Anna turned and followed her gaze, little things popping into her memory along with a tiny tug at her lips that made her smile.
“It always felt so massive…we’d arrive…just like this…sitting in the back of a limo, all quiet and just watching,” she stepped onto the driveway when the car came to a stop. “Thanks, Leo…”
She peered at the stark white columns, the huge windows and the immaculate landscaping as she did a quiet twirl on her heels. She knew from memory they were on one of the higher peaks on Mercer Island. She always wondered who lived in all those rooms. There must be rooms, she remembered thinking as a child, because there were windows.
“Are you okay?” Catherine glanced to her side, her eyes cruising over the strong features. He shrugged.
“Not to be...hell, I don’t know…rude…thoughtless…until all this crap started happening, I really hadn’t thought about it much,” Aaron watched Anna walk over the slate tiles leading around the large home.
“They are in serious need of landscaping with imagination,” she said with a shake of her head, jumping a little at the warmth in the nearness next to her ear.
“It’s not your house.”
“I know that…it’s just…it’s boring,” she said, nodding at the right choice of a word. “A little like yours…you’re a lot…” she stopped and spun with only a slight wobble. “Oh. Well…never mind that…”
“You’re a lot what?” Carter shot a glare at the coughing Aaron. “I’m like them?”
“Hmm…well…maybe…a little…stodgy…”
“Stodgy?”
“It’s another word for old,” Catherine offered before the palm could cover her mouth.
“Old? And I know what the word means,” Carter bit out sharply, snagging Anna’s palm when she tried to slide past toward the stately white double doors. “You think I’m old?”
“Of course not,” she answered instantly, wincing at the narrowed gleam. “Sedate. Now and then…a little…oh, hello…”
“Aaron Carson and Catherine Jenkins,” Aaron said in an effort to stay out of the domestic he could see brewing. “And Anna Carson and Carter Shipley.”
“Of course, sir, madam…if you’ll come inside, please,” a woman of about fifty looked from one to the other slowly before stepping aside and gesturing into the dimmer foyer.
“We’re discussing this later,” Carter whispered against her ear with a nip that made her swallow the tiny yelp.
Anna took a firm grip on Carter’s palm, her heart hammering inside her chest as she stepped over the threshold. Familiar scents of a collection of fresh flowers, some lemon cleaning polish and warmth, she thought with a sigh.
“Please wait here a moment,” the woman said, black skirt barely moving as she continued down the wide hallway and turned into a room on the right. Her functional shoes echoed over the stark white tiles that made up the spacious and high ceilinged foyer.
“It’s just like I remember,” Anna stepped into the center of the foyer, her head tipped back to peer up into the wide dome of a skylight. She stood in the center, arms out and her body doing a very slow turn with her face tilted up. Scenic pictures were placed carefully on the walls up with wide staircase. Old, gleaming well-polished wood was everywhere. A tall table near the front held a huge vase of fresh flowers, a coat rack was curved and sat with umbrellas in the stand.
A few feet in, a very wide stair case led at a more sedate curve than most to the second level.
“We never went upstairs,” Anne continued quietly. “I…wanted to go once…I remember…we were in a room down here and for some reason, left alone a bit. There was always stuff in the room for us…but I think we were six…I pulled the door open and stuck my head out and…” she looked down the hall, heels clicking on the tiles as she moved, only to be brought up stiffly when a tall, older man dressed in a deep black suit, white shirt and matching black tie came along the hallway toward her. She remembered he never made noise when he walked.
“Trenton,” she said softly, her breath catching in her throat and the feel of warm hands at her waist made her take a little step back. “Hello.”
“Good afternoon, Madam…Sir…”
“It used to be Miss Anna and Mr. Aaron,” Anna offered a little smile and her palm. “Good afternoon, Trenton. This is my fiancée, Carter Shipley.”
“Nice to see you again, Trenton,” Aaron stepped forward with his palm out for a firm shake, his other hand around Catherine’s waist. “My fiancée, Catherine Jenkins.”
