Montana Skies

Chapter 2. Familiar Faces

           We walked into the house. It hadn't changed one bit. It looked like a cabin inside because it was made of all logs. The mudroom had a shoe rack and coat hangers.

Through a large double doorless frame, we stepped into the hall. The stairs were on the right side of the hallway.

The hall stretched all the way back. To the right before the stairs, through another doorless frame, was the living room. It took two steps to get down into the living room. The living room was large with a massive fireplace at the far back wall­–an old recliner that had always been there, a couch that matched, and an armchair with a footrest. All the furniture was old and brown leather without a single tear in it.

There was a large flat screen over the fireplace. While I was growing up, Aunt Helen never had a TV. Helen said that we didn't need it. The floors throughout the downstairs were all hardwood flooring. A large area rug between the couch and fireplace had different leaf and bear designs on it–it was brown, green, and red.

There was a reading nook with a large bookshelf in the center. An elk and whitetail buck hung on the wall on each side of the fireplace that Arnold had shot. There was a lion that Helen had shot on the wall beside the bookshelf. A large bay window was to the right with a seat that stretched the length of the curved window, which looked out over the front yard.

"You got a TV," I said in a surprised tone.

"With cable, too. Can you believe that?" Helen chuckled.

"Can I watch cartoons?" Lyle asked excitedly.

"Why don't you put cartoons on for him, and I'll make us some tea." Helen smiled at me and squeezed my shoulder gently.

I smiled gratefully at her and nodded. "Sounds good," I told her.

Helen made her way down the hall. The kitchen was down the hall past the stairs. It was the last door on the left. I put Lyle on the couch and grabbed the remote to turn on cartoons for him.

Lyle clapped when Paw Patrol came on. It was his favorite cartoon. "Thanks, Mommy," he said and smiled.

I smiled and nodded. I walked back into the hall and passed the large dining room across from the living room—the dining room connected to the kitchen by an old swing door.

The bathroom was the last door on the right. There was a small closet under the stairs and an entrance to the basement.

A long rug extended down the length of the hall. Straight back was a large patio door and window, which let a lot of light in. I entered the kitchen and looked around. Helen stood straight ahead at the double sink, and she gazed out the window.

The kitchen was big. The house hardly needed a dining room. When Helen and Arnold bought the ranch, they expected to have a load of kids, but that never happened. There was a small wooden table in the far-right corner, four wooden chairs, and a chandelier above it. A vase sat on the center of the table, with wild Montana Bluebell flowers in it.

The cabinets were tall and wide, a light oak. The countertops were white marble with a dark grey pattern. The island was in the center of the kitchen with cabinets above it that were two-sided. Four wooden bar stools lined the island.

It looked like Helen got a new electric stove with an oven–plus two more ovens on the far right near the fridge. Aunt Helen always loved to cook, and her cooking was to die for.

I took a seat at the island.

Helen turned and handed me my cup of tea. Helen looked at me, worriedly. "Dallas, I'm so happy but so surprised to see you here," Helen said.