The Lullaby Sky (10 page)

The petite lady that followed Gina into the house was smaller than Hannah by at least fifteen pounds and looked like she’d been dragged through a hedge backward.

“I’m sorry. This sewing machine sounds like a threshing machine.” Hannah motioned them inside.

Gina nodded toward the lady. “This is Elaine, and she’s twenty-one. She walked into the shelter this morning. You have been approved, and the paperwork is in the mail. Patchwork House is completely full. I don’t even have a sofa to put her on. I’ll let her tell you her story, if it’s all right if I leave her with you.”

“Of course it’s all right.” Hannah held out a hand, and the younger woman bypassed it and hugged her tightly.

“Thank you so much. I walked ten miles to get to that shelter, hiding in the weeds every time a car came by,” Elaine whispered. “I can’t go back. He’ll kill me.”

Travis poked his head out of the dining room. “Aunt Birdie called. Dinner is ready. Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t . . .”

Elaine jumped back two feet, hit the door with her bony shoulders, and slapped her hands over her eyes. Her slim body quivered all over.

Hannah rushed to her side and laid a hand on her shoulder, which only made the situation worse until Elaine uncovered her eyes. “It’s okay. Travis is one of the good guys. He won’t hurt you. Travis, this is Elaine, and she’s going to stay here a few days.”

“I’m so sorry I scared you,” Travis said. “I was coming out to tell Hannah that it was time for dinner. You are both welcome to join us, Gina.”

“Thank you, but I have to get back.” Gina smiled. “And it’s best if Elaine stays inside. You did read that handbook I left for you, right?”

“Every word—twice.” Hannah nodded seriously and then turned to Travis. “Tell Aunt Birdie I won’t be there. I’ll just make a couple of sandwiches here.”

“How about I bring some food for you and Elaine?” Travis said.

“That would be great, and Gina, Elaine can stay here as long as she needs to,” Hannah said.

“I appreciate your generosity,” Gina said.

Hannah heard the kitchen door open and close and hugged Travis in her mind for being so kind. She laced her fingers in Elaine’s and led her to the kitchen, where she pulled out a chair for her at the table.

“Hungry?” Hannah asked.

“I ate breakfast yesterday. He said I didn’t deserve dinner or supper since I hadn’t ironed his shirts right. When he caught me sneaking a few cookies out of the jar, well . . .” She stopped.

Words weren’t necessary. The bruises on her arms and her legs were definitely belt marks, and the black eye said he’d used his fists as well.

“Travis is my friend, and he’s helping me do some painting. He’ll be back soon with dinner and we’ll eat. Then you can take a good, warm bath and a long nap,” Hannah said.

Elaine looked like she needed it. Her cheekbones were hollow. Her blonde hair hung in oily strings around her gaunt face, and her eyes darted around the room as if she was afraid it would disappear.

“He’ll be out huntin’ for me. I’ll work. You just tell me what to do and I’ll do it. I can clean and iron, and I’m good with kids. Gina said you got a little girl.”

“Yes, I do. Her name is Sophie, and she’s going to love having company,” Hannah said.

Elaine jumped and shivered when someone knocked on the kitchen door. Hannah laid a hand on her shoulder as she passed. “It’s okay. I imagine it’s Travis bringing us some food, but I’ll make sure before I open it.”

“I’m sorry,” Elaine whispered.

“It’s okay.” Hannah gently patted her before she pulled back the curtain over the window.

She opened the door and stood back for Travis to bring in a cardboard box with covered dishes inside.

“Aunt Birdie said that she and Sophie are going to read some books and take a long nap and then she’ll bring Sophie home. This is baked potato soup, hot bread, and peach cobbler for dessert. Do you still want me to come over and help get Sophie’s room put to rights?”

“Yes, please.” Hannah nodded. “And tell Aunt Birdie thank you for everything.”

Travis set the box on the table and smiled at Elaine. “I’m the resident handyman for Crossing. Welcome to the Lullaby Sky.”

“What?” Hannah asked.

“Sophie just now informed me that was the new name of this house. So you two are the first to know the formal name.”

Elaine’s mouth turned up slightly. “I like it. It’s calm in this place—like looking at the sky on a dark night. The stars give us hope.”

“Okay, then, I’m going back across the street to eat a couple of bowls of my favorite soup. You ladies have a good dinner and visit.” He left the same way he came in, easing the door shut so softly that it didn’t make a sound.

