by Carrie Carr
JEANNIE FLOPPED ONTO the sofa beside Anna Leigh and blew out an exhausted breath. "Moving sucks."
"Yes, it does." Anna Leigh patted her arm. "Perhaps this will be your last move."
"Oh, yeah. They're going to have to drag me out of here, feet first," Jeannie quipped, then gasped in horror. "Oh, my God. I'm so sorry! That was awful of me."
Anna Leigh shook her head as she stared off into the distance. "Nonsense. You shouldn't have to guard your every word, dearest. Jacob wouldn't have wanted that, and neither do I." When Jeannie rested her head against her shoulder, Anna Leigh hooked her arm around her granddaughter. "As hard as it has been, we have to keep living our lives."
"I miss him," Jeannie whispered.
"As do I. But I believe your grandfather is here, watching over us." Anna Leigh hugged Jeannie and sat up straight. "And he'd thump us both for sitting here, moping."
A knock at the open front door caused them both to turn, as Lex and Amanda stepped into the house. Lex balanced several white, thin boxes on her cast as Amanda hefted a cardboard box.
Amanda stopped at the entry to the living room. "Hey there. Is the kitchen presentable?"
Jeannie stood. "Mostly. Why?"
"Because we brought goodies," Lex answered.
"Oooh." Jeannie moved forward. "Donuts!"
Lex stepped around Amanda and started for the kitchen. "If you're nice to me, I'll let you have one with sprinkles." She jerked and came close to dropping the boxes when Jeannie pinched her rear. "Watch it, woman."
"Lexington looks much better," Anna Leigh commented to Amanda, once the kitchen door had closed behind Lex and Jeannie.
"She is, mostly. Her back is still hurting her, but she won't let me schedule a follow up appointment with her orthopedist. How are you handing all this?"
Anna Leigh gently smiled. "I'm quite all right with it, truly. This old house needs a happy family. I'm thrilled that Jeannie decided to move so soon."
Amanda laughed and held the kitchen door open for her grandmother. "Lex swears she did it for the attention."
"Did what?" Jeannie asked, her mouth full of donut. Multi-colored sprinkles dotted her chin and shirt.
Lex handed her a paper towel. "Moved so soon after the storm. Here, you look like one of the kids."
Jeannie stuck her tongue out at Lex, chewed donut and all.
"You're disgusting." Amanda sat at the table. "Gramma, are you sure we're related?"
She took a chocolate glazed donut and sat it on the napkin in front of her.
"Most definitely." Anna Leigh used a napkin to remove a glazed donut from the box. She nibbled at it delicately, but didn't elaborate.
Lex laughed and sat beside her wife. Amanda continued to tease Jeannie so Lex took the opportunity to steal a bite from her donut.
"Hey, get your own." Amanda snatched the other half and held it away from her.
"You are my own," Lex stated, which caused Jeannie to make gagging sounds. "What?"
Jeannie rolled her eyes as she finished off her donut. "You're disgustingly mushy, Slim. I think my sister has corrupted you."
For a moment, Lex didn't say anything. She wiped the chocolate from her lips and stood as she stared at Jeannie the entire time. "Maybe I should show you what you're missing," she said in a soft voice. She held her good hand out to her sister-in-law.
"Um." Jeannie looked at Amanda, who shrugged. Acting braver than she felt, Jeannie took Lex's hand and was pulled to her feet.
Lex dipped Jeannie backward and held her there. She brought her face close to Jeannie's until they were almost nose-to-nose.
"I bet you've always wanted this," she whispered.
Jeannie's eyes grew large as Lex's lips descended.
With a wicked grin, Lex bypassed Jeannie's lips and blew a wet chocolate raspberry on her cheek. When Jeannie squealed and struggled, Lex was unable to hold the position and they both tumbled to the floor.
Amanda stopped laughing long enough to help her wife up. "Are you okay?"
"Never better." Lex stood and stretched. She looked at Anna Leigh, who held a hand over her mouth to mute her laughter. "How about you, Gramma? You ready for a spin?"
Anna Leigh shook her head. "I believe I'll pass, Lexington. But thank you for offering."
Jeannie climbed to her feet and wiped her cheek with her hand. "You're so gross, Lex. I'm gonna get you for that."
