Being A Guardian Angel Is Not Always Easy

 Maxine and the sheriff and been talking all the way to see K.R. and all the way back to ranch after she visited with her son. K.R. was one thing that they agreed to disagree about. She agreed with him that her son was a con man. He had bilked thousands of dollars from folks that could ill afford it. That made her angry and ashamed of the man that she had raised. But it also made her angry at the old miner, Rex. She attributed K.R."s behavior even as an old adult on to him because of the way he raised him. She was a mom that loved her son, but didn't like him much. Oh he was a charmer that's for sure. He got people to believe his lies and even when they didn't get the money they thought they would they would often just shrug their shoulders and say, "Well, I should have known better. It's probably not K.R.'s fault, it's ours."

The sheriff continued to listen as good friends do and should, but also added into their conversation that her son was a grown man and probably shouldn't make excuses for him any more. What he was asking her to do was unconscionable and would make her an accomplice to underground activity in the stock exchange. He knew he was falling in love with her, but he still needed to uphold the law at any cost. At this time, this particular Christmas Day standing by his principals  was at a big cost. He told her that he couldn't see her anymore if she continued to fall under K.R.'s spell of deception.

Maxine got out of the patrol car and walked into her tiny home. She sat down at her computer and started the process of pulling money out of her account for K.R. in spite of the thought of losing her one chance at love. For some reason she stopped and looked out the window. There sat a dog. A cute little puppy sitting all alone. "Well, look at that. Just like me. lost and a little scared. Wonder where it came from. Looks pretty young to me. You need to go away and find someone to take care of you."

She walked to the door and said, "Shoo! Go on now. You need to go. I don't have time for you. I don't want you hanging around here. Go on! Get!"

Maxine watched as the little dog slowly got up and started to walk away. She heard a little whimper and noticed that the dog was limping, but continued to slowly make his way down the driveway.

"Good grief what have you done to yourself? Come here let me look at your paw. I see you have a little piece of something down inside your pad. Let me pick you up. I'm going to take you in the house just for a little bit. I'll take that out with some tweezers then you can continue to be on your way."

She put the tiny dog on the sofa and said, "Now you stay put. I'll be right back. Don't get my cover dirty either. I don't like animals in the house let alone on my furniture."

Allie found she and Josh's grandfather sitting in the living room all by themselves after Josh rushed out of the house to stop Maxine from going to the prison to see K.R. 

"Well here we are all alone and neither one of us is yelling or talking for that matter. So I have just one more question to ask you and then you can leave me alone. If Josh wants a relationship with you that's fine, but I'm not. Sorry, but that's how I feel about this situation at this point. I have lived by myself ever since Mom died and I don't need anyone telling me what to do and when to do it."

Rex smiled a small rather sad smile at the young woman he knew so well and said, "So ask away. What's the one question that you need answered so badly?"

"So is Justin, Josh's brother?"

The old miner looked at Allie and said, "You know what? There are some things that really don't make a difference. That question is one of those things. I'm getting to be an old man. I'm long in the tooth and follicly challenged. I have a geezer back and a memory that stops and starts on it's own. Now does the answer to your question really change the world as you know it in any way whatsoever? I think not. Now my lady friend has been patiently waiting for me outside in the car and I must go now. You will do well, my dear, but remember to be as patient as you can, don't yell at your help or your friends. If you don't follow my advice you won't have any help or friends. That's pretty easy to do, don't you think?"
Rex quietly walked to the kitchen looked at Naomi's picture that still hung on the wall. He whispered  "I'm so very sorry, my dear. I was a terrible husband and makeshift father. Hopefully one day I can say that I learned from my mistakes and practice that with someone new. Even at my age I can still learn by my mistakes."

As he turned to walk out the door he heard a crash. Naomi's picture lay on the floor with shattered glass scattered all over.

Allie came running out to the kitchen and yelled, "What do you think you are doing? You have no right to break that picture! I don't know that lady, but she's pretty and it was here when I moved in. Now you get out and stay out!"

Rex started to speak, but saw Allie's flushed angry face and a finger that was shaking at him to leave, so he did.

Virginia watched as the old miner with a bent back and a slow gait went out to the car. "Oh my. I have my work cut out for me. She is quick to blame, quick to yell, and quick to assume things without asking questions. She is going to be a handful. I have to do some thinking to get her under control. I've been assigned to be her guardian angel, but in what form? Or should I just wing it. Oops, I'd better not joke about this or I'll get myself in trouble.  I might start with the journal that her Uncle Bill's ghost left laying on her bed. He loved Allie, but he really has bungled up a lot since he tried helping her. I don't know. I have to think."

 She looked down and said, "Not now, Edward. I've got my hands full with this girl. What are you up to? I thought you were assigned to Maxine. Why are you limping? "

" I took the form as a little puppy. I had something caught in my paw. I thought I had it made because Maxine took me in and took the splinter out. But then she kicked me out! I'm going to fail my test for sure. If I can't even make it as a sweet adorable puppy I'll never make it as a full time guardian angel." My supervisor said I did very well with the children, but I'm bombing out with Maxine, that's for sure."

Virginia laughed and said, "Oh my, remember the old saying, 'If at first you don't succeed, try try again?' That's what we both have to do. Persistence pays off. She laughed and said, "Boy I'm just full of old adages today. I guess I had better take my own advice. Okay, but my advice to you is go back over to her cabin and be the sweetest cutest neediest puppy you can be. I'm going to get busy in the house; upstairs I think. Yes, the journal is a good place to start."

As she floated upstairs she looked out the window. She saw the puppy, her Edward, practicing limping, dragging his leg, and then running in circles. "That's my guy. You can do this."