Where The Heart Is

by Sheridon Smythe

  "I'll wait here with the horses."

  A few moments later, Natalie led the way along a mountain trail that would gradually lead them to a small creek where she and the children sometimes swam in hot weather. The mare responded well to her commands, having recognized her from the times she had borrowed her.

  When the trail widened, Elliot drew abreast. For a few moments they were silent, each gazing with appreciation at the lush forestry surrounding them on both sides. Squirrels chattered and fought among the branches; above their heads the sky was filled with beautiful fluffy white clouds. It was a beautiful day. A day for love, a day for romance. For someone else, Natalie sternly reminded herself.

  Finally she realized Elliot had taken his fill of nature and was now watching her as if he found her much more interesting. She tensed and darted a quick glance his way.

  Beneath the brim of his hat, he slid his gaze over her in bold appraisal. “You were lovely in the moonlight, but you're even more beautiful in the light of day,” he said huskily. “Your eyes remind me of dark storm clouds just before dusk."

  She managed a careless laugh, though her heart warmed from the compliment. Flirting was something she knew nothing about, but the woman in her recognized it instinctively. “Shouldn't you be sprouting such nonsense to Suetta?” She laughed again, this time spontaneously at his chagrined expression.

  Quickly, before he could continue along the same vein, she steered the conversation into safer waters. “Tell me about Ivy House."

  "Mrs. Boone never told you?"

  She shook her head, staring straight ahead. Looking at the handsome picture Elliot made sitting astride Noah's stallion made her feel reckless and wonderful, without a care in the world.

  And she had plenty of cares. Four to be exact.

  So, she just wouldn't look at him. She wouldn't.

  "My grandfather named the house after my grandmother, Ivy."

  Natalie forgot herself for a moment and glanced at him in surprise. She hadn't known. “How romantic,” she blurted out. Blushing, she focused once again on the path ahead. What would it be like to be so loved as Ivy must have been?

  "My grandfather loved his wife very much,” Elliot agreed, his tone dropping. A hint of sadness removed the last trace of teasing from his voice. “He built the house for her, then went off to war. While he was away, my grandmother contracted a fever while tending the wounded soldiers and died. Thank God she died before she found out my father had been killed in battle."

  Tears pricked her eyes. She blinked. How awful it must have been for Gill Montgomery to lose first his son and then his wife!

  Elliot continued. “Grief-stricken over my father's death, he returned to Ivy House to find my grandmother dead and buried. He couldn't bear to stay in Chattanooga without her, so in her honor, he turned Ivy House into an orphanage and moved to Nashville, taking me with him. He never returned."

  Remembering his mother's tragic death, her heart went out to Gill Montgomery for his double loss. Through a throat clogged with tears, Natalie sniffled and asked in a wobbly voice, “Why an orphanage?"

  He muttered a soft oath and pulled their horses to a halt on the trail. He offered her his handkerchief. “It wasn't my intention to make you cry."

  Wiping her eyes, she returned the damp hanky, feeling foolish. “I'm fine. It's just such a sad, tragic story. How could anyone not be moved? Please, tell me the rest. Why an orphanage? Why not just sell the house?” She pulled the reins from his grasp and nudged the mare forward, embarrassed by her weakness.

  After a moment, Elliot said, “My grandmother always wanted a big family, but Father was her only child.” He shrugged. “I guess that's why my grandfather decided to turn Ivy House into an orphanage. He put his heart and soul into building that house, and this way I suppose he thought it would benefit many, but never be completely out of his hands."

  Reflecting on his words, Natalie had to agree. Ivy House had benefitted many. It was home to those who had no home, people like herself. Sadly, it had taken her a long time to realize how fortunate she was. “I always wondered ... the house is so beautiful, majestic. It doesn't seem—"

  "Like an orphanage?” he finished, slanting a surprised glance at her.

  Flustered because she wasn't certain what she had meant, she said, “Well, Ivy House is probably worth a lot of money. I guess I can't imagine anyone so selfless as your grandfather. Most people would have sold the house.” She stared pointedly at him, gratified when he flushed. Yes, he understood her meaning all right.

