The alarm clock blared at 6:00 A.M. sharp. Craig slammed down the button. He ruffled his dark brown hair and then dragged his behind out of bed. This whole farm thing better not last long. He got dressed then headed down stairs for breakfast. Craig was a very plain person, every morning he had Kix corn puff cereal with blueberries, he always wore normal clothes, and compared to his brothers he was relatively quiet.

Lily came into the kitchen and poured a bowl of cereal.

"Morning Craig," She said with a smile. Her smile changed when he didn't react, "is something wrong?"

"No," He mumbled as he stirred his cereal 'round.

"Mmmhmm," She said, unconvinced.

"Lil, you wouldn't get it."

"Bet 'cha I would," She said, in a chant-like voice.

"Well, we're thinking that this whole Heather thing wasn't the best...uh...arrangement," He stammered.

"So you're telling me that you're gonna quit on her. What happened?"

"She just has no respect, she made decisions without consulting us."

"Oh, 'cause that makes perfect sense! Have one argument and give up on the person!"

"See, I told you that you wouldn't understand," He huffed.

"You guys have a lot of growing up to do." She said as she spooned some cereal into her mouth."

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

Heather brushed her blonde hair and parted it on the side. Then she made two braids. She had on a long sleeved plaid shirt and some old blue jeans. She ran down the stairs as fast as she could and made toast.

She had always loved living in Tennessee, all the mountains and the ranches. She really hoped one day the boys would take her to Nashville.

"Heather Letty, you are going to kill yourself eating that fast!"

"Sorry Mrs. Laynie, but I need to get down to the ranch," She said much to fast.

Mrs. Laynie laughed, "The boys are coming to pick you up, calm down."

"I'm afraid I can't do that ma'am!" She hoped out of her seat and ran to the window. She felt like a five-year-old again. Heather honestly couldn't remember the last time she had been this excited. This happy. It'd been a long time. Too long.

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

The Marshall's sat in their truck going to pick up Heather.

"So, what's the plan boys?" Jeff asked.

"I think the moment she gets in the car we should break her little heart like a twig," Andrew said.

Craig shook his head, "No." was all he said.

"Andrew, would you cut it out?" Jeff asked.

"I'm mad! Besides, it's not like she wanted us either."

"We'll talk about this on the farm," Jeff concluded, "But you best not utter a word about it 'til I grant permission, understood?"

"Jeff, don't act like you're my father."

"Fine, but you still don't say anything, got it?"

"Fine," He muttered.

They pulled into the drive way of Heather's foster home and she burst through the doors. She swung open the truck door and buckled in, bouncing up and down.

Jeff couldn't help but laugh, though his smile quickly faded.

"You guys ready?" She asked.

"Sure," They mumbled.

Heather study their expressions and the tone in their voice.

"What on earth is wrong?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing, I guess we're just tired," Jeff whispered.

"Or we really don't want to do this," Andrew added.

"You guys don't want to do this?" She repeated, "Well, why didn't you just say so? I wouldn't have made you do it! Just work this one week with me, please."

"It's not that we didn't try to tell you," Jeff explained.

"You guys aren't mad at me, are you?"

"Yes," Answered Andrew.

"No," Craig said simultaneously.

Heather fell silent.

Jeff looked through his rear-view mirror.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"What? Oh, yes! I'm fine, perfectly fine."

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

They parked the truck in Farmer Lance's drive way and hopped out.

Craig rapped his knuckles on the door to which Miss Dorothy answered.

"Oh come in kids!" She said, "My husband, Lance, he's still doing some one man stuff, but he'll come in to get'cha when he's done."

"Great, well, my brothers and I will be right back," Andrew said as he pulled his brother's into a spare bedroom.

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

Heather roamed the upstairs halls, like she always used to do, when she could have swore she heard her name.

It was coming from a spare bedroom at the end of the hall. Heather peaked her head in and saw the boys talking.

"We only have to work this week!" Jeff pointed out, "you're making a big deal out of nothing."

"She's still making us work," Andrew fumed, "It's just not fair!"

"Give the girl a break!" Jeff said.

Andrew paced back and forth, "I really don't like her."

"She's not my favorite person in the whole wide world, either at the moment, but everyone deserves a chance."

"We gave her her chance! She blew it to smithereens!"

"A second chance, everyone deserves a second chance."

"After this week is up," Craig said, for possibly the first time that whole conversation, "We should quit. It didn't quite work out as well as we'd hoped. So it was one minor failure, we need to move on in life. Besides, Andrew and I still need to do our Eagle projects, the Heather thing is getting in the way."

Heather leaned her back against the hallway wall. She inhaled deeply and whispered to herself, "Not wanted again...Shocker."

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

The boys re-entered the kitchen.

"Miss Dorothy? Where's Heather?" Jeff asked.

"Oh, she went home, the poor sweetheart didn't feel well, and she was so looking forward to helping out. It's really a shame."

The brothers looked at one another. Really, she left? It just didn't seem right.

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

Three days had past with no sign from Heather whatsoever.

"Guys, this is just getting weird," Andrew said as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Maybe she's just sick," Jeff suggested.

Craig shrugged.

"I don't know, it just...it's wrong."

"Andrew Marshall, are you worried about someone?" Jeff teased.

Craig scoffed, "Him? worried about someone? please Jeff, be realistic."

Jeff laughed.

"No, I'm not worried it just doesn't seem right, that's all."

"Yep, he's definitely not worried," Craig joked.

Andrew sneered, "Well look who's talkative today."

"I'm talkative when I need to be, unlike some people here who you never can get to shut up." They turned towards Jeff.

"Hey, don't look at me," He put his hands up defensively.

The three brother's laughed. They were actually getting along for once, it was nice. Their whole life all they'd seen was fighting, that's what they learned, it became a lifestyle, but they were far away from the fights that were at home. They finally could be themselves.

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

The boys walked through the door. They could hear shouts echoing through the home, nothing new. Lily was curled up in a ball behind the couch.

"Lil?" Jeff asked.

She looked up, tears streaked her face, "They're at it again." She pointed towards the sound.

"I know, it's gonna be okay though." He tried to console.

"The Foster Care Center called for you," Lily informed, "they want you to go down there. But can I go with you? I've been hearing this all day, they're starting to scare me."

"Yeah, common," Craig answered as he offered her his hand.

She took it and he easily pulled her up. She straightened out her wrinkled shirt as the four walked to the door.

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

"What?" Jeff asked. The brothers looked at one another, completely astonished.

"Mrs. Laynie called in, Heather needs to be taken out of the program, I guess it didn't work out."

Lily looked up at her brothers. "You guys disgust me!" She hissed. She paced for the door and her brothers jogged after her.

"Wait Lil! That's not what happened!" Craig defended himself.

"Oh sure it's not! I talked to you, I know what you were planning to do! And you know what, I'm happy for her, 'cause she got away from you disgusting creeps before you could pull her in and smash her heart!" She pushed open the door and muttered, "I swear, there's nobody I can talk to."

"Lily!" Andrew called.

"Well boys," Jeff looked at his brothers, "it seems as if we have done a marvelous job of messing up everything."

"And it's our turn to clean it up, isn't it?" Andrew asked.

The boys didn't speak, they all knew full and well the answer to that question.