Change of Heart Page 16

  The men stared.

  “You with the government?” One man asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Nathaniel’s dark suit and tie.

  The distrust in their expressions was obvious. Nathaniel should have thought this through better. And at least changed his clothes. “No. I’m actually a friend of Val’s.”

  The man tipped forward his head and lowered his eyelids. He spit a brown stream on the sidewalk.

  Nathaniel stepped back to keep it from splashing on his shoes. “Val worked for me this summer in Maine. I heard her father was sick, and I came down to…” to what? To fix everything? To offer support? Why had he come? Now wasn’t the time to dwell on the thoughts, he’d second-guessed himself the entire way down here. All he knew is he needed to find her. To make sure she was all right. “I came down to check on her.”

  “Heard Val worked for a rich guy this summer,” one of the men muttered.

  The man who’d spoken first nodded. “Y’all gotta go down into the holler. Val’s place is at the end of the road.” He pointed back the way Nathaniel had come.

  “Do you have an address? I’m not quite sure…”

  “Follow the road back the way ya come. Turnoff’s right past the union sign. You’ll know you’re there when you can’t go no farther without landing in the crick.”

  “Thank you.” Nathaniel hesitated, shook the men’s hands then returned to his vehicle, flipped the car around, and headed back into the trees. He passed a rusted Miners’ Union sign and looked for a turnoff. If he hadn’t known the road was there, he’d have missed it. The path was nothing more than overgrown tire ruts leading off the main road.

  He steered the car to the right and followed the road between hills and deeper into the wooded valley until it ended in front of a small trailer in a clearing. Clotheslines were strung across the yard. The sight of a green tank top with a cowboy boot silhouette fluttering alongside a pair of cut-off jeans made his heart jolt. He’d found the right place.

  Braking to a stop, he parked next to a pickup truck and a small car on the side of the house. A large wooden porch was built onto the front of the trailer. Nathaniel stepped out of the car, and two dogs emerged from beneath the porch and ran toward him, barking. He grabbed onto the door handle of the car, ready to jump back inside.

  A man stepped out of the door. He yelled something that stopped the dogs then stood on the porch, crossing his arms.

  Nathaniel felt his heart still beating fast. He watched the dogs from the side of his eye as he walked past and raised his hand in greeting. “Good evening. I’m Nathaniel Cavanaugh. Are you Mr. McKinley?”

  The man remained silent.

  He wore a ball cap and had a thick beard. Nathaniel searched his face for any resemblance to Val. “Sir, I’m a friend of Val’s.”

  “You a lawyer?”

  Nathaniel winced at the venom in the man’s voice. Nothing would induce him to admit to being an attorney when two dogs were ready to spring toward him at a command. “Val worked for me this summer. I came to check on her. Are you her father?”

  The man glanced back into the house and then, holding onto the rail, slowly walked down the stairs.

  He had the look of a sturdy man who’d lost a great deal of weight in a short time, his skin was slightly yellowed, but he stood straight as he reached the bottom of the stairs, facing Nathaniel.

  “Rex McKinley. I’m Val’s daddy.”

  Nathaniel extended his hand and shook Rex’s. His grip was strong, but Nathaniel could tell action took effort. He glanced at the house. “Is Val here?”

  Rex nodded. “She just got home from the factory.”

  Nathaniel’s heart skipped when he heard she was so close. He looked past Rex through the screen door, but he couldn’t see into the house.

  Rex leaned heavily against the stair railing.

  “And how are you feeling, sir?” Nathaniel wasn’t sure if he should be assisting Val’s father or not.

  “I have good days. I’m not as sick as Val thinks. Not enough for her to drop everything to move back here and care for me like an inv’lid. ’Sides, doctor says it’s all uphill from here, and I’ve got her brothers and sisters to help out.” Rex lowered himself to the porch steps and jerked his head to the side, motioning for Nathaniel to join him. “But you know Val. She takes care of people. She’s taken care of this family for fifteen years. That girl needs to be needed.”

  “I need her.” Saying the words aloud sent a shock through him. Maybe he’d let down his guard because Val’s father seemed so non-threatening. Or he could just be exhausted after traveling all day. He darted a look at Rex.

  Val’s father studied him for a moment. “Reckon you wouldn’t be here otherwise.” Rex pulled himself up and leaned against the rail as he climbed back up the stairs. “Val, come on outside.”

  ****

  When she heard her daddy call, Val dropped her dishtowel and hurried to the front door. What is he doing outside? He could overexert himself or even fall, and the doctor said he needed to take it easy.

