I made a quick retreat away from the barn, and the ranch. I just wanted to go before I ran into somebody. I drove up to the

cabin, and, again unlocked the door. I turned on the radio and washed my hands, and cut up tomatoes and lettuce for the

sandwiches. I tried to do some of my homework, but ended with giving up, and sitting outside in one of the lounge chairs.

I heard Evan's four-wheeler roaring up the hill. He parked and shut it off, walking over to the front of the cabin.

"Hey," he greeted me.

"Hey."

As he opened the door to prepare to go inside, I said, "I did the tomatoes and lettuce. I didn't start frying the bacon yet."

"It's okay. I'll do it." He went inside, leaving the door open, and I could hear him puttering around. Opening and closing things.

Water running.

He stepped back out, halfway in and halfway out, drying his hands on a towel. "How much bacon, you think? Think we'll

eat a pound? How hungry are you?"

I shrugged. "I'll eat one sandwich, probably. But, you can keep it for leftovers."

"Yeah," Evan said, in agreement, and went back inside.

After a couple of minutes, I got up, and went in, too.

I began clearing off my homework from the table. "Is Nanc gonna be late?" I asked.

Evan gave a glance at the clock above the stove. "Another hour or so, maybe. Depends on if they get done with the inventory

sooner."

I stacked my books and stuff in a neat pile, and went to get plates out, beginning to set the table for three.

"You're not ditchin' your homework, are ya?" he asked me, laying slices of bacon in a frying pan.

"No."

"I don't wanna be in Dutch with Crane for not makin' sure," he added, straightening the bacon with a fork.

"I'm doing it," I said, shortly.

As I went to get out silverware from the drawer, he said, "I'm just jokin' with you."

I gave him a quick look. "I know."

"Okay," he said, and went back to frying the bacon.

I was finished with the silverware and getting out glasses when he said, "You plan on goin' back to the house sometime

soon?"

He said it in an off-hand way. Not mean or rude or anything. But, he was also serious about the question.

I still felt all prickly, from my encounter with Jill. So, I answered in a 'prickly' manner.

I paused and looked at him, a glass in each hand.

"You said I could stay," I reminded him. "If you've changed your mind-then just say so, and I'll go-"

"Oh, knock it off," he said, curtly.

I set the glasses down, and said, defensively, "I know I'm crowding you and Nanc-I just wanted to stay another night-"

Evan turned from the sizzling bacon. "And I said it was okay."

Still prickly, I said, "I can go if you want-"

"I asked you a question, that's all," Evan said, pointedly. "I want you to stay. I'm just concerned. Now, stop with the princess attitude

before I kick your butt."

Our eyes locked, and I swallowed down the rest of my mouthy tirade. He meant it.

I looked away, and went to sit in the nearest chair at the small kitchen table. "I will tomorrow," I said. I met his gaze again. "Go back

to the house, I mean."

Evan wrinkled his forehead. "Is it that you just can't accept Daniel gettin' married that's bothering you?"

"I don't think it's that," I said.

"It's the shock of it, then?" he asked.

I nodded. "I guess. And, I don't understand why he would want to do it-take care of her baby, I mean."

Evan turned the slices of frying bacon over. When he was quiet, I asked, "Doesn't it bother you at all?"

"It bothers me some," Evan admitted. "But, I figure Daniel has his reasons."

"Yeah," I said. I watched as he laid the cooked bacon on a plate.

"Things are so messed up," I said.

At his questioning look, I added, "Jill and I had-well, sort of a fight, I guess. And, she's probably gonna tell Daniel

about it, and then he's gonna be really upset with me."

"Sounds like you really do need to talk to him, and pretty quick, too," Evan said, mildly. Not, I realized, asking me what the fight was about, or

if it had been my fault or Jill's.

I sighed. "I guess so."

After that, we didn't talk about Daniel, or Jill, anymore. We were sitting and looking thru the boxes of old pictures together,

when Nancy got home. After that, we sat down to eat. Nancy was regaling Evan and I with tales of the craziness of inventory at

the store, when we were surprised by knocking at the door.

"I didn't hear anybody drive up," Evan said, getting to his feet. "It's Adam," he added, walking towards the door.

I felt my stomach do sort of a loop-de-loop of nervousness.

Evan pulled the door open, gesturing to Adam to come inside. "Hey-come on in," he said.

"Hey," Adam said, in greeting. He stepped in, and Evan said, "We're just now eatin'. Wanna join us?"

"Yes," Nancy added, in invitation. "BLT's, Adam. Come on."

"Sounds good," Adam said. "But Hannah's gonna have supper on in a bit."

"Didn't hear you drive up," Evan said, looking outside.

"I walked up," Adam said.

He looked over at the table where Nancy and I still sat, and looked right at me.

"I came up to talk to Harlie," he said.

I felt my stomach jump again. Thoughts were running thru my head so fast. Had Jill run whining to Daniel, or to Adam, even?

Or-was it something else?

His eyes were fastened on me across the small room, and so were Evan's now. Nancy glanced to the side at me.

"Well, sure," Nancy said. "Harlie, go on and talk-Adam, I'll make some coffee. You'll have some, won't you?"

I knew Nancy could feel the crackle in the air, and was trying to ease it.

"I won't turn it down," Adam told her, smiling slightly.

He looked at me again. "Let's go outside," he said. He said it quietly, but I could tell that he was bothered-that he was in an

intense mood.

I stood up, and walked towards he and Evan. Adam opened the door, and let me pass in front of him.

Once we were outside, Adam pulled the door closed, and we stood there for a couple of moments.

