Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:37:22 -0400 From: numlfl Subject: Maggie's Farm - Part One This story is the property of the author. You may keep a copy on your computer for personal enjoyment, however if you wish to publish or distribute the story then you must get the permission of the author. Maggie's Farm Maggie was coming in from one of her outer fields that she grew corn on, when she saw someone sitting in one of the rocking chairs on her porch. One of the local families had become famous with their handmade rocking chairs and her father had happened to have gotten a couple before they were discovered and thus got them before they were too expensive to buy. She couldn't make out who it was other than that the person was a man and a big man at that. She noticed that Max and Angel, two of her border collies were at his side demanding attention. She looked down at Princess, her other border collie as she noticed the man. Princess let out a yelp that Max and Angel answered then she took off for the house. Maggie then knew who the man was, her dogs never let anyone get near her house unless they knew them and more importantly that they liked that person, so that mean that it was Judge Kerner. The Judge and her father had been close friends before her father had died so she knew him very well as she also had been friends with one of his daughters when they were in high school. Maggie wondered just what he why he had ventured out here to see her. It must have been important for him to take time away from the bench in the middle of the week just to see her. Maggie drove the old tractor past the porch not acknowledging the judge as she drove on into the barn. She dusted herself off before closing the barn door behind her, then she walked quickly to the house as she always had too much to do to take her time doing anything. "So how's my favorite adopted daughter?" Judge Kerner asked as he handed her a glass of iced lemonade that he had made and brought out to the porch. "Thanks," Maggie said as she took the glass, first putting the glass to her forehead cooling her it off before she took a big swig. "So what do you want from me now?" Maggie asked as she stared him down which wasn't easy as many a lawyer had tried to do that very thing in his courtroom but none had ever succeed. But Maggie had always been able to get her way with the Judge who held a special place in his heart as she was like a daughter to him and he had always treated her like he did his daughters. "Now you're cutting me to the quick there girl. Can't I come and visit with you without a reason." He said feigning being hurt. "Yes you can but the last time you arrived unannounced, I ended up with a family staying in my house for a year." She said with a smile. "Hey they were a great help to you when you needed it most and they needed a place after they got swindled out of their farm by that con artist. God I hate those son of bitches." He said with the venom that he felt for people who take advantage of innocent people who didn't know what was happening to them. "Well you got their farm back for them and now that son of a bitch is getting butt fucked in prison." Maggie said with pleasure. "You both got a lot of benefit from me putting you all together, Freddie and his two sons helped you with your first harvest and you showed Joyce how to take care of their money." He told her. "Yea, I showed her how to do her books and made her understand and well as Freddie that nothing gets signed until you or I look it over first." Maggie said feeling good about the year that Freddie and Joyce and their children spent with her. It was a good thing for all of them and to this day she still helps Joyce with her books and Freddie and his sons come to help her on the farm when she needs it. They made a lasting friendship that had endured for the past five years. "See, I was right by getting you all together." The judge said proudly. "Tell you what, how about I fix us something for lunch while you tell me about the family that needs help now." Maggie said as she got up and she noticed that the judge didn't protest this time. So they went into the house with him following close behind. Maggie cooked them up some lunch as they talked about the farm and about her father. "It's actually not a family that needs your help this time, but a young lady." The judge said as he put a forkful of fresh green beans into his mouth. "What's her problem?" Maggie said as she studied the judge to see how he was going to present this girl to her. "Do you remember a few years ago when that crazed madman walked into the King Theater up in Topeka?" The judge asked. "Yea that was horrible, I have never understood someone doing something like that." Maggie said as she remembered how so many innocent lives were lost because of him. "Well that that night also happened to be the girl's parents fifteenth wedding anniversary and the girl's father had gotten his wife front row seats as she loved to go to plays." The judge said just as Maggie started to take a bite of the fried chicken livers that she had made as knew that the judge loved them. Maggie lowered her fork back to her plate as she said, "That is so sad, I'm so sorry. What happened to the girl?" The judge knew he had Maggie right then, she was a tough young lady but she had a soft heart. "Well that is where the poor girl's tale turns real sad. They was no other family to take her in so she ended up in the state's custody. She was put into foster care and things went from bad to worse." "Oh god she wasn't abused or anything was she?" Maggie asked feeling her heart go