Evan stopped long enough at the bank for me to run inside to cash my paycheck from Ivy. The rain was pelting down heavy by now, and when I came

back out to the truck, Daniel slid out so I could reclaim my center seat spot. We were driving down the main street, and I suggested we stop

to see Marie at the cafe, and have some pie.

"I'm thinkin' we ought to get home," Evan said.

"Why for?" I asked, and then I pointed out that there wasn't a whole lot of outside chores that could be done until the rain had

slowed down a bit.

"Come on. I'll even buy," I offered.

"There's plenty of stuff we can be workin' on, in the barn," Evan said. "And I don't want to have the feed out in this for long."

"It's got a tarp on it," I insisted. I turned to Daniel. "Don't you want some pie, Daniel?"

"Evan's probably right," Daniel said. "It looks like it's setting in to be a real gully-washer. We ought to get home. Jill's not crazy about

storms."

I only just stopped myself from mouthing off at that last comment of his. I did say, "It's not like it's thundering or lightening-"

Daniel gave me a sort of a look. Not mad or anything, just more of a silent, 'come on now, be nice'.

I folded my arms over my chest, suddenly chilly. I'd gotten wet in just my short foray into the bank. "Fine," I muttered, without

much grace.

It was raining so hard that Evan had to drive fairly slowly, and it was hard to see even a little ways in front of us. Evan had turned on

his lights, and another vehicle, without their lights on, nearly careened into us. Evan swerved to avoid them, and cursed under his

breath about idiots who don't have the sense to turn on their lights.

It was actually making me a little nervous, driving in such a heavy downpour, and with it being so dark out, and low visibility. I mean,

I trusted Evan's driving, and all, but it had been awhile since I'd been in a vehicle during something like this.

We weren't too far from town, just shortly after we saw the vehicle with no lights on, when we came upon another car, pulled off to the

side of the road.

There was something on the back of the car that caught my eye. There was two women, well, they looked like women, wearing

jackets and holding an umbrella, trying to open the hood of the car.

"I think that's Kristen and her mom," I said, twisting to peer behind us.

"It's hard to tell," Evan said.

"Well, can we stop and see?" I asked him. "Come on, Ev."

"Yeah, okay," he said, braking to a stop and backing up slightly. Daniel reached for a jacket behind the seat to tie around the cast on

his arm.

We got out and ran up to the other car, and it was indeed Kristin and her mother.

"Hey!" I said to Kristin, as Evan poked his head under the hood.

"What's the trouble?" he asked.

Kristin's mom said she wasn't sure, that the car was sputtering or something like that.

I thought Kristin seemed to be acting strange. Not talking. Of course it could have something to do with the

fact that we were being besieged by rain.

"You okay?" I said, leaning close so she could hear me over the rain.

Kristin lifted her shoulders in a shrug.

After a few more minutes of tinkering under the car hood, Daniel told Kristin's mom to get in and try starting it up.

She did, and the motor sprung to life.

As she was calling her thanks out of the half-opened window, Evan was slamming the hood closed.

As Kristin started to go and get into the other side of the car, I tugged on her arm.

"You want to come and stay over tonight?" I offered.

"I can't. Mom and I have to go-" she paused, adjusting the umbrella slightly. "I have to go with her."

"Oh. Okay," I said. "Maybe call me later?"

"I'll try," she said, and went to get into the passenger side of the car.

Evan and Daniel were already walking back to Evan's truck. I heard Daniel hollering to me and I ran, sliding into the cab

of the truck. By now I was soaked pretty thoroughly, and so were Evan and Daniel. Kristin's mom went around us and drove

on.

Evan turned on the heater, and gradually it began to warm up in the cab.

"Gettin' warmed up?" Daniel asked me, leaning forward to adjust the heating vents, to turn them more in my direction.

"Yeah," I said.

They started talking about work that Kristin's mom needed to have done to the car.

I was quiet the rest of the way home. The rain let up as we were pulling up the driveway, and Evan backed the truck up into the barn,

and set about to unload the feed.

Cold I was, but I scrambled up on top of the feed sacks in the back of the truck without being told, to loosen the tarp.

Once I'd done that, Evan started unloading the feed and stacking it. Daniel began tugging on a sack, as though he was

contemplating lifting it, Evan told him to leave it, that he would unload, but Daniel ignored him. I sat down promptly on the sack of

feed that Daniel was struggling with, causing him to have to let go.

"Hey," he protested. "What're you doin'?"

"You can't lift," I told him, giving him as ferocious a look as I could muster up. "You need to iisten."

"Move, squirt," Daniel ordered.

"No," I said, stubbornly. "Do you want to wind up back in the hospital?"

Without further argument, Daniel, (remarkably, for someone with one broken arm, and sore ribs) proceeded to move me out of

his way. I ended up sort of plopped on my butt, beside the sack of feed. He hadn't gotten rough or hurt me or anything, but I was

still stunned. I guessed he was a lot more healed than I'd taken him for.

"Ow, bully," I accused him, and he gave me a side-ways glance.

"You're alright," he said, unconcerned.

Adam came swiftly into the barn, wearing a rain slicker.

"Glad you all are back," he said. "The weather radio says we're in for a long day of this." He pushed his hood down, rain dripping off of his

hair.

