Texas Lullaby (Texas Montgomery Mavericks Book 7) (8 page)

“So this is a lanai,” Jason said. “I would have called it a covered deck.”

“Basically the same idea. I just like the word lanai,” Cash said.

That made Travis snicker again. Cash rolled his eyes at his brother.

“So what can I do for you, Jason?” Cash said.

“I might be overstepping, but Lydia’s house is way too small for her and all the children. Levi has to sleep in her room. She’s lost her office to the girls’ bedroom. Between all the toys and a sixty-five-pound puppy throwing hair everywhere, it’s hard to walk in there. I was thinking about adding on a new bedroom and fancy bathroom for her. Maybe add a sitting area so she can have her office back.”

“I don’t get it. Why do that? Your house is big enough. After you two get married, she won’t need that house. Seems like a waste of money,” Travis said.

“Yeah, that’s the thing,” Jason said. “I’m not sure how long that’s going to take or even if we will get married now.”

Cash leaned forward. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. She broke that little bit of news last night.”

“Wow, bro. Sucks,” Cash said.

“Give her time,” Mitch said. “She’s had it rough lately. I don’t blame her. I’m sure her head is about to spin off her shoulders.”

“I know,” Jason said. “I know. It’d be so much easier on her if she moved in with me.”

“Have you talked to her about that? Moving in to your bigger house?” Travis asked.

Jason blew out a long breath. “No. I thought about it, even started to say something to her about it, but with her hesitation about rescheduling the wedding, I can’t see her agreeing to move into my house.”

“Maybe she isn’t looking for the easiest path,” Travis said. “Maybe she’s looking for what’s right.”

Jason frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve made no secret of the fact you never wanted kids.” Travis held up his hand when Jason started to speak. “I’m not judging you. Raising kids isn’t for everybody. It’s a hell of a lot of work.”

“Yep, it is,” Mitch said. “And it’s exhausting.”

“But it can be fun too,” Travis said. “Some folks just see the work and miss all the fun stuff that goes on.”

“I know all that,” Jason said, brushing his hair back off his forehead. “I do. It’s just that…never mind. It’s impossible to explain.” He looked at Cash. “Anyway, I was wondering if you had time to add on to her house. Her yard is big enough to accommodate the add-on. But it sounds like my timing sucks.”

“Not really,” Cash said. “Paige and I don’t have any vacation plans in stone yet. It’s only May. Even if Paige insists we leave in early June, which doesn’t sound like my wife at all, I’d have four weeks to do it. Bring in a little help and shoot, not a problem. Let me talk to Paige tonight, okay?”

“Great. Thanks.”

“One thing,” Mitch said. “You haven’t mentioned Lydia wanting this. You have talked with her about this, right?”

“Um, no. It just came to me this morning.”

Mitch laughed. “Take it from the man who bought a ranch as a surprise for a woman he was trying to impress, this is risky. Your sister was a hard nut to crack. My little surprise-the-woman-with-a-house almost went sideways fast.” He shook his head and chuckled. “I was lucky.”

“Hell, man,” Travis said. “You were desperate.”

“Yeah, that too,” Mitch agreed.

“I’ve got to do something to show Lydia that I’m all in.”

“But are you?” Travis said. “Do you really realize what you’re taking on?”

Jason shrugged. “I think so.”

“Well, think more,” Travis said. “This is a huge step. The potential to land on your ass is enormous.”

“I’m sure Paige will be happy to do whatever she can to help Lydia,” Cash assured. “Even if we need to postpone our trip for a while. As long as Lydia’s onboard.”

“Great. Thanks,” Jason said. Now all he had to do was get his fianc
é
e’s approval.

And figure out if she was still his fianc
é
e.

Easier said than done.

Chapter Seven

“Are you crazy?”

Lydia’s reaction to his idea of adding on to her house was not going well.

