The next morning, at breakfast, I thought there was still major tension between various McFaddens. I might have been

imagining part of it, but not all.

Hannah was asking Guthrie and I if we wanted to take our lunch or eat school lunch that day, and Crane was asking

about progress reports from school. So, typical things.

Daniel was quieter than was usual. He didn't seem angry or anything. Just subdued. Jill was, as was also common,

still upstairs in bed, asleep. She very rarely made it downstairs for breakfast with everyone else.

I ate my eggs, watching Daniel, and also Crane, and Adam, studying them, and trying to figure things out. Brian, it was harder to

see him, since he was on the same side of the table as me. I would have had to lean over Guthrie and Clare to get a good look at

him.

And then, Adam started talking to Evan, (who had showed up early) about what needed to be done that day, and Hannah said she'd packed up a good

deal of supplies and food. And it came out in the conversation that Adam, Daniel, Crane and Brian were leaving sometime after lunch

that day, to ride up to the high country, and be gone overnight. Camping.

Since we don't have any cattle up there right now, I knew it couldn't be for that reason. Guthrie, bless him, asked

the question that I wanted to ask.

"How come ya'all are goin' up there?" Guthrie asked.

"Just taking some time," Adam told him. Which wasn't really an answer.

"Can you make sure you're home right after school today?" Crane asked Guthrie. "Evan'll likely need some help with

chores."

"Yeah. I will be," Guthrie said.

We finished eating and began getting around to leave for school. Adam walked Guthrie and I out, just as he always did.

Crane and Daniel were already on the front porch, talking together.

"Both of you, have a good day," Adam said, making his customary morning statement.

Guthrie paused, looking at Adam. "Everything okay, Adam?" he asked.

I'd managed to have a private moment with Guthrie early that morning in the hallway, and tell him what Brian had said

to me the afternoon before, about how we would be told after decisions were made. We both knew that the reason the four of

them were 'going camping' on a weekday was because they wanted privacy to 'make those decisions'.

Adam regarded Guthrie and I, standing there next to each other, and he reached out and cupped a hand around the

back of both of our necks.

"It's not anything that won't come out in the wash," Adam said, and the old country saying felt reassuring to me as he said it.

He released us both, and said, "Now go on. Get out of here, and get to school."

Guthrie headed off to his truck, and I followed, pausing at the bottom of the steps. Crane walked off to the barn, and

I stood, looking at Daniel.

"See ya, squirt," he said.

"See you," I echoed.

7

I tried to concentrate at school, but my thoughts kept returning to the 'camping' trip. I hoped that they would talk

everything thru and come home not being angry with each other longer. It struck me suddenly, during third hour, that

Jill would be at the house this afternoon and evening. Without Daniel there. It would be awkward.

Oh, well. She would probably just stay upstairs in the bedroom she'd been using, and not even come downstairs.

When I got to work at the vet office, I found Ivy out back, talking to a couple of men that I didn't recognize. They were

apparently, negotiating with her, about Ivy boarding their horses for them.

She nodded a 'hello' at me, and went on talking to them. I went back in, and changed to my work clothes, and

began tidying up the office, and sweeping out the building.

When I heard the truck out back leaving, I went out, as Ivy was preparing to take the two horses into the

small barn.

"New boarders, huh?" I asked.

"Yes. It's going to help out, that's for sure," Ivy said.

I was admiring one of the horses. He was an unusual mixture of colors.

"He's a beauty," I said.

"Isn't he?" Ivy said, in agreement.

We settled the horses into their new digs, and got them set up with food and water for the evening. Ivy was

scrutinizing the old round pen that was off to the side of the barn.

"Did Doc G ever use this?" she asked me.

"Not while I was around, he didn't," I said. "Why?"

"I was thinking of fixing it up. With four horses boarding here now, I need a better outside exercise option for them."

"That's a good idea," I said.

We walked around the pen, taking in all the damage. "It's in pretty rough shape." Ivy said, eying it critically.

"Maybe the guys can help fix it up," I suggested.

"They've done so much already," Ivy said. "And, it really is pretty bad."

"Maybe they could at least look at it, and tell you what they think," I said.

"A good idea," she agreed.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of us grooming the new horses, and giving two dogs their inoculations. I had to help hold

one of the dogs, so by the time the afternoon was over I was dirty and sweaty.

"How about I buy you a chocolate shake at the Dari Kurl?" Ivy asked me. "Or can you have one?"

"I can. I've been good lately," I told her, with a grin. "It sounds good."

