Page 22 of Keeping Her Safe

Parking outside the dark Bed and Breakfast, he shut off the engine. It wasn’t the old Victorian that caught their attention; it was the house across the street. Most of the lights were on and cast light out of the windows. It was huge, and the reports had called it a mansion, and it was a correct assessment. It was giant. Both he and Zephyr got out of the car, and their eyes didn’t leave the house.

Walking around the car, Zachary took her hand in his. “We have to check-in at the law office.” He pointed at the sign in the lawn in front of the huge house that said Hart Law Firm.

As they headed for the house, she was at first reluctant, but then went easy with him as they walked. He wondered if she thought this was the house her mother had been raised in, so very different from the places she herself had been raised in.

When they stopped on the front porch, he turned to her and pulled her into his arms for a comforting hug. The warmth that came off her body felt good in the cold darkness.

“We can walk away right now. We don’t have to do this.” He meant it. They had come thousands of miles and spent a lot of money, but if she wanted to leave, he would walk her back to the car.

“No, you’re right. I have to do this. I have to put these people behind me,” she said, and he saw she was smiling. She pulled him tighter into the hug and rested her head against his shoulder for a moment before pulling away.

“Okay.” He rang the doorbell.

They could hear the bell ring inside the large house. Squeezing her hand, he smiled down at her when she looked up at him. With her makeover, she did not look as much like the sisters as she had before. Taming the curls that they all sported was a big part of it. With the straight hair, the other features that were so recognizable were dulled.

It took time, but the big door finally opened. Turning, they saw a tall man in jeans and a sweatshirt, dark hair, and a big smile. “I thought you guys got lost. The Wainwrights, correct?”

“Yes,” Zachary answered the man. “Zachary, and my wife, Zephyr.”

“Max Valentine. Come in a second. I have to grab shoes and the key.” Max stepped back and let them inside the beautiful house.

The woodwork and hardwood floors were shiny and stunning. The main floor was set up as office space with desks and chairs, but a grand staircase dominated the main floor. Max was sitting on the bottom step, tying his shoes.

“It is beautiful, isn’t it? I married my wife so I could live here,” he said with a laugh. Then he yelled up the stairs. “Isn’t that right, Dell? I married you for your house.”

Zachary turned to see Zephyr’s face over the exchange. Her expression had him pulling her a little closer. Was it the house where her mother was raised, or the fact that her sister was upstairs? Either one could have been the cause, but Zephyr was white as a ghost. He put his arm around her shoulder.

The voice from upstairs called, “You married me because you couldn’t keep your hands off me, Max Valentine.”

In Zachary’s mind, the words echoed off the walls, echoing into his mind. Until that moment, he had never thought that Zephyr’s voice was anything special. Now he had heard it without a slight southern accent, an accent he had never heard in her voice. He made a note not to let her talk on the phone to these people … she had her sister's tone.

He had gotten his last shoe on and laughed at his wife’s words. “She’s right. I can’t.”

“So, you guys are from Florida. What brings you up to Minnesota?” he asked as he looked through a box hanging on the wall.

“Family,” Zachary answered.

“Snow,” Zephyr said at the same time.

“I hope we don’t see any until after Halloween, but we’re supposed to get snow on Wednesday, so maybe you’ll see some. I would ask about the family, but I have only lived here for a few years and don’t know a lot of people.” Max was completely relaxed with strangers in his house.

Max found the key and turned to them. Zachary still had his arm around Zephyr’s shoulder. “Are you okay, Mrs. Wainwright? You look pale.”

Zephyr straightened her back. “I’m fine. just a long day.”

“You look familiar. Do you have family here or your husband?”

Zachary jumped in with the answer. “I do.”

He wondered what Max thought about Zachary being the one with family in town. How many black families were there in this small Minnesota town? Did he think it odd the black man had the relative and not the pale white woman? Max showed no indication of what he was thinking, just went to the door and walked out of the big house.

Zachary and Zephyr followed him across the street to the other house. On the front porch, Max put the key in the lock and said, “This was my great aunt's house. She died a few years ago and left me the place. I can’t make myself sell it, but I also don’t want to live here. I like it over there, though.”

Max quickly had the door open and was turning on the lights in the house. It was not as beautiful as the one they were just at, but it had its own charm. The furniture was old but not worn, a little more formal than Zachary would ever choose, but it fit the house perfectly.

“You guys are here alone as we don’t have any other guests so far. I’ll leave the key on the table by the door. If you go out, lock up,” Max explained.

“Are you a lawyer?” Zachary asked. It seemed odd asking since everyone in the room knew the answer.

---