Twist Of Faith
Page 13
“Your grandfather must have made this cedar container for your mother.”
“I don’t know why I didn’t recognize the craftsmanship yesterday, because the detailed work on this box is definitely from the hands of Granddad.” Her heart soared in pride.
“These letters…” Nick bent and picked up the ribbon-bound letters. “Are probably love notes from your grandfather to your grandmother.”
I wish. Katrina shook her head. “They’re addressed to Frankie’s mother. Sandra was a good friend of my mom’s, but I don’t understand why my mother had Sandra’s letters and hid them.”
“That is strange.” Nick ran a hand through his thick hair. “Are they from your mom?”
“No, the return address is for a man named Samuel Fisher.” She felt the pinch of a headache at her temple. “I didn’t open the mail because I fear the letters might hold information that would hurt Frankie.”
“A secret love affair between Frankie’s mother and Samuel Fisher?”
That thought had crossed Katrina’s mind, too. “According to the postage dates, the letters span a year’s duration and are twenty-eight years old. If there was a forbidden romance, the situation took place while Sandra was married.”
“Maybe we’re allowing the mystery to play on our curiosity. The letters could be innocent, possibly just from a good friend.” He rested a hand on her shoulder. “The only way to know is to read them.”
She sighed, and then nodded. Dread still gnawed, but Nick’s presence gave her the strength to continue. Katrina pulled the end of the ribbon, freeing the letters. She opened the first envelope and unfolded the paper. Upon reading the name at the top of the letter, she inhaled a deep breath. A chill ran over her bare arms.
Nick touched her hand. “Katrina, what’s wrong?”
“The letter is addressed to my mother,” she whispered. An invisible sucker-punch hit her hard in the stomach. She cleared her throat and read aloud.
My Dear Kathleen,
The lights are out, and I’ve been lying here thinking about you, as always. My only bit of comfort is to write and tell you how much I miss you. Life in the military is hard, but I’m adjusting. I’ve made a few friends, and the drill captain isn’t too bad. I’ve had a lot of time to think about the mistakes I made, and I promise to make up for them to you and your mother. Please don’t fight. She only has your best interests in mind, and right now, that’s not me. Perhaps someday, when I can prove to your mother I’m a better person, our hearts will find their way back to each other, and we’ll rebuild the future we talked about. My heart breaks to be so far away. I miss you, and I love you. Be well, my love.
All my love,
Samuel.
The letter slipped from Katrina’s shaking hands and floated to the floor. Her ears buzzed and her temple throbbed. “I was afraid of reading these letters because I thought I might read about Sandra’s secrets, but they are my mother’s.”
Nick’s mouth opened and then closed.
He didn’t voice any answers, but reality was all too clear to Katrina. “This note implies my grandmother didn’t want my mother and Samuel together. They were mailed to Sandra so Gram wouldn’t find them.” Katrina’s stomach lurched. “My mother was the one who had the sordid affair, because she would have been three months pregnant when this letter was written.”
“Wait.” Nick picked up the letter from the floor. “Maybe this guy had a thing for your mother, and she didn’t return his feelings.”
Katrina reached for the remaining letters, praying for Nick’s words to be true. She passed half of the envelopes to Nick. “Let me know if you find anything…incriminating.”
Silence filled the room as they unfolded papers and read the letters. The notes she read were mainly about Samuel’s days at military school, but he’d end his letters in the same affirmation of love. Nothing confirmed her mother’s returned affection. When she placed her stack of letters on the table, she paused, seeing Nick quickly shove his last letter back in its envelope with sharp, jerky moves. “You found something?”
“No.” He gathered the letters, piled them together, and tucked the last one in the middle. “You should throw these away and forget you ever found them.”
“Is the note that bad?” She grabbed the stack from his hand, sorting through until she found the envelope in question.
“Katrina…” He held her hand and gently squeezed.
