The Neighbors And A Visit With Grandma Lu

 He sat on the fence post thinking. His dad called it pondering. "I don't know where that word came from, probably from the olden days he talks about sometimes. I have a lot to think about. I think about the future sometimes. Will I still be sitting on this same fence post for the rest of my life? I hope I still live here for a very long time. I love this ranch. My brother loves the ranch too, but his dream is so different than mine. He loves horses, I love cattle." He chuckled to himself as he watched his dad's cattle move slowly where they were supposed to go, complaining as they were moved from place to place. "What would the ranch sound like without the sounds of these guys? I can't imagine it." He also thought about the Double D Ranch which bordered his dad's. "That's a mess if you ask me. I heard the auction was one in a million. Two folks bidding on it. One wanted it in the worst way to raise horses like it was meant to be and the other bid on it by mistake. I heard Dad say they decided to be partners until one could buy out the other one. That should work if  those city folks move down here. I heard stories about that place being haunted years ago. Said that there were all kinds of ghosts running around over there. Crazy stories folks come up with."

Jasper loved his horse. In fact he loved most horses. There was always a lot of work to do on the ranch he and his brother lived on, but he was thinking he might ask if he could ride over to the new neighbor's ranch; the Double D. He wondered if they were going to change the ranch's name. It had been the Double D for years. In fact for as long as he could remember he had heard older people refer to the ranch as the Double D. "I guess that place got into trouble because they didn't pay the taxes and they had to sell it or lose it to the state of Texas. Dad said that there were now two owners. One of the owners loved horses like him, He wanted to meet them and ask them a lot of questions. "I wonder if they have kids. That would be neat if they had some boys. Q and I could use a few new friends, especially if they liked horses," he chuckled to himself.

He looked up and saw his brother riding over. "Hey, Dad said that we could ride over to the Double D if you want to. He said we could take a break from chores this morning to meet the new neighbors. I guess Mom and Dad are going over too. Want to ride over?"

Jasper was eager to go. He quickly agreed and soon they were on their way. Jasper wanted to see the horses and Q wanted to see if they had boys their age and of course, a break from chores was always welcome.

                                                       ******

"Grandma Lu, you look funny. How come you are wearing a cowboy hat and doing weird stuff with your hands? asked Marlee as she watched her typing on her computer. You have my picture on your computer. I was really little then, wasn't I?" She received a big laugh and Grandma Lu said, "Where did you come from? I didn't hear the doorbell. In answer to your question I'm writing the story that you wanted to be in. Remember? The ranch in Texas? I thought you did. Well sometimes, even a lot of times I dress up like the story I write to get me in the mood. Do I look like a cowgirl, Marlee? No. Well, doggone it. Did you see where I put your picture wearing a hat in the story? I thought if Marlee and her mom and dad can wear a cowboy hat so can I. You funny girl. Come here and give me a hug. Where is Grandma B? I'm assuming she is out in my kitchen brewing up some coffee. Let's go see."

Grandma B took a look at her old friend and laughed. "You really get into your stories, don't you? Silly woman. I took the liberty of getting the coffee made. I even brought you over some cookies. Fran said you were busy writing the stories in your office. Marlee and I have some news to tell you."

Of course, Grandma Lu was interested in the news. "Okay, what's up? Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure you will feel better afterwards. Look at it this way, Marlee. You will get popsicles and ice cream to make your throat feel better. Remember when you lost your tooth how the popsicle made it feel better? It may be a little sore afterwards, but you will be fine. My little girl had her tonsils out when she was four years old. You have pictures? Oh good let me see. Is it okay if I show them to our friends? Great. Look how cute you are all gowned up. I'm so glad you and your family got to look at the hospital so now you know exactly what to expect. 

 When you are resting you can read the stories with your family. In my stories you and your family are going to be living on a ranch for awhile. I'll make sure that you and Whitlee will have a lot of fun. Okay so tell me how was your first day of school? Oh I'm so glad you love school and are making friends. Okay, pass the cookies, B, My sweet tooth is waiting! I can eat cookies, drink coffee and listen to Marlee all at the same time. They call that multitasking!" They all laughed because they heard Grandma Lu say that lots of times. While they were laughing she was thinking, "I wonder if I should have her start school in Texas and where is that pesky crook that was in the sunflower field. I know where the older woman is. And the auctioneer's wife is going to get in so much trouble... Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you were saying, B. My mind might have wandered off a bit. That's called a senior moment, you know," she chuckled and as she looked out her kitchen window she knew just what she was going to write as soon as her company left.

