“After the fire happened and we buried your mother, we tried to get past it and move on with our lives. But in the back of my head, I wondered if I had left something on or maybe the electrical wiring that I had done wasn’t done right, and it somehow caused it. I thought of anything that I could have done differently, but I couldn’t think of anything. But still, I felt somehow responsible for your mother’s death,” he told her.
“All of this time, you thought that you were responsible for the fire? Why didn’t you ever tell me that? God, it must have been pure hell, thinking that you were responsible for Mom’s death. How terrible?” she told him.
“And just how would I tell you that I thought that I was responsible for your mom’s death. I didn’t want you to hate me. So I kept it to myself. It tore at me every minute of every day. And that, my charming daughter, is why I had to know. Just so I could go on living with myself. I had to know the truth. Even if it came down to the fact that I was responsible for what happened,” he explained to her.
“I could never hate you. Never. And you know that too. But to go through it alone, feeling the pain, the guilt all by yourself, that had to be hell. I just wish that you would have told me. I would have understood,” Katie told him.
“Well, some of your decisions that you’re forced to make in your life ain’t always easy, and they might not be right either. So you try to do what’s best for everyone concerned because life does go on. Doesn’t it?” he asked her.
“Yeah, I guess it does at that. I just thought that you and I had no secrets. That’s all. I understand why you couldn’t tell me, but I don’t have to agree with it. But from now on, no more secrets, okay?” she told him.
“No more secrets, deal,” he promised as he gave her a hug.
“Wow, that’s touching. But what you went through, if only in your mind, Grady, you’re one hell of a man. And I’m glad to have you as a friend and as a future father-in-law,” Michael told him.
“Thank you, Michael. It means a lot. And I’m glad to have you as a son-in-law as well,” Grady answered.
“All right that’s enough. You all are going to make me cry,” Melissa told them.
They all turned and looked at her to see her smiling back at them.
“Oh, Melissa dear, would you like a hug, dear? Come here, I’ll give ya a hug,” Grady told her.
She went over and got one of the best hugs that she could remember.
“Glad to have you back with us. You had us worried,” she told him.
“Glad to be back,” he replied.
“Well now that we’re all back in the real world, I do have some business to discuss with you all,” Mr. King told them as he pulled an envelope from his inside jacket pocket. Grady has informed me as to your monies that the four of you are to receive for finding the treasure and returning it to the proper people. Had you kept it, you wouldn’t be getting a check from the government, but the taxes on that amount of gold probably would have killed ya. So I have a check, and I can give it to whoever you decide to divide it up or do as your dad has informed me, and donate it to your favorite charity. So you decide.”
Melissa signaled all of them over to the far corner of the room where she proceeded to tell them of her idea. Every one of them thought that it was a very fitting and just tribute to all of those involved. She looked over at Grady. “Grady, don’t you want to hear this?” she asked.
“Nope, whatever you kids decide, I’m sure it will be just fine,” he answered.
Katie turned to Melissa. “Okay, but I think you should handle it. After all, it was your idea. Are we all in agreement here?” she asked.
They all agreed to let Melissa handle the entire donation process as they had heard it.
“Mr. King, do you think you can find us a picture of Jack?” she asked.
“Gee, I don’t know. But I’ll look. Can I ask why you want it?” he asked.
“Nope, sorry. It’s a surprise,” she responded.
“I see. Well, I’ll see what I can do then,” he answered back.
“Mr. King, I have a question for you,” Katie told him.
“Sure, Katie, what’s your question?” he asked.
“The other day, you told my dad that tomorrow at Jack’s service, we would be getting a surprise. In fact, you called it the surprise of a lifetime. Care to explain just what you’re talking about?” she asked him.
“Katie, I would love to tell ya. Really, but I can’t. I promised that I wouldn’t tell ya. So for that reason, I just can’t,” he told her.
“I see. So I guess we’ll just have to wait until tomorrow then, won’t we?” she replied.
“Yes, I guess you will at that. But I will tell you this. Bring some tissues because as I know you so well, you’re going to cry a river tomorrow,” he explained.
“Oh, you think you know us that well, do ya?” she asked.
“Yes, I do. I really do,” he answered.
A Hero’s Welcome
Six o’clock in the morning came early at Matterson House. There was a lot to do but not that much time to get it done. Jack’s services were set to begin at noon with the repast to begin shortly after right there at Matterson House.
The caterers were to arrive by eight, and be all set up by ten with the food portion of their services to be brought out right after the services had concluded. The florist were to deliver the flowers no later than nine.
Mike, Rick, and Melissa set up the chairs and tables and were all finished by nine-thirty. Not too bad considering Melissa didn’t do much more than supervise the two men as they did all of the work.
Jack’s casket was to arrive no later than nine as well. Yes, everything was set. Hopefully! For it is a widely known fact that even a raging river needs but one dam to stop its flow. And they had a lot of possible dams, which could pop up at any time.
People started showing up at nine. Everything was happening at nine, far too much for Katie’s way of thinking. But to her surprise, the Secret Service came in and made sure that everything went as scheduled. It was a very welcomed relief for Katie and Grady as well.