“I can’t build on to this house.” She bent down to pick up a couple of dolls and set them on the sofa side table. “Look at this place.” She swept her arm around. “Can you imagine the mess? It’d be worse than it is now.”

In Jason’s opinion, which he would not offer, the house couldn’t be much more of a disaster than it was now. However, he suspected his appraisal would not be received well.

“Look, Lydia. It’s that or move in with me. You have to have more space.”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not moving into your house. It wouldn’t be fair to Ellery and Annie to uproot them again to a strange house. Levi wouldn’t care, but the girls? No. Not happening.”

“Then adding on is the way to go.”

She sighed. “Where would I get the money for that? And don’t even suggest I use Meredith’s estate.”

“Speaking of the estate, that’s another thing we need to discuss.”

Lydia whirled around, putting her back to him. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Jason laid his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “I know you don’t. And I’m sorry but we have to.”

“Can’t you just handle it for me?”

He nodded. “Yes, I can. Some of it, anyway. But we have to deal with the house and all the furnishings, their cars, checking accounts, retirement accounts, a bank lockbox, and a multitude of other small things.”

She put her hands over her ears. “I can’t handle it.” For the first time in weeks, she began to cry. “I just can’t put one more thing on my plate. I can’t.”

He pulled her to him and pressed her head against his chest. “I know, babe. I know. I’ll figure out what has to be done immediately and what can wait. Okay?”

She sniffed. “I am such a baby.” She pushed away and wiped her face on her shirttail.

“No, you’re not. This would overwhelm anybody. I think you’re incredible.”

The smile she gave him didn’t light up her eyes. It kind of stretched her mouth, but that was about it.

“Come on in the dining room while I fold up the clothes I have piled up there. We can talk while everyone is napping. You want something to drink?”

“Lydia. You don’t have to ask like I’m a guest. If I want something to eat or drink, I can do it myself.”

She sighed and sank into a chair. “Great. Can you bring me a water, please?”

He went into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of waters from the refrigerator. He sat one at her elbow and took the chair next to her. She picked up a one-piece baby outfit and folded it into a tiny square. He chuckled.

“Not much material to that,” he observed.

“And yet, you’d be appalled at what these cost.”

“How was the whatever you went to at Olivia’s yesterday?”

“It was a children’s trunk show. A store or a manufacturer brings in either a clothing line or sometimes the samples, and people can buy them at a slightly lower price. It’s more for convenience and fun than money savings.”

“You find anything?”

“Some cute things for the girls that should work great for the fall. A couple of pairs of pants for Levi, but not much. Caroline suggested that I go through all the things Austin has outgrown and see what we can use.”

“Great idea.”

She folded a couple of pairs of small panties. “Apparently, mothers have been swapping around clothing for years for their kids. Who knew?” She sighed. “There is so much I don’t know.”

He put his hand over hers. “You’re doing a wonderful job with the kids. No one could love them more.”

He got that same non-smile she’d given him in the living room.

“Thanks.” She picked up a tiny shirt and folded it. “Okay. I’m ready. Hit me with what I need to know.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Jason went out to his car and retrieved the folder that contained all the information the probate lawyer had provided.

“I’ve put together a folder with all the information in it. I’m going to go over it with you, but I’m also going to leave it here for you to review.”

“Okay.”

“First is the children.”

Her face whipped toward him. “What about them?”

“Meredith and Jim listed another couple who’d agreed to raise them in the event you couldn’t or didn’t want to.”

All color drained from her face. “They asked someone else? They didn’t want me to raise their kids?” Suddenly, all the white in her face was replaced by a blazing red. “I am not giving
my
children to someone else. You can just forget it.”

He wondered if she’d noticed she’d referred to the children as hers.

“Calm down. Take a breath.”

“I’m not calming down. Only over my dead body are they going to some couple I don’t know. Forget it.”