"Promises, promises." Lex swatted her on the butt. "You asked for it."
"I did not!"
The kitchen door opened.
"What on earth is going on in here?" Kyle asked.
"Jeannie's been picking on Lex," Amanda answered, as the trio took their places once again. She pointed to the boxes and the extra cups of coffee. "We brought sustenance."
"I've always liked you." Kyle stepped into the kitchen and opened the top box. "Oooh. I love chocolate glazed."
She went to the sink and washed her hands.
Anna Leigh scooted her chair back so that the other side of the table was accessible. "Why don't you take a break? You've been working nonstop."
"Thank you, A.L." Kyle had never been comfortable calling the older woman by her given name, so the initials were her way of compromise. "Everything's in place upstairs, and the guys just left."
"Oh. Okay. I was going to pay them--"
Kyle waved Jeannie off. "They didn't mind helping, so don't worry about it. But they had other plans later, and wanted to head home to clean up."
She sat on the other side of Anna Leigh and exhaled heavily. "Since everything is already done, I need to call Ellie and tell her not to bother coming here after work."
"She can still come, if she wants. I was thinking of cooking a roast for lunch," Jeannie said. "Rodney was only going to have the clinic open for half a day."
Frightened sets of eyes glanced around the table at the announcement. Anna Leigh was the first to find her voice. "I didn't see a roast in the refrigerator."
"No, but I think I have one in the deep freezer. Somewhere."
Amanda shook her head. "Jeannie, it's after ten. You can't cook a frozen roast in a couple of hours."
"Of course I can," Jeannie scoffed. "I'll just turn up the oven.
Right, Gramma?"
"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, dear. Haven't you read that book I gave you?"
Jeannie rolled her eyes. "Gramma, I don't need a beginner's cookbook."
When Lex choked on her coffee, she swatted her. "Stop that."
Lex coughed a few more times while Amanda rubbed her back. She finally cleared her throat. "Two words, Jeannie. Boiled potatoes."
"That wasn't my fault!" Jeannie whined. She turned to Kyle. "Somehow the burner on the stove got set to high, and the pot burned dry. I had it set lower, I know it."
"The fire department didn't believe her, either. They showed up when the potatoes caught fire and smoke billowed out the back window," Lex helpfully explained to Kyle.
Amanda covered Lex's mouth. "What we're trying to say, Jeannie, is that maybe it would be easier to order out for lunch. Lex and I can go pick up some barbecue."
Lex nodded, since her mouth was still covered. She licked Amanda's hand, which earned her a dirty look from her wife. But it also gave her a chance to speak when the hand moved away. "Right."
When everyone became quiet, Anna Leigh turned to Kyle. "Have you and Eleanor decided when and where your ceremony will be?"
"Um, not exactly. I mean, well, we don't want it to be some huge, drawn out affair." Kyle looked to Lex and Amanda. "We figured to just have a few family members around as the vows were read. Nothing fancy."
Amanda reached for Lex's hand beneath the table. "Our offer of having it at the ranch is still open. Right, Lex?"
"Sure," Lex agreed. "Do you want us to talk to Reverend Hampton? He presided over ours."
Kyle shook her head. "No, thank you. Ellie really doesn't want to have anything to do with religion. She totally freaked out when I asked her."
"That makes sense," A
manda mused. "If I had her mother, I'd probably feel the same way."
Ellie's mother was a religious fanatic that had disowned her only daughter after finding out she was gay. They hadn't spoken since.
"Yeah. I guess I'm lucky that my folks moved to Virginia. They cut me out of the family when I was in high school."
Anna Leigh patted Kyle's arm. "We're very happy you're a part of our family, Kylie."
"Thanks, A.L." Kyle covered Anna Leigh's hand. "That means a lot to me." Kyle looked around the table at the family she had acquired when she and Ellie had gotten together. "It's a great family to be a part of."
Jeannie decided to lighten the mood. She bumped her shoulder against Lex's. "Most of the time, it is."
"Watch it, woman," Lex warned.
"Or what?"
Amanda leaned in front of Lex to stare at her sister. "Or I'll finish it."
"Thanks, sweetheart." Lex put her arm on the back of Amanda's chair and made a silly face at Jeannie. "As we were saying, Kyle, check with Ellie. We'd love to host your ceremony at the ranch."