  She had also given him the perfect opening, she realized belatedly. Her clammy hands tightened on the reins as she waited for him to speak, to tell her the devastating news.

  He met her steadfast gaze, his expression unreadable. “Ivy House would bring a tidy sum, I suppose. My grandfather imported the lumber by steamship.” He looked away, at the surrounding trees, missing her startled look. “You won't find cypress trees around here, and he wanted only the best for my grandmother. Cypress wood can withstand any weather."

  Natalie felt faint. “Imported? You—you can't find it around here?” she repeated. No, he can't be right. She fully intended to replace the missing lumber before he saw what she had done! How on earth could she manage if there wasn't any cypress to be found? The expense of importing it ... Her mind boggled at the amount, which probably wasn't anything close to the factual cost.

  Elliot was going to be furious with her!

  "Yes, imported from Louisiana, I believe. The price of cypress lumber has escalated since my grandfather's day, and I can't imagine what it would cost to build a home like Ivy House these days.” Suddenly, he caught sight of her sickened expression. “Are you all right?” He leaned close and steadied her with a hand at her shoulder as if he feared she'd topple from the horse. “You look as white as a ghost!"

  A ghost. Natalie licked her dry lips. Oh, yes, she would be a ghost when he got through with her—

  "Maybe we should turn back,” he growled in concern. Without waiting for a reply, he turned the horses around and began to journey back.

  She clutched the pommel as he urged the horses into a bone-jarring trot down the trail. His words kept echoing inside her head, hindering her attempts to think straight. I can't imagine what it would cost to build a home like Ivy House these day,.

  What had she done?

  * * * *

  "I'm telling you, Elliot, I can walk! Put me down this instant!"

  Her demands fell on deaf ears. Elliot wasn't about to put her down. In fact, he planned to carry her all the way upstairs and make sure she went straight to bed. Back on the trail she had given him a fright when he noticed how pale she'd become. He never wanted to feel that gut-clenching panic again.

  Maybe he should call the doctor out to have a look at her, ease his mind. Dammit, it was his fault for telling her that tragic story about his grandparents. He should have been more sensitive—

  "Let me walk!"

  "No. I'm carrying you, so you might as well stop struggling.” In fact, he wished she would be still. Every time she jiggled, her bottom bumped against his arm. Gripping her tighter in his arms, he stepped onto the porch with his burden.

  The door opened before he reached it. Jo stood there, her mouth open in shock. “What the he—heck happened to Natty?"

  Cole and Brett shouldered Jo aside. Identical faces glowered at him. “Did you hurt her?” Cole demanded, clenching his fists.

  "You'd better not have,” Brett added, mimicking his brother.

  Simultaneously, they lifted their fists. Jo rucked her sleeves back and joined them. Ready to defend Natalie, they blocked the open doorway.

  Natalie buried her face in his neck. Her warm breath sent shivers down his spine. He could feel her firm breast pressed against his hammering heart.

  "They're really harmless,” she whispered.

  "They don't look harmless,” he whispered back, his mouth inches from hers. Her lips looked moist and tempting. He wanted to kiss
her. Desperately. “What shall I do?"

  "Put me down, for starters."

  He shook his head. He liked having her in his arms. She belonged there. “I'm not putting you down until I get you upstairs. To rest,” he added hastily.

  Her reaction totally surprised him. With a screech, she struggled out of his arms, landing on her rump before he could catch her. She jumped to her feet, her face the opposite of pale. Beet red, in fact. Elliot stared.

  "You—you can't take me upstairs."

  "Well, then. I'll just follow you to make sure you get there safely. You nearly fainted out there on the trail—"

  "No I didn't.” Natalie brushed herself down, her eyes not quite meeting his. “I'm perfectly well, thank you."

  Elliot narrowed his eyes. His amusement faded. “No, you're not."

  "Yes, I am."

  "Would someone tell us what's going on?” Jo broke in to demand. She placed her fists on her boyish hips and looked from one to the other. The boys were equally curious.

