The Lullaby Sky (21 page)

“Naw, but you can. Tell her I’ll be home for Christmas like always. Crossing—it don’t have such good memories for me, son. But that don’t mean you can’t be happy there. Good luck with Hannah,” his father said.

“Thanks and enjoy the cruise. I’m happy for you, Dad. And for Linda. It’s time to hang your hat on the same nail every night,” Travis said.

“I think it might be. See you at Christmas. I’ll call every chance I get. They tell me cell phone service is spotty in the places we’ll be. Who would have ever thought an old carpenter from Crossing, Texas, would be off to places like Italy and France?”

Travis chuckled. “One never knows what might happen to the folks in Crossing. Hug Linda for me. ’Bye.”

He dressed, checked his reflection in the mirror, decided against shaving that morning, and picked up his glasses. Today was Friday. He and Cal had work to do and a theater to whip up in part of the hangar for the girls. His stomach growled as he started down the stairs, and he was thinking about bacon and biscuits when he looked down and there she was.

The lyrics of an old country tune popped into his head. The singer said that he looked up and an angel stood across the crowded room. Well, Travis looked down and there was his angel, Hannah, standing at the bottom of the stairs.

“Cal is pitching a fit to get down to the hangar. I thought you might be ‘reading.’” She made quotation marks in the air with her fingers. “So I held him off as long as I could.”

“No, I read too late and forgot to set an alarm.” He winked.

Cal poked his head out of the kitchen. “I sent Hannah to see if you’d died up there. I’m the one who sleeps until noon and works until the wee hours of the morning, not you.”

“Guess you are contagious.”

Travis brushed his hand against Hannah’s as he passed by her, and the whole room lit up like a Christmas tree.

Christmas!

Only six months away.

The season of miracles and magic.

Could he give her an engagement ring by then? Would that be too soon?

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
-O
NE

T
he buttery scent of popcorn floated on the night breezes from the hangar to the backyard as Hannah, Liz, Jodie, Darcy, Aunt Birdie, Miss Rosie, and the three children started out to go to the movies that evening. They’d only broken the rule about leaving the house a couple of times, and it made Hannah nervous that evening, but she’d rationalized that it was dark, there were no neighbors who could even see them, and it was the last night Jodie and her daughters would be staying with them. Still, she was glad when they were inside the hangar and no angry ex had popped up out of the grass to cause a fight, or worse yet, start firing a gun at them.

Everyone had their movie ticket in their hand except Bella, who probably would have eaten hers. The tickets were a nice touch and made the girls feel like they were really going to the movies to see the Chipmunks playing in
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip.
Cal had not only rented the show, but he’d printed the tickets and delivered them to the door that morning.

Travis met them at the door, and immediately Hannah’s heart kicked in an extra beat at the sight of him in starched jeans, a white pearl-snap western-cut shirt, and a bolo tie with the Lone Star emblem at his neck. His dark hair was slicked back and his boots shined. And sweet Jesus, he smelled like heaven. Hannah wished she’d dressed up and worn makeup.

He bowed from the waist and said, “Your tickets, please, princesses, and then the usher will show you to your seats.”

“Oh, Uncle Travis, we’re just Sophie and Laurel.” Sophie giggled.

“But Sophie and Laurel are royal princesses.” He lowered his deep voice. “I know you are sneaking in so the paparazzi don’t know where you are.” He paused and looked around.

A camera flashed several times from behind the curtains hanging over the doorway into the office.

“I guess you didn’t get past them, but I promise our guards will keep them out of the movie room,” Travis said.

Sophie giggled again. “What’s the poppytotzie?”

“It’s the people who take pictures of famous princesses and movie stars and then sell the pictures to magazines,” Travis said as he held up his finger and answered his ringing phone. “But wait a minute, I have a phone call. Cal says he caught the sorry sucker trying to take your pictures. He is your bodyguard tonight and won’t let anyone or anything near you.”

Laurel giggled. “Here is my ticket.”

Sophie put her ticket in Travis’s hand. “Can we go inside now?”

“Yes, you may. Your seats and popcorn are waiting.” Travis slung open the curtains, allowing them entry into the semidark theater room.

“Oh. My. Goodness,” Jodie said. “It looks so real.”

“We aim to please here at the Hangar Movie Palace.” Travis smiled.

