Brian watched the sun fade, and chewed the inside of his lip with worry.
"Where's Adam?" Daniel asked.
"He'll be back." Brian said. "Is that stew ready, do you think?" He asked turning back to the fire.
"It smells funny." Ford said peering into the pot.
"Yeah, it does, but I'm hungry, aren't you?" Brian asked him.
"I guess so." Ford said but seemed unconvinced.
To be honest, the stew tasted just left of horrible, but Brian ate it, so that the younger boys would too. He tried to keep them distracted and cheerful, but as the last rays of the sun began to fade, it became hard to pretend he wasn't worried. He listened to his brothers, played with Guthrie, and built a good campfire, but all the while he was thinking of Adam and Crane.
"I'm worried." Daniel said sitting beside Brian at the fire. "Maybe you should go look for them."
"Then I'll be gone too. No, they must have a reason for being late. We'll wait. Maybe they decided to hole up for the night." He was surprised when Daniel moved closer and leaned against him. He put an arm around his little brother. "It'll be okay, Danny. Try not to worry."
"Sometimes, things aren't alright." Daniel said sounding much older than his eight years. Brian looked at him and nodded.
"I know partner." He sighed and stoked the flames.
***7***
Daniel, Ford and Guthrie were all asleep, but Brian paced. It was nearly two a.m. and he was filled with panic. He had no idea how to get his brothers and the herd down by himself. If Adam didn't return . . . It didn't help that when he glanced at his watch he saw it was 2:14 a.m. - the very time they had declared his father dead; his mother had been killed on impact. He only knew these details because he had cornered a nurse at the hospital, and grilled and grilled her, until she'd finally told him things he thought he'd wanted to know. Now, looking at the numbers on his watch - so ominous - he thought maybe it would have been better not to know. He stated up at the moon. It seemed so dark and cold - almost sinister.-
The sound of branches crunching, made him spin to the left, and he went for his rifle, hoping he wouldn't have to face a coyote on top of everything else. He lifted his rifle and squinted down the sites, his finger near the trigger when he saw . . . Crane.
Setting the rifle aside, he ran to his younger brother with his arms outstretched. "Crane! What happened? Where's Adam?" He threw his arms around his brother who looked weary and dirty.
"I'm right here." Adam said his voice sharp. "Crane's horse took a misstep and twisted her foot. She's pretty lame, and we had to walk her back slowly. I thought about riding ahead, but then Crane would've been alone."
"I'm sorry you were worried." Crane said still hugging Brian. "I bet you were pretty scared."
"Yeah," Brian admitted. "I was."
"Oh, don't over-react, Brian. Stuff like this happens every year." He walked past his brothers and led the horses to the corral. "Don't be so dramatic."
Seeing Brian's face, Crane said, "Let it go, Bri. He's just pissed off. You know Adam, he likes to do everything perfect."
"Yeah," Brian said watching his older brother. "He needs to calm down. He can't drive us all. I mean, geez, Daniel's only eight years old for Christ's sake! He keeps pushing us like . . ." He drew in a breath realizing that he was only going to get more upset. He looked at Crane. "You must be hungry. We've got some really, really terrible stew."
"Sounds perfect." Crane said laughing.
***7***
Adam lay Guthrie back down inside the tent. It had taken longer than ever to get him back to sleep. He'd cried and cried. Adam ran a hand over his face. It was nearly 4:30 a.m., and it was close enough to sunrise to make sleep seem like a crazy idea. He was tired. He wished he could crawl under the covers close his eyes, and wake up to the sound of his mother singing while she made breakfast. He swallowed down tears, and tried to think of something else; anything else. He felt on the verge of a breakdown. Everywhere he turned, it seemed, there was a little brother looking to him for guidance. He wanted to run away. He wanted to pack his suitcase, get on a bus and become a college freshman without a backward glance. He did NOT want to be a rancher. He'd never wanted to be a rancher. He and his father had talked about it. They'd talked about it a lot. His father had hoped Adam would want to run the ranch some day, but understood, Adam's desire to go to school and become a doctor. And now . . .
Adam was already fixing breakfast, when a few hours later Brian crawled out of the tent.
