by Carrie Carr
A loud snore greeted them as they crossed the threshold to the living room. Charlie was stretched out and sound asleep in his recliner. On the sofa beside him, Lorrie had her nose buried in a book, with small, wired headphones tucked into her ears. Her MP3 player was never far away. In fact, it was usually stowed in the back pocket of her jeans. It had taken her several months of saving her allowance, along with handling extra chores, to pay for the device. She appeared to ignore the world around her, as well as Martha's entrance.
Someone else noticed, though.
"Mada!" From her position on the floor in front of the television, Melanie rolled and got to her knees. "Did you know that alacapacas spit? And so do llamas?"
Lorrie looked up from her book and pulled one earpiece out. "Alpacas, dummy."
"That's what I said."
"Girls, no fighting. And Lorrie, don't call your sister names."
Martha placed Eddie on the floor beside his sister. "How long has Pawpaw been napping?"
The snores abruptly stopped with a snort and Charlie opened his eyes. "I wasn't asleep."
He sat up and closed the footstool of the recliner. "We were watching..."
He looked to Melanie. "What channel was that again?"
"Animal channel. We was learning about llamas and...," Melanie glared at Lorrie. "Alacapacas." She turned back to the television.
"Right." Charlie adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.
"Everything okay?" he asked his wife.
Martha nodded and sat on the end of the sofa closest to him. "As okay as it can be." She sighed heavily when he held her hand. "I'm not sure what we can do to help."
"Mada!" Eddie waved his arms in the air in front of her.
Charlie stood and picked up Eddie. "How about we put some snacks together in the kitchen?"
Grateful that they could talk without their conversation being overheard, Martha nodded. She silently followed him to the kitchen.
"Yum!" Eddie celebrated being set in his high chair by slapping the plastic tray. "Yum!"
Martha handed him a toddler cookie as Charlie filled his bright green sippy cup with milk.
"Thank you, honey," she said. "Have the kids given you any trouble?"
He kissed her cheek before taking two coffee mugs from the cabinet. "Not at all. I don't think Lorrie's said more than a couple of words all afternoon. I know she suspects something is up, but she hasn't asked."
They doctored their coffee and sat at the table, one on each side of Eddie. "Before they left, Lex told me that they'd speak to the girls when they got home," Martha said. "But I don't know. Maybe it would be better if we told them."
"I don't think so. We shouldn't interfere."
Martha waved her hand. "Pshaw. You know as well as I do that the girls are going to be exhausted by the time they get home. We'd be doing them a favor."
Chapter Three
THE SNOW HAD stopped earlier, but visibility was still a problem due to the winds that swirled and kicked up what had already fallen. Lex struggled to see through the windshield since the headlights barely cut through the mess. They had stayed until after sunset, stuck until they could find the owners of the vehicle that had blocked them in.
"Maybe we should have spent the night." Amanda saw the white-knuckled grip her wife had on the steering wheel. "It's just that I really wanted to get home to the kids."
"I know what you mean. The house filled up pretty quick. And to tell you the truth, all those people were starting to get to me. Where did they come from?"
Amanda rubbed her temples in an attempt to alleviate her headache. "The Historical Society, the church and I think the Ladies Auxiliary. I didn't realize Somerville, Texas had that many people in it."
"Neither did I."
Lex cursed as the Expedition skidded toward the right side of the road. Although the snow-covered ditch appeared level, she knew the drop off was dangerous. "Damned black ice."
She carefully got the vehicle under control. "I was half-tempted to bring Gramma back with us. I think the good intentions of the town folks were beginning to get to her."
"I tried. She promised that she'd let Dad run everyone off if it got to be too much. But you know how she is."
"Polite to a fault."
"Mmm hmm."
Amanda breathed a sigh of relief as Lex turned onto the road to the ranch. It had been freshly graded and was much easier to navigate. "Looks like Roy's been busy."
"He called me earlier. Said Chet was out the door the moment the snow stopped."
Lex reached across the center console and took her wife's hand. "How are you holding up?"
