' Jack? Jus' gotta do some laundry 'n' pick some stuff up at the store."

Jr. was still not talking to him, but Francine nodded enthusiastically. "Do you think you would be up for a movie, Daddy? There's a new one out that Jr. would really like to see."

"I think that would be fine."

Jr. didn't move until Francine elbowed her. "Thanks, Daddy."

"Yer welcome. Either of you gonna need the bathroom in the next hour or so?"

"I don't think so," Francine looked inquisitively at her older sister, "why?"

Ennis flushed. He didn't know how to say this. "Oh...Jack needs a bath if we're gonna go inta town."

Now it was Francine's turn to go red. "Oh. Ok. Well...No, we won' need the bathroom."

"Yeah..." Ennis walked slowly away from the living room, one of his daughter's stunned on the couch, the other making an unnesscesary gagging sound.