Chapter 7
Daniel and Charly sat in the cab of the Circle Bar Seven truck, parked outside the ice cream parlor in Murphys.
He looked at his watch for the umpteenth time. "We've been here fifteen minutes already. If we wait any longer, they'll be done and gone before we go in."
She deflected. "Done and gone, huh? There's a song in there somewhere." A pause. "I'm sorry, Daniel, but meeting more of your family is a little nerve-wracking."
"Really? Miss Outgoing?" He put his arm around her shoulder. "What's there to be nervous about? You already know Crane and Guthrie, and you've met Brian – well, sort of – and no one bit your head off. It's just my little brothers."
"Maybe it's not so much your brothers as their girlfriends."
Daniel shrugged. "There's nothing to be afraid of. You got a year or two on them, and Cleo's really nice, and Carrie seems nice too, but they just started going out and I only met her once."
"Your perspective's different. Women can be pretty hard on each other sometimes."
"Cat fights and all that?"
"No!" Charly punched him playfully in the arm. He grinned. "And it's not funny!" She bit her lip in an attempt to keep a straight face.
"So your girlfriends were tough on you?"
"Not really. We moved around so much, we didn't really have time to make friends. It's always been Lys and me."
"I highly doubt that. Who wouldn't want to be friends with you?"
She was taken aback momentarily by his more serious tone. "Oh, come on, I'm not that special."
He smiled. "Yeah, you are."
"Daniel McFadden, I have no illusions that I'm any more special than anybody else," she paused a moment, "but if you want to think of me that way – thank you. You're not so bad yourself."
"Thanks – I think." He chuckled a moment before turning reflective. "Seriously, you didn't have friends growing up?"
"Not really. It was like being a military kid, moving every two or three years whenever the company said so. I might've made a friend here and there, but then we'd move and lose touch."
"Hmm. I have no idea what that's like. We've always been on the ranch." A grin grew with his thought. "So, no man in every port?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. No!" Another punch in the arm.
"Ow!" Daniel rubbed the extremity in mock pain. "That hurts."
"It'll hurt more if you keep it up!"
"Bring it on – the feistier, the better."
"Feisty, huh? I can be feisty." She tickled his side, and he yelped.
"Uncle!"
She stopped. "That'll teach ya."
Daniel chuckled. "Lesson learned, Teach." His expression softened to one of reassurance. "Come on, let's go inside. I promise it'll be fine." He looked at his watch again. "Time's a-wastin'. Lys'll be here to pick you up in a couple hours."
She grabbed her bag. "Okay, let's go feed me to the wolves."
~~00oo00~~
After introductions all around, Daniel and Charly ordered. It was not long before the young women dominated a rather animated conversation as they got to know each other and share all things female. Having given up trying to interject a comment, Daniel, Evan, and Ford watched and listened, entertained while following along with raised brows, wide eyes, or general amusement, as warranted by the discussion or reactions of the speakers.
"And then, I swear …"
"I know what you mean!"
"High school is so last year. I can't wait to graduate."
"Me, neither. I've been accepted to my top three choices."
"It'll be fun to move away and experience somewhere else."
"Charly, what's it like to move around and be on your own?"
Daniel smiled as Charly did not miss a beat, continuing the girl talk as if she had known Cleo and Carrie her whole life. Whatever nervousness she felt initially melted away as soon as conversation started, just as Daniel knew it would. Dang, she was pretty special, but he already knew that.
~~00oo00~~
The party broke up almost two hours later when Carrie noticed the time, and Cleo announced she had better get home as well. Brothers five and six left in the jeep to get their dates home, while Daniel and Charly lingered outside, waiting for Alyssa.
"Sure I can't take you home?" Daniel asked.
"Thanks, but there's no way to reach Lys. She was gonna run a few errands before swinging by."
Daniel turned serious for a moment. Something had been bothering him and it came out. "You don't think she holds anything against me, do you?"
"For what?"
"For my brother."
Charly laughed. "Which one? There's so many."
"You know, with Brian. You two are so close and all, I just wanted to make sure …"
"Don't be silly, Daniel." Charly's grin faded to pursed lips. It was her turn to give reassurance. "We're as close as you and Crane are, and she's hurting, but it has nothing to do with us."
