Brother Bret Returns

I reached for my coffee again and didn't even bother to stifle the yawn. It had been three days since Jim had blown into town and then blown out almost as quickly. And that was the last time I'd had any decent sleep. That seemed like a bold statement given how the last few weeks had gone but Maudie soon showed us what real sleep deprivation looked like. According to Doralice, she spent most of the night screaming and inconsolable. Often times her cries would wake Isabelle meaning that now Doralice spent a good part of the night walking the floor trying to comfort one or the other of them. The last three mornings I had gone home to a screaming daughter and a wife who had looked like she had almost reached the end of her rope.

Maude – Doralice's mother, founder of Maude's, and my daughter's namesake – had spent most of the first week of the girl's lives with us and then Doralice and I had decided we were more than capable of handling our own children and insisted she could go home. It had taken me less than a day to realize that was going to be harder than I'd thought, but we'd done alright, until three days ago. The first morning I'd gone home to find an exhausted Doralice trying to comfort Maudie, I had suggested seeing if her mother could come back over for a few days, but Doralice had resisted the idea. This morning when I'd gone home and found both her and Maudie in the front room crying I'd decided to call on my mother-in-law whether Doralice wanted it or not.

I'd told Maude about the trouble we were having when I'd seen her at the saloon earlier today and she'd been only too happy to run to the aide of her little girl. Meanwhile, I was hoping I wouldn't suffer her little girl's wrath when I got back home. However, the thought of three or four hours of uninterrupted sleep almost seemed like an equitable trade for Doralice's anger. I couldn't go for many days like this, and Doralice wasn't doing any better. Personally, I wasn't good for much of anything right now. I'd been trying to work on one of the ledgers for the last two hours and had gotten nowhere. When I wasn't falling asleep at my desk the figures were swimming in front of my eyes. Sighing I reached for my coffee again, only to find my cup and the pot empty. Seeing it as a good reason to get away from the books for a couple of minutes, I took the pot out to the barroom.

It was still early enough that there wasn't too much activity in the barroom, but a few people were around. There were a couple men at the bar, so I stood off to the side and waited for Adam to finish with the customers. When I caught his eye I waved him over.

"Would you fill that when you get a chance?" I asked passing the empty pot over.

"Yes, sir."

"Thanks," I said with a smile. I'd about decided just to learn to answer to sir, at least where Adam was concerned. I no longer had the energy to correct him every time he said it; I was starting to think he had no intention of changing anyway.

I went back to my office and sat down with the ledger again. I'd long ago decided this was the most distasteful part of being part owner in a saloon. It was a necessary evil, however, and I told myself I wouldn't get back up until I'd made some kind of progress with it.

I was hunched over my desk, adding up numbers when I heard a knock and then the door open. "Thanks, Adam," I said without looking up. "Just set it down over there."

"Be glad to if I had it. Whatever it is."

I jerked my head up at the familiar but unexpected voice. "Bret." Bret was grinning and wrapped me in a bear hug as soon as I got around my desk.

I hadn't seen Bret in nearly two months, and he hadn't seen his nieces yet. He'd been here just before the girls were born, and he'd intended to stay put for a while. But a couple of weeks before that happened, he'd received a telegram from his lady love, Ginny Malone. Ginny's a Pinkerton detective, and more often than not, when she's working on something Bret can't be around. Because of that, they spend time together when they can. So, when she told him she was going to be in Kansas City for a while with not much to do, I couldn't very well ask him to stay with me, even if babies were on the way.

"I wasn't expecting you here today," I said when he finally released me.

"Didn't you get my telegram?"

"Yeah, we got it."

"I told you I'd be in today or tomorrow."

I stopped and realized he was right. "Guess I lost track of the days."

Bret gripped my shoulders and pushed me back some. "You're lookin' a little worn down at that. Sleepin' all right?"

I saw the twinkle in his eye and knew he knew what the answer to that was. He'd been around long enough before little Maverick one and two arrived to hear all the warnings Pappy, Uncle Ben, and Maude had issued about my impending lack of sleep. My only reply was a look, and he finally laughed. "Is it really as bad as everyone said?"

I finally laughed myself. "Yes. It started out alright, but the last few nights Maudie's spent most of the night crying."

Bret stepped back and looked me over. "Well, other than that, you're lookin' pretty good for a pappy. How's it feel?"

I grinned. "It's better than anything I ever imagined. Just wait till you see 'em."

Bret's grin grew if that was possible. "Yeah. Them huh. I guess that was a surprise." Bret may not have been around to see them right after they were born, but I hadn't wasted any time sending a telegram of my own telling him he was an uncle to not one but two girls.

"You could call it that. You coulda knocked me over with a feather. And poor Doralice looked more than a little shocked for the first couple of days."

"Please tell me they don't look like you."

