We quickly changed the subject to cheerleading when Aunt Cathy returned to the house. Today’s red sweatshirt claimed Aunt Cathy only rooted for two teams. The W.S.U. Cougars and anybody playing the Huskies. “What medication are you taking, Sarah?”

  “The same stuff when you were over.” I wrinkled my nose. “The codeine makes my head all funny and I walk goofy. It’s why I sleep right after I take my pills.”

  “I think your medicine might be too strong.” Aunt Cathy drank some coffee. “When’s your next appointment? I’ll go with you to the doctor.”

  “Tomorrow morning, but I’ve got to change it.” I tried the custard-filled doughnut this time. Totally terrific. “I have to go back to school. I missed cheer practice on Thursday. That makes three times I’ve been absent from practice. I don’t want to get kicked off the squad.”

  “Excuse me,” Aunt Cathy said. “How can missing one day cause so much trouble?”

  “She’s missed three times,” Kaitlyn said. “But it’s not Sarah’s fault.”

  “I had to babysit Priscilla twice,” I explained, opting for a section of a maple bar. “I took her with me two other times. She spilled paint all over the gym floor and Ms. Olson had a major fit even though I cleaned it up. Then, Priscilla wouldn’t stay on the grandstand and she chased the football players around the gym until their coach went ballistic. Now, I’ve got to miss cheer practice and stay home with her.”

  Aunt Cathy took a deep breath. “I don’t have a problem with you babysitting your sister. God knows Jessie and I looked after your mom when we were kids. Adam and I paid a lot of money for your cheer stuff, Sarah. He won’t be pleased when he hears you’ve bailed on the commitment.”

  “I haven’t bailed.” I licked maple frosting off my fingers. “What am I supposed to do with Princess Priss? Marcie wants to flush her headfirst down the toilet, but I won’t let her.”

  “It isn’t your job to look after Priscilla,” Aunt Cathy said firmly. “You’re not her mother or her father. You made the choice to join the cheerleading squad when you started at the academy.”

  I groaned. “Not the choices and consequences crap, Aunt Cathy. I hear that all the time at school. Whatever choices I make, I have to deal with the outcomes. I’m responsible.”

  “But not for Priscilla. I’ve had it up to here with Bruce and his crap-fest.” Aunt Cathy reached across to frame my face in her hands. “This is the way it’s going to be. Adam’s your legal father and he’ll act like it, or else. I already e-mailed him, and he should call soon. He’s not going to be happy if Helene decides to get involved. The two of them never meshed well together.”

  “He’s toast. When you get on your hobby-horse, you’re more high maintenance than Mom.” I sighed. “Aunt Cathy, could you chill out?”

  “Not hardly. I’ve kept my mouth shut too long.”

  “Dr. Cathy, maybe this guy shouldn’t be allowed around Sarah or her brother,” Rita said. “My dad always says there’s a reason when a guy doesn’t want to be a father. Did the court stop his visitation or his custody?”

  “No, but the Colonel is an Army engineer who builds bridges and roads,” I explained. “He’s been overseas forever now. He won’t be back in the States for good until Warren graduates. We’re hoping he gets a Christmas leave and can come home for the holidays.” I heaved another sigh and glanced at Rita and Kaitlyn. “I guess we have to tell him about the bears, don’t we?”

  “What bears?” Aunt Cathy asked.

  “Her Army bears,” Kaitlyn said. “Princess Priss gave them away this weekend.”

  “And my porcelain dolls, and my board games, and movies, books and CD’s,” I said.

  “Then I’d say we’re going on a road trip, sweetie.” Aunt Cathy got up. “I’ll get some paper. While I call your mom and get a guest list of who was at the house this weekend, you write down what’s missing.”

  I felt as if I’d have to scrape my jaw off the floor. “You’re going to help me get my stuff back?”

  “Of course I am. It’s in the Auntie’s Rule Book.”

  “I never heard of that,” Rita said, “and I have lots of aunts.”

  “Well, when you become an aunt, you get a copy,” Aunt Cathy said. “Granted, it looks like a composition book and you have to fill in the pages yourself, but it runs on magic and love.”

  “Okay.” Rita followed her to the kitchen door. “When you get the dolls, they go to Kaitlyn’s house for safekeeping. We have to figure out where to take the games, books, and other things.”

