Billy turned off the car and climbed out. Skeeter crawled through the open back window and headed for the house. Maggie didn't see John Carl's truck there. She glanced at Billy, he noticed it was missing too. He lifted Corey Jean up and carried her inside to Daniel’s room. Maggie followed after him. She watched him gently lay his baby sister on the bed. The child didn't stir.

Billy studied his brother's room. He touched one of Daniel's 4-H ribbons that hung on the wall. His face turned red. He let go of the ribbon and left the room.

Maggie closed the bedroom door behind him and peeled off her mother’s sweaty dress. She tossed it on the floor beside Daniel's chest of drawers. On top of the chest was the Zane Grey novel, NEVADA. She'd been reading it to Daniel during their last visit. They never finished it.

The cold air from the air conditioner gave her goose bumps. She quickly pulled on her cut offs and red T-shirt. She looked down at Corey Jean. A nap might not be such a bad idea. Maggie yawned. She hadn’t realized until that moment how tired she was. Careful not to wake her, Maggie lay down beside Corey Jean. She pulled Daniel's afghan over both of them.

*

"Maggie, Maggie, wake up." Maggie opened her eyes. Corey Jean was leaning over her. "I'm hungry." Corey Jean hopped off the bed, banged open the door and ran out of the room.

Disoriented, Maggie looked around her. Suddenly, she had the feeling that Daniel's room was waiting for him. Like it just knew any minute now, he would come walking through the door. If only he could.

In her high-pitched voice Corey Jean called, "Maggie." It sounded like she was in the kitchen.

Maggie groaned and got up. As she passed through John Carl and Billy's room, she literally ran into John Carl.

Grabbing her shoulders, he said, “Whoa.”

The warmth of his hands on her shoulders sent a strange sensation through Maggie’s entire body. She looked into his hazel eyes. He smiled.

The phone rang. "John Carl, it's Brenda," Billy called from the dining room.

"Excuse me," John Carl said. The magic moment was over before it started. Annoyed, Maggie kicked Billy's bed. Since she didn't have her shoes on, it hurt. She went back into Daniel's room to retrieve her shoes.

Corey Jean whined, "Maggie, I'm gonna starve."

Angrily Maggie shoved her feet into her sandy tennis shoes. She really needed to get over this John Carl thing.

When she went into the dining room, John Carl was still on the phone, but he wasn't talking. Maggie could hear the muffled sound of Brenda's voice. He tilted the phone's receiver away from his mouth and smiled at her again. In spite of herself, she grinned back.

After Maggie filled a plate for Corey Jean, she went into the living room. Billy sat on the couch by a girl she’d never seen before.

Maggie asked, "Where's Skeeter?"

He said, "Don and the boys came by. He went off with them.” Billy turned away from her and continued talking to the girl beside him. He obviously didn’t have time for her either. Maggie went over and sat down beside Corey Jean on the floor.

A car horn blasted outside. Corey Jean jumped up and spilled her food all over the floor. She squealed, "It's Annie!" Her pudgy fingers locked around Maggie’s wrists. The child was strong. She pulled Maggie up, then out the front door.

Aunt Betty's little VW bus struggled up the steep drive. Grandma Marcy and Annie waved from the window. Aunt Betty looked like she was swearing as she gunned the motor.

When they crested the hill Aunt Betty parked the van. Grandma Marcy and Annie climbed out the sliding side door. Aunt Betty slammed the door when she got out. She looked at Corey Jean and said, "I wish my big brother would do something about that driveway of his."

Corey Jean wasn't paying attention to her aunt. She rushed up to Annie and said, "Oh Annie, I'm so glad you comed." The two little girls hugged.

Grandma Marcy leaned over and hugged the two children where they stood. She walked over to Maggie and wrapped her bony arms around her. "You're getting mighty pretty. Have my grandsons noticed?"

In a flat voice Maggie said, "No."

"Give them time honey, they will."

Aunt Betty hugged her too. "How's it going kid?"

"Uh, fine," Maggie said. Aunt Betty always made Maggie a little nervous. She was twenty-six and worldly. Her dark hair was the same color and texture of Billy's. She wore a lot of make up. Maggie's mama said Aunt Betty was wild. Maggie thought she was beautiful.

After the others went inside, Maggie walked down the drive and cut through the branch. She looked at the sky. Though the sun was moving closer to the horizon, darkness was still a few hours away. She didn't want it to get dark. She didn't want today to end. Tomorrow was Daniel's funeral. Hard as she tried she couldn't rid herself of the image of his dead body. It was a memory she didn't want. She sat down on a flat sandstone, hugged her knees and tried to comfort herself.

Downstream she could hear the voices of Uncle Woody and the boys. She recognized Skeeter's voice. Good. At least she knew where he was now.

Up above, the clouds floated in puffy clumps. Maggie wondered if there were clouds in heaven. She used to think the angels jumped on clouds the way she jumped on the bed. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone puking. She got up and headed toward the sound. Further upstream, she found Billy hunched over beside a protruding sandstone. She slid her left hand into his right hand and asked, "You okay?"

Billy straightened himself, but he didn’t look at her. He pulled a paper napkin out of his left pocket and slowly wiped his mouth. In an agitated voice he said, "I'm okay. I think I ate too much." His trembling fingers gripped hers. He looked at her and said, "I got so many things I don't want to think about."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Maggie could see the pain and confusion in his eyes. Just meeting his gaze made her hurt inside. Gently she said, "I know."

