Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Mary and Lizzy were busy that morning down in the kitchen in the New Downing Square, helping out feeding and putting breakfast out for all newcomers from Cracken. They even made a basket for the boys and Wayne and Sheriff Whitmore that morning for helping out as they dropped it by their door tip-toeing inside setting it on the counter with a note “thanks, boys.”

With the sun in Robert's eyes hearing the door closes, he yawns and stenches a bit, looking out the window seeing Mr. Rooster pecking away at his feed looking towards the sun high in the sky shouts, “HOLY COW!” Jumping down from his bed, grabbing his overalls watching the boys sprawl out of bed onto their feet. “We better get moving boys,” tying up his shoes than running down the hall, He was up so quick as Pa walked in the door seeing the boys scurrying about the room, changing the sheets sweeping the floors and dusting the house, while he calmly sat on the couch waiting for them to notice him with the three boys and Richard by his side.

“Hello boys,” as they looked at them sitting there, watching them, they all freeze right in their tracks. Eyes glued to the couch with one leg in the air as they turn around with them laughing and grin on his face. “Let's say we get some fresh air,” Pa said grabbing the picnic basket off the counter. Pa and the boys all go out back of the house finding Sheriff Whitmore spreading a quilt with the aunts and Grandma for breakfast, passing around plates for them. They had a nice brunch all them together.

“Boys they tell us they need the room, so I'll make you boys a deal while the women are gone.” Grandma the two aunts smiling like chaser cats as they replied. “We have a solution to the problem I think you are going to like,” as they smiled.

“Your cottage is too small dear,” Lizzy patting Sheriff Whitmore on the knee.

“Boys we can't spare the help for supervision at the moment,” Mary said looking hard at the two men. “Which leaves us no choice, so we have decided the best thing is to do and to get what we want is to have you move all into one cottage all together, yours Wayne. While the women are gone,” leaving them sitting there. “Oh by the way boys thanks for your help, now let’s get moving because soon you will have to give Danny back to his mother,” as the three of them walked away.

Pa pulled out his pad and the measuring tape like he's done several times before. Walks into the house while the boys put breakfast away gathering their things and Doc Whitmore gathers his things. Sets them by Wayne's cottage being careful with his wife things or she would kill him if she knew. “Alright boys,” Pa comes out to join them,” it‘s doable, but it will be tight,” looking at them all and rubbing the three little one's head.

“What your Ma doesn't know won't hurt her,” he said as he grinned looking at the bunk beds. This is what we are going to do boys; Robert you'll share a bed with me and Mark can share one with his Pa. We need to bring two of those buck beds one from Whitmore's and one from your cottage and take the big mattress to the barn and bring in Five footlockers to store all the girls stuff in and by my guesses we have,” Wayne said looking at his pocket watch “we have two hours before they come hunting us down for poor Danny so let’s get cracken,” he replied.

The boys running this way and that way, resembling beds and as they go wiping the sweat and dirt off their face as they approach that second hour all them plopping down on the couch with relief and with the last bed in place. The aunts walking through cottages making a list of the stores nodding back and forth, “this will do nicely boys thanks. Now then if she asks and I know she will. Just tell her he overslept and smile if she gives you any trouble, she knows who she can ask,” Mary said giving Danny a hug and kiss on the cheek and rubbing his head. Whispering” will see you in another two weeks dear we promise,” wiping a tear from their eyes.

The boy's loaded his little suitcase with them all in the truck; take him back home if you could call it home for some rather not. Pa walks him to the door leaving EJ in the truck with his friends and his brothers at his side. EJ’s mother answered the door as they both go inside handing Danny's suitcase to her. She looks outside seeing EJ safe and sound with his brothers and friends by his side. Hearing Pa tells her, “not today Linda he's fine,” walks back down too the truck drives off while leaving her standing there with Danny waving goodbye.

Pa decided to go ahead get the boys registered for school so they could all start fresh tomorrow since they were already out this far. “What do you say boys we go to school get you set up then go back to town, that way you can all go together tomorrow and save us a trip into town?”

“Sure Pa. Ok, sir.”

Wayne drives them to school, with a Doctor note in his pocket for the boys. Marches right into the office with all his records they needed for each of the boys. EJ's maybe chard and a little singed around the edges, but they did make it through the fire, after all, he did bury them deep in the fruit cellar.

He filled out the paperwork for the boys and handing it to the clerks to put into the system for the class rolls. “Alright boy's,” secretary asking each of the boy's “First and last name please.”

“Robert Downing Ma’am,”

“Will Downing Ma’am,”

“EJ Downing Ma’am,” EJ said looking over at Pa and his brothers.

Pa looks at him with tears in his eye. “Are ya sure son?” He asked.

“Yes Pa more than ever,” EJ giving him a hug and his brothers. Pa nods to the secretary to put in the books and on the records.

“Frank Whitmore Ma’am,”

“Mark Whitmore Ma’am,”

“Peter Price Ma’am.”

