"What did you say?"
"There might be a ghost. Sometimes at night. I hear crying, and it sounds like someone moving through the walls."
She stared at me. "If you don't want me moving in, just come out and say it directly."
"No. I want you to move in."
"Then don't talk stupid," she said and returned to her clothing.
"My great-aunt forgot to defrost the steaks for the barbeque," I said. "My brother would say she was absentminded."
Alanis paused and shook her head. She sure is. Who knows what's in her head? That's why it's good I'm here. We need to take complete charge of everything as soon as possible. It's best for your greataunt.."
"Here she comes." I whispered, hearing her footsteps in the hallway.
She appeared in the doorway with armfuls of clothes, hats and even cowboy boots,
"Okay, wranglers, here we are," she announced and dropped everything on the bed. "Pick out your outfit. I have mine in my closet,"
She looked around the room as if we had already done loads of things to change it. Her eyes fell on my pictures, and she went to them quickly.
"This is your mother and father?"
"Yes."
She stood there studying the picture.
"What a good-looking pair they are. Your father looks a lot like Blake," she said softly. She touched the picture as if she'd been touching both their faces. Then she put it down and looked at Ian's picture. "Your brother reminds me of my cousin Harris. He was very nice. I felt sorry for him because he had a lung disease and died in his teens. Emma was never very nice to him. She treated him like a leper. You know what a leper is?" she asked us. Alanis was already sifting through the Western clothing and not really listening.
I shook my head.
"People who had leprosy were called lepers and made to live in leper colonies. Sometimes." she added, her voice starting to drift and her eves turning vacant. "I felt like I was a leper, especially after my father died.
"Oh," she cried, recuperating from her sadness instantly, "no time for unhappiness, ever. Let's get started. Welcome to our ranch. Alanis. Partner. I mean." She clapped her hands to drive away the heavy moment and hurried out of the room.
"She's bonkers." Alanis said, nodding after her. "but that's good for us. I'm wearing this one," she said, holding up a Western- style blouse. "This skirt isn't really all that bad either," she added. "It goes well with my hat, and these boots actually fit me. Maybe there are some things I can use here. We'll take our time searching this house.I'll bet it's full of all sorts of treasures. Here," she said, tossing some garments at me. "Try these on. Let's get moving. We need to start the barbeque before Granddad comes over to raise hell."
After we both dressed in the Western clothes, we went down and found Great-aunt Frances in her embroidered red-and-brown shirt, a pair of very baggy jeans and a red cowboy hat. She had put on a pair of brown boots that were obviously men's boots a few sizes too biz.
"Oh. Alanis, darling, can you light up the fire for us?" she asked in a Western accent. "Ma hands are busy lassoing our fixin's."
Alanis widened her eyes, looked at me, and hurried out the back.
"Why don't you see about settin' the table. Jordan, honey. The men will be comin' in from the roundup any minute. There's a tablecloth in the top drawer there,' she added, nodding at a cabinet.
I took out the tablecloth and some dishes. Alanis came back in: she had already started the barbeque.
"I watched Granddad do this for her
sometimes," she explained. "We got steak dinners that way. That meat's going to be tough because it wasn't defrosted, but that's okay. She's happy. Granddad won't be able to say she doesn't want me here."
I set the table and hurried back and forth with silverware, napkins and glasses. Minutes later. Alanis had the steaks cooking. She was right about her granddad, Mr. Marshall came charging around the corner of the building, looking like he was bound to beat her. Fortunately. Great-aunt Frances came out just as he arrived.
"What's going on here. Alanis?" he asked, stopping and putting his hands on his hips. "What do you think you're doing. girl?"
"Why. Tex," Alanis said. "You're just in time for the roundup dinner."
"You are certainly invited. Lester,' Great-aunt Frances said.