Josh ran behind his cousin into the bedroom.  He stood on his tiptoes and looked at the water. Copying what he'd seen his Pa do before he started to take off his shirt, but the buttons did him in every time.  He couldn't wait to be older when he could do all this stuff by himself.  He stuck his tongue out a little as he worked on them, bound and determined to do it by himself.  He still answered Weedy as he worked on his shirt.

"Oh it was real fun!" Josh said about his trip and looked up from his shirt and over to his cousin. "I loved it when we got to sleep outside! The stars are real pretty.  And Pa said that Ma is one of them stars looking down at me.  Do you like the stars?" Josh asked.

=================

Isaiah smiled and nodded to her comment about Weedy. "Well, he does a mighty fine job and don't complain about it either." He was a good boy and Isaiah could tell it.  

It was good to catch up with his sister for a bit and laugh some with her. Before long they had everything cleaned up and his curiosity was up about what she wanted to discuss. "Alright, I'll go grab out bags and meet you in there." Isaiah turned and went to the front of the house where he had sat down their stuff when they'd come in. 

"Oh it was real fun!" Josh said about his trip and looked up from his shirt and over to his cousin. "I loved it when we got to sleep outside! The stars are real pretty. And Pa said that Ma is one of them stars looking down at me. Do you like the stars?" Josh asked.

"You're real lucky," Weedy told his cousin, resisting the temptation to help with the buttons.  He knew what it was like to be trying to do something and to have everyone treating you like a baby that couldn't do anything.  "You got to see all those places and go so far.  I've never even been as far as Whitefish, although Ma says I can go to Helena or Great Falls with her some time."  

He grinned as they cleaned up for bed.  "My friend Wyatt and me want to go to San Francisco and be pirates!"

=================

Isaiah smiled and nodded to her comment about Weedy. "Well, he does a mighty fine job and don't complain about it either." He was a good boy and Isaiah could tell it.

"Oh, he's got plenty ta complain about!"  Addy chuckled.  "But I do think he's pretty happy ta have someone who's real family for him.  He deserves a good life."

It was good to catch up with his sister for a bit and laugh some with her. Before long they had everything cleaned up and his curiosity was up about what she wanted to discuss. "Alright, I'll go grab out bags and meet you in there." Isaiah turned and went to the front of the house where he had sat down their stuff when they'd come in.

"Get that settled in th' boy's room an' we'll tuck 'em in, then come back out here ta talk, if yer not too tuckered in!"  She stepped over to the fireplace to stoke the fire, so the little house was nice and warm.

"You're real lucky," Weedy told his cousin, resisting the temptation to help with the buttons.  He knew what it was like to be trying to do something and to have everyone treating you like a baby that couldn't do anything.  "You got to see all those places and go so far.  I've never even been as far as Whitefish, although Ma says I can go to Helena or Great Falls with her some time."  

Josh finally got through the buttons that he felt like would have taken Weedy two seconds.  He took off the shirt and threw it on the floor and reached his hands in the water and got them a little wet.  "That sounds fun too." Josh said as Weedy told him the places he hoped to go to with Addy. "And maybe we day we can all go ta Tennessee and you can meet all our other cousins!" 

He grinned as they cleaned up for bed.  "My friend Wyatt and me want to go to San Francisco and be pirates!"

Josh's eyes lit up at the mention of pirates! "Pirates?!" He ran his wet hands over his face 'cleaning' up. "Oh I wanna do that! Do I get to meet Wyatt?" He wondered if he would be at the same school.

======================

He nodded to his sister as he watched her tend to the fire. "Never too tired to talk, sis." He told her and then went to the front of the house and grabbed the bags. He put them in the boys room grabbing Josh's night shirt that he would soon outgrow.  He started walking in where the boys were and heard them talking about pirates.  He smiled as he entered the room. "You boys are gonna run off and leave us to be pirates?" He shook his head. "You better make sure and not forget Addy and I when you get all that booty." He reached down and grabbed Josh's shirt from the floor.

Isaiah tried to fold Josh's tiny shirt while Weedy talked about what they would be sending back from their pirate adventures, chuckling as he did.  He was about to joke back some and help them imagine more about being pirates when Addy walked in.

