Reverie (Hollow Hearts Book 1) (21 page)

Isaac entered the front door of the orphanage. Most of the work had ceased for the day, but he knew Hetty would still be working. He wanted to walk her home. He called her name and heard no answer. He looked through the front room. Nothing. He checked the dining room and found it empty, too.
Maybe she’s upstairs
, he thought. He took the steps two at a time and called her name when he reached the top landing.

“Hetty, are you here?”

Still no answer. There was a door open at the end of the hall so he walked toward it. He pushed the door open slightly. “Hetty, are you in here?”

He was about to turn to leave when he heard sobbing coming from the corner. He peeked around one of the beds to see Hetty huddled on the floor holding her arm as tears ran down her face.

Isaac rushed to her side. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”

Hetty looked up at him, her eyes swollen and red. “I think I pushed too hard today.” She gestured toward her bandaged arm, now soaked red with blood.

“We need to get that cleaned up right away. Come on, let’s get you home.” Isaac helped her to her feet, careful to avoid jarring her arm. He led her out of the room, down the stairs, and to the front door. He gently helped her put her coat on, taking time to fasten the buttons for her. As they headed out into the cold she motioned for Isaac to stop.

“What were you doing here so late anyway? I thought you would have headed back to the ranch.”

“I wanted to walk you home,” he said softly. “What were you doing still working? I thought you were supposed to take it easy?”

“Catherine is bringing the children back tonight. I needed to make sure things were ready.” Hetty looked down at her feet.

“It doesn’t matter. Let’s get you home and resting. Work can wait for a while.” He tried to motion her along, but she stopped him again.

“Oh, no, it can’t wait! Catherine is still going ahead with the party and she told me I was in charge. The party is tomorrow night. She changed the location so I still have so much to do. Isaac, I need to work to get paid.”

Isaac looked at the frantic worry on her face and within the furrowed lines of her brow. She didn’t need to be doing all this. He pulled her into an embrace and felt her melt against him. She took a deep breath and as she exhaled she rested her head against his strong shoulder.

“Hetty, we’ll figure it out. I promise. But please, you need to rest. Your arm is bleeding and you’ve been pushing since before the sun came up. Let’s just get you home and then we’ll figure everything out.”

She pulled away and looked into his intense eyes and nodded. With his arm still firmly wrapped around her, Isaac escorted her home.

When they turned on the path to her house Hetty noticed the house seemed to be glowing, and smoke was rising from the chimney. “Your mother must still be here,” she said.

Isaac smiled, knowing she was in for a rather large shock when she saw what his mother had accomplished in one day. As the reached the front door Isaac turned the knob and motioned for her to go first. When he pushed the door open Hetty walked in and came to a complete halt.

Was this her house? This wasn’t the house she’d left early this morning. Every inch of the place was scrubbed clean and sparkling. The window panes shone. The furniture looked nearly new, and the whole place glowed from several lanterns and candles. If that wasn’t enough, Hetty noticed beautiful lace curtains draping her windows. A centerpiece made from pine cones, evergreen, and holly sat in the middle of her table. Her books, those precious books, lined the top of the fireplace mantel, which was made even more spectacular by greenery and a bright red bow. Her kitchen was spotless and filled with the scent of cinnamon, a loaf of fresh bread cooling on the counter. There were dishes lining her cabinets and a hearty stew simmering on the back of her now clean and like-new stove.

Hetty turned in circles in awe. This was her house. And in one day Elizabeth had managed to turn it into a home. Everything, from the quilt draped over a new sofa to the one photo of her parents on the dresser, gave off a sense of warmth. Comfort. Her eyes filled with tears and a smile crept across her face. But it was what caught her eye in the corner that made the entire gesture that much more extraordinary. There, standing tall and regal, was her first Christmas tree. It filled the small space with the aroma of holidays and the candles gave the tree the most enchanted glow.

“I...there are no words,” Hetty whispered, taking it all in.

Isaac smiled at his mother who stood beaming in the corner. Lottie giggled as Elias held her in his arms.

“She likes it!” Lottie shouted and everyone laughed.

Hetty was overwhelmed. They had pooled their resources, used their time and energy, and made a heartwarming gesture of love toward Hetty. And she treasured every aspect of their efforts. “Thank you...each of you. I...I’m touched and a little, well, quite surprised. You did this all in one day?” she asked, looking at Elizabeth.

“This is what family does, Hetty. We take care of each other.” Elizabeth looked at both her sons and over to Lottie. “And whether you believe it or not, you are family to us.”

Hetty walked over and threw her arms around Elizabeth. “You have no idea what this means to me,” she whispered.

“Actually, I think I do,” Elizabeth said winking.

Isaac interrupted the tears and hugs. “As much as I’d love to watch all of you get emotional, Hetty’s arm needs tending.” Isaac turned toward Elias. “And we still need to find some place to sleep tonight.”