Two long black leather sofas flanked by three recliners were arranged in a semicircle around two hot-pink beanbag chairs for Laurel and Sophie. A small playpen was set up at the end of one of the sofas and had half a dozen toys ready to entertain Bella.

“Seats have been assigned,” Cal said. “Jodie, you will sit on the end of this sofa so that you can take care of Bella. Darcy will sit in the middle, and I will take the other end. The recliners are for Aunt Birdie and Miss Rosie, and the one right beside Jodie is a recliner slash rocking chair in case you need it for Bella. The other sofa is for Liz, Hannah, and Travis. Liz, if you need it, just flip that handle on the side and the end becomes a recliner.”

The adults took their places, and Travis passed out drinks and popcorn. A huge plastic bowl of miniature candy bars was sitting on the floor between the two little girls, who were whispering behind their hands.

“This is the best movie place ever,” Laurel said.

“Yes, it is.” Sophie reached inside the brown bag for a handful of popcorn. “And this is better than the show downtown. It’s got more butter on it.”

“I only been to the movies one time,” Laurel said softly.

“It’s true,” Jodie said. “Any spare money that we had went into beer. This is a real treat.”

Cal used a remote control to start the movie on the biggest television screen Hannah had ever seen. Where on Earth he planned to put that thing in his small loft apartment was a complete mystery. It started off with two previews and then went straight into the movie about the famous chipmunks who were afraid that Dave was about to marry his girlfriend. If he married the woman, the chipmunks would get a horrid stepbrother in the deal, so they had to stop the proposal.

Five minutes into the film, Travis laced his fingers with Hannah’s, and he held her hand on his leg throughout the whole movie. Could he be her soul mate? Or would she ruin their friendship by letting it move to another level that didn’t work out? She could never forgive herself if things suddenly became awkward.

With the kids in bed that Friday evening, the four women all wound up in Hannah’s living room. Jodie sat on one end of the sofa with her broken leg outstretched toward the end where Liz sat. Hannah and Darcy faced them, sitting cross-legged on the floor on the other side of the coffee table.

“What was your first thought about that movie?” Hannah asked.

“That it was crazy funny, but it sure hit a sore spot with me,” Liz answered. “I’m not sure I’ll ever trust anyone enough to dive into a relationship with him. With kids or not.”

Jodie threw her two cents into the conversation. “I’m young, but I wouldn’t want to get involved with someone who has kids for fear that mine and his wouldn’t blend. Maybe I’ll wait to even think about that until they are grown. Right now, I’m just grateful to be going home to my roots.”

A long, pregnant silence filled the room. Finally, Darcy broke the quiet with a giggle. “Can we adjourn this meeting and talk about a good man before we tell Jodie good-bye tonight?”

“Yes, we can,” Jodie said. “I want to hear about Cal. Did you hang back for a good-night kiss?”

“Yes, I did. Every single time he kisses me, I swear, my feet float and my whole body tingles.”

Hannah was about to nod in agreement but stopped and rolled her neck as if she was getting kinks out. Travis affected her the same way, and it would be really easy to be jealous of Darcy and Cal and their ability to fall in love without baggage.

Jodie clapped her hands. “If a man like Cal ever comes along and makes me feel like that, I’ll rethink my stand.”

“Your husband didn’t?” Darcy asked.

Jodie shook her head slowly. “Truth is, I didn’t even like his kisses so much. I hate cigarette smoke and he kept one lit all the time. Beer and cigarettes came before groceries and electric bills.”

Darcy frowned. “And you married him?”

“Sometimes a young girl doesn’t listen to her heart. I wanted out of Kentucky. Besides, I was pregnant,” Jodie said with a shrug.

“I just wanted to be married,” Liz said. “And Wyatt had moved into that house here in Crossing and he was a little bit charming. Until the first time he came home and I’d rearranged the furniture and took down some pictures. The charm was gone and the first bruise appeared.”

“And you?” Jodie looked at Hannah.

“I’ve been divorced less than a month. Too soon to call shots right now.” Hannah sidestepped the issue. “Changing the subject here. What time is your brother arriving tomorrow?”

“He’ll get into Dallas at seven in the morning, rent a car with a car seat, and pick me up by eight thirty. Nine at the latest. I want as little fanfare as possible with the good-byes. Laurel is going to be so sad about leaving Sophie, and yet it’s been wonderful for her to have this experience. I have my suitcase packed and my quilt tops ready to go,” Jodie answered.

