Treasure Uncovered (Bellingwood #3)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  "It's fun knowing that someone famous was born here," Polly said. "It's hard to believe that from a little house like this, a girl would grow up to become the First Lady of the United States. It makes you realize that anything is possible in this world."

  Sal smiled, "You love it here, don't you. We have streets filled with homes where famous people lived back home. I never knew you to be this retrospective about those places."

  "I suppose you're right," Polly agreed.

  She pulled back out and started heading north. "We probably need to get back. I'm sure Jason is ready to feed the horses and bring them in for the evening. That boy loves spending time with them. I'm so glad his mom lets me have him around to help. Andrew adores Obiwan. Once it gets warmer, there's no way any of them will want to stay in the apartment. It's a good thing I have a fence up."

  "You love spending time with those boys, don't you?"

  "Sure I do, they're great kids."

  "Are you ever going to have kids with Henry?"

  Polly raised her head up and started to speak, but Sal interrupted her, "No, don't get mad. I'm not pushing you or anything. Of all my friends, you never seemed interested in having children. You've never talked about it and since you didn't have your mom around pushing you to get married and have lots of grandchildren for her, it never came up."

  She relaxed and thought about what Sal was saying. She was right. Polly wasn't interested in having children. "I don't know, Sal. Henry's cool about this. Believe it or not, I asked him about it the other day."

  "You what? Oh, Polly, you're a complete nut!"

  "I know. But, we're too old to get into a long term relationship if we have different ideas about something that important, so I asked."

  "Well, of course you did. What did he say?"

  "That we should probably talk about it someplace other than the parking lot of his business and it wasn't something that was important right now. Then he kissed me and I swooned."

  "It sounds like he handled you quite nicely."

  "He did at that. If I could start with kids about the age of Jason and Andrew, I'd be fine. They can feed themselves and have real conversations with you. You don't have to worry if you forget they're in the next room and run outside to take care of something. They entertain themselves and make decisions all on their own."

  "It will work out for you someday, I have a lot of confidence in you," Sal assured her.

  "I hope so," Polly replied. "I hope I don't make some huge mistake."

  "Sometimes it's in the way we look at things," Sal said. "Choices aren't mistakes unless we spend a lot of time regretting them. You could look at them as a wild adventure."

  "I like the sound of that. I'm always ready for an adventure."

  "What's that?" Sal pointed to a bird standing on the shoulder of the highway.

  "That's a pheasant," Polly said. "Look at the red and green on his head." The bird lifted up and flew across the highway in front of them, causing Polly to tap her brakes and slow the truck. He darted into the brush of the ditch and was gone from sight before she took the truck back up to speed.

  "Do you see a lot of wildlife out here?" Sal asked.

  "I do! There is a lot of natural wildlife around. I hear coyotes in the creek behind Sycamore House and there are deer that travel through the area. We have raccoons and possums and lots of squirrels and rabbits. Sometimes you will see a fox, but they don't come out very often."

  "It's not quite like prairie days, but after a lifetime in the city, it's close," Sal said.

  "You do know that life in the city isn't necessarily real for most of the country, don't you?"

  "Isn't that weird to think about? I always assumed everyone lived like we do. Lots of traffic and stores that stay open until the middle of the night. Bars that never close and everyone racing to get to their jobs. I don't know how you live without a coffee shop on every corner or delis and fast food available all the time."

  "I make my own coffee and cook my own meals."

  "Well, that's right. You are a great cook, but still!"

  "It was an adjustment. My pantry is better stocked than ever before and I plan better for the meals I'm going to cook. I probably have enough food stocked to live through a two week blizzard."

  They pulled into the driveway of Sycamore House and both Jason and Andrew were playing in the grass with Obiwan. He saw the truck pull in and ran over to Polly, wagging his tail.

  She got out of the truck and leaned over to hug him, then called out to Jason, "How about we head down to the barn after I get changed."