  “That’s really sweet of you girls, but I have a better idea.” Aunt Cathy came back with pad and pen. She passed them to me. “Start writing. We’ll bring your things here and put them upstairs in the guest-room Mom keeps for you, or I’ll store them at my house. When you turn eighteen and get a place of your own, you can come pick them up.”

  “Fine, but my cheer stuff goes to Rita’s.” I flashed Aunt Cathy a quick look. “We need to talk to Grandma first, don’t we?”

  “I’ll take care of that too.” Aunt Cathy pulled out her cell phone. “I’ll ask Mom to come up to the house.”

  “We’d better go unsaddle and start night chores,” Rita said. “I’ll take the Arena Barn if you want the Trail Barn, Kait.”

  “Works for me.” Kaitlyn got up, finally snagging a tiny piece of maple bar. She hardly ever ate anything. “I have some foundation that will cover up your bruises so you look good tomorrow, Sarah. I’ll give it to you when you bring over the dolls.”

  “Great.” I started on the list of missing items.

  Grandma arrived before I was halfway through the list. Aunt Cathy quickly told her what had happened. “Once we collect Sarah’s belongings, I think she needs to bring them here.”

  “Have you talked to Laurie about this?” Grandma asked. “She should have the opportunity to make things right.”

  Aunt Cathy looked as shocked as I felt. “You’re joking, aren’t you? There is no way that Priscilla gave away Sarah’s personal belongings again without Laurie and Bruce knowing.”

  “How do you know?” Grandma poured herself a cup of coffee. “You shouldn’t cause a permanent breech between you and your sister, Catherine. I agree Sarah will need your help to pick up her belongings from Priscilla’s friends, but don’t bring them here, or take them to your house. It will only cause more problems.”

  Aunt Cathy turned and stalked across the room like an angry cat. If she had a tail, she’d have lashed it. I glanced after her then eyed Grandma and didn’t say I’d take my things to Rita’s and Kaitlyn’s. “It’s okay. I just appreciate the help getting my stuff back.”

  “Honey, I only want what’s best for you.” Grandma put an arm around my shoulders. “Starting World War Three with your mom and stepdad isn’t the answer.”

  I didn’t say what I really thought. “Yeah, I understand.”

  I didn’t blame Grandma for being afraid of my mom’s tantrums. She scared me when she went off on a fifty-amper. I hid my face against Grandma’s blue sweatshirt. I couldn’t tell her the war started six years ago when Mom married the jerk, and he had been trying to get rid of me and Warren ever since. Adam had offered to send us to boarding school, but since that meant Mom and Bruce wouldn’t get child support, they totally freaked.

  I’d thought Grandma would be more supportive than this. She and her sister, my grandaunt Liz had really worked on Bruce and Mom so I could have a summer filled with activities like showing my horse, going to cheer camp, helping with day-camp at the stable, and hanging out with B.J. and the other girls.

  B.J. That was what, or should I say, who, made the difference. Grandaunt Liz wanted me to help B.J. adjust so it meant I needed to be around. B.J. liked me and she wasn’t from here. She’d been on the streets for years so she knew how life really worked and it sucked sometimes.

  And like B.J. had told me, if it was easy for Grandma to help me out, she would. And if it wasn’t easy, she wouldn’t. Good to know. I eased away from her. I pasted on a Friday football smile, the one Ms. Olson taught us to wear when our team was on a downward spiral, but we had to keep the crowd revved and on the academy’s side.

  “That’s fine, Grandma.” I kept smiling and headed for the doughnut box. Sugar always helped when my day sucked. “Sorry, we pulled you away from the barn, but Rita and Kaitlyn will cover for me until Doctor Conway says I can clean stalls again. That’s what cheerleaders do, help each other off and on the squad.”

  The bell on the front door clanged. “Anybody home?” Warren called. “We came. We saw. We scooped poop. Any doughnuts left?”

  My heart frog-jumped. Had Jason forgiven me? He didn’t follow my brother into the kitchen. Timber Watkins did. I slipped away from Grandma’s side and sat down at the table again.

  “Hey, beautiful.” Warren came around the table and hugged Aunt Cathy. “How’s the greatest aunt in the whole world?”

