The Hamilton Heir (8 page)

Heather led her through the heavy, leaded-glass front door and into the foyer. “Here we are. Home sweet home.”

Dawn didn’t know what to say. “It’s…it’s big.”

The other woman’s laugh echoed in the cavernous entryway. “It sure didn’t seem big when we were kids. We were always stumbling over each other.”

“That’s hard to believe.” Dawn had taken a few tentative steps on the highly polished hardwood floor and was staring up at the colored light reflecting off the crystal prisms in the chandelier. “Wow.”

Heather gestured toward a sweeping central staircase. “My room’s on the third floor. Most of the good jewelry’s kept down here, in Dad’s safe in the library. We’ll cut through the parlor so you can see grandmother’s grand piano. Mom made all of us take lessons when we were kids. Boy, did my brothers hate it. Do you play?”

“No.” Dawn shook her head and followed, trying to remember to keep her mouth closed instead of gaping at the opulence. Feeling totally out of place, she gave a nervous little laugh when an amusing thought crossed her mind.

“What’s so funny?” Heather asked pleasantly.

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking how I’d hate to have to dust all these ornate antiques.”

“Vera Mae takes care of that,” Heather said. “She’s been our cook and housekeeper for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I used to think she was older than dirt.”

Dawn suppressed another laugh. “What, no butler?”

“Not anymore. There was a butler’s pantry off the kitchen. It’s been obsolete since one of the remodels where they opened up the smaller areas and combined the formal and informal dining rooms. I keep telling Mom she needs more help, especially lately, but she refuses to hire anyone besides Vera Mae. Of course, there is a service that keeps up the lawn and gardens.”

“Of course.” Dawn didn’t have the heart to tell Heather she’d been joking when she’d mentioned a butler. She couldn’t even imagine living in a house that was more like a museum than a home. And the notion of having even one servant boggled her mind. There were larger, more modern dwellings in the newer areas of Davis Landing, but she doubted there were any that could rival the Hamilton place for sheer lavishness.

Heather led her into a room that had more bookshelves lining the walls than Betty’s Bakeshoppe and Bookstore. In one corner, two matching high-backed chairs were grouped around a carved mahogany side table. A glass-shaded floor lamp of brass, with an inlaid alabaster base, arched over the table like a graceful, long-necked whooping crane about to snap up a hapless fish. As if a decorator had read her thoughts beforehand, a lifelike bisque figure of a wading bird stood poised on the side table.

Didn’t these people own anything that wasn’t old and fragile? Dawn was almost afraid to breathe.
She sure hoped she didn’t have to sneeze while she was in this room because everything except the massive desk and the books looked decidedly breakable.

“We’ll take a peek at the particular necklace I have in mind and then decide,” Heather said, going directly to an eye-level shelf and removing a set of leather-bound tomes to gain access to a small safe with a combination dial. “Mom has lots of beautiful things.”

“Hold it.” Dawn put on the brakes. “I thought you were going to loan me something of yours.”

Heather laughed. “I don’t wear diamonds. It’s not my style. But Mom has oodles of pretty pieces. There’s one in particular that I’m sure would be perfect with the neckline of your new dress.”

“I can’t borrow your mother’s jewels! What if I lost one?” She swallowed hard. “What if I lost a whole necklace? What if I got mugged or something?”

“Oh, stop worrying. Tim will take good care of you.” Heather had the safe open and was removing a dark velvet box. “Here.” She opened it and displayed its contents. “What do you think of this one?”

Dawn gasped. The silver filigreed necklace and matching earrings were delicately crafted. Just enough diamond sparkle had been incorporated to set off the artistic design without making the pieces gaudy. Her hand trembled as she reached to gently touch the outer edge of the velvet box. “How beautiful!”

“I think so, too. And Mom rarely wears the set. Seems like a shame to have it sitting in the dark in this old safe, doesn’t it? I’ll ask her to be sure, but I’m positive she’ll be delighted to lend it to you for one evening. Can’t you picture it with the scooped neckline of that beautiful blue dress we bought? Talk about gorgeous!”

Dawn felt as if she were a helium-filled balloon that had suddenly sprung a leak. “I can’t wear that. Really, I can’t.”

Heather laid a hand lightly on Dawn’s shoulder. “You can and you will. It’s about time somebody knocked my stuffy brother’s socks off and I think you’re just the one who can do it.”