Her friend looked at her granddaughter and they both smiled. Grandma Lu was at it again. 

Answers To The Mystery May Be In Marlee's Journal

 On the way back out to the ranch Marlee asked questions about sunflowers. She said she knew they had bright yellow leaves on them. She had seen them in Grandma Lu's kitchen. "Grandma Lu has a lot of sunflowers at her house, doesn't she?" They all talked about Grandma Lu and a member of their family who also loved sunflowers. "There's all kinds of stories sometimes called legends about sunflowers. They love the sun and always bend to reach their faces towards the sun as much as they can." 
"You mean flowers can move their heads like we do?" Marlee's mom chuckled and said, "Not like we do, but the sunflower always reaches for the sun. That's where it got it's name. Then the brown middle we see is where all the seeds are. They are very good for birds to eat and lots of things are made from them. It seems to me that the seeds are full of Vitamin E which is really good for us. They make oil and feed for birds and large farm animals if I remember right. I think I saw a bar of sunflower soap at that little store in town. Those sunflower farms must be a big deal around here; interesting."

Marlee had been looking through her old book that was in the box she had bought at the auction. "Look at this picture, Mom. Isn't that a picture of a little girl with some sunflowers? It's black and white so I can't tell for sure."

"Yes, it does look like sunflowers. That picture is really old. You have your two dollars worth of fun looking at all the old pictures in that book, don't you? Okay, let's get the car unloaded and put things away. We can explore the ranch tomorrow how does that sound?" She looked at her husband and saw the worry on his face. "I am never going to another auction as long as I live," she thought to herself.

                                  ******

 The newspaper reporter had taken a picture of two little girls that had found the alarm clocks out at the sunflower field. They both were so happy with their prize, but most of all that they had solved the puzzle by guessing the clue. 

Arie had also guessed the puzzle, but had decided she really didn't need the clock because she already had one. The owner of the sunflower farm gave her some sunflower soap to take home and a free ticket to come back anytime that they were open. She was thrilled. Her little sister had found a silver pocket watch in the dirt and loved it. However her mom wasn't sure that they should keep it. She told her little girl that they needed to take it to the sheriff's office to see if anyone had lost it before she could keep it.

                                                          *****

He quit running and hid in the sunflower field. He listened and watched as the little girl walked away with the pocket watch. He knew that it was very valuable and would bring him a tidy sum; maybe enough to retire on or at least buy him a decent car. When he heard that the mother was going to turn it in to the sheriff he decided to go to the sheriff's office later in the day and tell him that he had lost a valuable pocket watch of his grandfather's. "This is easy pickins," he grinned as he made his way back into town.  However, the older woman was way ahead of him. She had called the sheriff's office and said that she had lost her grandmother's pocket watch out at the sunflower farm. If anyone turned it in she would sure like it back. She would send a driver to pick it up.

                                                                              ******

The auctioneer's wife was so happy. She had gotten the job as a delivery person. She would have extra spending money to do as she wished; just for herself. It wasn't a lot, but she loved the feeling of independence. And the job was so easy! Today she just had to go to the sheriff's office and pick up a package for her new boss. "Yes! I love my new job!"

The Sunflower Field

 Marlee's mom had been keeping one eye on her daughters and a careful lookout for her husband. There had been a thief in the trunk of their car. "What have I done? I should never suggested going to that auction. I probably should never even suggested going to Texas. What a mess we are in. I bought part of a ranch by mistake and already we probably have been robbed in the first half hour of being in town. I can't wait to get home, but that's not an option for a few days. Hopefully we both have jobs when we get back. Oh good, there he is now. Girls, come here. Dad is outside. Let's go see what he has to say."

Marlee's dad said that the sheriff had chased the man to the edge of town and then lost him. "I guess there is a huge sunflower farm north of here. He told me that this time of year in the northern part of Texas that there are many sunflower farms. People love to go there and have their pictures taken. Some of them are tourist attractions for families. It's up to you. If you want to drive out there to see if we can find a man whose face we have never seen or just go out to the camper and relax. We have food in the car. He didn't take anything out of the back seat. It looks like he only rummaged through the box of junk that Marlee bought at the auction. Sorry, girl. I know you spent your money on it, but there are still some things left in the box. We can go through it when we get back to the campground. Okay?"

                                                                 ***********

Arie and her sister were so excited to go to the sunflower farm. They were going to have the best time. On the way Arie talked about the new girls that they had met at the cafe. "Marlee seemed nice, but she doesn't think that they will stay very long. I guess they live a long ways away. It would be nice if they decided to move here. We are about the same age. I think I'm a little older and I could show her around. Oh look, there are the sunflowers. Aren't they just beautiful?"

