A momentary silence followed Jill and Daniel's abrupt departure from the table.

"Maybe she's not feeling well," Clare suggested.

"Maybe," Hannah agreed.

The conversation went on, about other things, ranch-related. I was on dish duty with Crane. After Clare and Hannah

helped clear the table, Crane and I were eventually left alone in the kitchen.

"Wash or dry?" he asked me.

"Wash," I said.

"Okay," he said, and went to retrieve a dishtowel from the drawer.

I began to run hot water into the sink, squirting in some Palmolive dish soap. I began washing glasses, and Crane

rinsed them.

"Trouble between you and Daniel," Crane said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. His voice was quiet, though.

I gave him a quick look, a bit startled. I don't know why I should have been, given to how close he and Daniel are, but I was.

I shrugged, and went back to my glass washing.

"Not really trouble," I denied.

"What, then?" he asked.

"Hasn't he told you already?" I asked.

"I'm asking you," Crane said. "And besides, no, he hasn't said anything about you to me. I've got eyes. And ears. It's

obvious you're avoiding him."

"It's a miscommunication," I said.

"Uh huh," he said, obviously waiting for me to continue.

I began washing the silverware.

"Daniel failed to communicate something important," I said, feeling righteous.

"So, in return, you're failing to communicate with him now at all," Crane said.

"I just need some time to think, Crane," I said.

He was silent, and I looked up at him, expecting to see disapproval on his face. It wasn't that, exactly, but he didn't look

pleased, either.

"I have a right to be upset with Daniel," I said, feeling stubborn. "He lied-by omission."

"Yeah. That's right. He did," Crane said, surprising me with his agreement.

I laid a handful of the washed silverware into the other sink to be rinsed. "So you agree with me?" I asked.

"I agree that Daniel could have handled some things better," Crane said. "He knows that already. But, I don't agree

with you not talking to him about it."

"It's only been a day," I objected. "I'll talk to him. Sometime."

"The longer it goes, the harder it will be," Crane said.

"Okay," I said.

"In other words, you want to close the subject," Crane said.

I looked at him to see if he was irritated, but his eyes were soft, not angry.

"Yeah. Please," I said.

"Fair enough," Crane agreed.

After a few minutes of washing and drying the dinner plates, Crane said, "How long has Kristin been thinking of quitting

school?" Just like that.

I swung my face up to him, my wet hands dripping onto the floor. "I never said that," I protested.

"No. You didn't," he agreed.

Our eyes locked. He said no more. He just raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Not very long," I admitted. "Maybe a few weeks."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because-she thought if she started working full time this summer, she could save up enough so that next year she

could go to cosmetology school. She would get her high school equivalency thing."

"Is that what she wants to do? Cosmetology school?" he asked.

I went back to washing the plates. "That's what she said. I don't know if she's really interested in it, or she just thinks it would

be the quickest way to make money."

It occurred to me that I should have asked Kristin that very thing.

"I should have asked her," I said. "I guess I'm not a very good friend."

"You're a good friend to Kristen, peanut," he said. "Don't get down on yourself."

"Thanks," I said. "I know you disapprove of her doing it, but if she does decide to go that way with things, you won't show

her that you don't like it, will you? She especially told me that she didn't want you to think she was a loser."

"I wouldn't think that," he said. "But, I can't promise not to tell her what I think, if it were to come up."

"Oh," I said, feeling subdued. Kristen was going to be really mad at me for spilling it all to Crane.

"I'll be very diplomatic, I promise," Crane said.

I knew he would be that. And kind, too. Still, I figured that I'd better give Kristen a heads up that Crane knew about

the tentative plans she had.

7

Jill came back downstairs later on, but she was real quiet. She sat next to Daniel, holding his hand, and not saying much

unless she was asked a question. Daniel was quiet, too, though he seemed restless.

When I headed up to bed, I had the feeling that there was something else going on. I came out of the bathroom,

after brushing my teeth, muttering to myself.

Brian, who happened to be coming up the stairs at the time, said, "Talkin' to yourself, huh, peach?"

"I guess," I said.

Brian paused there, beside me. He gave me a concerned looking-over, and said, "You're down in the mouth tonight."

I shrugged, meeting his eyes, but not saying anything.

"What is it?" he asked.

"More secrets around here," I said.

"What makes you think that?" he asked.

"The way Jill acted at the table-the way Daniel's so quiet all the time-it's just weird," I said.

"Well-it takes some gettin' used to, that's for sure," Brian said.

I figured that was the closest he was going to get to criticism of them.

7

The next morning, I was scooping stuff into my backpack, preparing to head out for school, when Daniel

came upon me in the living room.

"I was thinkin' that I'd meet you when you're done with work today," he said.

I paused, holding my backpack to my chest, looking at him.

"I thought we might go out and get some supper together," he said. "You can pick the spot."

"Thanks," I said. "But you don't have to."

"I know I don't have to," he said. "I think it would be nice, though."

I was quiet, my thoughts churning. "I don't think we need to have a big talk about anything, Daniel," I said.

"I think we do, squirt," Daniel said, softly.

"You were wrong, Daniel," I said, suddenly. "You were wrong to keep that from us."

"Yeah," he said, immediately. "Yeah, I was. That's why I want to talk to you."

