Hidden in the Heart (33 page)

By the time she finished her story, he’d traded his coffee for Scotch.

“Let me get this straight.” He paced the long room and set his crystal tumbler down on the dining table. Liquid sloshed over the sides. He blinked a couple of times and raked his fingers through his hair. “You’re telling me that you had a child with Rick Matthews twenty-seven years ago? That you gave up for adoption?”

“Yep.” She couldn’t stop a grin at the look of horror and disbelief on his face. She’d never seen Kevin Harrison at a loss for words. It was almost enjoyable.

“And you want to meet this girl? Talk to her, let her into your life maybe?”

“Maybe.”

Kevin slumped into a chair and scratched his forehead. She wracked her brain and tried to remember if he had any important meetings today, although she had no idea why she was worrying. Kevin drank hard but could sober up quicker than a flash flood could devastate a town.

He sat in silence for a long moment. “Okay. Well, I’m shocked of course, but it’s not the end of the world. We can make it work. It’s not like
I
had a bastard kid or anything, God forbid. If the story gets out we’ll just spin it. People will feel sorry for you, being apart from your child all those years. You know,” he leaned forward, his eyes gleaming, “this could
actually work in our favor.”

Sudden anger ripped through her. “What do you mean?”

Kevin went to her and took her hands, pulling her to her feet. “You know I’ve been thinking of throwing my hat in the ring for the next election. People love a good tearjerker, sweetheart. Just think of it, the two of you reunited after all these years. She can even make a few appearances with us. The press will be clamoring.”

Michelle yanked her hands from his and put as much space as she could between them. And the really sad thing was, he wasn’t kidding. “My life is not fodder for the press, Kevin Harrison. Nor is it at your disposal to sway the public in your favor. What is
wrong
with you? I’ve just told you something only a few people in this world know about. The last few weeks have been a living hell for me. I’ve been in torment, Kevin, but you haven’t noticed. You’re too busy focusing on your career, aren’t you?”

“And you should be as well!” he snapped. “It is after all, what I pay you for.”

“Not anymore.” Michelle grabbed her pursed off the couch and marched to the door. Oh, she’d been blind, but her eyes were wide open now.

“Where do you think you’re going? We’re not done here,” Kevin shouted. His voice took on the tone she recognized and warned of what might follow. Michelle swiveled and watched his face contort with anger. She’d put up with his violent outbursts too many times before, but wasn’t about to do so today. She glanced at the door, ready to run if he came toward her.

He made an honorable effort to control himself, even managed a smile. “What about us, Michelle? I thought we had something going.”

“So did I.” Michelle shook her head, aware that her eyes were dry. “I guess if you consider that ‘something’ as someone who looks good on your arm, someone who says and does all the right things, and maybe at some point, someone with whom you might have a
marriage of convenience, then yeah, we did have something going. But I don’t want that, Kevin. Not anymore.”

His eyes widened and he pulled a hand over his ashen face. “Then what do you want? Enlighten me.”

In a few years she’d be celebrating her fiftieth birthday. And what did she have to show for it?

What
did
she want?

Tears came then, but they weren’t for Kevin.

“I’m not sure what I want yet. But I know I’m not going to find it in New York.”

“Well, you won’t find it in some hick town up in Maine either,” Kevin scoffed. “You’ll die of boredom up there.”

“Oh, Kev.” Michelle let out a tired sigh and moved across the room to stand before him. She placed a hand on his cheek and shook her head. “I used to believe that too. But I think I might have been wrong. I pray I am.”

“You’re really serious?”

“Yes.” She walked toward the door again, smiling.

“You’re throwing it all away, Michelle! You’re throwing your life away.”

Michelle turned one last time to look at him just as his front door opened. Felicity Harrison and the kids wandered in, stopped when they saw her, and stared.

Michelle squared her shoulders, gave a brief nod and somehow managed not to laugh at the astonished expression Kevin’s wife wore, a perfect match for her husband’s. “No need to worry, Mrs. Harrison,” she told her, shooting Kevin a last scathing glance. “I was just leaving.”

~

The white house came into view as she rounded the corner, the setting sun throwing a
pink hue over the wooden walls and the lake beyond. Michelle slowed her car to a crawl and eventually pulled into a vacant spot. She let out her breath and drank in the scene.

