Chapter Eight

The men were sitting the living room talking when the piercing call from the side yard got their attention. The ladies had moved from the kitchen to the attic and couldn't hear what was going on.

"What was that?" Slim asked.

"That's Cam," Gordy said as he got out of his chair in a hurry. "I taught her that as a trouble signal. She must need help."

The visitors from Laramie were hot on his heels. The scene that met their eyes was one of utter chaos. Every time Cam got a grip on one of the boys he pulled loose and went after his opponent. She'd get hold of the other one with the same results. Added to that was Duncan's excited barking and the chickens squawking and Cam's voice trying to bring order out of the mess.

"What in the world?" Slim's eyes widened at the sight of a dusty and disheveled Cam trying to separate two fighting nine-year-olds and calm her dog at the same time. She obvious was holding the short end of the stick.

Wordlessly the three men waded into the fight. Jess got hold of Mike and held him off the ground by virtue of the hold on his belt. It was a tactic he used at home when Mike tried to avoid taking baths.

Slim got hold of Billy Harrison by his belt and held him back, though not off the ground like Jess was doing with Mike.

Gordy helped his cousin get hold of her excited puppy and dust herself off. Then he demanded, "What's going on out here?"

"The boys little 'discussion' about their 'brothers' went from a shouting match to a shoving match. I could handle the boys," Cam said, "but not two fighting nine-year-olds and an excited half grown dog.

"Mike, what are you doing fighting? Didn't we teach you better than that?" Slim asked.

'"Oh, don't blame Mike," Cam told him. "Blame Billy. He told Mike he was a liar and he's the one who started the fight."

"Ow!" Slim yelped as Billy's flailing left foot connected with his shin. "Cut that out!"

"Settle down, Tiger," Jess said to the struggling Mike.

"Duncan! Quiet!" Cam scolded as she, and Gordy, got hold of the overly excited pup. It took the two of them to hold him he was squirming so much.

"Good gracious!" Hannah's voice was heard from the kitchen door. "What's all the excitement?"

"Let go of my son!" Caroline Harrison demanded of Slim.

"Gladly," the rancher said as he received yet another kick in the shins.

"Billy, come here darling. Did he hurt you?"

"Me hurt him?!" Slim was stunned. "All I did was keep him from fighting with Mike and got kicked in the shins - twice - for my trouble."

"Caroline, I think in the future, it would be wise if you left Billy at home or sent me a message that you can't come." Hannah was polite but firm. "I've warned you before, that your son is disruptive and a bully and now he's picking fights with my guests."

"Well I never!"

"No, you never. You never discipline him." Hannah was losing her patience. "I've known Slim Sherman since he was a baby. I know how he was raised and I know how he turned out. While I don't know Mike I don't believe that his guardians would allow him to get into fights without good reason."

Turning to her niece she said, "Cam, I think it would be a good idea if you put Duncan in the house and kept him there for a while. Those chickens aren't going to calm down while he's out here." Jess was next. "Jess, take Mike inside and clean him up. I think Cam has a surprise for him which she won't take him to get until he's cleaned up and calmed down."

Caroline Harrison left in a huff. Hannah watched her go with a sad smile before turning to go into the house.

"She'll never learn, I'm afraid," Hannah said to nobody in particular.