  “Fine.” Aunt Cathy hugged him back. She pointed to the kitchen sink. “Wash first, boys. Then you can have doughnuts.”

  “And coffee,” Warren said. “Cups on the wall rack, Timber.”

  “Milk in the fridge,” Aunt Cathy returned. “Nice try, slick. Grandma’s house. Grandma’s rules and you can’t drink coffee here until you’re eighteen.”

  Timber laughed at Warren’s pitiful look. “He’s good. You’ve got to give him credit.”

  “Yeah, well, if Aunt Cathy wasn’t so ornery, I could have pulled it off.” Warren reached for a maple bar.

  Aunt Cathy smacked his hand. “I said, wash. Soap and hot water. Want me to deworm you when I do the horses?”

  “No way!” Warren headed for the sink, pausing to hug Grandma on the way.

  Timber bent to study my face. “Hey, the bruises are fading, kid. You’ll be able to make me chocolate chip cookies in no time. I get a double batch. No, make it a triple.”

  “How do you figure that, Cookie Monster?”

  “One.” Timber held up a finger. “I didn’t go after the whole football team for letting you fall down the stairs.” He faked a high voice. “Fighting’s bad. It doesn’t solve problems.”

  “Bite me! What else?”

  He held up a second finger. “Two. We cleaned forty stalls, and we took out the manure so your grandma wouldn’t have to do it.”

  “Wow. Usually, I just pitch the poop into the muck tubs. I don’t take it outside,” I said. “Well, except for Xanadu’s. If she gets hungry, she eats it because her old owner starved her.”

  “Timber decided we had to strip her stall,” Warren said. “We did and put in three major loads of shavings. She’s in horse heaven.”

  I smiled up at Timber. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe you do deserve lots of cookies.”

  “I forgot to count that one.” Timber reached in his coat pocket. He struggled to pull out a two-pound sack of organic carrots. “Here. I knew you wouldn’t want to go home without feeding her these.”

  Why was he so nice to me? And why had I ever gotten involved with Jason? I shook away the thought. He was my boyfriend. Timber Watkins wasn’t.

  I took the carrots. “I’d say a quadruple batch. You’ll be totally hyper from the sugar.”

  “I can handle it.” Timber went to wash up.

  We left a short time later after I showed Timber the new puppies sleeping in the pantry, guarded by their doggie mom, and he went with me to feed carrots to Xanadu. Aunt Cathy told Warren she’d meet us at Parthenon Pizza, the local pasta place in Stewart Falls. We arrived before she did. She came in and joined us at our booth, tucking her cell phone into her bag.

  She passed me a list of names. “This is who attended Priscilla’s party, and who has your stuff, Sarah. After we eat, we’ll start the rounds.”

  “What stuff?” Timber asked.

  “How did you get the names?” Warren gave Aunt Cathy a steady look. “Have you started working for the cops?”

  “I called your mom at work and asked who had Sarah’s afghan,” Aunt Cathy said calmly. “I didn’t spend hours making it for one of Priscilla’s friends or even more hours putting it back together after she trashed it.”

  I blinked. “Aunt Cathy, they didn’t touch it this time because it was at Vonnie’s with me. I never put it on the list.”

  “My bad. Is it my fault your mom doesn’t know that?” Aunt Cathy opened her menu. “Are we splitting a pizza? No anchovies and no fresh tomatoes. I can’t stand them.”

  Warren switched his attention to me. “Did Priscilla abscond with your things again, Sarah?”

  “Yes,” Aunt Cathy said, before I could. “We need to divide and conquer. I want you to go to the house after dinner, Warren and put Sarah’s special belongings down in your room. I believe she has plans for their safe-keeping.”

  I stared at her. “But Grandma said—”

  “We’re talking about your things, Sarah.” Aunt Cathy didn’t look up from the menu. “What your grandma doesn’t know won’t bother her. You’re the one who decides what to do with them and we follow that plan. I keep telling you to make appropriate choices. Right?”

  I managed a nod. “Is that in your rule book too?”

  “You betcha,” Aunt Cathy said.

  “What plans?” Timber glanced at Aunt Cathy, then at me.

