Chapter 28
Footsteps in the hallway brought Tripp fully awake out of a light sleep.
The time on his phone said that it was a few minutes past eleven, which meant he had barely begun to doze.
“Damn it, Knox. I thought you were going to help Bo and Maverick out until the bar closed,” he muttered as he got out of bed.
“Willa Rose is in the guest room with the baby, so stay away from there. If she screams, she will wake the baby.”
“Who are you talking to?” Willa Rose met him in the hallway.
“I thought Knox was coming in…” He rubbed sleep from his eyes with his fist. “Is everything alright?”
She held up the monitor from the baby monitor and camera. “I couldn’t sleep after his ten o’clock feeding, so let’s see if this works. If we can leave both bedroom doors open a little, it will ease my mind.”
He slipped her small hand into his and led her into his room. “No problem there.”
She set the monitor on the nightstand and quickly crawled beneath the covers. Tripp got in beside her and drew her close to his side. “This feels so right.”
“Yes, it does.” She propped up on an elbow. “Kiss me.”
“Gladly, but…”
“We are both emotionally drained, but you have to kiss me for us to make up, don’t you?” she asked.
“I never figured that you were a girl who let a guy kiss you on a first date.”
“You figured wrong.” She met him halfway and the kiss sent desire shooting through her whole body even if she was too tired for anything else. “I want more, but I need sleep.”
“We can wake up early for that more business tomorrow morning?”
“My thoughts exactly.” She laid her head back on his chest and in minutes they were both asleep.
***
“So, did you and Tripp make up or are you still mad?” Ivy asked on Saturday morning when she came into the antique shop.
“We are good.” Willa Rose blushed at the vision that popped into her head of just how well they had made up before Nicky woke for his six o’clock bottle.
“Was the fight about Aunt Bernie’s bets?”
Nosy little teenager, aren’t you? Willa Rose thought.
“No, I got nervous about leaving Nicky alone,” she answered honestly. “It’s nothing to do with your babysitting ability, Ivy, and all to do with the fact that my mother never left me with anyone.”
Ivy removed her coat and tossed it over a rocking chair.
“No offense taken. The only person my folks ever left me with was my grandpa or a few times with Yasmin. I didn’t think I would miss her so much, but I do.
I made the right decision, but she was part of my life for years.
I don’t know why Finn doesn’t propose to her.
They love each other and have been together since I was a little girl. ”
“What happened to your folks? Or is that too personal?” Willa Rose asked.
“A carnival accident with the Ferris wheel killed both, and Grandpa took me to raise. He never needed a sitter since we were on the road nine months out of the year, but when he did have a doctor’s visit or something that I couldn’t go along to, Yasmin was there for me.
Are you worried about leaving him in the nursery tomorrow? ”
“A little,” Willa Rose admitted.
“Then let’s make a deal right now. I will take over Nicky’s care when you bring him in. I won’t let anyone kiss him on the face. He doesn’t need to be exposed to anything. And I will text you every ten minutes for the whole hour with a picture of him.”
“I like that idea and am willing to work with it.”
“Okay then,” Ivy said. “I see that you’ve got him settled into the crib in the bedroom area, so let’s get busy putting this place in order.
I doubt that we will get much done after today until after Christmas.
Tomorrow is Sunday. Monday is Christmas Eve, and I’ve still got presents to wrap.
And it’s a good thing you aren’t opening the shop until February because Nicky is going to need that crib until then. ”
“What if it’s the first thing someone buys?”
“I expect you will be going to antique auctions to replenish the store, right?” Ivy asked.
“Probably, and they are usually on weekends, so I might need to hire you to mind the store on Saturdays some of the time,” Willa Rose said.
“Anytime,” Ivy said. “You look worried about something. Has it got to do with Tripp?”
Willa Rose shook her head. “Everything is good there. You mentioned wrapping presents and that got me thinking about Christmas morning at the Paradise. I’m not sure what to expect.”
“Evidently lots of presents since everyone exchanges small gifts with each other, but Mary Jane says this is the last year we’re doing that.
Once all the kids are married with their own families, we will just share with her and Joe Clay on Christmas Eve and have the big family gathering with food and fun on Christmas Day,” Ivy said.