"They sure are girls. They have lots of things to do here. They even have a petting zoo.  Just remember don't go wondering away. I sure don't want you getting lost. Let's go see the animals okay?"

Arie and her sister decided that the sheep were the most fun and they loved feeding them the food that the farmer gave them. However, they both wanted to go into the sunflower fields. They were told that in the first field there was a treasure. Whoever found it would get their picture in the newspaper. They were so excited. Soon they found themselves deep into the field of the beautiful yellow sunflowers. Soon Arie wasn't able to see her little sister. "Mom! Where is Ally? I can't see her anywhere? Mom!"

"Don't worry. I can see her. See if you can find the treasure. Let me tell you again what the clue was. Okay now listen to this. "My job is to put an end to sleep. Which I do with music, a buzz, or a beep." What do you think that could be?" Arie giggled and said, "I think it's an alarm clock! Let's look for an alarm clock, Ally. Maybe we will get our pictures in the newspaper." Her little sister shook her head and said, "No. I want this. It's so pretty. It's a clock too. It's just my size and I'm going to keep it."

"See, look. Isn't it pretty? I can see myself in it. It's like a tiny mirror."

Ally's mom said, "I'd like to take a look at that, Alyviah. Where did you find this? Really? Out here in the field. Hmm, now I'm a little confused. I thought for sure that Arie was right, that the prize was an alarm clock. Well, for now you can keep it. It's so beautiful out here. We can stay for awhile longer. If there is an alarm clock out here surely someone will find it. Maybe it will be one of you girls."

A young woman was going to have her senior pictures taken as soon as the photographer got here. She walked through the field of flowers smiling. She knew a lady that said that sunflowers looked like they were always smiling and made her happy. She agreed. Just as she leaned over to take in their woodsy fragrance she found herself falling. "Ouch! How rude is that? Who were those people? They just ran right into me; didn't say sorry and didn't even stop!"                                                                        

                                                   

If You Want To Be My Friend Then Take Me By My Hand

 Harleigh had stopped in the cafe for a soda and watched the folks react to the strangers that walked in the door. As usual they stared at them and didn't even say hi. She rubbed the back of her neck and thought, "We moved down here when I was just a kid. Mom had made reservations at the  Double D but when we got there they weren't ready for us. The lady was nice. I think Allie was her name. She said that we could park our camper at the old campground. That was a trip. It hadn't been used for years, but we had fun. There was no electricity so it was a little spooky. It was the first time we had ever had a camper. Mom forgot salt and butter. The food wasn't too good, but we sure made some fun memories. I can remember hearing and seeing all kinds of animals in the timber and of course, working on the ranch. It was hard work, but I learned to ride a horse there. Oh it was such fun. It didn't take long to not feel like the new kid on the block. She and her husband were such nice folks. Wait, what's going on outside?" She ran to the door along with a lot of other customers and watched as the new man chased another man down the sidewalk. "Wow, that's not usually how we make new folks welcome around here. Wonder what that was all about. I'm going to call Mom. Hopefully she still has her shoes on. The auction pretty much wore her out; and me. Elephant umbrella stands. Good grief the stuff she buys."

"Mom, get your shoes on and grab your glasses. I don't know! They are probably on top of your head! I'm coming over to get you. There's some excitement in town. Looks like someone robbed the new owners of the Double D right in front of the cafe. Yup, grab your pad and pencil. I'll have my cell phone to take some pictures for you. Why don't you ever buy a cell phone? No time to argue now.  Maybe we can get some interesting copy for your column. I'll call the sheriff; then I'll be right over."

As Harleigh pulled away she noticed  two little girls standing by the cafe looking a little lost. "I think those two kids belong to the new owners. It's just a shame, yes just a shame.  From what I heard before I left the cafe is that the robber took something that that oldest one bought at the auction. Maybe we can get some details and put a notice in the paper. That's one thing the folks in this town do. They help the sheriff. Between mom's article and the sheriff hopefully we can find that guy and get back whatever he stole. Poor kid."

"Hi! My name is Arieanna. Do you want an ice cream cone? Why don't you come back inside and meet my friends. One of them said that she saw you at the auction out at the Double D. It's okay. My mom said that it would be good if you and your sister came back inside to wait for your parents. I'm sorry that a bad man stole something from you."

Marlee and Whitlee went back inside the cafe. There were two girls sitting at a booth. One had ice cream and gave them a big smile. The other girl Marlee recognized right away. She had been at the auction. She smiled back and sat down with them. A grownup lady said, "Hi girls. Order what you want. You can visit with Myla and Paisley while you wait for your parents to come back in."