“I have to know.” The written words on the second page validated Katrina’s fears. She read the paragraph over and over, before crumbling the letter in a tight fist. Her nails bit into her palm. Nausea erupted in her stomach.
****
Nick reached out to gather Katrina in his arms, but she pushed aside his hand, and with one swift sweep of her arm, she cleared the coffee table. The cedar box and letters fell to the floor. He wished he had hidden his shock, which he was sure shadowed his face and revealed the letter’s contents. Samuel Fisher’s note spoke of fond memories from the first kiss he had shared with Katrina’s mother, to their surrender of passion.
“I should never have opened that damn box! I knew no good would come from reading those letters.” She flicked her narrowed stare from wall to wall.
He guessed what thoughts raced through her mind. Nick longed to offer her comfort and leaned forward to stand. “Katrina—”
“Samuel could be my father!” Tears dripped down her pink cheeks. “These letters were written when my mother was three months pregnant. I may have been conceived the night he spoke about in that letter.”
“You don’t know that.” Nick refused to let her be crushed by the unknown. He reached out to pat her back. “You said your parents had a happy marriage.”
“They were very much in love, or at least I thought so. I thought they had the perfect marriage.” She lowered her head into her hands. “Maybe my father forgave my mother’s infidelity, or maybe she didn’t tell him and let him believe I was his.” After searching the floor, Katrina picked up a photograph. “My mother is holding me, but she’s not happy. When I saw this photo last night, I didn’t understand why she would be sad, but now her sorrow is clear. She was married to one man and had another man’s child.”
Nick gathered the scattered mess from the floor, shoving the photographs and letters into the cedar box. He wished he could make them disappear—to erase their existence. Seeing Katrina’s pain broke his heart. “You’re letting your mind run wild. No fact to back up your assumptions.”
“Then I have to know the truth.” She went into the kitchen and grabbed her purse.
Following on her heels, he tugged the car keys from her hand. “Where are you going?”
“I’m visiting Sandra. This man mailed her the letters. She must have known what was going on.”
Nick knew Katrina wouldn’t let this situation rest until she had all the information, and he wasn’t letting her go alone. “Where’s the number for your realtor? I’ll call to reschedule your business meeting while you wash.” As gently as he could, he wiped the black stains of mascara from under her eyes.
“Damn, I forgot.” She slammed her purse on the table.
He leaned his forehead against hers. “I’ll take care of the call. Then I’ll drive you to Frankie’s.”
“You don’t have to—”
With his fingertip, he silenced her. “Don’t argue, my love. I’m going because I want to. I’ll be by your side every step of the way.” He kissed her gently on the lips and then turned her toward the bathroom. Nick felt his heart swell. Against his better judgment, he had fallen for this woman, hook-line-and-sinker.
****
Katrina gripped Nick’s sleeve. He smiled and winked before returning his attention to the road. She was grateful he had insisted on coming. Nick’s presence gave her the strength she’d need to get through this conversation with Sandra. She stared out the window, but her thoughts were too scattered to take in the beauty of the park and its shrubs and flowers. They passed in a blur of col
ors.
Could her parents’ marriage have been a façade? Were they really in love, or remained together because of Katrina? No, my parents adored each other. There was no faking the love they shared. Katrina believed that to be true. But where did the mystery man, Samuel Fisher, fit in?
Nick pulled in the driveway and parked behind Frankie’s car.
Now that she had arrived, she couldn’t deny how hard this might be. Her feet felt cemented to the driveway when she stepped out of the truck. Nick reached for her hand and guided her to the backyard where the children were playing.
Frankie stood beside Benjamin as he slid down the slide, while Frankie’s mother pushed Katie on the swing. “Katrina, Nick, what a pleasant surprise. We’re having some fun before lunch. Would you like to join us?” She paused, staring at Katrina with furrowed eyebrows. “Are you okay?”
Nick stepped forward. “I’m starving, and I hear Katie makes a delicious peanut butter, jam, and banana sandwich.” The children ran to him, and he hoisted both giggling kids in his arms. “Why don’t you join us, Frankie?”