“I want you to take Sophie’s old car seat and some books for Laurel,” Hannah said. “It’s a long way to Kentucky, and Laurel will need things to keep her entertained.”

“Thank you—again,” Jodie said. “And if any of y’all are ever in Kentucky, you just ask around in Harlan about the Bennett family. They’ll put you in touch with my granny, and she’ll tell you how to find me. We live way up in the hills and the last three miles is dirt road, so don’t drive a fancy car.”

Liz pulled her feet off the coffee table and turned to face Jodie. “For real. I may go home with you tomorrow. Do they need schoolteachers or principals in your town?”

A chuckle came from deep in Jodie’s chest. “We graduate about ten kids a year at our school, and believe me, they’d grab someone up like you in a hurry. But you’d probably be the principal and also teach a mixed class of two grades. So come on. We’ll make room in the backseat for you.”

“No! You can’t leave. You have to be one of my bridesmaids in a few months and once you got up there in those mountains, you’d never come back to Texas. You know you loved
Justified
,” Darcy argued.

“Oh, I’m not going anywhere. I love it here, but someday I might get an urge to go to Harlan, Kentucky, just to see if the men all look like Raylan Givens,” Liz said.

“If you do,” Jodie said, “call me and we’ll haul him up into the hills and keep him for ourselves.”

“Deal.” Liz stuck out her fist.

Jodie popped it with hers. “And on that note, I’m going to bed. Thanks again for everything, ladies. I really do think that Sophie named this house right.”

“And it’s time for me to go down to Miss Rosie’s,” Liz said.

“I’ll walk with you,” Darcy said.

“I’m not afraid of the dark,” Liz protested.

“Me, either. But I am afraid of what might be hiding behind a bush. We’re not taking any chances. Which reminds me, when you get well, we are going to take some self-defense classes. All three of us,” Darcy said. “Too bad you won’t be here to take them with us, Jodie.”

“Honey, there’s a shotgun, two pistols, and a rifle waiting for me at my old house. I’m a fair shot, but my granny is better. That’s why my sorry husband wouldn’t allow a gun in the house,” she said. “Good night, ladies.”

“She’s so sassy. I wonder what made her stay with him,” Darcy said after they heard the bedroom door close.

“Fear of losing her kids. The same reason I stayed with Marty,” Hannah said. “That is the worst fear in the world. Marty would threaten to take Sophie and put her somewhere I’d never see her again. Since she was a girl and I knew how hard his heart was, I had nightmares about him giving her away to some foreign family in private adoption, or worse yet, selling her.”

“Sweet Jesus!” Liz murmured. “Did you ever tell Aunt Birdie or your mama? I can’t imagine either of them letting him live if they’d known.”

“I was afraid to say a word. If they killed him, then his parents would blame me and take Sophie. He had me in total submission. I imagine that’s the same way Jodie was, only when she got ready to leave, she didn’t have a tracking device in her cell phone. I hope that her ex never tries to track her down,” Hannah said.

“I hope that he can’t even find her to file for divorce until the kids are grown. She can jump over a broom or do some handfasting rather than have a courthouse marriage if she ever wants another husband,” Darcy said.

“You’ve been reading too many historical novels.” Liz laughed. “Come on. You can walk me home. If Cal is sitting on Aunt Birdie’s porch, you can stop and talk to him, but remember, midnight is your curfew. And I don’t know if you’ve been told, but Travis said we can all go with y’all to entertain Sophie tomorrow, Hannah.”

“The more the merrier,” she said. “Darcy, lock the doors when you come back. See y’all at breakfast.”

Travis poked his head around the kitchen door after the room emptied. “I hope you aren’t upset that I told them they could all go with us tomorrow. Liz needs a day away from Crossing, and Cal and Darcy love Sophie so much that they wanted to spend time with her.”

“Of course not. How long have you been standing there?” Hannah asked.

“Just long enough to catch that last thing that Liz said. I was on my way for a Coke and I didn’t want to butt in, so I’d started back to my room. I enjoyed the night, Hannah, even the chipmunks.”

“Me, too. Thanks again for setting that all up. You made Laurel and Sophie’s world tonight,” she said. “I’ll see you at breakfast if you don’t ‘read’ too long.”