“I don’t want to knock anybody’s socks off,” Dawn lamented. “I want to go back to the office and pretend all this never happened.”

“Well, I can take you back to work, but I can’t do anything about canceling out the afternoon,” Heather said with obvious glee. “I wish I could be a little fly on the wall so I could hide and see Tim’s face when he gets his first look at you in that dress, though.”

Dawn sighed and shook her head. “Speaking of seeing things, I hope he decides he loves the outfit before he sees the bill for it and faints dead away.”

O
pryland was a Nashville institution, one that Dawn had heard plenty about but hadn’t visited. She’d cited various excuses for not having sampled any of the attractions at the resort and convention center complex but the main reason was monetary.

Though she was living comfortably while still sending money to her parents, she hadn’t budgeted anything extra for entertaining herself. She hadn’t needed to. Beau kept her amused at home and Northside Community Church, with its diverse members and outreach programs, had become her emotional and physical escape.

There was always plenty going on around the church, even during the week, and she enjoyed the aura of peace and love that always enveloped her and made her feel at home there. That was one of the reasons she’d agreed to teach Sunday school on a regular basis and why she didn’t mind spending
that whole evening sprucing up the Sunday school rooms for the six-to eight-year-olds with her friend and fellow teacher, Gabi.

Thanks to Northside and the example of its beloved pastor, David Abernathy, Dawn was always adding to her growing list of friends. Besides Gabi and Gabi’s young daughters, Veronica, Roni for short, who was ten going on twenty-five, and Talia, a lovable eight-year-old, she’d also grown close to Felicity Simmons from the
Dispatch
and Stella Barton, who worked at the hospital with Gabi.

Recently, she’d heard quite a lot about Melissa Hamilton, too, mainly when the church’s young adults group met. Now that the youngest Hamilton had run off to who-knows-where, someone was always asking for prayer on her behalf. From the tone of the requests, Dawn had concluded Melissa’s prolonged absence was of concern, particularly to her family and those who knew her best.

She’d contemplated asking Tim if he’d had any word from his baby sister, then thought better of it. If she wanted answers to personal questions, it would be much wiser to ask Heather. Dawn liked her, really liked her, especially after they’d shared the shopping experience, even if Heather was a rich kid from the right side of the tracks.

“I
like
my side of the tracks,” Dawn mumbled.

Across the otherwise empty Sunday school room, Gabi perked up. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Dawn shrugged. “I was just thinking out loud.”

“Sounds serious. Anything I can do to help?”

“Oooh. Better be careful when you say that. Last time I did, Tim roped me into going to that fancy dinner that’s coming up.”

“It’s next Saturday night, isn’t it?”

Dawn made a face at Gabi. “Yeah. Whoopie.”

“Hey, don’t complain. You got a new dress out of the deal. It’s
muy bonita,
as my
mamacita
would say.”

“It is pretty. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful but it’s such a waste. Where in the world am I ever going to wear a dress like that again?”

“Maybe Tim will decide he wants to take you out more than once.”

“Dreamer.”

“Well, maybe he will. You never know. You said he’s mellowed lately.”

Dawn’s eyebrows arched and she nodded. “That’s true.” The hint of a smile quirked one corner of her mouth. “I can just picture it. He’ll be in a different shirt and tie every time he picks me up and I’ll be wearing that same blue dress, over and over again.”

“At least he’ll get his money’s worth,” Gabi teased.

“Not unless I live in that dress for the rest of my life—and then some. I can’t believe anybody pays that much for clothes. And the shoes were nearly as bad. I can’t remember exactly what they were called. Their name sounded like an Italian opera singer crossed with a Russian cobbler.”

Gabi giggled. “I think I’ve heard of that brand. Very trendy. Are they comfortable?”

“I don’t know. I guess so. I’m going to be too nervous to notice my feet, anyway.” She paced to the bulletin board and busied herself pinning up illustrations of the upcoming month’s Sunday school lessons.

“You’ll do fine,” her friend assured her. “How are you going to wear your hair?”

Dawn frowned. “My hair?”

“Sure. Are you going with an up-do or leaving it loose, like always?”

Laying aside the pushpins she’d been using at the bulletin board, she raked the fingers of both hands through her tresses and lifted them high in the back. “You mean up? Like this? Why would I do that?”

“To look more sophisticated.”

