My ride on Charlie was just as good as I'd hoped. Soothing. The wind was up, but not too much. Just enough to blow back your hair, not enough to

put a chill on you. Warrior had taken the opportunity to come along with me, though I hadn't actually invited him. He was running ahead of me and

Charlie, his nose up in the wind, smelling all there was to smell in that California field.

I sighed in contentment, letting my edge wear off, feeling myself settle. I did think about Jill, and all that had happened. But, mostly, it was

about why she would have married Leo in the first place, and even more, why hadn't she taken the steps to rid herself of him with a divorce long

before now?

The remembering of the look in Leo's eyes had me feeling chilled. I had time to ponder then what might have happened if Jill hadn't been there, in

the parking lot at the bar, or if she had decided not to help me, not to step between Leo and I. What might he have done? I shivered again. From

fear, not cold. There was no getting around it. I owed Jill something for doing that. She could have done nothing-let Leo talk trash to me, maybe

put his hands on me...

I shook the image away, and set myself to enjoying the ride.

7

It was going to be getting close to dusk soon, and I knew I had to turn back towards the house.

I whistled to Warrior, who had gotten out of my line of sight. I pulled Charlie to a halt, and whistled again, then calling out to him.

"Warrior! Come on, boy! Let's go!"

He bounded up, carrying a stick in his mouth, and tossing his head as though so proud.

I had to laugh at him. "You weirdo," I told him.

I'd been riding for about fifteen minutes again, going back the way that I'd come before. Past our old tree fort. Guthrie was still, in his

spare time, repairing it for future use by Isaac, and Brian and Clare's baby, and any others. I pondering briefly whether my own kids might

play in it someday. This, of course, led to the thoughts of a husband. I dreamily considered whether it might be Kenny. He'd make a good dad

someday, I thought. He was full of fun, but not so much in a bad way as he'd used to be in the earlier days...

I was so intent on my thoughts of Kenny that I nearly rode right up onto her.

A ways from the tree fort, where the grass was tall, and Guthrie hadn't mowed it, Jill sat. She was sitting cross-legged there on that

pile of grasses, and she was holding Peppy. Stroking him and talking softly to him. At first she didn't even seem to notice me there, ten or fifteen foot

away, on top of Old Charlie. Warrior, ever fearful of Peppy after one of their encounters, had made himself scarce again.

When it didn't seem as though she was going to speak or acknowledge me, I spoke first.

"Hey," I said.

Jill looked up then, very briefly, and then back down at the skunk again. "Hullo, Harlie."

A moment or more passed and she was silent. It was sort of awkward.

"Out for some air, huh?" I said.

Without looking up, Jill said, "That's right," in a tired sounding voice.

Then, though I hadn't even mentioned Peppy's presence, she said, still looking down at him, "I won't let anything happen to him."

That's when I got my first inkling of something strange going on.

"I know you won't," I said.

Again, there was silence. I sat there on Charlie, and she sat there in the grass, her head down, stroking Peppy.

"Where's Daniel?" I asked. It seemed to me that it was unlike Daniel to leave Jill on her own, knowing that she was so upset over

the last two days events.

"Oh, he left. He went with Adam and Guthrie somewhere. To Bobby's or something like that, I think. To play pool."

"Butch's?" I asked. I didn't know any place called Bobby's. It about had to be Butch's.

"Maybe that's it," she said, rubbing her cheek against Peppy.

"Oh." I was still surprised that Daniel had actually left her. Even for a short time.

"I think it was the opinion of the family that Daniel needed a break," Jill said. She didn't sound resentful, or upset. More sarcastic.

"Oh," I said, again. I wasn't sure what to say to that.

"He probably did," Jill said. Then, just sort of vaguely, she said, "I think the entire McFadden family would probably like a

break. From Leo and Chess. And me. Mostly me."

I'd never, in the month or so that Jill had been at our house, heard her down talk herself. Not like that.

"I think everybody understands," I said, sort of lamely.

Jill gave a light chuckle. "Oh, Harlie," she said. "Be real. You've never been fake with me before. Don't let's start now."

At that, I drew myself up, and caught my breath.

"I'm just trying to be nice," I said, insulted.

"You don't have to," Jill said, and in the near complete dusk, I saw her head come up. "No manners necessary."

Now she was accusing me having no manners?

"I haven't treated you badly," I defended myself. "Maybe I've spoke my mind a few times to you, but I haven't treated you

badly."

"Oh, I know that," Jill said. "If anything, I respect your honesty. You've never pretended with me."

I was mollified by that. At least until she continued with, "Don't get your feathers all ruffled."

"My feathers aren't ruffled, " I said, indignant.

"Brian's are, though," she said. "I've never seen anyone wanting so badly to tear off my head as him." She gave a weird sort of

chuckle again. "And, believe me, I've had a lot of people wanting to take off my head before. But, he's at the top of the list."

I dismounted, leaving Charlie ground-tied and walked over closer to where she stood.

I felt that I needed to defend Brian to her.