Kyle nodded. "I will, thanks." She finished her coffee and stood. "If y'all will excuse me, I think I'll go home and get cleaned up, before Ellie gets off work."
After Kyle left, Anna Leigh stood as well. "I believe I'll run home and check on Derry. She's not used to being home alone for very long."
"Gramma, you've only had her a week. She can't already be that spoiled." Jeannie balled up a napkin and tossed it toward Lex. "And I wish you would have named her something more normal."
Anna Leigh shook her finger at her. "Nonsense. The little dear survived the first derecho to hit Somerville. I think Derry is a perfect name."
"So do I. It's better than your idea," Amanda said to Jeannie.
"Fluffy is a perfectly good name for a cat," Jeannie defended.
Lex batted away the napkin that Jeannie threw. "Ha. Not for a short-haired cat, Jeannie. Why not just call her Dog?"
Amanda got out of her chair. "Come on, honey. Let's walk Gramma out."
"Sure." Lex allowed herself to be led from the kitchen as Jeannie took another donut from the box.
"Mushy," she muttered, before devouring the donut.
SHELBY TUCKED THE blanket around Rebecca's legs once she got her partner settled comfortably on the sofa. She struggled to control her anger as she listened to Rebecca's side of the phone conversation.
"No, Terry. I don't care what your friend looks like, or how much money he makes. I'm very happy with Shelby."
Rebecca brought the phone away from her ear and sighed. She listened again as her brother ranted.
"Stop it! I don't care what you think. You didn't bother to come see me in the hospital, so why should I allow you to visit now? Please. You're an assistant manager at a hamburger joint. It's not exactly the most important job in the world. Yes, I realize that Austin isn't next door, Terry."
She held the phone out at arm's length and rolled her eyes. "I haven't heard from him in more than a year, and suddenly he cares?" she whispered to Shelby.
"Want me to have a go at him?"
Rebecca shook her head. "I can handle him, but thanks." She put the phone to her ear. "Shut up, Terrance. No, I said shut up!"
Once her brother quieted, Rebecca took a deep breath and released it slowly. "If all you want is to bitch at me about my life, then don't bother calling again. We have this conversation every time you bother to call. I'm with Shelby, and I'm going to stay with her until we're old and gray. Got that?"
She hit the disconnect button and tossed the phone to the other end of the couch. "He's such a jackass."
Shelby sat on the arm of the sofa. "Sorry, darlin'. I know you were upset when he didn't visit you in the hospital."
"It wasn't that, exactly. I just get tired of having to defend our relationship with the people who are supposed to love me. I mean, it's an ongoing thing. We've been together for six years. When is it going to stop?" She looked up to see the anguish in Shelby's eyes. "You're not a phase, Shelby. You're my life."
"I know. And I hope you realize it's the same for me."
Shelby kissed the top of Rebecca's head. Something occurred to her and she stood. "Be right back, okay?"
Rebecca watched Shelby go into the bedroom. "All right."
SHELBY PASSED TO the closet and moved the clothes to one side so that she could reach the small, metal box in the far corner. She opened the box and dug through the few photos and trinkets from her life. "Ah."
Beneath the folded rodeo playbills and the letters from her aunt, she found a balled handkerchief. She removed the handkerchief and closed the box.
After she stood, Shelby unfolded the cloth and stared at the contents. Her hand shook as she picked up the two thin, gold bands. "I hope I'm doin' the right thing, Pop," she whispered. "It sure didn't turn out so good for you."
She tightened her fist around the rings and tucked the handkerchief into her back pocket.
When Shelby returned to the living room, Rebecca frowned. "Hon? What's wrong?"
Shelby shook her head and sat beside her lover. "Ain't nothin' wrong, darlin'. Um." She looked at her closed hand. "I'm kinda late with this, but it ain't because of you."
She raised her head and looked into Rebecca's eyes. "I might not say it all the time, but you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, you know."
"You tell me more than enough, Shelby. I can always see it in your eyes." Rebecca gasped in surprise when Shelby dropped to her knee beside the couch. "What--"
"I reckon you could have just about anybody you'd want, Rebecca. I'm uneducated, foul-tempered and stubborn. But I swear to you, I'd die before I'd hurt you." Shelby took Rebecca's left hand and held it in hers. "We can't do this legal-like, but I'd be honored if you'd be mine, and wear this ring."
