Page 68 of Mending Fences
“But my uncle—”
“Sold the house and land illegally and defrauded you of land that was yours. Your Grandma Mae put it in a trust for you since your father didn’t want it, and your uncle only wanted to sell the property because of the natural gas. I’m kind of glad he did.”
“What? Why?”
“Because if you had gotten the house, you would have been there the night of the tornado, and we both know the siren is hard to hear out here. You might not have woken up.” Daniel turned onto a familiar road. “I know I don’t deserve much of your trust, but will you close your eyes until I ask you to open them?”
Mandy closed her eyes. “Why are you driving back here?”
“Just a tiny bit of trust, please. I do drive better than Colin.”
“Did he confess the crash was deliberate last night?” Mandy had a hard time keeping her eyes closed.
“Of course, that is why Colin is taking the car to a repair shop today.” The truck slowed and turned. Gravel crunched under its tires as they came to a stop. “Stay right there and keep your eyes closed.”
Daniel came and opened her door and reached across her to undo the seat belt. “Come on.” He settled his hands on her waist and guided her down to the ground. His hands didn’t move.
“What are you doing?” Mandy was surprised at how breathless her question came out.
“I am making faces to make sure your eyes are closed.”
Mandy’s chin lifted.
“No, keep them closed for another minute.” His hands left her waist and took hers. “Come on. Don’t worry, I won’t run you into anything.”
The breeze tickled Mandy’s nose, and she could smell wild flowers with a hint of lilac. “It smells like Grandma Mae’s yard.”
Daniel moved behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, then leaned in close, his breath fanning her cheek. “Okay, Amanda, open your eyes.”
It wasn’t possible. The tornado had destroyed it. “Oh, Grandma Mae.” Mandy wasn’t sure if she’d said the words out loud or to herself as she took a step forward, half expecting the house to disappear. She reached the steps and tested them with her foot. “It is real. I don’t understand.”
“It is in the original contract—land and house. If ever the home needed repair, my great-grandfather would fix it. My grandfather did, and my father kept the bargain. Now it is my turn.”
“But, Daniel, this is more than repair.”
“I wasn’t going to show the house to you until it was finished, but I thought you might want to deal with the interior decorating yourself. There are also a few updates, such as central air and the appliances. Come and see. When they excavated the old cellar, they found some brick from the chimney. I had them use the bricks in the restoration.”
Mandy ran her hands over the fireplace, her mind screaming the question she didn’t dare ask. Was this a good-bye or a hello? She walked through the dining room, where the wainscoting was already primed and the windows still had stickers on them. She knelt to touch the floor. Real hardwood. The built-in hutch stood empty. “Did I tell you I have all of Grandma Mae’s china in storage?”
Daniel answered from the doorway, where he watched her. “No, you didn’t.”
“When I was little, I thought Grandma’s house was huge, but then as I got older and saw other houses, I realized how small it was. But it feels bigger to me. Is it because there is no furniture?”
“This house has about a thousand more square feet than the one you remember. The old cellar wouldn’t support a new house, I had them enlarge the entire thing. The ceilings are higher to keep everything in proportion. Go see the rest.”
Mandy wandered through the rooms and finally up the stairs to her old room. Daniel followed her. Mandy didn’t care if he was smiling like the Cheshire cat. She went over to the window. “The trees are taller, but I can still see your old room.”
“Really?” Daniel leaned against the doorframe.
Several scratches on the window frame drew her attention. She ran her fingers over them, recognizing the Morse code chart she had gotten into trouble for carving years ago.
Daniel came to stand behind her. His hand covered hers. “I thought you still might need the chart to remember all your letters.”
“But why?” Why the code? Why this house? Why are you staring at me that way? Kiss me, please. No, don’t.
“Because I still like Morse better than texting. Come on, we still have our hike.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her from the room, down the stairs, and out of the back door. Past the old garden spot, a new white-pole fence gaped wide where one of the rails had been removed. Daniel lead her through the hole.
What happened to the chain link one?“You need to mend that.” Mandy inspected the board lying on the ground for damage.
