Natasha's Legacy

by Heather Greenis

  The Natasha Saga

  Natasha’s Legacy, Book 4

  By

  Heather Greenis

  Digital ISBNs:

  EPUB 9781772990287

  Kindle 9781772990294

  WEB PDF 9781772990300

  Print ISBN 9781772990317

  Copyright 2015 by Heather Greenis

  Cover art by Michelle Lee Copyright 2015

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book

  * * *

  Dedication

  To my husband, Doug, and niece, Kelsi Morris. For reading, rereading and offering suggestions to make my dream a reality. To my family and friends for all your support.

  I love you all.

  To the team at Books We Love.

  Jude, for opening the publishing door and investing in me and my story. Thank you.

  Chapter One

  Present Day

  The loud hum of unfamiliar chatter tore Keeghan out of her slumber. Laughing and yelling. Prying her eyes open, she vaguely remembered they were in Kassima, and the time difference. Too much of a time change. Shut up, she willed the people in the hall. I need sleep. Turning her head, she shifted her attention to her husband. Nothing woke Will from a deep sleep. “What I’d give to sleep as soundly as you do,” she grumbled. She rolled over, settled her head on her pillow, and snuggled her back into Will’s chest.

  An hour later, she began to wake, yawning. Without opening her eyes, she extended her hand, feeling around the bed for Will. “Where is he?”

  Focusing on her surroundings, she heard running water. Will was either in the shower or shaving. Opening her eyes, she saw the television in their hotel room, and the navy patterned bedspread on the queen-size bed. Rolling onto her side, she tried to focus on the clock radio on Will’s side of the bed. “Eight o’clock. Will allowed me to sleep in.”

  * * *

  Will was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the news on television when Keeghan stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body. She paused to admire the picture he made in his dark shorts and burgundy silk golf shirt.

  “I had another dream,” she informed him.

  Will turned the television off.

  “Now, where did the previous dream leave off?” she questioned him.

  “Hope married her university friend and Stewart fell in love again. You left me feeling sorry for the poor dude. Izabella turned down his proposal.”

  “Right. They renovated and put a huge addition on the orphanage, and Stewart and Izabella moved in with Hope and Adam.”

  “They got married after all?”

  “Nope.”

  “Seriously?” He raised his eyebrows. “They just shacked up? Living in sin? Tsk, tsk. Why buy the cow for a little milk.”

  “Why buy the pig for just a little wiener?”

  “Touché. One for Keeghan. Just remember, this little piggy loves the … I’m not about to call you a cow, love.”

  “Smart decision. Anyway, yup. They shacked up, but that wasn’t common knowledge. Only the immediate family knew the truth.”

  “Hmm!”

  Will dug out the notebook from his briefcase, ready to scribble some notes as Keeghan removed denim walking shorts and a short-sleeved red top from her suitcase. She began chatting about her dream.

  Their conversation continued during breakfast and the drive to the university. Keeghan discussed Hope’s miscarriages and the birth of their son and their daughter. Alexander Stewart, named in honour of his grandfathers, and then Rose Alisha. Their son, a shy Venderkemp, their daughter, a true outspoken Donovan. By the end of the dream, Alex, the shy quiet one had been engaged to a woman the family detested. This relationship shattered the close bond the brother and sister once shared.

  “Hope is married with two kids, and Alex and Rose are typical teenagers,” he confirmed, “although you would know more about sibling rivalry than I would. Please tell me you’re willing to have more than one kid.”

  They had discussed the topic. She wanted two kids. “One at a time, Will. If they turn out like you—”

  “You’ll want at least six or eight.” He smiled and winked at her. “Are you ready to look at more archives?” he asked, as he pulled into the university parking lot.

  “You’re funny. You’re far more enthusiastic than I expected. I enjoyed studying history in school, you didn’t. I thought once you spent ten minutes in the library, it would be like pulling teeth trying to get you to continue.”

  “I’m maturing.” A false grin appeared on his face before he turned his attention back to finding a parking spot. “To be honest, I want to see pictures of both Alex and Rose Venderkemp.”

  “There's a spot,” she stating, pointing.

  “I need a general time-frame, Keegh. How long would it have been after Hope graduated before Alex would have attended?”

  They got out of the rental sedan and Keeghan reached for Will's hand.

  “They waited a year after their marriage and then suffered two terrible miscarriages. Hope almost lost her life. To be honest, I’d like to see pictures of Christine, Richard, and Elaine. And Rose’s boyfriend and both of Alex’s girlfriends.”

  “Then that will be one of our goals, my love. What were their surnames?”

  “Christine … Elaine McClaire and Richard … ugh.” Keeghan paused and gave it some thought. She placed her hands on her head. “I don’t remember hearing them. She squeezed a handful of hair and scowled. “Crap. That pisses me off.”

  “Take a deep breath, love.” Will put his hand on her shoulder. “This is how the whole search started. You couldn’t remember Natasha’s last name.”

  She smiled. “You’re the best. You’re so supportive of … everything. Once we begin looking at the school books, I’m hoping something in my memory clicks.”

