When they approached the bathroom, she ended their kiss and popped inside to grab the bag she’d left on the floor. Dakota’s lips came down on hers again the moment she exited the room. His mouth didn’t leave hers again until they both fell onto his bed.
***
After stretching, Angie moved onto her side and threw an arm over Dakota’s waist. “I have no idea what time it is, do you?”
He glanced at his watch, the only thing currently on his body besides her. Whatever blankets were usually on the bed were now on the floor, along with his jeans and her T-shirt. “Almost midnight.” Instead of tucking the arm behind his head again, he touched her hand resting his stomach. “Do you want me to drive you home?”
It’d been at least a year since she’d woken up in the morning with a man. Her last boyfriend had never stayed the night at her place, and she’d never wanted to stay at his. Tonight she didn’t want to stay anywhere but Dakota’s bed. “I’d rather stay.”
“Good, because I want you here.” Rolling from the bed, he collected the blankets from the floor. “If you want something to sleep in, I can get you a T-shirt.”
She often slept naked at home and simply added extra blankets if she got cold. Dakota gave off enough body heat that she wouldn’t need to worry about getting chilly tonight. “Nah, I prefer sleeping like this. But if I get cold, I’ll use you as my personal heater.”
He tossed the blankets back on the bed before climbing in and pulling her close. “What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“Nothing specific.” She fought to stifle a yawn. Until a few moments ago, she’d been wide awake, but now her eyes didn’t want to stay open.
Next to her, Dakota yawned too. “I want to stop at the hospital and see Jessie and Mack. But afterward I was thinking about going for a hike. Do you want to come?”
The last time she’d gone on a hike, she’d been seven years old. Her Girl Scout troop had gone on a nature hike to earn one of their badges. Angie remembered enjoying the excursion, but it could’ve been because she’d been with some of her closest friends.
“Sure, I’ll give it a try.” She didn’t try to fight the next yawn as her eyes drifted closed.
Chapter Eleven
With the whole weekend off from both jobs, Shane had driven up to the Mount Washington area Friday night and checked into a motel. Then yesterday he’d met Cathy, the local real estate agent helping him find a house. They’d spent much of the day looking at homes. Some he’d found listed on the internet, and others Cathy thought he’d be interested in. Of the eight they’d looked at, only one had come close to being right, and it had been slightly out of the price range he hoped to stay in. Between working two jobs and the inheritance his grandparents left him when they passed away, he had a decent amount saved. If he had to use all of it for a down payment, he would. Shane wanted their home to be perfect, but if possible, he’d rather avoid emptying his savings account completely while still having a low mortgage.
This morning after checking out of the motel and grabbing a quick breakfast at a local mom-and-pop restaurant, he met Cathy at her office again for another day of house hunting. So far they’d seen two. The first he’d crossed off his list the moment they pulled into the driveway. Whoever had taken the photos of the house had done some Photoshop magic or something, because the house and property barely resembled what he’d seen on the real estate site. The second home had been nice. It had a decent view of the mountains, something he most definitely wanted, but the closet in his current bedroom was bigger than the home’s second bedroom. When they had children, he didn’t want their son or daughter getting claustrophobic every time they went to bed. Ideally, he wanted a bigger yard as well. It didn’t need to be the size of a football field or anything, but he wanted enough land to set up a swing set and maybe a pool while still having some open space.
“I know you wanted something in Conway or Albany, but when this listing came up, I immediately thought of you.” Cathy glanced at him before turning her attention back to the road.
He’d picked Conway because Door2Door Express had a distribution center located there. He’d already looked into what he needed to do so he could work out of the center up here instead of the one out of Danvers. He’d also put Conway at the top of his list of towns because it was a popular tourist spot. In the winter people came up to ski and snowmobile. In the warmer months, tourists visited to go camping and hiking. With so many people coming to visit, the area had numerous restaurants. If he wanted to earn a little extra money waiting tables, he’d be able to find a second job without any trouble.
When they passed a sign welcoming them to Jefferson, New Hampshire, Shane checked his watch. It had taken them an hour and fifteen minutes to get from the property in Conway to the town. He’d prefer a shorter commute to and from work every day, but he considered anything less than two hours manageable, especially if there wasn’t traffic. Regardless of the time or the day of the week, there shouldn’t be too much traffic between Conway and Jefferson.
The real estate agent turned left onto a dirt road with no street sign. Trees stretched out on both sides of the road. As far as Shane could tell, there were no driveways cutting through the forest, and he didn’t see any homes.
“There are only two houses on this road.” She pointed toward the mailbox with a large B on it located at the end of the road. “Josh and Gina Bettencourt live up there. I graduated with Josh. They’re both friendly, and they have two children in elementary school.”
He didn’t plan on getting to know any of his neighbors, so whether or not they were friendly didn’t matter to him.
Cathy turned right and continued up a long narrow driveway surrounded on both sides by trees. “Josh’s brother Teddy and his wife own this house.”