  "She almost fainted,” Elliot snapped.

  "I did not!” Natalie denied. She turned to the children. “I—I didn't eat much this morning—"

  "But, Natty, you—” The young girl broke off at a meaningful look from Natalie.

  Elliot caught the look and a suspicion began to grow.

  She continued, still looking beautifully flustered. “And I felt a little dizzy for a moment. Elliot overacted, brought us back, and now he insists on taking me upstairs."

  Her eyebrows lifted for emphasis. Elliot clearly understood she was sending a silent message to the youngsters, but he couldn't imagine what that message was. Baffled and even more suspicious, he moved into the foyer and closed the door.

  He wasn't leaving until he got to the bottom of this. With his instincts his only ammunition, he said firmly, “You are going upstairs to lie down and I'm not leaving until I see you safely to your bed. Look at you—you're shaking."

  "You—you can't go upstairs with me! It isn't proper—"

  "We have our pick of chaperons,” he argued dryly. He doubted they would get two feet without all three children on their heels anyway. Crossing his arms, he stood firm. He couldn't forget the memory of her pale face on the trail.

  Jo stepped forward to stand beside Natalie. “I guess we'll have to tell him about Lori, Natty."

  "Lori? Oh, Lori. Well, we don't want to worry Mr. Montgomery."

  Elliot frowned. For a moment there, he could have sworn Natalie didn't have the slightest idea what Jo was talking about. Taking the bait simply because he was curious to see what developed, he asked, “What about Lori?"

  The two girls exchanged a glance that was not missed by Elliot. Natalie opened her mouth, but Jo hurriedly answered his question. “She's sick, so you can't go upstairs."

  "Oh? What's wrong with her? She looked fine yesterday.” With yesterday's deception fresh in his mind, he didn't consider for a moment that she told the truth. For some reason, it appeared they didn't want him to go upstairs and he would discover a reason or he wasn't a pauper.

  "Fever."

  "Malaria."

  Jo and Natalie spoke at once, then glanced at each other in surprise. Elliot suspected it was because they hadn't known their answers would be so similar.

  Taking the initiative, Jo explained. “She's suffering from a strange fever. We think it's malaria because of the way it comes and goes."

  He looked straight into Natalie's guilty eyes, daring her to lie. “The only cases I've heard of are those abroad. Has the doctor looked at her?"

  Her eyes flickered, then brightened as if she'd just remembered something. “Yes. He has. He said she should be well in a few weeks."

  Elliot searched for a lie and saw nothing but honesty in her direct gaze. Still not convinced he wasn't being played for a fool, he stepped by Natalie and sauntered to the stairs. “I think I'll check on her myself."

  "I'd feel just awful if you got sick, Elliot."

  He halted with his hand on the stair rail at Natalie's urgent, sincere voice. Yes, she sounded sincere, but what about his earlier suspicions? What about the trick they had pulled on him yesterday?

  "Natalie! I don't feel well."

  He glanced up at the sound of Lori's weak call followed by a bout of pitiful coughing. Before he could recover from the realization that they'd been telling him the truth all along, Natalie sped past him, skirts held aloft as she raced upstairs. One glance at her alarmed face in passing swept the last of his doubts away and left him feeling like a durn fool.

  Jo came to stand at his elbow, her brown eyes bright with triumph. She stuck her hands in her pockets. “Would you like a bite of something to eat, Mr. Montgomery?"

  He thought about Natalie's comment of yesterday when she'd proudly exclaimed that Jo could make four meals out of one chicken. The thought of taking a single bite of food from these youngsters made him feel ill.

  His gaze wandered back to the stairway landing above. He could barely hear Natalie's soothing voice as she talked to the sick child.

  His dismay increased ten-fold. If he thought the task of telling them was going to be difficult before, how could he possibly tell them now?

  Nobody would want to adopt a sick child.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  CHAPTER SIX

  "What do you mean, you haven't told them you're going to close the orphanage yet!” Suetta's mouth was pinched in anger as she faced him in his hotel room. “Elliot, we talked about this. Your grandfather was a softhearted fool. This is a prosperous town, let them build their own orphanage!"