We drove to the Dari Kurl in Ivy's truck, and sat, drinking our chocolate shakes, and talking. I found Ivy so easy to talk to. And,

she was interesting to me. Mostly I guess, because she is a veterinarian.

"Sometimes it feels daunting to me," I admitted. "Just thinking of all the years of school to accomplish getting thru to become

a vet."

"Totally understandable," Ivy said.

"I get scared sometimes," I said, and she looked at me. "I mean, scared of whether I can do it or not."

"I'll tell you this," she said. "I was scared before I started, during all the schooling, and sometimes, even now."

"Now? How come?" I asked, thinking she was finished with school and had her diploma.

"I worry a lot about money," she said, with a sigh. "I know I should have more faith, but sometimes it's hard. I owe

so much on college loans."

Again, I felt grateful for Doc G's bequeath to me of money for college.

"And, there's still some prejudice about female vets. You know that already, dealing with that man-what was his name?"

"Vernon," I said. "They call him Old Vernon."

"Vernon. Yeah. And even ranchers like Dale DeHoff aren't thrilled to have me here. They would much prefer a male in my place."

"It's so unfair," I said.

"It will probably be that way for a while longer. Maybe, by the time you're finished and ready to open your practice, it might

be better. Where do you think you'd like to be at? Here in Murphys?"

I smiled at her. "Yeah. Sort of. Maybe we could work together."

Ivy laughed. "If I'm still here, that's a great idea. What's a good name?"

"I and H Veterinary Services," I said.

"Or H and I," Ivy said. "We could call it 'Hi Veterinary Services'."

"Or High Flying Veterinary Services," I said, and we both burst into laughter.

"Good. Or, 'Veterinary Services for the Broadminded'," Ivy said.

"Yeah. Some of these old ranchers around here are real narrow-minded. That's a fact."

After a couple of moments she said, "I talked to Crane this morning. He said they were getting ready to head out for their

overnight trip."

I wondered if Crane had told Ivy what all the mystery was about. She answered that with her next remark, though.

"I'm sure whatever it is, they'll work it out," she said, sounding reassuring.

"I hope so," I said, fervently.

7

I was later leaving town since we'd gone to the Dari Kurl, and talked for awhile. I was parked at a stop sign at the edge of

town, when I saw a couple girls from my animal group at school. They were standing beside a truck, and both of them were holding

medium sized dogs.

They began waving at me to pull over and stop, and when I did, and got out, they came quickly up to me.

"Harlie," Beth Ann Hopkins said, speaking first. "Thank gosh somebody came by-we need to have these two dogs

somewhere tonight-they were dumped off at my great aunt's house, and we have to find them a place!"

Now that I was close up I saw that they weren't much more than pups. Large pups, though. Maybe a few months old. Some

mixture of a really large breed.

"I can't take them-" I said, right off.

"Just for tonight?" Beth Ann asked.

"Tomorrow, Donna Jo Smythe said she would take at least one of them-" Becky Anderson added.

"Why can't you take them, if it's just for tonight?" I asked.

"My mom's allergic," Becky said.

"There were three of them altogether that were dumped," Beth Ann said. "I've got the third one at home-he was the

smallest one. My mother said that was the limit. Please, Harlie? Can't you take them for tonight?"

I studied the two dogs, and couldn't resist reaching out to touch them.

"And Donna Jo is going to take at least one of them tomorrow?" I asked. "Like after school, or what?"

"I can give you her number, and you can set it up," Beth Ann said.

"I guess I can take them back to Ivy's office," I said, thinking aloud to myself. "She'd probably let me leave them there

for one night-"

"That's perfect," Beth Ann said, and promptly plopped the dog she was holding into my arms. "I'll get Donna Jo's number."

I went towards my truck, carrying the dog, and with Becky following me. I was in the cab, with both dogs jumping all around,

when Beth Ann came over and handed me a piece of paper.

"Here's the number," she said. "We don't have any dog food for them-"

"Ivy has some," I said.

"Thanks, Harlie, you're a lifesaver," Beth Ann said, and they waved and walked away, back towards the truck they'd been in.

I sat there for a moment, looking at the dogs. They were long-haired, and it was matted. And, they smelled. Bad.

I drove back to Ivy's office, but her truck was gone. I could have taken the spare key and gone in, and left the dogs.

Then, I thought, well, since it was only for one night, I would take them home. It would be easier to take care of them

there. Just for one night.