She stopped in front of a log cabin-style home. A wide porch ran across the front of the house. A large floral wreath hung on the front door, and it matched the flowers in the planters set out on the porch. Off to one side, a large wooden swing set stood along with a green turtle-shaped sandbox and a trampoline.
“How many acres is the property?” As far as he could tell, there wasn’t any fencing to indicate where the property ended. In fact, all he saw were trees and the tops of the mountains in the distance, and all he heard were birds.
After removing the key from the lockbox, Cathy checked the listing in her hand. “Four and a half acres, and the property borders conservation land, so you won’t have to worry about any new constructions going in.”
So far everything about this place was perfect.
The front door opened into a large living room. An enormous stone fireplace occupied much of one wall, and he could see another door leading out to the backyard. A staircase hugged the wall leading up to the second level.
“The smallest of the three bedrooms is downstairs.” Cathy walked through the living room toward the kitchen. “There’s a half bathroom down here and two full bathrooms upstairs.”
He checked out the kitchen and the finished basement before heading upstairs. The walls in the master bedroom were a horrible light green, and a matching area rug covered the floor. But it was easy to change paint colors and replace area rugs. Before leaving the room, he peeked into the master bathroom. The whirlpool bathtub almost made up for the dreadful paint color on the walls in here too. But again, painting was easy and, if he did it himself, inexpensive.
Shane passed by the bathroom in the hallway and opened the last door. Unlike the other room, this one was painted blue and various dinosaurs were stuck to the walls. The comforters covering the two twin beds in the room also contained dinosaurs, and over each bed was a wall plaque with a boy’s name on it. Plenty of natural light came in through both the windows and the skylight in the ceiling. Some new paint and this room would make an ideal nursery.
“Are you ready to look around outside?”
“I don’t need to. You were right, this house is perfect. I want to make an offer on it.”
&nbs
p; “Excellent. Let’s go back to my office, and we can complete the necessary paperwork.”
He glanced around a final time before walking back into the hall.
It’d taken some searching, but he was one step closer. Soon he and Angie could leave North Salem behind for good.
***
Located about a mile from the high school, the North Salem Historical Society occupied what had once been the public library before the town constructed a new one fifteen years ago. Since the historical society was a nonprofit organization, the building didn’t have employees. Instead, volunteers maintained the collections and the organization’s website. The same volunteers conducted various programs, including ones on the history of North Salem as well as on tracing back your genealogy. With no employees, the building wasn’t open on a set schedule. Anyone interested in viewing the collections needed to contact Renee Adams, the secretary of the historical society, and set up an appointment. Angie reached out to the secretary right after finding the hidden room in her house. Once she had the appointment for today, she invited Mia along. As Angie expected, her sister had jumped at the chance to get inside and do some research.
Pulling in next to the only vehicle in the lot, Angie put the car in Park.
“When I asked Maureen to watch Natalie today, she mentioned the historical society has documents dating back to when the town was founded in 1680.” Excitement vibrated in Mia’s voice as she collected her purse off the floor and opened the car door.
With no idea how long they’d be here, Mia had asked her mother-in-law to watch Natalie. Today was actually the first time her sister had left Natalie with anyone other than Sean, and Angie expected Mia to either call or text Maureen several times while they were here.
“According to her, Evelyn Abbott’s ancestors were some of the first settlers here. Evelyn is the president of the historical society, and if not for her, the organization wouldn’t exist.” Her sister exited the car before Angie unplugged her cell phone.
With a slight groan, Angie stepped out. Although the intensity of her workouts varied depending on whether or not she was getting ready for a role, she exercised on a regular basis. Despite the hours in the gym, yesterday’s hike with Dakota had kicked her butt.
“Are you limping?” Mia had seen her pull up to the house, and she’d come right out before Angie got out of her car.
Angie nodded as she dropped her keys in her purse. “Muscles I didn’t even know I had hurt today.” She’d felt more like a hundred-year-old woman when she climbed out of bed this morning. And forget about getting down the stairs to the kitchen. Her hamstrings had burned with each step she took.
“Do I want to know why?”
By the time Dakota dropped her off last night, it had been too late to call Mia and give her sister a rundown of her weekend.
Climbing the steps to the door, she groaned again. “After we stopped at the hospital to visit Jessie and Mack yesterday, Dakota and I went hiking. I was okay until near the end, and then my legs got a little tired. But I wasn’t expecting to be this sore today.”
An older woman with tight silver curls greeted them when they walked in the building, putting an end to their personal conversation for the moment. Although she’d never met the woman, she remembered seeing her seated next to Mrs. Mitchell at the block party.
“Welcome.” Lips covered in coral-colored lipstick formed a smile as she extended her hand. “I’m June Martin, the historical society’s treasurer. Renee asked me to fill in for her today. She came down with some kind of stomach bug last night.” Her voice contained the same Bostonian accent shared by everyone who’d grown up in the area.
June Martin appeared fragile, but her handshake told a different story. “I’m Angie, and this is my sister Mia.”