out for her. "No she had relativity good foster homes but her parents were taken from her when she needed them the most. So she went from an only child in a loving family to one of many children where she couldn't get the attention that she needed. So she began to act out and causing herself and her foster parents problems." He said "Just what kind of problems?" Maggie asked beginning to get a little worried about what the judge was trying to get her into. "I don't need some druggie or anything around here." "No nothing like that. She would just get into mischief that kids sometimes do when they are begging for attention. Which is how she ended up in my courtroom. It seems that she had run away from her last foster home and headed down here. She broke into the high school where she spray painted some pretty art work onto the hall ways. So when she was brought up to me, I made her clean up the school which she did very well but now I have to do something with her. I don't want to send her back up to Topeka and the foster care there as obviously that isn't working for her. I brought her into my chamber and talked to her telling her that she had to straighten up before she really fucked up her life. Right now it's petty stuff but soon she would be an adult and then the penalties get a lot worse. I think that I put a bit of a scare into her but as I was talking to her and surprising enough she did open up to me a little but only a little and I saw that she had a need. That is when I thought of you. I thought that maybe you could give her the discipline that she needs but more importantly the one on one attention that she is crying out for. I think that you two would be a perfect fit." He said as he looked to her for the help that he needed and more importantly the help that this poor girl needed. "I don't know. You know how set in my ways I am. I'm just as hard headed as Pop was and you know that. I'm not sure that I would really be able to help her and besides what makes you think that she just wouldn't just run away the first chance that she got. I mean I could use the help but I need someone who is willing to work and not someone I have to keep after, I don't have the time or patience to deal with some teenager." Maggie said as she thought over the problem that the judge was presenting to her. "You got the patience of an angel girl, if anyone can help this girl, you can." He told her. "Have you ever seen me when Pop's old tractor acts up?" Maggie asked as she arched her eyebrows at him to make her point. "Hell, your father use to swear that tractor came straight from hell just to make his life miserable." He said with a laugh, "I don't know why he didn't buy a new one and I don't know why you don't either." "Because we're both hardheaded and neither of us are going to let that damn machine get the better of us." Maggie said with a laugh as she knew that she was more like her father than she cared to admit. They both grew quiet for a moment as they began to eat again. The judge knew he needed to give Maggie time to think about what he wanted her to do and Maggie was thinking it over. She so wanted to help the poor girl as she deserved a better life than she was given but she was unsure that she was the one that could help her. She liked her life as it was, she had her farm, her dogs, and most importantly her peace. This girl would change all of them and probably turn her world upside down. She hated that the judge was putting her in this position to have to turn him and the girl down but she didn't want any more trouble than she already had in her life. Still that girl... She just couldn't get that girl out of her mind and how she lost her parents so violently and suddenly when she was so young. "Oh god... I what am I going to do?" Maggie asked herself as she went over everything that the judge had told her so far. She looked carefully at the judge and she saw the hopeful look on his face. She knew that while he was a tough judge, he wasn't uncaring especially when it came to children. He always put them first and he tried to give them every opportunity he could to get it right before he came down hard on them. Then even when he went hard, he kept a check on them to see if there was a way he could help them turn their life around. That was what he was doing here and Maggie knew it. She just hated that he had chosen her to help him turn this girl's life around. "So you sure that this girl won't give me any trouble and will listen to me. I don't have time to be chasing her around the country if she decides to up and leave on me." Maggie said as she felt resigned to the judges plan. "And you can wipe that smug smile off your face, you knew all along that I wasn't going to turn you down." The judge gave her a soft smile, "I was counting on that big heart of yours dear. I promise that she won't give you any problems. She's not a bad girl, just a little confused and unfocused. She needs some direction and I know that you're prefect for the job." The judge said as he put his hand on Maggie's hand giving it a squeeze. "Well you had better be right, she better be good and willing to work her ass off." Maggie said. "She will, I'm going to put the fear of god into her before I bring her out tomorrow morning. She will be so scared of me that you will be like a angel to her. That way you will be able to play the good cop to my bad cop." He told her. "I only know how to be a bad cop, you got the roles reversed there." Maggie said already regretting her decision. "You forget that I've known you your whole life and I've seen what you got in that big heart of yours. You're like