Where There’s a Will

by Beth Pattillo

  Kate wasn’t sure she liked the idea of getting in the middle of family feuds, not to mention approaching Oliver Coats on her own. Not after what Ellen had told her about him. “I doubt he’d just let me waltz in and poke around for the right painting.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that. You have a certain way about you that makes people open up.” Ellen reached over to squeeze Kate’s arm.

  Something in the other woman’s touch filled Kate’s heart with compassion. “Are you sure you want to get caught up in all of this? Maybe your grandmother was right, and you’d be better off staying out of it.”

  Ellen’s cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head. “I wish I could,” she said, lifting her eyes to meet Kate’s. “But my late husband and I...well, we weren’t always as frugal as we should have been.” She sighed. “The truth is, Kate, I really need my share of money from the sale of the land. My husband’s medical expenses were significant.”

  Suddenly Kate realized that Ellen wasn’t living in the small faculty apartment for convenience. She was a widow with little money, and retirement fast approaching. No wonder she was concerned. In that case, Kate would just have to muster her courage and confront Oliver Coats in his den. Maybe he wouldn’t turn out to be quite as ferocious as Ellen portrayed.

  “All right, then. I’ll find a way to talk with Oliver.”

  Ellen’s face brightened. “Thank you.”

  “In the meantime, I’ll see what I can do to track down these other paintings.” Kate knew that her best friend Livvy Jenner, Copper Mill’s head librarian, could be counted on to help with that part of the search. “Can you make me a list of who else might have an interest in the property? Or any other relative who could have inherited one of the paintings?”

  “Of course...Although it won’t be a long one.”

  Ellen grabbed a pen and wrote a few names on Kate’s list of paintings.

  “I’m afraid there aren’t many members of the Harrington clan left,” she said as she handed the information to Kate.

  Kate glanced over the list. If Ellen Carruthers had little money, she had even less family.

  “Most of them are second or third cousins that I haven’t seen since childhood,” Ellen added. “And I don’t know any of the women’s married names.”

  “It’s a start,” Kate reassured her. “We’ll take this one step at a time.”

  “Would you like some more tea?” Ellen asked.

  Kate looked at her watch. “No, thank you. I’d better be going. And I’ll be in touch about Oliver. But first let me help you rehang that painting.”

  The two women carried the canvas back to its home above Ellen’s bed. As Kate left the room, she couldn’t help casting one last glance at the photograph on the chest of drawers. Her husband’s smiling face was entirely familiar, yet at that moment, she had the sinking feeling she didn’t know him quite as well as she thought she did.

  Chapter Four

  That evening, Kate pulled a chicken out of the oven and studied it with a critical eye. The crisp, brown bird gave off a heavenly aroma of lemon and rosemary. She sniffed it appreciatively and smiled.

  Paul had suggested eating out that evening at the Bristol, an upscale restaurant inside the Hamilton Springs Hotel. But as much as Kate enjoyed dining out, she was ready for a night at home alone with her husband. Plus, it never hurt to remind him how much he enjoyed her cooking...especially when his former girlfriend had his picture displayed on her chest of drawers.

  As if on cue, Kate heard the sound of Paul’s pickup coming up the driveway. She quickly slid the dinner rolls into the oven, then began to stir the green beans on the stove as the garage door slammed.

  “Katie? I’m home.”

  Even after almost thirty years of marriage, the sound of Paul’s voice could still make her insides as mushy as the southern-style green beans she loved so much. Kate smoothed her hair, untied her apron, and brushed at some lint on her blue sweater. She’d never be mistaken for Betty Crocker or June Cleaver, but every once in a while, it didn’t hurt for a husband to come home to a well-coiffed wife and a delicious, hot meal.

  “I’m in the kitchen,” she called as she headed for the living room to greet him.

  “Wow.” Paul stopped in his tracks a few feet away from her. “You look great! What’s the occasion?”

