A Life Worth Living (5 page)

A sobering thought entered Allen’s mind. What if Mr. Porter’s next move was to coerce Dora into getting married to someone who was an expert in business management? As far as that was concerned, he couldn’t understand why Dora wasn’t already married, or at least engaged. He couldn’t believe the men in New York wouldn’t see what a wonderful woman she was. However, he was sure that Oliver Porter would be very selective in any man he would accept as a son-in-law.

Allen wouldn’t ask her about any love affairs, of course, but it was difficult to believe that a woman as beautiful and personable as she was had not been married long before this. He realized that the best thing for him was to dismiss Dora and her problems from his mind, but that was easier said than done. Once she returned to New York, she would go out of his life, but that didn’t make it any easier. It didn’t take a fortune-teller for him to realize that he was getting too interested in a woman who was as far out of his reach as the moon and stars.

four

The horses needed very little guidance, so Allen relaxed and enjoyed the ride. They had the countryside to themselves until they met a boy plodding along the side of the road, carrying a sack over his shoulder. Allen lifted his hand in greeting as he always did. The lad looked up briefly, but didn’t return the greeting. Tightening the reins to slow the horses, Allen drove on a short distance before he halted the team.

“Something wrong?” Dora inquired.

“I don’t know,” Allen said slowly. He turned and looked at the young man they’d just met. “That boy reminded me of my father. In fact, from this angle, he still looks like my father. I remember that Pa often seemed that weary when he’d come home from work every day.”

“I don’t know your father, of course, but the boy does seem to have a deliberate way of walking just as you do.”

Allen glanced her way in surprise. She would have had to study him intently to know that! Was it possible that a woman like Dora Porter could actually be interested in
him
?
That the attraction he held for her wasn’t just one-sided?
Nah!
he thought.
Don’t flatter yourself!
Determined to convince himself that her attitude toward him was the friendliness she showed everyone, he considered again why she would have any interest in him except a pleasant interlude in the country.

Lifting the reins, Allen turned the team and headed back the way they’d come without commenting on her statement. When he drew up beside the walker, he stopped. The boy looked up, and Allen felt as if someone had sucker punched him. The boy resembled himself at that age.

Quietly, Dora said, “He looks like you, Allen. Is he a relative?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.” Directing his attention to the boy, Allen asked, “Would you like a ride?”

“Maybe,” the boy said, his dark brown eyes boring into Allen’s. “Where you goin’?”

“Asheville. What’s your name?”

The boy grinned slightly. “Timothy Bolden. What’s yours?”

“Allen Bolden.”

“Then you’re my brother. I’ve been lookin’ for you for months. I’d about given up.”

Although it had been twenty years since Allen had left South Carolina, he didn’t doubt that the boy was his brother. He had several Bolden traits that Allen had also inherited—wide shoulders, a legacy from their maternal grandfather—as well as the thick dark hair and piercing brown eyes of their mother’s family.

“I set out about six months ago to see if I could find you. I’m actually on my way to California, but I wanted to see you once more. I figure if I go as far as the Pacific, I’ll never come back this way again.”

Allen handed the reins to Dora, vaulted out of the buggy, and grabbed his brother in a bear hug. A lump formed in his throat, and his eyes were misty. Although he had willingly severed ties with his family, at times
he’d wondered about them, but not to the extent
that he considered returning to South Carolina. He hadn’t seen a close relative since the day he left home, but now he realized that some corner of his heart had cherished memories of his childhood.

“What about the family?”

“Ma died and Pa married again, a widow with five younguns. Our other brothers and sisters are married. I’m the youngest, and I didn’t seem to fit in anywhere. I’d thought a lot about goin’ west, maybe as far as California, so when I turned eighteen, I started out. As I moved westward, I took a job here and there till I had a little money to move on. I worked in Canaan for a few weeks and somebody told me where you were livin’. I decided to find you if I could before I left this part of the country.” He glanced at Dora. “Is this your woman?”

