by Lynn Patrick
Mr. Guildfren smiled. “In a few months...and for years to come...we’ll remember last night as an adventure.”
“I hope so,” said Heather. Though it was impossible to think of nearly losing a child as an adventure. She was simply grateful that the night hadn’t turned into a tragedy.
Ernie Reilly, the intruder who’d been haunting the mansion for weeks, was safely in jail. As was Gina Luca, the mansion’s former concierge. No one was certain of their connection, though Rick might be able to tell them when he returned today.
Meanwhile, Heather and the twins had toast and jam and juice. Taylor asked if she could have some scrambled eggs, which Cora was happy to provide. Heather was happy, too. Taylor usually had an appetite in the morning and the night’s excitement hadn’t reduced it.
Rick arrived when they were finishing up their food. Taylor cried out and rose to greet him, making Heather smile. Then she insisted on sitting next to him, so Addison decided she had to sit on the other side.
“Hey, I’m popular.” Rick grinned, giving one girl a hug, then the other.
Seeing them like this tightened Heather’s chest. Together, they looked like a family.
“Do you know the details of what was going on now?” Mr. Guildfren asked Rick.
Heather was anxious to find out, too. They’d given their statements here at the mansion the night before, but Gina and her friend had been taken straight to the station.
Rick asked Kelly for some coffee. “I know quite a bit. It seems Ernie Reilly is a long-lost relative of Red Flanagan’s.”
Mr. Guildfren seemed surprised. “Really?”
“A relative?” Heather asked.
“He claims Flanagan was his great-great-grandfather,” Rick told them. “He has a map of the tunnels, one of the few things he said he inherited.”
“We wondered how he knew about them,” said Cora, joining the group.
“And he was looking for Red Flanagan’s mythic treasure,” Rick went on.
“Mythic? There wasn’t really a treasure then, right?” asked Mr. Guildfren.
“Well, the police aren’t sure.” Rick looked at Heather. “You know those books we saw last night...beneath the statue?”
Addison said, “The hiding place!”
Heather frowned at her daughter. “Where neither of you is ever going to set foot again.”
Rick continued, “Those books are full of details about breeding special types of orchids, Red’s passion. They might be worth something.”
“Unique orchids are worth quite a bit to some people,” Mr. Guildfren put in, “and I saw some of those in the conservatory.”
“And then there was a stack of old currency,” said Rick. “Gold certificates. They’re worth a lot more than their face value, probably a few hundred thousand dollars after all these years. I wouldn’t say that was considered treasure, though.”
“That candelabra was worth fifteen thousand or so,” Cora added.
“The candelabra was in the car,” Rick told her. “So the Phillipses will get it back eventually.”
Mr. Guildfren asked, “Did Gina and this Ernie fellow case out the place beforehand?”
“I’m not sure about that. Maybe they just hatched the plan after Gina got a job here.” Rick took a sip of coffee. “They seem to have been connected romantically. The police say they appear to hate each other now, each one blaming the other for the mess they’re in. One thing that probably is certain is that Gina had nothing to do with the kidnapping. It wouldn’t have happened if Ernie Reilly hadn’t insisted on coming back to search one last time and encountered Taylor.”
“He was a bad man!” said Taylor, looking angry.
Rick slid a hand over her shoulder comfortingly. “Yes, he was, but you’re safe now. I won’t let anything bad happen to you again.”
The statement churned up Heather’s emotions. Rick had told her that he needed to think about re-enlisting in the army, and if he did, he wouldn’t be here to keep that promise.
Cora asked, “Why did this Reilly fellow compound his problems with a kidnapping?”
“I guess he thought Taylor would warn someone about him. She saw his face,” Rick added, “so she could have given police a description. He swore he was going to put her out at the nearest rest stop.”
Heather frowned. “That’s still dangerous. A child alone in a rest stop at night?”
Cora just shook her head. “Well, he was persevering in his search. I’ll give him that. He kept coming back, to my dismay.”
“The police say the guy is adamant about his great-great-grandfather’s ‘treasure’ belonging to him,” said Rick. “Gina could have helped him hatch a plan.”
“I’m just so glad you caught him.” Filled with conflicting emotions, Heather rose to kiss Rick on the cheek.
“Yeah, I’m glad, too.” Addison quickly followed suit.
“I’m gladder!” piped up Taylor.
“We’re all glad to get you back,” Rick told the incorrigible twin.
Whatever the reason for the kidnapping, it seemed to have brought Taylor around. Heather was happy to see her daughter had warmed up to the man she cared for. Before they had gone to sleep the night before, Taylor, unbidden, had told her that she could make some room in her heart for Rick because he’d understood what it was like to be locked up in a dark place, and he made sure he got her out.
That had been such a sweet confession, it made Heather cry. She could almost cry now, too, not only for what happened to Taylor, but for the uncertainty of Rick being in their lives in the future.
Cora made a motion to rise from the table and looked meaningfully at Mr. Guildfren. “David, why don’t we take a walk and give these young people some space?”
“Well, all right,” Mr. Guildfren agreed. “We can take the twins with us.”
“I want to stay with Rick,” insisted Taylor.
“I’ve got something interesting for you to do,” Cora said. “Kelly is making some fresh cinnamon rolls in the kitchen. Wouldn’t you like to help her roll out the dough?”
“Yay! I want to help,” cried Addison.
“’Kay,” Taylor agreed, reluctantly pulling herself away from Rick.