I had to open my windows as I drove towards home, because the smell seemed to get progressively worse. They needed baths.

Well, it was only for one night.

Once at home, I parked beside Guthrie's truck. I could see him and Evan, out in the pasture, feeding a bale of hay to the

cattle. Warrior smelled the two new dogs, and came over, sniffing my truck and growling, which promptly set the two pups to

yapping back. I took one dog out of the truck cab, so that Warrior could smell him, but the pup went wacko, acting as though he

was going to fight Warrior. This brought a curious Gus from wherever he'd been. He let me know without any growling that he was

displeased with the whole situation.

I put the pup back into the cab of my truck and shut the door, pondering what to do.

I'd have to put them in a stall in the barn with food and water.

I went to begin getting bowls of dog food and water ready. Pepe thought I was there to visit him, and began

making his anxious sound.

"In a minute," I told him.

Once I had the food and water ready, I went to my truck, and gathered up both dogs. Which was a total armful. I

went towards the barn, Warrior and Gus at my heels, and both pups barking their heads off.

I took them into the stall and closed the door against Gus and Warrior. I put them down and spent a couple minutes

petting them and acquainting them with the stall. They wouldn't stop barking, though. I leaned over to look into the neighboring

stall, and Pepe was scratching at the wood, seeming nervous.

I went out and closed the stall door, walking towards the house, wondering what I had gotten into. I had to call Warrior

a couple times before he left off sitting outside the dog's stall and followed me.

I went to do the rest of my outside chores, feeding the goats, and checking on the horses, noticing for the first time

that Clare's small car was missing from the yard. Guthrie and Evan came driving the Jeep up from the pastures.

Evan parked and they got out, and they were near enough to me that when the barking continued in the barn, and Warrior took

off to rejoin the visiting dogs, they both tilted their heads to listen.

"What's all that?" Guthrie asked, looking towards the barn, where all the noise was coming from.

"Yeah. All that barking," Evan said. Gus and Jethro were right there, and it was obvious to anyone with ears that it was

more than Warrior barking.

"There's a couple of dogs in one of the stalls," I said.

"Huh?" Guthrie asked.

"You're kidding," Evan said.

"No-" I began.

They both began to make a fast walk towards the barn, and I set down the bucket I was carrying, and hustled after

them. I began explaining to their backs as they walked, about Becky and Beth Ann-and once in the barn, both of them

peered into the stall at the yipping pups.

"What are you thinkin'?" Evan asked me.

"I told you-the girls were in a bind-it's just for one night-" I said.

Guthrie let out a guffaw. "You're livin' in a dream world, Har," he told me. "If you think it's only gonna be for one night. Beth Ann and

Becky took you for a sucker."

"No, they didn't," I denied. "They're both in the animal group at school-they love dogs as much as I do, it's just that

Becky's mother is allergic, and Beth Ann already took the third one. By tomorrow afternoon at least one of them will be

gone."

Evan shook his head, giving me a look that said, 'Sucker'.

"Even so, that leaves the other one," Guthrie said. "What are you gonna do with that one?"

"We can't have any more dogs around here, Har," Evan said, as if he was telling me something that I didn't already know.

"I know. It's only for tonight," I insisted.

Evan shook his head again. "Like Guth said, 'livin' in a dream world'," he said.

I gave Evan a rueful look. "Thanks for your faith, both of you," I told them.

Guthrie laughed again. "It's got nothin' to do with faith, Har. It's just the way it is. You can never unload dogs-there's too many

dogs, and not enough people willin' to take them."

I reached out and gave Guthrie's hair a tug from under his ball cap in frustration.

"Hey, ow," he said, gripping my hand to twist it loose.

"It's upsetting Pepe, being so close to them," I said, going to look down on the skunk.

"Well, you're runnin' out of animal storage around here," Evan said, without sympathy.

"You don't have to be like that about it, Ev," I told him.

"I'm not bein' like anything," Evan denied. "I'm just saying that when Adam and Brian get back in the morning, they're

gonna see your new additions here, and blow a fuse."

"I know," I said. "But, if they're not here by the time I leave for school, Hannah can explain to them about it. And, then, tomorrow afternoon,

Donna Jo Smythe will take at least one of them."

"Okay, Har," Evan said, sounding as though he was humoring him.

"Grrrr," I said, and turned on my heel to walk off.

I headed towards the house, and what greeted me at the back door, but the sight of Jill, standing and smoking a cigarette, and with

tears running down her cheeks.

7