Falling

F I F T E E N

[ Will's POV ]

"Will, your grandma sent me to tell you that lunch is ready and you best come get some before the chickies eat it all." I was just about finished mucking out the last stall when Gramps comes sauntering his way into the barn.

I wipe the imaginary perspiration from my brow and lean my shovel against the outside of the stall. "Alright, I'll be there in a bit." He's right, my sisters may be little but they can eat a lot. I blame it on their high energy. They need something to fuel it.

Gramps takes a peek in all the stalls to check my work and once he gets to me he gives me a nod of approval. "Well done, boy."

"Thanks, I think I beat my last record timing for cleaning 'em out." I used to hate cleaning the stalls. And I mean hate. But Gramps kinda turned it into a game for me. Every time I cleaned them he would time me. Instead of focusing on how much I hated doing it, I would focus on just getting the job done as quickly as I could. That was when I was just a boy. I don't mind the hard work anymore.

"I was talking about the girl. She sure is pretty and your mom and grandma seem to like her a lot." He crosses his arms with a sly smile and I attempt to hide my smile at the same time. She is pretty.

I look away from him. "Well she's just a friend so don't let mom and grandma put any ideas in your head."

He puts his hands up in surrender. "Hey, all I said was she was a nice girl. I never said anything about her being more than a friend."

Well he got me there.

I begin to make my way out the barn door when he interrupts me. "You'll figure it out sooner or later." I don't know what he means by that so I just pretend I dont hear him and keep walking.

When I walk into the kitchen the whole family is there. Minus Gramps, he's a few steps behind me. They're all in line to wash their hands at the sink while mom and Katelynn set the table with plates, forks, cups, and the food.

I immediately notice the apron that Katelynn is wearing. It has pink flowers all over it. I then notice that mom and grandma also have aprons on.

"Oh, Will honey, can you help your sisters with washing their hands?" Mom asks, pulling my thoughts away from Katelynn in her apron and cowgirl boots, but not my gaze. At the mention of my name, Katelynn's eyes flutter up to mine and I'm caught.

I shift my gaze to my mom. "Sure thing, mom." In one swift movement I sweep Charlie into my arms and hold her up in front of the sink. She holds her hands out and I squirt some soap into them. The one squirt of foam soap nearly covers the palm of her hand. I chuckle at how tiny her hands are. Now that's freaking adorable.

Once her hands are washed I set her down on the floor so she can dry her hands off on the dish towel as I continue down the line with the rest of my sisters until they're all washed, as well as mine.

I take a seat at the table right beside where Katelynn is sat. "How was baking with my mom and grandma?"

She looks to me with a bright grin on her face. "I actually had a lot of fun. And I learned a lot, since I've never made a pie before. Your grandma is so sweet by the way. I now know where your mom gets it from." She speaks in a more hushed voice. Not exactly whispering, she's just talking quietly. Almost shyly.

"Yeah they're definitely a lot alike. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself while I nearly worked myself to death. You know, I could really use another one of your amazing back rubs." I flirt.

She laughs, "hey, making those pies took a lot of work. Maybe you should give me a back rub."

I pretend to think for a moment. "Hmm I'll think about it."