  Kate waved a hand in an airy motion. “I just thought it would be good for us to have a nice dinner together.”

  “Whew.” Paul pretended to wipe sweat from his brow. “I was afraid maybe I’d forgotten some important anniversary.”

  Kate laughed. “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes,” she said. “If you want to wash up...” She let her words trail off, hoping he would take the hint. His smile told her he was on to her.

  “Okay, okay. I get it. It’s one of those no-special-occasion special occasions.”

  Kate grinned. “Exactly.”

  Paul took her into his arms and gave her a kiss. “Beautiful wife, delicious dinner. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were up to something.”

  Kate’s heart thudded in her chest, but not from her husband’s embrace. “Who, me?”

  “Sure, act innocent,” he teased.

  “Go on, now.” Kate shooed him toward the bathroom before he could detect any signs of guilt. “We can eat as soon as the rolls are done.”

  He was back in a few minutes, wearing a fresh polo shirt and khakis. His damp salt-and-pepper hair was neatly combed, and his vivid blue eyes sparkled. Looking like that, he brought to Kate’s mind the much younger man who had courted her all those years ago.

  “How’s this?” Paul asked, presenting himself for her approval.

  “Perfect,” she replied. “Now have a seat, and I’ll serve.”

  Kate had set out the good china—their wedding china to be exact.

  Paul noticed the plate when he sat down at the kitchen table, and he traced the gold rim with one finger. “You’re going all out tonight. Did you have this planned before or after I asked if you wanted to eat at the Bristol?” He winked at her. “You could give those folks a run for their money.”

  “I try,” Kate replied in a lighthearted tone as she scurried around the tiny parsonage kitchen.

  It didn’t take long to set the food on the table and fill their iced-tea glasses. Paul said grace over the meal, then he offered to carve the chicken. Kate handed him the knife and dished up the rest of the food.

  “How was your day?” she asked, grateful for the reassuring familiarity of their dinner routine.

  Kate and Paul had made a point of eating dinner together as a family almost every night when the kids were young, and even though Andrew, Melissa, and Rebecca were now grown and gone, she and Paul had continued the tradition. Surprisingly, it was often harder to find time to eat dinner together now than when they had lived in San Antonio.

  Who would have guessed that a small town like Copper Mill would keep them even more active and involved than they’d been in the big city? Kate was thankful, though, that her new home hadn’t turned out to be a sleepy backwater town.

  “Well, my first chamber of commerce meeting was an eye-opener, to say the least,” Paul answered. He took a bite of chicken and made appreciative noises as he chewed. “Delicious, Kate.”

  “Thanks. So is your new position on the chamber going to take up a lot of your time?”

  “Well, the coffee-and-pie routine might get a bit onerous, but I’ll have to make the sacrifice.” He grinned and gave her a wink. “Other than that, I’m not sure it will amount to much.” His smile faded.

  “Really? Why not?”

  Kate had worried some when Paul had first told her about the mayor’s invitation to join the chamber. Paul was already as busy as he’d been when he was the senior pastor of their large church in San Antonio. It was a different kind of busy, though. He spent more time with people than overseeing programs, and she could tell he was enjoying himself despite the long hours.

  “As near as I
can tell, the purpose of the Copper Mill Chamber of Commerce is to discourage outsiders from setting foot within the city limits.”

  Kate chuckled. “Are you sure you’re not exaggerating a little?”

  “Not much. There are only five members, including me, and none of them seem inclined to do much to promote the city or develop the economic base. They’re all too scared of being taken over by big-box retailers or corporations.”

  “Well, I can understand their fears. The dress shop in Pine Ridge that I thought was so cute just closed its doors. Someone told me it was because they couldn’t compete with the discount stores.”

  “I know, but ignoring the problems in the community won’t make them go away.”

  “Of course not,” she agreed. “So, did they ask you to contribute anything?”

  Paul paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. His cheeks turned pink. “Well, actually...”

