At home, Adam woke me up, saying, "We're home."

I roused enough to get out of the truck with his help. "Want carried, or do you wanna walk?" he asked me.

"I'll walk," I said. I knew Hannah would be waiting up, and the sight of me being carried in was sure to rev up her worry.

The porch light burst into brightness as it was snapped on, and the front door opened, with everybody coming out.

Guthrie was at my side in a flash. "Hey," he greeted me.

"Hey, Guth."

"Wow. A cast," he said.

"Oh, my," Hannah said, with a deep breath.

"The ankle's a sprain," Adam forestalled her questions. "Ice and some rest. There's a small fracture in her wrist."

"I'm fine, Hannah," I told her, mostly from habit. Guthrie and I have always tried to keep Hannah from worrying.

"Oh, yes, you're just dandy," Hannah responded dryly.

"You just wanted to give everybody a good scare, didn't you, peach?" Brian joked lightly, from his spot at my side.

"No. I'm sorry," I said, feeling as though I wanted to cry again.

"I'm just teasin' ya, peach," Brian said, close to my ear.

I nodded, weary to the bone.

Once inside, Guthrie went to sweep the couch clean of jackets and newspapers, so there would be room for me to sit. "Here ya go," he said.

"She's pretty tired," Adam said. "You wanna go on up to bed?" he asked me.

"I'll sit down here for a little while," I said.

"How about some hot chocolate?" Brian offered.

I nodded at him. "Sure."

Clare had gone to get a bag of ice, which she had crushed up and put in a sandwich baggie.

"Sit down here," she told me, and I eased to the couch, where she stretched my ankle out, propped on pillows, and laid the ice on

top.

Clare was asking Crane what pain medicine they had prescribed for me, and I just sort of let the conversation roll around me, until Brian

brought me a cup of hot chocolate.

I sipped at it, listening as my brothers and Hannah, too, started reminiscing about their injuries over the years. Sprains, and broken bones,

and trips to the emergency room.

When I was finished with my cocoa, Hannah took the cup from me.

"Time for you to get to bed," she said.

"Okay," I said.

"I know you're a tough cowgirl, and all of that," Brian said, as he leaned down closer to me. "But how about a lift upstairs? Just for

tonight?"

I nodded gratefully, and he scooped me up, taking me up to my room. Hannah and Clare followed along, and between the three of us,

I got my jeans off, and my shirt unbuttoned, and into my pajamas.

There was a knock, and Hannah said, "Come on in," as I sat down on the bed.

Adam opened the door and stood there in the doorway. Even in my own fatigued and woozy state of mind, I noticed how tired

he looked. When Clare had said goodnight and gone out, Hannah gave me a kiss on the top of my head.

"Sleep well, sweetie," she said.

"Thanks, Hannah."

Adam came over to where I was perched on the side of the bed.

He pulled back the quilt and sheets. "Get in there, Hop-a-Long Cassidy," he said.

I swung my legs up and crawled under the blankets. Adam went to switch off the lamp, and then came back to pull the quilt

up tighter around me.

"Need anything else?" he asked.

The light from the hallway shone into my room, and I could make out his face, just a little.

"I know this is going to be another bill now," I said, "with the hospital, and everything-. I'm sorry, Adam."

I heard him sigh. "Contrary to what you accused me of earlier, I do not think you got hurt on purpose. Things

happen. I was worried, that's all."

"I'm sorry I said that to you," I apologized.

"It's okay. Get some sleep."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Night."

7

The next morning, when I woke up, I could tell it was still early, because there was noise from the hallway of people

getting ready for the day. I got up, tentatively putting weight on my ankle. I hobbled to the door and went out into the

hallway, going down to the bathroom, as Evan was approaching from the opposite direction.

"Hey. Morning," he greeted me.

"Hey." I waved a hand at him.

When I came out of the bathroom, he was still there, standing by the head of the stairs.

"How are you feelin'?" he asked.

"Not too bad," I said.

We stood there for a couple of moments, both of us quiet. I could tell he had something he wanted to say.

"Is it Petra?" I asked, getting worried.

"Petra's okay. She's cut up a little, like I told you yesterday. You can come out later and help doctor her up," Evan said.

"Okay."

He still looked serious, and as though he was contemplating something.

"What, Ev?" I finally asked.

"It was dumb, what you did. You hurt yourself, but you're just lucky that Petra didn't break a leg."

