Tracie Peterson - [Desert Roses 01] (34 page)

“I know you’re right,” Alex said, cradling the baby close. They sat in silence for several moments before her mother picked the story back up. “Gloria told me she would bring the baby to the newspaper office and tell her story if I refused to help her. I told her I had no idea of where Rufus had taken himself off to and had no way of dealing with the matter myself. I gave her a small bit of money, just what I had in the drawer for household expenses. I told her I would find Rufus and discuss the matter and see what was to be done. She left and shortly after that the invitation to join your father here at the Grand Canyon came from the Winthrops. I knew what I had to do.

“When I confronted your father about the matter, he would hear nothing of it. I tried to talk to him on several occasions, and always he’d either laugh it off or dismiss my concerns. I told him it was unfair for the child to suffer simply because its parents had been less than prudent. He told me to stay out of it, that he would deal with Miss Scott when the time came.”

Katherine folded her hands and sighed. “Only the time came much sooner than he expected.”

Alex noted the change in her mother’s spirit. “What happened?”

“I hadn’t realized it at the time, but Miss Scott had followed me to El Tovar. She lost no time in seeking us out. Rufus was livid. He threatened her and the child, then seeing that was getting him nowhere, offered to meet her later to discuss an arrangement.”

Alex began to get a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Gloria was the one on the rim that night, wasn’t she?”

Katherine met her daughter’s eyes and nodded. “I wasn’t to go there. I wasn’t to share in this meeting, but I felt compelled
to be there. I talked to your father prior to the meeting. I begged him to divorce me and marry Gloria, but he was still adamant. He was sure it would ruin his chances with the Winthrops, and he was probably right. Nevertheless, I told him the child was more important than a lifetime of appointments in Washington. He only laughed at that.

“I had planned to remain in my room, but your father insisted I come to the lawn party. He felt I could boost his chances for appointment with the senator. I argued with him about it but finally agreed. He went down ahead of me and after I dressed, I joined him. He’d been drinking, there was no doubt about that. Someone had managed to get him exactly what he needed to bolster his courage.” She shook her head. “Would that he could have turned to God the way he did to drink.” She sighed again.

“But I digress. I went to the party and then, when he slipped away to meet Gloria, I couldn’t help but follow him. I stayed hidden, not wanting to further anger him. I watched as they met on the canyon rim. She didn’t have the baby with her and this seemed to make Rufus quite enraged. I heard him telling her to go get the infant immediately and meet him back there, but she refused. I believe now he intended to push them both over the edge and eliminate his problem.”

“But why? Why would he act in such an irrational manner? Father never worried about his affairs. Why now?” Alex asked, shuddering at the thought of her father being a murderer.

“I don’t know. When Gloria refused to go get the baby, Rufus slapped her hard. He lunged for her as if to send her over the edge but Miss Scott was prepared for this. She sidestepped him and pushed him away. Unfortunately, she pushed him off-balance and he stumbled backward into the canyon.”

Alex sat in shocked silence. The clock on the wall ticked away the seconds, but she found no words to speak. The picture in her mind filled in all the missing pieces. Luke tenderly squeezed her shoulder, causing Alex to raise her gaze to his. The look she found there gave her hope and filled her heart
with the assurance that no matter what else happened, she would always have Luke.

“I screamed and ran to where Rufus had gone over,” her mother continued. “Gloria screamed when she saw me and ran for the hotel. Moments later Luke appeared. I collapsed on the path, unable to even comprehend what I knew must be true. I knew Rufus was dead, but I just couldn’t believe what I’d witnessed.”

“Oh, Mother, I’m so sorry. I knew you hadn’t pushed Father. I knew you would never do such a thing, but I couldn’t understand why you’d protect the person who had. I feared the guilty party was threatening you or threatening me. I was so afraid you were protecting someone else so that they wouldn’t hurt me. I couldn’t have lived with it if you’d gone to jail to protect Gloria Scott.”

“I wasn’t protecting her,” her mother replied. “I was protecting him. He didn’t deserve to end up orphaned.”

“But what of his mother?” Alex said, gently stroking the baby’s dark hair. “You said his mother ran for the hotel. What happened?”

“After everyone learned Rufus had died, I figured I’d heard the last of Gloria Scott. I knew I couldn’t prove what had happened and I honestly thought that if it kept mother and child together, it would be better for me to be blamed for Rufus’s death. I prayed about the matter and decided it would be best to keep my mouth shut. No one knew about Gloria except me. I mean, I figured someone on the train might have remembered her, but I had no idea where she was staying, and it would have been very difficult to prove what had happened.”

“But it was an accident,” Alex said, realizing for the first time that her father hadn’t been murdered at all. “The poor woman was simply defending herself.”

“Yes, but no one but me knew that, and Gloria had disappeared. She wasn’t registered at El Tovar, and I had no way of locating her without exposing her part in the matter.”

Luke shifted beside Alex and asked, “So what happened?”

“Alex arranged for me to be moved, as you know. I felt better knowing the reporters wouldn’t be hounding me and trying to break down my door to get answers. I also felt that the privacy would allow me a chance to actually find Gloria. I wasn’t sure how, but I knew my guard would have to sleep sometime. But instead, Gloria left a note and the baby at the front desk. The note only said that this child should be delivered to me and that I would know what to do. The people there knew the rangers had me under their protection, so they delivered the baby to the rangers and they in turn brought the baby to me. What no one knew, until I’d taken the baby out of the basket, was that there was another letter under the baby’s blanket.”

