Bobbi Smith (31 page)
Authors: Heaven
“I wish there was something I could do to help you. You’ve saved the home, and yet I’ve been no help to you at all.”
“We’ll figure it out somehow,” Winn assured her with a smile.
“We’re just not sure how yet,” Alex added.
“If we can find Markham’s granddaughter, we can certainly find the next clue,” Matt said with a confidence he didn’t really feel.
“I have every faith in you.” Catherine smiled up at him.
There was a soft knock at her office door, and she called out for them to come in. Markham entered accompanied by the two children.
“We’re about ready to get on our way, but Tommy had something he wanted to say to you,” Markham explained.
Catherine looked at the boy and saw he was carrying an unusual cloth sack. “What is it, Tommy?”
“It’s about Mr. Anthony.” He glanced at Matt, his expression a little guilty.
Matt, Winn, and Alex had suspected early on that the boy knew more than he was saying, and they all now fervently hoped he was about to reveal something important.
“Do you want to talk here in front of everybody or do you want to go somewhere by ourselves?” Catherine offered.
“Here is fine. I really need to talk to Mr. McKittrick, because it’s about Mr. Anthony.”
“Oh?” Suddenly they were all attentive.
“I kinda fibbed before when we first met. Mr. Anthony did leave something with me when he was here. He made me promise to give it to those who came after him. But he also made me promise that I’d make sure whoever came for it was nice.”
“Nice?” Matt asked.
Tommy gave him a solemn, measuring look. “Nice,” he repeated firmly and with conviction. “And you are. At first, when I thought you’d made Miss Catherine cry, I didn’t think so. But now I know better. So here.” He’d been holding a cloth bag, and he handed it proudly to Matt. “This is for you.”
As he took the sack, Matt cast an incredulous look at Winn and Alex. “Thanks, Tommy.”
He opened the bag and drew out a carved wooden box. There was no lock, so he carefully opened the lid, unsure of what he might find inside. In the bottom of it, on a bed of satin, lay a single key.
“There’s a key!” Matt exclaimed.
“To what?” Winn hurried to Matt’s side to take a look.
“I’m not sure. There’s no note, but there is something inscribed on the key itself.”
“It says ‘Louisiana Trust,’ ” Winn said reading over his shoulder.
“That’s a bank in town,” Catherine advised.
“This must be the key to some kind of deposit box. Let’s go find it!”
“What’s happening?” Tommy asked Catherine as he watched their excitement.
“You’ve just given us the clue we’ve been searching for. We have to get to that bank right away.”
“Can I go with you?” Tommy asked. He had guarded the box all these months, and he was curious to see what the key opened.
“If it’s all right with your new Grampa?”
“Of course,” Markham agreed. “Lisa and I will go to the house and you can meet us there after you’ve taken care of your business.”
The thought that he’d helped Matt made Tommy feel suddenly important.
“Catherine, will you come with us?” Matt invited.
“Are you sure you want me?”
He wanted to tell her the truth of his feelings, that he wanted her in his arms and in his bed, that he wanted her beside him for the rest of his life. But he didn’t. This was not the time. Later, when the time was right, he would tell her how he felt, but right now, they had to get to the bank. His gaze held hers. “Of course, I want you with me. You’re a part of this, whether you know it or not.”
The eager group headed straight to the bank. Matt and Winn approached the bank official. After speaking with him and showing him the key, he led them to a back room where all the locked boxes were kept.
“This one was entrusted to my care by Mr. Anthony just as you’ve said. He instructed me to give it to the one bearing the key.” The official took the key and unlocked the box for them. There was a large, stuffed envelope within. He handed it over to Matt.
“Thanks.”
His business finished with them, the bank official left them alone in the room to discover the contents of the envelope. He discreetly closed the door after him as he went back to his duties.
“Well, whatever it is, it’s not the crown,” Alex remarked as Matt opened the envelope.
Matt reached in and pulled out the contents. He was shocked when he discovered the entire envelope was filled with money. There was a single page note inside.
“Winn, read this while I count this money,” Matt said, handing him the missive.
“Why would he leave us money?” Alex wondered aloud.
Matt frowned as he started going through the bills. They were in large denominations and the amount was substantial.
“To whom it may concern,
The wooden box belongs to those who pursue my hidden gift. The contents of the envelope are for the boy named Tommy Glosier. He was my friend, and he helped me in many ways during my time in New Orleans. He will be a fine young man one day, and I want him to have all the advantages my sons had, but never appreciated.
Please know that there is a private trust account set up with my attorney in Mr. Glosier’s name. It is to be presented to him on his twentyfirst birthday. The amount included here is to provide for him until such time that he claims the inheritance.
I would have been proud to call Tommy my son, and I regret that I didn’t have more time to spend with him. Thank you, Tommy, for being my friend. God speed, and be happy.
Lawrence Anthony.”
Tommy was stunned, and he stood unmoving as tears ran down his cheeks. “He really was my friend,” he said slowly, almost painfully.
“That he was, Tommy. Mr. Anthony left you more than a thousand dollars in cash.”
“Tommy!” Catherine couldn’t believe all that was happening. “This is wonderful.”
Tommy was still crying, though, and she went to hold him. “Why are you crying?”
“Because Mr. Anthony’s dead, Miss Catherine. I’m never going to see him again. I’m never going to be able to thank him.”
Her heart ached for the boy, and she held him close as he cried for his lost friend. When they’d first told him of Anthony’s death, he’d taken the news quietly for he’d thought he’d left and never given him another thought. But now, the proof that the old man had really cared for him tore at him.