Allen shook his head and smiled in Dora’s direction. “She isn’t anybody’s ‘woman.’ She’s a very nice lady, though. Timothy, meet Miss Dora Porter.”

Dora smiled, but she didn’t speak. Allen knew from the soft glow in her eyes that she’d been touched to see the reunion of the two brothers who’d been separated for years. No doubt she had often wished for siblings.

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Timothy said as he took off his cap.

Allen noticed that although Timothy’s clothes were well-worn, he was clean and smoothly shaved, so he didn’t think Dora would mind if he offered the boy a ride.

“I live near the town of Fairfield, where Miss Porter is visiting from New York. We’re just out for a ride, so why don’t you go into town with us and maybe stay a few days. I live on a small farm, and I’ve got an extra bed.”

“Sounds good to me,” Timothy said. “Now, mind, I’m not spongin’ off you. I’ve got some money.”

He hoisted himself to the back of the buggy. Allen resumed his seat and took the reins from Dora.

Allen had never missed the separation from his close relatives because Evelyn and Vance Bolden had treated him like family, always inviting him to holiday festivities at their home in Canaan. Furthermore, he had an open invitation to visit their home at anytime. After he’d moved to the Asheville area, though, he’d been a loner. He had a host of acquaintances, but not many close friends. It pleased him to meet this lad.

Perhaps sensing his churning emotions, Dora put her hand on his shoulder and left it there for several miles, but she didn’t comment on the reunion. Contemplating the past he’d left behind, Allen didn’t want to talk either.

They were almost to Biltmore when Dora broke the silence. “Since, like it or lump it, I’ve fallen heir to the textile mill, I should find a place of my own to live when I’m in North Carolina. George and his mother will probably insist that I stay at Biltmore, but I won’t do that. I’d prefer to have a place of my own. Do you know of a small house I can rent?” Smiling, she added, “One that comes with a housekeeper? Maude will expect to take care of the house, but she’ll have enough to do without that.”

“I know of only one vacant house in Fairfield that you’d even consider renting. Most of the other dwellings are small—probably about the size of a bedroom in your Long Island residence.”

She poked him in the side with her elbow. “You’re being sarcastic, aren’t you?”

“Nope! Just speaking the truth. The house belongs to an elderly woman who’s living with her daughter in Asheville now. She’s an invalid, and it isn’t likely she’ll ever live in the house again. I doubt that she’d consider renting, but she might be willing to sell it. There isn’t much rental property in Fairfield.”

“I know you think I’m a spoiled brat, but I can’t help my background any more than you had anything to do with where you were born and into what family. If I’d give all my money away, would you have more respect for me than you do now?”

Allen was struck speechless for a few moments, and he slowed the horses’ gait by pulling the reins. “Now just a minute! What gave you the idea that I don’t respect you?”

“You’re critical of everything I say or do, and you act like it’s a crime to live in New York.” Her dark eyes flashed with anger, and long, mysterious, soaring eye-brows enhanced her curving eyelashes. He’d never seen a more beautiful woman. She was pretty enough when she was smiling, but now anger had unleashed a bewitching feminine charm he hadn’t noticed before.

He cleared his throat and answered calmly, “I don’t remember that I’ve ever criticized you unless you asked for my opinion. If you don’t want the truth from me, don’t ask me any questions.”

“For your information, life here is as far removed from my lifestyle in New York as if I lived on an island in the Pacific.” When he would have protested, she continued, “I live in an apartment. Our ancestral home along the Hudson River is huge, but I don’t like to live there alone. Father is gone quite a lot, so I have an apartment in New York City, where I live most of the time. But I doubt there are any apartments to be had in Fairfield, so I thought I’d need a house. I’d prefer to buy one if I can’t persuade Father to change his mind about giving the mill to me. Of course there’s always the chance that I might make such a disaster of managing the business that he’ll change his mind about having me as the resident proprietor.”