Home. At least it used to be.

Now that she was here, she wasn’t sure what to do.

Her eyes came to rest on a large bronze sculpture across the lawn, a fair distance away from the parking bays. Two swans about to take off from the lake, the piece of art firmly anchored onto a large cement slab. A smile tickled her lips. She’d recognize that artist anywhere.

Off to the right of the old house, two newly constructed cabins could be seen through the trees. A child’s laugh reached her ears as she stepped out onto the gravel drive. Michelle peered across the lawn to where the old swing-set used to be. It was no longer there, a newer wooden play-set having taken its place.

Darcie stood behind the swings, pushing a tow-headed child high into the air.

Jackson.

He squealed in delight as she pushed him higher. Michelle allowed the unexpected rush of feeling and embraced it. She fought the urge to race across the lawn to join them, instead settled her gaze on the front door of the house.

With faltering steps, she reached the door, gripping the leather strap of her purse. Maybe she should have called. Brought flowers.

Not come.

The door flung wide and her mother stepped out onto the porch, squinting through her bifocals. “Shelly?” Michelle couldn’t stop a laugh at the face Mom made as she pulled her glasses off. “Never can see a body with these things on! Oh. It
is
you…” Her face cracked, reddened and she took a step back, hand to her mouth.

Michelle could only nod.

Her mother looked older. Her hair, pulled back off her face, had gone quite gray, and many more wrinkles marked the passage of time. But her serene smile remained the same and those kind dark eyes sparkled as they always had.

Michelle inhaled and waited a moment before she trusted speech. “I should probably have called. But I…I didn’t know…what to say.” She met her mother’s eyes and felt all the years, all the pain, slip away in an instant.

Tears shone in her eyes as Mom came forward and grasped her hands, smiling and nodding. “No need to say anything, Shelly, girl. No need at all.” She turned and yelled into the house. “Mac! Come quick, honey. Shelly’s home!”

Chapter Thirty-One

Claire placed the last item of clothing into her suitcase and closed the lid. In a few hours she and James would be on their way, leaving this place and the people she’d come to love in such a short space of time. She couldn’t wait to see Melanie again, her dad and the dogs, but part of her dreaded going back to Connecticut.

So much of her heart would remain here, at Tara’s Place.

Male laughter filtered into the bedroom through the open window. James didn’t have much to pack and he and Landon sat out on the porch. They’d all risen early, gone to church together, and afterward Mac and Jessie laid on an enormous brunch. She didn’t know where Rick had gone after that. He’d taken to pulling disappearing acts. His time in New York seemed to have had an adverse affect on him.

He’d been spending hours alone in his studio, even with Landon around. He took long walks with Jazz, and moped around the property with a haunted look that tore at her heart. She wasn’t sure what Michelle’s presence at the art show that night meant, but she knew the evening hadn’t ended well.

Thanks to her.

Claire lugged her case off the bed and carried it out to the front door, dropping it beside the other bags James had already left there. She took a long lingering look around the cabin, then stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air. It was hard to believe she’d been
here so long, yet part of her felt she’d never been anywhere else.

“How’s my gorgeous niece today?” Landon squinted at her over the top of his shades. Claire grinned and positioned herself on the swinging chair beside her husband.

“Quit calling me that. It’s weird. You know you aren’t that much older than me. I hope you don’t expect me to call you Uncle Landon.”

“No, don’t you dare.” He chuckled and sipped from a soda can. “At least not in public.”

“Where’s Rick?” Claire checked her watch. James didn’t mind driving at night, but she didn’t want to get home too late.

Landon shrugged. “Not sure where he went. Poor guy seems really torn up since talking to Michelle. I was hoping he might get some closure, but I don’t know…I don’t think he realized the extent of what she went through before now.”

“I know.” Claire entwined her fingers through James’. “He’s always telling me to stop blaming myself. Maybe he needs to take his own advice.”

Landon gave a yawn and stretched his muscled arms over his head. “That would be a first. Don’t you know you got your stubborn streak from him?”

Claire smiled. “Really? He told me it came from Michelle.”

