Disclaimer... I do not own these fabulous characters, Terri Farley does. I've just had fun playing with them :)
I'd like to thank my fabulous beta reader lydia-demarek. You have been my confidence booster and my reason to continue sharing the madness with the world
It's crazy, life. You wake up each morning, going about your usual routine, not expecting anything to change.
But change did happen.
Luke Ely had woken up that morning just before dawn as he usually did. Got dressed, went downstairs, checked on the horses in the barn, and prepared a list of things he wanted his sons to do while he was at work. He would go inside, grab a cup of coffee, kiss his wife good morning, and go to work. Working in the mines was always hard work, but he enjoyed the hard workload and it made going home all the more exciting. Once home, he would ride out to check cattle and, once satisfied, would go inside to freshen up before dinner, then he would sit down with his family and share a meal. After dinner, he would migrate to the living room, depending on the day he would watch the news or if he had reports to run over, he would go to his office. While either of those things was happening, Luke would always allow room for his family to interrupt because he wanted to be with them and the reason he worked so hard was for them.
Tonight was different.
As he was helping clear dishes, the phone started ringing and what he heard on the line was not something he ever wanted to hear again.
For Maxine to say, her husband's face paled was not something to overlook. She watched his grip tighten on the phone. His breaths became shallow and sharp.
"I understand. Yes, get in touch with more details…" He said before giving out his email and other contact details in case he was unreachable on the phone.
He hung up the phone and pressed his head against the wall, holding a clenched fist.
"What's going on, mom?" Maxine turned to see Seth, accompanied by more of her sons, wondering what had their father so shaken. Luke was never like this.
"It's alright. Why don't you all go upstairs or into the living room? Your father and I need to have a serious talk and I'll let you know what's happening, but after we have spoken." She said softly, yet sternly.
Seth gave a silent nod before herding his brothers away.
Stepping cautiously, Maxine placed a hand on the small of her husband's back, surprised by the way he flinched slightly.
"Lucas, who was that?" She asked as gently as she could.
"Isaac's dead." He deadpanned.
Although his eyes misted, he never shed a single tear, but you could see he was hurting and that was enough to make Maxine cry.
"How?"
"House fire. He and his wife died."
"And Joanna?" Maxine's heart raced the moment she asked the question.
"Kid survived, except she's in the ICU under observation. Doctors want to monitor her because she inhaled a lot of smoke and it's caused damage to her lungs." He replied.
"How bad is it?"
He shook his head. "They won't know until she wakes up and until then, they don't know if she has permanent damage."
"Did they say where she was?" The question she asked drove a knife deeper into Luke's heart.
Over 7 years ago, he and his brother, Isaac, had fallen out shortly after a traumatic event. They had gotten into a terrible fight one night and by morning, Isaac had packed up without a word, taking his daughter with him; that was the last Luke or anyone had heard from him.
"Lexington. She's in Lexington."
"As in Kentucky, Lexington?" Maxine asked in shock. She shouldn't be shocked. Both men had been raised around horses, but they didn't expect Isaac to move there.
"I don't understand it either." He said, reading her mind as he reached out to hold her.
Maxine allowed herself to be pulled into the tight embrace, knowing that if he was the one to initiate it, he was seeking comfort. Feeling his sorrow as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, she welcomed the embrace by squeezing her arms tightly around him.
Two days went by and then another two went by.
"Can someone get that?!" Maxine yelled out from the kitchen as the phone rang.
No answer.
With a frustrated sigh, Maxine stepped away from her cooking to answer the phone, shaking her head, wondering how out of her six sons could no one answer the phone.
"Ely residence." She answered in a chipper voice, "I see, let me go get him for you."
"Go make sure dinner doesn't burn," Maxine ordered one of her sons as she went in search of her husband, she knocked on the open door, finding him going over ranch finances in his office.
"Hey, Max." He greeted her.
"A serious-sounding gentleman is asking for you on the phone."
"Did they say who?"
"No, just that he wanted to speak with you." She replied, handing him the phone before she went back to the kitchen.
"Is everything alright, mom?" Kit asked.
"Everything is fine, honey. Don't worry." She replied with a forced smile as she took over.
"Kinda hard not to. You and dad haven't been right since you got that call about uncle Isaac."
Maxine felt her breath hitch as guilt washed over her. The news had caught her and Luke so badly by surprise that all their sons were wondering what on earth was going on when truth be told, Maxine didn't know either. At least, not until Luke hung up the phone and pulled her away after dinner.
Dinner had been incredibly quiet and the Ely boys hadn't asked questions or pushed for answers. They had eaten their food and offered to do dishes so the adults could talk. Luke had taken his wife away to their bedroom to talk. The boys knew not to bother them if they were to talk there.