your dad was, talking tough but your actions say something else entirely. And this girl needs you and whether you care to admit it or not, you need her." He said as he got up. "Now give me a hug so I can get back to putting the bad guys where they belong." Maggie smiled as she stood up and she did give him his hug and she felt his big arms folding about her. She knew that he loved her as much as her father did, he had looked after her since her father had died and made sure that she was doing fine. She also knew that if she ever needed something then he would be first in line to help her and that made her feel safe. But like her father, she found that there was times that he made her mad but she would always love them both. She saw him out to his old beat up Ford truck then she returned back to her little farm house. "One of these days I'm going to turn that damn man down!" Maggie cried out knowing that she never would. Then she went to the spare bedroom stripping the bed so that she could wash the sheets and give the room a good cleaning. She thought to herself that she should just wait and let the little trouble maker clean up the room but she couldn't do that. She wanted her to come into a clean room with fresh sheets on the bed. Once she got the room cleaned the way she wanted it, she went back to her work that was always piling up on her. Running a farm meant that you never ran out of things that needed to be done, and since she ran it by herself, she was at times overwhelmed by the work but it kept her busy and her mind off how lonely she had become. The next morning she went out the house wondering just what the day would bring. She was starting to dread meeting this trouble maker. As she tried to sleep that night she had just about come to the decision that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. She wasn't made to be the loving and caring type. She was a take the bull by the horns type of person and that wasn't always the way you had to treat troubled kids who needed attention like the judge said this girl needed. So as she drove her old tractor to the corn fields, she made the decision that when the girl and the judge arrived, she would send them both packing and if the judge got mad at her then that was just the way it had to be. She walked through the corn stalks seeing that they were doing fine. A little rain wouldn't hurt but otherwise it looked like she might have a good crop this year. She checked some of the budding ears of corn for worms and saw that she was safe so far. Princess followed her every step before running off to chase some small creature away from her corn, only to return back to her heels. She stayed out there longer than she normally would as she hated what she was going to have to do when she returned back to the house. She knew that the judge would be disappointed in her but that was just the way it would have to be. When she felt like she couldn't put it off any longer, she got back up on her tractor hoping that it would pick that moment to act up but of course it started like a dream. She cursed it for being good when for the first time in her life she wanted it to tear up. She called it a bitch as her father had always called it a bastard when it acted up on him. She put it in gear and she and Princess headed back to the house. As she got near the house, she saw two people on her porch, one big and one small. She felt her heard tugging at her but she told it to shut up, this was best for everyone involved. She went the long way around to the barn and then she took her time going to the house. Normally she wanted to get things done and over with but this was something that she dreaded so she was delaying as long as she could. As she turned the corner of the house, she saw the judge stand up and then she heard him say something to the girl and she about shot out of her chair so they were both standing up when she came to the steps. She hesitated a second before she turned to face the judge and the girl. She saw that the judge had his judge look going strong. He was standing straight as a board and he had this "all business" look on his face. Maggie knew that the judge had given the girl the fear of god speech. Then her eyes switched over to the girl who was also standing straight as a board but she was doing so because she was scared to death. Her bright green eyes looked like they were about to burst into tears at any moment and she was biting her trembling bottom lip. She looked to be about five-eight and was so slim, like she had no muscles at all. Maggie felt her heart going out to this poor girl and any thought of sending her on her way went right out of the window. "I have to help this poor girl." She thought to herself. Maggie then looked down at how she was dressed. She had her old dirty overalls on with one of her father's shirts on. Her short brown hair was soaked in sweat and she had on her father's cap on. She knew she probably looked like some hick from the boonies to this girl who had grown up in the city. "Hi I'm Maggie Sobieski and you are?" Maggie said as she went to the girl completely ignoring the judge. "I'm... I'm Brandie Saunders ma'am." The girl squeaked out. "Call me Maggie please." Maggie said as she reached out and she took Brandie's hand in hers giving it a squeeze. "Okay... Maggie." Brandie said as she looked down at the porch. Maggie put her hand to Brandie's chin lifting it up so that she could look the girl in the eyes. She could see the fear in those eyes but she also saw something else there and that something else encouraged her. The girl was scared but there was some grit