A Home for Her Heart

by Janet Lee Barton

  But perhaps it was better that he’d be working late this week. It’d give her time to accept the fact that he didn’t trust women any more than she trusted men and to concentrate on the fact that while they were friends, there was very little hope for anything else.

  Even if something had seemed to be changing between them these past few weeks. Had it only been that their friendship was growing or was there more? She didn’t really know how John felt—and she might never know. But she couldn’t deny that she’d begun to feel more for him.

  She hurried upstairs and pinned her hat in place, then grabbed her purse and hurried back down and out the door. At least she’d have something to do to keep her thoughts off John—and her father’s impending visit—over the next few days. But as thoughts of how he seemed that morning came to mind, she had a feeling it didn’t matter what she did. Thoughts of John would always be with her.

  She saw her trolley approaching the corner and hurried to meet it. Maybe he’d find out some information quicker than he thought and wouldn’t have to work late. But something in his manner made her believe that he wouldn’t be home early in any case. And she had to wonder why.

  * * *

  By Thursday, John hadn’t come up with any leads on who owned the buildings they’d been investigating and decided to stop by the three buildings again, hoping to find the managers and get some information from them. It seemed his bad luck would continue, until he returned to the first apartment building they’d visited, where they’d helped...Lacy...yes, that was her name, with her rent.

  He knocked on the manager’s door, Brown was his name—if John remembered right. There was no answer and John decided to go up and see if Lacy knew if he was still the manager or if there’d been any changes. He knocked on her door and waited, but again, there was no answer.

  John sighed. He was fed up with loose ends and he was very tired of staying away from Heaton House until well after dinner. All he really wanted to do was to get back to where he and Elizabeth were before she’d told him her full name and how wealthy she really was.

  He could no longer deny that before she had, he’d begun to hope for something he’d thought never to hope for again. He knew there was no use wishing for the impossible, but knowing that didn’t stop him from thinking about Elizabeth. Didn’t stop him from missing her.

  He headed back downstairs and that’s where he met up with Brown. The man was just coming out of his apartment. Had he been there when he knocked?

  “What is it you’re doin’ back here?” Brown asked when he spotted John.

  “I was looking for Lacy.”

  “I thought you were good friends, seein’ as how you paid her rent.”

  “Would I be looking for her if—”

  “You’d be lookin’ for her somewhere else. You’d know she moved out before her rent was up again—if you were such good friends with her.” Brown took a step forward. “So tell me what it is you’re here for.”

  “I want to know who owns this building.”

  “What’s it to you?”

  “He’s responsible for the shape it’s in. Either that or you are, and the city is real interested to know which one of you it is.”

  “Why you... I see. You’re the one been writing those articles, aren’t you?”

  “Which articles?”

  “The ones tellin’ how bad a condition some of the buildin’s are in—just tryin’ to make trouble for us all. It’s you, isn’t it?” Brown began to walk toward him in a menacing manner.

  John shrugged, trying to ignore the feeling of impending danger. “It might be. You have any answers for me?”

  Before John could see it coming, the man’s right hook caught him in the eye, making him stagger backward. With his one good eye, he could see Brown getting ready to throw another fist at him.

  John had never walked away from a fight and he didn’t intend to now. Head down, he bolted forward and caught the guy in the gut, knocking him down. But up Brown came and this time his fist crashed into the side of John’s cheek hard enough that he had to shake his head to clear it. At that point it became a real brawl and big as Brown was, only the fact that John was younger and in better shape saved him. When he left, Brown was alive and breathing. But he was moaning, crumpled up in a pile of trash, while a couple of rats scurried down the hall.

  As John staggered out of the building, he could taste blood on a lip that was quickly swelling, and could only see out of one eye. He couldn’t go back to Heaton House like this so he did the only thing he could think of. He went to Mrs. Oliver’s building and up to her apartment where she graciously patched him up.

  “Young man, you have to watch it in this neighborhood. There are people who don’t like the good you and your friends try to do.”

  “I know. And I thank you for taking care of me. I hope that my coming here won’t bring you any trouble.”

  Mrs. Oliver shook her head. “It won’t. Just you watch out for yourself, you hear?”

  He kissed the older woman on the cheek when he left and his determination to help her and others living in those buildings grew stronger than ever.

  He didn’t want to take a chance of anyone at Heaton House seeing him until he could check out the damage himself. And he needed someone to talk to about his investigation. He stopped at Michael and Violet’s place, hoping to get some advice.

  “John, what happened to you, man?” Michael asked as Violet came up behind him and gasped.

  “Just a run-in with an apartment manager. Don’t worry. He’s in worse shape than I am.”

  Violet and her husband exchanged glances.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Michael said. “We’re just about to eat dinner. Come join us.”

  “Oh, no, I’m sorry. I should have known it was dinnertime for you—”

  “John Talbot, you get in this house and have dinner with us,” Violet said from behind her husband. “We have plenty.”

  “I—”

  Michael grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. “No excuses. Come on in. It’s good to see you, even if your face is changing colors by the minute.”