Hannah uncovered the bowls and shoved the first one across the table toward Elaine so she could get a whiff of the delicious aroma. Then she pushed back her chair, stood up, and went to the cabinet for silverware and the butter. When she turned around, Elaine had her head bowed and her lips moved silently. She raised her head after a few seconds and blushed.

“Amen,” Hannah said.

“I didn’t know if you was a prayin’ woman, and I didn’t want to offend. Can’t eat this good food in a house this nice without thanking God for getting me here safely,” Elaine said.

“We do say grace, and I am a prayin’ woman.” Hannah laid out the cutlery beside Elaine’s bowl and handed her a paper towel to use as a napkin. “Eat slowly. If you go too fast, it might make you sick.”

Hannah wanted to hear more of her story, help her heal, until a little voice inside her head told her to be patient and let Elaine tell what she wanted when she wanted. So they ate in silence, Elaine finishing only a third of her soup before she ate three or four bites of the peach cobbler.

“Don’t throw any of it away. I’ll eat it for supper,” Elaine said.

“Or maybe some of the cobbler after your nap? You must have walked all night.”

Elaine shook her head. “Only about half of it was in the dark. The rest was daylight. I got to the shelter about ten, and that nice lady brought me here. You reckon I could have that bath now?”

Hannah wanted to weep for this poor woman. “Of course you can. There are towels and washcloths on the chair beside the tub. Bubble bath and salts are there, along with shampoo and conditioner. Help yourself to any of it. And I will leave clean underwear and a nightshirt beside the door. If you’ll put your clothes on the top step, I’ll pitch them in the washer and dryer for you. When you wake, they should be clean. Follow me, and you can pick out which of the bedrooms you want to claim while you are here.”

“You choose for me,” Elaine said.

Hannah threw open the doors for all three bedrooms as they passed by them on the way to the bathroom. Elaine didn’t react to the first three, but the last one brought half a smile to her face.

“When you finish your bath, use this one. You’re looking toward the river, and on the other side of it is Oklahoma,” Hannah said. “You can have the run of the house, though if someone knocks on the door, you should hurry up here and hide. Gina says as little exposure as possible is necessary. I have four friends plus two neighbors, Aunt Birdie and Miss Rosie, that you don’t need to worry about.”

“Thank you, Hannah. You are an angel.” Elaine swiped at tears and disappeared into the bathroom.

Hannah had set aside a few sets of clothes, and she fished through them for a nightshirt and a pair of underpants. She laid them beside the bathroom door, through which she could hear the sound of water running in the deep, old claw-foot tub as she crossed the landing into the room where Elaine would stay a few days. She pulled the chain to turn on the ceiling fan and quickly changed the bedsheets so they’d smell fresh.

That finished, and with nothing else she could do to make Elaine more comfortable and feel safer, she headed down the stairs. She found Miss Rosie and Travis sitting at the kitchen table, each with a glass of sweet tea in front of them.

“Her name is Elaine, and she is having a bath. Since she walked all night and half the morning, the next thing she wants is a nap,” Hannah said.

“Clothing?” Miss Rosie asked.

“I would guess what she has on her back. I didn’t even see a purse.”

“I’ll go down to our church clothes closet and fix her up with some things. What size would you think?”

“Have no idea about size, but I think she’s about my height and maybe fifteen or twenty pounds lighter.”

Miss Rosie nodded. “This is going to be a joint effort, Hannah. I talked to Gina after she got back to the shelter, and she’s in agreement.”

“You know Gina?”

Miss Rosie sipped her tea. “Oh, yes. I’m the one who got her the job and helps her write the grant requests from the government. She called me after she talked to you about offering to be a safe house.”

Travis laid a hand on Hannah’s. “She is really nervous, so I’ll stay out of the way as much as possible.”

“Poor thing. That’s probably a good idea. Why don’t you take the downstairs bedroom and I’ll sleep upstairs while she is here? If it was me in her shoes, that would make me more comfortable,” Hannah said.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Miss Rosie said quickly. “I’m thinking this one is going to need a fresh start. I’ll start putting out feelers and get with Gina about new papers.”

“You can do that?” Travis asked.