“Phooey. I’m not going to fool anybody into thinking I actually belong at that stockholders dinner no matter what I do,” Dawn countered, shaking out her hair and resuming the decorating task. “Why should I try?”

“It’s not about trying to fool anyone,” Gabi argued. “It’s called putting your best foot forward.” She tittered. “After all, you’ll be wearing expensive shoes on those feet.”

“Very funny.”

“I could do your hair for you. I used to put my own up all the time when Octavio was alive. Now, I don’t take the time to fuss with it. Too much bother.”

Dawn shrugged noncommittally. “You can fiddle with my hair if you want to. I hadn’t actually considered doing anything different with it but it might
make me feel more elegant. I need all the help I can get at this point.”

“You’ll do fine. Don’t put yourself down,” Gabi said. “Tim obviously feels comfortable taking you or he wouldn’t have asked you to go in the first place.”

“That’s true. But—”

“No buts. It’s settled. I’ll be over Saturday morning to do your hair. We can make it a girls-only party and unwind together.”

“Speaking of girls,” Dawn said. “What about Talia and Roni? Want to bring them, too? We can all pig out on pizza. My treat.”

“Sounds wonderful. I’ll tell them we’re getting Cinderella ready to go to the ball with her prince. Roni will probably roll her eyes and look at me like I’m crazy but Talia will love the idea. Besides, they love to come over and play with your dog.”

Dawn nodded. Her mind was already spinning off on a detour triggered by Gabi’s mention of a prince. She’d never seen Tim Hamilton in a tuxedo but she could imagine how he’d look.
Princely
pretty much summed it up.

Oh, Father,
she thought,
help me. I don’t know why You’ve put me in this position but I don’t feel adequate to cope with it. Please, please, stay with me. I can’t do it without You.

That short prayer was so honest it opened her eyes to the truth she’d been overlooking. She wasn’t in this alone. She never had been. Trusting God for the easy things in life was usually relatively painless. The true test of her faith was trusting
Him—
really
trusting Him—during difficult times and in confusing circumstances.

Dawn smiled, realizing that the answer to her prayer had been within her all along. Her focus was wrong. Instead of worrying about what other people thought of her she needed to keep her eyes on Jesus and live the way He’d taught. Doing that would bring everything else into line, no matter what occurred.

“‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’” she quoted, looking over at Gabi for affirmation.

The pretty Latina nodded. “Right on, sister. Now you’ve got it. You’re going to have a wonderful time.”

Having Gabi and the girls keep her company in her small apartment all afternoon that fateful Saturday helped Dawn stay distracted. And watching the girls babying Beau had given them all plenty to laugh about. Once the others left, however, the butterflies in Dawn’s stomach started to flap their little imaginary wings something awful.

Dressed in the shimmering blue dress, she pivoted in front of the full-length mirror on the back of her bathroom door and stared at her image, barely recognizing the slim, sophisticated woman looking back at her. Where had the real Dawn Leroux gone? That certainly wasn’t her in the mirror! That woman was too beautiful. Too elegant. And too unsteady in such high-heeled shoes, she added with concern. Losing her balance in those
stupid shoes and taking a spill in front of all the stockholders would make a lasting impression on them, all right.

She lightly patted the upswept hairdo Gabi had created. It was becoming, but it further emphasized the contrast she felt between who she really was and who she was pretending to be. That bothered her. She felt she should be comfortable as herself, not trying to impress people by changing her appearance.

About to pull the pins and release her hair to fall around her face and over her shoulders as it usually did, Dawn was startled by a knock.

Beau was worn out from his afternoon efforts at entertaining Gabi’s girls but he nevertheless raised his head and managed one halfhearted “woof.”

“It’s okay, boy,” Dawn said. Giving him the corresponding hand signals she said, “Down. Stay.”

He yawned and looked relieved, closed his eyes and stretched out on his side, clearly ready to resume his interrupted nap.

Dawn’s glance darted to the kitchen clock. Who could be at the door? Tim wasn’t due for another hour. Maybe Gabi had forgotten something and had returned for it.

She called, “Coming,” and made her way across the living room, careful to balance in the new shoes.

Smiling, she opened the door. “Hi! Did you… ”

It was Tim! Dawn was speechless. There he stood, in all his tuxedoed perfection, not a hair out of place and more handsome than ever. In one hand
he held the velvet jewelry box Heather had shown her at the Hamilton house.