Adalynn was sitting at another booth with her mom. "I know that new girl over there, Mom. She was at the Double D today. I talked to her a little bit then she had to go. She said she was on vacation. I wonder why those other girls are talking to her. I wonder if that little girl is her sister. " Her mom smiled and said, "I wonder too." She looked at her mom and said, "What? What do you wonder?"

She looked at her young daughter and said, "I wonder why you don't go over there and sit with those girls. I remember when I was new at a new school in a new town. It was hard because everyone thought that since I was new I wouldn't make a good friend. So you know what I finally decided?" Adalynn looked at her mom with a really serious look and said, "No. What did you do?" She couldn't imagine her mom without a lot of friends let alone being little like she was.

"One day I felt really sad at school. No one would sit with me because I was new. The lunch ladies even had ice cream that day. There I sat eating my ice cream all by myself. I wanted to run home to my mama and never come back. I can almost remember that my tummy was so upset that the ice cream didn't even taste good. Then I remembered a story I heard. Your grandma read me a book when I was a lot younger. It was a book about a little train. I don't remember the name of the book, but the train didn't think he could do stuff like the big trains could until he had to one day. You see he was just a little engine, but he had a lot of cars full of toys and good food for little boys and girls to eat. The bad part was that the boys and girls lived way up high on a mountain. He just knew he would never be able to pull all of those loaded down cars up that steep mountain. He didn't know what he was going to do. So he decided that he could do it because he had to do it.. He fired up his little engine and took a big deep breath and said, "I think I can. I think I can." He said that over and over until he realized that he could do anything that he set his mind to because he had reached the top of the mountain! You see he might have been little, but he also was a good friend to little boys and girls that he didn't even know. Isn't that a good story? I know you can be a good friend too to some little girls that look like they really need a friend today. What do you think?" Addie grinned and said, "Is it okay if I go over there with the girls and have my ice cream with the new girls too?"

The lady behind the counter had been listening to the story and smiled as she saw other parents and grandparents urge their little ones to go say hi to the new girls. "What the future holds for this new family is unsure to say the least, but the age old story of The Little Engine That Could made her think of once she was the new woman, not girl. This town is a little hard to earn your place in if you weren't born here," She grinned to herself and thought of her first day at the grocery store. Mercy, what a day."

There Was A Man In Their Trunk!

 Of course, Marlee was disappointed about not going swimming and sleeping in a motel or hotel, but sleeping in a big camper and exploring around the campground was fun because her sister, Whitlee and her lollie had really surprised them by driving right into the campground. Her mom and dad thought they were in Florida on vacation. In fact Marlee had been a little jealous because Whitlee had been able to go swimming and she was not able to. There seemed to still be a lot of serious conversations going on with the grownups which now included lollie. Every once in a while their voices would get loud only to return to real low voices about ranching. Marlee wasn't sure, but she thought that ranching was a lot like farming. It was out in the country and there were horses and a lot of fields of green grass so she couldn't see the big deal about it. She and Whitlee were told to get ready for bed. Of course, they had to try out the bed to see if it was comfortable only to be told that the bed they were (not jumping on of course,) was to be their parent's bed.

It was really hard to go to sleep that night because both of the girls had so much to talk about, but especially they had new scooters to ride the next day. They could hardly wait!

The next morning the girls hurried through their breakfast and rushed outside to finally get to play with their new toys. It was so much fun. It didn't seem quite so hot as it was the day before. After awhile they heard their parents call them. They said they were going into town and they needed to put their scooters close to the camper while they were gone.

Marlee told Whitlee that she had gone to the carnival in town the day before and had had so much fun. Whitlee said, "I want to go to the carnival too!" Her mom said, "No, we need to go get some food and things for the camper. I guess we will have to stay longer than we thought we were. Your lollie has gone home to check on Rex. The neighbor has been feeding him and making sure he gets his exercise and so on, but Mom said she would check in and make sure he was going to be taken care of while we stay awhile longer in Texas. Oh look at the picture she just sent. He looks like he's grown a foot. Look, girls."

"Mom says he is a good watch dog and barks at all the squirrels and rabbits in the yard."

When they drove into the small town Whitlee immediately saw the carnival rides and wanted to go. "No, not today, Whitlee. We just have a million things to do, but when we get done with our errands, we can stop in at the cafe and have an ice cream if you would like to."

The girls decided that would do. They both loved ice cream. 

