The Way Home

by Eliana West

  “Will you stay with me tonight? Not to…I just don’t want to be by myself. I can’t stop thinking about Ada Mae being locked in that room.”

  Taylor cupped her face with his hands and wiped away her tears. “Of course, sweetheart.”

  When she finished getting ready for bed there was a knock on her door.

  “Come in,” she called out.

  Taylor came in wearing a T-shirt and flannel pajama pants. He smiled when he saw the black tank top and flannel pajama pants in the same blue and gray that he was wearing. “It looks like my fashion sense is rubbing off on you.”

  She reached up and ran her hands over her head scarf. “Sorry it’s not very attractive but it beats having a tangled mess in the morning.”

  Taylor came over and rubbed the silk between his fingers. “It’s not what you wear that makes you beautiful, Jo.”

  She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of lemon and pine that clung to his skin from his shower.

  He dropped his hands and rubbed her arms. “Are you sure you want me here? I’m not sure I’m the right person to be with you right now.”

  Confused, she asked, “Why wouldn’t I want you here?”

  “I’m afraid I’ll remind you of…him.”

  Jo shook her head. “No, you won’t. Don’t you see? You’re the only one who understands. You know about Ada Mae. No one else knows her the way we do. I…I need you here.”

  He swallowed and gave a jerky nod. His voice was gruff but tender when he spoke. “You look exhausted. It’s been an emotional day. Let’s get you into bed.”

  Taylor pulled back the covers and she climbed in. He turned off the light and got in next to her. She held her breath, not sure what to do until he patted his side. “Come here, sweetheart.”

  She scooted over and rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart, and sighed. “Thank you for staying with me.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, Jo. I’ll be here for you even if you don’t need my help or want it. I’ll stand by and support you.”

  Jo lifted her chin and looked up at Taylor’s profile in the moonlight. “I don’t want you to stand by; I want you to stand with me and I want you.”

  He turned so that their eyes met. “Jo, I want you so badly but I won’t make love to you tonight. You asked me to stay with you and I’m going to keep my word. We’ll talk some more tomorrow. If we keep talking and sharing our feelings then we’ll know when the time is right.”

  Jo nodded and put her head back down on his chest. “We’ll take it slow.”

  He pulled her close, rubbing his chin against the silk scarf covering her head. “Go to sleep. Tomorrow will be here soon enough.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The news of their discovery brought even more pressure from the network to start filming the show again. But first they had to contend with all of the inquiries and requests from historians, preservation experts and media outlets who were all eager to come and see Ada Mae’s room. Jo was understandably concerned about letting anyone near the room and Taylor felt the same way. They left it untouched until the experts that they had invited could come and document everything in detail. In the end they invited a young woman who was a professor of African American studies at Princeton, a representative from the Mississippi Historical Society, and historic preservation expert from the Smithsonian from the numerous inquiries they had received.

  The one welcome visitor arrived that morning when his brother Dylan showed up on their doorstep.

  “Dylan, what in the world are you doing here?”

  “I told you I’d try to visit,” he said with a smile that couldn’t hide the exhaustion in his voice or the dark circles under his eyes.

  Taylor had never seen his brother like this before and he was anxious to find out what was going on.

  “We have a visitor,” he announced leading his brother into the kitchen where Jo was working at her laptop.

  “Dylan,” Jo exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. “What’s wrong?” she asked, looking at his haggard face.

  Dylan shook his head. “I just needed a break and I figured if I was going to take some time off I might as well come visit my little brother.”

  “How long can you stay?” Taylor asked.

  “For a while I guess.”

  “Dylan, come sit down,” Jo ordered.

  Taylor sat down next to him. “What’s going on, Dylan?”

  “I took a leave of absence from the hospital,” he said blowing out a shaky breath.

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t…I’m not ready to talk about it right now.”

  Jo set a cup of tea in front of him with a pat on the shoulder.