Amanda wiped at her damp cheeks with her free hand. "I think I'm still in shock." She turned to Lex. "I keep having all these what-ifs go through my mind."
"What-ifs?"
"Yeah. What if we'd asked Grandpa and Gramma to spend an extra day with us at Christmas? What if he hadn't gone to work in his shop? Would he still be alive?"
Amanda ignored the tears that fell. They tracked down her cheeks to the collar of her sweater. "I can't even remember if I told him I loved him on Christmas."
Once they crossed the old bridge, Lex stopped the SUV. She unbuckled her seatbelt and exited, slipping a couple of times before she made it to the passenger side. She opened Amanda's door and pulled her crying wife into her arms.
"He knew you loved him." She whispered words of love and comfort, until a cold gust of wind blew snow into the vehicle.
"You're going to freeze." Amanda tugged at Lex's shirt. "Get back in here."
"Yes, ma'am."
Once they arrived at the ranch house, Lex turned to her. "Why don't you go inside while I run get the kids? No sense in both of us being out in the cold."
Amanda shook her head. "I'll go with you. I...I don't want to be alone."
"All right." Lex took her duster from the back seat of the SUV and put it on as she walked around to help Amanda. She grinned as Amanda kissed her hand. "Ready?"
"I think so." Amanda took a deep breath and got out.
Holding hands, they walked along the cleared driveway toward the two-bedroom house that Martha shared with Charlie. The guard light was on, causing the undisturbed snow around them to sparkle.
"It's so beautiful," Amanda commented quietly.
Lex turned her head so that she could see her. "Absolutely stunning."
"Well, it's pretty, but..." Amanda realized where Lex's eyes were. "Lex."
"I stand by my statement."
"You're biased."
"Not a bit."
Lex stopped and gave Amanda her full attention. "Would you like to know what I see when I look at you?"
Amanda blushed, but nodded.
Lex took off her gloves and cupped Amanda's face. "I see the most beautiful woman I've ever known, an answer to a prayer I never realized I made." She kissed her lightly on the lips. "You are the mother of my children and the reason my house is a home. And the one reason I wake up every morning and thank God I'm alive." Her next kiss was more involved, but just as gentle.
Once she could breathe again, Amanda said, "I spent our first couple of years trying to get you to say more than a word or two, and now you've turned into a poet."
"Nah, just stating the obvious."
Lex put her arm around her. They both turned their heads when the door to Martha's home opened.
Martha waved at them from her doorway. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to come in or sit out there and moon at one another all evening."
Lex snorted, but didn't move her arm. "You're just jealous."
She stomped her boots on the porch to remove any excess. "How are the kids?"
"They've been little angels." Martha swatted Lex on the rear as they passed her.
"Ow! Are you sure you're talking about our kids?"
Martha ignored the snarky remark and hugged Amanda. "How are you doing, sweetie?"
Amanda closed her eyes and absorbed the love from the older woman. He
r eyes burned from the tears brought on by the light kiss on her cheek. "I'm all right."
"Well, come on inside and get out of the cold." Martha kept her arm around Amanda as they moved down the short entry hall to the living room.
On the far wall, the gas fireplace flickered, sending shadows across the toddler stretched out asleep on the floor. The adjoining wall held a flat screen television, which played an animated movie. Across from the television, Charlie sat in the middle of the floral-patterned couch, a napping girl on each side. His head was tipped against the back of the sofa and his eyes were closed.
Lex stopped a few feet away. "I see their pawpaw is enjoying the movie almost as much as the kids," she whispered to Martha and Amanda.
"Hush." Martha poked Lex in the ribs. "Why don't you let them stay the night? I can see how exhausted you both are."
Amanda shook her head. "No. I mean, thanks, but--"
"It's okay, honey. I understand."
Martha watched as Lex knelt and scooped Eddie and his blanket in one movement. "He finally crashed about fifteen minutes ago, so he may be down for the night."
Lex kissed a small blemish on the toddler's forehead. "Took another tumble, little man?"
At fifteen months, he felt he had mastered walking and was impatient to explore the world around him. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm exceeded his agility.
