The Timeless Love Romance Collection

by Dianne Christner

  Clay started toward the hotel at a run, and Katie took Cleo by the shoulders, trying to get her to catch her breath. “Calm down, Cleo. Get your breath.”

  Cleo took in several deep gulps of air. “Thank the good Lord Dr. O’Neil was still here,” she panted, her face whiter than Katie had ever seen it.

  “How bad is it?”

  “I don’t know, but like I said, there’s blood everywhere.”

  Katie sent a prayer heavenward for Albert as they hurried back to the El Tovar. He was one of the nicest men she had ever met. He reminded her much of her own father, and he treated her with the same consideration.

  Cleo parted from Katie at the door of the dining hall while Katie went to find Dinah Weston and let her know she would need some time off to go to a funeral. She knew she would have to tell the manager the truth eventually, but she dreaded doing so. Her lies would leave Dinah wondering about Katie’s testimony of Christianity. She had let her Lord down badly, both in her lies and in her desertion of her husband. She had allowed fear to compromise her principles. Still, she was reluctant to burn her bridges behind her. There would be time enough to straighten everything out when she returned from Philadelphia.

  Dinah was sympathetic. She allowed Katie the time, asking her to return as soon as possible and telling her that she would be missed. Katie didn’t miss the sparkle in the woman’s eyes or the flush in her cheeks.

  “Are you all right, Miss Weston?”

  Dinah’s mouth spread into a broad smile. “I’m getting married, Katie!”

  Katie’s mouth dropped open, and Dinah giggled at her surprise. It took several seconds for Katie to get over the shock.

  “Congratulations!”

  “I haven’t told anyone else yet. I’ll be quitting my job and moving back to Kansas.”

  Katie tried to marshal her thoughts into some sort of order. “To Mr. Peterson?” Katie had learned a few days ago the name of the gentleman with whom Dinah had been arguing.

  Dinah’s smile lit her face and made her almost pretty. “That’s right. He … We used to know each other a long time ago.”

  Katie didn’t know what to say. Dinah lifted a brow in her direction.

  “I was going to suggest you apply for the position of manager here. I would have given you a good recommendation, Katie. You are such a hard worker, and it’s obvious you love this place.”

  Katie didn’t miss the past tense. The question must have registered in her eyes, because Dinah smiled and shook her head.

  “I don’t think you’re going to be here much longer, either,” she told Katie, smiling. “It’s plain to see Dr. O’Neil is in love with you, and you with him.”

  If Katie had been stunned before, she was shocked almost senseless with that pronouncement. Surely Dinah had to be joking. Probably the woman was so happy herself, she was beginning to see romance everywhere. It couldn’t possibly be true. She didn’t bother to comment, asking instead, “When will you be leaving?”

  “The end of August. I’ve given a month’s notice, so I will still be here when you return from Philadelphia.” She smiled slyly. “If you return from Philadelphia.”

  For a moment, Katie was tempted to blurt out the whole sordid story to the manager, but she stifled the impulse. Dinah would be leaving. There would be no need to involve her in her own problems.

  “I’m really happy for you, Dinah. I hope your life will be truly blessed.”

  “It already has been,” she responded. “I have made so many friends and seen so much of the country. It will be hard to leave here. You all seem like family.”

  Katie didn’t miss the tears in Dinah’s eyes and had to blink away her own. She knew exactly what Dinah was talking about.

  “I’ll see you when I get back, then,” Katie told her. “I don’t know how long I will be, but it shouldn’t take more than a week.”

  The other woman nodded, dismissing her to return to her duties.

  As Katie passed the music room, she heard the Victrola spinning out one of the new songs that had become so popular. The plaintive melody of Vaughn DeLeath’s “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” spoke to her, and she hesitated in the doorway.

  Clay was standing at the Victrola, staring down at the spinning record. Katie froze at the sight of him. Sensing a presence, he glanced up, straightening to his full height when he noticed her. The look she saw in Clay’s eyes made her heart start pounding against her ribs. Her lips parted slightly in surprise.

  Could it be true what Dinah had said? Old feelings rushed over her in a wave. She had only been deluding herself all these years. It was Clay she loved. Always had. She had tried so hard to purge him from her thoughts, but he had always remained there in the back of her mind, like a lingering presence.

  Knowing Clay had seen her as nothing but an adolescent with an embarrassing crush, she had allowed her father to talk her into marrying Darius, knowing at least she would always be close to Clay. How could she have been so foolish? It only proved Clay had been right. She had been nothing but an immature child. Dear heavens, what had she done?

  “Katie …”

  Clay started across the room, but Katie couldn’t face him right now. Too many thoughts were racing through her mind. She needed to find somewhere quiet where she could pour out her heart in sorrow and repentance to her Lord. Turning, she fled.

  Katie was staring out the window of the train at the passing scenery. Clay watched her for several minutes before taking a deep breath and asking her, “Katie, do you remember when you were twelve, and you fell through the thin ice on the pond behind our house?”

  She continued to look out the window, but he could see her mouth tip into a wry smile. “I remember,” she said softly.