“Right.” Landon pushed to his feet and waved as Jackson and Darcie rounded the corner from the main house. The little boy raced down the path toward them. Jackson skipped up the steps and Landon swept him into a bear hug. “Hey, tiger!” From the moment Landon set foot on the property, the two were literally inseparable.

“Jackson!” Darcie ran after him, breathless. “Quit bothering Landon. How many times do I have to tell you?” She let out a frustrated breath and made her way up the steps. “Sorry.” She reached for Jackson but he held on to Landon’s neck and shook his head, jutting out his chin.

“We’re going fishing. Landon said.”

Claire hid her smile with her hand. The stubbornness definitely came from both sides.

“If that’s okay with you,” Landon put in, pushing his sunglasses onto the top of his head, his dazzling blue eyes sparkling.

Darcie’s flushed face deepened a shade. Claire smiled as she watched her sister open her mouth then shut it again. She actually seemed at a loss for words. That was a first. Landon was definitely one attractive man and apparently Darcie had noticed.

Why did she have to leave just when things were starting to get interesting?

“Okay, fine, but not too long. It’ll be dark soon.”

“Best time to go,” Landon said, giving a wink.

“Best time. Yep.” Jackson’s grin was wide.

Darcie muttered something under her breath and turned to Claire. “You’ll never guess who’s here.” She wiped her forehead, slumped on the edge of the porch step and drew in a long breath.

Landon chuckled, took a seat again, Jackson perched on his lap. “Barbara Walters wanting the scoop on the big family reunion?”

“Oh, please.” Claire rolled her eyes at Landon’s proclamation and Darcie shook her head.

“Nope.” Darcie seemed to recover from her speechless state and flashed a grin in Claire’s direction. “It’s my mother. Our mother.”

“What?” Claire’s skin prickled and she stared at Darcie in disbelief. “Really?”

“Yep.” Darcie pushed her hair off her face, her eyes bright. “She’s in the house, talking to Grandma and Grandpa. I think she plans on staying. There were a lot of bags in the back of her car.”

Landon let out a long whistle that Jackson tried to imitate. “Well, now. Isn’t that
interesting. What time are you leaving, Claire?”

Claire turned to James and searched his face. He gave a shrug and ran a finger down her nose. She knew he’d promised Steve he’d be back in the office tomorrow. Claire let out a sigh. “We were planning on going in the next hour or so, but maybe we should leave now.”

“Claire!” Darcie’s voiced her disappointment. “You don’t need to skip out just because she showed up. Who knows why she’s here? The fact is, she hasn’t set foot on this property in years, and now she’s here. Maybe God is answering our prayers after all, huh?”

“She’s got a point, babe.” James rubbed Claire’s back, the action soothing her. “If you want to stay, we can.”

“I don’t know.” Claire wrestled with what Michelle’s arrival meant. If she’d come to make amends with Mac and Jessie, that was great, but Claire didn’t want to get in the way.

She was still unwanted.

Jackson slipped off Landon’s knee and stood in front of Claire, leaning on her, his eyes big. “Auntie Clayah, why do you hafta go? I want you to stay hereah, with us.”

Claire smiled and cradled his little face in her hands. Mournful brown eyes stared up at her. “I know, buddy.” She kissed his forehead and wished there was some way…

“Hey, I think I hear those fish biting. What do you say, Jacko?” Landon got to his feet and took Jackson by the hand. His eyes came to rest on Claire, his expression serious. “Don’t take off without saying goodbye.”

Claire stood with a sigh, and planted a kiss on his rugged jaw. “I won’t. Have fun. Don’t forget his life jacket.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Landon winked and he and Jackson head down the steps toward the boathouse.

“Maybe I’ll go with them.” James yelled to Landon to wait up. “We won’t be that long.”

“Okay.” Claire watched him go, hands shoved in his pockets, whistling as he jogged down the path. She’d never get over how blessed she was to have James in her life. And to think she’d almost thrown it all away.

Darcie gave a long groan and put her head in her hands. “I shouldn’t have let Jackson go.”

“Why?” Claire went to sit beside her and draped an arm across Darcie’s slender shoulders.

“Because. Jackson doesn’t need to get close to him. Landon’s only going to up and leave in a few weeks. Poor kid’s upset enough that you and James are leaving.”