Then hands them a schedule for their classes and copied the Doctors note sends them on there way. The boys headed for home stopping at the ice cream parlor to celebrate before returning home that day. With their arm over their brother shoulder and smiles on their faces, it was going to be a new day.

* * *

 

Aunty M soaring through the skies over Phoenix Arizona, Martha and girls not daring to look down from the window hugged their seat and each other as Aunty M laughing pointing to the cotton fields that dot the west side. Reggie slowly brings the plane down closer to the ground making a couple passes over the cotton ranch, and then lightly touching the field on the ground like an old pro. Setting the plane gently on the ground smiling to his mother and the ladies in the back, “Now that wasn't so bad,” he said with a laugh as he climbed out of the plane opening their door, then offering his hand to them to let them out of the plane.

One by one they grabbed his hand then kneeling, shaking, and kissing the ground. Aunty M and Reggie shaking their heads watching them while pulling out the luggage from the back of the plane. “Alright, girls let’s get you inside,” putting her arms around them. “Where is everyone Reggie?” Aunty M asked watching her son carrying the luggage into the house.

Reggie whispers. “This it mother, just us and the kids,” he said.

“I see,” she said shaking her head, looking at the field full of cotton ready to be harvested. “Well let’s get settled in you can tell me what's going on dear,” she said with a worried look on her face.

Why the girls were changing Reggie told her what's been going on. “Someone came by looking for you a few days ago mother. A horrible looking man named Morgan full of hate. Says he knew ya and this was just a warning if he didn't get what he wanted,” Reggie replied. “So everyone left because they said this place is cursed with spooks and fights were always breaking out. Until everyone left me high dry except the kids and my wife,” he said.

Aunty M looked in the corner for shadows. Just as Reggie's wife Sara walked in with the kids Devin, Nathan, Ethan, and baby Mike Jr. Bringing them home from school and the groceries. “Grandma, Grandma,” they said seeing her setting in the room with their father racing across the room to her jumping into her arms for a hug and a kiss.

Aunt Sara the wife of Reggie a mother of three boys and newborn baby name Mike Jr. named after her husband Mike. Her three boys  Devin age 9 and his two brothers Nathan and Ethan 12 and a 7 seven years old. All having the same brown hair and brown eyes as their father;  Aunt Sara was a small woman at 5 feet 7 but had a large heart when came to children. Aunt Sara having to tare them away to bring her up for some air, sending them all outside to play with a scoot then placed her baby into his Grandma's arms. With a motherly smile “and this is little Mike Jr.” She said. Grandma rocks him gently with a tear in her eyes looking at the two of them, whispering “thank you both.”

Little Mike Jr. falls asleep in her arms as she rocked him gently the ladies come down all refresh from the trip, looking at the baby, Martha and the girls already felt homesick for their brothers and the new one that Ma is carrying sighing. Watching her hand back the baby back too his mother, watching her put him down for his nap, Aunty M walks over to them, “girls let’s go outside,” taking out an envelope out her pocket hands it over to Martha and girls too read, since there was nobody out there too read it to accept the cotton field.

Martha swoons a bit reading it handing it to the girls as Aunty M smiles and winks and nods, “yes dear.” As she pointed to the field, “all of it plus a minor change,” as she glanced at Rena “an extra 3% partnership of it goes to her. Which I'll make when we make a trip into Phoenix later this week, now it would be best if we get cracken we have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time either,” Aunty M said picking some cotton off the bush.

Reggie and his wife Sara brought out baskets for the ladies and stools shows them how to pick the cotton off the bush, while Aunty M explains the processes. “Normally we would use a machine to pick the cotton, but since this field not large enough yet here on this ranch we still pick it by hand. Then send it off to our mill to be cleaned and processed into thread which we will do once you understand the ways the cotton industry works it makes you appreciate the work it takes, and according to my son Reggie the machine is waiting for parts and won’t be up and running for at least week, but I think we can get fixed sooner now that I am here... Once the cotton is picked we then send it too the mill turn into cloth depending on the need,” she said.

They worked all afternoon until dusk until dinner was ready. Tired and sore, they cleared 2 thirds of the field that day. Martha and girls each were taking a nice hot bath to work the kinks out of their shoulders before bedtime. Aunty M sitting by the fire for some light conversation she looked towards the window out in the field then looked back at her son and family. “Sara dear I think we need to go into town with you in the morning dear if that's all right and sends off a telegram.”

Then turns to the ladies, “looks like we're staying bit longer too I' m afraid… so you better get comfortable. We will be here for at least two weeks and possible three instead of just the one.” She replied with a tired smile and worry look as her eyes gazed out towards the cotton field shaking her head and think about the news she heard.  “Don't worry dear I' am sure they will be just fine,” she said lifting her head trying to sound positive. Realizing she needed to contact Derrick again and find out what he has learned about that knife and most of all this Morgan who seems to be hunting her and her family.