The House at Rose Creek

by Proctor, Jenny

  Valerie’s eyes glowed with excitement. “To have housed such a historic document as this, your house is almost guaranteed to be granted landmark status. When did the Wylies first come to Harrison County?”

  Kate pulled a copy of the family tree she’d copied from the Bible out of her bag and handed it to Valerie. “According to birth location listed here, Ian’s great-grandson was the first to be born in North Carolina. I assume it was his father who made the journey.”

  “That’s long enough. The Wylies have been a long-contributing part of Harrison County history. In the summary you’re putting together, talk about this, perhaps even offer to donate the journal to the local preservation museum, and be sure you mention you will allow the farmhouse to be included in their brochures and on their tours.”

  “Do you think that would make a difference?” Kate asked hopefully.

  “It won’t hurt,” Valerie said. “The house has a lot of history, and if Andrew can back up the architectural end of it, I think you have a pretty good shot. Have you thought about calling the preservation society? You said they can’t approve the petition, but if they can give it their stamp of approval, the commissioners might be more prone to lean in your favor.”

  “They have a small museum downtown,” Kate said. “I was planning on stopping by tomorrow to see what help they can provide.” Kate looked up as a pair of headlights shone through the window, meandering down the drive toward the house.

  Caroline rose from her chair and looked out the window. “Dan? We weren’t expecting anybody else, were we?” She must not have meant for the question to be answered. She hastily left the room, moving to the door to greet the unknown visitor. Kate heard a woman’s voice float in from the foyer. She watched as Andrew’s face turned to stone, a pale, chalky shade of white spreading all the way into the collar of his soft blue shirt. He stood, rigid, eyes fixed on the entryway to the family room. Kate followed his gaze and watched as the woman from the foyer pushed past Caroline into the family room.

  “I saw his car, Caroline. I know he’s here. I just need to speak to him.” The woman’s words trailed off as she looked in on the happy scene. Andrew didn’t move.

  “Ashley, what are you doing here?” he said, still motionless.

  “You weren’t in Charlotte, and you weren’t at the cabin here in town. I just thought you might be here.”

  “You went all the way to Charlotte?” Andrew questioned.

  “Well, if you would answer your cell phone, maybe I wouldn’t have to track you down in person,” Ashley fired back. “Can we just talk? Please. I came all this way.”

  Kate watched their conversation in shocked embarrassment. It didn’t take a relationship specialist to figure out what Ashley was to Andrew. Obviously, they had a history. Whatever it was, Kate was sure she did not fit anywhere into the equation.

  “Kate,” Andrew said softly.

  She couldn’t look at him. Instead, she turned to Valerie. “Since you’re on your way out, Valerie, perhaps you could drop me off at home?”

  “Kate, wait,” Andrew said, though he already sounded defeated.

  “Wait a minute,” Ashley interjected. “Is she here with you?” Her voice was thick with disdain, her words fiery darts piercing directly into Kate’s heart. “Bet you didn’t tell her about me, did you, Andrew? Didn’t tell her what you did. You didn’t mention you had a fiancée, did you?”

  Kate shook her head in disbelief. How had she been so dense? No matter her embarrassment, she was determined to leave with her head held high. She would not walk out of the room like a wounded, gullible new girlfriend. She took a deep breath and stood up, crossing the room to gather her things. She stopped in front of Ashley. “I’m sorry, we haven’t met,” Kate said. “I’m Kate Sinclair.” She held her hand out to Ashley, who hesitantly took it, face smug and obviously distrusting. “I was just here meeting with the missionaries, but I can see our time is up.” Kate looked at Valerie. “I’ve got to make a quick phone call, so I’ll just wait for you outside?”

  Valerie silently nodded her head. Kate said good-bye and thanked the Spencers, then quietly let herself out.

  If she had known which car belonged to Valerie, she would have climbed inside, desperate to hide her face and get as far away from the house and from Andrew as she could. How could she have been so stupid? A part of her had always thought he had to be too good to be true. He was simply too perfect. But she’d fallen for him anyway. She thought back over their conversations—the moments when he was obviously uncomfortable talking about his past—but a fiancée?