"You'll find a matching one on Lorrie's chin. She tried to catch him and didn't quite get there."
Amanda sat beside Lorrie and brushed her hand across her head. "Hey, sweetie."
"Mom?" Lorrie blinked her eyes opened and yawned. She curled into Amanda and closed her eyes. "Is it morning?"
"No, honey. Let's go home so you can sleep in your own bed, all right?"
Amanda laughed as Lorrie mumbled into her shoulder.
Lex handed Eddie to Martha. "If you'll hold him for a minute, I'll wrestle with Melanie." Their seven-year old was almost impossible to wake once she fell asleep.
Charlie opened his eyes and looked around. "Uh, hi there." He straightened his glasses and sat up. "When did y'all get here?"
"A few minutes ago." Lex raised a limp Melanie into her arms. "Mel, sweetheart. You need to wake up."
"Mmm." Melanie put her arms around Lex's neck. "Don't wanna go to school."
The adults all laughed and Charlie stood. "Do you need any help getting them home?"
"No, we'll be fine." Amanda kissed Lorrie's head. "I'm afraid you're too big to carry, honey."
Lorrie opened her eyes and grinned. "Bet Momma could carry me."
Amanda pinched her lightly on the nose. "Only if she wants to get in trouble with me." Lex's back had healed from an injury the previous year but Amanda was still very protective of her.
"Ha!" Lorrie hopped off the couch and stood in front of Lex. "You're afraid of Mom."
"You betcha." Lex ruffled Lorrie's dark hair. "And if you're smart, you would be, too."
Amanda stood and wrapped Eddie in his blue flannel blanket. "Thank you, Mada."
"Sure thing, hon." Martha touched her lightly on the shoulder. "You let me know if there's anything I can do for you."
Unable to answer without breaking down, Amanda nodded.
Lorrie stared at her for a moment. "What's wrong?" She turned to Lex. "Momma?"
"We'll talk about it when we get home, all right?" Lex gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Can you gather up your brother's stuff for me?"
"Okay." Lorrie looked into her eyes, which Lex knew were red and swollen. "But--"
Lex shook her head. "I promise we'll talk about it when we get home."
"Yes, ma'am."
Doing as she was told, Lorrie quickly gathered the few toys that Eddie had scattered around the room. She tucked them in his blue-striped diaper bag and hefted it to her shoulder.
Martha handed Lorrie her coat. "Don't forget this."
Lorrie set the bag down and put on the coat. "Thanks."
"You're welcome, honey." Martha bent down and cupped Lorrie's cheek. "You're such a wonderful young woman, Lorrie. I'm so proud of you."
The girl blushed and tried to lower her head. Lorrie had recently turned eleven, and the accompanying hormones were confusing and hard to handle. She mumbled something incoherent and picked up the diaper bag.
Once the goodbyes were said, Lex and Amanda took their little family home.
Lorrie led the way while each adult carried a sleeping child. She held open the gate and had to fight off a very excited dog. Freckles danced around her, nipping at her jacket. She was smart enough to stay on the walkway, which someone had cleared.
"Freckles, no!" She cried and closed the gate after her parents passed. "Silly dog."
When Freckles barked, Melanie raised her head from Lex's shoulder. "Momma?"
"It's all right, sweetheart." Lex opened the door for Amanda and held it for Lorrie. "Let's get upstairs and into our pajamas."
Melanie kept a tight grip around her mother's neck. "Where were you today? Mada said you had business in town."
Lex set her down and stretched. "Yep. You're growing too fast for me. I don't think I can carry you around much longer."
"I'm getting big," Melanie agreed. "One of these days I'll be as tall as Lorrie." She yawned. "I'm sleepy."
"So am I, kiddo. Come on."
Lex turned her around and gave her a light pat on the rear. "Let's see who can get ready for bed first."
Melanie grinned, her earlier fatigue, gone. "I'll win!" She took off toward the stairs, her older sister on her heels. "Come on, Lorrie, hurry!"
With a long-suffering sigh, Lorrie glanced at the adults before she followed. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Let's go, Freckles." The dog barked and raced up the stairs beside them.
