By JC
How hard can it be, taking care of two little boys? That's what Joe thinks when he offers to give his sister a day off from her summer job. (Part of the Ties That Bind AR series)
~*~
“Hey Adam, have you seen Jilly?” Joe put his hands on his hips, looking around for any sign of his sister. “I figured she’d be here by now.”
Adam Cartwright scanned the street outside the church. Most of the worshipers were already inside, along with their father. “Well, she’s got Andy and Deke to deal with. You’d have trouble getting anywhere on time if you were in her shoes.”
Hoss pointed and grinned. “Here they come.”
The brothers watched in amusement as the trio approached. Jilly had a firm grip on two young boys, one a gap-toothed tow-head of about seven, the other a five-year old carrot top. None of them looked very happy.
Hoss raised an eyebrow as they passed by without a word. “Wonder what those hooligans have been up to this morning?”
“There’s no telling,” said Adam, following them inside to the organ strains of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” Jilly ushered her sullen charges to the third pew, anchored by her father. Adam took his seat next to her and offered her a sympathetic smile. She just shook her head and sighed as she opened her hymnal.
About halfway through the sermon, Jilly switched places with Deke to separate him from his brother. Apparently whatever happened between them that morning had generated quite a bit of animosity, which Adam suspected was further fueled by the fact that they had to endure an hour of sitting still in their Sunday clothes. It was hard enough for him sometimes. Reverend Fordham could be very long-winded when the Spirit moved him.
Adam had to hand it to Jilly for taking a job nobody else
wanted. Anne Fordham had lost her third
child in the middle of a difficult pregnancy and had to be confined to bed
indefinitely. The congregation was
generous when it came to kind words and covered dishes, but less so when it
came the supervision of Andy and Deke.
It’s not that they were “bad” boys (though someone jokingly offered to
foot the bill if
Jilly had only been home a little over a week before she
moved into the parsonage. Ben approached
her with the idea, but it was her choice.
Adam admired her willingness to help, especially since he was sure this
wasn’t the way she had intended to spend her summer. It was strange having her here but not on the
Ponderosa. With the exception of
Sundays, Adam had hardly seen her in the past month, and in some ways he missed
her more now than when she was in
Deke squirmed between them, and Jilly placed her hand on his knee as a warning without looking at him. The boy complied with a sigh, leaning his head against her, and in a moment he was snuggled beneath her arm, fast asleep. Jilly fingered his burnt-orange locks, smiling down at him, and Adam looked on remembering when she was a curly-haired doll about the same age. He caught her eye and they both grinned before her attention was diverted to the child on her right. Adam watched her off and on during the service, thinking how much she had grown up in the past four years. Had it really been that long since she went away?
“Problems this morning?” Adam asked Jilly afterwards as they watched Andy and Deke bolt from the building like a pair of convicts during a prison break.
She rolled her eyes. “Nothing out of the ordinary. They insisted on oatmeal for breakfast, but neither one of them ate more than two bites because they spent the whole meal arguing about who got more molasses. Deke kicked Andy, and Andy hit Deke, and the milk went all over the table…and me. But other than that, everything is peachy.”
Adam put his arm around her. “Sounds like you could use a break.”
Jilly grimaced. “I wish.”
“Listen, Annie Lundberg has been dying to meet you. She made me promise I’d bring you over to their place one day this summer. I’m sure we could find someone to watch the boys for one day. How about it, Hoss?”
“Dadburnit, I promised Pa I’d have that fence fixed by the
time he gets back from
Jilly smiled at him, but Adam shook his head. “I think the Lundbergs are leaving for
“Heck, I’ll watch ‘em,” Joe offered.
“Oh, I don’t know, Joe,” said Jilly. “With Pa and Hoss gone, you’d have them all by yourself.”
“So? I won’t need any help.”
Jilly looked skeptical. “You really don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“What’s to know?” Joe scoffed. “They’re just a couple of kids. I don’t know what all the fuss is about. Sheesh!”
Adam smirked. “Why don’t you ask Mrs. Cameron?”
Joe dismissed their warnings with a wave of his hand. “Look, Jilly, I’m perfectly capable of handling two little boys. I mean if you can do it…”
Jilly’s eyes narrowed. She was silent for a moment while she considered his proposition. “All right, Joe,” she said finally. “They’re all yours. How about tomorrow?”
“Great.” Joe smiled. “I’ll pick you three up in the morning and bring you over to the ranch, and then you and Adam can go have a nice visit with Annie and the Swede. Now don’t you worry your pretty little head about me. I’ll be fine. It’ll be a piece of cake.”
