AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There were times in the planning and building of the house, he’d worried that he was trying too hard, trying to be someone he wasn’t. And then he became annoyed with himself because he had the means to build himself any house he wanted, and this was the one he wanted.
Big, sturdy, spacious, comfortable.
The floor-to-ceiling windows and soaring spaces weren’t accidental. He wanted the high ceilings and tall windows so light could pour in. He wanted windows that would let him look out, and up. He wanted to see the peaks of the mountains, as well as the sparkling river coursing through the valley floor.
He wanted the heavens for God and his family, and this bit of earth for his heart and home.
But he’d never shared those thoughts with anyone, and he felt almost bashful as he opened the door and invited Charity in. He watched her face as she crossed the threshold, her expression lit up as Rusty raced to greet her and then her eyes widened as she took in the entry and the great room beyond. The interior, like the exterior, had been crafted from wood and stone, but in the living room, the colors were warm, the wood golden in places and chestnut in others.
Quinn carried her boxes and bags of supplies to the dining room table and placed them at one end. “Feel free to spread out,” he said. “Use every surface in every room. It’s all yours.”
“This is a lot of space,” she murmured.
“I grew up with a big family,” he answered, “but we were crammed into a small ranch house. I thought I’d give my kids more space.” The moment he said the words he kicked himself because she’d grown up in a house far smaller than his, but she didn’t seem to be bothered. She just nodded thoughtfully, her gaze fixed on the horizon and where the sun had set behind the Gallatins, streaks of pink and lavender painting the sky.
“You probably get a spectacular sunset every night, don’t you?” she said.
The sunset might be striking but he couldn’t bother to look, too taken by her lovely face and pretty profile. “If I were here,” he answered. “Since returning, I’ve been at the Gallaghers every night at this time.”
She glanced at him then and smiled. It wasn’t one of her teasing smiles, or nervous smiles. This smile was slow, and warm, and filled with something almost like… appreciation. The effect was dazzling. Her smile made him feel powerful.
“You’re doing such a good thing,” she said, “helping them out. You have no idea how much I admire you, or respect you—”
“This community has given me so much. It’s only right that I give back.”
“You’re going above and beyond.”
“It’s hard for me to explain, but this is exactly what I should be doing. Being here, giving back. I needed this.”
Something horrific happened on his family’s ranch, and yet something beautiful took place in the aftermath.
People came together, and loved hard, and their love made the difference. Love made a difference.
It was why he was here now. For the Gallaghers, yes, but also Charity. She was the one he was meant to be with.
He couldn’t explain how he knew, only that he knew it was true. The same way he’d always known that there was a reason he’d been spared that day on the ranch.
“Is there anything else I can bring in from your car?” he asked.
“No, that’s everything.”
“Then let me show you how the alarm on the house works, and then I’ll head back to the Gallaghers.”
*
After Quinn left, Charity watched the last glow of light fade from the horizon and then walked around the house, turning on lights, trying to make herself feel more comfortable. Rusty followed her on her self-guided tour, keeping close to her side.
Quinn’s house was lovely. No, lovely wasn’t an accurate description. The house was huge, stunning, by far the most luxurious thing she had ever seen. Stone and wood, mammoth rock fireplaces, massive beams, supple leather sofas the color of butterscotch. The kitchen was the size of her family home on Chance Avenue. The landing on the stairs could easily accommodate a bed and dresser. There were six bedrooms and eight bathrooms and views out every window.
She peeked into the master bedroom and it had a big bed to match the soaring ceiling and airy space, and yet it was surprisingly serene. A cream duvet cover. Cream pillow shams. And then folded on the foot of the bed was an antique patchwork quilt edged in a navy velvet.
Charity found the quilt irresistible and crossed the room to examine it more closely. It was all hand stitched and the fabric was worn thin in places but the colors of the silk and wool fabric remained vivid.
She ran her hand over the midnight-blue velvet trim. It felt plush and decadent. She wondered if Quinn ever pulled the quilt up, or if it was merely decorative. There had to be a story to it. She’d love to know the story, and hoped it was his family’s and not just an accent piece purchased by his interior designer.
Downstairs again, Charity knew it was time to settle down and work. But she couldn’t get comfortable. The house was too polished, too perfect. With the exception of the wreath on the front door, Quinn’s house lacked holiday cheer. Fortunately, Charity knew a way to add cheer quickly. She connected her phone to Quinn’s Bluetooth speakers and put on her favorite Christmas album and then turned it up loud, singing along with Kelly Clarkson as she laid out the strings of lights on the enormous dining room table. Once the four strings of lights were out, she began attaching the painted ping-pong balls to the miniature white lights. Every third light got a ping-pong ball, and a dollop of superglue to hold the ball in place.
While the glue dried, she laid the pennants in a circle on the huge kitchen island, trying to come up with a pleasing pattern. Blue, green, blue, gold, green…
She stepped back to study the colors. She was short pennants, but the pennant tree skirt needed something. Maybe more color? Or maybe just two colors, maybe she should keep it all the Mariners blue and green? Or maybe she could take a red wool or velvet and mix it in with the blues and green, so blue Mariners pennant, hunter-green Mariners pennant, dark red fabric, and then the blue and green again. If she did that, she wouldn’t need more pennants and she could finish the tree skirt tonight. She liked that idea.
Things were coming together. Everything was falling into place. She’d found red, blue, and green glass balls at the Mercantile, and Sadie was selling vintage silver and gold stars in her shop on Main Street. The plastic sleeves had arrived, and she’d filled them with baseball cards from Mr. Gallagher’s collection and looped red, blue, and white ribbon at the top of each to create a hanger for the tree. Even if nothing arrived from the Seattle Mariner store, they’d have a beautiful baseball themed tree.
She returned to the lights to check if the ping-pong balls were attached, and when she lifted part of one strand, they stayed in place, glowing like miniature baseballs.
She couldn’t help smiling at her handiwork. The lights were adorable.
Rusty lifted his head and whined. Charity glanced out the window. It was dark out. She didn’t know what had caught Rusty’s attention.
He sat up and barked. Charity glanced toward the windows again, suddenly wishing she’d drawn the tall drapes to cover all that glass.
Then the doorbell rang. Charity glanced from the door to Rusty, who was now standing between he
r and the door. Charity wasn’t exactly scared, but she did feel uneasy.
She muted the music and went to the door, peeked through the peephole, and spotted a woman on the doorstep. She was young and very pretty, with long brown hair, a thick fur coat, and knee-high boots. She also had two huge suitcases with her.
Charity used the security system’s intercom. “Hi, can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Quinn Douglas’s place. The GPS brought me here, but maybe it was wrong.”
Charity’s stomach fell. “You got it right. This is his house.”
“In that case, would you please let me in? It’s freezing out here!”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are and Quinn didn’t mention he had any visitors coming.”
“I’m not a visitor,” the woman answered indignantly. “I’m Alice Sterling, his girlfriend.”
His girlfriend.
Charity’s legs went weak and her insides lurched. “Just a moment,” she said unsteadily, hands shaking as she attempted to turn off the alarm to open the door but she got it wrong the first time and had to try a second time before getting it to turn off so she could open the door.
Alice looked Charity up and down before pulling one suitcase in. She left the other on the doorstep and then closed the door. “Quinn can get that one later. It’s just his baseball stuff.”
Charity watched Alice walk through the entry and on into the great room. “It’s actually nicer than I imagined,” she said, almost under her breath. She continued her exploring, brazenly walking from the living room to the dining room where she paused to study the strings of baseball lights.