"Did you ever sleep?" Brian asked. "You were still up when I fell asleep."
"I'm fine." Adam said his voice flat and emotionless. "We need to get everybody up and moving. We should be able to get the rest of herd today, and maybe start bringing 'em in, tomorrow or the next day. Was Daniel okay with the little ones? Did he get those cows tagged?"
"The little guys were fine." Brian said pouring himself a cup of coffee. He'd never like coffee but looking at his older brother's face, he decided he more than needed it. "Danny got most of 'em done."
"I need him to do what I ask - not mostly do it!"
"Keep your voice down. They're still sleeping. Look, Adam, I know you're . . . listen we are all hurtin', but you've got to stop driving everyone so hard. They aren't hired hands or cattlemen - they're your brothers."
"I know that!" Adam said.
"Yeah, well, you could show a little compassion. They buried their parents eight days ago, remember? Danny's eight years old! Did dad leave you in charge of camp when you were eight? Oh, that's right. He probably did. You were his Wonder Son who could do no wrong." Brian stormed away.
***7***
Daniel McFadden looked up from the corral and saw two horses approaching. He lifted Guthrie from where he had been playing in the dirt and walked to meet them. It wasn't his brothers.
"Mike!" Daniel said surprised.
"Danny Boy!" Mike said jumping down from his horse. "Is that Guthrie under all that dirt?" He took Guthrie from Daniel's arms. Mike Ellis was one of his father's good friends. He had a ranch not too far from Circle Bar Seven. Riding up behind him was another family friend Rob Burton.
"You in charge of camp, Daniel?" Rob asked leading both horses to the corral. "Everything looks good. The boys out working?"
"Yep. They wouldn't let me go." Five year old Ford protested. "They said I'm too small."
Rob lifted the boy up in to his arms. "Well, it is a good thing they left you behind because I brought brownies from my wife! You want some?" Ford nodded enthusiastically. The two men led the boys over to the cooking area, and unpacked a feast of sandwiches, juice, cookies and brownies. Daniel ate until he felt like he was going to pop. He leaned back and looked up at Mike who was smiling at him.
"Better?" Mike asked him. Daniel nodded. "Alright then, let's see what we can get done before Junior gets back. You wanna help me tag some cows?"
***7***
Crane could have found his way back to camp blindfolded. They picked up the scent of something delicious more than a mile away from the corral. Crane leaned forward in his saddle and felt his stomach growl.
"Ya smell that? No way Brian is cooking. You don't suppose Danny can cook, do ya?" Crane asked looking at Adam.
"I wouldn't think so." Adam sat up higher in his saddle. "C'mon. Let's find out."
Crane was flooded with a strong sense of relief when they rode into camp and saw Mike and Rob there. It was strange the feeling of security that filled him when he knew there were two actual grown ups in camp.
"Hey there, Junior!" Mike said. "We were headed up past Tollhouse and thought we'd drop by for the day. You boys look like you're doing just fine."
Adam slid off his horse, and walking to Mike, shook his hand. "We're getting by, I guess." Adam said with a grin.
"Well, our wives sent up a pile of food. You must be starved. You look kind of skinny, son. You been eating?"
"Just what me and Brian been cooking, and I guess I'm not that good a cook, yet." He said quietly.
"Well, c'mon then." He led Adam to the cook fire, and piled a plate high with food for him. Adam sat down and gladly ate.
"Wait til you taste the cookies!" Daniel told him with a grin.
Adam looked at Daniel, "You get everything done, this time."
"Yep." Daniel smiled and Rob winked at him.
"Danny's a good worker. We got all of 'em tagged. We fixed a couple of injuries and got those ones separated out from the rest." He pointed to a smaller corral. They seem in pretty good condition. Looks like it won't be a bad year for Circle Bar Seven." Mike said pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Thanks." Adam said. "You didn't have to come all the way out here and . . ."
"I didn't? Have you met my wife? Hell, Junior," He sighed suddenly serious. "Your Dad was . . . well, it seems the least I can do. You can run a round up all on your own, I've no doubt of that. Ranching seems to come real natural to you, but I don't know, seems like an awful lot to take on."
Adam set his plate down, no longer hungry. "We'll make it."