“My pleasure, Miss Jenkins, Mr. Shipley,” he nodded the thick head of neatly trimmed white hair and stepped to the side, gesturing to a pair of ornate polished wood doors to the left. “If you’ll wait in the library, I’ll inform Mr. and Mrs. Ellison that you’ve arrived.”
“Thank you, Trenton,” Aaron waited at the door, his palm up and pushing hard on Anna’s shoulders until she was inside and scowling at him.
“As I was saying,” she began stiffly, pushing the door open a little. “I could see the stairs and told Aaron…hey, let’s go look around…”
“And I snatched her up by the bow on the back of your dress and slammed the door,” his arm went around her waist and lifted her physically off the floor and away from the door, glare against glare. “I told you don’t mess around and get us in trouble.”
“Somehow I knew she was always the instigator,” Carter said with a sigh, weathering the scowl she shot him before sticking her nose in the air and pacing toward the wide four doors of the patio.
Catherine just hung back and observed, working to keep her laughter inside.
“The Christmas tree was always right here,” Anna declared, her arms wide as she stood in front of the spotless glass doors. “And it was huge…” Her hands went toward the high ceilings, her eyes widening as memories flooded through her, she spun and strode to the alcove behind her. A four foot wide area with nothing but dark wood shelves reaching to the ceiling. A small ledge was built in at waist level, her hands coming to rest on the weathered, well-polished wood. “And so many books!” She whispered as if it were a magical world.
“And I finally broke down and had a ladder brought into the house to avoid having to peel you off the shelves like they were the Rocky Mountains,” the voice was soft and shook a little with ill-concealed pride. A pair of slightly tinted lips formed a smile when Anna spun and fell against the ledge, her hands up on her mouth. The older woman’s laughter mixed with that of the distinguished gentleman at her side. “And that was her usual reaction when caught. Hello, Anna…” Dark brown eyes moved to the man that had straightened, standing alone and a few feet from his sister. “Aaron…my god, you’ve both grown up so beautifully…and handsome…”
“Grandmother…” Anna breathed, blinking and brushing the stream of tears that broke free of the dark lashes. She was grateful for the arm that came around her, her lips quivering. “Grandfather…”
Aaron took steps forward, his palm extended. Suddenly he was small again, uncertain and even a little intimidated. “Hello, grandmother, grandfather,” he didn’t argue with the thin arms that were up and hugging him. His hand was out to the older man only to find himself enveloped, clapped on the back and hugged tightly.
Miranda Ellison took a cautious step toward Anna, her palm up and voice gentle.
“Anna?”
Carter swore softly, a light jog across the room making it just in time before she struck the floor.
Chapter Thirty-One
“Oh, dear…that’s new,” Miranda gestured to the large sofa.
“Yeah…that started after…after the explosion,” Aaron said with a sigh, working to stay with Catherine. She was Carter’s now, he told himself for the hundredth time, the protector inside him wanting to shove Carter aside. But he crossed to the bar set up in the corner and brought a bottle of water from the small fridge beneath. He opened the cap and handed it to Carter.
“Is she alright?” Miranda looked from one to the other.
> “It’s a little like sensory overload,” Catherine explained with a smile. “How do you do? Catherine Jenkins. I’m very pleased to meet you both.”
“As we are you, my dear,” Miranda extended her palm. “Arthur…do you think we should phone the doctor?”
“She’s okay, grandmother…”
Carter poured a little water into his palm and patted the pale cheeks. He began to breathe again when the thick lashes fluttered.
Anna waited while the world above her came into slow focus.
“Oh, crap…”
“Always profound,” Carter leaned back on his heels, letting her push against the sofa to sit up before handing her the bottle of water. “Drink.”
“I’m sorry,” she said when she surfaced, looking at them all gathered around.
“Anna!” Catherine stepped forward, the fast breathing said it was going to happen again. “Close your mouth. Look at me…do you hear me?” She demanded firmly, accepting the small nod.