Jilly opened her mouth to say something but apparently decided against it. She just shook her head and walked off to find the boys.
“What’s a piece of cake?” asked Ben, joining them.
“Joe offered to watch Andy and Deke tomorrow while Jilly and I pay a call on the Lundbergs.
“By yourself?”
“What’s everybody so worried about?” Joe laughed. “How hard can it be? I can think of a lot worse ways to spend a day.” He whirled around at the sound of a feminine voice calling his name. “Excuse me,” he grinned, sauntering away.
Ben stared after him. “I know what that boy’s up to.”
Hoss scowled. “Yeah, he’s figurin’ on gettin’ out of a day’s work tomorrow.”
Adam shook his head. “He’ll be wishing he was riding fences or digging post holes before the day’s half over.”
* * * * *
“So, what did you think of Annie?”
“She’s a darlin’ woman,” said Jilly in a perfect imitation of Annie’s Irish brogue. “And she makes a great mulligan, too.”
Adam laughed. “That she does. It was her mulligan that started her on the way to fame and fortune.”
“I wish I had been around to see you and Annie as partners.” Jilly grinned. “Is it true that you almost married her?”
“Heck, no!” He flicked the reins, urging the horse into a trot. “I was just helping a damsel in distress.”
She laughed. “That seems to be your specialty.” She put her arm through his and leaned over against him. “Thank you for today.” She smiled up at him. “I had a wonderful time.”
Adam smiled down at her. “Me too. I like showing you off every now and then.”
Jilly blushed.
“Really?”
“Yeah. In case I haven’t told you, I’m really proud of the way you’re helping the Fordhams. I don’t know what they would have done without you. I know it’s not easy, but I think you’re handling the situation very well. You really have grown up.”
“Thanks.” She took a deep breath, frowning a little. “I just hope Andy and Deke haven’t been too much trouble for Joe today.”
Adam smirked. “Well, he asked for it.”
Jilly looked at him soberly. “He did, didn’t he?”
When they arrived back at the ranch house, Jilly and Adam found Joe and the boys seated quietly at the table eating chocolate cake. There were no signs of visible damage.
Joe greeted them heartily. “Hey, you’re just in time. The boys and I were just about to get seconds.”
“So how did everything go?” Jilly asked casually.
“Fine,” said Joe. “Great, as a matter of fact.”
She raised her eyebrows. “No problems?”
Joe shook his head. “Nope.”
Jilly stared at the boys. “Really?”
Andy and Deke returned her gaze with wide-eyed innocence. “We were good,” said Andy. Deke smiled.
“Is that a fact?” Jilly’s face bore a strange expression. She turned to Joe. “So how’d you do it?”
Joe put his hand on her shoulder. “Jilly, you just have to come a mutual understanding with kids. Let ‘em know who’s boss, right up front. It’s that simple.”
Something rolled off the table. Adam stopped it with his boot. He bent down to pick it up.
“Hey, that’s mine!” Deke hollered.
Adam handed the silver dollar back to him. “That’s a lot of money, Deke. Where’d you get it?”
“From Joe.” Deke grinned. “He gave Andy one, too.”
Jilly’s eyes flashed. “You paid them!” She shoved Joe. “I knew I smelled a rat!”
Joe drew himself up in front of her, chin to chin. “Well, it takes one to smell one!”
“Now what’s that supposed to mean?” Adam asked in Jilly’s defense.
Joe scowled. “It seems those two rascals are for sale to the highest bidder. At least I paid them to behave!”
Adam shook his head in disbelief at his sister. “You paid them?”
For a moment Jilly looked like a rabbit caught in a trap, the she spoke up defiantly. “Well, he made just made me so mad yesterday, and I didn’t want him to get off easy!” She glared at Joe. “You have no idea what they’re really like!”
Joe cleared his throat, looking sheepish. “Well, uh, as a matter of fact, I do. Listen, nobody go upstairs until I have a chance to clean up, okay? Adam, I promise I’ll fix your window first thing tomorrow. And Jilly, I’m sorry. I never should have said those things to you. He handed her a piece of cake. “Truce?”
Jilly’s mouth curved into a half smile. “Piece of cake, huh?” She stuck her finger in the frosting and smeared it on Joe’s face. “There’s your piece of cake.”
He picked up a napkin and wiped his cheek as she headed for the door. “I’m givin’ you a head start because you’re a girl, and yeah, you’d better run…”
Adam laughed as Joe dragged Jilly kicking and squealing toward the water trough, both of them slathered in chocolate. It was nice to know that some things would never change.
The end