I felt my face get all warm.

"I know it was dumb," I said.

"I mean, how would you have felt?" Evan went on. "If we'd had to put Petra down, because of a decision that you

made?"

"I would have felt awful! It would have broken my heart!" I managed.

Evan's face softened a little. "I know. Just think next time, okay?"

I nodded, and turned away from him.

"Want a piggyback down to breakfast?" he offered.

"No," I said, not meeting his eyes.

"So now you're mad? Just because I told you somethin'?" he asked.

"I didn't need you to tell me any of that," I said crossly.

Brian, coming down from he and Clare's attic rooms, came down the hall and stopped beside us.

"What's up?" he asked both of us.

"Harlie's in a snit because she didn't like hearin' the truth," Evan said, sounding disgusted.

"I'm not in a snit! Why don't you go to breakfast, and stuff your face with pancakes, or something!" I hurled at him,

and went quickly into my room, slamming the door behind me.

Almost immediately, the door opened again. Brian stood there for a moment, and then stepped into the room, closing the

door behind him.

I looked at his face, serious, and frowning, his eyebrows raised a little.

"He makes me so mad!" I said.

"I figure that he feels the same about you, so it's more than likely about equal."

"There's no way that I can irritate him as much as he does me!" I said hotly.

"Debatable," Brian said. "Was this about your horse?"

"Yes!"

"Maybe the reason you're so mad is because you know Evan's right."

I sat down on my bed. "Figures," I said.

"What figures?"

I had my mouth open to say the words, and then I just couldn't. Sparring with Brian is like sticking your arm

thru the bars of a hungry tiger's cage.

"Nothing," I shrugged.

"Oh, it's somethin'," Brian said. "I'm guessin' you were goin' to say a word or two about how I'm taking Evan's side,

or something similar to that. Right?"

"I was," I admitted, and then tried to smile at him a little. "But I decided I want to live awhile longer."

"Uh huh," Brian said, not looking amused.

After a moment of silence, he said, "Since when is slamming a door like that considered acceptable?"

"It's not acceptable," I said.

I'd only been up out of bed a few minutes, and here I was, on the bad side of two brothers already.

"That's your free pass," Brian said. "Next time you slam it like that, I'll take it off the hinges, and put it in the barn, and you

won't have a door for awhile. Understand?"

I nodded. "I understand."

"Okay. Let's get to breakfast."

7

After breakfast, Guthrie headed off to school, and everybody else scattered to their various plans and chores for the day.

Clare had a shift at the hospital, and so she left soon after, borrowing Hannah's little Gremlin, since the flat on her car hadn't been

changed.

That left Hannah and I in the house. I offered to do up the dishes, but Hannah said no.

"You need to get off your foot, and get the ice on it," she said.

"I can stand long enough to do the dishes," I insisted.

"Harlie," Hannah said, stopping to give me a look. "The whole reason you're home today is to rest and ice that foot. Remember? Thank you for

the offer, but just scoot, will you?"

"Okay."

As I headed to the living room, carrying a bag of ice in my left hand, Hannah called after me.

"I'm going to be downstairs, doing laundry. I'll check on you after a bit, alright?"

"Okay. I can watch Isaac, though, if you want."

"Well, okay. That would be a big help," Hannah said. "I'll go get him."

I went to the living room, and spread out a blanket on the floor, laying out some toys for Isaac.

I sat down on the floor, my back against the couch, and stretching my foot out, plopping the ice on it.

Hannah brought Isaac down the stairs, and settled him onto the blanket on his tummy, where he could see the toys.

"Here's some diapers," Hannah said, laying them on the end of the couch, along with some wipes. "I'll be back up after I do a couple of

loads, alright?"

"We'll be fine," I assured her.

I spent the next while enjoying Isaac, and smiling at the way he reached for the toys.

When the phone began to ring, I got to my feet, and hobbled over to answer it.

My 'Hello' was answered by a surprised voice.

"Harlie? Sweetheart?" Karissa's voice came across the telephone wire.

"Hi."

"Hello! I'm surprised to hear your voice. I thought you'd be in school. I was expecting Hannah to answer the phone."

"Yeah. I'm home today."

"Are you ill?" she asked.

"No. Just a little accident."

"You were in an accident?" she asked then, her voice rising in concern.

"No, not really. It was just a-mishap, really."