“You are very good at that, young woman,” Arthur said with an approving nod. “Very good.”
“My girl, the cop,” Aaron moved a leather chair a little closer to the sofa. “Who needs to sit because she’s still healing.”
“A police officer?” Miranda nodded when Aaron moved toward another chair, bringing it forward for her. “Thank you, Aaron. Healing? Are you alright?”
“Stitched and healing, like he said, and I’ve twenty more days left. I’ll be working at the resort,” Catherine stretched her leg out, relieved when the color started to come back to Anna. “Better?”
“Thank you. Yes. I’m good…I’m sorry…I don’t know why…” She stopped when she felt the slim, wrinkled palm take hers. Her eyes watered again seconds before she launched herself into the open arms, her head on a shoulder while palms gently stroked over her head.
“There, there…it’s alright, Anna…”
Catherine almost laughed at the men in the room. “Guys…it’s okay…girls handle these things differently than you do. How about a drink? Something frosty and very cold?” She suggested, accustomed to making people get back to normal so their brains would engage.
“An excellent idea,” Arthur Ellison stepped to a small console on the large desk tucked elegantly in the corner. “Trenton, please bring in the champagne.”
Carter pressed a square of white into Anna’s palm, his eyes meeting the older ones over her head. “Carter Shipley, Mrs. Ellison. We spoke for a time on the phone Friday.”
“We’re very pleased to meet you, Carter and you, Catherine,” dark eyes watched the younger straighten up, her head tilted to peer into the damp lashes. “Alright? You know where the restroom is, dear.”
“Thank you,” Anna nodded and stood up, waving Carter off. “I’m good. Honest,” she kissed him on the cheek. “Be right back.”
She stopped in the doorway, watching the man she called Trenton enter carrying a large silver tray with glasses and a bottle of something chilling in ice. She tried a watery smile and moved to the side.
“A pleasure to have you visiting again, Miss Anna,” he said warmly.
“Ohhhh…” Her hand went to her lips before she hurried out of the room.
“I’ll be back,” Catherine said quickly and moved as quickly as possible, following Anna down the wide corridor. She managed to slide inside before the door closed. “You are giving the guys a heart attack…”
“I know…I know…I am so sorry…I had no idea…I didn’t know…so much is crashing around inside me right now…” Anna collapsed into the comfortable chair in the outer area of the large bathroom.
Catherine lifted a small fluffy hand towel and damped it down, handing it to Anna before sinking into another chair.
“We need champagne and food…you have to focus. If you start to feel it happening, close your mouth and draw air in very slowly through your nose,” she met the dark eyes and nodding head. She held up the little purse she’d lifted from the floor. “You might want to repair…next time we go for water proof.” A shaky laugh helped them both relax as Anna cleaned up the ravages of tears.
“All better?” Miranda watched the two women re-enter the large library.
“I think so,” Anna nodded, striding across the room and taking the hand Carter offered her. “I’m sorry. It was…so much emotion…” She stopped and closed her mouth, her hand up and taking the flute of champagne from Carter and draining it. “Okay…I’m good…”
Catherine sighed and leaned into Aaron.
Carter pulled another of the armed chairs to the circle that had been formed around the sofa. He turned Anna and pushed gently.
“Sit…and don’t move,” he told her firmly. “Your grandparents were sharing some of your more…adventurous…exploits.”
“Somehow you always think of the boy as the one to start the adventures,” Catherine commented, accepting the flute of bubbling champagne with a smile. “Thank you.”
“I was dragged…most times kicking and clawing,” Aaron said with a shake of his head. “She had this way of making it sound so reasonable and logical…and if that didn’t work, she’d give me those damn eyes filled with tears…”
“I don’t think a girl should be…be…chastised because she has a natural curiosity regarding…a lot of stuff,” Anna said loftily.
