The next morning, armed again with their rifles, Brian and Crane and Evan went back to where we'd been before, to search for the missing
cattle. It had figured out to be about twenty-two head that we were missing.
They were gone until the afternoon, arriving home hot and tired, and hungry, and driving twelve cattle down. After the cattle had been
put back with the rest of the herd, we sat down to an early supper due to them not having had any lunch. Over pulled pork sandwiches,
and cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden, they filled everybody else in on how the search for the cattle had gone. The twelve that
they had located had been gathered together. Further up than what Evan and Guthrie and I had trailed them.
"You didn't see others, besides the ones you brought in?" Adam asked, looking concerned.
"Not a trace of 'em," Brian said, reaching for the barbeque sauce.
"Makes no sense," Adam said, almost to himself.
"It makes perfect sense, if cattle rustling is what's going on around here," Brian said.
For a moment the table was silent. And then Clare turned her face up to look at Brian. "Is that what you think?" she asked.
Brian hesitated, and then reached for his iced tea, wrapping his fingers around the cold glass.
"I don't know what I think exactly," he admitted.
"Well, where could they have gone to?" Hannah asked, looking down the table at Adam.
Adam shook his head in response. "I don't know," he said, sounding worried, and grim at the same time.
"What I do know is this," Adam went on. "We need to find those other ten cows. We can't afford a loss like that."
"Could they have gotten onto one of the neighboring ranches?" Clare suggested.
"They would have called us," Crane told her.
"Well, now what?" Hannah asked. "I mean, what do we do now?"
"Keep lookin' for the cattle," Adam said. "And keep our eyes and ears open. Here at home. And in town, too. Never know
what you might hear around town."
As if that reminded them all that Daniel's chair at the table was empty, Brian nodded towards it, and asked, "Where's Danny?"
"He went to town," Ford offered.
"Again?" Brian asked, scooting his chair away from the table, and getting to his feet. "He have a new girl, or somethin'?"
Nobody really answered. I didn't, because I didn't know if it was true or not. Guthrie shrugged in reply, and Evan said, "Beats me."
The only one who looked even a bit knowledgeable about Brian's question was Ford, who reached for another sandwich, and avoided
looking at anyone else.
"Does he, Ford?" Hannah asked, curiously. "Have a date with someone in Murphys?"
"Not that I know of," Ford said, busy pouring bbq sauce onto his bun, and sounding vague.
"Well, the least he can do is stay home once in awhile," Brian grumbled. "He's still tryin' to live the city life."
"He did his work," Crane defended. "He's entitled to go out if he wants to."
"You used to go out a lot," Evan offered, from his side of the table, directing his comment to Brian.
Brian paused in his pouring of a fresh cup of coffee. "Well, I know that," he said.
Clare had gotten up by now, and gone to lean into Brian's side. "Just how often was it that you used to go out?" she asked, smiling
up at him.
Before Brian could answer, Evan chimed in, with a grin. "Only every single night of the week."
"Oh?" Clare asked.
"I don't think it was every single night," Brian denied, wrapping an arm around Clare's waist.
"It was an awful lot," I threw in, and then gave Brian a sweet smile when he tossed me a dark look.
Everybody was laughing at all the joking around, when the telephone rang. I got up first, and said, "I'll get it!" and
and ran thru to the living room.
My 'hello' was breathless.
"Hey, squirt," Daniel's voice answered me. "Crane around?"
"He's eating supper," I volunteered.
"Well, get him for me, would ya?"
"Did the Jeep break down?" I asked him.
"No. Go on and get Crane now," he urged.
There was something about his voice. I couldn't tell just what, but I sensed that something was up. Or something was off somehow. One
of those.
"What's happening?" I asked.
"Nothin' that you need to worry about," Daniel said, in that maddening way that older brothers talk. This comment only confirmed to
me that there was, indeed, something of interest or concern happening.
"Just Crane?" I asked then, fishing for more information. "You don't want to talk to anybody else?"
