When she did look up, it was to see Stanley wantonly bounding around from the backyard, his leash flapping in the air.
“Stanley?”
She opened her door and got out. The dog danced in enthusiastic circles around her.
A moment later Claire rounded the corner, her face and sweatshirt speckled with mud and her sneakers and jeans wet.
“Claire, what are you doing here? What happened to you?”
The round face was resolute. “I ran away.”
“What do you mean? Your house is over five miles in the other direction. How did you get here?”
“I was at the construction office. Sometimes I get to spend the day there helping. It’s on the other side of the woods. Stanley came with me.”
“You ran away and played in the mud?”
A small smile appeared on Claire’s face. “Stanley’s leash got tangled around my feet and I fell.”
“Did you hurt yourself?”
“No. I’m okay.”
“I should call your father. He’ll be worried.”
Claire’s face crumpled. “I don’t want to go home.” Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes. She wiped at them with her hand, smearing mud on her face. “He’s going to take us far away. I heard him say so.”
Anne quickly put her arms around Claire. “Oh, sweetie. It’s going to be okay.”
“No, it’s not,” she sobbed. “He’s moving to Denver and I don’t want to go. I want to stay here with you and Aunt Lily.”
“Denver?” Anne straightened abruptly. “Are you sure?”
“He said that. To Manny. I heard him.”
“I’m going to call your father, right now.”
Claire shook her head, a fierce expression on her splotchy face. “I don’t want to go to back to Denver. I love Paradise. Please, can I live with you?”
“Why don’t I ask him if you can stay over? He can pick you up on Saturday. You and I can have a little vacation together. We’ll figure out what’s going on with Denver, too.”
Claire’s face lit up. “Yes, please.”
“Okay, you go to the porch and take off your sneakers and roll up your pant legs. I’ll be right there.”
Claire smiled and nodded, running toward the back of the house.
Anne pulled out her cell and looked up Matt’s number.
“Matt, it’s Anne. Claire is here.”
“Here where? At the hospital?”
“No. I’m at home. She’s here and she’s fine.”
“How is it I can manage a crew of grown men but I can’t keep an eye on a little girl? This is the second time she’s gotten lost.”
“She’s not lost. She’s right here with me.”
“You know what I mean. I was on my way over.”
“No need. She’s fine, except she’s certain you’re moving to Denver.”
Matt groaned. “I knew she overheard me talking to Manny.”
“Are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Moving to Denver.”
“I don’t know. At this point, it’s only under discussion.”
“That’s too bad.” She released a breath before the words spilled out. “Because I don’t want you and Claire to leave Paradise.”
There was silence on the line.
“I’m sorry, but it’s true,” she admitted.
“Don’t be sorry,” he said into the silence that once again had fallen between them.
“Well, obviously, I’ve left you speechless.”
“I don’t know what to say,” he admitted.
“There’s no need to say anything. I guess I didn’t realize it myself until she told me you were moving.”
“I’m not moving. Manny and I were talking. Like I said, it was just a discussion. I’m sorry I wasn’t more discreet.”
“Well, she’s pretty upset. What about letting Claire spend the night here?”
“I don’t want to impose. And I don’t want to reward her for running away.”
“It’s not imposing when it’s my idea...”
“And?” Matt urged her on.
“The first year after a loss is the hardest. I think you should consider cutting Claire a little slack. I don’t think this can be considered a pattern of behavior.”
“No?”
“No. Besides, I took off this afternoon and tomorrow. I’d love to have her. Aunt Lily will love it, as well. You can pick her up on Saturday.”
“Saturday? Are you sure?”
“Very. But I’ll need to get her insulin and some clean clothes.”
“She has a house key in her backpack,” Matt said.
“Oh, and by the way, I’ve got Stanley, too.”
“Dog food is in the pantry closet in the kitchen.”
“You know this will be good practice for me.”
“Being a mom for a few days?”
“I meant being a dog owner.”
Matt merely chuckled.
Anne slipped the phone back into her purse. A mom? She doubted that. Being a dog mom was probably as close as she’d ever get.
* * *
Anne turned the key and stepped into Matt’s house. The smell of burned popcorn lingered in the air. She tiptoed through the living room and then paused before she remembered that no one was home. The quiet was unnerving and it seemed totally wrong to be in his house when he wasn’t there.
She walked past the living room where Stanley’s throw toys were scattered on the floor, and straight to Claire’s bedroom. Fifteen minutes earlier she’d left the little girl asleep on the couch where she had been watching a television game show with Aunt Lily. The two of them had been calling out answers at the screen and laughing before Claire had finally nodded off.
Claire had given her instructions on what to bring and Anne easily found the requested items in the well-organized drawers.
The stuffed animals were lined up on the bed. The patterned pink spread that covered the bed was taut with each side perfectly angled at the same distance from the floor. The pillows were fluffed, the edges touching each other in a straight line.
