Mattie felt bad that things hadn’t worked out for her friend like it had for her but Travis and Galen were two different men.
Mattie waited until the plane took off then walked back to the Jeep where Travis waited for her. They had three hours until their flight.
She jumped into the passenger side and smiled at him. “What should we do until our flight?”
The leer in his eyes made her laugh. She shook her finger at him. “Besides that.”
“Well, if I can’t have you, let’s get something to eat. I’m famished.”
“What? You don’t have any more of that wonderful jerky?”
He laughed. “I’ve had enough for a while. I could go for an anaconda steak.”
Mattie’s jaw dropped. “You eat snake?”
He smirked, a gesture that said he was pulling her leg.
She slapped at his shoulder. “Remind me never to let you order food for me.”
He laughed again, then started the engine and drove away from the small airstrip.
Mattie clasped his hand and watched the terrain fly by. She couldn't wait until they arrived in Nova Scotia. Once they finished Travis’s business there, they could begin their new life together. Mattie was so looking forward to that.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Travis stared in disbelief at the home his great-grandfather had owned and was sure he hadn’t followed the directions correctly. The house was a mansion surrounded by miles of pristine landscape.
“Oh my God, Travis.” Mattie’s eyes were as big as saucers. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Don’t get too excited. I think I missed a turn somewhere. This couldn’t possibly be mine.”
“But didn’t you say your grandfather’s name was Winthrop?”
“Yes, but—”
“The name is right there on the gate.”
Travis twisted his head and read Winthrop Estates.
This couldn’t be right. Cedric lived in a relatively modest home in New Hampshire. Didn’t have much in the way of money yet this place seemed well kept. How could he afford to do that?
“Let’s go up to the door and knock,” Mattie suggested.
“All right, but like I said, don’t get your hopes up. Cedric or my mother never said anything about his father being rich.”
Travis pulled the car through the gates and drove up the driveway. The mansion was amazing. As they approached the door, he saw the stonework leading to the structure. It in itself was worth thousands.
Travis killed the engine and turned to Mattie. “Stay here. I’ll go to the door and see if we’re at the right place or not.”
She nodded and leaned back in the seat.
He slipped from the car and walked up the short flight of steps to the door. Taking in a breath, he knocked, then stood back and waited.
Seconds passed.
He knocked again.
Travis glanced over his shoulder at Mattie and shrugged.
A chain rattling had him turning back as the door opened. An elderly woman stood inside, looking questioningly at him.
“Hello. I was wondering if this estate belonged to Cedric Winthrop?”
A sad expression crossed the woman’s face. “I’m sorry, but Cedric has died. His grandson now owns the estate.”
Travis felt as if someone had kicked him in the chest.
“I’m Travis Kane. His grandson.”
The woman’s face lit up. “Yes, now I recognize you from the photos your grandfather had. I wasn’t sure when to expect you. Please come in.”
Travis looked at the car. “I brought someone with me. She’s in the car.” He signaled Mattie to come.
It didn’t seem possible, but the lady’s face grew even brighter. “Cedric never said you were married. Do you have children?”
“No, we’re not married.”
With that, her excitement deflated. “It’s just that’s it’s been so long since we’ve had a family in the house.”
Mattie walked up beside him and smiled at the woman. “Hello.” She offered her hand. “I’m Mattie.”
The woman shook her hand, then led them into the foyer.
Travis’s mouth went slack as he slowly surveyed the room. Beautiful landscape paintings covered the walls, while sculptures sat atop antique furniture. Everything looked priceless to him.
The older woman stopped and turned to face them. “I wasn’t expecting you just now. I need to get rooms ready. Will you two be sharing one or will you need two?”
Travis glanced at Mattie, who looked questioningly back at him.
“One will be fine,” he said, then watched as she walked up a large dark wooden staircase.
When the woman disappeared, Travis returned his attention to Mattie. “I can’t believe this. My great-grandfather was obviously rich but Cedric lived in an old, unkempt home in New Hampshire. Why would he do that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t care about material things?”
Mattie’s words brought Cedric’s journal entry to mind. How he’d been trying to become a better man. Maybe he felt that purging himself of a fortune would do that somehow, like the legendary Templars had.
Travis wondered if his mother knew about her grandfather’s wealth. If she had, she was probably frothing at the mouth that her father had left it to Travis.
Mattie tugged at his arm. “Come on. Let’s look around.”
Travis had to smile at her excitement. He allowed her to drag him through a doorway into another room, a library with rows and rows of gleaming shelves filled with books.
“Oh, Travis. This is amazing.”
