The next morning, when I came downstairs for breakfast, I was still barefoot, and carrying my socks and boots. I went to the

kitchen, which was already abuzz with activity and noise. There were two or three different conversations going on at the same time,

and I was half-listening to them all. It's a skill that I've acquired over the years, and it comes in handy with such a large family.

Guthrie was talking to Hannah about having Kristin come over for supper, and was saying something about Kristin having a rough

time at home again. I felt bad about that. I hadn't talked to Kristin for nearly a week.

"Of course she can come," Hannah was saying, in answer to Guthrie's request, as well as spooning baby food into

Isaac's little bird-like mouth at the same time.

"Good morning," she said to me, as I slipped into my own chair at the table, after setting my socks and boots over by the

door.

"Morning," I said.

"How was your evening at Lori's? Did you have fun?" she asked me.

"Yeah. We had fun."

"Good," she said, and smiled at me.

"Maybe Kristin can just spend the night, too," I suggested, entering into their conversation.

"That's fine," Hannah said. "If she wants to."

"She will," Guthrie said. "Anything to get out of that house for awhile."

I made a mental note to ask Guthrie what was going on with Kristin, as I put eggs from the platter onto my plate,

and poured milk into my glass.

Evan was asking where we were going to buy some hay at, and offering to go and get it.

"The Pearson's offered the best deal," Adam was saying. "If we take fifty bales, they'll shave some off the price."

"Okay. When do you want me to go?" Evan asked. "After breakfast?"

Adam looked down the table at Brian and Crane. "I don't know. Does that work for you guys?"

There was a general consensus that after breakfast was a good time to pick up the hay.

I'd wondered how long we were going to be able to keep all the cattle in that pasture out back. There were just

too many of them for the grass available there. Which was why hay was going to have to be begun to be fed already. Plus that were

no ponds in that pasture. So water had to be hauled to the tanks every day.

It was while I was finishing up my breakfast that Crane made a quiet announcement that later that afternoon he was

going into San Andreas to drop off some camera film, and then stop to talk to somebody at the sheriff's office there, about what

we'd seen the day before concerning the Mustangs. I made up my mind that I was going to do my upmost to go with him. I

wanted to talk to him some more about it all. When Crane said that, I looked in Adam's direction, and he didn't say anything, but he

didn't look entirely approving, either. He just nodded in acknowledgement.

While chores were being talked about and handed out, I waited, until I was assigned to helping fill the water tanks with Ford and Daniel.

It goes faster with three people. One to drive the truck. One to stand in the bed of the truck to turn on the water. And one to hop to the

ground to run the water hoses into the stock tanks to fill them.

I had my mind on the day ahead when I caught the end of a conversation between Crane and Daniel.

I heard Crane say something about Daniel needing to talk to Adam and Brian, and Daniel's return comment that

he planned on it. Then there was another comment from Daniel along the lines of something being a 'great opportunity', and

how 'the money would bolster things up'.

They were standing by the back door, talking, and I'd come back into the kitchen to refill Adam's coffee cup, and take

back to him in the living room, where he was still talking over the day with Brian and Evan. When Crane and Daniel

heard me near the coffee pot, Daniel sort of stuck his head around the corner.

When he saw it was me, he grinned at me, and he and Crane went on talking, though about more general things, and

not acting as though their conversation was a secret. General, as in how the tractor was leaking oil, and such.

I filed that away in my mind, too, curious as to what they'd been discussing.

Firstly, before I headed out with Ford and Daniel to take care of filling the water tanks, I caught up with Crane,

as he was pulling on his ball cap, and going down the front porch steps.

"Can I go with you today?" I asked him, trying to match him step for step across the yard, which isn't easy, with the long legs that

he has.

"I thought you were helping with the water," he said, misunderstanding.

"I am. I don't mean right now. I mean later on. When you go into San Andreas," I clarified.

Ford was honking the old truck's horn. "Come on, Har!" he was yelling to me, as Daniel loaded the water hoses into the back.

I waved to him, to show that I'd heard. Crane was still walking, heading towards the barn, and I stuck with him.

"Can I?" I asked again. "Go with you?"

By now, we'd reached the barn, and Crane began sorting thru the shelves beside the big door. The shelves are laden with all

sorts of things. Tools, half-used cans of paint, baling wire, all of that.

"I'm just going to run there real quick," Crane was saying, as he sifted thru the messy shelves.

The truck horn blasted again. For me.

"I know. But I want to go with you. Please, Crane."

He paused in his task, and looked down at me. "I wouldn't mind the company," he said.

I gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks," I said. "When are you leaving?"

"Around two or so, probably."

"Okay," I said, and ran to catch up with Ford and Daniel.

At first I drove the truck, while Ford stood in the bed of the truck, and Daniel worked the water hoses. After a couple of turns around

the pasture, and when we were nearing the last water tank, I stopped and hopped out.

"Can we switch?" I asked Ford.

"If you want," he said agreeably, and went to get behind the steering wheel.

I clambered up into the back of the truck, and, as Ford began moving forward slowly, thru the throng of cattle, I

asked Daniel, "What's your opportunity?"

Daniel, who was sitting on the tailgate, looked at me. "What?"

"Your opportunity. I heard you tell Crane it was a good opportunity."

"You know what they say about eavesdroppers, squirt," Daniel responded.

"I wasn't being an eavesdropper," I denied. "I just happened to come in when you were saying it."

"Uh huh," he said dryly. And that was all he said.

By now Ford had pulled up beside the last water tank, and had turned up the radio. Daniel hopped to the ground,

and I began twisting the handle to start the water running, while he adjusted the hoses.

"What is it, Daniel?" I persisted. I knew I shouldn't bug him, but I felt an odd sense of unease.

"It's a gig," he said.

"A music job?" I asked. "Well, that's good. Right?"

"I think it is."

"Where at?" I asked then.

By now the water was coming thru the hoses at a good rate, and Daniel half-sat on the tail gate again. I did the same, sitting on the other

side, the hoses between us.

Daniel turned to look at me, and it seemed to me as though he was measuring me up somehow.

It was then I knew. This job, or gig, or whatever it was, was not close by. That's why he'd only told Crane so far.

"Are you going back to Nashville?" I asked him, really quietly.

"I'm thinking about it," he said, just as quietly.

"You said you'd stay for the whole summer," I said, before I could restrain myself. "You promised."

"I know I did," he said, and made no excuses.

"But now you're not going to?" I persisted.

"Sometimes, something comes along-and it's big enough, and special enough, that you have to consider it. Even if

you've already made a promise."

"What's bigger than a promise?" I asked him, wondering if he could hear the challenge in my voice.

"Opening for Eddie Rabbitt."

For a long few moments, I was surprised into silence. That was big. Eddie Rabbitt had had number one hit songs in his career.

"Oh," I said. "Wow. That is huge."

The water was nearing the top of the tank, and Daniel stood up, going to adjust the hose a bit. "Get ready to turn it off," he told me.

I went to put my hand on the faucet, waiting.

A couple of minutes later, he said, "Okay," to me, and I turned the handle until the water was no longer trickling out.

When he'd put the hoses back into the bed of the truck, and reseated himself on the tail gate, he called out to Ford, who

turned the radio down, and stuck his head out of the driver's window.

"Ready?" Ford called.

"Ready!" Daniel hollered.

I sat down, too, quickly, on the place I'd been sitting at, on the opposite end of the tail gate.

"That's good," I said, as we bounced along thru the pasture. "I see what you mean about it being a good opportunity."

Daniel regarded me, his dark eyes intent.

"I haven't talked to Adam about it yet," he said. "Or Brian. So-"

"I won't say anything," I told him.

After a moment, I asked, "When would you go?"

"Two weeks."

"Oh," I said, and suddenly, even though he was right there beside me, not more than two feet separating us, I felt

alone, and sort of bereft.

When we were out of the pasture, and Daniel had opened, and then reclosed the gate, I got off the tailgate, dusting

off the seat of my jeans. Ford drove on around us, intent on parking the truck, and that left Daniel and I walking together.

He reached down to squeeze my hand. "I don't like breaking a promise," he said. "I don't want you to think that I do."

"I don't think that," I told him. "I'm not a baby, Daniel. I understand that things happen, and priorities have to

be changed."

He squeezed my hand again, and then let it go.

7

I was quiet at lunchtime, my thoughts all over the place. I felt Daniel watching me a couple of times, from

his spot across the table.

After lunch, I took Isaac outside to pull him around in the old wagon that had belonged to Guthrie and I when we were

little. I wrapped a sheet around the baby on all sides, so he would have some cushion and also to insure that he didn't topple

out of the wagon. I pulled him down the driveway, and as I usually did, talked to him the entire way down and back. Just as

though he could understand everything that I was saying.

I went to the mailbox, opening it, not expecting the mail to have been delivered yet. But it had. I took out the stack, sifting thru

it, curiously. There were several bills. One from the rural water association, one for the telephone, and another that looked

as though it was from an insurance company. Aside from that, there was a rodeo magazine, addressed to Evan, and a letter

in a light purple envelope, addressed to Daniel. No return address. I had my suspicions about that one. Some groupie girl, I figured.