"What was that all about?" Maxine asked as she closed the door, walking to sit beside Luke as he sat on the bed.
"I spoke to Alvin Parker. He's a lawyer involved with Joanna's case, and he wanted to inform me about Isaac's will."
She sat up straighter, trying to show she was listening, but he already knew he had her full attention.
"According to his will, it clearly states me and you are Joanna's legal guardians in the event of…" Luke swallowed thickly.
"Death or a terminal sickness that would leave him incapable of caring for her." Maxine finished for him, "I remember signing the will when Joanna was born, but I didn't think he would leave it untouched. Especially after what happened between the two of you and when he moved away… Are you sure?"
"Max? Do you think a lawyer would call to mess me around?" He asked in disbelief, "Sorry, that was uncalled for." He apologized, taking her hand.
"I'm going to let this slide because this is an awful lot to take in. What happens now? Did he give an update on Joanna?"
Luke gave a small nod. "She's awake and responsive. The good news is she is young and recovering a lot quicker than expected, and doctors are saying she will be released in the next three days."
"Who is she going to stay with? What happens to her now?" Tears filled Maxine's eyes at the thought of what was going to happen once the young girl was released from the hospital.
"Mr. Parker explained to me Joanna would stay with friends until she was well enough to travel. He has explained that a caseworker will get in touch with us, Miss Karla Madden. From there, she will talk about living arrangements because, according to Isaacs's will, Joanna will be in our care."
"We can't do that to the poor girl…" Maxine said softly, "I love our sons dearly, but don't you think it would be too much to expect a young girl to live with that many boys? How old is she? Ten? Eleven? What happens if we can't take her?"
"Then she goes into the foster system. Isaac had married Sandra Hanshaw, her parents were Mark and Charlotte Hanshaw. Technically, they are Joanna's grandparents, except they can't take her in."
"Why not?"
"They're retired and impossible to reach these days." He explained while Maxine found it hard to believe someone could turn a blind eye to a young child.
Over the following week, a heaviness hung in the air around Three Ponies Ranch. Luke had received more phone calls from Mr. Parker and, as expected, Miss Karla Madden had gotten in touch with him.
It was a Saturday morning and everyone was gathered either in the kitchen or around.
A knock on the door made a few heads turn. Luke peered through the lace curtain and spotted a familiar old red Scout truck parked outside.
"Hi, dad?" Luke said, sounding unsure as he opened the front door.
Standing before him was MacArthur Ely. Dressed in dark denim jeans, paired with a gray t-shirt, his silver/black hair pulled back in its usual braid. Mac's outfit looked relaxed, but he was a man on a mission.
"Good morning, son." He smiled at his son's confusion.
"It's great to see you, but why didn't you call?"
"Even if I had called, I still would have come over because we needed to talk," Mac said in a no-nonsense manner.
"About what?"
"Joanna." Mac replied, earning Luke's full attention, "We need to discuss living arrangements. I've heard Maxine has expressed a few concerns, and I agree it would be too much at first, but there is nothing to stop us from easing her into this family."
"How so?"
Maxine interrupted the two men, "Before you keep hounding your father with questions. The least you can do is offer him a seat."
"Thank you for the offer, Maxine. But I am alright." Mac could help but chuckle at the way the petite woman scolded her husband.
"Did you want to come inside?" Luke asked.
The older man shook his head. "No, thank you. I came by to talk and see what state the cabin was in."
"May I ask why?" Maxine asked, gaining the same amount of curiosity as her husband.
"From what I understand, you would expect Joanna to live here, or else they will put her into the foster system. We can all agree the latter should not be considered an option." Mac said, noticing the way his son and wife were giving him room to continue talking, "I would offer to take Joanna to live with me, but I don't think living on a reserve would be the best thing for her. What would work is if I were to move into the little house with her until she settles and then we can re-look at the living arrangements."
"You're talkin' about moving back here, just so you can take in Joanna? What happens if she doesn't settle? You're gonna be okay raising her?" Luke asked, wanting to make sure the man knew what he was saying.
"Lucas, I have not lost my mind and I promise you, there has been a lot of thought put into this. I have meditated on the idea, and this is something I want to do."
"Are you sure?" Maxine asked on behalf of her husband.
"Incredibly so. Now, let's go see this house." And without another word, Mac set off toward the trail leading to the cabin.
After talking some more, the three adults concluded it was their best plan if Joanna was going to call this place home. During the week, Miss Madden sent through files to Luke and once he mentioned the arrangement they had planned, she included MacArthur as a caregiver, but Luke and Maxine would be her legal guardians.