  Kate didn’t like the sound of that. “What is it?”

  “How would you feel about organizing the Christmas Craft Extravaganza?”

  Kate chuckled, but when she looked at Paul again, she realized he wasn’t kidding. “What have you volunteered me for?”

  Paul held up both hands in self-defense. “I didn’t volunteer you for anything. I just said I’d ask. And you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. Honestly.”

  Kate sighed. “I’ll think about it.”

  She had to admit she’d probably enjoy that kind of project. Several people had already suggested she get a booth at the annual event for her stained-glass pieces, but the timing wasn’t great. She had just started her art-history class, not to mention taking on a new mystery.

  “What other business did this august body of men conduct?” Kate asked.

  Paul sighed. “Other than delegating the craft extravaganza? Well, let’s see. There was some mention of a Men’s Golf Scramble in October, but nobody wanted to be in charge of it. And meeting with Luke Danvers, the representative from the state’s community development office, was roundly vetoed.”

  Kate put down her fork. “Wow.”

  “Yeah. Wow.”

  “So other than organizing social events and the odd ribbon cutting, what exactly does the Copper Mill Chamber of Commerce do?”

  “I’m still trying to figure that out.” He grimaced. “What’s worse, I ran into Mike Rowland outside the bank. His job in Nashville didn’t pan out, and now he’s off to Chattanooga, hoping to get some construction work. Ever since we moved here, I’ve watched young people leave, one after another. I know it’s not unusual, but still...”

  Kate hated to see her husband so troubled, but as always, she admired his compassion. “I’m surprised that Lawton and the others aren’t more concerned about the young people moving away.”

  “Oh, they’re concerned all right. They just don’t want to entertain any newfangled ideas, even though some changes might reverse the trend.”

  Kate looked at her husband thoughtfully. He often took on problems larger than any one man could handle, but he was also a proven leader with good ideas.

  “Do you have some suggestions for the chamber as to what it should be doing?”

  “I do. Remember when I was part of Leadership San Antonio?”

  Kate nodded. Paul had made a substantial time commitment to participate in the networking and informational class for civic leaders. At the time, she’d hated to see him commit one more evening a week away from home, but in the end, it had been worth it. The class had opened doors for Paul to contribute to the community beyond the walls of the church.

  “I think there are some basic things that the chamber could be doing. I even thought about calling my friend Bill Rohde from the tourism board in San Antonio to see what he thinks. But Lawton and the others are so resistant to change, it may not be possible to get them off square one.”

  Kate reached over to pat his hand. “If anyone can persuade them, it would be you.”

  “Thanks, Katie,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze. Then he grimaced. “I wish I had as much faith in my persuasive abilities as you do. These Copper Mill nuts may be pretty tough to crack.”

  Kate laughed, then Paul did too when he realized how his last remark might be misconstrued.

  “And on that note,” Kate said, reaching for the empty plates to carry them to the sink, “how about some dessert?”

  Paul winced. “After pie and coffee at the diner this afternoon, I’m afraid that might be pushing my luck.”

  “As long as you don’t say Loretta’s pies are better than mine, I think you’ll be okay.”

  Paul laughed as Kate hoped he would.

  “I may be adventurous, but I’m not that brave,” he teased.

  LATER, AFTER THEY had cleaned up the kitchen and were settled on the couch for the evening, Kate broached another topic.

  “I was at Ellen Carruthers’ place today after class.”

  “Who?” Paul looked up from the preaching journal he’d been perusing.

  “Ellen Harrington Carruthers. Your former flame.” Kate watched his face closely to measure his response.

  “What did you talk about?”

  Kate recounted that morning’s conversation with Ellen, telling about her agreement to visit Oliver Coats.

  “So I need a reason to visit the Coatses and ask to see one of the paintings they have in their possession.”

  Paul’s eyes were lined with worry. “He’s not dangerous, is he?”

  “I don’t think so. Just unpleasant.”