"Listen, brat, you're starting to get on my nerves," Daniel informed me. "Do like I tell you. Now."
"Okay, fine, crabapple," I accused. "I'll go get him."
"Thank you," Daniel said, with a sigh that suggested I was an annoyance.
I laid the receiver down on the table louder than was necessary, hoping it was ricocheting off of Daniel's ear.
I went back to the kitchen, pausing in the doorway. "Crane, Daniel wants to talk to you."
"What's up?" he asked me, as he got to his feet.
"I don't know. He's being all secretive about it," I complained. Crane grinned, and paused beside me long enough to
kiss the top of my head.
"More like you're being Miss Nosy Nellie," he corrected.
"No such thing," I objected.
I watched him walk with his long stride to the living room.
"Come and finish your supper," Hannah told me, from her end of the table.
I went back over to my seat beside Guthrie. When the conversation at the table rose over a certain level again, I nudged
Guthrie in the ribs. "Something's up with Daniel," I said, low.
He raised his eyebrow, looking mildly curious, and as soon as we'd helped clear the table, we both made our way outside.
"So what's up with Daniel?" he asked me.
"I don't know. He wouldn't say. But it's something."
"How come you say that?" Guthrie demanded.
"I can just tell," I said.
"Oh, Har, good grief," Guthrie said, obviously not in the mood for my investigative suspicions.
I was getting ready to say more when the screen door opened, and Crane came out, heading down the steps.
"See?" I whispered to Guthrie.
"Where you goin', Crane?" Guthrie asked.
"To meet up with Daniel," Crane said.
"How come?" Guthrie asked.
Crane paused at the middle step, turning to look back up at us. "Seriously, Guth?" he accused, and gave me a telling glance, as if I was
causing Guthrie's inquisitiveness.
"I was just askin'," Guthrie protested.
"Yeah. Don't blame me," I said, in defense.
Crane shook his head, and went on down the steps, climbing into the truck, and starting it up.
"Wanna go with me to the movies?" Guthrie offered then.
"Are you picking Kristin up?" I asked.
"Yeah. At least, I'm gonna go by the restaurant and see if she wants to go."
"Sure," I agreed.
We both went inside, and sought out an adult McFadden. Brian and Clare had disappeared, as had Evan, but Adam and Hannah
were still in the kitchen. They were alternately washing and drying dishes, between quick kisses.
Guthrie and I looked at each other, grinning at seeing them that way.
Guthrie cleared his throat, in an over-exaggerated way, and they both turned to look at us.
"What are you two up to?" Hannah asked.
"Thinkin' about goin' to the movies," Guthrie said.
"With Kristin?" Hannah asked then, turning to face us, while Adam wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I thought I'd ask her," Guthrie said. "It okay if I go?"
"Be home by curfew," Adam said.
"I will," Guthrie said.
I stood there beside Guthrie, just smiling at Adam a little. "What about you, baby girl?" he asked, smiling back at me.
"Guthrie invited me along," I said. "Can I go?"
"Home by eleven," Adam said.
I nodded in agreement, and we both headed upstairs to change out of our chore clothes. As we went up the stairs, Guthrie
suggested we stop and see if Kenny wanted to go along with us.
I had already come to the conclusion that Kenny and I were better off just being friends. That's what we had been the majority
of our growing up years. And that's how I still thought of him. I was pondering just how to approach the subject with Guthrie. I didn't want
him aggravated with me for not wanting to date one of his friends, like he'd been when I hadn't wanted to date Tony Williams any more.
"I have an idea," I said, as a sudden thought occurred to me.
"What?"
"I'll tell you when we're ready to go," I told him, and we both separated to go change our clothes.
Once I came out of my bedroom, wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt and my good jeans, I carried my boots in my hand as I went
down the stairs. I went to look up a number in the telephone book, and then after I made my call, I went to talk to Hannah and Adam
while I waited for Guthrie to come downstairs.
As we pulled out of the end of our long driveway, I told Guthrie who I had called.
7