The first stop was a store that sold food that was already cooked. That would be simple to fix in the camper. The girls each got a drink while their parents shopped.

The time seemed to go by quickly in the store and soon their mom said it was time to check out and pay for the food they had put in their cart. When they walked out the door their dad yelled, "Hey! Get out of there! What are you doing in my trunk?" He was running down the street, but the man in his trunk was smaller and faster and disappeared down an alley.

The folks in the cafe were watching the people running down the street with amazement. "Would you look at that? Now you just can't make somethin' like that up, can ya? I wonder if that is those new folks that bought the Double D. Hope they aren't bringin' in riff raff into our town. Somebody should be doin' somethin'; maybe call the sheriff."

Small Town Carnival And A Helpful Neighbor

 After Marlee's mom and dad got through signing all the papers at the lawyer's office, then they had to make an appointment with the title company. They found out that their paper work included title search, title insurance, having an assessor go to the ranch and make sure that the boundaries were accurate plus they were very busy and couldn't get to their closing date for another few weeks. And again that all cost more money. Marlee had had to sit in the waiting room while the grownups were busy talking and deciding what they were going to do. Looking at her mom and dad's face she knew things weren't going too good. She decided not to bug them about going swimming and just see what they were going to do. Maybe they were just going to go home. That was fine with Marlee, then she heard the strange lady in the office say, "You know there are some campers for rent in town. You could rent one of those at a pretty reasonable rate and park it out on the Double D Ranch. It has a campground on the back lots of the property. I don't know how updated it is, but I have heard it's a nice place to relax and I'm sure that Steff won't mind if you want to stay there for a few days. They come furnished with dishes and linens etc., all you need is food for the fridge and you would be set. It might help you kind of get the lay of the land so to speak. Would you like me to make some calls for you? Great! Just a second I'll see if someone's in the office. Okay, it's all set, they have a nice camper for rent. They said they will even haul it our to the ranch if that's okay with you  at no charge. Why don't you follow me and I'll introduce you. By the way we will be your new neighbors. We live just across the section from the Double D. We raise cattle, not horses."

Marlee's grandma decided to pack up and shorten her vacation with Whitlee and head to Texas. "This must be some crazy kind of mistake. The kids know nothing about ranching. We'll get to the bottom of this, won't we, Whit?"

The old woman watched as the couple and little girl got in the car and headed to town. She decided to follow them to see where they were going. As they pulled into town she noticed that the sheriff was headed in the opposite direction. "Good riddance to bad rubbish! Now if they just leave their car unlocked I'll be able to get that pocket watch out of the box. Rats! Now where are they going?" Then she saw that they were now at the title company. She sat and waited and decided they were going to be in the title office for awhile. She was going to take her chances. "I can't believe my good luck they left the doors unlocked. Now to see if I can find that watch."

"Mom! Dad! Somebody is in our car! Come quick!" Marlee's mom and dad came running out to the waiting room and said, "What are you yelling about?" Marlee said, "There was a lady getting in the back seat. I think she was in the box that I bought at the auction. She shouldn't have done that, should she?" They all went outside and didn't see anyone near their car and the box was still in the back seat."

"Marlee, I think everything is okay. If she did take something we probably won't know it because we haven't gone through all the stuff in that box. Don't worry about it. We are going to have an adventure tonight. We are going back to the ranch and sleep in a big camper. Won't that be fun?"

Marlee said, "Okay, but can we lock the doors this time?" They all laughed and went out to go see the camper that would be their home for the next few days. On the way to the camper rental place Marlee said, "Look! They are having a carnival! I want to go. See those kids having fun. Can we go? Please?"

Marlee's dad looked at his wife, closed his eyes for a second and said, "We sure can. How about if we get the camper out to the ranch, then come back into town and get some groceries so we can have breakfast tomorrow. Then we can go to the carnival. Okay?" Marlee was so excited. She said, "Can I get a cowboy hat? Every one is wearing a hat in Texas. Mom, you can get one too! Oh I want to ride on those rides. Let's hurry!"

And Marlee got herself a hat and so did her mom and so did her dad.

A Promise Is A Promise And Broke Is Broke

 Marlee looked through part of the old book and wished she could read the words that were in it. She had learned how to sound out some words that were printed, but the writing in this book was full of loops and circles. She had no idea what the words said. She soon tired of it and concentrated on her new furry friend that she had named Willow. Willow jumped off her lap and onto the floor. She barked a soft, "Woof!" and ran to the door. "Oh, okay you want outside? What a good dog you are." She opened the door and soon another dog ran up to say hi. He was a big white dog with lots of fur. "Oh, aren't you a pretty dog. Do you and Willow live here? I wish I had a dog to pet and love."

