Reverie (Hollow Hearts Book 1) (22 page)

The sun wasn’t even peaking up in the sky when Hetty and the Wheelers arrived at Mrs. Calhoun’s grand home. They’d risen early, eaten a quick breakfast of oatmeal, and hurried to the tasks of the day. It had taken longer than expected to walk the short distance from Hetty’s small house to Mrs. Calhoun’s grand home. The storm was still raging and snow was falling at a rapid pace. But with determination in their steps they’d arrived and were ready to begin.

Elias had stopped to talk to Sol on his way to the house to ensure he knew about Catherine’s location change for the party. He’d readily agreed to move his cooking from the cafe to the kitchen in Mrs. Calhoun’s house, mentioning that it would be a pleasure to cook in the kitchen he had run for many years. He’d even swept Lottie into his arm declaring her to be his helper. “You all get on with your tasks and leave us be. Lottie and I have some cooking to do,” he’d said before dancing his way to the kitchen, a little girl giggling in his arms.

Not wanting Hetty to do anything to further injure her arm, Isaac asked her to direct their tasks, telling them what needed to be done. Not one to stay about idle, Hetty had promised she wouldn’t push herself, but was adamant that she would do just as much as the others to make this party a magical experience for the children. It lightened their workload considerably to keep the top floors of the house closed off. They wouldn’t need to dust or clean those rooms since no one would be visiting them during the party. Elizabeth had even run a red ribbon in front of the massive staircase to deter visitors from going upstairs.

Isaac and Elias busied themselves removing sheets from the furniture and moving other pieces to different locations to make more room for guests. Elizabeth was quickly behind them, dusting and scrubbing each chair and table to be sure they were clean and sparkling. Hetty, remembering the couple of holidays she’d spent working for Mrs. Calhoun, went in search of the ornaments she’d used on the large tree she always placed in the entrance. Mr. Davis would be bringing the tree by later, and Hetty felt it would be a great tribute to her late employer to use her precious and unusual decorations. She sneaked under the ribbon blocking the staircase and hurried upstairs to a small room Mrs. Calhoun had used for years as storage.

Hetty pulled a key from the pocket of her apron and quickly unlocked the door. The room was dark and dusty, the heavy curtains closing off any outside light.
I should have brought a candle
, she thought. No matter. She’d do her best to find the boxes she needed. She’d have to ask Isaac or Elias to carry them downstairs, but she could at least bring them to the landing at the top of the stairs. She reached her arm out in front of her, hoping it would guide her and keep her from running into anything too large. Mrs. Calhoun didn’t often throw things away, so the room was packed full with hanging pictures, old furniture, books, several mirrors, and more boxes than she could count.

Just as her fingers found the top of an old dresser, Hetty heard a noise behind her. She jumped and turned around. She heard the small scrape again. It must be a mouse, she told herself, a bit too scared to admit it could be anything else.  She felt a chill run down her back and realized the hair on her arms was standing on end.

“Hetty...” a voice whispered.

She turned toward the door but saw nothing.

“Hetty...” it said again, this time a bit closer.

Not wanting to face whatever terrifying thing was scraping around in that room, Hetty turned toward the door and ran. She slammed directly into something hard and could scarcely hold back a scream.

“Hetty, it’s me!” Isaac said, placing his arms on her shoulders.

“There’s something in there. I heard it. It was scraping and it said my name,” Hetty said, breathless.

Isaac laughed. “Hetty, that was just me. My boots were scraping on the floor and I was calling your name.”

She looked up at him. “It was you?”

“Yes, it was me. I just came to see if you needed any help.” He realized he was still holding her shoulders. He let go, but not before running his hands down her arms, leaving her with a different chill down her back.

“I, um...I just came looking for the ornaments for the tree. I couldn’t find them; I forgot a candle,” Hetty said, looking at his strong hands as they let go of her arm.

Isaac disappeared behind the door for just a moment. When he returned, a candle in hand, the room glowed softly. “I came prepared.”

Hetty looked at his usually rugged face, now softened by the light. He seemed so much more at peace than when she’d left the ranch, and she silently prayed the Lord had helped him through his troubles. Despite the quiet glow Hetty sensed a fire within his eyes. He was looking at her so intently it was almost as if he could see inside her soul.
Can he see how much I love him?
she thought. Knowing she couldn’t hide her feelings from this man, she looked in his eyes and let them bore into her. Her heart was his.

“Isaac...” she said, taking her hand and touching his cheek. He felt so warm and strong under her delicate fingers. She knew she should pull away. It wasn’t terribly proper to be touching a man in the dark, especially one that wasn’t hers. But she couldn’t stop herself. And if she were being completely honest, she didn’t want to stop. She wanted to touch his face, run her fingers through his thick hair, and feel him lean into every movement. She ached to be his. Completely and fully.