in her eyes too. Maggie liked seeing that as she wanted to bring that grit out. "Let's go inside and fix us some lunch." Maggie said as she let go of the girl's chin. Then she turned to the judge, "You going to join us?" "No I need to get back to court." He said to Maggie then he turned to Brandie and said in a strong booming unwavering voice, 'You remember what I told you young lady. I don't want to see you in my court room ever again. You hear me." Maggie thought the poor girl was going to pee in her pants as she replied, "Yes sir." "Come on inside Brandie and let's see what we can cook up." Maggie said as she took her to the door, opening it for her, then she turned to see the judge give her a smile and a wink. Maggie thought to herself, "Damn that man played us both like a fiddle." "So have you ever worked on a farm before?" Maggie asked Brandie as they entered the kitchen. "I've... I've never been on a farm before ma'am." Brandie said nervously. "Maggie." Maggie reminded the girl. "Maggie, I mean." She replied. "Well don't worry, it's not that complicated just lots of hard work." Maggie said smiling as she tried what to fix this girl that she might like, then she decided that she might as well get used to plain old country food. So she pulled out some left over green beans and mash potatoes which she fried into patties for them both. Then she got out some beef steak that she also fried up giving the potatoes some favor as they cooked them in the left over grease of the steak. While she was cooking, she told Brandie about the farm and what all she grew there. The girl, for her part, did pay attention to what she was saying but only replied with a word or two here and there. Maggie figured that it would take Brandie a few days to start warming up to her so she didn't press her to talk more that she was willing to at the moment. Maggie had Brandie help her set out the plates showing her where everything was. If Brandie was going to be staying with her for a while, then she might as well learn where everything was in the house. Maggie being the big eater, dug into her food as she knew that she would be working and sweating all the calories off soon enough. Brandie however just picked at her food, Maggie told her to eat up but Brandie picked all the same. "Do you have some work clothes?" Maggie asked after lunch and she was showing Brandie her room. "No just some jeans and blouses is all I have." Brandie said as she put her bag down on the bed. "Well let me see if I got something for you to wear, I don't want you to ruin your clothes. I'm not sure that I have anything to fit you but then it will be just you and I out here." Maggie said as she motioned for Brandie to follow her into her bedroom which used to be her parents' bedroom. "Let me see what I got that won't swallow you whole." Maggie said as she started to go through her old clothes. Around the farm, she mostly wore overalls as they had plenty of pockets to put things that she always seemed to need. Maggie noticed that Brandie was trying not to curl her nose up at the choices that were being presented to her. While she never had any nice clothes, at least they were not old farm clothes that were faded from wear and not by the manufacturer of the clothes. "Oh here are a couple of overalls that I had when I was growing up, I'm glad that I never got around to giving them away." Maggie said as she handed the overalls to Brandie along with a couple of old shirts that she had that she could no longer wear. "Thank you." Brandie said as she took the clothes none to happily. "Oh and try on these boots, they may be a little big but they just might work. "Okay..." Brandie said as Maggie put the boots on top of the clothes that Brandie now had in her arms. "Just meet me out in the barn and I will show you around the place and then we can get started on the afternoon chores." Maggie said as she dropped Brandie back at her room and she went on out. Maggie was wondering just how much help that Brandie was going to be able to give her. She seemed so small and frail. Working on the farm was hard work but maybe it was what the girl needed to put some muscle on her and make her stronger. Maggie was checking the tractor over when she saw Brandie coming through the door. She almost wanted to laugh at the poor girl who looked absolutely miserable as she walked toward her. The overalls were so big on her that they seemed to swallow her whole. And the old shirt just added to that theme but at least she looked more like a farmer now. "I see that we might need to run to the co-op soon and see if we might find something that will fit you but for now I think that will work." "Can't I just wear my jeans and tennis shoes?" Brandie asked as she adjusted the straps on her overalls. "The overalls will be more comfortable and they give your body the ability to breath and the boots will protect your ankles in case you step in a hole or we happen upon a snake out in the fields." Maggie said as she saw Brandie's eyes light up at the word snake. "There's snakes out there?" Brandie said as she took a step backwards. "Yes dear, we are out in the country but don't worry Princess will warn us if one comes around where we are." Maggie said and Princess let out a yelp upon hearing her name which made Brandie jump. "Now I got the poor girl really scared." Maggie thought to herself and she knew she had to reassure her. "Don't worry, Princess and I will look out for you. We'll not going to let anything happen to you on your first day." Maggie said as she gave Brandie what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Okay..." Brandie said not