"I am sure of that." Mike said. "Rob, you make sure these boys get all snuggled in. Me, and Junior are gonna take a walk, okay?"
"What do you want me to do?" Rob asked. "Tell 'em a bedtime story?"
"Great idea, and then sing 'em a lullaby."
***7***
Adam looked out over the valley that spread out below them, as the sun began to set. Mike leaned against a nearby tree.
"You doing alright, Junior?"
"Adam." Adam looked up into Mike's eyes. "Could you call me Adam?"
"Yeah, that's right. I always forget, don't I? You doing okay, Adam?" Mike asked again.
"I guess. I don't know. I haven't had time to think about it. The boys seem okay, don't they. I mean, I know everyone's dirty, but we've been working real hard."
"They seem just fine all things considered. Listen, there's talk about what to do about you boys. Some folks are pretty set on making sure that the little ones have a "proper" home."
"They do have a home." Adam said angrily.
"Yeah, and listen, we can go over the finances and stuff later, but the life insurance paid off the house - free and clear. You don't ever have to worry about that. But running a ranch is really hard, Adam. You know that. Making it pay, and keeping out of debt - that's no small thing for anyone." Mike looked at Adam.
"Yeah, I know."
"It's really hard and you have to love it; it has to be in your blood."
"It's in my blood. Look, maybe I never wanted to be a rancher, but I am one now."
"Adam, you can still go to college. Listen, we can figure a way to make it work."
"What split up the guys? No, I've been thinking and thinking on this. I've only got one choice which is really no choice at all. We are brothers and we stick together. That's what mom and dad always said. Family first. Always. I know, I'm still a kid. I'm not stupid, and maybe I would've gone to school and become a doctor. Maybe I would've been good at it. But that's not a choice now. I'm giving up the scholarship. I'm calling them when I get back. And then I'm gonna find a way to make sure that we all stay together."
Mike sighed. "You are eighteen years old, Junior!"
"Not yet." Adam said softly.
"What?"
"I'll be eighteen in thirteen days." Adam said with a grin. Mike laughed.
"You are as stubborn as he is." He sighed. "I imagine the biggest problem you're gonna face is that everything's gonna be decided by folks out of Sonora. Murphys is too small, so you are going to have to convince strangers to let your brothers stay. As it is now, temporarily they are in your care. They'll send a social worker to check on everything and make recommendations. If they had a local social worker, they could turn the case over to them." He looked at Adam with a grin. "Guess what my Marlene used to do up in the big city, before I dragged her out here?"
"You're wife was a social worker?" Adam asked surprised.
"Yep. Retired more or less, but she's working on coming out of retirement, even as we speak."
"I don't think I can think of the right kind of thank you." Adam said stunned.
"Well, we will see how it all plays out. And if she does wind up in charge of checking on you boys, you'll have to agree to her terms. And I imagine she'll have some rules for you - like letting her feed you all now, and again."
"She's a good cook." Adam said, and Mike reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "Don't worry. No one's gonna take those boys from you. Not if we can help it." He looked out at the darkening sky. "I guess we better head back. Rob and I will head out in the morning. You can get the cows in. If you run into any trouble at all - we'll be up past Tollhouse. You need anything; you come for us."
"Thanks, Mike."
***7***
"What's wrong?" Rob asked startled. It was nearly three a.m. and Guthrie was crying.
"Is he sick?" Mike asked.
"You can go on back to sleep." Adam said over Guthrie's cries. "He just . . .he'll be fine."
"Mama!" Guthrie cried. "Mama!"
"God, that's an awful sound." Mike said.
"He doesn't understand." Daniel said crawling out from his sleeping bag. "He wants Mama, and he doesn't understand that she's gone." He looked up into Mike's face. Mike's eyes grew big.
"Adam will sing to him, and after awhile he falls asleep." Daniel said. "Don't worry." He climbed back into his sleeping bag.
Mike and Rob both sat up for a long time listening to the faint sound of Adam singing. It was hard to hear the lullaby underneath the sound of Guthrie's mournful wail. It was impossible to say which was worse: Guthrie's endless weeping or his brothers broken-hearted efforts to comfort him.