"Shel--" Rebecca couldn't stop tears from welling when her lover shakily held out a gold ring. "Is that?"
Shelby swallowed. "Yeah. It was my mom's. She left it when she took off, and my dad kept it. I figured maybe we could give it better luck."
Rebecca sniffled and nodded. "I'd like that."
Her hand was shaking as badly as Shelby's, and it took more than one try to get the ring on her finger. "It's a perfect fit."
"I had it sized a couple years back," Shelby admitted. "I just never got up the nerve to ask you."
"Why were you scared?" Rebecca looked at the ring on her hand. "You weren't afraid I'd say no, were you?"
Shelby shook her head. "If there's one thing I've ever been sure about, it's you, darlin'. But I remember what hell my parents went through and didn't want to do that to you."
Rebecca tugged on Shelby's hand. "Get up here."
Once she had Shelby next to her, she leaned in close and slowly kissed her. When Shelby deepened the contact, Rebecca tangled her fingers in her lover's hair. Once they broke apart for air, Rebecca said, "How's that for an answer?"
"I dunno. Maybe we should talk about it some more." Shelby grinned and kissed her again.
Chapter Thirty
AMANDA HELD THE back door open for Rebecca, who moved slowly with the aid of a cane. "It's so good to see you! Would you be more comfortable in the kitchen or the living room?"
"Probably the living room," Rebecca admitted.
"Bibba!" Eddie greeted from the kitchen. He sat in his high chair and waved his spoon in the air. "Mommy, Bibba!"
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Let me get him cleaned up and I'll join you. Would you like some coffee?"
Rebecca stopped at the kitchen door to catch her breath. She had stopped using her wheelchair only a few days earlier and still tired easily. "How about I join you in the kitchen, first?"
"Sure. Do you need any help?"
"Bibba!" Eddie slammed his fist on the tray. "Bibba!"
Amanda took the empty bowl and spoon away. "No, I've got it. Eddie, behave." She unbuckled him from the chair and sat him on the counter. "How do you manage to get so much of your breakfast on you?"
"Ha."
Rebecca settled in a chair. "I never thought walking from the truck would be so tiring."
"I was surprised to see you moving so well." Amanda used a wet paper towel to get the worst of the oatmeal off her son.
"Mommy, no!" Eddie shook his head to avoid the towel. "No! Bad!"
Amanda ignored his pleas and continued to wipe away the food. "Almost done." She kissed his forehead and set him down. "See? You survived."
Eddie toddled toward Rebecca. "Bibba!"
"Careful, Eddie. Miss Rebecca has an owie," Amanda warned him. "Be gentle."
He paused and looked at Amanda, then back to Rebecca. "Owie?"
"It's okay, sweetie. Come here." Rebecca held out her hands and laughed as he charged forward. She helped him climb onto her lap. "There you go."
Eddie grabbed her shirt and kissed her cheek. "Good." He settled on her lap and stuck his finger in his mouth.
Amanda brought two mugs of coffee to the table and placed one in front of her friend, but out of Eddie's reach. "Here you go."
She noticed the light glint off Rebecca's hand. "Well, hello. What's that?"
Rebecca blushed but held her hand out for inspection. "Shelby gave it to me last week."
"She did? How sneaky!" Amanda nodded her approval at the simple ring. "I like it. Does this mean what I think it means?"
"Yes, it does." Rebecca smiled and stared at her ring, as if she still had trouble believing it was real. "She got down on one knee, and everything."
Amanda patted her hand. "That's wonderful. Are you going to have any kind of ceremony?"
"No. We've already said what we wanted to say to one another. A ceremony isn't going to change anything for us." Her smile disappeared. "And if we had one, I'd have to invite my family. Mom would want some big production, and my father and brother would probably drive us all crazy."
"I'm sorry."
Rebecca shrugged. "My dad has been acting strange for the past year or so, and Terry's always been a jerk. They're not going to change, and I'm tired of messing with them. Mom has been great, though. She brought us at least a weeks' worth of meals and sent Shelby to the barn when she complained." She laughed at the memory. "Shelby was offended at the thought that she wasn't taking good care of me, but Mom told her to get over it."