  "Okay. Do you want me to start without you?" he asked.

  "No, you play here for a while. I'll be back down soon."

  Sal asked, "Do you want some more help with the horses?"

  "Sure, that would be fun. I left your boots down there, so pull on your old stuff and come on down."

  They went inside and Sylvie met them at the stairway.

  "Hi there, did you have a good day?" she asked.

  "We did. How is Eliseo?" Polly said.

  "I was going over to check on him and take him some supper. When I went over for lunch, he said he had slept all morning. I'll change his bandages and hopefully get him settled in for the night. It sure is nice of Henry to let him stay there."

  Sal went on upstairs and Polly said, "I don't think any of us expected you to be his nursemaid, Sylvie."

  "Who else was going to do it? Jeff?"

  "Well, I could have."

  Sylvie patted Polly's arm. "Your friend is here and wants to spend time with you, not watch you care for an employee. I'm glad to do this. I don’t think he’s had a lot of attention from people in his life. I think he's been alone a long time."

  Polly hugged her. "You're wonderful, you know that?"

  "When I'm ready to murder my sons, remind me, will you? Those two boys make me feel like a horrible ogre some days." Sylvie looked around and asked Polly. "Do you think he was involved in that fight uptown last night?"

  "I don't know. Why don't you ask him?"

  "Me? I'm not comfortable messing around in his business."

  "If it's natural, would you ask him?"

  Sylvie drooped her shoulders, "I shouldn't have asked you about it. That will teach me to be part of the town gossip. Okay, if it comes up as part of the conversation, I'll ask. But, otherwise, you have to. Got it?"

  "I'm also going to have to ask him where he plans to live after this, too," Polly said. "I can't have him living in my barn."

  "I'll bet he doesn't have any money until you pay him. He isn’t the type of person who carries much with him."

  "This is why I wish I had better guest quarters around here," Polly complained. "I own this great big building and I have no place for someone to stay. My apartment isn't even big enough for me to have Sal stay with me."

  "What if you finished a room in the basement?" Sylvie asked.

  Polly stepped back and tilted her head in contemplation. "That's an interesting idea. That's an interesting idea. I'll talk to Henry about it. It's not a perfect solution, but it has possibilities."

  Sylvie held up the satchel she had in her right hand, "I'd better go. I'll be back for the boys after a while."

  Polly went up to her apartment and changed her clothes, then went out to feed her Percherons and get them bedded down for the night. She was thankful that tonight they chose to behave since Sal was with her. She thought they might be showing off a little and was certain of it when Demi put his head over the gate for a little attention before they went back up to the house. He usually ignored her once he spied his food, but Sal stopped and rubbed his nose, standing on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his forehead. He dipped his head to give her access and then returned to his stall as they walked away.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Enjoying a few extra minutes in before the day started, Polly stretched and looked at the time. Six-fifteen. She rolled over and got a surprised look from Luke, who shut his eyes again, trying t
o ignore the fact that she was moving. Leia was curled up in a ball, tucked in between Obiwan's front paws and his chest. It was so cute, she snapped a quick picture with her phone, then pushed at her dog's back end with her foot. He raised his head, looked up at her, and settled back in.

  "We need to get moving, kiddos. Today's going to be fun for me and I can't wait to get started. Up, up, up, up, up!" she said as she flung blankets over the top of all of them. Luke crawled out and stretched, his back arching, then sat down and began cleaning his left shoulder, a sure sign that he intended to ignore her. Obiwan slid himself off the bed, trying to avoid disturbing Leia, but to no avail. She ended up on the floor and when she jumped back up onto the bed, she was more than a little startled at being so abruptly awakened. She padded over to her brother and, leaning against him, lay back down.

  "You're slugs," Polly said. "But you two can get away with it. Obiwan, you have to come with me. Let's get going."

