Saturday morning Heather climbed into the truck with the boys. Jeff veered to the right instead of hitting the dirt road.

"What are you doing?" Heather asked, "That's our road."

Jeff looked into the re-view mirror and grinned, "Not today it isn't."

"I hope you like long car rides, because we're going to be in here for awhile," Andrew said.

Heather's shoulders scrunched up.

After 40 minutes passed, Heather began getting impatient.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"Don't worry, we'll be there in 10 minutes," Jeff assured.

Heather wrapped her fingers around the locket.

"You still haven't told me what's in that locket," Andrew pointed out.

"Oh, it's nothing."

"If it's nothing, why won't you show me. It's just a picture."

"It's not just a picture," She mumbled, "It's a memory."

"Memories were meant to be shared."

"I'm not showing you alright!" Every one sat, shocked. Even Heather was shocked at her out burst. She stared forward.

It was silent for the next ten minutes until Jeff proudly announced.

"Welcome to Nashville!"

Heather looked out the window in excitement, "How'd you know I wanted to come!"

"We're just that good," Craig smiled.

"And you dropped enough hints," Andrew added.

"And Lance may have told us..." Jeff said sheepishly.

"That guy's got a big mouth!" Heather laughed, "and at the moment, I couldn't be more happy about it."

Jeff turned up the radio and American Kids started playing. Heather smiled as she stared out her window, "Beautiful," She whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They walked around down town for awhile and grabbed a bite to eat. Heather couldn't contain her laughter as Jeff and Craig sang like idiots with the country songs that blared in the restaurant and car.

Shortly after a Carrie Underwood song went off, the boys anxiously awaited the next one.

"Oh, oh, hear it comes!" Jeff waited.

I remember looking up to look up at him and I remember most the time he wasn't there. I waited by the door when he got home at night, he'd pass me by to go pass out in his chair, and I'd say, "Walk a little straighter daddy, your swayin' side-to-side. Your footsteps make me dizzy and no matter how I try, I keep tripping and stumbling if you'd look down here you'd see, walk a little straighter daddy, you're leading me."

The brothers exchanged pained glances, "Actually Heather, I think I'm gonna sit out on this one," Jeff nearly whispered.

Heather looked at them. Something was obviously wrong, and she would have given anything to know, but this door was closed.

At about 7:30, they decided that it was late enough that the should probably head back. So they piled in the truck and went back the way they came. Again, singing along with the voices on the radio.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We're home!" Jeff called as he pushed open the door. They'd dropped Heather off before coming home.

"Shh!" They heard Lily hiss. She emerged silently and quickly from the hall way.

"What is it?" Jeff asked.

"Dad," She whispered, "he's been really mad all day, I think we should get away."

"Has he done anything?"

She played with her sleeve, "No...nothing but yelling."

Andrew caught a glance of her arm before she could pull her long sleeve over the bruise.

"Ice cream?" Jeff asked.

Lily smiled.

"Isn't it kinda late for that?" Craig asked.

"It's never too late for ice cream," Lily argued.

"Let's see if the ice cream parlor is still open."

They grabbed their coats and headed to the Peppermint Twist (The same parlor they took Heather to earlier).
The siblings had organized a system awhile back: If there was actual fighting, they hid in the boys' room and listened through the vent. If their father was mad, the retreated outside of the house, mainly to get ice cream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heather gripped the letter tightly in her hands. It was from her brothers. She was almost scared to open it. Almost. She wondered if she should wait and show Andrew. Nah. With trembling hands she opened it.

Hi Heather,
I really don't know what to say, it's been so long. Ben and I have been trying our hardest to track down Jane, but no luck yet. How's life been? I'm really sorry this isn't so beautifully composed and really super rushed, I just don't know what to say. I guess I'm signing off. I miss you.

Love, Luke

P.S. Ben says, "Make sure to tell Sister I love her, too!"

A tear pricked at her eye. She smile faintly, Luke was never the best with words. Sure, it was a short, horribly written, pretty much pointless letter, but it meant a lot. Every little means of conversation with her siblings was something. Tomorrow she'd show the boys, well, at least Andrew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, with the letter in her pocket, Heather bounced out the door.

