Chapter Eight
Temperatures warmed rapidly during the morning, and by lunchtime the ice was all but gone except for in the most deeply shaded areas. Traffic was beginning to move on the highway again, the number and speed of passing vehicles increasing as Christmas day progressed and the roads dried.
Banner raided his kitchen one last time for lunch, opening cans of soup, which he served with crackers and cheese and the canned fruit that had been left over from breakfast. Lucy noted that the entire group was a bit more subdued than they had been before, perhaps because they knew their time together was coming to an end.
Everyone seemed ready to proceed to their original destinations, she decided, but they had enjoyed being here more than they had expected. She was pleased to know they would all have some pleasant memories of this Christmas morning to carry with them.
Tyler and Tricia pretty much dominated the lunchtime conversation, talking about the gifts Santa had brought them and anticipating the ones they would be getting at their grandmother's house. Tyler was expecting a highly touted new game for the video game system he had received for his birthday in September. Though his mother warned him about not being too confident of what his grandmother had gotten him, something about her tone let Lucy know the boy wouldn't be disappointed.
Lucy couldn't help noticing that Joan and Bobby Ray were doing quite a bit of quiet talking at the other side of the table. She overheard Bobby Ray say something about giving Joan a call after the first of the year. Lucy hoped that meant Bobby Ray was planning to ask Joan out and that he had not been referring to something less promising.
The more Lucy had thought about it, the more she believed that Bobby Ray and Joan made a great couple.
She smiled as she visualized Banner and Bobby Ray sitting beneath the Christmas tree, a big shiny bow on each manly head. Maybe Santa had arranged a pleasant little surprise for both Lucy
“What does that smile mean?” Banner leaned over to ask her, studying her expression with a curious frown. “It looks sort of…wicked.”
She laughed. It was a good thing he couldn't read her mind. If he knew what she had been thinking, or how prominently he had appeared in last night's dreams, he really would think she was wicked.
“I don't think I should say just now,” she told him, which only made him look more suspicious.
Joan and Lucy insisted on cleaning up after lunch since Banner had done so much for them already. They had barely finished clearing the kitchen when someone knocked heavily on the front door. The promised wrecker had arrived to pull Bobby Ray's truck out of the ditch and get him back on the road for his impatient employer.
It didn't take all that long to get the mostly undamaged truck out of the shallow ditch. Barely half an hour after the wrecker arrived, Bobby Ray was ready to go.
He drew Lucy aside. “Banner won't take this from me, but I want you to make sure he gets it before you leave-even if you have to slip it into his cookie jar,” he said in a low voice as he pressed a hundred-dollar bill into her hand. “I tried to tell him I wanted to repay him for his food and hospitality, but he kept telling me to forget about it.”
“I'll make sure he gets it,” she promised with a smile, “and I'll be adding a bit to it. We pretty well cleaned out his supplies.”
“Yeah. We were all lucky that he took us in.”
“Most definitely. So, you're on your way?”
“Looks like. They've got the truck ready to go, so there's really no reason for me to hang around any longer.”
She squeezed his hand. “It was very nice to meet you, Bobby Ray. I enjoyed spending Christmas Eve with you.”
“Same here, Miss Lucy.” He leaned way down to plant a smacking kiss on her cheek. “Maybe we'll see each other again sometime.”
“Maybe we will. And, um, maybe you'll be seeing Joan again?” she asked in a broad hint she simply couldn't resist.
He chuckled, catching her meaning. “If it's up to me, I will. What do you think?”
“I think you should definitely call her.”
“Guess I should listen to the doctor,” he said with a grin. “You've had some pretty good ideas so far.”
Lucy watched Bobby Ray take a warm leave of Miss Annie and Pop, and then he said his goodbyes to Tyler and Tricia. It was so obvious to her that he had already grown fond of the children. Joan needn't worry about her kids being a barrier to a possible relationship with this big, kind-hearted man.
Way to go, Santa, Lucy thought with a mental thumbs-up. Now, if only he had come through as well for her…
It seemed much quieter in the house without Bobby Ray's deep voice and booming laughter. Joan was particularly preoccupied after his departure, obviously distracted by her own thoughts. Less than an hour after he left, at just before two that afternoon, she deemed the roads clear enough for her to continue her journey to her mother's house.
“You be very careful,” Lucy cautioned her. “And have a wonderful Christmas with your family.”
“I will. Thank you.” Joan gave her an impulsive hug. “We're going to get together for lunch in Conway soon?”
“Definitely. I'll look forward to hearing from you.”
Lucy felt a tug at the bottom of her sweater. “Merry Christmas, Miss Lucy,” Tricia said, copying Bobby Ray's nickname for her. The little girl was already swaddled in her coat, hat and scarf, and had her new doll tucked protectively into the curve of her left arm. “Thank you for the books. I like them a lot.”
Reaching down to hug the child, Lucy replied, “You're very welcome, Tricia. I hope you enjoy them.”
“Thank you for my books, too,” Tyler said after a subtle nudge from his mother.
Lucy knew better than to embarrass him with a hug, but she gave him a warm smile instead. “You're welcome, too, Tyler. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your grandmother.”
The children then thanked Banner again for the wooden toys and Miss Annie for the knitted gifts. They hugged Pop when he held out his arms to them-Tyler with a macho show of reluctance that he didn't really seem to mean- and both told Pop how much they had enjoyed singing Christmas carols with him.
Tyler took his fondest farewell of Banner's dog-the only one the boy really seemed to have trouble leaving, Lucy thought in amusement. Going down onto one knee, Tyler hugged the shaggy dog with an affection he hadn't allowed himself to show the others.
“'Bye, Hulk,” Tyler said. “You be a good boy, okay?”
The dog woofed softly and wagged its tail lazily in farewell.
Joan paused shyly in front of Banner. “I don't know how to thank you for all you've done,” she said. “You've been so kind. Are you sure you won't let me repay you at least for…”
He cut in before she could say any more, his voice gruff, his expression embarrassed. “That's not necessary. I enjoyed having company for Christmas. As for the food, it would all have spoiled, anyway, with the power out. I'm glad it went to good use.”
Joan held out her hand to him, obviously accepting that his male pride would not allow him to take money from a single mother. “Then I'll simply say thank you, and merry Christmas.”
He shook her hand. “Merry Christmas to you, too. Drive carefully.”
Lucy sighed a little in response to the awkward kindness in Banner's voice as he spoke to Joan. He was so darned appealing.
Almost as if on cue, the Carters' grandsons arrived just as Joan backed her car carefully out of Banner's driveway. Two handsome, strapping young men who obviously adored their grandparents thanked Banner effusively for offering safe shelter to the stranded couple. They, too, offered reimbursement, but once again Banner refused to even consider accepting.
Lucy made a mental note to make sure he didn't have a chance to refuse the money from herself and Bobby Ray. She would leave it somewhere where he would find it after she was gone. He would be annoyed, but he would realize that he would have done the same had the situation been reversed.
