Secrets of the Heart (27 page)

“Ah…no, Lydia, there’s nothing wrong. It’s just that we’ve had quite a bit of excitement today with Kathleen arriving and all. I guess it has affected our appetites.”

Lydia smiled. “I can understand that. How about more coffee?”

Back at the hotel, Tom and Caleb walked Kathleen up the stairs to her room.

When Kathleen took the skeleton key from her purse, Tom reached for it. “Here. Let me do it for you.”

He inserted the key, turned the knob, and gave the door a slight shove. “You get some rest,” he said softly, placing the key in her gloved hand. “I know you’ve got to be tuckered out.”

“That I am,” Kathleen admitted with a sigh.

“Tomorrow you just relax, and I’ll get in touch with you sometime
during the day. If you need to go shopping, I’ll take you. Or if you’d like to walk to the stores alone, I’ll give you some money to get whatever you want or need.”

“You really don’t need to give me any money,” Kathleen said sweetly. “I’m not your responsibility yet.”

“As far as I’m concerned, you are.”

Kathleen smiled. “You’re a good man, Thomas Harned. You come by any time you can tomorrow. I’ll be here.”

“All right.” Tom looked at his son. “Caleb, you can hug her good-night first.”

Caleb wrapped his arms gently around Kathleen’s neck when she bent down to hug him.

“Good night, Caleb,” she said.

“Good night, ma’am,” came his soft reply.

Tom gave her another gentlemanly embrace and said, “You get some rest now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Caleb was in bed, waiting for his father, when suddenly he thought of how much he missed having his mother tuck him in and kiss him good-night. Bedtime was always a special time. Loretta would take a few minutes to read to him from the few books they had in the house. Often he knew the stories by heart, but it made no difference. He loved the sweet sound of her voice as she sat on the bed beside him and read. His lower lip started to quiver. When he heard his father steps coming down the hall, he stifled the tears welling up inside him.

“I think we need to talk, son,” Tom said as he entered the room.

Caleb did not reply.

Tom sat down on the edge of the bed. “All right, Caleb. What is it?”

“Hmm?” The boy looked up at him and frowned. “You know what I’m talking about. When I told you Kathleen was coming from Chicago to be my wife and your new mother, you
seemed happy and excited about it. Why the sudden coldness toward her?”

Fat tears hovered in Caleb’s eyes and silently slipped down his little face.

“Caleb, I asked you a question. Why did you barely talk to Kathleen, and why were your hugs so weak?”

Caleb brushed the tears from his cheeks. A lump clogged his throat.

“Caleb…I’m waiting.”

The boy sniffed, blinked more tears onto his cheeks, and said, “Mommy wouldn’t want me to love another mother.”

“You mean you think that if you give love and affection to Kathleen, you’re being unfaithful to your mommy?”

The towheaded boy bit his lower lip and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Come here,” Tom said, opening his arms.

Caleb left the covers and let his father’s strong arms encircle him.

As Tom held him close, he said, “Son, I know all that’s happened—losing your mommy, and having to stay with other people while I work—has been awfully hard for you. I’m sure it’s been confusing. And now I bring in a new mother for you and wife for me. That has to be very difficult for a boy your age to accept. But listen to me.”

Caleb pulled back so he could look into his father’s eyes.

“Son, your mommy was a very sweet and loving person, wasn’t she?”

Caleb nodded.

“Then she wouldn’t feel that you were being unfaithful to her if you showed love to Kathleen. Your mother would want you to love Kathleen and make her feel welcome and let her know that you need her. Does that make sense?”

“I think so.”

“Kathleen has come a long, long way to be with us, not only to be my wife but to be your mother. I think you hurt her feelings today.”

Surprise showed in the boy’s big eyes. “Really?”

“Really. I saw it on her face. Don’t you think she deserves to be loved and appreciated?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then how about from here on, you let her know how much you appreciate that she’s come to be your mommy.”

Caleb swallowed hard. “Dad, I…I couldn’t call her
Mommy.
I just couldn’t.”

“All right. When the two of you get to know each other better, you can ask her whether she wants you to call her Mom or Ma. Okay?”

“Uh-huh.”

Tom hugged Caleb close. “That’s my boy. Now, you need to get to sleep. I know we’re going to be a happy family, Caleb. And please understand that this doesn’t mean you ever have to forget your birth mother. She will always be a part of your life. But you now have a second mother to take care of you…and me.”

Caleb left his father’s arms and slid back down under the covers. Tom kissed his forehead, pulled the covers up tight under his chin, and said, “I love you, son.”

“I love you, too, Dad,” came the small voice.

Tom blew out the lamp and started toward the door.

“Dad?”

“Mm-hmm?”

“Would…would you tell my new mother that I’m sorry I hurt her feelings, and explain in big people’s talk why I acted like I did? And then when I see her, I’ll tell her I’m sorry.”

“I’ll do that for you, Caleb. And I’m proud of you. I know the three of us are going to be very happy together. Good night, son.”

“Good night, Dad. Dad?”

Tom paused. “Yes?”

“My new mother is really pretty, isn’t she?”

“That she is, son.”

The little boy’s face seemed brighter. “Dad…”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for talking to me.”

Tom walked back to the bed and stroked the boy’s soft blond hair. “You go to sleep now. I’m staying right here with you until you do.”

Caleb gave him a sleepy smile and nestled close to the man who was his hero. Within seconds, his big blue eyes closed with the smile still in place.