"Let's go sit over here," he said, and walked to where my truck was parked, letting down the tail gate. He sat down, and I

hoisted myself up to sit down, too.

I twisted my hands together, picking at the cuticle on my thumb.

Adam turned so that he was facing me more, and said, then, without preamble, "What's goin' on?"

I blinked at his directness.

I knew just what he meant. There was no point to pretending that I did not. Still...

"Nancy and Ev said I could stay-her and I were gonna work on the scrapbooks again-" I began.

"Harlie," Adam interrupted me, mid-word.

I was quiet, looking at him.

"I know all that. I know what you told Hannah," he said. "I'm asking, 'what's going on', that you decide to stay up

here for two nights, mid-week?"

I licked my lips a little. "I just needed a break."

"From the 'Jill and Daniel' drama, is that right?" he asked.

Hearing him say it like that, as if he too thought of it as 'drama', encouraged me a little.

I nodded in response to his question, waiting for him to continue.

"I can understand that," he said, and I was encouraged further.

"And, it was real nice of Nancy and Evan to let you do that," he added.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"As nice as it was, though, there's a limit to everything," Adam said.

I felt my face get hot.

"We're not to the point yet, are we, that you don't want to be at home?" he asked. He was serious as a heart attack,

and yet I could tell he was trying to be patient. Trying to understand.

"No," I said, feeling even worse. I didn't want Adam thinking that. That I didn't want to be at home at all.

"Well, that's good," he said.

There was a longer silence then. Only a few moments, really. But, it felt longer.

"This isn't a long-term solution, though. You staying up here. It's fine for a night or two here and there, but it's not

the answer to this particular situation, Harlie."

"I know," I admitted.

"So, what can we do here, with all of this?" he asked then. "To make it better for you?"

Those words, and the way that he said them-he was being so kind, and I could tell that the whole thing was bothering him.

Well, all of that made me feel emotional. It wasn't as though I had far to go to get to that point, anyway.

I looked down at my hands, feeling tears welling up in my eyes. "Oh, Adam," I said.

"What?" he asked, misunderstanding my 'oh, Adam' comment.

"You're being so nice," I mumbled.

"I'm trying to understand, Harlie," he said.

I looked up, and met his eyes. "I'm upset with Daniel," I said. "And, it upsets me to feel that way-"

Adam was quiet for a moment, and then nodded. "I understand that. It's painful to be at odds with somebody

that you love a whole lot."

"If i ask you a question, will you answer?" I asked.

"I'll sure try to."

"Between you and me-do you understand what Daniel is thinking?"

Adam hesitated, and then sighed a bit. "Somewhat, I do. Understanding where somebody's feelings and thoughts are at, though, doesn't

always mean that you agree wholeheartedly with what they're doing."

I studied him, wondering if he meant what I thought that he did.

He answered that in his next statement. "I worry for Daniel. He leads with his heart sometimes. You and him are alot alike in

that way."

I widened my eyes at that. He smiled slightly. "It's true," he said.

He turned serious once again. "The fact remains, though, that Daniel's grown, Harlie. His decisions are his decisions to make." Adam

gave me a stern look. "It's not for you to decide for him, whether you think he's right or he's wrong. He's made his choices. He needs

our love, and our support."

I was suddenly, horribly embarrassed. Ashamed of myself for my behavior towards Daniel. Adam was right. So right.

I nodded in agreement to what he'd said.

"As far as him not tellin' you all right out of the gate about the baby not bein' his-well, that was his decision, too. And he

might should have done the telling of things better than he did, but it's done now. Dwelling on it isn't gonna make

it any different. You can tell him how you feel about it, though."

"I did," I said.

"Well, the only way to go on is forward," Adam said. "Have a long talk with Daniel. You might feel some better."

I bit at my lower lip, in thought, and nodded.

"Okay," he said. He regarded me thoughtfully. "Your feelings are important. Guthrie's, too. You're both entitled to them.

I don't want you to feel that that's not true," Adam said.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. "I haven't handled everything right," I admitted.

"Well, it's been a jolt to everybody, I think," he said. "Things said that shouldn't have been, things that weren't said that

should have been-like I said, there's no way to go on except forward from here."

"Okay," I said, really softly, looking at him. Still feeling emotional.

"Okay," he echoed. "I want you to remember one thing, alright? A baby that comes into a family-no matter the biology,

or how he or she first comes about-well, they're just naturally real easy to love."

He paused to let that sink in, and then he stood up, and so I followed, scooting off of the tailgate.

Standing there together, he said, "Are you doing your shot?"

I nodded, and he said, "And your homework? You're keepin' up with that?"

"Yes," I said.

"I know-I'm makin' it sound as though you've been gone for a week or more," Adam said, ruefully, with

a slight smile.

We walked back towards the cabin, and at the door, I paused, "Should I get my stuff?" I asked him.

"Hmm?"

"I thought you were going to say that I needed to come home," I told him.

"Well-" Adam began.

Evan opened the door and stepped out. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Adam said. "Harlie and I were discussing whether she was going to stay tonight or not."

Nancy stepped up beside Evan. "Oh, Harlie, you can still stay," she said.

I hesitated, and Nancy said, "We want you to stay, don't we, Evan?" And, I could tell that she meant it, too.

Evan and I exchanged an look of shared understanding, remembering our talk earlier. "Har knows she can stay, if she wants," Evan said, simply.

I looked up at Adam. "It's up to you," he said. "You can stay tonight if you want. But, then tomorrow you come home."

I hesitated, thinking. I knew I had to talk to Daniel. And soon, too. But, it might be good, if I could collect my

thoughts and try to rein in my emotions a bit more first.

"I'll be home right after work tomorrow," I said.

7