Grady and Katie were both dressed in their very best outfits. Nothing too flashy, just something plain and simple. Both of them sat down on the porch and took a break as everyone else were busy running around in circles. But it was the arrival of Paul King and his sister that brought them to their feet. As Paul and Mary slowly made their way up the gravel driveway, Grady noticed that there were two other people with them—another tall and slender lady and a small child. A little girl, Grady thought as he watched them from a distance. But as they got closer, Grady could not believe his eyes.
Grady walked to the edge of the porch and said, “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“What’s the matter, Daddy? Who is that is with Mr. King?” Katie asked.
Grady slowly stepped down off of the porch and stared in total disbelief.
“Elizabeth? Is that you?” he asked.
“Hi, Grady, how are you? I wasn’t sure that you would remember me,” the lady answered.
“My God, how could I ever forget you?” he said as he wrapped his arms around her. She returned the favor.
Katie didn’t recognize the lady, not at all. But she knew who she was. Elizabeth was Jack’s girlfriend. She remembered her dad talking about her several times. Katie walked up behind her dad. Elizabeth took one look at her and stepped back away from Grady.
“My God, just look at you, Katie, all grown up and all. You don’t remember me, do you?” she asked.
“I know who you are, but I’m sorry, I don’t remember you,” Katie answered.
“That’s all right. You were just a little girl the last time I saw you. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” she asked the two of them.
“Too long indeed. So what have you been doin’ all of this time?” Grady asked.
The little girl looked up at the lady, and she released her hand. The little girl ran off across the field to where some other kids were pla
ying.
“Grady, I think we need to sit down. I have something to tell you,” she told them.
“Sure. What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing. We just need to talk, is all,” she explained as she followed Grady back up onto the porch and took a seat next to him. Paul and Mary joined them.
Elizabeth looked at Grady and Katie. There were tears in her eyes.
“Elizabeth, are you okay?” Grady asked.
“To tell you the truth, no, I’m not, but I’ll get to that in a minute. When Paul contacted me a few days ago and told me that you had found Jack and had discovered what had happened to him, I was relieved beyond words. I told him if it was the last thing that I do, I was going to be here today,” she told him.
“The last thing that you do? What are you getting at, Elizabeth?” Grady asked.
“Well, before I get into what’s happening in my life, I need to tell you what happened in Jack’s before he disappeared,” she told him.
“Well, the last thing I remember Jack telling me was that you and him were fighting again. But if I remember right, you two were always arguing over something, so I never paid much attention to it,” he said.
“Yeah, we certainly did that, I guess, but it’s what we were arguing over that’s important. Especially now,” she told him.
“Okay, you’ve lost me. What are you talking about?” he asked.
“Jack wanted to marry me. But I always told him no,” she explained.
“Yeah, I do remember that. But I guess you had your reasons,” he answered.
“I told him no because he wanted kids, and I was told that I couldn’t have any. Ever,” she explained.
“Yeah good old Jack was always big on having a family of his own,” he replied.
“Well, one day I woke up, and I didn’t feel right, so I went to a doctor and found out that I was indeed pregnant,” she told him.
“Really? Well, that’s great!” Grady answered.
“That following weekend, we were married. Jack tried to contact you, but he never did. The following week, he was sent down here,” she told him.
“Wait a second, you two got married, and you just found out that you were pregnant, and then Jack disappeared?” Katie broke in to their conversation.
“Exactly. Jack never saw his baby,” she replied.
“Oh my god! So what happened next? What did you do?” Grady asked her.
“Well you had your hands full with that fire and all, and by the way, I’m was so sorry when I heard about Katherine. She was a good woman and a very dear friend,” she told them.
“You knew about the fire?” Grady asked.
“Well, not the fire itself, but I found out about a week later when I went looking for you. I saw your house, so I checked with the local sheriff, and he told me what had happened. So I figured you already had your hands full with your own personal problems, so I chose to go about it myself,” she explained.
“What did you do by yourself?” Grady asked her.
“Well, I had my baby, our baby. I had Jack’s baby,” she explained.
Katie’s head turned to see the cute little blonde girl playing with the other kids. She turned back to Elizabeth. “So that little girl is Uncle Jack’s little girl? She’s my cousin?” Katie asked her.
“Yes, Katie, that is Jack’s little girl, but there’s something else you need to know,” she told her.
“And what’s that?” Katie asked.
“Her name. Jack said if he ever had a little girl, he wanted to name her after his favorite niece,” she explained.
Katie could fill the tears building up deep down inside of her.
“She’s named after me?” Katie asked her.
“That’s right. And I know that you didn’t get a very good look at her, but she could be your twin, I swear to God. You might not be exact twins, but there’s no mistaking that you’re both Windslows,” Elizabeth told her.
Katie just stared at the little girl running around with the other kids. “So what do I say to her. I mean, she doesn’t know me, does she? I mean, does she know who I am?” Katie asked.
