Treasure Uncovered (Bellingwood #3) (4 page)

"You did. Who is doing the work on this?"

"Louis Waters is going to do some of it and Lydia has lined up people to do the digging and concrete work. I think it will take them all summer to get it where she wants it, but it's going to be beautiful!"

"It won't take that long. Louis is as good as they come, Polly. Someday you should go by their house. He and Deb have created a garden fairy land. If they're involved in the project, you are really lucky."

"Nancy Burroughs is the other person Lydia has helping her. She mentioned that they've wanted to do something with that corner for years. I don't know what else I'd do with that space and if we can keep from mowing it, all the better."

"Nancy used to teach home economics here at Bellingwood before they closed the school. She retired after that, but I think she's still involved with the garden club in town and maybe the Farmer's Market too."

Henry put his fork down and said, "So, how are things going with the horses?"

"Oh, Henry, I can't wait for you to see them! They are so much healthier!"

"Are you having fun with them?"

"You know, it's been fun learning how to take care of them and I have loved watching them come back from where they were. It's a lot of work, though."

"But, are you having fun with them? Are they yours yet?"

"I think Nat and Daisy are all mine. Both of them come looking for attention and affection when I go out there. I don't know what to think about Demi. He's a bit of a brat. Sometimes I think that he's messing with me like a brother would. He'll ignore me and then the next thing I know he will sneak up behind me and blow air at my head. Whenever we work, he's really good about it, though."

"What about Nan? You said she was the alpha of the group."

"I think she likes me, but she spends a lot of time wandering around the pasture and travels back and forth in and out of the barn. It's almost like she can't believe it is really going to be okay. If I were giving her human emotions, I would say that the neglect upset her because there wasn't anything she could do about it. When she isn't wandering the pasture, she keeps a close eye on Nat and Demi. Mark says that one of these days she will relax and feel like this is her home."

"So," he drew the word out, "how are things with him? You haven't mentioned him too much in the last few weeks."

Polly scowled. "That's because he isn't here all that often. You do know there's nothing between us, don't you?"

Henry heaved a sigh. "I should say yes, shouldn't I."

"I'll be honest with you, are you ready for that?"

He braced himself, "I'm ready."

"It was fun being all flirty when I first got to know him. He's gorgeous and it was nice to have someone like him pay attention to me, but Henry," she put her hand on his forearm, "I'm not interested in him and he's not interested in me. There's nothing there."

"You're kidding yourself if you think he's not interested. He's definitely interested," Henry said.

"Then the only thing I'm sure of is that I'm not. Now, can we declare this conversation to be in the past and not fret over it any longer?"

"I'll try. It was really hard for me to be gone, knowing that he was here all the time."

"Oh, for Pete's sake, Henry! Why would you be concerned? I talked to you every single night and texted back and forth with you during the day. He was only here to take care of the horses and show me what to do out in the barn and then he left. He comes less than once a week now unless I have a problem. You have to stop worrying about this."

"I'll try. I promise. I'll try. It's not easy, though."

"The good stuff never is, right?” She sat back in her chair. “Now, I'm going to change the subject completely. When are you going to be ready to start on the next project? I'm dying for this garage and with all of the events Jeff is scheduling, we have to get that back parking lot finished."

"Can I at least have the weekend?" he laughed.

"Well, you can have part of the weekend," she said. "I was hoping we could drive down to Des Moines tomorrow night. I have tickets to a show at the Civic Center. I wasn't going to say anything if you didn't get back until tomorrow, but I'd like to finally take you out for a nice evening."

"You can leave? What about the horses?"

"Saturday is an easy day for all of us. I'll make sure everything is ready to go and Jason is pretty good with them. Mark said he would come over and watch Jason bring them in for the night. All I have to do is call and say it's on."

"I'd love to go to Des Moines with you, then. Shall we take the Thunderbird?"

"Really?" Polly remembered her first date with Henry. He'd driven the Thunderbird and taken her to Ames. A first kiss, him tentatively touching her shoulders. All the feelings of burgeoning romance happened that night. "That would be terrific!"

"How about you let me take you out for dinner since you got the tickets," he said.

"This was supposed to be my night, though."

"Let me?"

"Alright. But, we're dressing up, right?"

Henry winked at her, "I like it when you dress up, Polly. You're stunning."

"I notice that you didn't say that when you first got here tonight. I'm sorry about that." She stood up and took their plates to the kitchen. The water had turned tepid, so she emptied the sink and refilled it. Henry followed her in and picked up the pan filled with leftover fried rice. She pointed at the cupboard with plastic ware and he pulled a container out.

"It's alright," he laughed as he scooped the rice. "I've discovered that you have a lot of different sides to you. They're all interesting. Some smell better than others, that's all."

Polly flicked suds from the filling sink at him and he ducked, allowing the splatter to reach the cupboard behind him, leaving a mark in the dust and grease covering the door.

He looked up at it and Polly grimaced, "I need to scrub this place down soon, don't I!"

"Don't worry. It doesn't bother me. I'm so glad to be back here, nothing bothers me."