Anne chuckled. Not unlike her own room.
Everything in the room was neat and tidy. Like Claire. It hadn’t escaped Anne how much alike she and the little girl were. Orderliness was sometimes to control a world that seemed, at best, out of control. She definitely understood that. Though Anne was coming to understand just how rigid and inflexible the life she had created for herself in the past ten years was.
Maybe it was time to begin to step out of the shadow of the old Anne and start to loosen up. She headed to the kitchen with a small stack of fresh clothes and a clean pair of sneakers. Inching aside diabetic literature and a Bible, she set the clothes on the table.
First she filled a plastic bag with dry food for Stanley, and then she turned to locate Claire’s needed medication. The refrigerator was impressively well-stocked and Anne had to move containers to find the insulin pens. Two casserole dishes took up most of the space on the shelves.
The Paradise ladies auxiliary was still bringing over food? No doubt the women in town absolutely loved every minute of delivering the dishes to Matt.
One foil container held a note with a recent date and described the casserole as Minnie’s pasta bake. Anne was familiar with Minnie St. Claire, an elderly widow in town. The other was covered with clear wrap and the note on top simply included a phone number with a heart drawn in red ink and the words “Call me.”
Matt remained the heartthrob of the auxiliary, it seemed. For a moment jealousy tangled its roots in Anne’s mind. She resisted the urge to copy the number down to find out who it belonged to. Then she discarded the thought. She didn’t really want to know. And, besides, Matt wasn�
��t a man who sought attention. That wasn’t him at all and it never would be.
Anne grabbed the insulin and scooped up the clothes and plastic bag. When she turned, the Bible slid off the table and onto the floor. She sighed at her carelessness and placed everything that was in her arms on the counter to retrieve the good book. The pages had flipped open to the middle, exposing a faded color photograph with worn edges that served as a placeholder.
A small gasp slipped from her lips when she picked it up and realized exactly what she held in her hands.
Her and Matt on their wedding day. Anne had never seen this picture and she herself had no such mementos of that day. Just her own memories that she’d tucked away and only brought out to examine and savor in the late hours of the night.
A smile curved her lips at the sight of both of them in their Sunday best at the office of the justice of the peace. The dress she wore had long ago been discarded, but at that time it had been the most sophisticated outfit she’d owned. They were kids, and so much in love.
She caught her breath at what was evident in both their eyes as they looked at each other. Matt had offered her his heart so freely that day. She’d been a different person then. Impulsive, hopeful and deeply in love.
She had wanted to wait for a church wedding, but he had suggested the justice of the peace and begged her to concede to his wishes for them to be joined together right away as husband and wife.
She had, and five hours later they were apart again.
All these years later she’d wondered why he hadn’t fought her aunt’s edict. Why he hadn’t come for her.
Anne turned the photo over. On the back in Matt’s distinctive handwriting was a scripture reference. Psalm 31:24. She pulled the Bible into her lap as she sank to the kitchen floor. Unsteady fingers flipped through the thin pages until she found Psalms and read the verse aloud.
“Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.”
For moments she stared at the page until her vision blurred and a drop of moisture plopped down onto the Bible’s delicate parchment pages. She wiped it away with her finger and then wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.
She still loved him.
She’d never stopped loving him.
Anne scrambled to her feet and put the photo and the Bible back on the table. But how could he ever love a woman who was once persuaded to turn her back on their love? How could he love her back without doubting her feelings?
An impossible situation.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lily Gray sat in the yard, wearing a large floppy yellow sun hat. Her throne was a bright red Adirondack chair. Stanley lounged at her side, looking for the entire world as though he belonged there. He barely acknowledged Matt; instead, the Lab happily thumped his tail while his gaze never left the elderly woman.
“Morning, Ms. Gray.”
“Matthew. What a nice surprise. I gave Stanley a few biscuits. He assured me that it would be all right with you.”
Matt gave a silent chuckle. “Certainly. It looks like he’s decided to stay, too.”
“Dogs and small children like me. Adults are less easily persuaded.”
He arched a brow at the random comment. “Ah, were you saving this seat for someone?”
“My aide was sitting here. She’s in the house making us lemonade. So please sit down.”
“Thank you.”
“I thought you weren’t supposed to be here until Saturday. It’s Friday, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Matthew glanced around. “Is Claire okay?”
“Oh, yes. She was upset. But she’s calmed down. Apparently she was under the impression that you were moving to Denver. I told her that was absolutely ridiculous. You wouldn’t go. Especially now that you and Anne have found each other again.”
Matt nearly choked.
“Ma’am?”
Lily pierced him with her gaze. “Sometimes it takes me a while to figure things out, but eventually I do.”
Was Lily Gray’s mental acuity as clear as it seemed today?
He nodded but said nothing, afraid of what might be about to unfold.