"Got a bit of pep in your step, I see," Said Jeff.

Heather smiled as she climbed in next to Andrew. She pulled the envelope out if her pocket and handed it to Andrew, "Read it." She smiled.

He carefully unfolded the notebook paper and read the short, crammed letter, but he did so with a smile on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The letter was safely back in Heather's pocket by the time they reached the ranch. Miss Dorothy ushered them in.

The delightful smell of strong coffee filled the kitchen, as it did most mornings that they were there. A pile of steaming pancakes was on the table.

"In case you missed breakfast," Miss Dorothy knew them all too well. She knew, early in the morning boys dragged around and girls spent much to much time getting ready, so breakfast always was last minute and never very filling.

"Thank you," Heather smiled as she filled her plate.

"You're quite welcome, missy."

That was another thing Heather had always loved about Tennessee, everyone called you sweetheart, darlin', hon, honey, baby, missy, sir, ma'am, all manners of things.

Heather's mom was from Michigan, where they didn't really do that, but Heather still loved visiting the North, they were really weren't that different, if you landed in the right place. Mrs. Letty had grown up on a farm in a small little town, (small enough that it was really considered a village) with a lot of German heritage. She grew up with corn fields on all sides of her house, and a big barn full of cows and chickens. Heather loved visiting there in the winter, there was always more snow than there was in Tennessee.

Heather's dad, on the other hand, was from Tennessee, he grew up on a ranch, not far from Farmer Lance's.

Framer Lance came down the stairs, grinning.

"Mornin' ya'll," He said, "There's not much work to be done today, so why don't we have the Missus and the Missy stay in here and make a big lunch while we men go work 'til about noon and then come back in?"

"Sounds good to me," They all agreed.

The boys went to work out side while the girl's diced potatoes in the kitchen. At about 11:45, Heather started setting the table.

"Heather, dear," Miss Dorothy pointed to a old cabinet, "Would you mind getting out the checkered table cloth?"

Heather got it out and spread it over the small table. Then she filled the creamer up and set it next to the coffee and sugar, which were neatly set on a tea set platter (courtesy of Miss Dorothy).

"The sweet tea's in the fridge, pumpkin," She informed.

Heather set that on the table as well, along with some nice china looking dishes and fine silver wear.

The biscuits and briskets were done and set on the table as well. Miss Dorothy finished up the soup and Heather called the boys in.

"Ta-da!" the two did jazz hands towards their master piece.

"Oh, Dorothy!" Framer Lance smiled, "I haven't seen dishes so fine since our wedding!"

They all laughed and sat down, Heather told them what drink was which.

"And for those who would prefer it," Miss Dorothy began, "There's some coke in the back room."

"Oo! What kind?" Andrew asked.

"Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper and Sprite, I reckon."

Andrew got up, "I'm going to get myself a Dr. Pepper."

They said a quick prayer before eating and began.

Amongst the chit-chat, Miss Dorothy cleared her throat.

"It's time for y'all to hear a story," She began, "How me and young Lance met." She grabbed his hand from across the table and smiled at him. Heather knew this story by heart, and it was one of her favorites. "Lance here, fell in love with the farmer's daughter, would you like to explain?"

He shifted in his chair and began, "I was 15 years old, in the summer of '59 and I was working in her daddy's fields. I came in one evening to see her mama, who was to give me some jam for mine. That's when Dorothy opened the door."

Heather knew there was more to the story, but they ended there, for the boys' sake, of course.

"Heather, yoo-hoo." Heather jerked to see Andrew waving a hand in front of her face, "You okay?"

"Oh, sorry," She said, " I must have been daydreaming."

"Well," Lance began, "That's the end of our meeting story. Anyone else got a story to share?"

The boys took turns embarrassing one another, and Heather enjoyed them all, but she decided to keep all her stories to herself.

Author's Note: Salutations! Are you liking it? I hope so! As usual, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I'm working on it. I have a lot of story lines spinning around my head lately and am a little lost in all of them. At least I have a clearer picture for this one. If you're confused about anything or have any questions you'd like answered please leave a comment and I'll see what I can do! God Bless!