Kathleen decided to order hot water up to her room and take a good, soothing bath. When the bath was over and she had slid between the clean sheets on the luxurious feather bed, she gave a big sigh. Tom was all she had expected and more—a gentleman supreme—and she knew he was an honest, hardworking, intelligent man who could provide a good living. He had certainly shown her he was happy she had come, and there was no hesitation on his part concerning the marriage proposal he’d made by mail.

But Caleb. What if he decided not to accept her as his stepmother? Was she going to fail with him?

Kathleen lay with her eyes closed in the dark room. Suddenly the distance between her new home and Meggie seemed overwhelming. Hot tears pressed against her eyelids as she thought of the enormity of the whole thing. Getting Meggie back depended on making a good marriage with Tom…and Toms success in the gold mining business.

Aloud, she said, “I’m working on it, sweetheart. You hold on. Mommy’s going to come and get you one day soon.”

With those words like a prayer on her lips, Kathleen slept more peacefully than any time since Peter had been murdered and Meggie had been taken from her.

When Kathleen arose from her bed the next morning, she noticed a slip of paper on the floor under the door. She picked it up, unfolded it, and read:

Kathleen decided to skip breakfast and work at making herself especially presentable for Tom.

Yesterday she had looked travel-worn, but today—after a good night’s rest—she felt better, and when she looked at herself in the mirror there was an optimistic gleam in her eyes. There was also some color in her cheeks. She washed her face in cool water, dried off, then sat down with a hairbrush and went to work on her hair.

She brushed her wavy, gold-streaked auburn hair vigorously, then pinned it in a loose chignon at the nape of her graceful neck. No matter how hard she tried to tame it, small tendrils came down and curled around her face and neck.

She had bought two dresses before leaving Chicago, one to travel in, and the other for the first time she would see Tom after arriving in Virginia City. She put on her high-button shoes, then slipped into the dress. It was made of soft sunshine yellow dimity with a thin white stripe. There was a delicate ruffle around the high neck, and the sleeves were long. The dress hugged her tiny waist and fell in soft folds to the tips of her shiny shoes.

Suddenly she couldn’t wait to see Tom again, and it showed in the deepening flush of her cheeks.

Tom left the bowels of the mine and washed up at the office before heading for town. He arrived at the Silver Plume Hotel just before noon and went to the door of the restaurant, which was just off the lobby. He scanned the room to see if Kathleen had already arrived and found a table, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Several people were standing in the lobby, chatting, when Tom glanced up at the top of the stairs and then couldn’t take his eyes off what he saw.

As Kathleen paused on the stair landing with her hand on the banister, her stunning beauty took Toms breath away. He moved forward, and she smiled at him, then started down the stairs.

There was a look of expectancy on both their faces as she reached the last step and he offered his hand. He guided her into the restaurant to a table on the far side and was amazed to see she was unaware that men and women in the dining room were admiring her.

He waited until their food was on the table, then said, “Kathleen, someone has asked me to explain something to you.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh? Who and what?”

“The
who
is my six-year-old son. The
what
is that he and I had a little talk last night about his coolness toward you.” He took a sip of coffee, then said, “You did notice it, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes. But I know this whole thing has to be difficult for him. I’m hoping that in time he and I will become very close.”

Tom grinned. “Bless your heart. Since we had our talk, I think the getting close’ process is well on its way.”

“Oh, I hope so. Tell me about it.”

While they ate, Tom explained Caleb’s sudden fear that he would betray his mother if he showed affection to Kathleen. Now he wanted to apologize for hurting her feelings.

“That’s very sweet of him, Tom,” she said. “But he really doesn’t have to apologize.”

“He
wants
to. Let him. It will be good for him. You know, part of the growing up process.”

She nodded. “Well, whenever you want me to start taking care of Caleb after school and on Saturdays, I’m ready.”

A broad smile captured the handsome man’s features. “You don’t know how good that sounds. How about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is fine.”

“Okay. Can you meet Caleb at the house at 3:15 and bring him to the hotel?”

“Sure.”

“On Saturdays I’ll bring him to the hotel on my way to work.”

“Its a deal,” Kathleen said. “And speaking of deals, Tom, I have the five hundred dollars I told you I would give to help stake your claim to a gold mine. I’ll give it to you when we marry.”

“Fine. And let me assure you, Kathleen, I won’t push you. You can choose the time when we get married.”

“Thank you, Tom. I do feel good about our upcoming marriage, but I think we should wait a while on it. We need to get to know each other better, and we should allow time to find out if either of us wants to back out. Also, and utmost in my thinking, waiting will give Caleb time to adjust.”

A smile curved Toms lips. “I agree. I can’t believe there would ever be a reason I’d want to back out, but I want you to feel absolutely comfortable.”

Kathleen’s eyes sparkled as she said, “I’m really excited about spending afternoons and Saturdays with Caleb. In fact, I’ve already been thinking of some things he and I can do together. He’s a precious child, Tom. And even though I got a bit of the cool treatment yesterday, he’s already found a place in my heart.”

T
OM
H
ARNED PONDERED THE SITUATION
with Kathleen as he walked toward the mine. He was glad to hear that Caleb had found a place in her heart. Next he hoped to hear that
he
had found a place there, too. She had already made it clear that she liked him.

If he new his own heart like he thought he did, it wasn’t going to take him long to fall in love with this beautiful woman who was just as beautiful on the inside. She would make a wonderful wife for him, and he could already tell that she would be a good mother to Caleb.

The only question was why she needed so much money. Whatever it was must be quite important to her, since she was willing to give up her five-hundred-dollar nest egg to help him stake his claim. But she hadn’t volunteered the reason. Well, he could live with a little mystery for a while.

That evening, Kathleen answered the knock at her hotel room door and found Tom and Caleb standing in the hall.