Daniel began talking. "It's quick-for me and Jill to get married."

Um, yeah? That was my thought. And apparently Guthrie's, too.

"Yeah," Guthrie said. "Why would you wanna get married to somebody you hardly know?"

Ouch. Guthrie's tone wasn't rude. At least not exactly.

"I do know her, Guth. Maybe not long in time, but in the important ways, I do," Daniel said.

Guthrie was silent, but when I looked sideways at him, he looked unconvinced.

"How come everybody was so wigged out?" Guthrie asked now. "I mean, even if it's quick, it's your business, right? Not

everybody else's."

"In theory," Daniel said.

"Huh?" Guthrie asked.

Daniel shook his head a little. "It's my business, until it affects the family." He hesitated, looking as though he

was searching for words. "There's more to this-more than just me and Jill gettin' married. That's the other part of it that

I needed to talk to you both about."

"Jill's pregnant?" Guthrie guessed, dryly.

I resisted the urge, a powerful one, to tell Guthrie to shut his mouth. That Daniel wouldn't be that stupid-

And, by stupid, I meant so stupid as to be careless, not careful-to get a girl that he hardly knew pregnant.

I waited for Daniel to dispute what Guthrie had said. Deny it.

Only-he didn't. He only sat there, with that same serious, nearly sad expression on on his face.

"She is?" Guthrie said. "Heck-I was just shootin' fish in a barrel-"

I was staring at Daniel, horrified. Well, maybe not horrified. But, for sure, shocked. And, my stomach was knotted.

A baby! Daniel would be tied to Jill for the rest of his life...

Not to say that he wouldn't be connected or 'tied' with marriage-but-well, a baby!

"You and Evan-all the time, the last couple of years, tellin' me to be careful, not to rush into sex-" Guthrie

said, his tone curt. "And, here you sit, tellin' us that you're gonna have a baby with somebody you've known for what-a couple of months?"

"I still stand by all that-the things me and Evan have talked to you about," Daniel said, sounding firmer than he had since

he'd begun talking.

Guthrie blew out his breath in an exasperated way, and shook his head.

"Sometimes, there's things that are hard to explain, and even harder to understand," Daniel said.

"What's that even supposed to mean, Daniel?" Guthrie demanded.

Wow. Guthrie was on a roll.

"It means that I love Jill, and I'm gonna take care of her and the baby. And that, even though it's quick, it's important

to me that both of you give her a chance," Daniel said.

Guthrie was silent, and so was I. We were both sitting, with our arms crossed. Guthrie's crossed more in near-anger, I think.

Mine, more in feeling adrift, and trying to bolster myself up.

"Either one of you wanna ask me anything?" Daniel asked.

"How come you're gettin' married?" Guthrie asked, bluntly. "I mean-you don't have to. You could take care of the baby without

marrying her."

"Because I want Jill to feel secure. She deserves to have some stability," Daniel said. "It's the right thing to do."

"When are you getting married?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, exactly. A week or so, maybe," Daniel said.

My eyes widened in surprise. How in heck could the family throw together a wedding within only a week?

Daniel took in my dismay, because he said, quietly, "We're not havin' a real wedding, or anything like that. We'll go to

the J.P."

I wrinkled my forehead, puzzled. "What's the J.P.?" I asked.

"Justice of the Peace," Guthrie said, answering for Daniel.

"Like at the county courthouse?" I asked.

Daniel nodded. "Yeah."

"What's the rush?" I asked. "Why not wait a little while, so you can plan a wedding here at the house?"

Daniel half-smiled. "You sound like Hannah and Clare. That's what they said, too."

"Well, why don't you, then?" Guthrie asked.

"I think we'll stick with our plan-but I appreciate the thought. From both of you," Daniel said.

Silence reigned for a long few moments.

"Are you going back to Nashville?" I asked. "Right after, I mean?"

"Not right after," Daniel said. "It alright with you two if I'm around for awhile longer? Or do you wanna get shed of me?"

He'd meant that to lighten the mood, trying to tease as to whether Guthrie and I would mind if he stayed around home.