I laughed. "You're in luck. They've both got Mama's eyes and what hair they have is blonde."

"Mama's eyes, huh. So your eyes?"

"Nope. Pappy was real quick to declare them Mama's eyes. Honestly, Bret, I'm pretty sure he likes them better than either one of us."

"I don't blame him. I'll probably like them better than I like you too."

"Ready to meet 'em?"

"That is why I came."

"The only reason?" I asked with a grin

Bret grinned right back. "Yep. Can't think of any other reason to hang around here."

I grabbed my coat and slipped it on. "Let's go." I wasn't making any progress on what I was supposed to be working on anyway. Maybe my head would be clearer later.

"Can you go right now?"

I nodded. "Sure. Maude's at the house. I don't think she'll mind coming in for a while, and things are pretty quiet this time of the day. Adam can handle things for a few minutes."

I told Adam to hold the fort until Maude came in and then met up with Bret outside. "So," I said once we'd started towards the house. "How's Ginny?"

"Fine."

"Are you and her . . . ."

Bret nodded. "We're fine."

"Good." Honestly, I'd been hoping for something a little more enthusiastic. I believed him, but I was hoping by now they might be getting a little closer to marriage. I don't quite understand those two. They love each other, and I can't imagine anyone being better for Bret than Ginny, but I don't know why they haven't made their situation more permanent. Bret had asked Ginny to marry him once, and she'd asked him to wait. Later she'd agreed to marry anytime he said, and he'd said not yet.

It's Bret's life, I can't and wouldn't want to push him into anything he didn't want, but over the last couple of years, I've come to realize I really miss Bret when he goes off. It's not a desire to run off with him; I'm happy here with my life and I have no regrets. It's Bret I miss. I keep hoping he and Ginny will go ahead and settle down and maybe come on home, but like I said, it's his life. I guess he'll get around to it one day.

"So I told you about my girl. Tell me about yours."

I was grinning like a polecat again. "They're amazing, Bret. Beautiful and perfect. I've never fallen for any girl as fast as I did those two." I noticed Bret was watching me with a smirk. "What?"

Bret shook his head. "You know, there was a time when me and Pappy weren't sure we'd get you to manhood alive. Now you're all respectable. It looks like it suits you pretty good."

"Funny, that's what Dandy said."

"Dandy?" Bret stopped short. "You've talked to Buckley?"

"Yeah. He came through town a few days ago." I hadn't meant to tell Bret about Jim's visit. There didn't seem to be much point. I knew it would only get Bret's back up to hear about him, and really there was no reason for him to know.

"What'd he want?"

"Nothin' in particular."

"All right, Brother Bart. You were never that good at lyin', and that was really bad. What'd he want?"

"Why do you think he wanted anything?"

"Because it's Buckley. He has an angle to everything he does. And no one passes through Little Bend."

I shrugged. "He wanted me . . . to do a favor for him."

Bret stared at me for a good minute before he sighed heavily. "And you agreed to do it." Like Doralice, it was a more statement than a question.

"I did."

"What was it?" He kept his voice even, and he didn't look upset, but I could feel the tension building up inside of him.

"I told him he could have a package sent here. I'm supposed to pick it up and keep it until he comes back through town."

Again, Bret just stared for a minute before he sort of shook his head and muttered "oh, boy" as he turned and started walking again.

I have to say, I was surprised. I expected Bret to have more to say. A lot more. And in a louder tone of voice. "Is that it?" I asked, having to run a little to catch up with him.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Nothin' else to say."

"Really?"

Bret shook his head. "Bart, if you ain't learned by now Buckley isn't going to ask you to do anything that doesn't benefit Buckley first and foremost, nothin' I say is gonna help."

"I know that but . . . he said its all aboveboard, and I believe him."

Bret scoffed. "You think Buckley actually told the truth about somethin'? You really haven't had much sleep have you?"

I shrugged. "I think he told as much of the truth as it's possible for him to."

Bret shook his head. "I hope you know what your doin'."

I followed in silence. I hoped so too.

An hour later Bret was in the front room of the house holding Maudie, who was sleeping peacefully in his arms. "This can't be the one you claim causes all the problems," he said looking at me with a smirk. Maude had passed her namesake over to Bret before she'd left and there hadn't been a peep out of her since.

I looked at my daughter and shook my head. "Would you believe that's the quietest I've seen her in days?"

Bret flashed me a grin. "Nope. I think you're just telling tales on this angel."

I snorted. "Believe me; she's got a set of lungs on her when she's of a mind to use them."

"How do you know?" he asked with a laugh. "Maybe it's really Isabelle giving you all the trouble."

I looked down at the baby nestled against my chest and smiled. "Maybe you're right."

Bret's face lost all its humor. "How possible is that? I mean, how do you know?"