She heard someone come up behind her and saw that it was her mom. "You know animals are a lot of work. They also cost a lot of money. They need special food and medicine. They need to go to a groomer. That is just a beauty shop for animals. Sometimes their fur gets too long and makes them really uncomfortable. There are bugs that like to live on animal's fur too; ticks and fleas. All of that is a lot of responsibility. That's why you don't have a dog. We live in town and don't have a fenced in yard for one thing."

"Well maybe someday we could get daddy to put up a fence around our yard then we could get a dog." "Right now that's the last thing I'm going to worry about. I need to talk to my mom right now. I have something I want to talk over with her. If you want to go outside and play with the dogs while I call her I think it's okay. They seem like really friendly dogs. Make sure you stay right where I can see you, okay?"

Marlee's mom quickly sent a text to her mom who was vacationing in Florida. "This is going to be an interesting conversation. She's going to freak out probably. Hope she gets the text soon. I really need to talk to her." Soon her phone rang with a video chat request. It was her mother. "Hi! Are you having a good time at the beach? Good. Well, there's something I want to tell you and talk to you about. I'm glad you are sitting down. I wish I was there with you about now. That's for sure."

" I bought a ranch in Texas today. Not on purpose, Mom! Of course, not! It was an accident! Yes it was an accident. I was waving at my husband and the auctioneer thought I was bidding. Now I guess we are going to be partners in this big old ranch with another couple until they get enough money to buy our share out. We are going to be in Texas for a little longer than we thought. The lady that owns it is leaving soon. Mom there's not even any food in the fridge. Well, in fact there's no fridge. She sold everything at the auction, but this couch in the living room. I wonder why she didn't put it on the auction. Anyway, how soon are you coming back? I need you to go to our house and check to make sure everything is okay every once in awhile. Okay? Of course, I will let you know what's going on. Yes we are calling our work. Yes, I know we need our jobs. You know this could be a good thing. I thought we could make it into an Airbnb, but the other couple wants to buy and sell horses. They are rodeo people, Mom! Listen to me. It's done. I'll call you again tomorrow. We have to go into town and do paper work. Tell Whit we will see her soon and that we love her. No I don't have time to talk to her right now. I'll call you tomorrow and Whit can talk to everyone then. Okay? Bye, Mom. It's going to be okay. Yes I promise!"

"What's going to be okay, Mom? What did lollie have to say? Is she still on vacation? I want to go to Florida instead of Texas. Is lollie at the beach? Is Whitlee swimming without me? I want to go to the beach too. It's really hot here. Can we go to the motel and go swimming now? You promised!"

Marlee's dad found the box that Marlee told him that she had bought. He put the box of junk in the car and locked it. "My girls are giving me a headache today. I can't believe that we will soon be part owners of a ranch. A ranch! What are we doing? We are going to be so poor until that other couple buys us out. I wonder how my boss is going to take this. I shouldn't be more than a couple of days late coming back from vacation. I'd better call him now while I have a minute. It sounds like there will be a lot of paperwork to get done before this sale is a done deal. It's a good thing that we have been saving for a house. We at least have enough money to get this done, but we won't have anything left in savings. I guess it's going to be hamburger and macaroni for a few weeks. We can do this. Just keep telling yourself this; we can do this."

                                                                     *******

"Shhh! Now get over there and get that box out of that car. If you do that I will give you a good price for that bag of jewels you got there. Now git! I need that box and be careful that you don't get caught!"

"And just how do you expect me to accomplish that? It's broad daylight and I have no clue how to break into a car. I'm not a crook you know. That's your line of work from what I'm told. You are on your own. I'll find somebody else to buy these." The old woman watched the man walk away. "That's just fine. I'll do it myself." The crowd had started to thin away and folks were getting in their cars. "The auction must be about over. Maybe it is over. Rats! How am I going to get my hands on that watch? I never should have dropped it in that box. What was I thinking?"

                                                       ****

David was miserable. That dog had chased him and grabbed him by the pants leg until he fell down. He thought that monster was going to eat him. He could still smell that dog's breath. "Yuk! He slobbered all over me." He wiped off his face with his shirt sleeve, or what was left of it. "He tore my pants and my shirt. Big galoop, but at least he wasn't mean. I guess he just wanted to play." He walked very slowly towards what looked like a doorway in a brick wall. "Yes, there's a door bell. Hopefully this is the right place." He looked around the the area. There were a lot of motorcycles parked there. "I wonder if I have the right place. I think this is the address, but it's hard to tell back here." He looked to see where the revving of a motorcycle was coming from. There sat a rider looking right at him. He quickly pushed the button for the door bell. The door opened up a crack and a deep voice said, "We don't want nothin'. Now get outta here!" And slammed the door in his face. "Well, this was an interesting day. I'll go get myself a room and do some calling. I know there's more than one jewelry fence down here. Man I need a bath."