She raced to a shelf and ran her hand over book after book, hesitating before pulling one out. She opened it and sucked in a breath. “It’s a first edition.” Mattie replaced it and moved to pull out another. She showed him the spine. “This one too.”
She looked around, her eyes shining with excitement. “If you read one book after another you still would never be able to read them all, Travis. Do you have any idea what your great-grandfather did for a living?”
Travis shook his head. “I never knew the man. He died before I was born, and I never spent much time with Cedric.”
“Do you think the woman who answered the door would have some idea?”
Travis shrugged. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her.”
“Come on. Let’s explore another room. I feel like a kid in a toy store.” She clasped his hand and exited the room.
Travis thought about the small library in Cedric’s home and wondered if some of the books had come from this place.
As they entered another room, a painting caught his attention. It was a portrait of a man in a tunic, an overlay with a cross covering it. A Templar Knight.
Christ Almighty. Maybe his family were descendants? That could explain their wealth. The room itself seemed to be a sitting area where antique velvet settees paralleled each other. The dark wood complemented the deep red colors.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Travis turned to Mattie. “Sure.”
“Was that treasure in Peru Templar?”
Travis nodded.
“Did you look at the name on that portrait?”
Travis frowned, then walked over to take a look.
His jaw dropped when he found the name Francis Winthrop printed on a label on the bottom. Travis was a descendant. The dreams he’d had out in the jungle came back to wreak havoc on his thoughts. Had they been dreams at all or had his family come to him—to help him see that what he’d been about to do was wrong?
“What are you thinking about?” Her question brought him back to the present.
“I’m thinking that I have something to offer you now.” Suddenly Travis knew what he needed to do. Fate had brought him to Peru to meet and fall in love with Mattie and now that he had a home and money, he could without reservation offer her a life that she deserved.
“You’ve always had something to offer me, Travis. I love you. Not
all this.” She waved her arms around her for emphasis.
Travis thought his heart would break with the love he felt for her at that moment. “Marry me, Mattie. Make me whole for the first time in my life.”
*
Mattie’s eyes welled up with tears. She could hardly believe what he was asking her. She swallowed a huge lump in her throat. “I love you so much, Travis. Yes. I’ll marry you.”
A clearing of a throat by the door had Mattie turning.
“Your room is ready. Is there something special you’d like me to tell Cook to prepare?”
“We have a cook?” Travis asked.
“Yes, sir. There is a staff of eight here at Winthrop. Your grandfather insisted on that. He wanted it ready for you when you did take possession.”
Travis looked at her. Mattie was still trying to digest what was happening. She was getting married to the most wonderful man in the world and they’d live in a place fit for a queen.
“Mattie and I would like to freshen up before supper.” He winked at Mattie.
Why did she get the feeling that washing up was the furthest thing from his mind?
She smiled and allowed him to lead her from the room.
Travis stopped at the stairs. “Which room is ours?”
“Third on the right,” the woman said, then turned and headed down the hall to where Mattie assumed was the kitchen.
She climbed the steps, her emotions a bundle of excited nerves. She was going to be Travis’s wife. She held back before they entered the room. “Wait a minute.” She looked him square in the eye, the lines around them crinkling with concern. “Do you want children, Travis? Because I do.”
“If you want children then we’ll have them.”
“But do you want them?”
“It’s not that I don’t. I guess I’m just afraid I won’t be a very good father.”
“Why?”
“I’m scared that what Jackson did will be repeated in me.”
Mattie understood his concern, but she didn’t believe that being abused always made you abusive. "You are a good man, Travis. You’ll be a wonderful father. I know you will.”
He placed his palms on her cheeks. “I wish I could be as sure as you.”
“I’ll help you to be.” She kissed him on the lips. “Trust me.”
He smiled, then picked her up and carried her into the bedroom and placed her onto the bed. He stood staring at her for a few moments. “I will trust you, Mattie. Let’s get started on those kids right now. I’ll expect a houseful.”
Mattie’s eyes widened. “Fill this house? What do you think I am? A rabbit?”
He laughed. “All right. Let’s start with one and see how that goes.”
The End
About the Author:
Jerri Drennen is a published author of romantic suspense and contemporary romance. She has four books available at Samhain Publishing and one currently at The Wild Rose Press. She was born in Omaha, Nebraska, then raised on a farm in a small town in Minnesota where she acquired her love of storytelling. After meeting her husband, she relocated to his hometown in Missouri where they now live with their son and daughter, an ivory Lab, and four very rambunctious cats. She loves to hear from her readers.
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