"Brian's rough sometimes, but he's not mean," I said. "You have to get to know him and you'll see that."

Again that snorting sound. "I don't think the chances of Brian and I becoming friends are very high, Harlie. You might as well toss the towel in

on that one. He can't stand me." And, though she sounded nonchalant, I thought I detected a sort of hurt in her, too. The way she was sitting,

all bent shouldered, and all.

"That's not true," I denied. "Brian doesn't dislike you." I said it sure, and I said it strong. I knew it to be true. Brian might think Jill was flighty,

or immature, or a poor decision-maker, but he didn't dislike her.

"If he really disliked you, you'd know it," I added. "He wouldn't pull any punches about it."

"Isn't that what he's doing now?" Jill asked, in a really quiet voice. "Not pulling any punches?"

"Like I said, he can be rough, but he doesn't mean anything by it. Brian's just very plain spoken. He's protective of people that he

cares about-" I said.

"I've seen that," Jill said, interrupting me. "I see how he is, with Clare, and with Guthrie, and with you."

"Yeah."

There was quiet again, and I knew I should be heading on back to the house. It was past dusk and Hannah would be getting

concerned. Adam was out with Guthrie and Daniel, but that wouldn't keep Hannah from worrying.

"We should go back to the house," I said.

"Oh, I'm going to stay here for a bit yet," Jill said. "You go on, though."

"Hannah will be gettin' worried," I said. In case she thought I just referred to myself, I added, "About both of us."

"I slipped out," Jill said. "Nobody even knows I'm out here, I don't think."

"Oh." I still hesitated. Jill was acting weird. Of course, with everything she was going thru, and being pregnant on top of it, I guessed

it wasn't that weird. Still...

"There's coyotes out here at night," I said.

"Wolves, too?" she asked, not sounding concerned.

"I don't know about wolves."

"At least they'd be the four-legged kind of wolves, not the two-legged ones, huh, Harlie?"

I squinted at her in the dusky light. I could barely see her face at all now.

"I've met enough of the two-legged sort, that's for sure," she added. Then, sounding tired again, she said, "It's alright. I'll be

in after a bit."

Thru the crispy night air, I heard a piercing whistle. There was no mistaking it. Right after that whistle, my name was

shouted out.

I scrambled to gather Charlie's reins in my hand, from where he'd been standing, patiently waiting.

Again, my name was shouted out. I knew I'd best be moving. And fast, too.

I mounted Charlie, and said, "I've got to go."

"Yes. You'd better," she said, sounding more like the old Jill. Sort of snide.

I put Charlie into a gallop, riding towards where I could see the beams of lantern lights, shining out, over the field.

"I'm here!" I called out. I pulled Charlie to a walk as I met the beam of light.

Brian was striding up to me, as I halted Charlie.

"Harlie, where the hell have you been?" Brian demanded. He sounded good and mad. I was glad for the moment that I couldn't quite

make out the expression on his face. I knew it would be fierce, and I was grateful for the dusk.

"I was-over by-" I began.

"Never mind. Save it," Brian said, sharply, and he turned to start walking towards the barns and house. "Get your horse to the

barn."

I rode to the barn, unsaddled Charlie, and led him back to the pasture gate, releasing him with a hug around his neck.

I headed back to the barn, to hang up the bridle. Brian was waiting there. I wasn't sure where he'd been during the few minutes

that I'd been taking care of Charlie. But, he was there, and now I had the lights from the inside of the barn

to see that expression. And, I'd been right. It was fierce, alright.

I walked on past him, and went to hang up the bridle on its hook. I turned back to face him.

"I was heading in," I defended myself.

"You were, huh?" he asked.

"Yes, Bri."

"Crane and I shouldn't have to come huntin' you. When we saw your dog come back without you, we got worried."

Great. Crane had been out looking for me, too?

"I'm sorry," I said.

Brian gave me a lingering stern-ish look, and then he sighed a little, and I knew he was softened.

"Alright. Well, you need to be gettin' in, and do up your shot, and all that. And Kenny called you," he said.

"Okay." I paused where I was, standing right next to him. "Jill's out there, Bri."

Brian wrinkled his forehead. "Jill's out where?"

I motioned in the direction I'd ridden in from. "She's over near the tree fort. Sitting in the grass. Holding Peppy."

"Hmm," he said, looking off into the darkness. "Just sittin' out there, huh?"

"Yeah. I tried to get her to come in with me, but she said she didn't want to."

Brian reached out to turn off the inside barn lights. "Well, she'll be probably be right along. Let's get in."

"She needs to put Peppy away," I said. "Maybe we ought to leave the lights on."

"Yeah. Okay," Brian said, and switched the lights back on again.

We were walking towards the house together, and I said, "She's acting sort of weird."

"Well, she's got good reason to act weird," Brian said, darkly.

We were at the porch of the house by now, and I sighed. "I'm tired."

"Yeah. Me too. It's been a long-ass day."

He opened the door to usher me inside ahead of him, and I heard him say, "Another day at McFadden Mayhem."

7