  Dylan nodded his thanks. Taylor exchanged a worried glance with Jo when he saw his brother’s hand shaking as he brought the cup to his lips.

  “Do Mom and Dad know that you’re here?” Taylor asked.

  “Yeah.” He started blinking rapidly. “They said they understand but I can’t help feeling like I’ve let them down.”

  “Naw, that’s my job,” Taylor said with a wry smile.

  “That’s not true,” Jo said quietly.

  “She’s right—that’s not true. I know they don’t express it well but Mom and Dad are proud of you,” Dylan said.

  “Well, we’re not talking about me. This is about you, and I’m going to throw your own words back: Mom and Dad are proud of you and I’m sure they understand if you need to take a break.”

  Dylan nodded. “Thanks,” he said in a hoarse whisper.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Taylor replied.

  “Do I get a tour of all the work you’ve done?” Dylan asked looking around the room, clearly trying to change the subject.

  “Work on the house has been almost nonexistent lately but we do have something special to show you.”

  He couldn’t wait to see the expression on his brother’s face when he saw the secret room.

  “Wow,” Dylan said in an awed voice. He looked through the narrow doorway into Ada Mae’s room. “This is incredible. I can’t believe all the times we played in these rooms and we never knew.”

  “I know, you always hear about secrets hiding in the walls of old homes but I never expected anything like this,” Taylor said.

  Dylan walked over to the desk and crouched down in front of it with his head cocked. “Doesn’t this look familiar?”

  Taylor narrowed his eyes, studying the elegant lines of the small piece. “It looks familiar, but I can’t figure out where I’ve seen a piece like this before.”

  “Well, you’re the expert when it comes to antiques. I’m sure you’ll figure it out sooner or later.” Dylan stood up and turned in a circle. “What happens next?”

  “We’ve invited a few experts and scholars to come and advise us on the best way to preserve it,” Jo said.

  “We’ve been learning a lot about the history of this house and the people who lived here.” He glanced at Jo. “I have to admit I only ever thought about the colonel’s story and not about anyone else who lived here.”

  Jo smiled at him. “You’re learning now and that’s what matters.”

  Taylor and Jo explained what they knew about Ada Mae and the colonel. They showed him the copies of the slave schedule Callie made for them.

  “There’s more.” He hesitated and then told Dylan about how he and Jo had the same dream where they both saw the ceiling painted to look like the sky in the small parlor.

  When he finished Dylan stared at the two of them with his forehead wrinkled. “I’m a doctor—I work with science and facts. I have to admit I’m struggling with this.”

  “I know it sounds crazy but it’s true,” Jo said.

  “I’ve never understood what you love about this place.”

  “And I’ve never understood why you don’t love it,” Taylor replied.

  Jo put her hand on Taylor’s arm. “Not everyone will love the house the way we do and that’s okay.”

>   Their eyes met and a look of understanding passed between them. They shared a special connection that no one else needed to understand but the two of them. Jo’s cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink as he looked into her eyes. Dylan cleared his throat and looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

  When Jo excused herself to take a call, his brother rested his elbows on the table and looked at him.

  “It looks like things are going well between you.”

  “They are. But we’re taking it slow this time.”

  “That look between you just now didn’t look slow.”

  Taylor shifted in his seat. “It’s Jo’s choice. She decides if and when we sleep together.”

  “Not that my opinion matters but I approve.”

  It was almost a week before Taylor and Jo were able to persuade Dylan to join them for a night out at the Buckthorn. His brother still looked exhausted but the tension in his face had eased over the last few days and he was starting to smile a lot more than he did when he first arrived.

  Taylor looked down at his side. Jo had dressed in a dark plum silk blouse she paired with skinny jeans. Her hair fell in soft waves around her face that wasn’t overly made-up. Taylor’s eyes zeroed in on the plum lip gloss that tempted him to kiss her.