in any way assured of anything except that she was in way over her head and the lady she was looking at was crazy. "Come on and get up on the tractor and lets go see how the wheat fields and the grass that we will be cutting soon for feed hay is doing." Maggie said as she got up on the tractor then reached out to help Brandie up. "Stand behind me and let's see if this old tractor will start this afternoon." Maggie said as Brandie in back of her trying to find something to hold onto without having to touch Maggie. Maggie reached down to start the old tractor and of course it had decided not to start so Maggie smiled at Brandie who was staring at her. Maggie cursed under her breath as she tried again but the old gal would not start. Maggie was quickly losing her patience as she wanted everything to go well this afternoon so that Brandie would be a little more comfortable about having to stay with her. Maggie tried a couple or more times but the tractor refused to do anything. Maggie got mad at this point as she had no patience for the old tractor. She then forgot about Brandie being there as she reached down and pulled out a big old ball peen hammer and she stood up. She wacked the top of the tractor with the hammer adding another dent to the top. "Now start you fucking bitch or I'll take you to the scrap heap!" Maggie screamed at the tractor. As she sat down she saw Brandie's eyes go wide. Maggie realized what she had done and she felt slightly embarrassed by her showing her temper. "Sometimes you just have to get tough on the old gal and show her who is boss." Maggie said as she tried to explain her outburst. "Come on old gal start." Maggie said to herself as she tried again and this time the tractor started right up. "See it works every time." Maggie said smiling but she saw that Brandie wasn't very convinced. "Hang on." Maggie warned her but still Brandie wouldn't touch her that is until Maggie put the tractor into reverse and started to back out of the barn. The sudden movement scared Brandie and she grabbed onto the first thing she could which, was Maggie's shoulders. "Sorry." Brandie said as she realized that she had Maggie's shoulders in a death grip. "That's okay, just hold on to my shoulders as we are moving." Maggie said over the roar of the diesel engine. "Okay," Brandie said as she moved her hands back to Maggie's shoulders. As they started forward Princess ran out in front of the tractor like she was leading the way. "Don't hit the dog!" Brandie cried out as the tractor got close to Princess. "Don't worry, Princess has been leading the way since she was born, she knows just how far to keep away. She likes to think that she is the one in charge and I let her think it." Maggie said as she looked back at Brandie who was watching out for the dog. Maggie veered a little to the right as she did this and Princess gave her an bark. "Yes Princess, I'll watch where I'm going from now on." Maggie called down to Princess who seemed please that she had chastised her master properly. Maggie looked back at Brandie and she saw that Brandie was just as pleased as Princess was that she had seen the errors of her ways. Maggie went over to the corn fields first show them to Brandie before moving on over to the wheat fields. There she parked and they got down as Maggie showed Brandie how the wheat was growing and was starting to product the seeds that would make the money that kept the farm going. She gave Brandie the basics on growing wheat before they went on over to the fields that she would soon be making the first cut of the year. They walked through the fields with Brandie who at first was watching every step for fear of a snake but eventually she forgot about the possible snakes as she began to relax. They spent most of the afternoon going through the fields making sure everything was growing well and nothing was eating up her crops. The afternoon soon got very warm and they were soaked in sweat so they stopped under a shade tree to drink some water that Maggie had brought along. They sat silently for a while before Maggie began to talk about the farm, she was hoping that Brandie would start to open up a bit but it was too early for that, so Maggie just carried on the conversation. Then they got back on the tractor and headed toward her beef cattle. It was there they began some real work, as Maggie with Princess's help, herded the few head that she had to another field where they could graze. Brandie tried to help but she was scared of the big cows and she would get only so close but Princess was in her element as she was bred to herd and she loved moving the cattle from one place to another. From there, they headed back to the house as there was other chores to be done before it was time to quit for the day. Maggie parked the tractor and they first went into the house for some cool water and to rest for a moment. From there they went back to the barn where Maggie got Brandie to help her move some bags of seed around. She had been meaning to do this but hadn't got around to it yet and besides she wanted to start building Brandie's muscles up to the point where she could be a real help to her. She saw that Brandie was straining to move the big bags of seed but she had to give the girl credit as she was trying to help. She struggled to move one bag while Maggie moved three but she was giving it her all. "Well I guess I can finally mark this off my list of chores that needed to be done." Maggie said as she and Brandie moved the last bag into place. "What list?" Brandie asked. "Oh I have a list of things that I need to do on the fridge. When I find something I need