"Enough to keep you at home, though?"

"Uh huh."

"Well," she said, her voice brightening. "Since you're home, and it's just you and Hannah there at the house, perhaps I could

come over to visit you."

I understood very well what she was getting at. She was pleased because there would be no brothers to deal with.

Still, I didn't mind if she came over to see me. I was thinking that without any brotherly moods on the premises, it might actually be

a pleasant visit.

I wondered if I should ask Hannah first, but then I thought that she wouldn't mind.

"Okay," I agreed. "I'll see you after a bit, then."

"Absolutely. Is there anything you'd like from the store?" she asked.

"No, thank you," I said.

When I'd hung up, I looked at Isaac, who was still happy on the blanket, making his little cooing noises. I went thru to the kitchen,

and opened the door to the basement.

"Hannah?" I called down.

She appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "What? Everything ok?"

"Yes. Fine. Karissa just called."

"She did?"

"Yeah. She's going to come over for a while."

Hannah's face said it all. "Oh, Harlie," she said. "The house is a mess. And I have so much to do today-"

"She won't stay long," I said. "And the house looks okay."

Hannah ran a hand thru her hair. "Look at me," she said, gesturing at her frayed jeans and blouse flecked with baby food. "I'm not

dressed for company."

"You look beautiful."

Hannah sighed. "Start some coffee," she said. "I'll be up in a couple of minutes."

I went to do as she asked, and then went back to the living room, and started picking up some of the scattered mess of

papers, and jackets. I laid the papers on the desk, and threw the jackets at the bottom of the stairs.

I had lifted Isaac to the couch, and was changing his diaper, when Hannah came down from upstairs. She'd changed her shirt,

and was running a brush thru her hair.

"Hard to do with only one hand, isn't it?" she asked me.

"Kind of," I said, and she said, "Let me take over."

Isaac was changed, and the living room was tidied. Hannah went off to the kitchen, bringing back a plate with macaroon cookies

on it, and some coffee cups.

"I'll put Isaac down for a nap, and then try to get the dishes done up," she said, surveying the tidy living room.

"Okay. What do you want me to do?" I asked her.

Hannah gave me a big-sisterly look. "I want you on the couch, with ice on your ankle, that's what I want you to do."

"Yes, ma'm," I said, trying a smile on her.

I was reading, my foot propped up, when I heard the dogs barking. I got up and went to the door, opening it, as Karissa

parked, and got out, and then pausing to reach into the back seat of her car.

She walked up the front steps with one arm full of packages, and the other arm carrying a sack.

"Hello, sweetheart!" she greeted me.

"Hello," I said, and held the door open for her to enter.

She stopped, mid-walk, to stare at my cast.

"What in the world?" she exclaimed. "You're really hurt!"

"It's not bad," I said, and stepped back so she could pass by.

She noticed my hobbling right off, as well. "Dear Lord, what happened?" she asked. She looked really upset.

"I just took a spill from my horse," I said.

Hannah came back from the kitchen, carrying a coffee pot. They said hello to each other.

"I brought some things for lunch," she said, handing the sack off to Hannah.

"Oh. Well, that's very nice. You didn't need to," Hannah said.

"I wanted to. And these are for you," she said, holding out the packages towards me.

"Here, I'll set them here," she said, laying the packages on the coffee table. She began to take off her coat.

"I'll hang that up," Hannah said, taking it from her. Behind her back, Hannah gestured towards the packages and

raised her eyebrows. I shrugged back at her, in an indication that I didn't know what to think about the packages, either.

"Everyone's out working, I assume?" Karissa asked.

"Yes. Out and about somewhere," Hannah said.

"Well," Karissa said, sounding positively giddy, "it will be nice. Just us females."

"I'll go put these things away," Hannah said, and took the sack to the kitchen.

"Tell me about this-mishap-with your horse," Karissa said, and I sat down on the couch.

She sat down as well, and I recanted the previous evening's adventures.

When Hannah came back, she poured a cup of coffee for Karissa and one for herself.

"That's just terrible," Karissa said, taking a sip.

At Hannah's quick look of surprise, Karissa said, "No, no. The coffee is fine. I meant that it's terrible that Harlie was hurt so badly."

I thought I saw something pass over Hannah's face, and I knew that Karissa had made her feel less, as though she didn't

take proper care of me.

"It was my own fault," I said quickly.