Her great eyes glistened with unshed tears, and Allen was tempted to stop the buggy, take her in his arms, and comfort her. Then he remembered his brother. Instead he laughed. “I doubt that. From what I’ve observed in the few days I’ve known you, I believe you’ll do everything in your power to make the business successful—just to prove to your father that you can. I don’t doubt that you’ll succeed, and although I usually tend to my own business, I am going to warn you that you shouldn’t trust the present manager, Ted Morgan, too far.”

Surprise was evident in her voice when she said, “I don’t understand. Father said he was recommended by a business associate. He’s been here a few months, I believe.”

Allen shrugged. “It’s just a hunch I have that he might not be too trustworthy. Also, being from New York, he doesn’t understand the culture of the people here in the mountains. He’s making them change their ways and habits. They don’t like it. For instance, they’re accustomed to a half-hour break in the morning and afternoon and an hour off for lunch. He’s changed the schedule to two fifteen-minute breaks and forty-five minutes for lunch.”

“I appreciate having you tell me that, and I’ll watch him carefully.”

“You can’t do that from New York.”

Dora appraised him with frank, speculative, dark eyes, but she didn’t comment.

five

Disgusted with himself because he kept coming up with ideas to keep Dora in North Carolina, Allen didn’t say anything else. Instead, he wondered about Timothy. Although he was pleased to see the boy, he hardly knew what to do with him. Should he try to convince his brother to stay in North Carolina? He thought the boy was just asking for trouble to be wandering around the country alone. Since he was sixteen, Allen had been on his own, and from experience he’d learned that it wasn’t an easy life.

Because Dora had mentioned buying a local home, he drove to a row of houses a mile or more from the mill and pointed out a house he thought Dora could rent—a story-and-a-half frame dwelling in excellent condition with an inviting front porch. Flower beds in the front yard enhanced the beauty of the site. Since it was located several blocks from the textile mill, the noise wouldn’t be too bothersome. Dora seemed pleased with the house and asked him to make arrangements for her to see the interior.

Allen agreed to do so, but he refused to accompany Dora when she asked him to go with her when she went to view the house.

“I’ll get in touch with the owner and make an appointment for you to check out the property, but I won’t go with you to look over the place. I don’t want to influence your decision. What you like, I might not, and since you’re the one who will be living there, you shouldn’t be influenced by my opinion. I’m sure George Vanderbilt will be happy to go with you.”

A half smile hovered on Dora’s lips, and he wondered if she thought he was jealous of George. To his knowl-edge, George wasn’t married, and since she was visit-ing there, no doubt the man would be romantically interested in Dora. He had a sinking feeling, knowing that a match between them was certainly possible. Both families had money and similar family backgrounds, so it wasn’t unlikely.

Well, if that ever happened, he’d pull up stakes and head westward. Since he relied on God to direct his life, he couldn’t help wondering why God had brought him into close contact with a woman like Dora. Ironically, he put a new twist on an old proverb. Instead of “East is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet,” the proverb that described his relationship with Dora should be: “Rich is rich and poor is poor and never the twain shall meet.”

After he had taken Dora through the small residential district of Fairfield, he said, “I’ll drive you to Biltmore before I take Timothy out to the farm.”

“How do you manage a farm and do carpentry work, too?” Dora asked.

“I’m not a farmer and never intend to be, but I needed a home, and I had an opportunity to buy this farm two years ago. It’s only forty acres and mostly in pastureland. I have a small herd of cattle. The house is small, but it does have two bedrooms, so I have room for Timothy.”

“You’re happy about Timothy being here, aren’t you?”

Quietly, he answered, “Yes, I didn’t know how much I’d missed not having any family until I saw him. I’ll not get too attached to him, though. If he’s affected with wanderlust, he may soon get tired of Fairfield and start traveling again.”

“If we give him a job at the cotton mill, he may decide to stay.”

“That’s possible. I’ll mention it to him. When are you returning to New York?”

