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Elinor took Beth and Jimmy Jr. to the airport, James and his daughter having said their farewells at the ranch. She figured he could use the down time. The past few days had been a whirlwind of friends, family, neighbors -- even people he'd done business with over the years since dad passed on and even before. All offering kind words of sympathy and telling little stories about things they remembered about his wife.

James and Joyce were pillars of the community. Joyce was like a special breed of Welcome Wagon. She was first to knock on a door with a casserole and one of her famous pies or cakes when folks moved in. Always there to lend a hand with a birth or a sickness and even a death. She volunteered for everything -- even did a few hours at the county hospital each week. On Tuesdays, she worked at the public library and did her weekly grocery shopping right after. She was, one could say, a fixture.

They had been a couple since high school, marrying as soon as they graduated. In all that time they never spent a day apart nor had their love for each other diminished over time. Truth was, Elinor didn't know how her brother was going to manage without his wife. And that really worried her.

As the big red Ford pickup rumbled up the drive toward the old farmhouse, Elinor found herself looking around. There hadn't been much time to do that in the flurry of activity surrounding the funeral. Maybe she could get James to walk down to the creek with her this afternoon. They could have a quiet picnic and just talk and swim like they used to do when they were kids.

Funny how folks always reverted back to childhood memories when they hit on bad times, Elinor thought as she put the old F-150 in gear and shut her off. She pushed the door open with her foot and jumped down, stretching the kinks out of her body. Gotta give it to James. She didn't know how he drove this monster day after day and was still able to walk.

Elinor had grown used to comfort in her time away. She had married Jake right after college and they'd moved to California. She owned a health food shop and he was an accountant. Other than the occasional trip down Memory Lane, she hadn't missed the ranching scene over much. It was kinda nice not smelling manure and animals all the time, she chuckled. On the downside, she had to deal with city smells and smog even in her suburban community.

Maybe that's why she was such a health and exercise freak. Then again, that's how she'd kept her figure, too. She wasn't bad for forty three. In fact, she only weighed five pounds more than she did in high school, which put her at roughly one hundred and twenty and at 5'6", she was still a head-turner. Even her boobs had stood the test of time (and gravity). But enough of that she thought with a grin. Tucking her hands into the pockets of her jeans, she headed for the house and her brother.