  Valerie came up behind Kate. “Are you okay?” she asked gently.

  Kate smiled as best she could. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Valerie gave her a knowing look. “This is my car right here,” she said, pressing her key fob to unlock the doors. Kate climbed inside, desperate to hold on to her dignity, clinging to what small bit of composure she could. Valerie started the car and turned around in the narrow gravel drive, working around the shiny black Mercedes parked directly behind Andrew’s car.

  Kate shook her head, a sarcastic laugh escaping her lips when she noticed the car. “Figures,” she said softly to herself.

  “It isn’t what you think, Kate.”

  “Valerie, you don’t have to explain anything,” Kate said quickly. “I have no claim on Andrew’s affection. We’ve only known each other a few weeks.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Valerie said with enough force to surprise Kate. “I watched the two of you all evening. You couldn’t stop staring at each other. There’s something going on with you guys, and you know it.”

  Kate chuckled. “And there’s obviously someone who can get in the way. Oh, I don’t know—a fiancée maybe?”

  “She isn’t his fiancée anymore,” Valerie said. “It’s over between them and has been for almost a year.”

  “A year?” Kate asked. “She wasn’t acting like it ended a year ago. And why hasn’t he been answering her calls? Did it really end that badly?”

  Valerie drove in silence for a moment. “It was bad,” she finally said. “He left her at the altar—literally just didn’t show up for the ceremony. We were all there at the temple in DC. We had a rehearsal dinner, took all the pictures, and then, when it came time for the ceremony, he just didn’t show up. None of us understand how he’d let it go on for so long if he was so sure she wasn’t the one, but who knows what he was thinking? He’s refused to talk to anybody about it since.”

  Kate sat speechless, suddenly feeling very sorry for this Ashley woman and all that she must have endured. Valerie’s car slowed, nearing the driveway to the old farmhouse, and Kate snapped to attention, wanting a few more answers before Valerie dropped her off.

  “This happened a year ago?” she asked again.

  “It was July of last year. So I guess it’s been almost that long.”

  “That’s when he left his job, isn’t it? It’s all connected.”

  Valerie nodded her head. “Ashley’s father is Russell Westonhouse. He was Andrew’s boss. That’s how he met Ashley, actually. Moved up to Richmond to take the job, and well, the rest is history.” She paused for a moment, then hesitantly added, “And it’s Andrew’s history. You’ll have to talk to him about this if you want to know more.”

  Kate sighed, nodding her head. “Thank you, Valerie. You’ve been very kind tonight.”

  “It was my pleasure.” Valerie smiled. “Good luck with the house, Kate, and with the journal. You’ll take good care of it, I’m sure.”

  Kate thanked her again and climbed out of the car.

  “Oh, and, Kate,” Valerie called, leaning over to look at Kate through the open car door. Kate paused.

  “Give Andrew the chance to explain, would you? He isn’t a bad guy; he just got himself into a bad situation.”

  Kate managed a weak smile. “I’ll try,” she said. She closed the car door and walked to the house, suddenly feeling very, very weary. The tears starte
d flowing before she hit the front steps, her hands trembling as she searched clumsily for her keys.

  “This isn’t what I need to be focusing on!” she muttered angrily to herself.

  The house was perched on the very edge of safety, just waiting for one singular decision to either save the house or pummel it into a splintery heap. And all Kate could think about was Andrew.

  To leave someone at the altar on your actual wedding day seemed a cruel and horrible thing to do and very unlike the Andrew Kate had gotten to know the past few weeks. How did something like that happen? How did it go on for so long without him realizing and admitting that she wasn’t the person for him? It was frustrating to imagine that Andrew was capable of such deception and inflicting so much pain on someone who obviously cared about him a great deal. She had always thought so highly of his sense of honor and decency. It was disappointing to be so boldly confronted with such a stain on his character.