It seemed like within minutes he felt himself fly through the air. When he opened his eyes he realized how lucky he was. Broke, but lucky. The jewels were gone and so were his dreams of a house on the beach and a fancy car.

The Journal

 Marlee followed her mom to the big house that her mom called the main house. "I wonder how many houses there are if this big one is the main one." She looked all around what she called a farm and saw that there were other houses. There was a really long house with a big porch on it and then there were several other houses that were pretty small. She didn't ask her mom any questions because she could tell that she was upset for some reason. " I wonder what Mom meant when she said she bought a ranch." She stood a little to the side of her mom and realized that her dad was there too and another couple. They looked like cowboys that she had seen pictures of. "Cool," she thought. "This is fun, but no one has a happy face." She was told to go into the house and sit down on the couch. She immediately saw a dog and wondered if it was friendly. A lady smiled and told her if she wanted to pet him she could. Her dad patted her shoulder and told her to be a good girl. The grownups had a lot to talk about and when they were done they would come and get her. She smiled and said that she would read her book and the dog jumped up on the couch and laid her head on Marlee's lap.

"You are a good dog. I wonder what your name is. I'm not going to interrupt the grownups, but I think I will call you Willow. Be a good dog, okay? I want to look at this book I bought. It was in a box of junk, but I think Dad put it in the car. That's ok, no, you can't chew on it. Now be good while I look at some of these pictures. There was one in here that looked a little like me; weird, but it did. I'll show Mom when she gets done talking. Look, Willow, there's writing I can't read a lot yet, but there's more pictures. Oh look there's a little girl just about my age, but that picture is really old. I wonder why her picture is in this book."

 There's a lot of pictures of horses and cows too. I wish I could read better. I will be able to someday when I go to school more. Oh, Willow, look! There's that little girl wearing the same dress as the other one I saw. Who is she, I wonder. Boy do I have a lot to ask my mom about. Maybe she will get happier and read to me out of this book. She will probably be able to tell me who this little girl is."

****

There were grownups in the kitchen that Marlee was not aware of. The auctioneer, Allie's daughter, Steff, and her daughter and family, Marlee's mom and dad and Sarah and J.D. the other couple that had bid on the ranch. The voices were getting louder and Marlee's mom said, "We had better lower our voices. I don't want Marlee getting upset over this. Steff said, "I thought the ranch had been sold. What's this all about? You bid by mistake? How does that even happen? These folks want the ranch then give it to them. I want to go home as soon as I can. You are kidding me. I can't go home because the sale isn't final yet? I cannot believe this is happening to me. So who has the money to buy this ranch? Neither one of you? Then sell it to someone else. Today!"

Both couples looked at the auctioneer to hear what he had to say. "Only the highest bidder is the owner. The only way to make a sale today is for both of these couples to form a partnership. If they go into town and get the paperwork done then you can go home, but not today. None of you can leave until the paperwork is done and signed; plus checks written and cleared from the banks. There has to be a deed search to make sure there are no other people intitled to a share of this place and of course, the taxes have to be paid which is the major issue here. Then you have to hire a person to come out and make sure that the boundaries of the ranch are true. You certainly don't want someone to sue you over an acre or two of land. There is a lot to consider and do, so you had better get together and calmly discuss this and come to a decision that all of you can live with. The sooner the better in my estimation. I would like this settled today just like the rest of you."

****

David was on his way out of the airport with high hopes that the jewels that he had discovered at the Double D ranch would bring him a pretty penny. He patted the little bag that held his future and smiled. He could just see it now. His house on the beach and beautiful white sand. "Oh yes. It's a good thing that I have a lead on an underground jewelry fence. They say she pays the best. I'm not too cool with going downtown at night, but it will be well worth it. Oh rats,  my G.P.S. says that I have to go down this alley and then get back behind this tall boarded up fence. Yikes! There's a really big dog back there. I'm not liking this, but it's cool. Just keep.. No!"