to do then I add it to the list and when I get one done then it gets marked off the list. If you see something that we need to do then feel free to add it to the list." Maggie told her. "Okay." Brandie said and Maggie noticed that for a brief second there was a flash of brightness in Brandie's eyes and then it disappeared. Maggie started to say something but she let the moment pass as Brandie's eyes went back to the doubting looking that she had at all times in her eyes. But Maggie was glad to at least see that brief bright spot. They went in to wash up then as Maggie began to fix them some dinner, she had Brandie feed the dogs. She had decided that Brandie needed some chores of her own to do and feeding the dogs seemed to be a good place to start. Maggie did see that Brandie ate a little better but still she was picking at her food. Maggie so wanted to tell her to eat up as she would need the energy to be able to work but then she figured that Brandie would come to that conclusion on her own soon enough. Maggie also noticed that Brandie checked out the list of chores that was on the fridge when she had come in from feeding the dogs. There was something about the list that had caught Brandie's attention. They both cleaned up the kitchen then they sat outside on the porch in the rocking chairs as the house cooled down. Again Maggie did most of the talking which was something new to her as she had lived alone for so long now that she wasn't used to talking. But yet she found that she had a lot of talking built up, and Brandie seemed content to just listen to her talk. She talked about growing up on the farm and how at times she had hated it but yet there was something about watching things grow from the ground that got to her. But she had never planned on being a farmer but when her father had died suddenly she found herself back on the farm and thus she became a farmer. They talked or rather Maggie talked until the sun began to go down. Maggie then declared that it was time to take their showers and get ready for bed. Maggie went first as Brandie went to her room to put up what few clothes that she had. This was the favorite time of the day for Maggie as she let the water wash over her, washing the sweat and dirt from her body. The warm water eased her tired muscles and when she was in the mood, it was when she let her hands play with those sensitive parts of her body that had not been touched by anyone other than herself for much too long a long time. But tonight her mind was on other things and she got lost in those things as she sometimes did. She had to figure out how to get into Brandie's head and see what was there. So she had her mind on that as she washed and then dried herself. She then hung up her towel with her mind a million miles away, she stepped out into the hallway just as Brandie came out her room. Maggie heard a grasp and she looked up to see Brandie staring at her wide eyed. Maggie looked down at her herself and she realized that was naked. She always walked about naked after her shower but she had forgotten that she now had Brandie in the house. Even thought she had just spent her whole shower thinking about the girl, she still forgot about her being in the house with her. She stood there still as these things went through her head then she noticed that Brandie hadn't moved a muscle and Brandie's eyes had never left her body. Maggie felt her whole body blushing as she felt Brandie's eyes drilling in to her soul. "I'm sorry," Maggie said quickly as she ducked into her bedroom leaving Brandie standing there. "Oh god now I've really scared her away." Maggie said to herself as she sat down on her bed. She heard the bathroom door close and she could only hope that Brandie hadn't heard her say that. Maggie went to her dresser pulling out a oversize tee shirt that she decided that she needed to wear after she shower now that Brandie was here. She grabbed a pair of panties putting them on then checking herself to make sure that she wasn't showing anything off before going into the living room to watch the news and weather forcast before heading to bed. The scene went through her head several times as she tried to concentrate on the TV but she just hoped that Brandie didn't feel bad about what she had done. She didn't even realize how much time had passed until she heard Brandie enter the living room She looked up to see her dressed much the same way she was. "I borrowed one of your tee shirts, I hope you don't mind." Brandie said as she came over to the couch sitting on the opposite end. "No that is fine, whatever I have you can borrow anytime." Maggie said as she never thought about why Brandie would just happen to be dressed as she was. She didn't know that Brandie had peaked in on her to see what she was wearing before going back to find something similar. They were silent for a few minutes as Maggie tried to decide what to say then she decided to be up front with Brandie, "I'm sorry that I came out of the bathroom without any clothes on, I hope that I didn't embarrass you." "No it was cool, this is your house and you shouldn't have to change anything because of me. If you want to go naked then that is fine with me." Brandie said as Maggie looked her in the eyes. "It's your house now too and I want you to be comfortable." Maggie told her as she smiled. "I'm fine, it's not like you have anything that I don't." Brandie said as she smiled. "True but all the same I'll try to remember to bring some clothes with me when I shower." Maggie assured her and to Maggie's surprise, Brandie seemed to be disappointed by her remark. "So how was your first day