“I was wrong, young man, and I owe you an apology for what I did. Ten years late, I’m afraid. But there it is.”
Matt was too stunned to respond.
Once again Lily stared deep into his eyes. “You’re still in love with her.”
“Yes.” He nodded, unable to offer anything else but the truth.
She shook her head very slowly. “Ten years ago I did what I thought was best for Anne. I chose to overlook the fact that you were the best thing for her.”
“I thought it was because I wasn’t...”
“Good enough? Did I say that? If I did, then I apologize again. No doubt I could have come up with any number of reasons. I didn’t want you to take Anne away from me. That was the bottom line. A very selfish decision on my part. All parties involved have paid the price for my choices. I can only hope you’ll forgive me and her.”
“Forgiveness is a decision. A step of faith. I’ve forgiven. The hard part is the pride.”
“A wise man, as well, I see. We’ve all got a mountain of pride that stands between us and happiness.”
“I’ve got a lot to learn, Ms. Gray.”
“Don’t we all?” She offered him an indulgent smile. “Anne is still in love with you, of course. Perhaps she hasn’t always realized that, but she’s had plenty of opportunities to marry. There have been suitors, but she turns them all away.”
He held his breath, knowing that he lived in a world where the other shoe always dropped. Would it today?
“I think you and I should come up with a solution to our problem.”
“What problem is that, ma’am?”
Lily waved a hand in the air and the voluminous sleeves of her white blouse waved in the breeze. “Oh, you know. The house, Anne, Claire and you.”
His head jerked back. “You know about the house?”
“Of course. I’m old, not dead.”
Matt coughed. “Yes. I mean no, ma’am.”
“I’ve gotten several phone calls from my so-called old friends who are angry because Anne and I are the only holdouts.” She frowned and her voice slowed as if she was trying to sort out the facts. “That is correct, isn’t it? We are the only holdouts.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I see.” She stared straight ahead through the woods, as if she could see the lake in her mind’s eye.
“I’m sorry to say that my company planned the road that will be going through here.”
“Progress. I used to be all about that, too, once. Made a living on it.” Lily shrugged. “The town needs that road, I imagine.”
“It does.”
“Then progress will prevail. So the obvious thing to do is to find a way around the situation.”
“A way around?”
“Of course. I know people in the valley, lots of people in the construction industry. Surely putting our heads together we can fix this.”
“I don’t know. I’ve put my head together with a half dozen people lately and haven’t come up with a viable option.”
“But none of them were Lily Gray.”
“True. What did you have in mind?”
“They want the land and we want the house. It seems obvious.”
Matt blinked and then was very still as her words penetrated. “You want to move the house?”
“As I said, you’re a very clever man.”
“There are quite a lot of details that encompass moving a house.”
“Such as?”
“The cost is pretty hefty, especially when you consider both the size and age of this particular house. Then we’ve
got to find enough land to do justice to your Victorian.”
“Don’t forget the rose garden. That must come, as well. Some of those blooms are as old as this house.”
“Ma’am, this is a huge undertaking you’re talking about.”
“Yes, but what’s that saying? About attempting something large enough that failure is guaranteed without God’s help?”
“That’s pretty much how it goes.”
“And theoretically if all your details were attended to, it is a possibility. Correct?”
“Details? Yes. That’s right.” He said the words slowly, afraid of what might be coming next.
Lily was lost in deep thought for moments.
Matt cleared his throat and she looked up. “Does your niece... I mean does Anne...?”
“Does she know that I am aware of the situation?”
Matt nodded.
“No, she’s protecting me. Isn’t that sweet? She’s been protecting me for far too long. I’m not as frail as she thinks. My mind may be Swiss cheese some days, but the rest of me will hang in there for quite a few more years.”
Matt didn’t know what to say to that.
Lily met his gaze. “It’s time to shake things up around here. Time for her to have a life of her own.”
Once again Matt didn’t know what to say so he remained silent, desperately trying to determine if Lily was lucid or leading him down a rabbit hole.
“Overdue, too. Don’t you think?”
“Um...” He floundered for an answer.
She glanced at the antique silver watch on her thin wrist. “Goodness, look at the time, you’d better get going if you’re going to stop her.”
“Stop who?”
“Anne.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Anne and Claire have gone into town for lunch at Patti Jo’s. Then Anne is going to sign the contract to allow the town to take the house in thirty days.”
He stood and scratched his head. “You want me to stop her?”
“Of course I do, and while you’re gone I’ll get the ball rolling.”
“Rolling how?
“It’s time for Lily Gray to call in a few favors.” She waved a regal hand in the air. “I’ve got things under control, don’t you worry. Sometimes it takes people a little bit of time to realize I mean business.” Lily narrowed her eyes. “I always mean business.”
Love Inspired January 2016, Box Set 1 of 2 Page 52