“Lydia. Breathe. You didn’t hear me. The will specifically names you as the guardian for Ellery, Annie and Levi. But your sister was smart to have a backup plan. She had no idea that she and Jim would die so young. What if something tragic and unexpected had happened to you before they died? The kids would have probably gone to your parents, and we both know how hard that would have been on them. And without a backup plan and no other family members to call on, the children could have ended up in foster care.”

Lydia took a deep breath. “Okay. Sorry. But after a month, I would die if anyone wanted to take them away.”

“Nobody is going to do that. I wouldn’t let that happen.”

She set down the baby blanket she was folding and took his hand. “Thank you. Every woman needs a lawyer for a lover.”

She chuckled. He did too, but inside, caustic acid ate at him. A lover? She considered him her lover? Now that he looked, he noticed she wasn’t wearing the engagement ring he’d given her.

“Where’s your ring?”

“What?”

“Your ring.” He gestured to her left hand. “Your ring.”

“Oh. In my jewelry box. It got in the way the other day when I was bathing Levi, so I took it off.”

“Oh.” He understood the explanation. He just didn’t like it.

“Back to the will,” she said, picking up the baby blanket again. “I’m keeping the children, so be sure that’s clear with everyone.”

“I know,” he said. “The will also allows you to take whatever you want from the house in Kansas. It gives you ownership of the house should you elect to move to Wichita and raise the children there.”

When she hesitated as though thinking about this as a viable option, he held his breath.

“I don’t know a soul there,” she said finally. “Not interested. So the house will be sold, right?”

He nodded. “Once it’s cleared of its contents. That will be our biggest job.”

“Just sell everything,” she said. “I don’t want anything.”

“Lydia.”

She didn’t look at him.

“Lydia,” he said again. This time, she looked up and he saw the glittering of tears. “We need to go there and look. You’ll want to keep Meredith’s jewelry for the girls. Jim’s too, if there is any. You’ll want their photo albums and the baby books for the kids. I don’t know what we’ll find, but we have to go look.”

She dropped her gaze to her lap. “I know. I’m just not looking forward to it.”

“There are also a couple of cars. Meredith and Jim had three cars. The SUV from the wreck, Meredith’s SUV, and Jim had an old restored 1957 Thunderbird.”

“I’d forgotten about that Thunderbird.” This time her smile went all the way to her eyes. “He loved that car. He and his dad rebuilt it when Jim was a teenager. He told me it was his father’s way of keeping him out of trouble. He was too busy working on that car to do much else. I have to keep that for Levi. I just have to. From a father to his son to his son. You know?”

“Yes, and I agree completely. This is why we have to go there. There are things you need to save for the children.”

She blew out a long breath. “I don’t want to.” She looked at him, her grief etched into her brow. “It’s going to be hard to see all their things and know I’ll never be with my sister again.

He nodded. “I know. It’ll be sad and difficult. But you have to do it.” He took her hand. “You don’t have to do it alone. I’ll go with you if you want. What’s the good of having a lawyer for your lover if you can’t use him?”

He tried to make light of her comment, but the words were like arrows to his soul.

“Okay. We’ll have to take the children along.” She shook her head. “But I can’t see going back into that house as being good for the girls. I’m afraid it’ll be too upsetting.”

“I can see two options. One, we can take them and maybe your parents can meet us there and keep the kids in a hotel. Or two, we can get my parents to stay with them.”

“I couldn’t ask your parents. This place is too small for them to stay here. I mean, they’d have to sleep in the same room with Levi, and he roots around all night.”

He saw when she recognized what she’d said.

“This house is too small,” she said.

He nodded but didn’t say anything. Better to let her come around on her own.

“I don’t want to move the girls again.”

Once more, he nodded.

“Damn you, Jason.”

He chuckled.

“You always think you’re right.”

He chuckled again.

“I hate when you’re right.”

He arched an eyebrow.

“Fine,” she said. “I agree that I have to do something. As it sits today, my house will not work long term. There. Are you happy?”

He smiled. “I love being right.”

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Okay,” she said on a long exhale. “I need to add on to this house.”