Frankie flipped her gaze from Katrina, to Nick, and then to Katrina. “Sure.” Without another word, she rubbed Katrina’s arm as she passed and then followed Nick into the house.
Sandra Robbins wrapped her arms around Katrina, giving her a warm hug. “Katrina, how wonderful to see you. My deepest condolences over the loss of your grandmother.”
She forced a smile, while praying for a breath of air to reach her lungs. “Thank you.” As much as she’d rather a small-talk visit with Frankie’s mother, Katrina had to get answers before she ran like a coward. “Mrs. Robbins, there’s something important I need to discuss.”
“Of course, dear.” Sandra waved an open palm toward the patio chairs.
Katrina sat, opened her purse, and pulled out the letters. “I’m hoping you can shed some light on these letters?”
Sandra’s smile faded. “Where did you find them?”
“One of Nick’s crewmen found a cedar box under the attic floorboards. Most of the contents were family mementoes of cards and photographs. These letters were inside a hidden compartment.”
“Have you read them?”
Katrina nodded, wishing the box had never been found. “I had no intention of snooping, but I couldn’t understand why the envelopes are addressed to you, yet my mother had possession and hid them with our family memories.” She inhaled a deep breath and raised her gaze to meet Sandra’s. “Did my mother have an affair while married to my father?”
“Oh no, dear. She would never…she loved your father. Your mother met Samuel long before.” Sandra frowned, her hands clasped tight in her lap. “Did your grandmother tell you nothing about him?”
Katrina released a breath of relief. The love she had witnessed between her parents was real. Foreboding still besieged her, which meant there was much more to this story. “Why would Gram discuss one of my mother’s old boyfriends? Especially one she didn’t approve of my mother dating?”
“This conversation isn’t mine to have with you.” Sandra ran the hem of her blouse between her fingers. “Your grandmother should have…I shouldn’t be the person to—”
“Please, Sandra. I don’t know why Gram kept this a secret, but I have the right to know, and she’s not here to tell me.” Fear of the truth nibbled at the pit of Katrina’s stomach.
Sandra tapped Katrina’s hand. “Your mother and I were high school seniors when Samuel and his family moved to town. Your mother fell hard and he for her. When your grandmother got wind of his bad-boy reputation, she forbade your mother to see him. Her disapproval only pushed your mother closer to Samuel. Kathleen ran by heart, not her head.”
Katrina gripped her hands together. Oh, how well she understood her mother’s heart-over-head battle.
Sandra’s gaze drifted around the yard. “Your mother and I lost touch for a bit. When she wasn’t in school, she spent most of her time with him. Samuel got into some trouble with the police. I don’t know the details, but his felony was serious enough for his parents to pack and move. Not long afterward, your grandmother and Kathleen left for Paris.”
Good girl falls for bad boy, he gets into trouble and leaves. Sounds simple enough—if their relationship ended there. “Is this when the letters started?”
“I received a letter from Samuel. He was in military school and searching for your mother. He contacted her in Paris, but your grandmother intervened.” A sigh escaped past her lips. “Samuel sent the letters here, requesting I forward them to Kathleen so your grandmother would be none the wiser.”
The man was pure evil. “When did my father arrive on the scene?” A throbbing pulse pounded in her ears, and Katrina held a breath.
“Daniel Kelly worked for your grandmother as a financial advisor. She introduced him to your mother, and they fell in love. Your mother enjoyed Paris, but Paris wasn’t home. Once she and Daniel married, they moved here. You were two years old…” Sandra’s voice faltered and her eyes shot wide. “I’m sorry. I…I got lost in the memories.”
“Samuel Fisher is my father.” Katrina wanted to scream and run from the yard. A heavy weight pressed on her chest. “My middle name, Samantha, is for him, and that’s why my last name is Witherspoon-Kelly.” Finally, that question has been answered.