  She pulled her jeans and sweatshirt on, slipped into her boots and headed out her door into the living room, chuckling as she saw the mess. Last night had been fun. Sal had begged Polly to cook for her, so they stayed in after Sylvie picked up the boys. Polly had offered to drive down to Ames and find something fun to do, but Sal insisted the reason she was in Iowa was to spend quality time with her friend in her home, not traipse all over the countryside.

  Fortunately, Polly had the ingredients for a nice, homey dinner and whipped together a meatloaf. She sliced potatoes and tossed them in a mixture of flour with her homemade Moroccan seasoning and while things were baking, put together a quick asparagus gratin and soon, supper was on the table. They'd laughed their way through two bottles of wine and when Polly pulled out her drawer filled with games, they stayed up late playing Scrabble Slam and laughed until they were in tears.

  Polly opened the gates for Obiwan and he ran to the barn door, waiting for her to open it.

  "You've been inside all night long and you want to go in here first?" she asked, pulling it open.

  Eliseo was coming down the alley of the barn with a bucket of grain, headed for Nat's stall.

  "Good morning, Polly. I'm moving a little slower than usual, but we'll get them fed," he said.

  "What are you doing? You shouldn't be here this morning!"

  "I'd rather be here than laying around. Your friend, Henry, doesn't need me in his house any longer. He was gracious enough to put up with me on his couch last night."

  Polly felt her phone buzz with an incoming text.

  "Eliseo there?" Henry asked.

  She smiled, "He's here and working. So, I hope you aren’t this stupid."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "Thinking you have to be all macho when you've been hurt."

  "Don't worry. I'll whimper and whine and let you nurse me back to health."

  "Blech," she texted back. "None of that, please."

  "Well, what do you want from me? Macho man or helpless human?"

  "Get moving. You have to work today."

  "Yes ma'am. I'll be there in a jiffy."

  She looked up at Eliseo who was coming back again with another bucket and heading into Daisy's stall and asked, "Where are you planning to stay? Now that I know, you can't live out here in the barn."

  "I'll sort something out," he said. "I always do. Don't you worry. I've been taking pretty good care of myself for a lot of years and I didn't forget how to do that because I got into a fight with some lowlifes."

  "Was that the fight everyone is talking about at the Jefferson Street Alehouse?" Polly asked him, as they walked back to the tack room together. He grabbed the wheelbarrow and she picked up two muck rakes.

  He nodded and said, "I'm sorry you had to hear about that."

  "I'm going to assume you won't tell me what happened."

  "I don't want to," he replied, taking one of the rakes and walking into Nan's stall. He opened the outside door and said, "I already hauled hay for them. You don't need to worry about that this morning."

  "Eliseo. I could have taken care of this today. You have to be hurting."

  "Ma'am. I've had much worse pain than a few bruised ribs. This is the last thing that's going to slow me down for longer than a day. Please don't worry."

  "Well, I can't help but worry. Oh, and by the way, don't call me ma'am. The last person who did that had a mug of coffee poured on him. I'd prefer it if you would call me Polly."

  "Yes ma'am, I mean, yes Miss Giller." He chuckled, then grimaced and put his hand on his side, "It might take some time for me to get used to calling you Polly, but I'll try to stop using ma'am."

  They went to work in the stalls and soon the place was cleaned up and the horses were outside.

  "Are you going to work with them this morning?" he asked her.

  "They get a day off," she said. "I promised Sal that I would make breakfast and then we're heading over to see what is going on at Beryl Watson’s studio before she returns to her own home today."

  "Would you mind if I spent some time with them? I know you've been busy this week and they could use the exercise."

  "I hate to ask that of you. You already have so much going on here."

  "Miss Giller, these horses give me a little bit of peace. Would you mind?"

  Polly smiled and shook her head and felt tears threaten again. She wondered if maybe she needed to look for some Midol or something while she was out today. Her emotions were running fairly high these days and she was certain it had to be her hormones.

  "Eliseo, feel free to spend whatever time you want with them. Thank you."