  At the same time, Kate was happy to know that it was Andrew who had left Ashley, not the other way around. He didn’t want Ashley, which meant there was still room in his heart for Kate. But then, Kate was sure that at some point, he had wanted Ashley enough to propose marriage. What guarantee did Kate have that he wouldn’t change his mind about her too? Would he walk away from her the same way? The frustrating circle of reasoning continued well into the evening. Finally, Kate pushed it from her mind, focusing instead on her house and the creation of its worthy history.

  She worked late into the night, relying heavily on Ian’s journal, the front page of the family Bible, and what little bits of the story she’d been told growing up. With a few phone calls to Sam, she was able to put together a substantial summary. She planned to go to the library in the morning to search the county history section for any mention of the Wylie name. Hopefully her ancestors had all been fine, upstanding citizens.

  She was grateful to have had a distraction to occupy her thoughts for so long. Trying to sleep, however, was a challenge of the worst sort. As she lay in bed, tossing and turning, she imagined Andrew and Ashley discussing their relationship, heads close together, perhaps her hand resting gently on his arm. Ashley, from what Kate had seen of her, was lovely. She was much shorter than Kate—no taller than 5’2” or 5’3”—with soft blonde hair and baby-blue eyes. In a way, she reminded Kate of Leslie, though she didn’t think Ashley was quite as pretty as Leslie. And she was young. Or at least, she came across as being young, much younger than Andrew. Kate groaned and flung her pillow across the room. The entire thing was ridiculous. No matter how much she liked Andrew, she reminded herself he wasn’t the reason she was here in Rose Creek. She came home for Aunt Mary, and she was staying for Leslie and their relationship. Andrew certainly made life in Rose Creek a bit more interesting, but it wasn’t about him, or at least, it shouldn’t be.

  Kate sighed.

  Deep down, she knew Andrew most definitely played a part in her decision to stay in Rose Creek. If she lost the house and she lost Andrew, would she still have it in her to stay?

  Chapter 25

  Kate woke with a start, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest when a car door slammed just outside her bedroom window. She scrambled out of bed and peeked into the driveway, fearing yet still expecting to see Andrew. Sure enough, he stood in the driveway, leaning against the hood of his car, legs crossed casually as he studied a clipboard in his hands. Kate moved away from the window, not wanting to attract his attention, and hastily pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a zip-up hoodie. She glanced at the clock and was surprised to see it was already 8:30, much later than she normally slept.

  She had known he would still come. Even if he and Ashley had reconciled their differences and eloped to Vegas, she didn’t believe Andrew was the kind of guy who would leave her in a lurch after so readily agreeing to help the day before. It didn’t make it any easier to face him. She stood in the bathroom and studied her reflection. She looked tired, eyes still a little puffy from last night’s tears but, all in all, not that bad. She splashed some water on her face and pulled her hair back into a ponytail then descended the stairs to greet Andrew. She had already determined that she would get through this. For the sake of the house, she had to. And while she imagined herself being tough, resisting Andrew’s attempts to explain and justify the events of the previous evening, Kate knew if Andrew wanted to talk, she would listen. She was angry and a little hurt that she hadn’t known about Ashley, but Valerie was right. Andrew was a good guy, and he deserved the opportunity to explain himself. Kate stopped at the door and took a long, slow breath.

  She could have stood there breathing all morning and still wouldn’t have been prepared for what she saw when she opened the front door. The last thing she expected to see was a fresh-faced Ashley standing in her driveway. But there she was, right beside Andrew, with a smug look of ownership on her face. It wasn’t enough for her just to win. She had to come over and rub it in Kate’s face as well.

  It was too much for her to comprehend. To bring her here, to Kate’s own home—what was Andrew trying to prove? She looked at him, eyes wide with disbelief. He looked back, face pained and uncomfortable. A brief shrug of his shoulders seemed to indicate that he wasn’t happy with the situation either. Why was she here, then? Realizing she couldn’t stand there silent forever, Kate descended the porch steps and greeted the couple.

  “Good morning,” she said coolly.