"Damn," Evan muttered, going to retrieve another sack of feed. Daniel, meanwhile, had managed his first one, and was plainly

winded, though he pretended he wasn't.

"Yeah. Electricity's out," Adam said. He eyed Daniel and said, "What are you doin'? That's more than ten pounds. Isn't that your

limit?"

Before Daniel could answer, I put in my two cents. "He's not supposed to be lifting this much-he's being contrary."

Adam lifted an eyebrow, and I relished the stern look that Daniel was getting. "No sense in overdoing," he told Daniel.

"That's what I tried to tell him," Evan chimed in, coming back for a fourth sack of feed.

"Hmmm," Adam said, with a disapproving frown, and going to start helping Evan to unload. He shifted a sack of feed to

his shoulder. "Not so smart."

"See?" I said, pointedly, to Daniel. "Now you're in trouble."

"Yeah, Daniel, you're in for it now," Evan said, laughing.

Daniel gave a shrug, and half-sat on the lowered tailgate. "Guess I'd better shape up, then," he said, going along with the teasing.

7

By the time, we all trooped into the house, the rain was still pouring down. We went into the back door, and began to shuck off

our wet boots.

Clare was sitting at the kitchen table, holding a sleeping Isaac, who looked red-faced and flushed. Hannah was standing on the small

step stool, searching for another lantern. There was already one set in the center of the table.

Brian was standing at the stove, making what I assumed was his renowned hot cocoa.

"Yum," I said, coming over to stand beside him, and smelling it in appreciation.

"Go upstairs and get out of those wet clothes," Hannah was saying. "All of you."

I was glad to do that, taking a flashlight, even though there was really enough light still to see by. I went up the back stairs to my bedroom,

where I stripped out of the soaked jeans and shirt I'd been wearing. I was sorely tempted to put on my pajamas, but I realized that was pretty darn ridiculous. Who knew what else the day was going to hold? Besides, which, I would get teased unmercilously.

When I came back down in dry jeans and a old, worn sweatshirt, I was carrying my dry socks. I met up with Guthrie at the top of the

stairs. His hair was wet, and he'd obviously just changed his own clothes.

"Hi," I greeted him.

"Hi."

"Did you get caught out in it, too?" I asked.

"Yeah." He shook his wet hair at me playfully like he was a dog.

"You're annoying," I said, without any real malice. "Guess what?" I asked, as we started down the front stairs.

"What?"

I told him about seeing Kristin about her mother alongside of the road, and how Evan and Daniel had done something to help

them get the car going.

"Have you talked to her today?" I asked him.

"No. Not today," Guthrie said.

I told him how I thought Kristen had been acting strangely.

Immediately, Guthrie looked worried, and said, "What do you mean? How was she actin'?"

"Like-strange," I repeated. "She wouldn't hardly talk, and I could tell something was bothering her."

"Where was they goin'?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask that."

"You should have."

"It was pouring rain on us, and I could tell she didn't want to talk, anyway," I defended. "I asked her to call later on and she said

she'd try to."

"I'll try callin' her now," Guthrie said, and went to the telephone, dialing the number while I stood there beside him.

The telephone rang and rang and rang, but there was no answer at Kristin's house. The answering machine picked up, and Guthrie left a message,

asking Kristen to call him.

He stood there, popping his knuckles, and looking thoughtful.

"I just wondered if you knew what was up with her," I said. "Probably her and her mom were just going shopping or something."

"In this kind of weather?" Guthrie pointed out. He paused, and said, "Which way were they driving?"

"Like out of town. Towards the highway, I guess."

"That's wierd," Guthrie said. "What was wrong with the car?"

I was intensely put off by anything mechanical, other than what I'd been forced to learn by older brothers. Mostly Daniel, who'd

insisted that a female should at least be able to change her own flat tires, and her own oil.

"I don't know," I said. "You'll have to ask Evan or Daniel."

Guthrie rolled his eyes at my mechanical inabilities, and we were to the kitchen. We were installed around the kitchen table

drinking Brian's cocoa, all of us, well, except for Crane, who hadn't come in yet from wherever he'd been working.

Hannah was starting to get concerned about him, and I could tell Adam was, too, although he kept drinking his coffee,

and said, "He'll be along."

When we were starting to make and eat sandwiches and it got darker and darker outside, Evan started to get worried about Nancy, who

was still in town working at the farm store. He was putting on a slicker and saying that he was going into town to pick her up, instead

of having her drive herself.

"I'll ride with ya," Daniel said.

"You sure?" Evan asked, pausing at the doorway.

"Yeah," Daniel said, and moved to stand up.

"You just got back," Jill said, in protest, her hand on his arm.

Daniel paused, and said, "We won't be long."

"I know, but-" Jill let her voice trail off, giving him a soulful look. I'd seen her do that before, use that sort of look to win Daniel over to

her way of thinking. Usually it worked, too. Now, though, Daniel said, (still in as gentle a tone as he used normally with Jill), "I'm gonna

ride with Evan. I've got a little cabin fever, or somethin'. I need to get out."

"You were just out," Jill said, in a low tone. I don't know if everybody could hear her, but I did. And Guthrie, did. We exchanged a look of

mutual disgust, and I rolled my eyes.

Hannah caught us at it, and said, low, "Alright, you two." That was all, but we knew what she meant.

7