Isaac tried to maintain control when he felt Hetty touch his face, her fingers so soft against the roughness of his skin. He closed his eyes, attempting to savor the moment. His breath almost felt ragged, unable to stay calm with her so close. He reached his hand up and placed it over hers, indicating he had no desire for her to pull away. He reached his other arm around her waist and ever so gently pulled her to him. She didn’t resist his movements, and he took that as an invitation. Taking her hand from his face he placed it on his chest, knowing she could feel every strong beat of his heart. Everything felt so right. The two of them here, together, completely vulnerable and open to one another.

“I love you,” he whispered before claiming her mouth with his.

Hetty finally gave in.

Isaac followed Hetty down the stairs carrying both boxes as if they weighed nothing. He was smiling like a fool and he didn’t care. In one swift moment he’d opened himself to Hetty completely. He’d told her he loved her and, for the first time, he felt no fear. This was the woman God created for him. She hadn’t said the words back, but he knew. Isaac knew Hetty finally believed they were meant to be together. He’d wait as long as necessary for her to come to him, wholly and without any doubt of her worth and his family’s acceptance of her. And when she was finally ready to say those words back to him, he’d wait no longer to ask her to be his bride.

Hetty walked in front of Isaac, thankful he couldn’t see the blush of her cheeks. Everything that had just happened, every look, every touch, every movement felt so right. Her heart swelled. Whatever she’d done to convince herself she and Isaac didn’t belong together had worked even harder to bring them together. “He loves me!” she wanted to shout. Instead, she continued down the steps—heat flushing her cheeks—to prepare to decorate the tree.

Hours later everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They’d done it. The house was clean and sparkling under the glow of candles. The tree, more elegant than Hetty expected, looked perfect in the entryway, the bottom overflowing with gifts for the children. Sol had worked his magic creating the most tantalizing smells that drifted through the house. Elizabeth had even unpacked Mrs. Calhoun’s beautiful china, making the dining room look almost regal. Soon the house would be overflowing with friends and children, holiday cheer oozing from every corner. There was good food to eat, games to play, presents to open, and fellowship to enjoy. Hetty couldn’t wait! She wanted to find a way to thank Elizabeth, Isaac, and Elias for their tireless effort to transform the house for the party. Everything was perfect. Surely even Catherine couldn’t find a single thing to complain about tonight.

When she sent everyone off to change for the party, Hetty headed toward the kitchen. She smiled when she entered and found Sol humming one of his old tunes.

“Sol, I can’t thank you enough for all your hard work today. Everything smells amazing!” she said, looking at the massive platters of food ready to be devoured.

“No trouble, sweet girl. Old Sol is just doing what he loves,” he said, winking at her. “I do have one complaint, though.”

Hetty suddenly became worried. “Oh?”

“It seems my little helper there just couldn’t keep up and left me for a plate of cookies,” Sol said motioning to the corner of the kitchen.

There, sound asleep and covered in crumbs, was Lottie. Hetty had to laugh. Yes, things were going to be perfect.

Hetty, in a lovely deep green dress, came down the steps just in time to see Catherine entering through the front door with a gaggle of children behind her. Her face looked flushed and stern as she tried to fuss at the children to calm down. Hetty didn’t mind the noise. It was the holidays and the children were excited. None of them had ever been to Mrs. Calhoun’s home before, and to them I’m sure it felt like entering a castle. Catherine continued in her efforts to arrange them in a line without much success.

“Welcome, everyone!” Hetty said, smiling at all the children. She hadn’t seen them in days, not since the fire had forced them to sleep in the church. Despite the chaos the fire had caused, all the children looked to be in good spirits with their hair brushed and their clothes clean.

“Hetty, goodness! Perhaps you could stop trying to play hostess and help me with the children,” Catherine said forcefully.

Hetty let the comment roll off her back. Tonight would be too wonderful to allow Catherine’s hurtful words to sink in.

“Children, you all look wonderful. Why don’t you head into the library? We have cookies and games waiting for you.” The children cheered and ran off to discover what waiting special games waited for them.

“Well, I guess you won’t be minding anything I say this evening,” Catherine snapped.

“I beg your pardon?” Hetty said.

“I asked you to help me with the children, not to send them off to cause a ruckus while they fill up on sugar and treats!”

“Catherine, this party is for them. I made sure everything breakable was put away. Let them enjoy themselves, have a little fun.” Hetty tried to keep the mood upbeat.

“This party is for me. For me to thank the community for their support,” she said. “Though I don’t see how a few measly pennies and some old clothing warrants a fancy dinner. But the board likes us to do this around the holiday, so I must comply.” The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable. “Thank you for attempting to play hostess. Perhaps you should get back to the kitchen. I need to visit with some of our guests.” Before Hetty could reply, Catherine turned away.