Page 126 of My Heart Will Find You

“Yeah, but he’s one. Caro has four grands and lots of cousins, aunts, and uncles. And they like the weather there better. Skiing at Wolf Creek, that sort of thing.”

There wasn’t anything she could say. He was telling her what Henry had worried about on the first day. No one wanted to live in his beautiful house.

“Dad won’t leave here.” He gave her a serious look. “We talked about it, and we really hope you’ll stay here with him.”

“I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Yeah, I guess not. I’m sure you have your own life. And old places need constant maintenance.” They both knew he was talking about Henry as well as the house. “But just so you know, Ben and Caro and I would pay you the going rate, whatever that is. And there’s free room and board.” He was looking at her withpleasein his eyes.

She shrugged. “My life is upside down right now.”

“You and me both.” He took a bite of his omelet. “This is very good. If you need more to do, you could open a restaurant.”

“Or I could take the job offered to you in Mason. I’d have to learn some, but there are no pet elephants around here so maybe I could do it.”

Again, he laughed. “I see why Dad speaks so highly of you.” He cocked his head to one side. “I feel like I know you. I don’t mean to be overly familiar, but there’s something about you that I seem to...to remember. But that makes no sense. We haven’t met before, have we?”

She was glad he hadn’t read the book where the main characters were named Max and Etta. That would be embarrassing. She shook her head no, that they hadn’t met, then looked away. “I know what you mean. Henry and I bonded quickly. I’m sure he’s disappointed that you’re not taking the job here in Kansas.”

“Dad’s the one who found it. The man who owns the clinic lives in a house that belonged to an ancestor of his.”

“Henry Frederick, the itinerant painter. He built the house for his beautiful bride, but she died young. It’s said that he shut the door to the house and never went back. He traveled for the rest of his life.”

Max was looking at her. “Dad never told me that story.”

A porter on a train back in 1871 told me and so did your doppelganger, she thought but didn’t say. “Just a few weeks around your father and I’ve become obsessed with the past. There’s a book in the library by the painter.”

Max looked shocked. “I’ve never seen it.”

What could she say? That the book was published in the nineteenth century but had just appeared now? And that something in it had greatly upset Henry? Or maybe she should tell him that she feared if she read it, she might go into a downward spiral with no return.

Max was staring at her as though he was going to start a barrage of questions.Like father, like son, she thought.The interrogators.She glanced at his empty plate. “I’d like to show you something.”

When he hesitated, she figured it was because he wanted them to leave on their road trip soon.

“It’ll only take minutes, then we can go. I imagine you want to get back to Henry.”

“You’re very perceptive, and yes, I’d like to go back, but I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Anything,” she said sincerely.

“Would you drive? It was an eight-hour trip here and I haven’t slept. I thought I might take a nap in the car on the way to this place.”

“I wouldn’t mind at all, but I have no car here.”

“That’s right. Dad picked you up off the street.”

She laughed. “He did.”

“I have Zack’s car.”

“Of course you do. The Bronco. I bet you two are friends.”

Again, he gave her that cocked head look, just as her Max did. “We are. Dad has a way of finding people we feel good with.”

She turned away.Freddy, Sally, Bert, Cornelia.The list was long, with doubles of everybody. If this man ever met her family, he’d like them too. Especially Alicia. Were they all some karmic family that kept choosing to live their lives together? If so, this time sucked.

She led the way through Henry’s library to the alcove. The old carved panel was leaning against the empty place in the front of the desk.

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