out in the boonies, with just the chickens to keep you company?" Maggie asked trying to change the subject. "It was okay I guess but you don't have any chickens do you?" Brandie said then asked. Maggie laughed, "No I don't. We had some when I was growing up and it was always my job to keep them up and I hated it. They were always squawking and running after me when I went to feed then and don't get me started on the rooster that we had, that was the meanest little bastard I have ever seen. I don't know how many times it attacked me scratching my legs and pecking at my ankles. It was a glorious day when we fried that sucker up for supper." Maggie said remembering that old mean rooster then she looked over at Brandie and saw that she was smiling just a little. She was making headway with the girl however slight. "Did you really eat him?" Brandie asked. "Yep, the stupid bird made the mistake of attacking my father when I had stay over at school one day and he had to feed them. When I got home that night, pop had that bird frying in the cast iron skillet. "When I asked pop about the chicken in the pan, he turned around and I saw all the scratches on his face and I knew what had happened and from the look on my father's face I knew better than to say anything as I had been complaining to him about that bird for years. I was just happy that I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore, and you know what?" Maggie asked her smiling guest. "What?" Brandie asked. "That damn bird was tough as leather, he still got the last laugh on me." Maggie said as she laughed and she saw Brandie let out a little giggle. Maggie told Brandie a few more funny stories about her life on her farm trying to show that it could be fun too and not just hard work. Brandie did let out a few more smiles and giggles but as soon as she realized that she was smiling, she would stop and Maggie would have to work harder to get her to smile again, unfortunately Maggie started to run out of stories and she was getting tired so she suggested that they head to bed as the day always started early on a farm. As Maggie lay in her bed that night, she thought over her first day with Brandie there. She was still a little peeved at the judge but she had to admit that Brandie was an interesting girl. She was so shy and quiet not wanting to talk much but Maggie could see that her eyes were taking everything in. She was a sharp girl and she had some smarts. Maggie could see that very clearly even though she could see that Brandie was trying hard not to show any of her cards. Maggie turned over onto her side and she knew that she had her work cut out for her when it came to Brandie. Maggie woke up at a couple of minutes before five the next morning as she always did. She hadn't set an alarm in years, her body seemed to sense when it was time to get up. She yawned real big as she sat up. She stood up and stretched feeling her bones pop and she felt better. She went down to Brandie's room and she banged on the door telling her it was time to get up. She heard a loud groan and she had to smile. She could almost hear Brandie cussing her through the door. Maggie went on into the bathroom then she went to the kitchen as she heard Brandie's door opening and she heard some muttering coming from Brandie's direction. "You know it's still dark outside." Brandie said as she shuffled into the kitchen. "Yea, we get a early start around here." Maggie said as she put the skillet down on the stove. "But we can't work in the dark can we?" Brandie asked as she sat down at the kitchen table. "Oh it will be light soon enough and by then we'll be ready to get started. I saw some fences that the wire was broken and I want to get them repaired before my cows figure out that they can get through the last strand easy enough." Maggie told her. "Now how about setting the table and pour us some coffee so we both can get woke up." "Okay," Brandie said as she heaved herself up from the table with some effort and Maggie saw her wince some from her sore muscles. Maggie figured another couple of days of hard work and those muscles would start to get stronger. Brandie again picked at her breakfast and when Maggie told her that she needed to eat, Brandie replied that she never ate breakfast. Maggie let it go, though she had always been taught that breakfast was the most important meal of the day though she refrained from telling Brandie that. Instead she let Brandie clean up the kitchen as she went out to open the barn. She checked the tractor over and got the things that was needed to fix the fence as Brandie got fresh water for the dogs and some food so that they could get their day started right. Maggie picked Brandie up in front of the house and they went out toward the outer pastures where she had her cattle now. They saw that they were all doing fine and none had decided to see if the grass was really greener on the other side of the fence. From there they went on to the fence line where Maggie parked the tractor. Maggie had Brandie help her with the wire first giving Brandie some tough work gloves so she wouldn't cut her hands on the barbed wire. This was definite a two person job and while it took Maggie and Brandie a little longer to get it done, they did finally get it fixed to Maggie's satisfaction. They checked the rest of the fence line making a few more minor repairs. Before returning back to the house for lunch. Again Brandie just picked at her food and Maggie was beginning to get concerned as she was working Brandie hard and the heat of summer was beginning to move in. That afternoon they stayed closer to the farm house