“Oh, yes, we can. We’ll find a place far away and give her a whole new name and identity so that bastard can’t find her ever again. But it can’t be done overnight, and we’ll need to bring in the therapist to talk to her a couple of times to be sure that when she gets to her new location, she doesn’t get crazy and call him.”

Hannah’s dark brows became a solid line and deep wrinkle furrowed across her forehead. “I didn’t know that you . . .”

Miss Rosie smiled. “I’ve been trying to ferret out who was the snitch for years when it came to your situation. If I could have figured out who was telling Marty every single time you drove out of town, I would have fixed things for you. Had no idea that it wasn’t a person at all, just technology. But things work out for the best, Hannah, and now you are right where you need to be to help others.”

Hannah glanced over at Travis. “Did you know that she was involved with helping abused women?”

He shrugged.

“He knew. He even volunteers when Gina needs someone to talk to the older boys. My grandson makes a pretty good therapist,” Miss Rosie said with pride.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Hannah asked Travis.

“I guess I’m telling you now, or rather, Miss Rosie is.” Travis grinned as he slid his hand from Hannah’s and drank the sweet tea. For the first time since the divorce, she hadn’t flinched when he put his hand on hers, but she did feel empty when he removed it. Did that mean that she was healing? She’d expected it to take months, maybe even years before she stopped jumping when someone touched her.

“Let’s get Sophie’s room ready,” Travis suggested. “She’s itching to come home and see it.”

Hannah’s soft giggle filled the room. “That’s my Sophie.”

Travis pushed up out of the chair and held out a hand. “That’s our girl, all right.”

Hannah put hers in it, and together they walked to Sophie’s room. He didn’t let go until they were inside the room where clouds and the twinkle star greeted them. And somehow it wasn’t uncomfortable or weird. It felt just right.

C
HAPTER
N
INE

T
here wasn’t even a faint little wispy cloud in the sky on Wednesday morning when Liz showed up wearing faded jeans, an oversize T-shirt, and flip-flops. She came through the door fanning herself with the back of her hand.

“It’s going to be a hot one,” she said. “Oh. My. Goodness—this doesn’t look like the same place. It’s so airy and beautiful and I love it. And I had looked forward to helping, but”—she paused—“you know how it goes. Wyatt was home a lot longer than I expected.”

Yes, Hannah knew exactly how it went. She didn’t need a map to know what Liz was going through. But was Liz reaching out to her with that last statement? If so, Hannah should do something to encourage her to open up. Where did she start?

“You are here now, and that’s all that matters.” Hannah said the first thing that came to her mind and hoped that God would give her the right words to say next. “Why don’t we paint your house while Wyatt is gone? It would be a surprise for him when he comes home.” Holy hell! That wasn’t the right thing to say at all. Had those words really come out of Hannah’s mouth?

“Oh, no!” Liz waved both her hands. “That’s his house, remember. It belonged to his grandmother, and the place has to remain a shrine to her. I’m sure the world would come to an abrupt end if I even moved a picture on the wall.”

Hannah pushed ahead. “Then let’s just do your bedroom.” If God wanted her to talk about redoing a room, then he must have a purpose.

Liz shook her head. “That was his bedroom as a child. I’d love to have a king-size bed, but even mentioning it makes him angry. That full-size one that we are sleeping on is lumpy, and Wyatt takes up three-fourths of it.”

A picture of the sign at the Patchwork House flashed in Hannah’s mind.
God, if you’re trying to tell me something, I sure wish you’d spit it out a lot plainer,
she thought.
Patchwork. House. Quilts. Do you want us to make a quilt, or should I hog-tie Liz and take her to the shelter against her will?

“If we can’t redo your house, then let’s make a quilt. The sewing machine is set up and we’ve got some scraps from the valances, and I know Aunt Birdie has lots of leftovers from her quilting days out in her storage shed. That can be our project for the rest of the summer,” Hannah said.

“We could even borrow her quilting frame after we piece it together.” Liz sounded really excited.

Maybe Hannah had finally found her way through the maze that God had thrown her into. The peaceful rhythm of working together might help Liz share some of her thoughts.

Liz poured two glasses of tea and handed one to Hannah. “I’ve never quilted anything by hand, but it sounds like fun. Let’s go over there and see what she’s got. I bet she can even help us pick out a pattern.”

Hannah shook her head slowly from side to side. “I know you. You’ll pick out something so difficult it’ll take us a year to piece together. So before we go, let’s decide to start out with an easy pattern.”