“Father has written that he wants me to come home next week. I must meet with his lawyer about transferring all his North Carolina assets to me.” She paused and said with a sigh, “What would you do if you were given something you didn’t want?”

“I can’t tell you. Unless I’ve walked in your shoes, so to speak, I wouldn’t know.”

“You aren’t much help,” Dora said with a frown. “Just pretend that someone wanted to give you this mill. What would you do?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Allen said, “I wouldn’t want to own a textile mill, so if it was mine, I’d sell it. However, your father hasn’t given you that option. But if I were the owner, I’d turn it into the best textile mill in the country, and my first concern wouldn’t be making money. I’d want good working conditions for the employees. I’d improve the company houses where most of the employees live. Because the houses aren’t much good, the inhabitants don’t make a lot of effort to keep them clean. It’s my thought that if you put the employees’ welfare first, they’ll give you the best labor they can, and you’ll make more money than if you tried to keep everything for yourself.”

Dora looked at him, and Allen couldn’t interpret the softening expression in her clear, steadfast eyes. Her eyes were luminous, and a slight flush spread across her face. She took a quick breath and looked away. “It’s obvious you’re a philanthropist.”

“Well, I don’t know what that big word means, but what did I say wrong?” Allen asked, puzzled by the change in her.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she said. “You’re a good, amazing man, Allen Bolden. You’d inspire a mummy to become a better person.”

Embarrassed by the change in Dora, Allen said, “The Bible says that we shouldn’t call any person good. ‘He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ That’s what determines if we’re a good person.”

Dora frowned. “Gracious! I pay you a compliment, and you preach a sermon. You’re a difficult man to understand.”

❧

While Allen refused to accompany Dora when she went to view the brick house she considered buying, George Vanderbilt was glad to go with her. Indeed, he volunteered to go. Maude also went with them. The house was small, but it reminded Dora of the home her family had owned along the Atlantic Coast when she was a child. In addition to the master bedroom with an adjacent bathroom, two smaller bedrooms and a bathroom had been built on the opposite side of the house. Maude was more aware of what they needed in a home than Dora was, so she relied on her companion’s comments in deciding to buy or rent it.

Separating the bedroom wings was a great room and a kitchen with a small dining nook. Compared to the houses she’d lived in all her life, the house was small. However, since Dora didn’t view this house as a permanent residence, she believed it would suit her needs. She probably wouldn’t visit Fairfield more than three or four times each year. Both the cook and the maid who’d worked for the previous owner were pleased to remain in her employ and stay in the residence while she was in New York. Dora felt that she’d made a wise decision to own her own home.

To celebrate buying the house, Dora planned a dinner. She invited George Vanderbilt and his sister, as well as Allen and Timothy. As it turned out, she and Allen had the evening to themselves. Timothy absolutely refused to come, telling Allen that he’d feel like a “fish out of water.”

“I can’t even talk to Miss Porter when she’s on the farm without stammering and stuttering, so I’d be miserable,” Timothy argued. “Besides, I’ve never seen Mr. Vanderbilt or his sister. I just won’t go. Will you explain it to her?”

Allen had become greatly attached to his younger brother, and he knew exactly how he felt. He wasn’t looking forward to sitting down to eat with the Vanderbilts, either, but he wouldn’t hurt Dora’s feelings by refusing her invitation. He’d hurt her too many times when he wouldn’t involve himself in her way of life.

As it turned out, George and his sister were called to New York for a family board meeting, so only Allen and Dora sat down to dinner. The table was long, one that would probably have seated ten or more guests quite comfortably, and the maids had put place settings at opposite ends of the table. After they were seated, Allen laughed, “I can hardly see you in this dim candlelight. I’m going to sit closer to you.” He got up and moved to a chair beside her.

“Mattie is going to join us as soon as the maids have served us, so there will be three of us.”

Allen had given some thought to what he should wear to the dinner and ended up choosing his best church clothes. Perhaps knowing that he wouldn’t be wearing anything formal, Dora had donned one of the dresses she wore to the office. He was amazed sometimes at the effort she put forth to try to follow the lifestyle of the people who lived in Fairfield.