  "And meanwhile?” Elliot stared at his fiancee as if seeing her for the first time. He'd known she possessed faults, but he hadn't realized how completely selfish she was until now. Still, for the sake of their life-long friendship and in memory of his grandfather, he felt honor-bound to try and make her understand. “Even if the town would build another orphanage, where would the children stay until it's finished?” Where would Natalie go?

  "That's not your concern,” she snapped. “Look at all the money your grandfather wasted on that—those—” Unable to think of a proper word, Suetta stamped her foot in frustration. Finally, she drew a deep breath, as if to contain her anger. “Elliot, if you must, build them another house. Something smaller, cheaper. I want that one. It will make a perfect summer retreat for us."

  "I can't.” Obviously, this trip had not strengthened their relationship as he'd hoped when he invited her to come along.

  He'd put off telling her the truth long enough. The time was now. His expression grim, he looked at the woman he might have married. Slowly and distinctly, he announced, “I'm broke."

  "Broke?” she repeated stupidly. “Broke?” She began to shake her head, her face a mask of disbelief. “No, no, you're lying. Everyone knows that Gill Montgomery was a rich man. He left everything to you."

  "He left Ivy House to me,” Elliot explained in a soft voice threaded with impatience. “After the debtors got their share, there wasn't a penny left.” He wasn't about to sour his grandfather's memory by telling her the rest. She didn't have to know about the money from the loan tucked away in his jewelry case, or how he intended to use it to help the orphans find a home.

  Digging deep into the pockets of his trousers, he grabbed the bottom edge and turned them inside out. They were empty. As empty as Suetta's eyes have suddenly become, he thought, mildly surprised. Had his money been the attraction all along? Was there no love at all between them? To think he had never given it much consideration...

  Feeling irrationally uncertain now, he hesitated. He suspected it was mostly his bruised pride talking, but he couldn't let her walk away without knowing. Closing the distance, he tilted her face to his, searching, searching for a single trace of affection in the translucent clarity of her face.

  For an unsettling instant, another, softer face clouded his vision; Natalie Polk, her beauty illuminated by the moonlight.

  Elliot firmly thrust it away. Just
as there was no future for him and Suetta, there was no future with the spirited orphan who occupied his thoughts, not for many years to come, not until he could build a business and regain lost ground.

  He was a man without money, a pauper with no future to promise to anyone.

  Suetta's mouth remained pinched with anger and shock, but her eyes glittered. Tears? He doubted it. Frustration, maybe. And why shouldn't he feel betrayed, as well? Yes, he had lied to her—or omitted the truth—but apparently she had lied to him, as well.

  Harshly, he growled, “Have you never loved me, then?"

  * * * *

  "I'll just look him straight in the eye and tell him the truth,” Natalie mumbled, searching along the hall for Elliot's room number. The clerk downstairs had given her the information reluctantly, obviously wondering what an unattached female wanted with the very attached Elliot Montgomery. Steeped in guilt, she had nearly blurted the answer to the clerk's silent question, just to see someone else's reaction before she must witness Elliot's.

  She could just see the clerk's face now as she told him, I'm here to tell Elliot Montgomery that I've been taking his house apart and using the lumber to make silly doll houses. Thank goodness she managed to stop herself in time.

  Natalie continued to mutter about the dire consequences as she paused at each room. Two O six, two o eight, two-ten. Her steps lagged as she drew closer to room two-twelve

  He could put her in jail.

  He could throw them out today.

  He could strangle her, then have her thrown in jail.

  Her mouth went dry at the thought. Suddenly, she wasn't certain she would have the courage—

  "Of course I loved you—I do love you, Elliot!"

  She ground to a halt outside a partially open door at the sound of Suetta's shrill declaration. Quickly, she read the number on the door, her heart sinking when she saw that it was indeed Elliot's room. An amorous sigh from within painted an unwanted picture in her mind; that of Suetta in Elliot's arms being thoroughly kissed.