  “Hello, Kate,” Andrew said wearily. “You remember Ashley from last night. She was just on her way out of town.”

  Kate looked up and noticed for the first time that Ashley’s car was parked off to the side behind her own.

  “Hope you don’t mind me stopping by,” Ashley said coyly. “Andrew had such wonderful things to say about this old house, I wanted to see it before I left town. I have such an appreciation for old architecture,” she added, as if that made a difference to Kate.

  Where did this girl come from? she wondered to herself.

  “Ashley followed me over,” Andrew said flatly. “She insisted on coming.”

  Kate didn’t know what to say. The entire situation seemed so ridiculous, so preposterous—she shook her head, trying to make sense of what was happening. “It’s fine,” she said to them both. “You’re welcome to look around. I actually need to get to the library, but I’ll leave the house open. The two of you can talk old architecture all morning.”

  “Kate, I’m sure I’m going to have some questions about the house,” Andrew said. Her look stopped him short. He wasn’t asking her to stay around for this nonsense, was he? “You won’t stay gone all day, will you?”

  “I’m not sure how long it will take,” Kate said. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get dressed.” She turned and walked toward the house. Andrew walked after her.

  “Kate, please,” he said, gently grabbing her arm. She stopped and turned. He stood close to her, speaking low enough for Ashley, despite her best efforts, not to hear. “I’m so sorry, Kate,” he whispered. “Please, just tell me you’ll let me explain. Let me make this right.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

  “Just say you’ll listen,” he pled. “She’ll be gone soon. When she is, when you come back from the library, promise you’ll listen.”

  Kate silently nodded her assent then turned and went into the house.

  Unbelievable, she thought to herself as she climbed into the shower. Did things like this really happen anywhere but on daytime television? She showered and dressed quickly, mind racing the entire time. Ashley obviously had some sort of an agenda. Why else would she have followed Andrew to her house when he so clearly didn’t want her company?

  When Kate came out of the bathroom, her suspicions were confirmed. Ashley was sitting on her bed, arms folded across her chest, obviously waiting for Kate. Kate stopped, unable to hide her surprise and downright irritation that Ashley was in her bedroom.

  “You said I was welcome to look around,” she said tartly.

>   Kate sighed. “We both know you’re not here to look at architecture. What do you want with me?”

  “I saw the way he looked at you last night,” Ashley said hotly, apparently grateful for the opportunity to get right to the point. “I thought it couldn’t be true, that he couldn’t have fallen for someone so quickly, so I wanted to come here to see him with you again. It’s so obvious, Kate. He’s totally in love with you. He watches your every move. And when he looks at you . . . it’s just . . . He’s different.”

  “We’ve only known each other a few weeks, Ashley. We’re just friends,” Kate insisted.

  “Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” Ashley said. “You know it’s more than that. And that’s why I came up here to talk to you. Believe it or not, Kate, I’m not an awful person out to sabotage your relationship. I just think you need to know what you’re getting yourself into. You need to hear firsthand what kind of man Andrew really is.”

  “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

  Ashley continued anyway. “You think a guy like him wouldn’t already be married now if there wasn’t something wrong with him? He can’t commit! He does everything right, makes you think he walks on water, and then . . . nothing.” Ashley stood up, her hands lifted in frustration. “Do you realize how horrible it is to be sitting, surrounded by your family, your friends, waiting for the man of your dreams to walk through the door and vow to take care of you forever, to wait and wait and wonder why he isn’t there? And then his old college roommate, someone you don’t even know, comes in and whispers the single worst thing you could ever imagine. He isn’t coming. He’s left, gone . . . run out of your life forever, just like that.”

  Kate sat down on the bed, silent while Ashley continued.

  “I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t deserve to be left like that.” She turned and looked at Kate, eyes brimming with tears. “All I can tell you is to be careful. You better guard your heart. I never knew. I never knew that anything was wrong until it was too late.” She stood silently, lost in her own memory. “I’m sorry, Kate. I’m sure you’re a very lovely person. You don’t deserve to be hurt like I was.”