Mikey started crying, and Pete’s face started melting. “How about you come along next time, buddy? . . . If it’s alright with your sister.”
Immediately cheered somewhat, Mikey scrubbed the sniffles away with the back of his hand. “Can I, Kadee?”
All eyes on me. I shook my head at his audacity. Wasn’t taking one of my brothers away from me enough? I shot him another filthy look. “Well, if Pete would’ve bothered to ask, I would’ve told him that’s probably not going to work because we have to get home to feed our own animals.”
Pete gave me a wounded look. “I’m sorry, Kate. I was just trying to be nice.”
I nodded through a sigh before quickly backing out. A tap on the window had me tapping brakes. Thought about not stopping this time, but social graces and plain ole curiosity insisted I see what he wanted. I shoved the gear in park and rolled down my window, but he went around to Andrew’s side.
“Hey man, one more thing . . .”
“What is it Pete?” Eagerness dripped from Andrew’s voice.
“In just this one instance, you can break the bro-code, and I won’t hold it against you.” Pete shifted his eyes to mine.
“But Pete!” Andrew said, outraged. “I thought you said us guys gotta stick together!”
“I know I did, but this one time we can allow Kate to be the exception to the rule.” He looked meaningfully at Andrew.
“Okay, Pete,” he agreed, more reluctantly than he should.
I was really miffed that my little brother could switch alliances so quickly but told myself not to hold it against him because he was just starving for a good male role model. And you definitely couldn’t ask for a better male model than Pete Davenport.
“Okay then. Tomorrow . . . same time, same place,” Pete directed at me. I did the nod thing again.
“Right. Same time, same place!” Andrew answered for me.
“See ya later alligator,” Pete called, pointing at him as I backed out.
“After while crocodile!” Andrew called back gleefully.
Mikey waved his new dinosaur out the window. “Bye Pete!” he yelled, not wanting to feel left out.
I knew the feeling.
17
FACTS AND PROBABILITIES
Finishing up with chores about the same time the sun sank behind the shed meant our shadows would beat us to the house and hodge-podge was on the menu tonight. I was wiped out and didn’t have enough time (or ingredients) to cook anyway. And I needed to powwow with my traitor brother before bed and try to get some answers.
Daddy was MIA again. It was both a blessing and a curse to have him away (the blessing being, of course, the absence of his presence). Unfortunately, we had family business that needed to be taken care of. I wanted to discuss him picking up Andrew in the afternoons. That way I could avoid getting sucked into Pete’s magnetic force field and get a jumpstart on my chores. Also, the water tank out in the pasture was way low, and I couldn’t get the water to turn on more than a trickle. I left it on for a few minutes, but didn’t really have time to wait for it to fill up because it was already heading past supper.
I just hoped it was enough water to get by for now. The herd always headed in for the evening to drink, and I was worried about some of the smaller calves reaching the water. Ugh! Where is Daddy anyway? Going out there at night definitely fell into man-duty. I hollered for Andrew to bring me the dirty clothes, so I could get a wash in while I prepared dinner.
“Can’t,” he hollered back. “I’m workin’ on my homework.”
I looked over to where he had some of the new books Pete had given him spread out on the floor. Arg! “Thanks a lot, Andrew.”
“What? I have to do my homework. Daddy even said it’s the priority around here.”
“Oh, he did, did he?” My blood began to boil.
“I’ll do it, Kadee,” Mikey volunteered, running off before I could stop him—his help usually entailed more work for me.
I sighed as I spread peanut butter onto celery stalks and poured milk. Snorted to myself. Who needs thirty-minute meals when you can get the job done in five? I mentally went down the food groups to fill in the holes. Snapped my fingers—whole grains. Dropping some bread in the toaster, I called the boys in to eat.
“Not done yet.” Andrew, not even looking up.
“Well then, you can just multi-task by readin’ and eatin’ at the same time.” I snatched the book out from under his nose and slammed it onto the table.
“Boy! You’re in a bad mood today,” he huffed, but got up and came in.
I blew some air. “Sorry. It’s just been a long couple of days. Here,” I finished buttering the toast and set the plates on the table, “sit down and eat. I’d better go rustle up Mikey.”
“Where’s supper?”
“On the table.”
“That’s not supper . . . that’s a snack,” he corrected, picking up a bendy celery stalk doubtfully.
Silent prayer. “Andrew Richmond Connelly, you can either eat what’s on the table, or you can pour yourself some cereal.”
“But that’s for breakfast!”
“Well, that’s what’s on the menu tonight.” I made a Herculean effort to lower the volume on my voice. “Look Drews, give me a break, huh? . . . I can’t do everything ‘round here!” I vented out before stomping down the hall to the bathroom. I found Mikey pulling heaps of clothes from the hamper.
“Look, Kadee! I almost got them all!”
“You sure did.” I forced a smile and poked him in his Play-Doh stomach. “Thanks a lot . . . you sure are a lifesaver!”
Mikey smiled back with a wide, knowing smile. “What flavor?”
“Hmmm . . .” I pretended to smell his neck but instead blew a loud raspberry there. He laughed so hard I could see all the way down to his tonsils. So I did it again, just for the pleasure of hearing him laugh his head off, then set him on his feet and answered, “Cherry, my favorite, of course!”
He pressed a hug into me, and I deep breathed in his sweet innocence. “Yep. Definitely cherry-flavored.”
He beamed—cherry was his favorite.
“Go on out to the kitchen,” I said. “I’ll finish grabbing the laundry . . . looks like the hard part’s already been done for me!” As he ran out the door, I patted him on his cushy-tushy. Then puffed out my cheeks and began sorting through the mess of clothes strung across the floor, pulling out the whites and stuffing the rest back in the hamper. Grabbing the basket, I trudged past the table heading to Daddy’s bathroom and saw that Andrew was still engrossed in his book, but at least he was chewing on the end of his celery stalk without complaining.
Mikey grinned up at me from a piece of buttered toast. “Mmmmm! This is my favwit supper ever, Kadee! You are the best cooker in the world!”
“Why thank you,” I said with a little bow. “And you are the best helper in the world. I’m already almost done. One more stop and then I’m gonna come back and swipe the rest of that toast!”
“Nuh-uh!” He laughed and pulled the plate of toast to him.
My lips were still curled into a smile when I wandered into Daddy’s room, where my mood instantly dimmed with the lighting. The curtains were drawn, but you could still see Daddy’s prized possession hanging— silent and malevolent—on the wall. How he could sleep (and peacefully I might add) with a gun hanging over his head was beyond me.