Once we were all up the front steps of the house, me following after Crane and Kenny, and then Daniel closing the door
behind all of us, well, then, Crane said to Kenny, "Sit down." He motioned to one of the couches.
Kenny went to sit down quick enough. He wasn't sobbing any longer. Just more sniffling, and breathing sort of ragged, like you
do when you're trying to stop crying. He kept his face turned away, and I figured that he was really embarrassed.
"I'm going to grab a cup of coffee," Crane said, in an off-hand way. "How about a glass of sweet tea, Kenny?"
Kenny sort of bobbed his head in answer, and Crane turned to head to the kitchen, nodding at me to follow along.
So I did, and Daniel did, too.
Once in the kitchen, Crane went about the task of starting a fresh pot of coffee.
"Are you going to talk to him?" I asked, quietly, coming up beside Crane.
"I'm going to try."
He switched on the coffee pot, and looked down at me. "Why don't you take Scooter and go on upstairs?"
I knew that was Crane's way of saying that he thought Kenny was embarrassed enough, and that any talking might
go better if it was just he and Kenny.
I nodded in agreement, and began fixing a bottle for Isaac, so that I wouldn't have to come back downstairs later.
Daniel began making himself a huge sandwich, layered with cheese and turkey slices, tomatoes and sweet pickles.
As I was putting the top on the bottle for the baby, Daniel asked me if I wanted a sandwich, as well.
"No, thanks," I said.
Crane was heading back into the living room, carrying a cup of coffee and the glass of tea for Kenny.
I went along behind him, and went over to the bassinet to scoop up the still-sleeping Isaac.
Kenny, who seemed quieter, said, "He's sure gettin' big," to me.
"Yeah," I agreed. Our eyes met for just a split second or so. Kenny looked, for lack of any better words, like death warmed
over.
"I'll see you," I said to him, not knowing what else to say.
"Yeah. See ya, Harlie," he responded, ducking his head and looking away from me.
Crane gave me a half-smile as I headed up the stairs, with my arms full of the baby.
Instead of going to my own room, I took Isaac to Hannah and Adam's bedroom, and laid him in his crib. I covered
him with a baby blanket, and set the bottle of milk on the dresser, in case he woke up later.
Then I went to my room, and got into my pajamas, and grabbed the book I'd been reading. I went back to their room,
and propped myself up on pillows, laying on top of the quilt on the bed, and began to read.
It wasn't too long after, when Daniel appeared in the open doorway.
"Hey," he said, quietly.
"Hi," I said, looking up from my book.
He came on into the room, going to look into the crib at the baby, and then coming over to Hannah and Adam's bed.
"What're you readin'?" he asked me.
I turned the book so that he could see the title.
"'The Ladies of Missalonghi'," Daniel read.
"Uh huh."
"What's that about?" he asked.
"A town in Australia, a long time ago," I told him.
"Hmm."
"It's only been out for a couple of months," I went on.
Daniel nodded in response. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and I moved my feet slightly so that he had
more room.
"I wanna talk to you, squirt," he began, all quiet and serious.
I lowered the book to lay it beside me. "Okay," I said, not certain what he had planned to say. I was still feeling
a little hurt by his abruptness earlier at shutting down my questions.
"It's about earlier, when you were askin' me about the money stuff," he said.
I waited, biting at my lip a little, as he went on.
"It was ticking me off, the way you kept on, when I told you to stop," he said then.
So, this was another lecture? I tried not to let my frustration show on my face.
"I got that," I said, trying not to sound defensive, but apparently failing. "You don't have to tell me again."
Daniel sighed heavily, and gave me a pointed look. "There you go. Gettin' mad again."
"I'm not," I protested. "I'm just saying that I heard you."
"Okay." He sighed again. "The thing is, I'm feelin' as though I got a little rough about it. I need to try to
remember that you're here all the time, and you're old enough to see stuff that's goin' on."
At first I was relieved at Daniel's comment, his consensus that I had a right to know some things. Then I was
just as quickly struck by the worry.
"So, there is something wrong?" I asked him.
"Not wrong, exactly," he said. "Just not enough money for everything right now."
"Well, why?" I asked. "Nothing major has happened lately."
"Sometimes things just go in cycles, with money," Daniel said. Isaac made a couple of soft noises, and we both
looked toward the crib, waiting.
When it seemed as though the baby was going to stay asleep, Daniel went on. "The taxes are due, and all of that. And
the loss of the cows that were shot, that didn't help."
"Oh," I said, thinking.
"It takes a lot to keep things goin' around here," Daniel said.
"There are an awful lot of us," I said, and our eyes met. Daniel sort of smiled.
"Yeah. There sure are," he agreed.
"Maybe it will help, when the cattle are sold," I said. "Adam told me that was going to be soon."
Daniel nodded. "It will help, some."
I wrinkled my forehead at him, questioningly.
"There's overhead," he said then. "Bills to pay from the cattle, before there's any profit."
"Oh."
"Anyway," Daniel went on, "I wanted to talk to you about it. I could have told you then just as easy as I'm tellin' you now."
"It's okay," I said.
"It's nothin' for you to worry over," he added. "Just one of those low-tide money times around here."
"Okay," I said.
"I'm sorry I treated you like that," Daniel said. "As if you had no right to ask, and all."
Now, I was surprised. He meant it, too. I could tell by the way he was looking at me, his eyes all serious and
sort of questioning.
"It's okay," I said, again.
"So, we're good?" he asked me.
"Yeah. We're good."
He nodded. "Want some ice cream?" he asked.
"I think Crane wants it quiet down there while he talks to Kenny," I said.
"I'll go down the back stairs. I didn't get to finish my bowl of ice cream. I'm gonna go get it." He stood up, and went
to the door, turning back. "So, you want some, or no?"