"Know what?"

"Which one is which."

I looked down confirming it was indeed Isabelle I had. "I've got Isabelle, you've got Maude."

Bret looked down, over at me, then back down again. "Seriously, Bart, how do you know that?"

My brother had a look of total bewilderment with a touch of horror on his face, and I completely understood. The first time I'd ever been left alone with them, and by alone I mean Doralice left me in their room while she went to the kitchen, I was afraid I'd mixed them up. The girls were barely a week old, Maude had gone home the day before, and I'd quickly discovered I wasn't as ready to take care of my children as I'd thought I'd been. I'd been exhausted and overwhelmed and had spent a good two minutes in a panic, convinced I'd never really know who was who again, and sure Doralice would kill me when she found out. Now as soon as I calmed down some, I was able to sort it out, but, yes, I understood Bret's horror, and I couldn't resist stringing him along some.

"I can just tell." I shrugged. "I guess it comes with the territory. Being a pappy and all that."

Bret looked like he believed me for half a second before he gave me a look. "Alright, smart aleck, you gonna tell me the truth now?"

I laughed. "Actually that was one of the first things Doralice asked when they were born, how were we gonna tell them apart. Maude helped with that one." I nodded toward my daughter in Bret's arms. "Maudie wore a red ribbon around her wrist for the first few days, then we found out Isabelle has a little mole behind her left ear." I pointed to the place on my own ear. "Maudie's a little smaller too, but mostly it's the mole we use."

"I knew you weren't smart enough to just know. So, how many times have you mixed them up?"

"Just once really," I admitted sheepishly. "Doralice had taken Maudie's ribbon off to give her a bath and then left me alone with them. I laid her down to get a towel and when I went to pick her back up . . . . I thought for sure I'd never be able to tell one from the other again. I was afraid to tell Doralice for days."

"And then you found out Doralice already knew." I turned my head and saw Doralice coming into the room. She was smiling and looked more rested than I'd seen her look in several days. Hopefully, that meant she wasn't upset I'd sent Maude over earlier. She leaned down and kissed me. "It wasn't hard to figure out what caused that hysterical look you had when I got back." She then turned her attention to Bret. "Don't get up," she told him when he made a move to rise. "If she's resting we certainly don't want to wake her."

"You're lookin' beautiful as ever, Doralice," my brother said as she walked over to him.

"And you talk just as sweet as ever," she said with a smile. "I'm looking tired, but thankfully much smaller than the last time you saw me. They demand an awful lot of attention for such small people." She kissed his cheek. "It's good to see you again, Bret."

"It's good to see you too. Sorry I couldn't be here to see the little ones before now."

"You had important matters of your own to see to." She gazed longingly at the baby in his arms for a moment before turning to me. "Why can't she be like that when it's just me here?"

I shrugged helplessly, wishing I had an answer for her. She obviously wasn't expecting one though, because she came to sit down beside me on the settee and took Isabelle away. "Speaking of your own important matters, Bret, how is Ginny?"

"She's fine. Sends her best and said to tell you she'd come visit as soon as she can get away."

I could tell there was a lot more she wanted to say about Ginny, but she wisely chose not to and turned the conversation to other matters.

We talked for almost another hour, catching up with everything that had been going on for the last couple of months; Bret's time in Kansas City, the saloon, the babies, Pappy, Uncle Ben, and somehow Doralice managed to work Dandy into the talk. That, of course, led to talk about the favor I'd agreed to. Before Bret could say too much about it, however, Maudie came to my rescue and started fussing. Doralice took her to the nursery to feed her and Bret took that as his cue to leave.

"I better be gettin' on out to Ben's," he said as he stood and stretched. "He and Pappy'll have my hide if I ignore them too long."

"Just tell him you were occupied by the girls and Pappy will forgive you anything."

Bret chuckled. "I'm lookin' forward to seein' just how taken he is with them."

"Smitten, Brother Bret. Totally and completely smitten."

I followed him to the front door and before he left I pulled him into a hug. "It's good to have you home, Brother Bret."

Bret squeezed me back. "It's good to be home. Hey," he said as we broke apart. "I heard Maude tell you not to worry about going back to the saloon tonight. Why don't you and your lady try to get some sleep? You both look like you could use some."

"I can't argue that. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Bret nodded. "Sooner or later. If what you say about Pappy and those girls are true I'll probably have him with me."

I laughed. "Every word was true, and you probably will."

Bret tipped his hat to me. "See you tomorrow, Brother Bart. Sleep well."

"Your lips to God's ears," I muttered. I shut the door behind him and leaned against it. Nothing sounded as good to me as crawling into bed with my lady and sleeping. I wondered what the chances of that happening were. I was about to go into the nursery and see how things were going when I got my answer. I didn't make it five steps before someone started crying.