  “My cheer stuff goes to Rita’s so it won’t get wrecked,” I said. “My porcelain dolls are headed for Kaitlyn’s, since Priscilla breaks them.”

  Timber reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I’ll call Abbie. We have room at my aunt’s and uncle’s for anything else that needs special care.”

  “If I get the Army bears back, can you guys look after them? My dad sends them to me and they’re special.” I took a deep breath before I managed to meet Warren’s gaze. “All of them are gone.”

  “That sucks.” Warren quickly described the stuffed animals to Timber. “They all have different military uniforms. Some wear combat boots. The Ranger bear has a parachute pack, and I think the newest one has medals.”

  “We’ll look after the bears.” Timber said. “I have an appointment up in Pine Ridge tonight, but as soon as I talk to her, I’ll have Abbie call you. She’ll rally the cheer squad to help, Sarah.”

  “Thanks.” I looked around at all of them. “I really appreciate all of you.”

  “Appreciate some dinner, Sarah.” Aunt Cathy told me. “Here comes the waiter. What do you want to eat?”

  TWELVE

  After dinner, Warren headed home to clean out my room. He promised to get my tiger downstairs in the first trip, so Priscilla couldn’t do anything to Cappy. Timber left for an appointment in Pine Ridge. Aunt Cathy and I climbed into her car. She pulled out the list with the kids’ names. “It looks like Trina Kincaid lives the closest so let’s start with her.”

  “What are we going to say?” I pretended buckling my seat belt took all my attention. “I don’t want to look stupid.”

  “It’s time to put on your big girl panties and grow up, Sarah.” Aunt Cathy started the car. “If you let people walk all over you now, you’ll be a doormat for the rest of your life.”

  That wasn’t much of an answer. My stomach lurched as we pulled up in front of a fancy three-story house. I got out of the car and stumbled after Aunt Cathy to the front porch where she rang the bell.

  A short woman with long brown hair and a friendly smile opened the door. “Hi. Can I help you?”

  “I hope so,” Aunt Cathy said. “Are you Trina Kincaid’s mom?”

  “Yes.” The smile faded and concern crept into the woman’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m Cathy Tiernan and this is my niece, Sarah. We came because some of her things are missing and we hoped your daughter might help us find them.”

  “Are you saying my daughter stole something?” Friendliness gone, the woman glared at us, a mom determined to protect her kid.

  “I think it’s just a misunderstanding.” I moved closer, trying to smooth out the situation. I wanted my stuff back, and I didn’t want to fight with everybody in Stewart Falls. “Trina spent the night on Friday with my stepsister, Priscilla. When I got home today, a lot of my books, DVDs, CDs, dolls, stuffed animals and other things were gone. I hoped that Trina might have seen them or know what happened to them.”

  “I suspected something when she came home with that really expensive doll. I’ve been calling Priscilla’s mother all weekend and she never gets back to me.” The woman held open the door. “I’m Annie Kincaid. Come in and let’s sort this out.”

  Annie offered me a soda and Aunt Cathy a cup of coffee then took us through the house to a bedroom that was twice the size of the one I shared with Priscilla. My baseball doll stood on the nightstand and my bear in desert camos sat on the double bed, propped against the pillows.

  I heaved a sigh of relief. His uniform looked perfect. He even had his beret. My doll still had her ball and bat.

  Sprawled on the bed, a girl about my stepsister’s age looked up from the book she was reading. “Who are they? What are they doing here?”

  “They came for Sarah’s belongings.” Annie frowned at her daughter. “Pull out everything Priscilla gave you.”

  “It’s mine now.” Trina shoved at dark brown hair, the same color as her mom’s. The kid was small for nine, but she wasn’t afraid to speak up. “Priscilla didn’t want those old things anymore. She said we could have whatever we liked, and her dad would buy her new stuff. Honest.”

  “I believe you,” I said, recognizing her from the cheer camp we’d done at the elementary last August. Trina was all snark, but she wasn’t a total brat. “The stuff she gave away didn’t belong to her, Trina. It was mine, and she did it because I was at my best friend’s house so you guys could party.”

  Trina rolled to sit up on the edge of the bed. “That stinks. I’d never spent the night at your house before. I really didn’t know she was stealing. I’m sorry I took your things.”