  Truthfully, she could tell he was improving. He complained more often about being cooped up in the house and insisted on doing more for himself, but Val was still worried. He’d had major surgery only a few weeks earlier.

  Her daddy had been pushing her to get back to Boston, to get to Paris, but she wouldn’t leave as long as she was still needed here. No dream was worth losing him.

  She held open the door. “Come on back inside, Daddy. Supper’s nearly—” She glanced at the bottom of the porch stairs and froze as her gaze met Nathaniel’s. She felt her heart tumble at the sight, and she couldn’t draw a breath. What was he doing here? How had he found her? I’m gonna strangle Seth. “Nathaniel, what in the world…”

  Rex stepped close and placed his hand on her shoulder, looking her directly in the eye. “Val, you’re so much like your momma, but that don’t mean ya need to take her place.” He glanced at Nathaniel and then back. “Y’all have some things to work out.” He walked past her into the house.

  Nathaniel climbed a few steps.

  He still hadn’t spoken. What was he thinking? Had he just come to check on her? If that was the case, he’d have to leave before anyone from the Attorney General’s office found out where he was. Even as she thought of why he shouldn’t be here, she felt her pulse race at the fact he’d come.

  “Take a walk with me?” Nathaniel offered his hand.

  With a cautious move, she slipped her hand in his. She could tell something was different in the way he looked at her, even his voice sounded different.

  He turned, hesitated for a moment as he looked around the clearing, and finally led her down to the creek. When they reached the grassy bank, he turned and faced her. “Why didn’t you answer my calls, and why didn’t you tell me about your father? You shouldn’t have had to deal with all this alone.”

  Val watched the running water. The feel of him, and the nearness. She was overwhelmed, and she didn’t look into his eyes, knowing the sight would prevent her from focusing her thoughts. “I appreciate ya coming all the way down to check on me, but you really shouldn’t have.”

  He lifted their joined hands to nudge her chin upward so their gazes met. “Why not? Isn’t this what friends do?”

  Val wanted to melt at his touch, wanted to lose herself in his eyes, and fall into his arms, but the pain that would follow wasn’t worth the risk. She needed to guard her heart. And her frustration that she was the only one who realized what was at stake turned into annoyance. Stiffening, she released his hand and stepped back. “What if someone knew where you were? You need to think about your reputation.”

  Nathaniel shook his head. “Don’t talk like that.”

  “You don’t understand. This…” She waved her hand back and forth between them. “our…relationship…” she looked away, feeling her cheeks turn pink. “It could ruin everything for you. I’m not the kind of girl a man like you should be associated with.” Val’s throat constricted
as she said the words, but she knew they were true. That painful fact had been brought up numerous times, but why did she have to be the one to spell it out?”

  “You are the perfect girl for me to be with.” He tipped his head to catch her gaze. “I didn’t accept the job, Val.”

  She couldn’t believe what she heard. What was he saying? What had happened? Why would he pass up an opportunity like this? “But you’d worked so hard. I thought the position was your dream.”

  He lifted his shoulder in a shrug. “I thought so too, but the job wasn’t what I wanted.” Leaning forward, he took her hand again.

  Val wondered if he could feel her pulse pounding. “I thought Paris was my dream,” she whispered and glanced up. “But in the end, that wasn’t what I wanted.”

  He pulled her toward him, sliding a hand around her waist. Cupping her chin, he lifted her face. “What’s your dream, Val?”

  Val’s blood heated at his touch. She looked into his eyes, afraid of what she’d see, and at the same time afraid it wouldn’t be there. Her heart felt like an out-of-control propeller. She shook her head.

  “Tell me.”

  She wanted to tell him, wanted to scream it. Wanted to pull him closer and kiss him until she forgot her name, but the fear of his rejection was more than she could bear. “I can’t.”

  He studied her face, moving his thumb over her jaw and sliding his hand to rest on the side of her neck. “A few months ago if you’d asked what my goals were, I would have told you I hoped for this job to be a springboard for my political and legal career. But I took a long look at my life and realized my goals weren’t leading me in the direction I’d wanted. They weren’t even my goals in the first place. The proposed job would give me even less time with my kids.”

  Nathaniel’s arm tightened around her waist. “My dream is a family. This morning, I placed a call to Günter Jordan in Lobster Cove to see if he could use a partner. I’m hoping to buy Couthy Cottage and move north with the kids. Now the only thing missing from my dream is a woman who jumps in front of trolleys and bakes cornbread.” His lips quirked. “You don’t know where I could find someone like that, do you?”