Releasing her hand, June turned her full attention Mia’s way. “It’s nice to see you again. Maureen showed me pictures of Natalie last week at our bridge game. She’s beautiful. Is Maureen watching her this morning?”
Mia answered a few more questions before June seemed to remember why they were there. “When I spoke with Renee, she mentioned you’re looking for information about the home you recently purchased. Is there anything specific you want to know, or are you looking for general facts?”
“Specific. At the moment, all I know is the home was built in 1820 by Roger Franklin.” The historical registry plaque on the front of the home provided her with the basic information. “But I found something that makes me think the house might have been a stop on the Underground Railroad.”
“Really? Do you mind telling me what you found?” June’s face lit up with excitement. She was obviously a history buff like Mia.
“Behind what appears to be a built-in bookcase is a ladder. It leads up to a small windowless room in the attic. And the ladder is the only way to access it.” After finding the room, she’d gone up to the attic, but there was no door leading into the small room. In fact, nothing about the attic indicated the room even existed.
“Well, I definitely know of one home that was part of the underground here in town. It’s located on Blackthorne Road. There are also a few known stops in Salem, so it’s a possibility. We have a considerable amount of information on Roger Franklin downstairs. To date, he’s the only North Salem resident to serve in the United States Senate. Hopefully, Brett Sherbrooke will win the upcoming election and change that for us.”
The historical society’s treasurer led them downstairs and provided them with additional facts regarding Roger Franklin, including whom he’d married, where he’d gone to school, how many children he’d had, and when he’d passed away. “As far as I know, Roger never made his feelings on slavery public, so I cannot say for certain if he was for or against it. But I do know his eldest son, Nathan, was an attorney like his father and involved in the abolitionist movement.”
“What about his other children?” Mia pulled her cell phone from a pocket and checked the screen, no doubt looking for a text from Maureen, before shoving it back.
Switching on lights, June escorted them into a room filled with bookcases and maps. Old pictures of the town hung on the walls, and there were two worktables in the center of the room.
“Ida, his oldest daughter, married Patrick Milford, who later went on to be elected mayor of Boston. Neither of them publicly spoke about slavery. His younger son, George, worked as a Union doctor during the Civil War. After the war, he taught at Harvard. Roger’s youngest child, Martha, was involved in the women’s suffrage movement.”
June Martin was better than any internet site or encyclopedia.
“We have every book and map the library owns listed in the computer database. Many of North Salem’s official records have also been reproduced in digital format. You can access them either here or at home via our website.” She gestured toward the older-style desktop computer set up near the far wall. “If you need any help, I’ll be upstairs in the office. I have plenty of work to keep me busy for hours, so take your time today. And if you learn your home was part of the Underground Railroad, please let me know.”
Mia didn’t wait to get down to work. She dropped her purse on the table and went straight to the computer before June left the room. As she typed, she moved their conversation back to where it’d been before June greeted them upstairs. “Sean and I stopped in to see Jessie yesterday too. She didn’t mention that you and Dakota came in.”
Angie dragged a chair over to the computer and sat. Randomly pulling books off the shelves would be a waste of time, and with only one computer in the room, she couldn’t help her sister search the database. “We went early, not long after we got up.”
“We got up?” Mia looked away from the computer screen and in her direction. “Does that mean you guys had a sleepover after the block party?”
Whether it was because they were close in age or simply had similar personalities, they’d never kept things from each other. And while she might not share the details of her new relationship with Avery, she s
aw no reason not to share even some of the more intimate ones with Mia.
“I spent Saturday night at Dakota’s. Sunday we stopped at my house long enough for me to shower and change before heading over to the hospital. Then we went straight from there to Wachusett Mountain.”
“Sean and I have ridden his Harley up to the top of the mountain, but we’ve never hiked.” Mia turned her attention back to her search results. She jotted down the names and call numbers of several books and handed the list to her before writing down the information for five or six different books on another sheet of paper. “You work on finding those and I’ll locate this group.”
She’d never liked searching for nonfiction books in the library. Fiction books were easy as long as you knew the author’s last name, but she found using call numbers to track down books difficult. Mia, however, had no problem finding the titles on her list.
“I’m glad things are going well between you guys. I like Dakota a lot.”
Angie found the last item on her list, a book titled A History of the Franklin Family of Massachusetts, and joined Mia at a worktable.
“Do you guys have plans this week?” Mia didn’t bother to look up from what she was reading.
If she hoped to find any useful information, she’d have to follow her sister’s lead, which meant talking and reading at the same time. “Nothing concrete except Ella and Striker’s wedding on Saturday. Do you have a dress I can borrow?” She owned plenty of dresses appropriate for a wedding, but they were all still in California. With no special events on her calendar, she’d seen no reason to pack any of them.
“I have a few possibilities. You can check them out when you bring me home. If you don’t like any of them, Natalie and I can go shopping with you this week.”
“Even if I find something in your closet, let’s plan to go shopping this week. So far I’ve done a terrible job of spoiling my niece.”
When Love Strikes Page 12
