Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine (48 page)

“
I
’
m sure she means it,
”
Johnny said, tousling the boy
’
s hair.
“
But when I head on back to
Texas
,
you can think about what you
’
d like to do.
You know I
’
d be glad to have ya along.
”

Lowell
smiled—seemed reassured.
He looked up then to Vivianna
,
and his smile broadened.
Vivianna fancied his eyes began to twinkle as he looked at her.
“
Vivianna!
I seen a photograph of you once,
”
he exclaimed.
“
You
’
re Vivianna!
”

“
Yes!
”
Vivianna giggled.

“
Oh boy!
I heard all about you!
”
Lowell
laughed.
Quickly he went to the chair he
’
d been sitting on at the table.
“
Do ya mind, Miss Savannah?
”
he asked as he dr
agged
the chair across the floor toward Vivianna.

Vivianna giggled
,
puzzled by the boy
’
s need for the chair.
In the next moment, however,
Lowell
pulled the chair to a stop right before Vivianna. Quickly he climbed up on the chair, standing before her.
Reaching out
,
he took her face between his small hands.

“
Yep,
”
the boy said.
“
I heard all about you.
”

Vivianna gasped as the young boy kissed her perfectly on the lips.
He kissed her!
Square on the mouth, he kissed her!

“
Mmm!
”
he sighed.
Smiling, Lowell Wheeler said,
“
Yep!
You do taste just like sugar and honey all stirred up together!
”

Johnny burst into laughter
,
as did
Savannah
.

“
Mama!
”
Willy exclaimed
,
however
,
his mouth gaping open big enough to catch
j
une bugs.
“
Did you see that, Mama?
Why, that boy ain
’
t more
’
n eight years old
,
and he
’
s sparkin
’
Viv…right here in our kitchen!
”

Lowell
climbed down from the chair.
As he dr
agged
it back over to the table
,
he said,
“
I
’
ll have you know I
’
m nine years old.
Been nine for near to six months now.
”

Vivianna was stunned to silence.
Astonished that the young boy had kissed her
,
she looked to Johnny.

Johnny
’
s warm eyes were bright with mirth.
Shaking his head, he chuckled,
“
I told ya, Vivi…nobody cheers a body up like Lowell Wheeler.
”

“
Hey,
Mr.
Johnny,
”
Lowell
began, tugging on Johnny
’
s sleeve.

“
Yeah?
”
Johnny asked.

“
Bend down here a minute.
”

Vivianna watched as Johnny hunkered down—as
Lowell
whispered something in his ear.

“
Nope,
”
Johnny said.

Lowell
nodded—whispered something else.

Johnny nodded.
“
Yep.
But we
’
ll have to see.
”

Lowell
smiled
and
seemed satisfied with the answers Johnny had given him to whatever questions he
’
d asked.

“
Hey,
Lowell
,
”
Nate began,
“
me and Willy…we got us a bone collection.
Do ya wanna see it?
”

“
Bones?
”
Lowell
asked.
“
What kinda bones?
”

“
All kinds,
”
Willy answered.
“
Johnny even found us some owl pellets to dig through.
He says owl pellets gots mice bones in
’
em!
Little bitty, tiny bones and skulls and such.
”

“
Oh yeah, they do!
”
Lowell
exclaimed.
“
My daddy and me used to dig through owl pellets!
How many ya got?
”

“
Nine,
”
Nate answered.
“
That
’
s three for each of us!
Let
’
s go.
”

“
Now, hold on a minute,
”
Savannah
said.
“
I don
’
t want to see any mice bones or fur or anything even resemblin
’
any sort of mouse remains in this house!
Do you hear me
,
Nate?
Willy?
”

“
Yes, Mama,
”
Nate and Willy chimed.

“
And that goes for you too, Lowell Wheeler,
”
Savannah
added.
“
No mouse anything in this house.
All right?
”

“
Yes, ma
’
am,
”
Lowell
said.
“
And I
’
ll make certain your boys wash their hands good
’
fore we come home.
Me too, of course.
”

Savannah
smiled
and
giggled.
“
Thank you,
Lowell
.
”

“
Is it all right
,
do ya think,
Mr.
Johnny?
”
Lowell
asked.

“
Is what all right,
Lowell
?
”
Johnny asked in return.

“
Is it all right that I come here?
Do ya think
Mr.
Justin will be glad?
”

Johnny smiled and tousled the boy
’
s hair.
“
I know he will be.
”

Lowell
smiled
and
sighed with relief.

Vivianna giggled as the boy took her hand.
“
I can teach ya a little more about kissin
’
when I get back if ya like, Miss Vivianna.
I wouldn
’
t mind it a bit.
”

“
Why don
’
t ya let us older boys take care of Miss Vivi
’
s education where that
’
s concerned,
Lowell
?
”
Johnny chuckled.

Lowell
shrugged.
“
All right,
Mr.
Johnny.
But you let me know if y
’
all need any help.
”

“
Oh, I will,
”
Johnny said, winking at the boy.
“
I surely will.
”

“
Come on,
Lowell
,
”
Nate said.
“
We got owl pellets to sort and bones to boil!
”

“
Boil?
”
Lowell
asked as the three boys headed for the door.

“
Yep!
”
Willy said.
“
Me and Nate found us another dead fox just this mornin
’
!
”

As the three young boys left the house, Vivianna giggled when
Savannah
sighed.

“
My goodness!
”
she breathed.
“
That boy has more life in him than three boys put together, Johnny Tabor!
”

“
Yes, Miss
Savannah
…he does,
”
Johnny chuckled.
His smile faded just a bit as he added,
“
I
’
ll take him on to
Texas
with me when I go, if ya like.
”

“
Heavens no!
”
Savannah
exclaimed.
“
If
—
and I do mean if
—
if I decide I can ever let go of ya
,
I won
’
t have ya takin
’
that little darlin
’
too!
Justin was tellin
’
me about that boy just the other day.
”
Savannah
nodded.
“
I think he was meant to come to us.
There isn
’
t any other way he could
’
ve made it to
Florence
…not all the way from
Georgia
.
It
’
s a miracle!
It
’
s truly a miracle.
”
Savannah
sighed
,
thoughtful for a moment.
Then, dusting her hands on her apron, she said,
“
Still, I won
’
t have him kissin
’
on girls at this young of an age…no, sir!
”
She looked to Johnny
and
wagged a scolding index finger at him.
“
That
’
s what comes of havin
’
boys teach boys.
What else did you tell that child that I
’
ll have to undo?
”

Johnny chuckled
and
shook his head.
“
Hard tellin
’
, Miss Savannah.
Hard tellin
’
.
”

“
That
’
s just what I
’
m afraid of.
”
Savannah
sighed.
Then she smiled and looked to Vivianna.
“
With all this goin
’
on, I plum forgot to ask ya, Viv…how was your trip to the house?
”

Vivianna felt tears welling in her eyes once more.
“
It was fine,
”
she said.
“
I
’
m fine.
”

Savannah
walked to her
and
pulled her into a warm, affectionate embrace.
“
Oh, I know it was hard, darlin
’
.
I know it was.
But ya really ought to go over more often.
Time will make it a little easier.
Each time ya go
,
it
’
ll be less painful than before.
”