Billy squinted at her and then led her to the sandy bank beside the stream. He pulled her down beside him. The sand was hot. Billy did not look at her, he kept his eyes on the sky. She noticed Billy was breathing funny again. That was not good. He needed to be distracted. She needed to distract him. But how? Several silent minutes passed before inspiration struck. She asked, “Is Aunt Betty still married to Barry?”

"No, she's between husbands right now."

Maggie waited for him to say more, but he didn’t so she asked, "How many has she had so? Is it three or four?"

In a flat voice Billy said, "Three. She never married Hank. Grandma Marcy says she can pick them, she just can't keep them."

"I wonder what it's like to have so many husbands."

Though his concentration was still on the clouds, Billy squeezed her hand and said, "That's something I hope you never find out.” The tone of his voice became more even when he asked, “Say won't you be starting high school in a couple of weeks?"

“Yes.”

Billy turned and smiled at her. "Soon you'll get a boyfriend and go on dates and to parties."

Maggie didn't want any old boyfriend, she wanted John Carl. This topic made her uncomfortable. In an effort to change the subject she said, “It sure is hot this evening.”

Billy shook his head and softly laughed. "Yeah, it's hot."

In the distance Maggie heard John Carl's truck rumble down the drive. She didn’t know how she knew it was John Carl’s truck, she just did. He was probably on his way to Brenda's house. She sighed out loud.

Billy asked, “What was that for?” Before Maggie could think of an answer she heard brakes squeal and a horn honk. Billy let go of her hand and stood up. Maggie also stood and turned to look. John Carl had stopped his truck where the branch intersected the drive. He called out above the roar of his truck motor, "Want to come into town with me? Mama needs some more ice."

Maggie wanted to squeal yes, but nodded instead. Beside her Billy said, “Well I guess I’ll go too.”

When Maggie climbed into the truck, Billy slid in next to her. Possessively he slung his arm around her and pulled her to him. She tried to wiggle away from him but he held her fast. She glanced at John Carl. His eyes were on the drive. He punched the accelerator, the truck sputtered and lunged forward. Maggie felt like she was suspended between the two brothers on a tight rope. Their hostility toward each other passed through her. The tension inside the truck grew with each minute that passed. No one spoke. The silence was awful. It brought her physical pain. She must say something to break the awful tension but nothing would come to mind. Warm air swirled through the open windows. A growing uneasiness twisted in Maggie’s stomach. Something was terribly wrong between these two brothers. There had always been personality conflicts between them, but this was different.

Finally, they pulled into the convenience store parking lot. She could not get out of the truck fast enough. Apparently Billy felt the same. He opened the door as soon as the truck stopped and hopped out. Maggie slid out behind him. Billy went inside to get the ice while John Carl put gas in the truck. Maggie started to follow Billy, but John Carl grabbed her wrist when she passed him. His fingers were warm, his grasp firm. The touch of him once again made her feel peculiar. John Carl let go of her wrist and pushed the gas nozzle into the truck’s tank. He stood silent as he watched the numbers change on the gas meter. When he finally spoke his voice was gruff. He asked, “How was the funeral home?”

She looked up at John Carl. His eyes were still watching the number’s change. "It was weird. Didn’t you go by there?"

John Carl shook his head. He pulled the nozzle out of the truck tank and screwed the gas cap back on. He touched her elbow, and then headed inside the store. Maggie followed. As he neared the counter where Billy had already set the bag of ice, a plump woman rushed up to John Carl and pumped his hand. In a stricken voice she said, "I'm so sorry. I just heard this morning."

John Carl nodded.

Still holding his hand, the woman continued, "I was just telling Billy how sweet Daniel was, real sweet. He used to come in here on Friday nights and keep me company." She let go of his hand and shook her head.

After John Carl paid for their purchases, they headed back to the truck. This time when Billy got in he didn’t plaster himself up against Maggie.

As they made their way back to the farm the sun touched the horizon. The atmosphere inside the truck did not change. The only difference was that she was a little closer to John Carl and a little farther away from Billy. Maggie stared at the color tinged clouds. Usually she loved sunsets, but not this one.

The truck hit a bump. Dust spewed in the air. Maggie was reminded of another truck ride she had taken back in June. Daniel had been driving then. Everyone was laughing. She was squashed between Billy and John Carl. Skeeter and Uncle Woody’s boys were in the back. She wished she could go back in time to that day. If only something could have stopped what happened to Daniel. The sky turned lavender. Soon stars would appear. If only she could stop tomorrow.

*

It was late and Maggie couldn't sleep. She felt so isolated. She couldn't go inside. Grandma Marcy, Aunt Betty and Annie were sleeping on the fold-out couch. Skeeter was on the floor in John Carl and Billy's room. The only place left was the floor in Daniel's room, and she didn't want to sleep in there.

The sky seemed so big tonight. Never had she felt so alone, so insignificant. Maggie threw off her cover and went out the creaking screen door. "Patches," she whispered.

Daniel's old dog appeared from beneath the house. He shook out his black and tan coat and sat down at her feet. He was part Shepherd. She stroked his bony head. Tears slipped down her cheeks. Patches licked her face. She wrapped her arms around the old dog. She wanted to make it all better for John Carl and Billy, for every body really, but she didn’t know how.