She boldly looked him up and down without realizing she was doing it. When her gaze rose to rest on his face she was startled to see an expression that revealed more than mere surprise. Apparently Heather had gotten her wish. The man was obviously shocked all the way to his socks! Well, no wonder. She was pretty surprised at the transformation she saw in her mirror, too.

Turning from side to side to display the shimmering dress Dawn asked, “How do you like it?”

“It’s…it’s—” Tim seemed at a loss for words. Finally he settled on “—amazing.”

“Thank you.” She stepped aside. “My friend Gabi and I had a pizza party this afternoon while she did my hair so I’m afraid the place is a little messy, but you’re welcome to come in for a minute if you’d like.”

The shake of Tim’s head was barely discernible. He peered past her to assess the dozing mastiff. “No, thanks. Looks like Beau wouldn’t mind but it still wouldn’t look right to your neighbors.” He handed her the velvet box. “Mom sent this. Heather said you knew all about it.”

“Yes. Thank you.” Accepting the small, flat jewelry box, Dawn noticed that her hand was shaking. “I don’t mind telling you, wearing this scares me to death. But your sister wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

She left the door standing open as she lifted the hinged lid of the box and once again saw the mag
nificent necklace. “Oh, my. It’s even more beautiful than I remembered.”

“Much more beautiful,” Tim said quietly.

His voice was low and a little hoarse-sounding, leading Dawn to glance back at him. Judging by the direct way his gaze met hers, she was tempted to imagine he was referring to her rather than to the diamond necklace.

She lifted it gingerly. “I don’t know if I can fasten this properly. I wouldn’t want it to fall off and get lost.” She looked pleadingly at Tim and held the necklace out to him. “Would you do it for me?”

He took it. “Turn around.”

As she did so, he closed the distance between them and Dawn sensed his overpowering presence. She’d always been aware of Tim’s charisma but she’d never before noticed his nearness affecting her this much. He wasn’t touching her, yet she felt as if he’d put his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace.

The necklace brushed against her skin and settled at her throat. She placed the fingertips of one hand over it. Her pulse was racing so rapidly she was certain Tim could see the beats jumping below her jawline.

In moments he’d fastened the necklace and stepped back. He cleared his throat. “Can you manage the earrings?”

“I think so.” Dawn laid the box on an end table so she’d have both hands free. Her ears were pierced and the posts were screw-on so she wasn’t as worried about losing the delicate drop earrings.

When she finished she looked to Tim. “There. How’s that? I hope it’s not too much.”

“It’s perfect.” His voice was deep, his tone sensitive. “You’re perfect.” At that, he began to smile. “I hope I get to spend a little time with you after all the other men get through fawning over you.”

“Hah. Nobody ever fawns over me,” she said, “except maybe Beau.” The weary dog opened one eye and thumped his tail against the floor at the mention of his name.

“Well, they will tonight. I guarantee it. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, but… Aren’t we awfully early?”

“You said you’d never been to Opryland before so I thought we’d walk around the grounds first. They have acres of gardens with waterfalls and even a river, all under a glass atrium. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

Dawn hesitated. “Walk?”

“We could ride the riverboat if you’d rather.”

“It’s just these shoes,” Dawn explained. “Heather insisted on them but I’m not used to such high heels. I’m not sure how good they’ll be for taking a leisurely stroll.”

“I wouldn’t care if you went barefoot,” Tim said, smiling. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before I give in to hunger and beg a piece of your leftover pizza. It smells delicious.”

“It was. But I’m afraid you’re too late. Gabi and the girls were here all afternoon and they saw to it that Beau got all the scraps. There’s nothing left but the cardboard box.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to wait for the fancy cuisine at the Ristorante Volare. It’s always been very good.”

Dawn picked up the clutch Heather had chosen to match her outfit, made sure she had her key and joined Tim at the door. “Okay. Guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Do you have a wrap? It might be chilly later.”

“Nope, no wrap. I told your sister I’d rather freeze to death tonight than spend one more penny of your money.”

Laughing softly, he offered her his arm. “In that case, Ms. Leroux, to show my appreciation, I promise I’ll give you my jacket to wear if you need it.”

Although she said, “It’s a deal,” in her heart-of-hearts she was hoping and praying his sacrifice of his own comfort wouldn’t be necessary. Her senses were already so on edge she was afraid she’d self-destruct if she actually donned a coat that was still warm with Tim’s body heat and smelling of his aftershave.