I felt, sudden-like, as though I was suffocating. A hot feeling rose up on me, and it felt miserable. During the whole

conversation, it had been Guthrie who'd made no secret of his feelings. I had, I felt, been very reticent, and respectful

of Daniel's news, and all of that. But, now...well, that hot, suffocating feeling was way stronger. What a stupid thing

for him to even joke about! Was it alright with us if he stayed around awhile longer? I stood up so suddenly

that my chair nearly toppled over, and both Guthrie and Daniel were looking at me, surprised.

"What's the matter, Har?" Guthrie asked, looking up at me as I stood there, my hands gripped over the top of the chair.

"Nothing at all," I snapped, furiously. "Everything is just peachy!"

I went to the back door, and slammed outside, stalking off to the orchard. I sat down on the iron bench that sits in the

circle of trees. I tried to get my breath to slow down. Of all the- Vile adjectives began to fly out of my mouth, and I stood up,

snatching apples rotting on the ground, and began to fire them at a tree just in front of me.

I gave it all my energy, and then, once I was spent, I sighed, and let the two apples I was holding drop to the

ground.

"Were you wishin' that was me, on the other end of those apples?" somebody asked, and I whirled to see

Daniel, standing there, with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, watching me.

I rolled my eyes, and turned away. "Yeah. Sure. Why not?" I asked curtly, and went to sit down on the bench again.

He came over and stood there for a moment or so, and then sat down beside me.

"What part of what I said was it, that made you so mad?" Daniel asked.

"You're just-well, you're really aggravating!" I snapped. "Asking if we care if you stay around! Asking if we want to get

rid of you!" I shook my head, staring straight ahead.

"Okay. I'm sorry for makin' stupid jokes," he said. "It wasn't easy for me-tellin' you and Guthrie, about all of this. I feel like I let

you both down."

I turned to survey him. "You mean because of not following your own advice, that you gave to Guthrie?"

"Well, yeah, that's part of it. I don't want either of you to think you should rush into anything-whether it's sex, or

marriage, or anything. It feels like I'm not practicin' what I've preached, though."

I shrugged. He looked so, well, so dejected at the thought of letting Guthrie and I down, that it tugged at my heart.

"You didn't let us down, Daniel," I said. "It's just sort of a-shock. We'll get used to the idea. Just-don't make

dumb jokes about whether we want you around, and stuff like that-"

"Okay," he said.

"And, don't tell me that I'm not allowed to worry about you either," I told him firmly. "Because I am allowed!"

"Yes, ma'm," Daniel said.

I reached out and took his hand in mine. "I want you to be happy, Daniel."

"I know. I think I will be."

That didn't sound very promising. Still, I had other questions.

"I know it's not the best, maybe, but why was Brian so mad? Why did you all have to go camping just to discuss

things? I mean, if you're gonna marry Jill, and have a baby, why didn't they just blow up or whatever, and then it be over?" I asked.

Something passed over Daniel's face. He looked as though he was thinking. Really hard.

"We needed some time for talkin'," he said.

I wrinkled my forehead at him. "Really vague," I told him.

"Brother stuff, squirt," he said.

"Oh," I said, still studying him.

We could see a vehicle turning in at the end of the driveway.

"Donna Jo's here. To pick up the pup," I said, and stood up.

7

When I got over to Donna Jo's car, she shook her head at the yipping and yapping coming from the barn.

"They're all riled up, huh?" she said.

"Yeah. Come on in," I told her. She followed me into the barn, and over to where the two pups stood on their hind legs,

looking over the top of the stall door.

I was hoping she would take the most vocal of the two-the one who seemed to want to fight with Warrior. I unlatched the door and

she picked that one up.

"He's a little bigger already," she observed.

"Yeah. A little."

Donna Jo decided to take that one, and I breathed an inner sigh of relief. At least things might be a bit quieter while I found a

home for the other one.

We were standing outside the barn, talking, and she began telling me about an older lady in Angels Camp who had dogs that

needed homes.