“She knows only that she’s named after her cousin. But she doesn’t know you’re the one. Go ahead, go down there and talk to her. You’ll see she’s a sweetheart just like you,” she told her.
Katie slowly started walking toward the little girl. When she was far enough away, Elizabeth turned back toward Grady.
“I need your help, Grady,” she told him.
“Sure, Elizabeth, whatever you need. How bad is it?” he asked.
“You already know? But how?” she asked.
“I can see it in your eyes. How bad is it? What did the doctors tell you?” he asked her.
“It’s cancer. And there’s nothing that they can do,” she told him.
“Damn! I knew it. How much time did they give you?” he asked her.
“I wasn’t supposed to make it this far. But I had to if only to say good-bye to Jack,” she told him as she started crying. Grady got up and took her into his arms.
“Now, now, we’ll get through this thing together. You’re family, and families stick together. So where are you living?” he asked.
“We have a little house about four hours south of here. Why?” she asked.
“Because that’s nonsense. You’re moving in here. We have far enough room for the two of you. And I promise that we’ll make whatever time you have left here as painless as we can,” he told her. Grady looked over at Paul. “You’ll see that her stuff gets over here as soon as possible?” he asked him.
“Whatever it takes, I’ll get it done,” Paul replied.
“Thanks,” Grady responded.
“But your daughter can’t know. She needs to tend to herself and her wedding,” Elizabeth told Grady.
“My daughter is pretty smart. She’ll know before you can tell her. But I’ll agree not to tell her unless she asks me. Then I’ll have to tell her. Okay?” Grady told her.
“Fair enough. I really didn’t want to dump this on your lap, but I had nowhere else to turn,” she said.
“Elizabeth, I would be upset if you hadn’t. I just wish that you would have told us earlier,” he told her as he held her tight.
Elizabeth looked over at the girls. Big Katie was hitting it off with little Katie just like they’ve known each other for years.
“Grady, look at the girls. Do you think the world is ready for two Katie Windslows?” she asked.
Grady turned to see the two girls playing together. “No, I don’t think the world is ready for two Katie Windslows. Not now, not ever,” he replied to her.
“And, Grady, thank you so much for finding Jack and bringing him home,” she told him.
“Well, he was your husband. You should have spoken up. I never thought that he ever married, let alone had a child. But there were decisions that had to be made. You had every right to voice your views on them,” he said.
“I thought about it. But then I realized that you loved Jack just as much as I did, if not more. And I’m sure that whatever you decided to do here today, it would be a fitting and honorable tribute to him. So I let you do as you wanted,” she told him.
“Well, between me and Mr. King over here, I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed. Not at all,” he told her.
“I know that in my heart, your brother is looking down at us right now, and Katherine is at his side, and they’re both very proud of you and your daughter. I know that I would be,” she told him as she turned to face Mr. King. “And you, sir, Jack could not have asked for a more loyal or devoted friend than you are, sir.”
“I didn’t do anything that Jack would have not done for me had this all been reversed somehow. Jack was a very good man, and it was my honor to know and work with him,” Paul told her.
“Elizabeth, may I ask you if your daughter knows of your condition?” Mary asked her.
“Well, she knows that her mommy is sick, but, no, she doesn’t know that I
’m dying. I tried to find the strength to tell her several times, but I just couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth,” she explained.
“Well, I think that we’ll really need to tell her. She really should know the truth,” Grady told her.
“Of course, it’s just really hard to get the right words out,” she answered.
“We’ll find a way. But if you don’t have that much time, I mean if the doctors are right that is, then sooner might prove to be better than later,” Grady told her.
“Okay, but not today. This is Jack’s day. I’ll gladly take tomorrow. If that’s okay with you all?” she asked.
“That will be fine,” Grady told her as he glanced over to see his daughter and his newly found niece running toward them. He just stared at the little blonde girl as she ran toward him. And he had to admit it—she looked a lot like his daughter had at that age. It was like looking into the past. The little girl ran up to her mom. She was full of excitement, talking a thousand words a second.
“Mom, Mom, look who I found. Can you believe it? It’s her. It’s really her. She’s my cousin. Can you believe it, Mom,” the girl told her mom. Every face of every person on that porch was all smiles as they listened to that little girl rattle on to her mom.
“Yes, I know, Katie. She looks just like you. Doesn’t she?” Elizabeth asked her daughter.
“We could almost be twins, Mom. And she’s going to teach me to ride a horse and how to dance and—” her mother cut her off.
“Katie, calm down a second. I know that you’re excited, and all but there’s someone else that I’d like you to meet,” she told her.
The little girl just stopped moving and talking all in a drop of a hat. It was as if someone had switched off the power to her.
“Someone else? Who, Mommy?” the little girl asked her.
“Katie, this gentleman over her is your father’s brother. He’s your Uncle Grady,” she told her as she pointed to Grady.
“I have an uncle too?” she asked.
Grady kneeled down to the little girl’s level. “Hi, Katie, it’s an honor to meet you,” he told her.
“You’re . . . you’re my uncle, sir?” she asked.
Hearts of Grey Page 36