“The sisters don’t like the idea, but Mary Jane told them if they want to have a little party among themselves, they can do that at one of their houses.
Do you realize how many presents there are going to be? ”
“More than twenty from me, plus something a little bigger for each of the kids,” Willa Rose answered.
“That’s after I have presents with my dad, Tripp, and Nicky at home.
Thank goodness for online shopping and gift cards or I would never have gotten it all together.
And I still don’t have all the wrapping done. ”
“We both got a late start,” Ivy said. “But like you, I did most of mine online. I found a cute mug for Bernie that says Matchmaking Queen on the side. No one will know if she’s drinking tea or whiskey from it.”
Willa Rose chuckled. “You got that right.”
***
Business was steady at the leather shop all morning with customers arriving to pick up their orders or to look through the ready-to-buy merchandise for last-minute gifts. At noon, things finally slowed down enough that Tripp and Hank could take a break and have a sandwich for lunch.
“Did you and Willa Rose straighten out your problem?” Hank asked.
“Yes, sir, we did,” Tripp answered. “It might be a while before we can have another date night, though.”
“Don’t wait too long, or the years will get away from you like they did me.”
“Got any advice about when I should ask her again?” Tripp asked.
Hank opened a bag of chips and dumped a few onto his paper plate. “As the old saying goes, ‘Y’all need to get back on the horse as soon as possible.’ Maybe right after the holidays. Which reminds me… We are closed on Sunday, but what’s our schedule for the rest of the week?”
“Let’s stay open until noon on Christmas Eve,” Tripp said.
“That way the last-minute shoppers can have a little time. Then we’ll close on Tuesday, take Wednesday off, and reopen on Thursday.
And since you are here to help me now, I’m voting that we close on weekends from now on. What do you think of that?”
“Sounds good to me,” Hank said with a nod. “That will give me time to help Willa Rose get her shop in order after the New Year, and maybe watch over it on Saturdays when she needs to go to estate sales to replenish the store. She and Vada did a lot of that kind of thing on weekends.”
“Hey, what’s going on in here?” Knox asked as he came inside.
“We’re having lunch.” Hank waved over the food. “Hang up your coat and make yourself a sandwich.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Knox said and took a seat on the other side of the table.
“I’ve got great news. Jack Devlin, a developer I know, has bought some land between Holliday and Lakeside City.
He’s going to build spec homes on one-acre lots for folks who don’t want to live in Wichita Falls.
It’s a short commute from the city, and he’s hoping to have things ready by the middle of March for me to move my trailer down there and start framing up houses.
The place is only an hour from here, so I can come home on weekends. ”
“You left behind your crew when we moved up here, didn’t you?” Tripp asked.
“Yes, but Jack says that a crackerjack carpenter named Charlie—I didn’t catch the last name—has been with him for years and specializes in framing out houses can work with me,” Knox answered. “And there are three other guys who will make up a team of five to do that job.”
“What about rebuilding the church?” Hank asked. “Do you think you can get that finished by March?”
“Without a doubt,” Knox replied. “We are starting on Thursday.”
“Count me in when I’m not working here,” Hank said. “I’m not much good with carpentry, but I’m a good fetcher.”
“You said you could come home on weekends?” Tripp asked. “Bernie is going to be so sad, both that you are leaving, and that she can’t hook you up with a local woman. She will probably make you sign a document in blood saying you won’t find a woman in that area.”
“Not to worry about that. This is a big project. I’ll be working from dawn to sundown and sleeping in between. There will be no time for women in my life until we get those houses framed out and the finish carpentry done. I’ll be busy until the end of summer.”
“Poor Bernie will have to work double—no triple time—to get you a wife by next Christmas,” Hank teased.
“I’m not a bit worried until Tripp gets serious about asking your daughter to marry him,” Knox said. “I’m free as a bird until then. I think I can outrun Aunt Bernie when I’m home for two days. I guess I can stay at the Paradise or at your house, Tripp.”
“You know you are welcome at either place,” Tripp answered.
“Thanks,” Knox said. “Jack is planning to have the rec center built by the time I get there, and it will have a bathroom with showers and a place to hang out for breaks or meals. Bernie won’t have anything to worry about. I’ll be working with a team of guys five days a week.”
