"Why are you mad at Sammy?"

Paige looked up from the book she had been trying to read to see her youngest sister leaning on the couch arm to look down at her. "Shouldn't you be helpin' Lewis an' Laura in the garden?"

"Why ain't you answerin' my question?" Hannah sat on the arm and scrunched her nose, a tell tale sign of annoyance.

"Ya should be doin' yer chores." Paige tried to focus on the book but it was hard as Hannah's gaze burrowed a hole in her head.

"He looked real sad when he left ya here," the girl continued and Paige flipped the page. She had no idea what she'd just read. "Big sad eyes an' he kept lookin' back at the attic an' doin' that sighin' thing he does." Hannah imitated him perfectly. "Even his hug was sad."

"Mhmm." She was not going to be guilted by a nine year old.

"He told me to watch out for his sunshine."

Paige frowned at that. She wasn't his sunshine anymore. "I'm fine, Hannah."

Hannah pushed the book down and shook her head. "No you ain't," the girl replied earnestly. "Ya've lost yer shine."

Paige opened her mouth to offer a rebuttal but there wasn't anything she could say to that. "I hope ya find it again, Paigey. An' I hope you an' Sammy stop bein' mad." Hannah skipped away before she was able to reply and Paige stared at the spot where she'd been.

"Out of the mouths of babes," Ma Guthrie commented as she passed by with a load of laundry.

Paige looked away, pretending to focus on her book again and ignored her mother's "stubborn fool" comment. She wasn't ready to admit to herself that they were right. Maybe in a few days but not yet.

samuelguthrie used with LOVE!

You're tied together with a smile
But you're coming undone


"Paige Lucinda Guthrie!"

Paige sighed at the sound of her mother calling her full name. Once Ma added the Lucinda to the mix she knew the older woman meant business.

"You come down outta that attic an' say goodbye to your brother," Lucinda Guthrie ordered and Paige could just picture the scowl on the woman's face with her fists pressed against her hips.

"He an' I already said all we need ta say," Paige called down and didn't budge from her spot on one of the trunks. If he wanted to talk to her then he knew where to find her. "I'm busy."

And she was. Did no one notice that she had been going through the old trunks? It was the only place she could get away from Sam or from anyone and their "Sam this" and "Sam that". She didn't care that she was acting closer to Hannah's age than her own; she wasn't climbing down that ladder to mutter goodbye. She was sick and tired of saying goodbye to Sam. She wasn't doing it anymore and they couldn't force it out of her.

She could hear her mother's annoyed sigh which was followed by Sam's voice. He was saying something to their mother and she picked up on a few words "stubborn", "wildfire", "sister". And then before she knew it there footsteps and Sam was standing before her. Paige wouldn't look up from the old quilt she was observing.

She touched the patchwork squares and feigned an interest in the intricate stitching when they both knew she couldn't sew to save a life. A long awkward moment passed with neither of them saying a word before he bent down and kissed the top of her head. Paige sat frozen and waited until he gave a heavy sigh and was out of the house before she let herself breakdown in tears.

Moments later there were more footsteps before her mother bundled her up in her arms and brushed her hair. "Oh my stubborn lil girl."

Paige simply clung to the woman until she couldn't cry anymore.

Set Wednesday

Find a quiet place in the Guthrie house was tricky. Finding a quiet place that also recieved cell reception was nearly impossible. Paige was beginning to feel like the man on the cellphone commercials.

"Wait, Warren. I ain't hearin' you at all." She looked at the phone and watched the signal bars fluctuate with her every step. "This is impossible."

Hannah's piercing screech cut off Warren's reply and Paige whirled around, glaring when she saw the cause. "Lewis leave her alone."

"I ain't watchin' stupid Barbie princess again!" Lewis yelled, wrestling with his younger sister for the remote. "Ya watched it yesterday!"

"I was here first!" Hannah screeched. Paige pinched the bridge of her nose. The girl always did have a healthy set of lungs.

Thankfully Lucinda chose that moment to walk in and yanked the remote out of their hands. Paige turned away, pleased she wasn't the one getting chastised. Lucinda's admonishments were legendary in their small town.

"Sorry, War. I didn't hear a thing ya said," Paige murmured, moving away from the sqwauking siblings.

"I can call you back on the land line," he offered, and she could hear the amusement in his voice.

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