"Okay." Daniel smiled the best he could, but the knot in his stomach left him apprehensive.
~~00oo00~~
With two sacks of groceries by his side, Brian McFadden waited outside the market for his ride. Bill had picked him up after his shift at the lumber mill to help with a brief local delivery before dropping him in town with Hannah's list, while Bill ran his own errands. With one eye on the road and the other on the magazine he flipped through, he did not immediately see the person stopped in front of him.
"Hi."
He looked up. Surprised a moment, he responded. "Hi."
"Crazy how we keep running into each other." Alyssa noticed his groceries while indicating her own full tote. "Guess we're both busy with life."
"I guess."
"Look, Brian, I …" She sighed. "This is awkward."
He did not react. "Yeah, I guess it is. But from the way things are going, we might be seeing each other more often."
"What do you mean?"
He shrugged. "Well, you and Crane. Daniel and your sister. Kind of all in the family."
"Yeah, I suppose so." She paused. "I think we need to talk."
"Clear the air?"
"Something like that."
"Okay." He nodded to the road. "Now's not really a good time, though. I'm waiting on a ride."
"And I have to pick up Charly. I'll give you a call and we can figure it out."
"Sounds good."
Just then Bill pulled up. Brian said, "Here he is. I'll wait for your call."
"Okay."
Brian put his groceries in the truck and climbed in, giving Alyssa a small wave. She watched him for a moment before walking to her car, hoping an already tangled situation might work itself out.
~~00oo00~~
That evening, Crane squinted at his book by the light of the campfire. He was grateful for the space and the break from routine, and the steady work the last two days did its job and distracted him. But here, in the quiet of the evening, alone with his book, he found it difficult to concentrate, reading the same page over and over, and to shake what was bothering him. He knew time would give him the perspective to sort it all out and put everything in its place, wherever the pieces fit. But no jigsaw puzzle this. It was real life, and real emotions, and real people. Yes, sometimes he was a bit too sensitive, and he had only known her for a short time, almost a month. But, still …
Yes, he had a history of falling hard and fast – a couple of girls in high school and college had piqued his interest for a short time, until school years or youthful obsessions had run their course, and then back to real life and the drawing board. Looking back, yes, their ages and the temporal aspect of study groups and band practice played against them, but he was older now, more mature and in control of his emotions (he hoped!), and ready to tackle the world. A serious relationship was not necessarily what he had in mind, but he would seize opportunity where he found it. After all, most hardly ever knew at first glance if it was the one, but he would not know until he tried.
Short, serious relationships ran in the family, sort of. After all, look at Adam and Hannah – a month from meeting to marriage. And Daniel, so like Crane but still navigating that tricky precipice between adolescence and adulthood, fell "in love" far too often. And Evan, too, had followed down that path, but the teen he could write off as raging hormones.
Brian, as well, if the third-born was being honest with himself, but in a different way. After all, in Crane's book you presumably had to be not only attracted to someone to sleep with them but also have an emotional connection, or at least he hoped there would be. Of course, Brian would find his dates attractive, but only enough to spend the night and move on. He would like to think his brother had some scruples and was not jumping in bed with just anyone to get his rocks off (Brian's phrase, not Crane's), but that seemed to be the way it was. And before Tally Dean, Brian's behavior had not affected the family directly. Indeed, they chuckled or shook their heads at it; that was "just Brian," like it or not. But after that, no one would have taken the odds lightning would strike twice – first Daniel with Tally and now himself with Alyssa.
He put the book aside and got up. Pacing for a few minutes cleared his head, hopefully enough to not lay awake too long. Sleep had not come easy the night before, but now perhaps the exhaustion from good, hard work would do the trick. He could extend the time away to a week at most before Adam would worry and come looking for him to make sure everything was all right. But his mind still a jumble of thoughts and emotions from back home, he had to admit even seven days might not be enough.
~~00oo00~~
"So what have you been up to the last few years?"
"I guess I could ask you the same question."
Brian and Alyssa sat at a table in a café in Angels Camp. He sipped a beer while her coffee remained untouched. Thus far, greetings and idle chatter had not done much to move the conversation beyond awkwardness.