While they ate, Dora started explaining some of her ideas for the mill. Allen had hinted that the income of absentee landowners probably wasn’t as lucrative as if the owner lived in the area where the business was located. Still, her father owned enterprises in several different locations, and he had prospered. If the system worked for him, why wouldn’t it be profitable for her? She was confident she could persuade Allen to manage the mill for her. With him in charge, she wouldn’t have any worries about the mill productivity.

On that point, Dora soon learned that she was mistaken.

“You’ve been such a help to me in understanding the importance of the mill and the best way to operate it. I’m depending on you to take care of my interests when I’m not here.”

Allen shook his head and interrupted her with a lift of his right hand.

“I thought I’d already made it plain that I won’t do that. If this mill belongs to you, it’s
your
responsibility to manage it. Absentee landlords—or ladies, in your case—are rarely successful in operating a business. I won’t accept the responsibility of property that belongs to someone else.”

“But you know more about the mill and this part of the country than I do!”

“Of course! And how do you think I learned that? By living here for ten years. When I came to this area from South Carolina, I didn’t know a textile mill from a sawmill or a mountain from a foothill. I’d always lived in flat land, but I settled down and learned to live the necessary way to succeed in this country. All kinds of things can happen in a textile mill that would require the owner’s immediate attention. There could be a tragedy of some sort, and you might be in New York, or even in Europe. And no matter who you hire to work for you, no overseer will give a hundred percent to any project unless it’s to his interest to do so.”

“But you’ve told me what I should pay a manager,” Dora said, obviously puzzled that anyone would turn down such a handsome offer.

“You asked me what it would cost to hire a good manager, and I answered it. I didn’t tell you I considered it a good idea.”

They finished their meal in silence. When Allen laid aside his napkin, he didn’t know if he’d hurt Dora’s feelings or if she was angry. “I don’t suppose you’ll believe me, but I’m sorry I can’t do what you want me to. I’d like to please you, but I won’t do so at your expense or at my discomfort.”

Dora didn’t comment, but her facial expression relaxed until he decided she wasn’t angry at him. “Some people value independence, free will, and contentment more than money,” he continued, “and I’m one of them. No doubt you can find many competent men who will jump at the chance to manage the cotton mill, but it won’t be me.”

“You’re stubborn, aren’t you?”

“That’s not the term I would use,” Allen said, smiling at her. “I believe
intelligent
or
independent
would be a better word. The trouble with you, Dora, is that all your life you’ve been accustomed to having your own way, and I’m just like you in that respect. I’ve become very fond of you, and I’d like to do what you ask, but I won’t become responsible for the mill. I’m a carpenter and a farmer. If you want some construction done, I’ll do it, but I won’t work in a textile mill. Fairfield Textile Mill will soon belong to you. It’s your responsibility, not mine. If you don’t want it, sell it.”

Dora’s eyes snapped angrily. She drew a deep breath and swallowed awkwardly, obviously trying to control her tongue. At length she said quietly, “I’ve told you that Father has strings attached to it. If I sell the mill, he’ll disinherit me.”

Allen shrugged. “That might be the best gift he will ever give you.”

It wasn’t until Allen left that Dora realized he was suggesting she would be better off if she were dis-inherited. Was he thinking that if she were no longer heir to a fortune that they might have a future together? Although he hadn’t given any verbal indication that he loved her, Dora had occasionally seen expressions in Allen’s eyes that made her believe he was as attracted to her as she was to him. Sighing, she found it difficult to imagine that two people as different as she and Allen could ever have a future together. Why, of all the men she’d met in her life, had she developed an affinity for Allen Bolden?

Still angry with him, without even a good-bye, Dora left the next day for New York. She gave Allen her address, asking him to notify her if he thought she was needed at the mill. As always, Allen was a man of few words, and he didn’t say if he would or wouldn’t keep in touch with her.