  They entered the library, acquired the reference books for the period, then walked to the section with tables, sat down, and began flipping pages. A half hour later, Will touched Keeghan’s hand. Looking toward him, he was beaming with pride.

  “I found their son.”

  Keeghan leaned over and saw the name Alexander Stewart Venderkemp—business / psychology. Then she looked at the picture. “Agh! That’s Alexander,” she gasped.

  “Yeah. I told you that.”

  “No, Will. That’s Alexander. The man who’s telling the story in my dream. I knew it. I need to get him to talk to me. Not as a narrator, but to really talk to me and provide some clarification. I must be dense, but I have no idea why this story is important to me.”

  “If you get to dream about this guy, I get to dream about Hope or Natasha.”

  Keeghan sat back in her chair and smiled. “I’m sure you would have a great conversation with both of them, but I doubt you’d remember it in the morning.”

  “Who cares? I’d enjoy it while it lasted.” He winked at her and then focused on the picture. “If you think back to your dream, is Alex in his late teens … early twenties?”

  She pulled herself back to the table looked at the picture. “I don’t think so. He seems a bit older than that.” She looked up at her husband. “Come to think of it, this makes sense. He broke up with the bitchy Elaine. It isn’t the greatest time in his life. I hope this means the best is yet to come for Alex. I like him. A little dense and naive, but he has a good heart. He has the potential to be a sweetheart.”

  “If I were to invade someone’s dreams and pick a part
icular time frame, I recall that our lives weren’t a bed of roses until your father decided I was a decent guy.”

  “No. It wasn’t awful, but nothing like it is today. You enjoy seeing my family now as much as I do. I must admit, I wouldn’t be too impressed if one of our kids brought someone like Elaine home either.” She stared at the school picture of Alex. “Don’t let Alex and Elaine reconcile.”

  “You think that’s a possibility?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Stay tuned for my next dream to figure that one out. In the meantime, back to the books. I’m sure you’re just as curious as I am to see Elaine’s picture.”

  Will nodded and continued turning pages. An hour later, they were both yawning but no further ahead in their search. They finished the books they were looking through and went back to the beginning. After another hour of searching, they were no further ahead.

  “Shit, did we miss Elaine’s name? It isn’t mentioned anywhere.”

  “What are the chances Elaine didn’t graduate?” Keeghan questioned. “Her father paid to get her admitted, but that wouldn’t guarantee a degree. Depending on what we find here, we’ll go to the library or wherever archives are kept and search through old newspapers.”

  “Good idea. We’re assuming she went back to university after the breakup. If word got out it wasn’t her choice, but his, that would be humiliating. There is always the possibility they reconciled and got married.” Will closed the book. “We won’t know that until your next dream either. Would it be wrong to assume Elaine and Alex relieved Adam and Hope of their duties once they were married, had a few children, and lived happily ever after? Alex and Tom managed the orphanage and Elaine became a mom. Given the dates of these books, the First World War ended about five years ago. I’m surprised good old cousin Matthew didn’t go off to fight. Perhaps they were too far south for that. That’s a history lesson that’ll have to wait for another day.”

  Silent, Keeghan sat back in her chair and took a deep breath, thinking about Will’s comment. The war had never been mentioned in her dream, making it seem a world away. “I never even thought about the war. This story would have been a lot different if they lived in Germany. Somehow I don’t think I would be enjoying my dreams as much. I remember reading The Diary of Anne Frank and later watching the movie. That poor family. Living in fear.”

  “I know. I didn’t read the book but I did watch the movie. My heart ached for that family. For all the people affected.”

  “We live in a crazy world, Will. Greed and power dominate this planet. Sad thing is, we haven’t learned a damn thing. Travel back in history. Everything has changed and nothing has changed. We have seen too many wars. Today, politicians are still creating havoc. The news is full of sad, depressing … stuff.”

  “I hear ya. I swear a politician’s motto is ‘give to the rich and to hell with the poor.’ I swear, for a lot of Conservative politicians, all they think or care about is me, me, me. If it doesn’t affect them personally, it doesn’t matter. Work a few years, get a full pension, and don’t give a shit about anyone you hurt along the way. We need a leader, with a heart and a brain.”

  Keeghan nodded, regretting opening a topic that made her happy-go-lucky husband fume.

  “This conversation is too depressing,” Will groaned. “Enough. Canada has a new leader, and a new party in power. Fingers are crossed for the promised change. I’m getting tired and my eyes are sore. I haven’t looked through this many books since my university days.”

  Keeghan sat up and looked at the books in front of her. “I’m not ready to give up, not yet. Give me a bit more time. Chances are Rose Venderkemp went to Picton like the rest of her family.”

  “Alex's baby sister. It would be a shame not to find a picture of the young, spunky one.”

  Will opened the next book and began scanning the names and faces. A half hour later, they still hadn’t found anything useful. Will put his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his palm. A slight scowl marred his face, showing his boredom. Keeghan was pushing her luck keeping him in the room. Then a huge smile broke free. He sat up straight. Keeghan looked over his shoulder and saw a picture of a stunning brunette and the caption—Rose Alisha Venderkemp

  “Wow. I think we found your friend’s baby sister. Rose Alisha. I like the name Alisha. Give it some thought for a daughter.”