  Reid waved to them from behind the bar, while Mr. Wallace—the owner of the Buckthorn—scowled at Taylor when they walked in. Taylor asked her to grab a table while he ordered. Walking away, she glanced over her shoulder to see Taylor offering his hand to Mr. Wallace.

  Word had traveled pretty fast about Jo’s letters being taken by Tessa and there were quite a few folks around who had made it known they were upset on Jo’s behalf. He’d been doing a lot of apologizing over the last couple of weeks.

  “Well, I suppose that could have gone worse,” Taylor said returning to the table with a tray of beers.

  Dylan’s eyes roamed around the room. “I’ve always wondered what it was like in here. I always pictured it being like a back room in an old black-and-white mobster movie.”

  “I used to imagine the same thing,” Taylor said.

  Jo scooted next to him and he kept his arm wrapped around her waist, reveling in the feeling of her body against his while the three of them talked.

  Mae appeared at their table, looking down at his arm wrapped around Jo. “Okay, this is new.”

  Taylor squeezed her knee under the table. She looked at him with a smile.

  “Be nice,” Jacob said arriving with a handful of beers. “Callie and Dax will be here soon.”

  Sure enough Callie and Dax walked in. Dax went over to talk to his brother Reid at the bar while Callie came over to the table.

  “It’s good to see y’all here.” Dax joined them. “The whole town is buzzing about the room that you found.”

  “We have three experts coming to see the room to start with and advise us on conservation. We don’t want too many people coming in and out. It’s important to make sure everything is preserved properly.”

  “That sounds like a sound plan.” Jacob nodded.

  “Of course you’re all welcome to come and see,” Taylor offered.

  “It’s good to see you again, Dax. I heard you got married—congratulations,” Dylan said.

  Taylor made introductions around the table. When he got to Mae she said, “The doctor?” Mae sat up straighter.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Dylan said.

  Mae launched into an interrogation, grilling Dylan about what kind of medicine he practiced.

  “We used to have a clinic here but our last doctor retired several years ago. We need a good clinic for the town,” Mae said with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

  “I can keep an ear out for anyone who might be interested,” Dylan offered.

  Mae sighed with disappointment. “Thank you, that would be great.”

  “You can’t rebuild Colton all at once. It’s going to take time but you’re doing a good job.” Jacob patted her arm.

  Taylor took note of how Jacob’s hand lingered before he pulled it away. He’d talk to Dylan about the clinic later. He’d try to get his brother to take a look while he was here and give some guidance on updating the equipment and anything else the facility would need.

  “Hey, Ashton.” Dax waved over a man who had just waked in. “Dylan, this is Ashton Beaumont. He manages the bank.”

  “Hey, everyone, mind if I join you?”

  “I heard about that secret room y’all found.” Ashton leaned forward. “You know my sister thinks that place is haunted.”

  “Sometimes I wonder the same thing,” Taylor said.

  The door opened and Ashton’s face fell. “Oh Lord, I’m sorry y’all.”

  A young woman with brassy blond hair headed their way, bringing a collective groan from everyone at the table. She was wearing jeans with rhinestones, a bright red T-shirt covered in silver stars, silver cowboy boots and way too much perfume.

  Mae leaned toward Jo and whispered, “You know what they say. The bigger the hair, the closer to God.”

  Jo’s eyebrows shot up. “What in the world is that?” she asked tipping her head in the woman’s direction.

  “That is my sister Presley,” Ashton said.

  The young woman stopped at another table, glancing toward where they sat with a frown and a flip of her hair.

  “Presley Beaumont is Colton’s resident beauty queen, troublemaker and all-round fool,” Mae said in a loud whisper. Callie poked her cousin in the ribs. “Sorry, Ash,” Mae sighed.

  “You’re not wrong.” Ashton took a large swig of his beer.

  “Is there a reason why she keeps looking this way?” Taylor asked.

