Loaded Guns and Broken Fences [On Hold]

Chapter 25

That evening, Mary rang the iron bell near Joe and Celly's house to signify that supper was ready. Its chime reached even the far end of the property where the cabin was.

Despite everyone always having plenty to get done, the McGrath family made it a habit of coming together for the last meal of the day. It was a chance to see each other and get caught up on gossip or news. For some members of the family, it was really the most bonding time they got with each other.

Joseph and Celly had eight kids of their own, from their oldest, Mary, who was twenty-three, to their youngest, Bethany, who was only five. Allan's mother, Betty, had never married, and since she was Joseph's sister, she also stayed at the farm. Brand and his brother John brought the grand total to fourteen.

The family was so large, that two tables were needed just to seat them all. The girls sat in the dining room while the boys sat at the second table in the parlor.

As everyone piled in, Brand stayed close to Tom, setting a hand on his shoulder to direct him when things got crowded in the kitchen. Once they'd each filled up a plate, he guided him out back towards the parlor.

"Here, Tom, ya can have John's seat next to me," Brand offered pulling out the chair next to him. John wouldn't be joining them, Allen was already seated across the table, and the rest drifted in behind them. Joseph was the last to sit, and until he had said grace, none of the other boys touched their plates.

"Where is your brother?" Tom wondered aloud part way through their meal, looking at Bran as he did.

"John's help'n out Chad's widow with their farm," Joseph replied gravely before Brand even swallowed his food to reply.

In the kitchen, Mary caught Cordelia stealing another glance towards the entry to the parlor. "How long are you an Papa planin' on letting Tom stay?" she asked conversationally, directing her attention to Celly.

"As long as he needs, providin' he ain't causin' no trouble," Celly replied fairly.

"Tom won't cause no trouble. He's a fine young man. Saved our boys," Betty said without looking directly at her sister in law. "Allen would be dead if him and Henry hadn't done what they did," the heavy woman added.

"Tom is a fine young man," Cordelia agreed quietly while her sister, Mary, slowly nodded.

Mary was still repulsed by the idea of violence, regardless of what kind of man committed it.

In the parlor, Tom looked down at his plate to avoid Joseph's face. Although he hadn't been responsible for Chad McGrath's death, he knew what it felt like to lose a brother. He hadn't even really had the chance to grieve for Ben before his whole life got turned upside down.

The rest of that evening had been enjoyable for Tom though, including the walk back to the cottage. But as he was dressing down for the night, he caught sight of a pair of gleaming eyes observing him from the bed in the loft.

"Bran?" Tom called, sounding almost distressed. "Does yer brother have a cat?" It wasn't that Tom hated the animals, but he hadn't had much good exposure to them either. The livery master owned one that mostly avoided people. And then there was Sadie--a fat, mean, marble beast owned by his Aunt. She always had the blasted thing in her bag every time she'd come to visit from West Virginia.

"Naw, that there's Allen's cat, she thinks she done own that loft now that John's gone," Bran said casually from the lower floor. "Don't you mind her."

"Right," The dirty blonde muttered to himself, reaching cautiously towards the grey and white tabby.

The moment the cat pinned her ears back, he yanked his hand away as if it'd been struck at by a snake. "Wull, it's on the bed," he called back, to his embarrassment.

Before Bran could finish clearing the ladder, the cat had traded her comfortable position on the bed for the safety of the dark space beneath it. Bran sighed and looked to Tom. "Nows gonna be hell gett'n her out..." he mumbled just as the cabin door opened downstairs.

"Allen, call yer damn cat," Bran shouted, and his tone already had a grin on Allen's face as the tall McGrath came over to the edge of the loft. His height allowed him to see under Tom's bed without even attempting to climb the ladder.

"Common, MC," he called. The gray tabby cleared the loft jumping down onto the blonde's shoulder.

Bran shook his head as he started back down the ladder. "Tch, damn cat..."

"MC?" Tom echoed.

Allan's grin grew. "My Cat."

It took a while for Tom to wind down. He'd laid there for what felt like at least a few hours, reflecting on a lot of things, good and bad. As sleep began to finally way heavily on him, Tom rolled over on to his side, resting his gaze on Bran.

Watching the other boy slumbering peacefully made his heart flutter, just as it had on a few other occasions where Bran was involved. It had been easy to overlook his feelings before, though.

So much had happened so fast that his head was still reeling from it all. But out of that madness, he realized Bran frightened him in a way he'd not experienced before. He liked being around the dark-haired McGrath. He liked the way Bran seemed to worry about him. And as he started to doze off, he caught himself wondering what it would be like to fall asleep next to the older boy.

Tom snorted at himself, rolling over. Abby would probably accuse him of being just as much of a girl as Sarah. But to be fair, even his tough-hearted sister had apparently fallen victim to Bran's charm.

He felt a small pang of guilt before deciding it wasn't warranted. His sister would never know how he was feeling about the fella she was apparently sweet on, nor would anyone else for that matter, he assured himself.

Shout-out to luckydonivan, JoePasterczyk, Katesummers2, and  lepus_leporis

Thanks again for the support!