“Oh, stay here. Please. It would mean so much to me to spend the evening with all of you,” Hetty said.

Elias and Isaac looked at each other. “I suppose we could. The weather is getting pretty bad out there,” Isaac said.

“Fine with me,” Elias replied. “Why don’t you and Mother fix up her arm and Lottie and I will dish up supper.”

Isaac escorted Hetty over to the table. He fetched her bandages from the bedroom and a clean bowl of water to wash her burn. When he peeled back the bloody bandage she winced.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked softly.

“A little,” she said.

He looked at her with raised eyebrows and a small smirk. “Just a little?”

“Okay, a lot.”

Elizabeth joined them at the table and managed to wash off the dried blood while Isaac found the salve Doc Winters had left. When Elizabeth had the wound clean and breathing nicely, she left Isaac to apply the fresh bandage.

He dipped his fingers in the salve. “I’ll try to be gentle.” He tenderly ran his fingers over her burn as he attempted to rub the salve into her skin. She felt warm, his touch cooling to her skin. His fingers traced along the edge of her burn. When he reached the inside of her wrist he stopped, pausing for a moment to feel her pulse racing under his fingers. Isaac looked up and met Hetty’s eyes.

They couldn’t escape the strong connection between them. Something was constantly pulling them together. Isaac wished time could stop and he could live in this moment—right here—forever. He wanted to trace the blue veins on the light skin of her wrist. He ached to run his fingers up her arm and feel the reaction run through her. He wanted to reach her cheeks and cup them in his hands before directing her face and lips to his.

Hetty felt the heat flowing through her and it wasn’t from her burn. It was Isaac’s touch. Heat rose from her finger tips to the blush of her cheeks.
I love him
, she thought. She wondered what it would be like to share another kiss with him. Would it be gentle and sweet, their lips lingering for just a few seconds longer? Or would it be filled with passion, a hunger for more? Hetty tore her eyes away before she lost control.

Isaac wrapped the bandage around her arm and patted her hand. “All better,” he whispered.

“I’m hungry,” Lottie said, moving between them. They looked at each other and smiled. The moment might be gone, but Isaac believed they were just beginning.

They ate at Hetty’s small table, Lottie sitting in her daddy’s lap. The room was filled with laughter and smiles, everyone content to be together while the storm raged outside. When the meal ended and the cleanup was done, they gathered around the fire, Hetty’s first Christmas tree glowing in the background.

“Hetty, you mentioned earlier that Catherine was giving you grief about the location of the party,” Isaac said.

Hetty paused for a moment. She couldn’t really explain why this bothered her without revealing something she wasn’t ready to share, but she tried to provide enough details to give them the general truth.

“I didn’t mention this earlier, but Mrs. Calhoun left me her home as well as this one.” Hetty looked around at the surprise on their faces.
Not one home, but two? “
Catherine has decided that the party needs to be held not at the orphanage, but at Mrs. Calhoun’s estate. I just don’t know how I feel about it.”

“Well, I imagine Mrs. Calhoun was generous in what she left to the orphanage,” Elizabeth said.

“Oh, she was.” Hetty said. “All the children will be receiving new clothes and school books and the orphanage now has the funds to replace the beds and linens. I’m just afraid Catherine doesn’t think it’s enough. She seems set on showing the town a picture of wealth that doesn’t really exist.”

“I still wonder why Catherine took on the job at the orphanage. She’s always talked like it was below her,” Elias said.

“I’m not really privy to her personal affairs, but she wants the house for the party and made it rather clear that it wasn’t a friendly request,” Hetty said.

“How do you feel about it?” Elizabeth asked.

“Well, Mrs. Calhoun isn’t even buried yet and I just feel like opening her house for a large party is somehow disrespecting her. I would never purposely do that. Besides, I need to keep my job and Catherine made it pretty clear that injured arm or not, I needed to pull this off.” Hetty sighed.

Elizabeth looked around. “I knew Alma for many years. We used to volunteer together before my illness last spring. She might not enjoy having everyone traipse through her home, but I think she’d make an exception for something you were in charge of.”

“But I don’t know how I’ll get everything ready in time. The house needs to be opened and decorated. There is all the food for the sit-down dinner and all the presents and donations for the children need to be set up. I’m just not sure I can do it all.” Hetty felt defeated.

“But we can,” Isaac said softly.

Hetty looked over to him, his eyes full of determination.

“What are you saying?” Elizabeth asked, a smile hinting at the corners of her mouth.

Isaac launched into his plans for making the party happen. He assigned tasks, offered suggestions, and pointed out that, together, they could keep Catherine happy by having the party and, in turn, help Hetty keep her job. He didn’t mention that he prayed Hetty would leave the job, but instead offered every solution he could think of to make this party happen, not for Catherine but for the children. It wasn’t until late in the night, after all the details had been sorted out, that each of them felt energized and motivated to pull this off. They would have the party for the children and for Hetty. That is what family does.