Uncle Bill Watches Over Allie As She Sleeps

 While Allie was driving back to the ranch her mind was in complete turmoil. "What have I gotten myself into? Uncle Bill are you even my Uncle? I have never heard of you and Mom never mentioned you. I could not even believe what happened in that sheriff's office. Three generations of control freaks! Good grief. I can't understand what Maxine said about me being related to them; no way! The only really good thing that happened today was the County Fair. That was so much fun it almost trumps the bad stuff that happened the last part of the day. Okay, so here we are; the good old Double D ranch. That must stand for dumb and dumber today," she laughed to herself. I'm thinking that that old tv and I are going to have a talk. I would love to just sit and watch the news. No ghosts, no traveling cowboy hats, and especially no Josh, just me and my tv."

 Allie walked into the living room and looked at the old television set. She needed her mom. "Oh how I miss you Mama. I'm going out to the kitchen and get your picture. You need to be here so I can see you." With that she went out to the kitchen and took it off the wall. She looked at the picture of the other woman and wondered just who she was. She took the framed photo of her mother and dusted the frame on her jeans then put it on the television. "Ah, there you go. Now I can see you every day when I relax.. I don't like that the other side of the television is empty though. I need to find something else to balance it out. I know, Mom. I'm weird that way. That's just me. Maybe a plant. I thought both pictures  were you, but I can tell now that they aren't. Another mystery I will never solve, I guess."

Allie sat down on her old, but comfy couch and started watching the news. It was showing a ranch that had horses just for folks that needed a friend. Some were children, some were adults. "Now that is neat. I wonder if that was something like this ranch used to be." As she continued to watch she knew just what she had to do with her ranch. Help people both young and old. She had heard of therapy dogs for physically and mentally impaired and troubled children and adults. What about people that were scared or lonely? What about her horses?! Yes, Uncle Bill! Did you help people? What exactly is your story anyway? Maxine said that you had this ranch full of guests and lots of ranch hands. How did you do that? What happened to this place? Oh I need to find the rest of your video will. Tomorrow, first thing after I pay the ranch hands and give them directions on getting the horses back down here, and getting a vet here, and getting feed here, and paying bills. Oh dear, can I make it happen? After I do all of that it will be time to go to bed tomorrow night with another day not finding any answers. I am so tired..."

Allie fell into an exhausted sleep on her old couch in her old living room unknowing that her old Uncle Bill ghost was watching over her. "Well, little one, I guess you need a helping hand. I'll see if I can't make it happen because you have the answer to reviving this old piece of dirt as K.R. used to call it and helping others. That's what we are put on this earth to do, little one. I wish I would have had more money to leave you, but that necklace is worth a fortune. If you sold that you could run a not for profit and help a lot of folks, soldiers even. Yes, I'd better get started. I'll head upstairs to see if my paper will is still in that chest. I don't trust that K.R. He probably destroyed my video will I had him  make. I moved that old chest of drawers the other day to check, but it scared Allie. She's asleep now, so I'll get started. I think I remember where I put it. I'd better be a tad quieter though. I sure don't want her to wake up. I am going to hide that old scrapbook and journal though. I know just where I will put them. I'm going to have to move that chest again to get to the other room. She doesn't need to see some of those pictures or read any of the past entries of my parents and grandparents let alone my aunts and uncles. I do need to find the adoption papers though and destroy them. The folks around here would have a hay day with that info. Yup that's the first thing I'll look for. I'm glad that orphanage is long gone. Bad business that place was. Glad there are better laws nowadays."

Josh walked down the street to the little chili cafe that he and Allie had stopped at the very first night they arrived. He remembered how Lill had put a hot habanera pepper in Allie's chili. He just didn't understand that. She had seemed like a nice lady years ago when her son, Justin, and he were in college. "Well, here goes nothing. Maybe she will be in a better mood today. I am going to send a message to Laura and see if she will meet me here. I just have this strange feeling that they both are hiding something. I need to find a place to stay tonight too since Allie didn't want me out at the ranch tonight. I don't seem to win with her or anyone else in this town for that matter. If I was smart I would just leave town, but I really do like that smart mouthed girl. I think we could be a great team, but we just don't seem to mesh. Well, it doesn't matter, I want to start up my own business and she will have enough money to run her ranch and that will be the end of things." He looked down at his phone and saw Laura's name  "Oh good. Laura says she will meet me here in a few minutes. I'll order a cold drink and talk to Lill while I'm waiting for Laura. Then to find somewhere to stay in this one horse town. That should be a challenge to say the least. Oh well, one thing at a time."

In the back corner Maxine was sitting in a booth waiting and watching to see what that young man would do  She smiled thinking about him when he was just a babe. He should have been her grandson, not Naomi's.  She heard Josh ask the owner if he could talk to Lill. The owner told Josh that Lill had left her shift the day before and hadn't been back. If she did show up she was fired. He couldn't have help like that because it was bad for business.

Maxine had heard what the owner said. She quickly got into her purse, pulled out some bills to pay for her coffee and walked out the door, keeping her face turned away so that Josh didn't recognize her. "Where did that girl go? I've got to find her." She walked out the door and headed down the street towards the parking lot where she had parked her car. She needed to go to Lill's house and talk to her. Hopefully she wasn't sick. She loved that girl. Always had. She had a disposition of an alley cat, but she was hers and she loved her no matter what.

As Laura walked towards the cafe she saw Maxine head towards the parking lot. "Hmm, wonder where that crotchety old woman is going? Some folks are just never in a good mood. That includes Rex today. Ouch he was grouchy when I took him back to the assisted living center. Well, it was for his own good." She put a smile on her face and walked into the cafe to see what this young man wanted from her. When she saw him he smiled and waved for her to join him. He looked at his phone and said, "Sorry, I need to take this. I'll just be a minute." The call was from a Mike. "Mike, hmm, Oh Mike! Hi, Mike. What can I do for you? You found what? Oh my gosh. I'm at the cafe. I'll be right over." He looked at Laura and said, "I am so sorry. I have to leave. Can I have a raincheck? You  are so nice. Thanks. I'll give you a call just as soon as I can. Thanks, again, Laura." And he was gone leaving Laura to shake her head and say to herself, "Maybe it's best this way."