Lex held out her hands to Amanda. "My turn."
She kissed Eddie's head before she rested him against her shoulder. "You're getting big too, little man."
Amanda tucked her arm around Lex's waist as they followed at a more leisurely pace. "Are we going to survive their teen years?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
Halfway up the stairs, Amanda stopped. "Do you think we should tell them tonight?"
"They're both old enough, especially Lorrie. But we might as well let them get a good night's sleep."
Amanda led them up to Eddie's room, which was across the hall from their own. She turned on the lamp beside his crib and adjusted the bedding. "We're going to have to convert this to a toddler bed pretty soon."
"Yeah. I'll try to get to it this week."
Lex put him on the changing table to give him a dry diaper. Eddie smacked his lips and stretched but didn't wake. "Think he'll be comfortable enough in this?" she asked her wife. The denim overalls were soft, as was the red undershirt covered in reindeer.
"I think so." Amanda tugged his matching red socks up as high as they would go. "Maybe these will actually last all night."
Lex snorted. "Yeah, right. He doesn't like socks any more than you do shoes. Good luck with that."
She carried Eddie to the crib and tucked him in. "Sleep well, buddy."
They stood at the crib and watched their son. Amanda leaned her head onto Lex's arm. "Grandpa was looking forward to teaching him how to build things." She rubbed her eyes. "I'm going to miss him so much."
"I know, love." Lex turned and held Amanda in her arms. "So will I."
They stood together quietly, each accepting the love and support the other offered.
Once she was able to get her emotions under control, Lex gently kissed her wife. "Let's go check on the girls."
"Good idea." Amanda kept close as they walked to the far end of the hall where the girls' rooms were located. "Too quiet."
Lex nodded and stopped at the first open door, which was to Melanie's room. "Aw, look at that."
Their youngest daughter had made it as far as her bed, but had fallen asleep dressed. She was stretched facedown across the foot of the twin bed, her most recent doll clutched in one hand.
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"Plays until she drops," Amanda murmured, stepping into the room. "Do you want to check on Lorrie while I help her into her pajamas?"
"Sure." Lex stretched to lightly kissed Melanie's cheek. "Sleep well, Princess."
She passed through the bathroom the girls shared into Lorrie's room. Their oldest was sitting cross-legged on her full-sized bed, already in a pair of navy blue pajama pants and matching tank top. "I figured you'd be asleep, too."
Lorrie shrugged and lowered her eyes to the sports magazine in her lap. Her earbuds and MP3 player were beside her.
With a silent prayer to protect herself from her daughter's recently-arrived mood swings, Lex sat on the foot of the bed. "What's wrong, lil' bit?"
"Mom looks really sad." Lorrie closed the magazine and placed it on the floor beside her bed. "And you do, too."
Lex nodded. "That's true. It's been a pretty rough day."
"Are you..." Lorrie sat back against the wooden headboard and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you and Mom getting a divorce?"
"What? No!" Lex held out her hand for Lorrie to take. "Whatever gave you that idea?"
Lorrie took her hand but kept her eyes on the gray and blue striped bedspread. "You were in town all day without us, and we didn't know why."
She started to cry.
"Mada and Pawpaw were talking secretly in the kitchen, and I heard them say something about telling us. My friend, Emily, said when her parent's started being all secretive, they were splitting up. She's hoping to live here with her mom, but her dad's being a butt about it."
Lex didn't bother calling Lorrie on her language. Instead, she tugged on their joined hands. "Come here."
Although their oldest swore she was too old to be babied, Lorrie quickly complied and crawled onto her lap. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you anything, sweetheart. But I promise you that your mom and I love one another more now than ever."
She made a quick decision. "Your mom got a call earlier today. It was about your Grandpa Jake. He, um, passed away this morning."
"What?" Lorrie looked up into Lex's sad eyes. "But he was fine on Christmas. Was he sick?"
"We don't really know, but we think it was his heart."
Lorrie rested her cheek on Lex's shoulder. "It's not fair." She began to cry anew.