"It's over now," I said, shrugging, and trying to sound nonchalant. "We don't need to go to a restaurant just to talk

about it-" I slung my backpack over my shoulder. "I need to be heading out," I said.

"Hey-" he said, reaching out to catch my wrist to halt me.

"I'll get over it," I said, trying to sound breezy. "You've got other things to worry about. Things way more important

than me and what I'm thinking."

Daniel jaw tightened, and he was looking sort of grim. Two things happened. Jill came out of the kitchen, walking up

to hook her arm thru Daniel's arm. And, i seized my chance.

"See you later," I said, in a general way, and make my exit.

7

After I got done with work at Ivy's, I drove to the Feed and Farm. That's the store that Nancy works at.

I parked and went inside. I like the smell of the store. It's like the smell of honey and oats, and I don't know what all.

Nancy was waiting on a customer, an older rancher from the area that I recognized.

She gave me a cheery wave, and I waved back, browsing around until she was finished.

"Hey there," she greeted me. "What's up?"

"Not much," I said, and then decided to dive in.

"I was wondering something," I said.

"What?"

"Would you care if I spent the night tonight?" I asked.

"No. I wouldn't care," she said.

"Okay. Great. Thanks," I said. "I'll go on home, and gather up my stuff."

"Is something wrong? At the house, I mean?" she asked me, in her direct way.

There was no point to denying it. "I just need-some breathing room," I said.

"You mean-with Daniel and Jill, and all?" Nancy asked, in a low voice.

When I nodded, she said, "Well, sure. It's okay with me if it's okay with everybody else."

I drove home, and went straight into the house, to find Hannah. I hadn't seen any brothers anywhere when I'd driven in.

And, that was fine with me. It was Hannah that I wanted to talk to. I followed the sound of Hannah's voice to the kitchen,

but she wasn't just talking to Clare and to Isaac. Jill was there, too. She was, not surprisingly, holding Isaac on her lap. She

really seemed taken with him.

Clare said hello to me and Hannah turned to smile. "Hullo, sweetie."

"Hi," I said.

"How was your day?" Hannah asked.

"Alright."

"Good. What was next, Clare?" she asked.

Clare leaned over the cookbook in front of her to read aloud. "Baking powder, vanilla-"

Hannah began reaching into the upper cabinets, pulling things down.

"I was wondering if I could spend the night at Nancy and Evan's tonight," I said, addressing myself to Hannah.

Hannah paused, looking at me in surprise. "Tonight? Not on the weekend?"

"No. I mean, yeah, tonight," I said.

She was looking at me, sort of questioningly, and I hurried on. "I thought we could work on the photo albums, maybe, and I'll

do my homework, and all that." I turned more so that I was looking right at her, and Jill wasn't even in my line of vision.

"I just want to go," I said, quietly. And, I knew that Hannah knew what I meant, because her expression changed. From questioning, to

more understanding.

"Well, alright," she said.

"Thanks, Hannah," I said, still quietly.

"Pack all your diabetes supplies," she reminded me.

"Yes," I said, suddenly excited, and just ready to go. I went to do my chores, and put the stray pup into a stall, making sure

the door was secure.

I threw together some clothes, and hairbrush and all of that. I slung my bag over my shoulder, and went to the

kitchen to tell Hannah goodbye.

"Are you driving up?" she asked me.

When I nodded she said, "Well, have fun. And don't be late for school tomorrow." Mom comments.

I promised that I wouldn't, and then I began the hilly drive to the cabin. Once there, I parked my truck out of the

way, and went on into the cabin, using the key on the top of the doorway to unlock the door.

Once inside, I was amazed, as I was nearly every time I came, to see the small changes here and there.

It was a real little honeymoon cottage, I thought. For just a brief moment, I imagined myself living here, years in the future,

with Kenny. It was a nice daydream, until I shook myself out of it. It was silly. Who said that Kenny and I would end up together?

There was already supper, simmering in the crockpot. I sat down at the table to start my homework. I was in the midst of

defining some anatomy terms when Evan came in, his boots scraping on the floor.

"Hey," he said. "What are you doin'?"

"Hey," I said, turning to face him. "I talked to Nancy earlier. She said it was okay if I spent the night."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

He sat down and began to pull his boots off.

"It's okay with you, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's okay with me."

"Cool," I said.

Evan finished taking off his boots, and went to set them beside the door. He went to the small refrigerator and took out a

beer. He popped the top, and took a drink.

He washed his hands and began to get out plates and silverware to set the small kitchen table.

"What's that?" he asked me, gesturing to my open book.

"Anatomy and Physiology," I said.

Evan shook his head, and I said, "Did you take it?"

"Are you kiddin'? I was lucky to survive basic science."

"It's a hard class," I said.

"No doubt."

I put my homework away and was helping him set the table, when Nancy got home. The evening was fine. Good. Stress free.

We ate supper and I volunteered to do the dishes, while Nancy got out the scrap booking supplies. We worked on the pictures

for awhile. She had a box here of photos and one down at the house.

Evan sat, working on making reins from paracord, while we did that. We drank hot chocolate, just the packet kind. It wasn't as good as

Brian's homemade, but I found myself relaxing really well.

By the time they went to bed in their small, partitioned off bedroom, and I made up my bed on the couch, I had no

trouble falling asleep.

7