He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the nose. "I'm glad to be here tonight with you, no matter what. Thank you for not kicking me to the curb."

Looking out over the door into the pasture, Polly smiled at the horses who were happy to be out in the sunshine. She had gotten up early in order to get her day started. Once the fencing had been finished around the pasture, Obiwan had the run of the place and they didn't have to put his leash on every morning. He obediently followed her through the gates and then bolted into the pasture every morning as she headed for the barn.

Henry was coming in this morning to go over plans for the garage and apartment addition on the north side of the building as well as a future addition on the south side to make four more rooms available for guests. Polly wanted to get started on things before she could talk herself out of the projects. They'd been going back and forth with the plans for the last two months while he was in Arizona, and now it was time to dig in and go.

She hauled feed into the stalls for breakfast and smiled as she thought about her weekend. She and Henry had arrived in Des Moines early enough for a wonderful dinner downtown. After the show, they had driven through Saylorville and stopped to look at the bright moon and the stars. They hadn't gotten back to Bellingwood until long after midnight and then Henry had come over early Sunday morning to help with the horses. They'd spent the entire day together watching movies and napping on the couch.

Sylvie and her assistant, Hannah, had been on site Saturday evening preparing dinner and she had spent a few minutes gossiping with them about the worst of the Bridezillas, but managed to regain some control of her living space and her clothing. It felt wonderful to have a closet full of clean clothes again and she wondered why she always let it get so out of control.

When she went into the feed room to get hay, she was confused. She thought the horses had used more than this. It looked as if she had a full room. Polly shook her head. She must have brought more down from the hay loft on Friday evening than she realized. She filled the old tractor tires outside with hay and opened the stall doors so they could head out when they were finished eating, then pulled the wheelbarrow to Demi's stall and began the task of cleaning up the floor.

Obiwan dashed into the stall from outside, sniffed at Demi's droppings, shook his head and walked over to Polly and nudged her leg. "I know, Obiwan. I'm working on it, I'm working on it." He nudged her leg again and she stopped to rub his head. He went on to greet each of the horses and then went tearing back out into the pasture as Nan finished eating her feed and sauntered out. Polly watched her ears flick as she considered chasing the dog, but she settled into the hay and began to munch. One by one the horses left the barn and Polly finished cleaning up.

"Come on, Obiwan! Let's go in!" she called and waited for him to catch up. Polly stopped at the main gate, turned around to look at her horses and smiled. They were a lot of work, but she was falling in love with each of them.

She turned the coffeemaker on in the main kitchen and pulled cereal, fruit, and muffins out onto the counter for her guests. There were only two people upstairs and they didn't require much in the way of attention. The photographer in the front room was generally out most of the day. He told her he was shooting a series for a book he called "Iowa's Spring to Life." He hadn't shown her much, but was gone from morning until evening every day. Another young man was staying in the Walnut Room. She wasn't sure what it was he was writing, but he always had his laptop with him and wrote in his room or in the auditorium, the front steps, in a lawn chair outside if it was warm enough. Polly had found him sprawled out in the hallway upstairs and when she’d asked if he’d lost his key, he assured her that he only wanted a different location to work. She was never certain where he'd show up next, but he found a way to write at all hours of the day.

After getting things set up, she went back to her office and found Obiwan watching as Jeff worked at his desk.

"Good morning!" she said.

"Good morning to you," Jeff said, looking up from his computer. "Is that your new look for the day?"

"Hush. I've been working."

He laughed. "I know. Obiwan's never down here unless you've come in from being with the horses. You're a little late this morning."

Polly scowled. "I am not! In fact, I'm early."

"Maybe it’s because I’m here before my normal hour," he laughed.

"Why are you here so early this morning," she asked, "and why are you dressed like a professional?"

"I have to be in Fort Dodge this morning. Didn't I tell you about the summer events?"

"Oh, that's right," she interrupted. "Don't let Obiwan get near you then with your fancy duds. He and I need to spend some time with the brush."

"That's why I have these," he laughed and pulled his drawer open. He took a dog treat out and Obiwan stood up on his back legs, placing his front paws on Jeff's desk. He took the treat out of Jeff's hand and then sat back down, keeping a steady eye on the drawer as Jeff closed it.

"Alright, you beggar butt, let's go upstairs and get some real food in you," she laughed. "I'll be back before you leave and thanks."

She got upstairs, fed the dog and cats, took a shower and was back in Jeff's office within the hour.

"How did things go Saturday night?" she asked.

"It was smashing, just smashing," he said. "I spoke with two girls who were there and have set up meetings with them and their wedding consultants next week. And Sylvie? She was a hit!"

"That's awesome," Polly said.

"No, I mean she was really great. The aunt of the bride decided to come in and start making a scene about something she didn't like. The poor bride was near tears and her mother wasn't much better. This woman was the older sister of the bride's father and a complete bitch. After all the work we had done, as well as the work the bride and her friends had done that day, this woman thought she could throw a tantrum about the use of battery operated candles instead of live flame."

"No way."