Tommy was used to people coming into his life and leaving again, never to return. Mr. Anthony had just proven to him that some people meant what they said, that some people stayed faithful to their promises. The discovery that Mr. Anthony had truly cared about him coupled with Mr. Markham’s actions that day had changed his life completely.
“Mr. Anthony may not be with us physically any more, but I’ll bet he’s watching you right now,” Winn tried to brighten his mood. “And I’ll bet he’s very proud of you.”
“Do you really think so?” the boy asked.
“I know so,” Matt reinforced Winn’s words. “You did the right thing with the box, Tommy. That took a lot of courage.”
He beamed at their praise. It meant a lot to him. “I wanted to do a good job for Mr. Anthony.”
“You did.”
“Tommy, your future is secure now. Mr. Markham has decided to adopt you with Lisa, and Mr. Anthony has provided all this money for you.” Catherine gave a happy, loving laugh as she cuddled him to her. “You’re going to be just fine, little one.”
“I’m no little one.”
“You’re right. You are well on your way to being a man,” she agreed, but she noticed that he made no move to leave her embrace. “A very fine man.”
“It looks like everything’s turned out fine except for our next clue,” Winn said in frustration as he picked up the box. “I wonder what Lawrence was thinking when he left us this.”
“Maybe there’s something hidden in the lining,” Alex suggested.
Winn pulled it out. “Nothing.”
“Why don’t we go back to the hotel and try to figure it out?” Alex suggested.
“Fine. I’ll see Tommy and Catherine home, and then I’ll meet you there.”
They went their separate ways. Catherine and Matt dropped Tommy off with Markham, and they explained to him about the boy’s unexpected inheritance. They left knowing the children were going to have a wonderful life and a bright future.
“We have to go now, but I’ll be seeing you soon,” Catherine told Lisa and Tommy as she and Matt prepared to leave the Markham home.
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
“What about you, Mr. McKittrick?” Tommy pressed. “Are you going to come and see us?”
Matt felt stricken that he had to tell the boy he was leaving. “I’ll visit you when I can, but I’ll be leaving New Orleans soon, and I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”
The little boy’s expression fell. “Oh.”
“Tommy.”
He looked up.
“I will be back. That much I can promise. Will you trust me and believe me?”
Their eyes met, Matt’s challenging, the boy’s doubting. Finally, he answered him.
“Yes, sir. I believe you.”
Matt went to him and hugged him. For a minute, Tommy tried to pretend that he didn’t care, but then he relaxed and hugged Matt back.
“My friends call me Matt, Tommy, and you’re my friend. I’ll see you and Lisa just as soon as I can.”
“Bye, Matt.”
Lisa, Tommy, and Markham watched from the front door as Matt and Catherine left. When they turned back and went inside the big mansion, they all knew they were facing a future that would be full of love and happiness.
Matt and Catherine climbed in the carriage they’d arranged to have wait for them, and they sat back able to relax for the first time in days.
“I can’t really believe everything turned out so well,” she said in a soft, almost dazed voice as she looked at Matt. Her gaze lovingly traced his handsome features and sun-streaked hair. She had known he was special when he’d come through her office door on that first morning they’d met, but she’d never dreamed he would so quickly become this important in her life. The feeling was as frightening as it was wonderful. She cared about him. She cared deeply, but she also knew that he was leaving soon and didn’t know when he’d be back.
“I’m glad it did. You deserve it.”
“None of it would have been possible without you. I was almost ready to give up.”
“No, you weren’t,” he chuckled, taking her hand in his warm grip. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you in the last few days, it’s that you don’t give up easily or without a fight.”
She laughed at his observation. “You’re a very good judge of character, you know that?”
“I’ve always thought so.” He turned toward her, and they were just a breath apart. “There’s another thing I’ve learned since I came here.”
“What’s that?” she whispered, gazing at him. It had been so long since she’d thought of any man romantically. Yet Matt had managed to rekindle within her all the deep emotions she’d thought had died with her husband.
“That I really do believe in love at first sight.”
His words were softly spoken, yet the power of them jolted her. She was mesmerized by his very nearness, and when he bent to her and sought her lips with his, she welcomed him eagerly. His kiss was a searing brand that marked her heart as his for all time, and she savored every second of it.
When, at last, they broke apart. Her eyes were luminous and her breathing was ragged. She felt young and beautiful and desirable. It had been so long since she thought of herself that way. Her pulse was racing and her heart beat a frantic rhythm. “I think I believe in love at first sight, too.”
Matt drew her to him and kissed her again. It was a kiss that spoke of desire and devotion. But he knew he had to leave her, and the realization pained him.
“I can’t stay with you now, Catherine, but I will come back to you just as soon as we find the crown.”
“I think I’m angry that Mr. Anthony’s clues are taking you away from me, but then his clues brought you here in the first place.”
“I know. If I could find a way to stay with you, I would. But this is important. With Markham taking care of St. Joan’s now, you should be all right until I get back.”
She drew him back down to her for one more quick, yet urgent kiss. “I’ve already found my treasure, Matt McKittrick. It’s you. You’re worth any price to me. You’ve come into my life, and in just these few short days, you’ve turned my whole world upside down. Now, you go find your treasure. I’ll be waiting here when you’re done.”
As the carriage stopped before the orphanage, Matt framed her face with his hands and looked deep into her eyes.
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