He noted, "So we can see what both of us have been up to, or we can just stare at the wall. Let's cut to the chase instead of wasting each other's time. I have too much to do."
She was taken aback. "I'm not trying to waste your time. I just wanted to clear the air."
"I'm waiting. You called this meeting. So far, we've barely said anything. Two beers is my limit for an afternoon and I'm gonna order my second."
Alyssa sighed. "Look, I was surprised to see you in Davis."
"That makes two of us." Brian set his mug down. "You and Crane seemed pretty cozy."
"We were."
"Were?"
"Uh huh. I'm not sure where it stands now. He made it pretty clear he's disappointed in me."
This piqued Brian's interest. "Why?"
"Because you and me have a history and he's not cool with that."
"So you're done?"
"I think he is." Alyssa choked back a few tears. "I wasn't."
"You care for him?"
"Yes." She composed herself. "Just like I cared for you once."
Brian grasped the mug but did not drink. Instead, he studied the amber fluid for a moment, gathering his thoughts. His voice softened. "I cared for you too, Lys."
Alyssa went wide-eyed. "Oh, come on, Brian! You walked out and I never heard from you again. You put on a pretty good act!" She gathered her purse and started to rise.
"Wait."
"Why?"
Brian nodded to her seat. "Sit down. Please." His tone was sincere, almost contrite.
She looked at him skeptically, but sat. "Okay. Say your piece."
"I'm sorry if I hurt you. I don't know why I do what I do sometimes. I guess I get scared. You know, kind of afraid to be with one person."
"Afraid? Do you think somebody's gonna bite you?"
"No. And I guess I deserve that."
Alyssa's sarcasm and anger did not abate. "You do!"
"Okay."
They were quiet for a few moments. She spoke next. "Let me understand this. You're afraid to be with one person … because …?"
Brian shrugged. "I don't know."
"You can do better than that!"
"Really, I don't know. I guess I think somebody better will come along …"
"Or you're just afraid to commit," she said flatly.
"That, too."
"I know. It's obvious."
"I guess you have a right to be mad." He sighed. "Look, I was as surprised to see you in Davis as anyone, and with my brother no less. So I just said hello. I was only trying to be friendly."
"Friendly? That's a laugh."
Brian was caught flatfooted. How did the tables turn on him? Although he was skeptical of their needing to talk in the first place, he really had not expected it to go like this. "Look, I'm being honest."
"Just like you were honest a few years ago?"
"I was being honest then, too. Like I said, I really did care for you."
"I'm not falling for that crap again. Once is enough."
"I'm sorry, Lys. I really am." Brian went silent, looking for the right words. "You know, Crane and me don't always see eye to eye, but he's a good guy – better than me for something long term." His sincere, almost apologetic, tone caught her off guard. "I'm sorry I vanished into thin air, but believe me when I say it was the right thing to do at the time. I couldn't handle a serious relationship."
Surprised by the unsolicited admission but intrigued and wanting to diffuse the situation, Alyssa lowered her voice to a conversational tone. "And now you can? It's a little late."
"I know. But maybe it doesn't have to be."
She went wide-eyed again. "What are you saying?"
Continuing to play mindlessly with his mug, Brian looked at the table, then met Alyssa's gaze. "When I saw you, old feelings kind of came back. I guess I regret letting you go."
She rolled her eyes. "Like I said, it's a little late for that, don't you think?"
"I don't know. You just said you and Crane were done."
"I said I don't know where we stand. He said he needed time to think. In any case, it's a little too soon."
Brian smiled. "Brother Crane the thinker. He wears his heart on his sleeve."
Alyssa smiled shyly. "He's sweet. And the last thing I would want to do is hurt him.
"But he's the one that got away. Isn't that what you're telling me?"
"No … well, maybe. I don't know yet, and I hope not." She teared up. "I won't know until I talk to him. And I don't know when that'll be."
Brian stared into space for a second, trying to wrap his mind around everything. His feelings a jumble, he impetuously took her hand in his and looked her in the eye. "If … if Crane decides he's done, I'm here and interested."