  “Do you need a nanny?” she whispered and lifted her gaze to his. Her fingers and toes tingled as she allowed a sliver of hope to penetrate into her chest.

  He shook his head. His gaze held hers.

  The expression in them made taking a breath difficult. She nibbled her lip.

  “I need you, Val. My family wouldn’t be complete otherwise.”

  Tears sprung into her eyes, and she felt as if her heart would explode.

  Nathaniel brushed away the moisture on her cheeks. “But this will only work after you do your Paris internship.”

  “No, I’m not leaving y’all to—”

  “I wouldn’t even consider letting you go alone. The kids and I would be completely happy to spend the winter in Paris while you study. If you’d consider bringing them along for our honeymoon?”

  Val pressed her hands against his cheeks and pulled his face to hers, meeting his lips as heat burst in her chest.

  His lips moved over hers, his kiss deepening, and he pressed her against him tightly. His kisses, his touch, his words filled the empty places in her heart, and Val sighed, knowing she’d found where she belonged.

  Epilogue

  Nathaniel stood in the shade of the Lobster Cove Post Office watching the woman walking down First Street toward him. A spring wind blew the smell of blossoms, giving him hope the long Maine winter was finally over.

  She wore a nice pair of slacks, colorful scarf, and designer shoes. Walking confidently, she shook her hair out of her face as the sea wind blew it. After glancing at the pedestrians, she veered away from the crowded sidewalk, stepping off the curb with a confident stride.

  His heart flew into his throat. “Val!”

  Val looked up.

  Nathaniel rushed toward her. He took her arm and pulled her out of the street. “You didn’t even look to see if the trolley was coming.”

  She smiled, showing the dimples in her cheeks. “Calm down. I was barely in the gutter. Don’t be such a worrywart.”

  “Someone’s got to look out for my wife.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. Her swollen tummy pressed against him. He took her hand and they strolled into the park.

  “Did you pick up Ruby from school on time? You know how she gets when we’re late.”

  He shook his head and chuckled. Now who is the worrywart? “I picked her up on time, just like I do every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon while you’re at the gallery. I’m sure Mrs. Spencer is at this very moment feeding the children one of her delicious meals.”

  “What a good daddy you are.” She squeezed his hand.

  “Of course I am. Now how was the gallery today?”

  “Wonderful, as usual. I sold one of Jane Nash’s watercolors. But I have to say, The Venus Gallery isn’t the same without the Copeland.”

  “I like it better in its new home at the cottage, don’t you?”

  She rested her head on his shoulder for just a moment. “I most certainly do. And I can’t imagine any woman ever received a more thoughtful wedding gift.”

  They reached Nathaniel’s car. He let Val inside and climbed in behind the steering wheel, turning the key. He shifted the car into gear and lifted Val’s hand, holding it between the seats as he drove.

  “How was work today with Günter?” Val asked.

  “Good, we met with a few new clients and finalized necessary paperwork.”

  “I hope you have some plans for supper. I’m starving.” She placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed a circle.

  “No more horrific pregnancy cravings, if I hear you talking about squirrels and gravy again…” His stomach turned over at the thought.

  “No, I’m not craving anything in particular. How about a hamburger or a lobster roll?”

  He brushed his lips across her knuckles, loving that he could still make his wife shiver with such a small action. “Or what if we head home and put the kids in bed? I’ve got a craving myself for something sweet and Southern.”

  “We’ll have to stop at the grocery mart—” Val began.

  “Oh, you thought I meant food.” He opened his eyes wide in an expression of innocence.

  Val pulled her hand from his and gave him a playful swat.

  Darkness had fallen by the time they finished dinner and left Lobster Cove to drive back to the cottage.

  Val leaned her elbow on the armrest and laid her head against his shoulder. “I sure do love you, Mr. Cavanaugh.”

  “I love you too, Mrs. Cavanaugh.”

  He turned off the cliff road and drove through the trees until he saw the lights burning in the windows. Not forgotten. A warm feeling of contentment rolled over him as he glanced at the woman at his side. Val had given him a family. He was finally home.

  A word about the author…

  Jennifer Moore is a passionate reader and writer of all things romance due to the need to balance the rest of her world that includes a perpetually traveling husband and four active sons, who create heaps of laundry that is anything but romantic. She suffers from an unhealthy addiction to 18th and 19th century military history and literature. Jennifer has a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Utah and is a Guitar Hero champion. She lives in northern Utah with her family, but most of the time wishes she was on board a frigate during the Age of Sail.

  authorjmoore.com

  Another Title by the Author

  The Sheik’s Ruby

  Thank you for purchasing

  this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

 

 

 
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