There was another letter, this one addressed to me. No return address on mine, either.

"Look, Isaac," I said, crouching beside the wagon, and beginning to open my envelope. The baby grabbed at the stack of mail,

and since I figured the bills were most important, and couldn't be ripped up, I let him hold Evan's magazine. He happily began

to gum and chew at the corner of the pages.

The last time I'd gotten anything in the mail, it had been from Seth. I hoped that wasn't the case this time.

And it wasn't. When I opened the sheet of stationary, a whiff of familiar perfume filtered out. And then I began to

read,

"My Darling Harlie,

I hope you are doing well, and having an enjoyable summer. I find myself missing your company,

and think of you often. Please use the enclosed to buy yourself something.

Aunt Karissa"

I peered into the envelope again, and there was a fifty dollar bill, folded in half. I stood up, and just stayed in that

spot for a long few minutes, thinking.

I'd really never figured to hear from Karissa again. At least not for a good long while. It had been, I considered, about three

months or so since the court case.

I tucked the letter and the money back into the envelope, and started back up the driveway, still talking to Isaac.

"What do you think about that, huh, baby?" I asked him. "Sending me money, and acting as though nothing happened?"

Isaac continued to gum Evan's magazine in reply.

I'd have to tell Adam. I knew I had to. Still, there was so much going on. Money was tight. We'd lost cattle. Maybe telling him about it

could wait a while.

I stopped myself right then. That was how I'd gotten into trouble before. Convincing myself that it would be better to put it off, to wait to talk to Adam and Brian about her first coming around. I couldn't do that again. I tucked my envelope into my back pocket of my jeans.

Evan was coming out of the house, as I was gathering Isaac up to carry him.

"Mail here already?" he asked me, munching on an apple, and holding the door open for me.

"Uh huh. You got a magazine," I said, and gently tugged the magazine from Isaac's little hands. "Here."

Evan took the magazine from me, giving me a look that was meant to scald, to reprimand, I knew.

"Of course you gave him my magazine to chew on," he said ruefully, holding it out in front of him.

"It's alright," I said, and brushed at the wet spot on the corner of the magazine. "Put it in the sun on the porch, and it will be

good as new."

"Uh huh," he said dryly, and I couldn't suppress the giggle that escaped.

"Glad you find it so funny," he said.

"I'm sorry, Ev," I said, but I couldn't help another snicker of amusement.

I went to take Isaac inside, laying him on the couch to change his diaper and put on a clean onesie, from the basket of

clothes that was setting on the end of the couch, waiting to be folded.

After that, I sat and held him on my lap, jiggling him up and down, and blowing raspberries on his stomach, making him

laugh. People don't really think babies can laugh, but Isaac can. He can actually laugh out loud.

Crane came down the stairs, buttoning up a clean shirt. "I'm going to be ready to go in about twenty minutes," he told me. "Still

going with me?"

"Yes!" I said. "Do you know where Hannah is?"

"Out in the garden, the last I saw."

Once Crane had gone, I took Isaac to the kitchen, where I managed to make him a bottle, while still holding him. It wasn't easy,

because he kept grabbing for things. I had an admiration for Hannah, who made it appear so easy.

"No, no, little man," I said, as Isaac wrapped his fingers around my headband, pulling it down.

Trying to balance the baby, and keep his fingers from intertwining any tighter in my hair, plus hold the bottle, had me wishing

for another pair of hands.

"Need some help?" Adam spoke from behind me, and I turned to look at him. He looked amused.

"I could use some help for sure," I said.

"Here," Adam said, and loosened Isaac's fingers from my hair. Isaac, upon seeing his daddy, began to reach out for Adam.

Adam took the baby from me, and I pushed my headband back into place, and shook the bottle, mixing the formula.

"I'm going with Crane to San Andreas in a little while," I said.

Adam reached out to take the bottle. "Alright," he said.

As he leaned Isaac back, and the baby began to drink from his bottle, I asked, in a casual way, "Can I talk to you later?"

Adam regarded me seriously. "Sure. Do you want to talk now?"

I thought for a moment. When I told Adam about the letter from Karissa and the money she'd sent, I didn't want to have to rush

thru it. If I told him now, and it got all involved, and in-depth, I might have to forego my trip to San Andreas with Crane. And I didn't

want to do that.

"No," I said. "Later is okay. After supper?"

"Okay," he said, in agreement.

7