Tripp held a knife out toward his twin. “You want to go ahead and stick your finger now, so you will be able to sign your name in blood when Bernie hears about this? After all, you are next in line.”
Knox punched him on the arm. “No, I do not. Like I said, Aunt Bernie is too busy trying to fix you up with anyone but Willa Rose to pay much attention to me.”
“Not anymore,” Tripp said. “Her words last night were, ‘If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.’ Sorry, little brother, she’s already gunning for you, and her shotgun is loaded.”
“Hey, are you still open?” Brodie called out from the front door.
“We are and welcome back,” Tripp said. “When did you get home?”
Brodie sat down in the fourth chair and set about making himself a sandwich.
“I need a little snack. Audrey is at the Paradise showing Bernie and Mary Jane all the honeymoon pictures. I’m supposed to pick her up in thirty minutes to go do some final Christmas shopping in Nocona.
I just wanted to stop by here and see my brothers first. What’s happened since the wedding?
We decided to stay off the phone except for emergencies… ”
“How did you know if a call was something serious?” Hank asked.
“We talked to Joe Clay and made a deal. He would only call us if there was it was a serious thing,” Brodie said. “Evidently, he didn’t think any drama that went on was enough to bring us home.”
“I’m going to leave in March for a new job, but I’ll be back on weekends,” Knox blurted out and filled him in on the details. “And Willa Rose and Tripp have a baby.”
“As in a new puppy or baby potbellied pig?” Brodie asked.
“As in a little baby boy named Nicholas,” Hank said and went on to explain the situation.
“Then the water pipes froze and burst under the old parsonage, so she’s staying with me until that gets fixed,” Tripp added.
“I thought about your experience with cutting of the water supply when I was out there in the cold cussing because I had to lie on my belly to get the crescent wrench down into the frozen hole.”
Brodie shook his head in disbelief. “There really was a good deal of drama going on, but I’m still glad that Joe Clay didn’t call.
Being free from everything was good for the soul.
But I better not leave again if all this is what happens when I’m gone.
And at least you had clothes on when you had to take care of water spewing everywhere. ”
“And you didn’t?” Hank asked.
“Let me tell the story,” Knox said. “It was like this. The tornado blew away all our house except one wall and the bathroom. Not long afterward, Pansy showed up. We figured the storm picked her up somewhere and dropped her close to the farm. Anyway, Brodie felt sorry for her and decided to keep her.”
“A big mistake, but now I’m attached to the critter.” Brodie chuckled.
“My trailer was parked out at the farm in those days,” Knox went on.
“Audrey and Brodie were enemies during that time. She wanted to buy his farm to put her family’s two places back together, but my brother was not selling it.
To make a long story short, Pansy got loose one day and was over at Audrey’s farm playing chase through the cornfield.
It took some doing and some rolling around in the mud, before Brodie finally chased her back onto his property.
Brodie looked like he had been doused with chocolate by the time he got back to the trailer.
” He stopped and took a bite of the sandwich.
“Since the water was still hooked up in what was left of the house, I decided to take a shower,” Brodie went on with the story.
“I had just took all my clothes off and stepped into the tub when the damned thing fell through the floor and sent me into a sprawl. Part of me was still in the tub. Part was hanging outside on what was left of the floor. Water was going everywhere. I was sure the meter was spinning around like a top and running up a colossal bill, so I found my footing, grabbed the tool that cuts off the water at the main line from my truck, and ran down to the road where the thing was located.”
“In the pouring-down rain,” Tripp added.
Hank chuckled, then he laughed aloud. “I’m picturing all of that. Were you really naked?”
“That’s right,” Brodie said, “and that rain really was icy cold. Then to top everything off, my two thoughtful brothers hadn’t left anything but very colorful swimming trunks in the trailer for me to wear the next day.
So, I was doubly humiliated the next day when I ran into Audrey and her sassy aunt Hettie at the feed store where I went to buy food for Pansy.
End of story, and now it’s time for me to go pick up Audrey.
Thanks for the sandwich. I might survive until I get to the Dairy Queen in Nocona.
And I will look forward to seeing the new baby tomorrow after church. ”
“I beat you to fatherhood,” Tripp teased.
Brodie stood up and patted his brother on the back. “Not if you don’t get on the ball and get married soon, because Audrey tossed her birth control pills in the trash this morning.”