  “Thank you, then, if you’re sure you have enough.”

  John followed them into the dining room to find Rebecca and Jenny already at the table. Michael and Violet’s maid, Hilda, set another place for him and John quickly took the seat in front of it. The aroma from the roast waiting for Michael to carve assailed his nostrils and he needed no further prodding to join them.

  Jenny looked at him from beside her mother, her eyes wide. “You got hit hard?” the child asked.

  “I did.” John wondered if she’d seen many fights while living in the tenements.

  “Does it hurt much?”

  “A little bit.” More than that, but he didn’t need to make a child worry about him.

  “I hope it’s better soon.”

  “Thank you, Jenny. I’m sure it will be.”

  “Let’s thank the Lord for our food and for John to get better, okay?” Michael said, smiling at his niece.

  She nodded and after Michael said grace, he began to slice the roast beef while Hilda passed the side dishes around. Once everyone was served, Michael asked, “What brought you by this evening? Did your brawl give you any clues to who might own those buildings yet?”

  John shook his head. “No. And that’s why I’m here. I thought it might be time to take you up on your offer to help. I keep running into dead ends.”

  “I’ll be glad to. We can talk it over after dinner. Some of the ladies of Heaton House are gathering here to talk weddings again, and they’ll be upstairs half the night.”

  That meant Elizabeth would be there. He’d missed her more than he thought possible this week, getting home after she’d gone upstairs each night. And he did want to see her before th
e next day. He wasn’t sure when she was going to her aunt’s, but he didn’t want her leaving before at least seeing her, getting to speak to her, even for a few minutes, even looking the way he did. Could it be that his last-minute decision to come here was the Lord’s plan? He hoped so.

  “Now, Michael, it won’t take all that long,” Violet assured her husband.

  “You say that now, but things seem to change when you ladies get to talking about weddings and babies.”

  The smile the couple shared had John looking away and tamping down his longing for a relationship like they had.

  “Aunt Vi is going to have a baby cousin for me,” Jenny said as if he didn’t know.

  He centered his attention on the little girl and tried not to think of what-ifs. “She is? Just for you?”

  “Uh-huh. And I’ll be its cousin, too. And Mama will be an aunt like Aunt Vi is.”

  “I see. And I can tell you’re excited about it.”

  “Uh-huh.” Jenny grinned at him. “I can’t wait.”

  “Neither can I,” Violet said. “You are going to be such a wonderful help, Jenny.”

  Jenny nodded her head and grinned. “Mama says I’m a big girl so I can do all kinds of things now.”

  Talk soon turned to the renovations Mrs. Heaton wanted to make before Rebecca and Jenny moved in. It took them through the meal and dessert. Just as they were leaving the dining room, there was a knock on the door and Hilda answered it.

  Kathleen and Elizabeth came in, with Luke bringing up the rear. John watched as Elizabeth noticed him for the first time. Her eyes widened in concern and she gasped. “John! What happened to you?”

  He shrugged. “One of the building managers didn’t like the questions I asked him.”

  “Well, I sure hope the other guy looks worse than you do,” Luke said. “I can see why you might not have wanted to go back to Heaton House.”

  “I don’t even know how bad I look yet. I didn’t want—”

  “You look as if you’re in a lot of pain,” Elizabeth said. “Your eye is swollen shut and your lip is—”

  “I’ll be fine,” John assured her.

  “You look awful,” Luke stated. “I hope you at least got some answers from the man.”

  John pulled his gaze away from Elizabeth to answer Luke. “I’ve not come up with anything concrete and thought it was time to ask for help. Michael and Violet were kind enough to ask me to stay for dinner.”

  “And we’re going to talk things over while you ladies are talking weddings. Maybe you’d like to join us, Luke?”

  “Certainly. I was planning on taking up your evening anyway.”

  John looked back at Elizabeth and smiled. Only when she smiled back did the tightness in his chest ease up. “If you let me walk you back to Heaton House, I’ll fill you in on what we come up with.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  “And Luke can fill me in,” Kathleen added. “But for now—”

  “We have some fittings to do,” Violet interjected. “We won’t take any longer than necessary.”

  “Yes, we know, dear,” Michael said to his wife. Then he turned to John and Luke. “We have a good hour and a half.”

  Everyone chuckled as the ladies made their way upstairs and Michael led the way into the parlor.

  John followed him and Luke, feeling at peace for the first time in days. He’d avoided Elizabeth all he could and he certainly didn’t want to avoid her tonight—not when she would be meeting the man her father wanted her to meet this weekend. He’d have all that time to convince himself he wasn’t falling in love with her.

  They’d be talking about the investigation tonight, so he should be on safe ground. Dear Lord, please help me to keep from showing what a struggle I’m having with my feelings for Elizabeth. Help me to quit longing for what can’t be and accept that friendship is all there can be between us. I promised her we’d always be friends. Please help me to keep that promise—no matter how hard it might become. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

  * * *

  Once upstairs, Elizabeth had a difficult time keeping up with the conversation, her mind was on John and his injuries. What had he been thinking to confront a manager like that? Still, bad as he looked, she was glad to see him. She’d been afraid she wouldn’t see him before leaving for her aunt’s—and that he’d planned it that way. But obviously he’d been working hard and putting himself in danger.