The Auctioneer's Wife Is Headed For Trouble

 She was sick of taking care of kids. She was sick of being broke all the time, but most of all she was sick of the Texas heat. They didn't even have a pool. She had to load up those boys with all their swimming stuff which took forever to take them to the public pool. For that matter who knew what all was in the water. Yuk. She told them if they cleaned their rooms she would take them this afternoon. "That was a mistake. All I hear them do is fight. Well let them fight. I'm done messing with housework this afternoon. Maybe I'll meet someone interesting at the pool today. She decided to scroll through her phone and skimmed through the silly memes and wondered if anyone ever put anything interesting on social media. There was an old lady that put her stories up two or three times a week. Where does she get her ideas? I could give her some ideas; plenty. I'd send her pictures of my ne'er-do-well husband. He calls himself an auctioneer. Right. He barely makes enough money to feed us and pay the rent for the shack we live in. I want to live in Illinois. I know I have some family there that could give us a good start with housing and a decent job for my prince charming. Maybe I should get a job. I've got four boys. What would I do with them if I work? Wait. What is this? Hmm, another old lady wanting women to work as part time delivery people. She doesn't say what you have to deliver. My luck it would be 65" television sets. Choose your own hours. Must have a valid drivers license and own a vehicle. Whoa! That salary is more than my dear husband makes in a week if he's lucky. There's got to be something off about this. Why not check this out? I'll put a little makeup on and go see about it on the way to the pool."

                                                                           *******

"I'm not taking your box of stuff. There was somebody putting something in your box, little girl. I was just trying to help. I need to check on my mother so if you are alright I'm going to go see to her. Are you okay? Where is your mother? Oh, there's mine! Hey, Mom! Over here!"

   

"Mom, what did you do? What? You bought this thing? Why? Do you have a clue how much it must weigh? Oh my goodness, how much did you pay for it? No you did. not.! I can't believe it! If and how we get this thing in the trunk, where are you going to put it? Well, I think we should probably worry about it now. Yes, I know you are the mom. Okay, do you think you can help me lift this thing? I'll go get the car and bring it over as close as I can. Wait here and please don't buy anything else." She did have to chuckle on her way to the car. "Mom and auctions are a deadly duo. She always buys something goofy. Elephant umbrella stands in Texas. Yup, that's my mom for you."

                                                   

  Marlee smiled and said, "Well, I only had four dollars and spent half of it on this stuff. I don't think there is anything good in here but this old book. It has pictures in it and I want to keep it." She's over by the barn for some reason. She and dad have been over there for a long time. I want to go swimming. It's really hot here in Texas." She looked up and the lady was walking away. "Well, that's weird. Where did she go?"

Marlee watched the lady walk away and start talking to an older lady when she heard her mother's voice. It sounded like she had been crying. "Marlee, did you buy this box of stuff? How did you do that? You didn't have a bidding card. You used mine? How much did you spend? Two dollars? Okay. Well, it seems you and I are the winners of the auction today. Daddy and I have a lot to talk about. It seems that I accidentally bought this ranch and now we have to go and do a lot of talking and thinking. We need to talk with the owner for one thing. I'm glad you got yourself something to drink. I'm sure we all could use a good meal and a nice hotel room. Who was that lady you were talking to? You don't know? Now you know I always tell you not to talk to strangers. Oh. Did she tell you what it was? Well, you can look if you want to, I have to get your dad and go talk to the lady that owns this place and other people that want this ranch too. It's a mess, Marlee. You are so lucky you aren't a grownup. Enjoy being a little girl for as long as you can. You can look through that box later. Come along with me and we can all go to the main house together. Yes, you can bring your book."

                                                                         *****

The old woman had been hiding behind some parked cars. It was hard to see what was going on. "I wish that little girl would hurry up and get out of there. I need that watch back. It's pure silver and will bring me a pretty penny for sure. And besides that, I have to get back to the booth. My old man will probably give my stuff away. He doesn't have a clue what I do to keep him in all the stuff he wants. I need to hire some people that I can trust besides my two partners." She chuckled and thought, "That's a good one. If they trust me they are losers. I'm out to make a bundle, not to be a nice old lady." She looked down when she felt the vibration on her phone. "Ah, here's a sucker now. Wants a job, huh? I'll promise her a big fat wage then disappear before she can collect her wages." She sent a text and looked up and wouldn't you know it, there was a man picking up the box! "No, no, no, no! I have to have that watch back."

"What are you doing crouching down by my car and why do you want that box? It's not yours by the looks of thing so how do you know there's a watch in it. Wait just a minute there sister. I know who you are! I've been looking for you."

"Will you be quiet? I need to see where that guy is taking that box. I have to have it back. Make yourself useful. I could make it worthwhile. You know one hand washes another. That sort of thing."