Sandra nodded. “Your mother and I rekindled our friendship while she was living in Paris. She had told me she was two months pregnant when she and your grandmother left Montreal. Your parents gave you Daniel’s last name after they were married.”
“I asked my father why I had two last names.” Should she call him her father or Daniel? Katrina wasn’t sure. Not that it mattered, he was gone. The sound of her pulse pounded in her ears. “He said I was so special I deserved more than one.” The memory made her smile.
“No one would have guessed you weren’t his daughter. Daniel loved you as though you were his own. To him, you were his.”
“And Samuel?”
“Once Kathleen met Daniel, she didn’t respond to Samuel’s letters, and he eventually stopped writing. You were five when your parents decided to tell him. They both agreed Samuel had the right to know about you.”
She squeezed her hands into a tight fist. Katrina was now twenty-eight and hadn’t heard a word from her biological father. “He obviously didn’t want to see me.”
“That’s not true.” Sandra placed a hand over Katrina’s. “He visited as soon as they told him. You met him, but you were too young to remember. Samuel agreed to your parents’ decision to wait until you were older.”
“So, he took the easy way out. How convenient, no responsibilities to tie him down.” Her dislike for Samuel grew each time his name was mentioned. The man—her father—had abandoned her.
“I don’t think that was the case, my dear. I guess time just passed on. Your parents wanted to tell you, but then the accident…” Sandra pressed her lips tight together.
The pressure between her temples was beginning to cave in. She had heard enough. Katrina stood and hugged Frankie’s mother. “Thank you, Mrs. Robbins. If I hadn’t learned the truth, I would have gone crazy with questions.”
Thoughts still buzzing in her head, Katrina joined Nick and Frankie in the kitchen. Frankie pulled Katrina into her arms, hugging her tight. Nick had obviously updated Frankie on the letters.
“Hungry?” Frankie pointed to the sandwiches on the table.
Katrina couldn’t swallow an ounce of food. Her stomach twisted in a knot and her head throbbed a steady beat. “I’ll grab a bite at home.”
Frankie nodded and then grabbed a plastic bag from a drawer, placing a few sandwiches in it. “Nick, please make sure she eats.”
“I promise.” Nick settled an arm around Katrina’s waist and guided her to the door.
Katrina forced a smile. “I’ll call you later.”
During the drive home, she leaned against the headrest.
Nick occasionally took his hand off the steering wheel to caress her
shoulder, but didn’t press for details.
She was thankful for his silence. His compassionate disposition was yet another highlight in his personality.
Katrina needed time to process the information Sandra had told her, and then she’d decide what her next move would be.
Chapter Eleven
Nick parked the truck in front of the house and then ran to open the passenger door. He was concerned over her silence during the drive, but gave her peace. She’d tell him about her talk with Sandra when she was ready.
Katrina held onto his arm as they walked the graveled pathway to the front steps of the cabin. She tossed her purse on the kitchen table, kicked off her shoes, and sat on the sofa—knees up and her arms wrapped tightly around them. For several minutes, she relayed everything Sandra said, stuttering over her words as she spoke.
He kissed her head and rested his chin on her knee. Nick placed a hand on his jumping knee. Tension weighed heavy on his shoulders. He wanted to do more to comfort her—to come up with a plan of action and find a solution—but knew she needed rest and time to absorb the information about her family.
Katrina leaned on the pillows and closed her watery eyes.
A nap? Good idea. He stood, turned her to the side, and pushed her bent knees down on the sofa. He then pulled the blanket over her.
“Don’t leave.” She tugged his sleeve.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Nick sat on the floor, curling the hair that had come loose from her clip between his fingers. He listened to her hurried breaths and once they subsided into an even rhythm, Nick left the cabin. Something wasn’t sitting well. After crossing the yard, he went into the house and to the attic.
Henry and a few other men were working on the ventilation system. “Henry, where did you find that cedar box?”
“Right over there.” With a long screwdriver, Henry pointed to the hole in the floorboards.