"It's so sad. There's four of them. Two beagles and a collie, and then a mixed one, sort of a poodle or something," she said. "She's sick and cant take

care of them any longer," she said.

I agreed that it was really sad, and we talked for a few more minutes, and I saw Adam approaching from the west side of the barn.

He said hello to Donna Jo and then asked her how her parents were doing, and all of that.

"Granddad said if I saw you today to remind you there's a special meeting for the Cattlemen's Association," Donna Jo told him.

"Right. Thursday night. Tell him I'll see him there," Adam said.

Donna Jo said she would, and she left shortly after that.

"One down, one to go, huh?" Adam said, as we stood there.

"Uh huh. I'll put up some flyers around tomorrow about the other one," I said.

He nodded, and for a moment we were both quiet.

"Daniel talked to you and Guthrie, huh?" he asked me. I could tell that he knew already, that Daniel had.

I nodded in answer, looking up at him.

"That's good," he said.

I studied Adam's expression, trying to read him. "I'm worried about him, Adam," I said.

Adam studied me just as intently for a long moment. "Well, worryin' over each other-that's sometimes part of bein' a family, sugar."

"Guthrie was sort of upset," I confided.

Adam regarded me, silent, and I went on to explain. "I think he thinks Daniel says one thing, and then does another."

"Is that what you think, too?" he asked me.

I hesitated over my words. I felt disloyal, a bit, to Daniel, since I'd told him that I understood things, and that he

hadn't let me and Guthrie down. To now say different, even to Adam, felt as though I was being disloyal.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I wish-that he wouldn't have rushed into things. He had so much going for him-" I let my voice

trail off.

"It was important to Daniel that he be able to talk to both of you on his own about things," Adam said. "I know it's

all a-jolt, but we'll get thru it."

"You don't-approve, though?" I asked. "I know you don't."

"It's all new-we'll all get used to the idea," he said.

I was studying him, waiting for him to answer my actual question. He could tell, too, because he sighed a bit and said, "I don't agree

with every single aspect of his decisions, no. But-Daniel's grown. After we let him know what we think-then the rest of our

job is to support him."

"Is that the way Brian feels, too?" I asked.

Adam looked as though he was considering his words again. "You'll have to ask Brian about his thoughts, yourself," he said.

"Oh," I said, thinking that that worried me a bit.

"Brian has Daniel's back," Adam said. "There might be some hard conversations comin' up, but there won't be any more

arguments in the front yard. Alright? That ease your mind a little bit?"

I nodded.

We were walking towards the house together, when Jill came down the front porch steps. It was the first time I'd seen

her, obviously, since finding out she was pregnant. I found that it made me look at her altogether differently. I couldn't help it, I know

my eyes went to her midriff. It had always seemed so flat, and she was obviously fond of wearing those tummy-peeking shirts.

I had the sudden unkind thought that she would have to stop soon with those as choices of attire.

"Hi," she said, softly, as we all three paused in between the house and the barn.

"Hey," Adam responded, while I was quiet.

"Harlie, is it alright if I go and get Pepe out for awhile, and hold him?" she asked me.

Again, a surprise. Her fascination with Pepe was really boggling to me.

"Um, well, sure," I said.

"Okay. Thanks," she said.

"Wear the gloves," Adam told her. To me, he said, "Are they there, in the stall with him?"

"Yeah. They're there," I said.

"Alright," he said.

"He seems so gentle, though-" Jill began, and I could tell she didn't want to bother with gloves.

"We don't want any bites, or anything like that," Adam said. He gave Jill a half-smile. "So, wear the gloves."

Even though he was talking nicely to her, and even smiling slightly, I could hear the authority in his tone. I wondered if Jill could hear it, too.

Or, do I hear it mostly because I knew it was there? An odd thing to wonder over.

Anyhow, Jill gave Adam sort of a long, studying look. She shrugged lightly.

"Well, okay," she said. She walked off towards the barn, and after she was out of hearing range, Adam said,

"What is it with her and that skunk?" in a wondering sort of a way.

7