“What’s the fun in that?” Liz’s grin reached her eyes for the first time in months.

“Aunt Liz!” Sophie squealed as she pulled Elaine into the room by the hand. “I have a new friend. Her name is Laney.”

Hannah watched Liz’s smile fade and her eyes mist as she took in the bruises on Elaine’s face, arms, and legs. Time froze. Hannah saw herself in the past, and from the pained look on Liz’s face, she was looking at herself in the present and possibly even the future.

“Liz, meet Elaine. Elaine, this is my friend Liz. She’s also my boss—I’m a teacher’s aide at the school where she’s the principal,” Hannah said.

“Sophie has told me all about you,” Elaine said with shy hesitation.

Never before had Hannah wanted to fix things so much, both for her old friend and for her new one, but she was helpless in a hopeless situation. Elaine had taken the first step, and there would be help for her. But Liz was a different story. Hannah felt totally helpless to lend a hand to her friend when Liz wouldn’t admit she needed it.

“I’m pleased to meet you, Laney,” Liz finally said, hoarsely, as she pulled the sleeve of her T-shirt down to cover a yellow-and-green bruise.

Elaine nodded and smiled. “Sophie did a good job of describing you.”

A rap on the door broke the intense aura in the room. Elaine took a couple of steps back toward the stairs. Hinges squeaked, and Calvin’s big, booming voice filled the house.

“I have arrived. It took a week longer than I’d thought it would, but I’m here! The moving van is down at the hangar right now, but I had to come see everyone before I tell them where to put things. Sophie, my beautiful princess, I’m waiting for my hug.”

Sophie threw herself into Cal’s arms. He swung her around the room twice before he set her down and wrapped both Liz and Hannah into a three-way embrace.

“Uncle Calvin, this is Laney. She was supposed to stay with us one day, but she got to stay longer. But”—Sophie lowered her voice—“she can’t go outside. I think that she’s afraid Nadine will give her the bumps.”

“Mumps,” Hannah said. “Anna Lou had them last week, and now Nadine has got them.” She lowered her voice so only he could hear. “And Cal, Elaine is one of my guests.” She raised an eyebrow. “She’s still jittery and jumpy, so . . .”

“Enough said,” Cal said from the side of his mouth.

“I’ll go on up to my room.” Elaine slunk off in that direction, fear and intimidation in her body language.

“I’m Calvin Winters. I’m sorry I barged in here like a bull in a china closet,” Cal said in a soft tone. “I’m so excited to be back in Crossing that I didn’t think. Don’t go, Elaine. Do you like it here?”

“Oh, yes.” Elaine turned with a smile. “I love it here.”

“So do I.” Cal flashed his warmest smile. “That’s why I’m coming home. I sure hope that things work out well for you. Maybe our paths will cross again, and next time I’ll be a little less blustery.”

“Thank you,” Elaine said.

“I was only checking in before I go down to the hangar and start unpacking, so I’ll see all y’all later. Nice meeting you, Miz Elaine.”

“You, too,” Elaine answered.

He’d opened the door to leave, but Aunt Birdie pushed her way inside and rolled up on her toes to kiss Cal on the cheek. “I thought that was your van out there. I been tellin’ you for years that you could design your clothing line anywhere in the world, so why live in a big city?”

“You are so right.” Calvin nodded.

Sophie crossed the room to grab Calvin’s hand. “Can I go with y’all to see what you are doing with Father’s airplane place?”

“No, you are going with me,” Hannah said. “You would get in the way down at the hangar. And besides, I might need help picking out scraps if Aunt Birdie don’t mind us taking some for a quilt.”

“Well, hot damn.” Aunt Birdie grinned. “Y’all are making a quilt? What size bed? Calvin, get on out of here so us ladies can talk sewing projects.”

Calvin’s chuckle turned into a full-fledged laugh. “Now, Aunt Birdie, you know that I love to talk about fabrics and sewing.”

“But you are going to be hammering nails and building walls the next few weeks instead of making dresses, right?” Hannah asked.

“I can do that, too, but my first love is the sewing machine.” Calvin sighed.

“Don’t know the size of the quilts or who they are for, Aunt Birdie,” Hannah answered. “But Liz and I need a project.”

“Then make them in throw size and I’ll get Travis to put together a rack that sits on the floor to hold them,” Calvin said.