  Ashton eyed his sister. “She’s calculatin’,” he concluded. “She’s fixin’ to come over and put the moves on you. She just hasn’t figured out her plan of attack yet.”

  “It helps that you’re sitting with us. It gives you a bit of cover.” Dax smirked.

  “Why is that?” Taylor asked.

  “Ever since she was a little girl, Presley thought Dax here belonged to her. She wasn’t too happy when he thwarted her plans for him and fell in love with Callie. A much better choice, by the way.” Ashton lifted his glass in salute toward Callie. “She usually tries to avoid Callie.”

  Sure enough after a few moments Presley fluffed her hair, straightened her shoulders and made a beeline for their table.

  “Ash, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” she asked batting her eyelashes at Taylor.

  “No,” Ashton said.

  Taylor coughed a laugh while Jo scooted closer and wrapped her arm around his.

  Ashton’s sister pouted in a way that Taylor suspected she thought made her look sexy, but only succeeded in making it look like she’d had her lips done by a bad plastic surgeon.

  “I am so sorry about my brother’s rude behavior—I’m Presley Beaumont.” She held out her hand with a limp wrist as if Taylor was meant to kiss it instead of shake it.

  He shook her hand and then waited for her to introduce herself to Jo. But she completely ignored her and kept her focus on him.

  “I hear y’all are fixin’ up Halcyon.” Presley’s eyes glittered with excitement under a pound of sparkly blue eyeshadow. “I have a ton of friends who can’t wait to have their wedding receptions there. I was thinkin’ if you needed help decorating I have a lot of ideas. Oh—” she clapped her hands “—and wouldn’t it make it so authentic if y’all hired some actors to work out in the field pickin’ cotton and to walk around serving mint juleps.”

  Taylor looked at Presley in horror, while Ashton banged his head on the table.

  Mae started to stand up muttering, “Oh not she didn’t.” Jacob grabbed her and forced her to sit back down with a look of absolute delight on his face.

  “Presley, I don’t think I can hold her for long so I’d suggest you run,” Jacob said while Mae struggled in his arms.

  “Y’all ain’t right,” someone muttered in Presley’s direction as they walked past
their table.

  Jo’s grip tightened on his arm while Presley grinned at him as if she should be thanked for her idea.

  He didn’t think of himself as a guy with a big ego but he couldn’t help feeling satisfied at the glint of jealousy he saw in Jo’s eyes and the possessive hold she had on him.

  He was just about to tell Presley exactly what she could do with her idea when a low deep voice said, “Miss Beaumont, I’d like to have a word with you.”

  Everyone looked up to see Isiah, still in his sheriff’s uniform, standing behind Ashton’s sister with his arms folded in front of him, staring at her with a thunderous expression.

  Presley gaped at him and before she could respond he grasped her by the elbow and pulled her out to the patio. Everyone at the table watched through the window while he pointed in her face, clearly giving her the talking-to she deserved. Presley was nowhere to be seen when Isiah came back in and dropped down at the table with a frown.

  “My apologies,” he said.

  “No apology needed.” Ashton handed him a shot glass. “If anything I’d like to offer my thanks.”

  “I knew there were people who thought that way but…wow that was awful.” Taylor shook his head.

  “I hate to say it, but she’s not the only one,” Dax added.

  Jo gave Taylor a worried look.

  “You let me know if you have any problems with anyone at the house,” Isiah said.

  “We haven’t even talked about having the house open to visitors. But, it’s not just my decision and I’ll be happy with whatever Jo decides.”

  Jo looked at him when she said, “It’s our decision.”

  They were a team and a good one. But he wanted Jo as more than just a partner in Halcyon. He wanted her as a partner in life.

  It was good to see his brother relax and have a good time. Taylor looked around at the group at the table and realized he hadn’t had a night out like this in longer than he could remember. He glanced down at where Jo kept her hand on his arm while she chatted with everyone. It was moments like these that had been missing from his life and sharing them with Jo made them just that much better.