"Yes way. I wasn't there when it happened, but she was working up a full head of steam when Sylvie waltzed out of the kitchen, assessed the situation, watched the bride and her mother melt into puddles, took the woman by the arm and steered her into the office. I arrived as Sylvie was telling this woman that it wasn't her day, that she was embarrassing everyone, and that Sylvie wouldn't put up with that behavior from her children and no adult should act this way and maybe the woman might want to explain exactly why she needed to throw a tantrum."

Polly's mouth dropped open, but said, "I've seen Sylvie correct her boys. She's no slouch."

"She sat down here in the office with the woman and after she'd said her piece, I watched her reach out and take the woman's hand and ask what the real reason was that she was so upset. Before I knew it, the woman was sobbing and crying and I slunk away. Who needs that?"

"So what was the deal?"

"The old lady had never been married and had acted as decorating coordinator for all of the weddings in the family, but since she lives so far away, they assumed she wouldn't want to spend time doing this one. She was offended and so she was making life miserable for everyone."

"Oh, I love Sylvie."

"So do I! I would never have handled it so well and might have pissed off an entire roomful of people."

Polly turned around when she heard footsteps and saw Henry coming in. She smiled. It was still good to see him. Absence really did make the heart grow fonder.

Jeff stood up and put his hand out, "Welcome back, man. It's good to see you!"

"It's good to be back. But, have I missed something? Is there a new dress code around here?"

Jeff laughed, "No, a business appointment this morning in Fort Dodge and I need to get going!" He grabbed his portfolio and walked past Henry, clapping him on the back. "It's good to have you back. This one missed you," and he nodded toward Polly.

He left and Henry snickered, "It was that obvious, eh?"

"Shaddup," she said. "Do you want coffee?"

"Of course I do. And one of those cinnamon apple muffins you were baking yesterday."

"I'll gather food and drink for your majesty. You set up in the conference room."

She started to pass him and he grabbed her waist. "I had a great welcome home weekend with you." He kissed her forehead. "I'm not ready to get back to normal."

Polly broke away, her head spinning. Every time he kissed her, she forgot what came next. "Ummm. Yeah. Okay. I'll be right back."

She heard him chuckling as she walked out of the office. It wasn’t fair that he enjoyed making her mind shut down each time he kissed her, but she didn’t know how to change either behavior.

When she got back to the conference room, Henry had hooked the laptop to a larger monitor and pulled up a layout of her property.

"We're going to be able to bring this addition in right under the windows in your apartment," he said.

They looked over the plans for a garage on the ground level with the entrance facing the creek. A large parking lot spanned the area between Sycamore House and the main road and a small driveway broke off to enter her garage. The stage entrance door would remain in place, acting as the door into the garage. It was large enough that a section at the back of the garage would become the shed for maintenance equipment. Upstairs, a two bedroom apartment would be created and Polly hoped her young friends Doug Randall and Billy Endicott would consider renting the space from her.

One of the things she had discovered as she got older was that being an only child had its drawbacks. With both of her parents gone, sometimes she felt as if she had no family left. Her relationship with Doug and Billy felt as if it must be what having younger brothers was all about. They had moved in and slept on the floor of her offices when Sheriff Merritt worried about a murderer being loose in Bellingwood and considered themselves her Jedi Knights. The two boys welcomed her home with a puppy they'd named Obiwan after she returned from being kidnapped by an old boyfriend. Doug had been beaten up by that same man and after all of that still wanted to be her friend. Now, she encouraged them to bring their friends to Sycamore House for gaming evenings and trusted them to treat her home as they would their own.

They worked for Jerry Allen, a local electrical contractor and were young enough to still be living at home. They were best friends and couldn't figure out whether they were still boys or had become young men. If Polly could find a way for them to safely move out on their own, she knew everyone would be happy. Doug's mother, Helen, was ready for her son to grow up and move away, but didn't want to push him out. Polly had never met Billy's parents, but knew they had to be great people since he was such a good young man.

Henry said, "I'm going to start lining up subcontractors this afternoon to get this project started."

"What?" Polly asked. She focused on the screen in front of her. This was going to be an attractive addition to Sycamore House and when they started on the matching addition on the south side of the building, she was going to finally have everything in place.

"Subcontractors," Henry said.

"Oh. Right. Great," she said. "I'm ready to get this started."

Polly went out to the main office and was standing at the photocopier waiting for copies of several pages Henry had sent from the computer when she saw a police car pull up outside her office window. She waited for someone to come in and when no one did, she took the sheets back into the conference room and set them on the table.

"That's weird," she said. "A police car pulled up in front of my office, but no one has come in. I'm going to check it out."

Henry followed her out the front door and she couldn't see anyone.

"That's odd," she said. "Where did he go?"

They walked to the north side of the building and saw Ken Wallers kneeling by the back stage door.

He looked up, saw them and carrying something in a bag, strode up to greet them.

"Welcome back to Bellingwood, Henry," he said as they shook hands.

"Thanks, Ken. What were you doing back there?" Henry asked, nodding at the back stoop of Sycamore House.