Maisey settled into life on the Bogs, she loved the peace and the work--once Ned and Brett showed her the proper way to do things. When she wasn't preparing the garden for winter, she was crocheting: she made hats, sweaters, blankets, and little stuffed animals and dolls. The two men told her to focus on healing.
Brett, she noted, was rarely home. She sometimes missed his laughter and friendship but she knew it was better this way. She hadn't had an episode in a month and regularly went to the grocery store and feedlot without anyone with her. It was starting to feel like home. Ned made her feel appreciated and the crops came in healthy and strong and when it was the third harvest that brought in the most income Ned took them for dinner at the diner. A week later Brett stopped her in the kitchen.
"You need to know that there's going to be a bunch of strangers around the ranch next week," he told her, "we put it off as long as we could, but there's no way around it." Maisey looked at him questioningly, "We need to breed the cows and we'll sell some." He told her. "Junior will be here too, he always comes for this."
"Maybe I can stay with Anna," she said and stopped when Brett shook his head, "Oh right, Andy's friend is visiting. Is there a motel? Anything?" Her voice was small but she knew the answer. "I can't stay here with Junior." she told him, "you need to focus on the ranch and you'll be too worried about what your cousin is up to."
Ned noted the tension in the room, "I told him to go to hell," he declared, "he showed up yesterday demanding I sell again, when I told him no he told me he'd sabotage the sale. I knocked him head over ass and called up his Granddaddy and told him to take the boy in hand, he apologized in his way and called the boy back to Calgary, said he'd ship him off to Regina for a business deal there. I just came from Medicine Hat." He told them both to sit down, "Brett, after this sale I'm retiring," he didn't mince words, "Doc says I've got to before my heart gives out." Brett gaped at his uncle. "Stop dragging your jaw boy, you've deserved this land more than that boy for long enough and I've got to stop pretending I'm all right when I've had three heart attacks already."
"What?" Brett was astounded by his uncle's declaration, "When? Why is this the first I'm hearing of it?"
"You didn't think Doc Andy was still coming around to check on Maisey did you?" Ned had spoken more in fifteen minutes than Maisey had ever heard him say at once. "I'm eighty three," Ned said tiredly, "I swore I wasn't going to die in no hospital, but my body isn't going to let that happen, Doc says I've got a few more years if I stop eating red meat and if I can keep my cholesterol down, but the stress of running the place is eating away."
"You're not going to a hospital," Maisey declared, "I can cook more chicken and salads and help make sure you don't overtax yourself." Ned held up a hand, stopping her.
"It's already done," Ned told her, "I found one of those seniors places in Medicine Hat that has lots of gardens and shuffle board--whatever the hell that is. I move in November 1st. Now stop fussing: Brett go on out and dance with that young lady who looks at you like a prize stud and Miss Maisey get out that crib board, I've $50 to win back from you."
"I can't believe you didn't talk to me about this," Brett was angry, angrier than he'd ever been, "Dammit Ned!"
"Stop it Brett," Maisey said softly, keeping tight control, "He's doing what he thinks is best."
Brett glared at her and slammed out of the house. "Call Doc," Ned told him, "Let him know I've told Brett, Andy'll set him right." Maisey started after the taillights, "Don't worry, girl, Brett won't do anything foolish, much as he'd like to right now, he's hurting."
"Doesn't give him an excuse to be disrespectful." Maisey picked up her phone and made the call, then she called Anna. There was no way she was going to do what she had in mind alone, she needed support.
To say Anna was surprised by her request was putting it mildly. "You're sure you want to go?" she asked looking briefly at her passenger before turning her attention back to the road, "It's going to be very busy."
Maisey gritted her teeth and nodded, "You didn't see him Anna, he was angry and upset and..."
"And you're sure you can handle being around someone that's so volatile and emotional?"
"No." Maisey swallowed, "But I know he won't hurt me so I have to try. When I think of all the times he stood by me: a complete stranger when I was hurting or afraid...it's the least I can do."
"If that means he decides to go home with someone else tonight you need to be okay with that," Anna reminded her, gently, "you have to know he won't hurt anyone else either."
Ned had told her the same thing, "I might need help with that part." she admitted, "Not since that first night he found me have I ever compared Brett to Luke and I hope I won't start tonight, but I have to try to be there for him whether he wants me to or not."
Anna pulled into the parking lot of the pool hall and bar known locally as Slim's. The parking lot was just as full as she expected for a Friday night, she texted her brother when Maisey didn't hesitate to get out of the car. 'Mace thinks she's coming to Brett's rescue, on our way into Slim's, it was either I came too or she was coming alone' the message wooshed away. 'And to think I was hoping for a quiet night,' Andy replied back.
The sound, the lights, and the heat assailed her as she stood in the open doorway. Maisey took a mental inventory, called herself ten types of stupid before entering the narrow corridor that lead into the pool hall end of the building. Anna followed, not sure if she was even ready for what was going to happen in the next few minutes: if Maisey could handle twenty minutes she figured her friend would be okay, but a big worry was that she'd go into a panic attack and black out, which was why she positioned herself behind Maisey instead of in front. There was no smoke in the air, Maisey noted, men and women stood near pool tables, leaned against walls and were even kissing in dark corners. Four pool tables and three dart boards filled the space, but the country dance music was past the u-shaped bar and into another space. She watched the two-stepping for a while, having never actually seen that style of dancing before.
Unconsciously, she was scanning the room looking for Brett or any of his friends. She didn't see them in the pool hall and the dancers were moving to fast, then she spotted him at the bar: Addie was with him. Wanting to adjust before approaching him, Maisey indicated to Anna that she wanted to play some pool. With a nod, Anna signaled that she would get them something to drink while Maisey found a table she could challenge.
"Miss Maisey," Nate grinned at her, he was flushed from dancing, "Didn't think you would be here tonight, or that you played pool: I was just about to take my place at the table, are you interested in playing pairs? I'm sure Donny's lady wouldn't mind joining him." She nodded, "Fantastic!"
Donny's lady turned out to be a girl who looked hardly out of high school: her name was Beth. Donny, to his credit, mostly ignored the way she presented her assets to him while she racked the balls and came to introduce himself. He pointed out the rack of cues and watched while she picked one: it had been a long time since she played but she remembered to check for warping before chalking the tip. "Shall we let Maisey break since she's new to town?" Nate asked with a grin. Donny and Beth nodded their agreement and Maisey moved to set.
Nate was still talking to her, offering comments and suggestions on how to break and asking if she needed to be shown how to hold the cue. With calm patience Maisey sighted, adjusted her stance and sighted again, then with deliberate movement she snapped her arm forward and broke the racked balls. "Holy crap!" Donny exclaimed, "Nice break new girl!" Three balls had gone into pockets. She took stock of which ones they were and called her next shot. She sunk it and then the next shot clipped another ball sending it off track.
Anna and Lucas had joined her by then, she sipped a drink of sprite before scanning the room for Brett: this time he was dancing but he was still sullen. Addie was doing her best to get a reaction from him. Beth sank one ball, Nate missed his shot and Danny sank two before it was Maisey's turn again. She set up, called and sank two more balls. "I think we're getting fleeced," Donny teased good naturedly, Maisey stayed focused on the balls and her cue: she'd sunk four that turn leaving just the 8 ball. She stalked around the table looking for the best angles, the best shot before setting up a behind the back jump shot and called it to go off the rail and into the nearest corner pocket. She didn't realize that she had an audience until applause broke out when the ball dropped into the pocket.
Smiling shyly she shook Donny and Beth's hands and thanked them for the game. She turned around and came face to face with Brett.