  “And Ellen didn’t have any suggestions about how to approach him?”

  “No, the only thing she could come up with was posing as an art collector...” Kate’s voice was filled with doubt.

  “And you don’t like that idea.”

  “No. I don’t want to be duplicitous. I’d like to have a legitimate reason for contacting the Coatses.”

  Paul was quiet for a long moment, and then his eyes lit up.

  “Tell me about your class. Do you have a big paper or a project for the semester?”

  Kate nodded. “We have to do a presentation on an American artist of our—” She stopped and then she smiled. “Paul Hanlon, have I told you lately that you’re brilliant?”

  His eyes twinkled. “Now that you mention it, no. I don’t think there’s been much commenting on my genius around here in recent days.”

  Kate clapped her hands together. “This is perfect. I can kill two birds with one stone.”

  “Just be careful who’s in your line of fire when you start slinging those stones,” Paul advised her. “You’re not being dishonest with Oliver and Carol Coats, but you’re not being completely truthful either.”

  “I’ll watch my step,” Kate said. “Don’t worry.”

  He reached over and stroked her hair. “I’m pretty sure I’ll worry anyway.” Paul gave her a lopsided grin. “It’s inevitable when your wife is the Copper Mill equivalent of Miss Marple.”

  Kate laughed, then added as casually as she could, “By the way, I mentioned to Ellen that we’d like to have her over for dinner one evening.”

  “It would be good to see her again. She was always a good conversationalist. But I understand if it’s not the most comfortable thing in the world for you to invite my ex over for dinner.”

  “It’s been awhile since you’ve seen her, huh?” Kate said, hoping to draw a more informative response out of him.

  Paul looked thoughtful for a moment, and then a rueful smile played around the corners of his mouth. “Since she moved to the northeast for graduate school, I guess. That was a long time ago.”

  “It’s a shame the two of you lost touch.” Kate wished she could stop herself from digging for information, but that photo in Ellen’s bedroom had been troubling her.

  Paul shrugged. “Back then phone calls were expensive. And I was never much of a letter writer.”

  “She said her mom talked to yours and kept her up to date on what you were doing.”

  “Hmm. That’
s nice.” Paul picked up the journal and began leafing through the pages.

  Kate sighed. Clearly the subtle approach wasn’t going to work when it came to eliciting the information she wanted.

  “So I know you two were pretty serious...”

  He paused, closed the journal, and laid it on his lap. “Yeah, well, we were together for a few years. What makes you so curious about Ellen’s and my relationship?”

  Kate didn’t think Paul was being deliberately obtuse, but then, sometimes that was the difference between women and men. One of her old boyfriends could turn up for dinner, and she doubted that Paul would bat an eyelash.

  “Well, it’s not every day that a wife ends up with her husband’s old flame for a professor,” she teased.

  Paul chuckled. “That was well over thirty years ago, Kate.”

  “Ellen still has a picture of the two of you on display with her family photos.” The words came out before she could stop them.

  This seemed to get at least a minimal response from Paul. “A photo? Huh. Well, what do you know.”

  Kate didn’t know whether to pull her hair out or be relieved. Clearly Paul considered Ellen nothing more than an old girlfriend. If they’d ever been engaged, he would surely have mentioned it. Perhaps Ellen had been mistaken. As Paul had pointed out, they had dated well over thirty years ago. Memories could fade, and people sometimes made more of events than the facts warranted. She told herself that she shouldn’t waste another moment’s thought on it.

  “Anything good on television tonight?” Paul asked, changing the subject.

  Kate was happy to let it go, because she was the one curled up on the couch next to Paul. A fact for which she would be forever grateful.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning, Kate rose early, as was her custom, and settled into her favorite rocking chair for a few quiet moments before another busy day commenced. She was apprehensive about calling Oliver and Carol Coats to schedule the meeting, and she had long ago found that when she was worried, she was much better off turning to God for help rather than trying to go it alone.