"Sure," I said, deciding to splurge. "Vanilla, I guess."
"Chocolate syrup?" he asked me.
"No. I better not."
Daniel disappeared, and I got up from the bed, going to peer over the edge of the crib at Isaac. I covered him up a
bit more with the blanket. I was still standing there, watching him as he slept, when Daniel came back again.
He stuck his head in the open doorway. "Hey," he said, really softly, and I turned to look at him.
"Let's go to my room," he said, and walked on. I gave Isaac a last check over, and then followed Daniel, leaving the
door partially open so that I'd be able to hear Isaac.
When we got to the room that Daniel shares with Crane, I followed him in.
"Let's leave the door open," I said. "So I can hear Isaac if he wakes up."
Daniel nodded in agreement, turning to hand me one of the bowls he was carrying. It had a more than ample supply
of vanilla ice cream, with peanuts and cherries sprinkled on top.
"Nice," I told him, and he grinned at me.
"Maybe you can get a job at an ice cream shop, if the whole music thing doesn't work out," I said jokingly.
"Behave," he told me.
Daniel flopped down on the bed and I sat in the chair that was shoved in the corner of the room. We were eating
our ice cream, and I said, "I wonder how it's going for Crane, talking to Kenny."
"Hopefully good," Daniel said.
"Hopefully," I echoed.
"So, what happened with the two of you?" Daniel asked. "You were goin' out with Kenny for awhile, right?"
"A few times. Nothing big."
"Hmm," Daniel said.
"I liked Kenny, but I guess I'm just sort of holding out."
Daniel regarded me with interest, and I gave a shrug.
"For who? You have somebody definite in mind, do you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Actually, yeah, I do."
"Oh, yeah? Well, who is it?" he asked.
He was sort of smiling at me, and I decided I didn't feel like being teased. Not about this.
I shook my head at him a little, and took another bite of ice cream.
"Come on, squirt," he said coaxingly. When I still was quiet, he said, looking alarmed, "It's not that Seth kid, is it?"
"No, Daniel," I said, with finality, rolling my eyes at him.
"Well, that's good," he said, relaxing again. "So, who then?"
"I don't want anybody teasing me about it."
"Oh." He looked thoughtful, and then said, "I won't tease you. I promise."
"Well, maybe you wouldn't," I said, setting my bowl of ice cream on the desk. "But Brian would. Or-"
"I get it," he said then. He set his empty bowl aside, and laid back on the bed, propping himself up with several
pillows.
"Would you not tell anyone?" I asked. "If I told you who it was?"
"You don't have to tell me, squirt," he said. "Not unless you want to."
Suddenly, just like that, I did want to tell him.
"Will you keep it to yourself?" I asked again. "Clare is the only one who really knows. Well, and Guthrie."
"My lips are sealed," he promised.
"It's Eddie," I said.
Daniel gave me a long look, and I could tell he was surprised.
"Eddie Marmon?" he clarified.
At my nod, he said, "He's pretty old for you, isn't he?"
"Now you sound like Evan," I said, feeling sorry that I'd told him.
"Now, just a minute," Daniel said, holding up his hand to me, in a signal to not jump to conclusions. "I'm just thinkin' out loud, is
all. Eddie's a nice guy."
"Very nice," I said, slightly mollified.
"He's what?" Daniel asked then. "Nineteen or so?"
"Twenty," I said, somewhat challengingly.
"Four years isn't so much," Daniel said slowly. "I mean, right now it is, but when you're a little bit older, then
it's not such a big deal."
"Dad was five years older than Mama," I reminded him. "And Adam's that much older than Hannah."
"Right," he said, seemingly agreeably.
I took a deep breath, and we just looked at one another for a couple of moments.
"Does he know you're interested in him?" Daniel asked then.
I nodded. "He's interested in me, too."
Daniel's eyebrow went up again. "He is?"
"He asked me out last fall and everything," I said. "But then Evan warned him off, and then Eddie and I had sort of
an argument, and he said he couldn't go out with me. Because he thought about it, and decided maybe there was too much
age difference. For right now."
"For right now," Daniel echoed, and sort of smiled at me again.
"Right."
Daniel settled back on the pillows, and laced his hands together behind his head.
He was looking at me thoughtfully, and I prompted, "So, what do you have to say?"
"Nothin'," he protested. "I'm not gonna preach to you about it. I told you, I think Eddie is a good guy. At least what I know
of him, he is."
I nodded in satisfaction at his answer.
"Maybe it wouldn't hurt you to go out with some other guys, though, in the meantime," he went on.
"I have," I said, and then thought over the somewhat sparse list of boys I'd dated in the last year. Kenny, Tony, and Steven, if I
decided to count him.
"Well, a little, I have," I amended. I gave him a somewhat ornery look. "I've kissed more boys than I've dated, actually."
Predictably, Daniel's eyes widened, and he said, "How's that?"
"You don't have to be dating somebody to kiss them, Daniel," I said, enjoying teasing him. "Don't you know anything?"
"Maybe I don't know enough," Daniel said. "About you, that is."
"Oh," I said, in dismissal, waving a hand at him. I went to Crane's neatly made-up bed, and flopped down, propping my
head on my hand. "You don't have to worry about me, Daniel."
"It's somethin' I have to bear," he said. "Worrying about you. Rule number six in the OBH, stating that 'All consuming worry must
accompany every little sister'."
"You really should tear that handbook up," I said, referring to the 'Older Brothers Handbook' that Daniel was so
fond of quoting at me.
"Nah, I couldn't do that," Daniel said, with a grin. "How would I fill my spare time then, if I didn't have all those
rules and regulations about you to keep up on?"
I sailed a pillow his direction, and he effectively dodged it, sending it right back to my side of the room.
7