as Maggie began to show Brandie some of the jobs that she had decided would be hers alone to work on. Part of that would be to tend to the garden that was in the back of Maggie's house. There she grew tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, etc that she canned and ate over the winter. She showed Brandie how to weed the garden and where the hoses were so that she would water it when needed. Then they picked a couple of tomatoes for supper. As they started to eat, Maggie saw Brandie get a small bite and put it to her mouth. Brandie chewed it then when her fork went down for a second bate, Maggie noticed that it was much fuller. Maggie had worked Brandie hard that day and finally her appetite was winning out over her habit of limiting her intake of food. Maggie didn't say anything about Brandie's eating as Brandie stuffed her mouth, instead she talked about everything that they had done that day and how proud she was at how hard Brandie had worked. This made Brandie smile and she didn't try to hide the smile either. After dinner, they went out on the porch to enjoy the evening as the house cooled down. Maggie sat in the rocking chair as Brandie sat down on the top step of the pouch and played with the dogs. Maggie had always given her dogs some attention but for her they were guard and work dogs first. But now they had Brandie who would pet them and scratch their ears. Then Brandie went out to the yard and sat down with the dogs. She would scratch their fur and throw sticks for them to fetch and bring back to her. Maggie watched as Brandie seemed to have become a little girl again with no cares in the world. She was letting all her worries go as she played with the dogs. Watching this made Maggie heart swell, she knew then that her dogs would play as much a part in making Brandie whole again as she would. That night as Maggie left the bathroom after her shower, she remembered to wrap a towel around her. She saw that Brandie was waiting at her bedroom door to go next. Maggie told her that it was all hers as she made her way to her bedroom. She didn't notice that Brandie was a bit disappointed that Maggie had remembered to cover up. Maggie slowly brought Brandie along as she showed Brandie everything that she knew about farming and Brandie quickly picked things up so she didn't have to be told what to do but knew from day to day what she was suppose to do. Maggie took her along with her when she went to the fields but there was also days that she left her at the house when something there needed to be done. The other thing that Maggie showed Brandie how to do was to drive the tractor. That way Brandie would be able to drive as Maggie did things in the field without have to constantly get on and off the tractor. Brandie was nervous at first but since Maggie never let her get past second gear, Brandie soon settled down and was able to get the hang of driving it. And slowly Brandie began to talk about some of the foster families that she had lived with. She would let out small details at first and then she began to talk more about them. Some she liked more than others but to Maggie, it seemed that she never quite felt at home with any of them. They were just a place to live. Maggie could feel her heart go out to this young lady more and more. She was determined to help her. Then after Brandie had been there for over three weeks, Maggie noticed that on the bottom of her list of things to do, there was something added and it wasn't in her hand writing. This was neatly printed and she could see that Brandie had put a lot of thought into it before she wrote it down as there on the bottom of the list was written, "Teach Brandie how to drive". Maggie stared at the request and she felt proud of Brandie for having to courage to ask something of her. When Brandie dragged herself into the kitchen, as sleepily as she always was, as she still hadn't gotten used to getting up so early, she eyed Maggie carefully. Maggie knew that Brandie was waiting for her to say something about the addition to the chore list however Maggie decided that she wouldn't say anything but she would also find the time to teach Brandie to drive. Unfortunately it took Maggie another week to find that time. Things just got busy for her as they did the first cutting of the hayfield so that meant that they had to cut it, dry it out, then put the grass into large round bales. This was a lot of work that had to fit in around all the regular things that they needed to be done. Then on the following Saturday morning Maggie knew that it was time. So that morning, she crossed Brandie's request off the list. It took Brandie a few minutes to see her request to be taught to drive crossed off. Maggie saw the disappointment in Brandie's eyes like this was just another of the things that she yearned for but would be denied. Maggie talked all through breakfast but Brandie was back to being her quiet self. Maggie so wanted to tell her but she decided to surprise her. When breakfast was done, she told Brandie to finish up her morning chores then they had to head into town to pick up some things. This brightened Brandie's mood a bit but not much. At around ten, Maggie decided it was time to go so they headed out toward the truck. They had almost gotten there when Maggie suddenly stopped. "Damn, I forgot my purse, would you go back to get it for me Brandie?" Maggie asked. "Sure, no problem." Brandie said as she turned to head back into the house. While she did this Maggie went on to the truck and got into the passenger seat. "What..." Brandie said as she opened the passenger door without looking only to see M