“I’m supposed to be out of town ... on a romantic overnight trip with Ben.” She had to stop to laugh. “I know it sounds crazy, but what if I went back to the house and one of my nosy sisters-in-law drove by and saw the lights on? They’d know something was up.”
“Hmm,” Jack said. “You lead a complicated life, don’t you, lady?”
“Far too complicated.” Lily felt as though she might cry again.
“I’ll tell you what. Spend the night at my place tonight. I’ve got an extra bedroom.”
“I told Ben to call me here if he needed me.”
“Hang on a second. I’ll take care of that.” Jack disappeared behind the shop, and Lily heard her holler, “If anybody calls here for Lily, give ‘em my number. She’s going home with me.” There was a pause, and then Jack hollered, “Not that way, you hussies!”
CHAPTER 14
Jack lived in an old white saltbox with a tin roof. Even in the darkness, Lily could tell that the land around it was rolling and beautiful. The sky above the farmland was sprinkled with stars.
“It’s beautiful out here,” Lily said, as they stood on the porch.
“Oh, yeah.” Jack unlocked the front door. “There’s the stars on a clear night, and on a cloudy night, there’s nothin’ like the sound of the rain on the roof.” The house seemed to be furnished with the same pieces Jack had grown up with. The flowered up-holstery on the arms and seat of the overstuffed sofa in the living room was shiny from years of sitting, but the worn appearance of the furniture only made it more inviting.
“Your room’s upstairs,” Jack said, her boots clomping on the hardwood floor. “Sorry for going right off to bed, but if I get a farm call, I’ll have to roll out in four hours or so.”
“That’s fine. I’m pretty tired.” Lily followed Jack up the stairs, noting in a purely clinical fashion that Jack filled out her Levi’s attractively.
Jack flipped on the light in the room at the head of the stairs — a small bedroom with floral wallpaper and an iron bed covered in a handmade quilt. A black-and-white cat who was curled up on the bed lifted his head and squinted at them irritably. “That’s Hank,” Jack explained. “This is kinda his bed, so he may want to share it with you. I’ve got two house cats, Hank here and Patsy, who sleeps with me.” She smiled, a little shyly, Lily thought. “Well, you make yourself comfortable. The bathroom’s next door, and there’s towels in the hall closet if you need ’em.”
“Thanks.”
Jack studied the floor sheepishly. “If I have to get up for a farm call in the mornin’, I’ll just let you sleep. Feel free to let yourself out if you wake up before I get back. If I don’t get called to work, though, maybe we can have breakfast, and I can show you around the place, introduce you to the animals. Sandy used to call this the Island of Misfit Critters.”
Lily laughed. “About half the time, I feel like kind of a misfit critter myself.”
Jack grinned. “I know what you mean. Well ... ’night.”
“Good night.”