He noticed that she chose adding on to her house over moving in with him. That set loose a burn in his gut.

“Cash?” she asked and then held up her hand. “Let me guess. You’ve already talked to Cash about doing this.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe, my ass. I should be pissed when you are so overbearing and presumptuous to assume you know what’s best for me.”

“I didn’t schedule anything, honey. Nothing. I simply asked if it was possible.”

She narrowed her eyes in a glare and leaned forward. “When will Cash be here to measure and draw up plans?”

Jason gulped down some water. It was as if he were a law student in mock-trial court all over again.

Tapping a fingernail on the table, she arched an eyebrow. “You look so guilty right now. You might as well spill it.”

“Tuesday.”

“Tuesday, as in tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” He gave her his best win-the-jury-over smile. “You going to kill me?”

“Not today. Maybe in a couple of weeks when there is sawing and hammering going on.”

He chuckled and then sobered. “But back to the discussion.”

“Which one? I feel like my head is spinning.”

“Going to Wichita.”

“Oh, that one.”

“So, take the kids and get your parents up to Wichita to sit with them, or leave the kids here. Heck, maybe your parents could come here and stay.”

She shook her head. “The girls would be too much for my folks to handle. Dad’s doing great after his stents, but to be honest, Ellery and Annie need a lot of attention. I don’t think Mom and Dad are the answer. Plus, Levi is cutting teeth. He’s doing great most of the time, but still, he can be a pill at times. I love my folks, but these kids would be more than they could manage.”

“So it’s my parents then.”

“I hate to ask them to do that. They were nice enough to stay for a few hours for us to go out, but to ask them to keep my children for days is just asking too much.”

“Okay, how about this? Mom and Dad can keep Ellery and Annie. We take Levi with us. He won’t care about being in the house like the girls might. And instead of Mom and Dad staying here, maybe the girls could go to their house, like going to camp. I think Ellery and Annie would love it.”

“I don’t know. It’s another new place and…”

“But not new people. Let’s take them to dinner at my parents’ place. We can see how they react to all the animals.”

“Have you talked to your parents about this? You know, like how you planned the addition to my house without my input?”

This time, he wouldn’t let her rattle him. He would do what was best for her and these children.

“I wouldn’t have offered them up as an alternative without asking first.”

“What did they say?”

“You know what they said. ‘Of course. Bring them here. We’d love it.’ Mom enjoys spoiling them. Dad, well, he’s a softie when it comes to girls. It’s the perfect solution.”

“To a problem I wish I didn’t have.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Let me think about it overnight. Okay?”

“Sure. But I’ll need to let the probate lawyer know when we are coming so he can set aside some time for us.”

It was almost midnight when Lydia finally made up her mind. Levi had woken her up an hour before with his crying. A diaper change and bottle hadn’t fixed his problem. But the frozen washcloth that’d been soaked in chamomile tea before she’d frozen it worked wonders.

For years, she’d advised women about their babies and various remedies for childhood issues like the pain of cutting teeth. All she’d ever known was what she’d read. Whether or not some of her suggestions worked hadn’t registered. She’d kept on handing out the textbook advice.

Being a mother had changed so many things for her. This frozen washcloth trick had come from a patient, not a medical text. Her first inclination had been to ignore the suggestion, figuring a medical book would have more valid information than a lay person. How wrong could a doctor be?

She had a large learning curve when it came to being a mother and a short time to learn.

Tomorrow, she would call Jason’s mother and ask if she could bring the girls out to see the horses. The first step was seeing how Ellery and Annie responded to the animals. How the twins responded to seeing Jackie and Lane would also be key to any decisions.

By the time Cash knocked on her door a few hours later, she’d accepted that Jason had been right about her house being too small for her new family. When he entered, the twins immediately got shy, hiding their faces on Lydia’s thighs.

Cash dropped to one knee. “Hello, ladies. I’m Cash. What are your names?”