"It's very responsible of you to take that attitude," Karissa said.

"What I did wasn't responsible," I said.

"But should you have been sent on such an errand?" she continued. "To get the calves, by yourself?"

"I made that choice," I insisted.

There was a stilted moment or two of silence. I could see that Hannah felt uncomfortable.

"This is a ranch. Things happen," I said.

Karissa did a complete change-around.

"Of course that's right," she said, sliding back into a charming mode. "Living in the city, a person forgets about certain things."

After that, she urged me to open the packages.

I looked at Hannah, unsure of what to do. She nodded slightly, and so I opened the first flat box.

It was another sweater, pale green, and a skirt, similar to the one in Seventeen magazine that I had shown to Crane at the hospital.

Karissa beamed at me, obviously waiting for me to exclaim over the outfit. And I liked it. I did.

"It's beautiful," I said.

"You like it?"

"It's pretty," I said, risking a look at Hannah, who appeared startled. I knew she recognized the expense of the clothing. And also, likely, the fact that

the skirt was extremely short.

Karissa pushed the other package into my hands. This one was taped closed so tightly that Karissa laughed, and said,

"Let me help you. Hard to do with that cast on."

This package had a pair of boots, and they were nice ones, too. They were a good quality brand. Tony Lama. They were brown, with

green on the sides. And round-toed, like I prefer.

I was actually stunned.

"You can't really try them on, with your sprained ankle," she said. "But maybe you could try on the sweater and skirt, to show me?"

I looked toward Hannah, unsure of what to do. I wanted to try on the outfit, but yet I knew this was going to be a huge bone of

contention with my brothers. Both the fact that she'd bought me more expensive clothes, and also the fact that there wasn't a one of them

that would approve of that skirt.

"Karissa," Hannah said, her voice quiet, but warm, "it's very kind of you to want to do this for Harlie, but it's not necessary."

"I enjoy it," Karissa said. "And she deserves a gift or two for having her arm in a cast, don't you think?"

"I don't think Adam will feel that way about it," Hannah said, still quietly.

Karissa gave a look of surprise at Hannah.

"He'll object to a couple of presents?" Karissa asked.

"It's not the presents so much as it is, the expensiveness of them," Hannah said. "And with it not being Christmas or her birthday, well,

I just think he might not approve."

"I see," Karissa said.

I felt so awkward right then. At first, I'd been grateful for Hannah's help, but now, well, I felt bad for Karissa. She looked so

dejected.

"Maybe I could try it on," I suggested, and Hannah turned to me with a shocked expression.

"I mean, just to show her," I tried to explain.

"Harlie, I don't think-" Hannah began.

"That would be lovely," Karissa said. She smiled at me, and then at Hannah. "That way, at least when it is Harlie's birthday, I'll know

if I got the right size and what-not."

"Can I, Hannah?" I asked. It was the only way to please everyone that I could think of. I'd try on the outfit, and that would make Karissa

happy, then I'd box it back up and send it with her, which was what Hannah and my brothers would want.

I could see Hannah was disconcerted, and unsure of what to do.

"I suppose so," she said. I could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

I took the skirt and sweater, and limped into the kitchen, and then thru to the mudroom. Instead of hopping upstairs, I shut the

door to the mudroom, and changed from my pajamas into the outfit. I didn't need a mirror to know that both the sweater and the skirt

fit like a glove, and holy moly, that skirt was sure short! Thru the door, I heard sounds from the kitchen, like rummaging thru drawers and the banging of cabinets.

I opened the mudroom door a crack, as I finished pulling the sweater down.

"It fits really good, Hannah," I said, thru the crack.

I pushed the door open and stepped out, saying, "What do you think of it? Pretty snazzy, huh?"

The kitchen, full of A, B. and C brothers McFadden, all staring at me, made me speechless in surprise. They also, all three of them,

were speechless, looking at me with surprise and shock. Adam's face darkened, and Crane looked stunned.

Brian had the look of a thundercloud.

He, with iced tea glass in hand, moved to step behind, looking at me from the back. I felt my face redden. When he was back in front, standing

beside Adam and Crane, he said, "I'm one hundred percent positive that you know exactly what we think."

Adam set his own tea glass down on the counter with a bang. I thought it was good that it was a plastic cup, or it would have broken.

"Snazzy isn't quite the word I'd choose for that outfit," he said.

7