  “Alisha for a daughter, and Alexander for a son. Perhaps we’ll have two daughters. Alisha and Alexandra.” Keeghan glanced toward Will. He wasn’t paying attention to her, but looking at the youngest Venderkemp.

  “What an attractive family,” Will remarked. “I’m not surprised the orphanage had volunteers. I would’ve volunteered too.”

  Keeghan covered her face with her hand, muffling her chuckle, not wanting to get lectured by the librarian. “Hey, if the orphanage exists today, you still could. I’m sure they still require volunteers, although it’d be a nasty commute. Jump on a plane Friday night after work, volunteer Saturday and Sunday, and take the red eye home for work on Monday morning. I hate to burst your bubble, but you might be a bit disappointed when you discover neither Hope nor Rose are living in the building.”

  “Ha, ha, ha. Aren’t you comical. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that future Venderkemps are alive and well and managing the orphanage.” Covering his mouth with his hand, he opened his eyes even wider. “Oops, almost forgot. I already have a beautiful bride.”

  “You nut. Wouldn’t it be incredible if the Venderkemp Orphanage is still in existence? The librarian would know. I’d love to go see the building if it’s still standing.” Little thrills of excitement tingled up her spine.

  Will stifled a yawn, stretched, and then rubbed his eyes. They were both exhausted from spending too much time indoors.

  “We should go back to the hotel, freshen up, and go for a long walk. Tomorrow is another day. I’m not used to sitting in one spot, staring at books all day.”

  “Missing your golf clubs, are you?” Keeghan closed her book and added it to a pile for Will to take to the librarian. Getting to her feet, her legs and lower back were stiff and her butt a bit tender from sitting. “Ugh,” she grumbled, placing her hands on her lower back.

  “You’re making old noises,” Will teased.

  “Hush. You’re used to sitting with your clients or walking the golf course. I’m used to shuffling on my feet. I don’t think I have enough padding on my butt to sit on such hard chairs.”

  Will’s eyes shifted to her bottom. “Looks perfect to me.”

  “Take the books back,” she ordered.

  Will was smiling as he grabbed the pile of archives.

  Walking to the counter, he enquired about the local orphanage. The woman gave him directions before he and Keeghan left the building.

  Keeghan was grinning as they walked out of the door. "I'm so glad that woman knows where the orphanage is."

  “Me too. And she was able to give us decent directions to boot.”

  “I need to go for a walk and stretch. I don’t want to go to the car yet.”

  “Lead the way, Ms. Kinsdale.”

  He hardly ever called her that, but knew she hated the term Mrs. Kinsdale. That was her mother. It was the only downfall to keeping her maiden name when they got married.

  “I’d love another guided tour of the Picton University grounds,” he continued.

  Once outside, Keeghan glanced around and admired the architecture.

  “I always enjoyed walking the grounds of the university in B.C. with the trees and manicured gardens, but these buildings have more character due to their age.”

  “Yup. Pretty impressive, aren’t they.”

  They enjoyed a leisurely walk, returned to the hotel for a relaxing dinner, and then went to bed early after the exhausting day.

  * * *

  Keeghan’s Dream

  Thrilled when she saw Alexander sitting under the tree, she knew the saga would continue. With William beside her, she reached for her husband’s hand and wal
ked toward their friend. Constable dashed a few feet ahead, her tongue lolling out in welcome. Studying Alex’s features, he appeared to be five or ten years older than she recalled from the books in the library.

  “Alexander, this is the story of your own life,” she squealed.

  “Alex broke his engagement with Elaine,” Alexander reminded them.

  “I have so many questions…,” Keeghan blurted.

  The large screen appeared, showing Alex in the orphanage, working with the children. Afraid of missing an important detail of the story, Keeghan settled on the blanket between Alexander and Will. They watched and listened as the story continued to unfold.

  Chapter Two

  It took weeks to gain even a slight amount of confidence, but slowly, Alex began communicating with school chums again. Returning their telephone calls and chatting with them, it was reassuring to know they were very supportive of his decision to break off the engagement.

  Richard, Rose’s friend spent a great deal of time at the orphanage that summer. Alex cherished his time with Richard and their friendship quickly grew into a close bond. They played with the children and Alex joined Rose and Richard for long walks around the property. Rose continually pointed out attractive volunteers, but Alex ignored her suggestions. “I’ve made two mistakes. I will not make a third,” he reminded her during a walk.

  “Your heart must be yearning for a companion.”

  “That will stop. I will find fulfilment dedicating my time and energy to the orphanage.”

  “Augh,” Rose grumbled in a tone louder than necessary.

  Rose received her acceptance letter and that fall began her first year at Picton University while Richard returned for his final year. Alex’s sister enjoyed the social aspect of school, meeting new friends and spending time with her beau when they weren’t in class.