As soon as they were alone, Heather sat down and gazed into Rick’s eyes. “I can never repay you for saving my child.”
“Yes, you can. That look on your face is pretty good payment.”
“Oh, Rick.”
She embraced him, kissed him, not caring if anyone else on the terrace was watching them. He kissed her back, a sweet, slow kiss that seemed to last forever. His arms felt so good around her she never wanted him to let go.
“You can also repay me with a real night out,” Rick said, keeping his arms around her waist. “Just you and me. You realize, we still haven’t had an actual date.”
Her pulse thrummed when she saw how intently he was looking at her.
“If you’re willing to go out with me, that is.”
“I will date you whenever, Rick. No matter what. I’ve decided that I want to be with you, and if you do re-enlist, I’m hoping you’ll come back to us.”
His expression softened and he hugged her closer. “I had a lot of thinking to do. Soul searching. Wondering if I owed it to my men who died to go back.”
Exactly what she’d feared. She couldn’t help the way she felt. Not about his loyalty to his men. Not about him.
Rick went on, “But I was the only one who blamed me for those men’s deaths. They weren’t my fault, Heather. If there had been a way to prevent what happened, I would have done it.”
“I know.”
“I don’t blame you for having reservations about getting involved with me,” Rick said softly. “You’ve lost so much already.”
Heather wrapped her arms tight
er around his neck. “I’ll stand beside you no matter what, Rick. You deserve that kind of loyalty.”
“You mean it?”
She nodded.
“No matter what?”
“No matter what.”
“Good, because I decided that I’ve served my country to the best of my ability for fifteen years, and there’s no reason I shouldn’t finally put personal concerns first. I’m not re-enlisting.”
That made her so happy, she could hardly breathe. “Personal?”
He grinned at her. “Very personal. I love you, you know, all three of you.”
She couldn’t help but smile back. “Rick, I love you, too.”
He kissed her, and Heather’s heart sang. She suspected their future would hold lots of surprises, and she couldn’t be happier.
EPILOGUE
“THESE INSECTS REALLY make a lot of noise,” said Rick as he and Heather and the twins finished up some lemonade in her backyard. They’d eaten supper outside and were gathered around the small picnic table.
“It’s the end of summer,” Heather said. “August always sounds like this in a small Midwestern town.”
Cicadas buzzed as the sun went down, crickets joining in with squeaks and chirps. Happy and interested by anything that moved, Kirby ran around chomping at leaves and sticks. He picked up a medium-sized twig and brought it to Rick, who threw it for the dog to fetch.
“Go, Kirby!” Taylor laughed with delight.
Perched on one end of the bench, Addison swung her legs. “One of our books says those bugs are singing a song.”
“They are singing,” Heather agreed. “They’re singing about how you should be getting ready for bed.”
“Oh, Mom, are not!” complained Taylor, grabbing onto Rick’s arm. She looked up at him for confirmation. “We don’t have to go to bed now, do we?”
Touched yet again by her including him in family decisions, he laughed and gave her a hug. “I’m afraid you do, honey. It’s going on 9:00 p.m. Your mom says you have school starting in a few days. You need to be ready for first grade.”
Taylor pouted. “I’m not sleepy!”
“You will be by the time you get your jammies on,” said Heather, making eye contact with Rick. He knew that meant she was looking forward to some adult conversation after the kids were tucked in.
Not that they had anything complicated to talk about. Heather had finished the landscaping at Flanagan Manor and had a week off before starting a new job with EPI at another site in Kenosha. Rick was still employed by the security firm and doing some consultations in Milwaukee. He’d rented a small bachelor apartment in Sparrow Lake. It would do for now.
“I don’t want to go to bed!” said Taylor, scooting off her chair to stand with her arms crossed. She could be very stubborn.
Heather appeared annoyed. “I’m not going through this fight again tonight...”
Rick jumped in, “You need to go to bed, Taylor. You can stay up late when we go to the drive-in on Saturday.” There was still an outdoor movie theater in Kenosha and it was showing a kids’ film. “You’ll like it. The screen is really big and we can sit in the car and have popcorn.”
Taylor’s expression softened. “Popcorn?”
“And maybe hot dogs, too,” he assured her. “Go and jump into bed.”
“Well...’kay,” the child finally and reluctantly agreed. She flung herself at him for a hug. “Night!”
“Good night.” He kissed her soft little cheek, then caught Addison as she ran up, giving her a kiss, too.
“Hey, you’re getting pretty good, Mr. Terminator,” Heather said softly, leading the twins toward the house.
Yes, he was, Rick thought. He was getting better with kids all the time. Feeling a cold nose nudge his hand, he glanced down at Kirby, who had another stick in his mouth. Rick had always been good with dogs.
“Throw me the leash, will you?” he called to Heather as she went in the back door. “I’ll take Kirby for a walk.”
Leash in place, he led the dog down the sidewalk and up an alley. Kirby pranced and panted happily.
Rick laughed and ruffled the fur on his head. “You’re just a happy, happy little guy, aren’t you?”
Kirby yipped softly in return, as if he understood.
“No wonder, you’ve found a good home.”
A forever home, Rick mused, thinking about the time he’d told Addison he was a stray himself. And now, if things worked out, which he had every intention they would, he’d found a “forever” home, too.
* * * * *
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ISBN: 9781460319147
A FOREVER HOME
Copyright © 2013 by Patricia Pinianski and Linda Sweeney
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