“Oh, my dear…watching you explore and…absorb…was a highlight of your visits,” Miranda reached over the set her glass down.
“Why didn’t you want us?” Anna let the words blurt out, one palm up and covering her lips immediately. “I’m sorry…I…I know you gave us so much…you were the only reason they took care of us at all. I know that now…”
“I’ve been working on an answer to that question since we first confirmed you hadn’t perished in that explosion,” Miranda patted the aged palm that settled over hers on the arm of the chair.
“It isn’t that we didn’t want you,” Arthur said quietly. “Philip…your father…we believed we’d done all the right things, sending him to good schools, pushing him to learn, to be socially conscious…”
“I was afraid to make those mistakes again,” Miranda said in the quiet pause. “I thought…he wouldn’t be like he was…if not for something we’d done. Me…I was his mother…Arthur was working and busy and I…I was afraid, Anna. The children you were…I didn’t want you to become like him.”
“When that woman…” Arthur leaned his head back for a quiet minute. “Her and her parents exercised a kind of control I’d never seen before. From that point on, he never heard us, never…thought…before he did things.”
“It sounds…so cold…so…” Miranda shook her head at the memory, her sigh sad. “We increased security and changed all the locks. For several months, we heard nothing from him, then he appeared at our door the middle of March.”
“Our birthday,” Anna said quietly.
Two pairs of loving eyes went from the male to the female with a deep smile.
“Yes. He brought you both here. You couldn’t have been more than two weeks old…and that…that woman outlined what we would do if we wanted access to you,” Arthur felt his hand tense where it rested on the arm of the chair. “We were so frightened for you…I could no longer find my son inside the man standing with that woman, making demands while holding two tiny babies.”
“In an effort to keep Anna vertical,” Miranda said with a little smile. “We set them up in the house, found you a nanny and paid their bills. We wanted nothing to do with them, and made arrangements for you to be brought to us. I’m…I don’t know why or when the drugs entered the picture. The nanny never said a word. You grew up so quickly…”
One week later……
Carter stepped into his house shortly before six on Saturday morning and was positive it had been taken over.
By twelve year olds.
He dropped his jacket over a chair, his briefcase and suitcase left by the hall as he went towards the living area. His frown deepened as he met the dark eyed glare
from the man sitting at the breakfast bar with a large mug off coffee before him. A hoppy little country song was blaring through the house.
“What the hell? It’s six thirty in the morning.”
“No shit…this is what happens when you go off for two days on business and leave me with them,” Aaron growled, gesturing to the seat behind him. “Have a seat and coffee. And enjoy the show.”
“Show?” Carter stepped into the shadow of the kitchen just in time to see two women come dancing down the hall, bobbing to the music with upturned hairbrushes in their hands, singing loudly. Tired green eyes went from the socks on their feet to the skimpy shorts and tank tops, twisting, turning and spinning to the music as they both sang along.
“They wired the house?”
“That was day before yesterday,” Aaron said dryly, pouring more coffee. “Catherine discovered she could move again without pain once the stitches were gone and has done nothing but…” but he did enjoy watching the long haired brunette bop happily with his sister.
“They’re twelve years old…” Carter mumbled.
“Yeah…you watch those wiggling hips and swinging arms and legs and you repeat that out loud,” Aaron grumbled with another long drink of coffee.
Carter definitely felt himself agreeing, a lot of the exhaustion from the flight vanishing when the dark eyes caught sight of him. He didn’t think it was possible for her squeal to be louder than the new speakers, but he heard her and braced for it when she took off at a run and launched herself into his arms. Long legs curled around his waist as she hugged him tightly.
“Carter!” Anna ran across the room, dropping the makeshift microphone and jumped into his arms, her mouth over his before he could do more than stabilize them from ending up on the kitchen floor tiles.
“You missed me?” He teased when she raised her mouth for air, the thick, dark curls bobbing before she swept in for another taste of him.
WindSwept Narrows: #16 Anna Carson & Catherine Jenkins Page 25