“What did it say?” Alex asked anxiously. “Gloria told me she couldn’t live with the guilt of what she’d done. She knew she was responsible for Rufus’s death and figured no one would believe it was an accident. She feared for the child and begged me to make a home for him so that he wouldn’t end up in an asylum somewhere. She concluded the letter by stating that she planned to end her life. She gave directions as to where the rangers could find her, and sure enough, she had committed suicide.”

“Oh, how awful.” Alex continued to stroke the baby’s head, saddened to think of his mother deserting him at such a tender age. “And now he’s orphaned.”

“He doesn’t have to be.”

Alex looked to her mother. “What do you mean?” “I mean you could raise him. It’s obvious you have a way with him.”

“But, I know nothing of raising a child. I’m not even married.” She looked to Luke as if he could verify that one detail.

He smiled and reached down to touch her hand where it rested on the baby’s head. “You could give me an answer to my question and sew things up rather neatly.”

Alex felt overwhelmed by the moment. She knew she loved
him. Knew that she didn’t want to lose him. So why couldn’t she give him the answer he wanted to hear?

She got to her feet and handed him the baby. “I need to think and to pray. I need time to sort this out.”

Luke said nothing as Alex walked from the room. He looked down at the sleeping baby and then to Katherine Keegan.

“She’ll do the right thing,” Katherine said softly. “Not only by him, but by you as well. She loves you, of that I’m certain.”

“I know it too,” Luke admitted, “but she’s scared.” “Of what?” Katherine asked, seeming surprised by his statement.

“She’s afraid all men are like her father and his friends. She’s afraid that fidelity isn’t a possibility for any man. She’s afraid to love and afraid to trust. And until she can come to terms with that, I know she can’t marry me.”

Katherine nodded. “Rufus hurt her badly. While other little girls had fathers to be proud of, Alex hid her parentage at every turn.”

Luke took the seat Alex had just vacated and eased the baby onto his shoulder. Brock didn’t so much as stir. “He’s so tiny,” Luke commented.

“Yes. He’s only a few weeks old. Far too young to be without a mother and father.”

Luke nodded. “I’m buying a ranch in Wyoming. It’s a small place, but large enough for all of us. If Alex will marry me, I’d like you to consider coming with us.”

“I appreciate that, Luke. You’ve been more than kind to me. I’ve always been reassured to know you were there for Alex. I know at first it was only in friendship, but I think that’s what will make your marriage work. You were friends before the idea of falling in love ever came to either one of you. Maybe then, if the feelings fade, you’ll still be friends and still have a foundation for your marriage to grow on.”

“I’ll never stop loving her,” he said softly. “Even if she says no to my proposal. I’ll never love anyone but Alex.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Valerie Winthrop looked to her father in complete dismay. “But, Daddy, everyone knows this affair was all Joel’s fault. No one blames you. Why are you withdrawing from the campaign?”

The senator, looking older than his years, cast a sorrowful gaze upon his daughter. “I can hardly ask the country to allow me to keep their affairs when I can’t keep my own in order.”

“But Joel was underhanded and conniving,” she protested. “He never let any of us know what was going on until it was too late. Why, I didn’t even know about some of it until just a week or so ago.”

“Exactly my point, Valerie. I had no idea what was going on under my own nose. I should have seen it. I shouldn’t have had my sights so fixed on the presidency that I missed what was happening right in my own office—my own house. I will always blame myself for how Joel treated you. I can overlook his greed and ambition, but I will never forgive him for hurting you.”

Valerie reached out and touched her father’s hand. “There is no merit in holding anger toward him. Mrs. Keegan told me that such things will only fester and allow for a hard and embittered heart. And she should know, given what she had to endure with Mr. Keegan.”

“She’s a lovely woman, gracious and soft-spoken. Just like your mother.”

Valerie nodded. “She reminded me very much of Mother when she comforted me. I think her advice is most beneficial. She speaks as one who knows, and that will help others to listen and heed her word.”

He looked to her and Valerie could see the tears form in his eyes. “I’ve been very wrong to subject you to all of this. Will you forgive a silly old man his ambitions?”

“Oh, Daddy, you didn’t hurt me. I wanted you to run for president. I thought it would be marvelously exciting to play hostess in the White House.”

“That will never happen now. The papers are running rampant with the scandal. Even Jastrow is backing out of the race. No doubt we’ll be left with that rascal John Davis for a Democratic contender.” He paused and shook his head. “No, by the time this scandal subsides, it will be too late for me to consider running for anything, much less president.”

Valerie picked up her fork and toyed with her breakfast. “Perhaps you could write a book about all of this. Since scandal sells so well, maybe you should share with the public how you were a victim to Joel Harper, just as much as the next man. I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t have publishers clamoring to print it.”

“It’s a thought, I suppose,” her father said, picking up his cup of coffee.

They were alone in the private dining room, tolerant only of each other’s company. The press had hounded her father morning and night for exclusive interviews and always the senator declined. Valerie saw the toll it had taken on him, and she was secretly glad he’d decided to call off the campaign plans. He needed to rest. He needed to know she was well and safe and that Joel hadn’t harmed her beyond her ability to recover.

“I know it would go over big. Why, we could even contact this one publisher in New York. I’m friends with the owner’s daughter. I would be willing to wager money they would come all the way to South Carolina to talk it over with you.”

The senator took a long drink and seemed to perk up a bit. “There are a lot of details that could benefit those in the business of politics.”

She smiled. “Of course. There are businessmen who would most likely benefit as well. Then, if told in the right manner, you might even attract quite a few women readers.”

“I could start with my early days in business and move into
the political arena,” he said, nodding. He looked to her and smiled. “You’re good medicine for this old heart. Just like your mother used to be. I miss her a lot, you know.”

“Yes,” Valerie said, reaching out to cover her father’s hand. “I miss her too. She made us both feel very loved.”