  “What do you remember?” he asked, watching her carefully.

  She turned to him then, frowning at the question. “You pulled me out.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I couldn’t have done it alone.”

  Her frown increased. “What are you saying?”

  Clay sighed. “Think back, Katie. Tell me what you remember.”

  “Why?”

  He quelled his rising irritation. “Just please do it.”

  Confusion crowded her features, but shrugging her shoulders, she told him, “You, Darius, and I went skating. You warned me not to go beyond the thin ice markers, but I saw something shiny on the ice.”

  She stopped, casting him a questioning glance.

  “Go on,” he encouraged.

  Her face took on a faraway expression, and he could tell that in her mind she had gone back to that time.

  “I went to see what was on the ice. You yelled at me to stop, but I didn’t. I realized that what I saw was only a reflection from a thin ice spot. I turned to go back, but the ice started cracking beneath my feet. I remember the horrified look on your face.”

  She stopped again, smiling at the memory. Her eyes met his.

  “I remember,” he told her softly, a catch in his throat. “Then what happened?”

  “I don’t remember much after that. Things happened so fast. The water was so very cold. I know you pulled me out.”

  “Do you remember what happened to Darius?”

  She bit her lip, thinking hard. “Yes, I remember now. Darius jumped in the water and held me up until you could get a rope to pull me out.”

  The expression on her face told him that drawing forth such memories was having the effect he hoped to achieve. Her features softened.

  “Darius caught a bad cold and had to stay in bed for a week,” he reminded her.

  She shook her head slowly, a dazed look on her face. She met his eyes again. “And you were so angry with me,” she stated softly.

  “Of course I was angry. Both of you could have died!”

  She turned away, sliding a white gloved finger slowly back and forth over the glass of the window. “Why did you bring this up now?”

  “Before I answer, I want you to remember another time.”

  “I don’
t see the point,” she told him, anger lacing her words.

  “So humor me, okay?”

  He knew her irritation was increasing by the way she was beginning to twist her fingers in the folds of her rust-colored crepe silk dress. Her fidgeting was always a sign she was disturbed.

  “Remember when your father bought you that little pug dog?”

  She turned, anger changing her eyes to a cobalt blue. “Clay …”

  “Remember when the dog got into some rat poison and became sick and died? Because he knew how sad you were, Darius brought you a stray he had found down by the railroad tracks.”

  She stared down at her hands. “Father wouldn’t let me keep it because he said it was diseased and filthy,” she said quietly.

  “And Darius took it home, cleaned it up, and brought it back, convincing your father to let you keep it.”

  “I loved that dog,” she said, a catch in her voice. Clay was afraid she was about to burst into tears. She glared at him. “Why are you doing this?”

  He took a quick breath. “Because, Katie, we are about to go home to my brother’s funeral. I think the only memory you have of him is that last night with him. I wanted you to remember what he was like before.”

  A tear slid down her cheek. “That doesn’t change what he did.”

  “No, honey, but I wanted you to think of him the way he was before. He’s dead, Katie. You need to forgive him.”

  She threw him an appalled look. “How can you say that?”

  He reached to take her hand, but she jerked it away. “I’ve done a lot of thinking. You have told me for years Jesus wanted a relationship with me. You promised He would forgive my sins and take away all my pain. Didn’t you?”

  He pulled a slim Bible from his pocket that he had only recently purchased and opened to the book of Matthew. She watched him turning the pages until he found the verse he wanted.

  “‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’”

  The look she gave him nearly broke his heart. The steady clacking of the wheels of the train penetrated the silence that suddenly settled around them. She began digging through her purse, and he handed her his own white handkerchief.

  “For your sake, Katie,” he told her solemnly, “you need to forgive him. Remember he wasn’t always the way he was at the end. It’s what I’ve tried to do.”

  “What happened, Clay? What happened to change him so much?” she questioned huskily, the tears coming in an unending stream.

  “I’m afraid he fell under the spell of alcohol and easy money. I’ve seen it so many times. Alcohol can make a man, or woman for that matter, do things they would never normally do.” He tilted her face until he could look into her swimming eyes. “I’m not excusing it, Katie, just trying to explain it to you.”

  When she sucked in her bottom lip, she looked so much like a lost child that he wrapped her in his arms and held her close. The tears turned into heartbreaking sobs, and Clay closed his eyes, understanding her pain.

  Now was not the time to tell her he loved her. But soon.

  Chapter 7

  Katie placed her palms flat against the cool windowpanes of her Philadelphia hotel room, staring down at the people scurrying to get out of the rain. With her finger, she slowly traced the path of a raindrop sliding down the glass.

  How apropos that it should be raining today, the day of Darius’s funeral. The dismal weather suited her mood. She tugged in her bottom lip between her teeth, trying to stem the tears that threatened again.

  Clay’s words kept circling round in her mind. She had to forgive to be forgiven. Darius had hurt her by his actions, but she had also hurt God by her own. Why was it that people always managed to see in others what they never saw in themselves?

  Ever since Clay had started her remembering, the memories had been flooding her mind in waves. Darius had been good to her for most of the three years she had been married. He had been considerate and thoughtful, if not loving.