"Now look at her bein' a killjoy." He said jokingly, pointing at her over his shoulder as he looked at the boys shaking his head.  Isaiah went over tossed the Josh's night shirt over to him. "But I guess we do haf 'ta get ready for bed." The shirt landed over Josh's face and he laughed, pulling it off his face and then he started to put it on.  He was still figuring out how to do things on his own.  His Pa wasn't nearly as helpful as his Ma had been.  He pulled the night shirt over his head and his arm came through where his head should go and he was trying to push his head through the arm hole.

Isaiah walked over to the dresser and started to put Josh's shirt away.

Josh continued to try to work on getting that shirt on. "I ain't sleepy yet, Aunt Addy." He told her from within the tangled shirt....so many holes and he couldn't get it right.

"You've hadda long day," Addy pointed out to Josh, "an' all that pie, so I bet you'll be tired soon enough."  She moved to help with the nightshirt, but Weedy beat her to it.

"Here," Weedy counseled his cousin, pulling the garment off Josh, then holding it out again.  "Try putting your arms in first, then ducking in with your head."

Smiling proudly, Addy moved over to Isiah and punched him in the shoulder -- not the first time, and certainly not the last!  "I ain't no killjoy!" she declared, chuckling.  "Grab some blankets from that top shelf so we can make bedrolls fer th' boys."

Josh didn't mind that Weedy had ended up helping him.  He finally got everything where it was supposed to be and popped his head through, smiling and laughing a little. "Thanks!" He said to Weedy and then looked at Addy. "I guess yer right." Josh said just as he let out a big yawn.  He was feeling sleepy even if he didn't want to admit it. 

Isaiah laughed at his sister and walked over and pulled down the blankets and laid them out for the boys. "Alright, you two, get on in.  That sun'll be risin' quicker than yer gonna want it." Josh jumped down on the pad on the floor and laid down, Isaiah covering him. 

Josh looked up at his Pa. "Pa will you tell us a story?"  He asked as he yawned again and his eyes started to close already.

Isaiah nodded. "Sure, kid." He had told Josh the same stories over and over but the boy loved them.  "Come on in, Weedy.  I'll try not to bore you." He winked at Weedy and laughed. He looked at Addy. "Want to get us some coffee and I'll be right out?" He asked her? 

Weedy crawled eagerly into the bedroll, leaving room for Josh.  He'd slept on the floor back before they had the house and didn't mind, but it was even better with a real-life cousin, and an uncle to tell them stories!

"Goodnight, you two."  Bending down, Addy kissed the boys on the cheek, then winked at her brother.  "I'll get that coffee fer us."

by the time her brother came out the table was set with steaming mugs of coffee, a couple slabs of pie, a bottle of whisky and two shot-glasses.

Isaiah sat down on the floor by the boys.  He loved seeing how excited they both were to hear the story.  He didn't know many and the ones he did know were the ones that his own Ma and Pa had told him when he was a boy.  As he told the story he could feel himself growing tired, but he finished up and by the time he was done the boys were both asleep.  Well he knew Josh was, Weedy appeared to be.  He stood and walked to the kitchen to find it set with coffee, whiskey and pie.  

Isaiah was exhausted but he was looking forward to catching up with his sister.  "Thanks, sis." He pulled his shirt tail out of his pants and unbuckled his belt before he settled down in the chair, running a hand through his hair.  He let out a big sigh as he leaned forward, elbows on the table, running both hands down his face.  It was going to do him good to be done with travelling for a while.  First the big trip from his hometown in TN to Kalispell and then not long after another big trip.  It'd be just fine with him if he didn't saddle a horse again for a while.  

He grabbed the coffee and took a sip of the beverage, feeling it relaxing him almost immediately. "You doin' a'right?" He asked her as he took another sip.

Addy thought about chiding her brother for putting his elbows on the table -- get your elbows off the table, this is not a horses' stable! -- but it didn't seen right to tease him while he was so worn out. 

"I'm doin' real good," she declared, sipping coffee.  "Been some changes...first, though, I'm serious 'bout buildin' on to th' back, a proper room fer you an' Josh.  I got some money set aside, so we can get on with that.  An'...Ol' Millegan sold th' stage line, so I won't be doin' as much drivin', but I've got a contract now ta be haulin' lumber from Alder's mill up ta Speed Guyer's mine, an' haulin' other freight fer th' mine as well."

Leaning back in her chair, she poured them whisky and took a sip.  "Got a line on a new wagon an' team, gonna need a driver..."