“Liz and I are both making one, and we’ll both need a rack,” Hannah said.

“I bet Travis won’t mind making two.” He nodded.

“Just one,” Liz said. “I told you—I can’t add to or take from that house I’m in, or it would cause the beginning of the next world war.”

Aunt Birdie pulled out a chair and eased down into it. “You could piece together throws instead of full-size quilts if you want a project that would go faster. And to answer your question, I’d be glad to get rid of whatever scraps you want to take out of my storage shed.”

“You are welcome to my scraps, too,” Cal said. “I’ve got at least a dozen boxes being unloaded right now.”

Aunt Birdie pointed at Sophie and then at Liz. “Y’all two go on over to my storage building. Take a couple of garbage bags with you. Sophie can pick out colors for Hannah, and you can find what you’d like to work with. Pattern books are on the shelf above the boxes.”

“Can Elaine go with us?” Sophie asked. “We won’t go through the backyard, so she won’t get the bumps.”

“Sorry, darlin’, but Elaine has to stay inside,” Aunt Birdie said. “But I bet she’ll help y’all cut out the pieces for the quilt when you get back.”

“Can we look at Uncle Cal’s stuff first?” Sophie asked.

“No, because it isn’t unloaded yet. When we do the second one, we’ll go through his scraps,” Liz said. “Come on, baby girl, let’s get the stuff to go into the quilting business. We need to think about a pretty throw for the rocking chair in your room. I’m making mine special for you,” Liz said. “What colors do you think would be pretty?”

“Blue and yellow and white, like my new walls. And can it have stars and clouds on it?” Sophie put her small hand in Liz’s, and the two of them left by the front door.

“And I have to go down to the hangar,” Cal said. “That invitation to lunch still standing, Aunt Birdie?”

“No, but it is for dinner. You are in the backwoods, Calvin, not the city. Here we have dinner and supper. And dinner is at noon, straight up. Today we are having chili and corn bread,” she answered.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

When everyone had disappeared, Hannah looked over at Elaine. “Let’s make tea and talk.”

“Hot tea with cream and sugar.” Elaine smiled.

“Yes,” Hannah said as she made two cups of tea and carried them to the living room. “Even though it means we didn’t get to talk, I’m glad you had time to sleep and begin to recover. Gina said she’s coming to take you back to the shelter tonight.”

Elaine sank into the sofa and sipped the hot tea. “I need to be there to get my new paperwork done, but it scares me to leave here. I feel safe here at your Lullaby Sky.”

“I’m glad that you feel safe, but don’t be scared. Gina will take good care of you,” Hannah said. “How long were you married?”

“Oh, he never married me. He just sweet-talked me into moving in with him and then treated me like shit. I was sixteen and my stepdad threw me out after my mama died. I got on a bus and came to Texas from up in northern Oklahoma to stay with my brother, but he’d moved and I didn’t know where to go. I slept on the streets for a few nights, then Jimmy come along and offered to let me stay at his trailer.”

Hannah shivered. “You’ve put up with this for five years?”

“And I might’ve put up with it longer, but he brought a new girl in last week and told his friends that he’d sell me to the highest bidder,” Elaine said. “I stood up to him, and he damn near beat me to death.”

“I am so sorry,” Hannah said.

“Me, too, but only that I didn’t leave sooner.”

A gentle rap on the door took their attention that way. Hannah got up, pulled back the curtain, and motioned for Liz to come on inside.

Liz looked as if she would burst into tears any second. Her breath was coming in short bursts like she’d jogged from Aunt Birdie’s back to Hannah’s house. She leaned against the cabinet and kept clasping her hands and then dropping them to her sides.

“Is Sophie all right?” Hannah asked.

“Yes, why?”

“You look like you are about to deliver bad news,” Elaine said.

“It’s not Sophie. She’s fine. She’s with Aunt Birdie picking out scraps,” Liz said.

“Talk to me,” Hannah said.

“I’m scared out of my mind. Wyatt wants a baby,” Liz blurted out.

Hannah held her breath until her ribs ached. Her first impulse was to jump up, cross the room, and hug her—assure her that she’d be a wonderful mother and not to be scared. But it was as if she was held to the sofa with ropes and chains and could not move.

“Don’t do it,” Elaine said. “It’ll be one more reason to beat you.”

“He doesn’t . . . ,” Liz started.