  She’d missed him more than she thought possible. She missed sharing her day, their talks about the investigation and the direction they were taking with their articles. She missed his presence at the dinner table and in the parlor or going out for ice cream.

  After hearing how he’d vowed not to give his heart to another and especially not someone wealthy like her, though, she’d realized it was probably for the best that she didn’t see so much of him.

  But when she’d spotted him here tonight, she thanked the Lord above. She’d planned on staying up until he came in that night just so she could have a few minutes with him before she left for her aunt’s the next day. He’d been leaving Heaton House early and not getting home until after she’d gone up for the night. She had the feeling he was drawing away from her as fast as he could.

  “Okay, ladies.” Violet broke into her thoughts. “I think we’re going to make it back down earlier than Luke thought we would,” Violet said.

  Elizabeth’s heartbeat drummed with each step she took back down the stairs and into the parlor. The men stopped talking and stood as they entered.

  “We’re done.” Violet grinned at her husband.

  “And in record time.” He smiled and put an arm about her as she reached him.

  “Are you and John ready to walk Elizabeth and I home?” Kathleen asked Luke.

  “We are.”

  They all thanked Violet and Michael for their hospitality and headed out the door.

  Elizabeth’s pulse began to race as John fell into step beside her. Kathleen and Luke were up ahead and she had to admit she was glad.

  “How has your week gone?” John asked.

  “I’ve been busy with work and helping Kathleen this week.” But it hadn’t stopped her from missing him. “I guess your week hasn’t been great since you haven’t been able to find anything. And well...” she said, pointing at his injured face.

  “It hasn’t been. I should have called Michael in before now. He does this kind of thing for a living after all.”

  “I’m sure you’ve done your best. But hopefully he’ll be able to help find out quicker.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping. When are you leaving to go to your aunt’s?”

  “Tomorrow after work.”

  “And you’ll be back when?”

  She wondered if he wanted to know so that he would be sure to be gone. “Sunday evening or Monday. It depends on when Papa decides to leave, I suppose.”

  “Well, I’ll be glad when the weekend is over. It’s never the same at Heaton House when you aren’t there.”

  “Nor is it the same when you’re out late or on assignment.” Oh! Why had she said that? She’d been determined not to let him know she’d missed him.

  “In what way?” He stopped in the middle of the walk and the expression in his good eye had Elizabeth catching her breath. His gaze dropped to her lips and her pulse raced.

  “You two stop dawdling back there,” Luke said. “Or we’ll have to start chaperoning you.”

  Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief that she didn’t have to answer John’s question.

  “We’re just giving you plenty of room for those private talks you insist on,” John teased as they began to walk again.

  They reached Heaton House much sooner than Elizabeth would have liked, but perhaps it was best that way. She and John both seemed not to know w
hat to say to each other. She did dread being away over the weekend, but it might be for the best, as well. By the time she got back, maybe she’d be able to hide the fact that she cared deeply for this man from him and the others.

  Kathleen and Luke slipped into the parlor and there was no way Elizabeth was going to interrupt their good-nights to each other, especially as everyone else had scattered off to their rooms. Elizabeth was surprised to find that she and John were the only ones in the foyer, suddenly all alone again.

  He took a step nearer to her and she could see clearly how the bruise on his cheek was turning purple, while his battered eye was swollen black and blue, and his lip was nearly twice the usual size. Her hand went up of its own accord to gently touch a spot on his face that wasn’t bruised. “I’m so sorry you got hurt. You won’t be going back there while I’m gone, will you?”

  “No.”

  “Good. You take it easy this weekend.” She looked into his eyes and wanted nothing more than to kiss his swollen lips, but that would only bring him more pain. She lifted her hand but John caught it in his and gave it a squeeze.

  “If I don’t see you before you leave tomorrow, enjoy your visit, but watch your heart around that young man your father is bringing.”

  Elizabeth chuckled. “After all I’ve told you, you should know that I will.”

  “That’s what I’m counting on.” John dipped his head and she thought he was going to kiss her even in spite of his injuries. But he only looked from her lips to her eyes and back again. Time seemed to stand still for the next few moments and Elizabeth wondered if his heart was beating as hard as hers was.

  He raised his head, reached out and cupped her cheek instead. “You’re a special woman, Elizabeth Anderson. You take care.”

  “I will. You, too.”

  John took his hand away but continued to look into her eyes. “We need to talk when you get back.”

  “I—” She nodded. “Yes, we do.”

  He broke their gaze and turned to go downstairs, leaving her pulse racing. The look he’d given her had been... Earlier he’d said things weren’t the same with her gone—could his feelings for her be as strong as hers were for him? And if so, could they ever learn to trust enough to find out?