  "Then, you go in and enjoy your friend and I'll be in later to do my own work. It looks as if Mr. Lyndsay has quite a bit scheduled for the weekend, so it will be busy around here. I appreciate the work, you know."

  Polly wanted to reach out and touch him, to extend a little human contact, but he turned away and walked outside. She watched him lean his head against Nat's shoulder and stroke the horse, then he ducked under Daisy's chin to get over to Nan, who pushed at his shoulder with her nose. He had definitely bonded with the one horse Polly couldn't reach. The two of them stood quietly together for a moment before he made a clicking noise with his teeth and walked away from her. She followed him and he began to pace around the perimeter of the pen with her walking beside him. Polly watched until her stomach grumbled and then went inside to clean up and get breakfast ready.

  She was in the kitchen cleaning up from the night before when she heard her front door open.

  Sal peeked around the corner of the entry way and said, "Are you up and moving?"

  "Girlfriend, I've been up since six thirty. Breakfast is in the oven, I'm cleaning the last of the mess and we're waiting for you to show!"

  "I don't know how you do it," Sal complained. "I might have had a little too much wine last night." She sat down at the dining room table and slumped over, laying her head on crossed arms. Polly poured a cup of coffee and put it in front of her.

  "I quit a lot earlier than you did. While you were drinking, I was sipping," Polly laughed. "You drank most of that last bottle by yourself."

  "Why didn't you stop me?" Sal whimpered.

  "Maybe because you're a big girl."

  "This big girl might need a nanny."

  Polly opened her cupboard and pulled out some aspirin, then drew a glass of water and placed those in front of Sal as well. "Drink that whole glass. You need to rehydrate. Take the aspirin. You don't get to have a hangover on me today."

  "I know," Sal said. "It's my own fault." She put the aspirin in her mouth and took a drink to swallow them.

  "The whole glass," Polly reminded her.

  "In a minute!" Sal whined.

  Polly laughed and put her hand on Sal's back, rubbing her friend's shoulder and neck. "You're going to live. I promise."

  The oven timer rang and she went in to retrieve the French toast casserole she'd baked. She checked the pan of bacon and it still had a few more minutes before they turned crispy, so she
began pulling out dishes and silverware and set the table.

  Sal finished the water and began sipping her coffee. "That's the stuff," she said in a moan, then looked up at Polly. "I'm useless, aren't I?" cradling the cup in her hands.

  "It's alright. You're the guest. You get to be whatever you want to be. When I come stay with you, it will be your turn to take care of me."

  "Deal. But you know I can't cook so we'd either have to hire someone or eat out a lot."

  "If you hire a cook, he has to be young and hot."

  Polly put the bacon on a plate, cut the casserole and put several squares on another plate and took them to the table.

  "You're going to make a great wife to Henry someday," Sal said as she took a bite of the casserole. "Oh my. This is good!"

  "Don't you dare start with that, too," Polly warned. "I'm not marrying anyone for a while. I like my life just the way it is."

  Sal waggled her finger at Polly, "Methinks you doth protest too much."

  "I'm not protesting. And stop it! I'm simply reacting to the fact that everyone wants me to behave in a certain manner and I'm not ready for it."

  "Simmer, girl. Obviously, this is another of your hot buttons."

  Polly giggled, "Apparently it is. But, I'm not getting married, got it?"

  "Just know I'll come out for the wedding."

  "Whatever," Polly said.

  A knock at her door made them both jump and before Polly could get there, Henry stuck his head inside and said, "Good morning! Is everyone decent in here?"

  "We were just talking about you," Sal said, looking up from her breakfast.

  "I don't even want to know." Henry looked at the food on the table and said, "Would you feed me if I told you I hadn't eaten breakfast yet?"

  Polly laughed, "You're pitiful. You've been up for hours. What have you been doing with yourself?"

  He didn't wait for her to invite him in, but headed for the table. As he passed her, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and whispered, "Good morning, sunshine."