  Less than a year ago he had started changing. She had never spoken to anyone of the times he came home drunk and would fly into a rage at the least provocation; then, taking his anger out on her, he would disappear into the night, not to return until the early hours of the morning.

  Before those turbulent times, they had attended concerts together, gone on cruises, and attended soirees, among a myriad of other things. He had been a good friend, and she had naively thought she could learn to love Darius in place of his brother. It shouldn’t have been so hard.

  Now she knew she had only been fooling herself. It was Clay she loved. Clay’s shadow had stood between them even then, but only her heart had recognized it. Perhaps if Darius had shown her any emotion, she might have been able to turn her heart toward him, but he had always kept her at a distance. Always a friend, never a lover, and she had been content to leave it that way.

  One thought persistently haunted her. If she had tried harder to win Darius to the Lord rather than going her own separate way, could she have somehow prevented all of this from happening? Could she have made the first move to a more familiar relationship? She thought that question would stay with her for the rest of her life. Although he hadn’t loved her as a man should love a woman, in his own way, Darius had still loved her. She could see that now.

  She felt her child move within her, the soft butterfly movements still catching her by surprise. She laid a hand against her stomach, a soft smile touching her mouth. Regardless of the past with Darius, he had left her something beautiful to cherish and love. She would try to think only of that from now on.

  A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She turned from the window, straightening her black silk Canton crepe dress. The color did nothing to improve her wan looks, but right now she didn’t care.

  “Come in,” she called, knowing it would be Clay.

  He opened the door, his black worsted wool suit making him look distinguished despite the sorrow she could see in his eyes. Katie caught her breath at the sight of him. He was so very handsome. The double-breasted jacket hugged his body like a glove, revealing more than concealing his powerfully broad shoulders. His tailored black pants ended in cuffs just above his highly polished black leather shoes.

  “Are you ready?”

  Katie nodded, picking up her black wool topcoat to protect her from the rain. Clay took the coat from her and held it out so she could slide her arms into the sleeves. He pressed her shoulders lightly, offering comfort that Katie gladly would have accepted. Instead, she stepped out of his reach, turning to study him more thoroughly. What was going through his mind right now? Was he thinking the same thoughts she had been? Did he think she was partly responsible for Darius’s death? She had been afraid his parents would think so and had been unable to face them when they arrived.

  “Are your parents upset I didn’t stay with them last night?”

  He smiled slightly, shaking his head. “No. I think they understand more than I realized.”

  Katie panicked at the thought. Seeing her look, he hastily assured her, “No, not that. I mean about the women and the drinking.”

  Relaxing slightly, Katie tried to smile, but it fell short of its mark. “They must be glad to have you home.”

  His serious blue eyes delved deeply into hers. “It’s a hard time for all of us, Katie.”

  Her lashes fluttered down to hide what she knew would be revealed in her eyes. “I know,” she whispered.

  He said no more, taking her arm and leading her from the room to the waiting car outside. Clay handed her into the backseat of the new Franklin, climbing in beside her. The chauffeur gave Clay a quick glance to see they were settled, then headed out into the traffic of a city trying to avoid the torrential downpour.

  “I don’t remember your father having this car,” Katie told him, trying to break a lengthy silence that was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.<
br />
  “The Franklins are new,” he told her absently, his mind obviously on something else. “Father decided to buy one because of its air-cooling system.”

  Silence fell between them again, remaining until they arrived in sight of the churchyard. Katie stared out at the sodden landscape in surprise.

  “But where is everyone?” Katie asked in disbelief. Surely a little rain wouldn’t keep people from coming to pay their respects. The O’Neils were well thought of in Philadelphia and throughout the whole Northeast.

  Clay climbed from the vehicle, his lips pressed tightly together. Only two other cars were visible.

  “Father thought it best to have a private ceremony.”

  Katie glanced at him sharply. Something was not right here. “What aren’t you telling me, Clay?”

  He took her by the arm and started toward the people waiting under the awning over the grave site. “Let’s leave it until later, all right?”

  She really had no option, but she intended to find out what would cause her father-in-law to do something so out of character.

  She studied James O’Neil as they approached and noted the tired lines on his face. He had aged in the few months she had been gone. She felt a pang of regret. She had always loved her father-in-law, though at times he could seem a tyrant.

  It was obvious her mother-in-law was faring no better. Norma had always been an immaculate dresser with constant attention to the details of her appearance. Now her dress hung on her from obvious weight loss. She was oblivious to the rain that periodically blew toward her, dampening her clothes.

  The only other person in attendance was Mr. McQuinn, the family lawyer. Although Katie had rarely seen the man smile, today he looked positively grim.

  All three looked up as they approached. A brief smile touched Norma’s mouth before she once again cast her gaze back to the coffin resting in the ground. James continued to study Katie, making her increasingly uncomfortable. Mr. McQuinn merely gave them a brief nod.

  Clay took Katie by the arm and led her to the opposite side of where his parents stood. He nodded at his father and settled into respectful silence.