Tomorrow's Promise (The Hawks Mountain Series) (16 page)

SINCE IT WAS THE weekend and Cole had an appointment in Charleston, Faith wouldn’t have to be faced with making explanations to him. She took advantage of his absence to do something she’d been planning since her house had been ransacked. Granny Jo had generously agreed to take care of Lizzie for a few hours so Faith could put her plan into action.

After barricading Pup in the kitchen, Faith locked her door and climbed in the car, her destination firmly planted in her mind . . . her mother’s. After looking at all the circumstantial evidence, Faith was certain it had been her mother in the house. Faith was also certain her mother had been looking for the locket, and she suspected it wasn’t the first time either. Faith recalled other times when she could find no logical explanation for things being out of place or her front door left ajar. At the time, she’d dismissed them as something either she or Lizzie had done, but now she didn’t believe that.

The time had come to face her mother.

When she arrived at her mother’s, both her father’s car and her mother’s car were in the driveway. The house looked no different than it had when Faith had walked out, suitcase in hand, a week after her eighteenth birthday. The paint was snowy white, the lawn was mowed and trimmed within an inch of its life, and the tops of the shrubs were shaved so flat that they could have been used as a table. She could hear the low hum of the lawn mower where her father was probably mowing the grass behind the house.

To an outsider, it was a neat, suburban home. To Faith, it was proof that her father was still firmly under her mother’s demanding thumb. Saturdays were for yard work and housecleaning. While her father had toiled outside, and while her friends were out enjoying the day, Faith had labored inside under her mother’s critical eye. Sundays were for God, according to her mother. No work was done except to cook Sunday dinner after going to church. The afternoon was spent reading the Bible and praying for forgiveness for all the sins her mother was more than happy to point out for both Faith and her father. It never escaped Faith’s notice that their list of sins was always much longer than Celia’s.

A neighbor’s dog barked, rousing Faith from her childhood memories. Taking a deep fortifying breath, she grabbed her purse and climbed from the car. By the time she’d reached the front porch, she had begun second-guessing herself. She could turn around now and go home, and Celia would never know she’d been there.

Or you can pull up your big girl pants and finally face her.

She raised her fist and knocked.

Chapter 17

FAITH KNOCKED ON her mother’s front door and waited. When no one answered, she knocked again. As she knocked for a third time, she reluctantly decided that if no one answered this time, she’d leave. Then she heard the distinctive
click
of her mother’s sensible shoes on the hall floor. Moments later, the door opened.

Celia Chambers stared at her. Quickly, her mother’s look of surprise changed to the familiar frown Faith had seen many times while growing up. “Faith.” Her voice was cold and sounded as though she was talking to an unwelcome door-to- door salesman.

“Hello, Mother.” Faith tamped down her disappointment at her mother’s cool greeting. Annoyance that her mother could still hurt her after all these years helped her screw up the courage to proceed with her plan, courage that without knowing it, Cole had helped her recognize in herself. “We need to talk.”

Celia said nothing. She stepped aside and waved her hand as a signal for Faith to enter the house. Once inside, her mother walked around her and into the pristine living room, obviously expecting Faith to follow. Again, without words, Celia waved her hand at the couch as a sign for Faith to sit. The silence surprised Faith. Her mother had never been at a loss for words before.

“So,” Celia seated herself in the wing chair facing Faith and folded her hands primly in her lap, “what is it we need to talk about? Dare I hope you’ve seen the error of your ways, and you’ve come to beg my forgiveness?”

As Faith gathered her thoughts, she ignored her mother’s jibe and looked around the room she’d spent so many hours in. Nothing had changed. It was if she’d walked out this morning. Her mother’s Bible lay on the coffee table as it always had. The furniture glowed, and the drapes were drawn, shutting out the bright sunlight so it wouldn’t fade the upholstery while they closed out the sinful world beyond. Framed photos of the Chambers and Harrison families stood like soldiers awaiting inspection on the sideboard. Noticeably missing were any pictures of Faith. Pain Faith didn’t want to acknowledge arrowed through her. Her mother had truly removed her from her life.

Unable to put it off any longer, Faith straightened her shoulders and plunged in. “We need to talk about your visit to my house.”

Celia’s eyebrow shot up. “Why? I thought we had adequately covered that by the time I left.”

“Not that visit, Mother. I mean your visit while I wasn’t home.” Her mother’s obvious discomfort surprised Faith. But the expression came and went so quickly, Faith questioned if it had actually been there, or if she had wished it.

Celia smoothed the material of her dress over her knees, raised her chin, and glared at her daughter. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Anger boiled inside Faith, but she kept it in check. “Don’t insult my intelligence or yours by denying it, Mother. You drove Uncle Charles’s car to my house, broke in, and ransacked it.”

Celia sprang to her feet. “I think you should leave.”

A bit of the anger seeped out. “Sit down, Mother,” she said stiffly. Shocked that she’d stood up to her mother, Faith squared her shoulders. She had to admit, asserting herself felt good, empowering. For once, she was not going to be the victim. “The only reason I haven’t gone to the authorities is because you’re my mother, and I’m hoping we can settle this between us.”

The threat of the police took the wind out of Celia’s sails. She sank back down on the chair, her complexion suddenly a little paler.

Faith felt a slight pang of compassion for the woman who had never made excuses for her behavior in her life. Celia had ruled her house with an iron hand. Her daughter had succumbed to Celia’s will because she was her mother. Her husband had caved because he was weak. Now Celia was on the receiving end of the accusing finger.

“You’re my mother, and I’ve tried to love you, but you’ve never made it easy. I know I’ve made mistakes. I’m not perfect, Mother, but neither are you. When you broke into my house, you stepped over the line. What I want to know is why?”

The woman who had made Faith’s life a living hell stared defiantly at her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The anger Faith had kept tamped down fought harder for recognition. She gripped her hands together tightly in her lap and took several deep breaths. Why did she think she could get her mother to admit what she’d done? This was a woman who had never been wrong in her life, at least not in her own eyes. She claimed to live by the Good Book, but both Faith and her father knew that wasn’t true.

Faith stood. “I was going to give you Gramma’s locket if you’d been honest and admitted what you’d done. But since you won’t, the locket will be passed down to my daughter. Your granddaughter, whether or not you recognize her as such.” She paused to gather her tangled emotions. “I feel sorry for you, Mother. You’ll never know that beautiful little girl. You’ll never feel her arms wrapped around your neck or be the recipient of her sweet kisses.” She walked to the doorway and stopped. “If you ever change your mind and can call Lizzie your granddaughter and love her like Gramma loved me, you’ll be welcome in our home. Until then, if you ever enter my house again without my permission, I
will
call the police.”

Celia vaulted to her feet, her face red and twisted with rage. She raised her hand, and pointed her finger at Faith. “Don’t threaten me, girl. You will regret it.”

Faith walked out the front door, down the porch steps, and then climbed into her car. Once she settled back in the seat, her body shook uncontrollably with the remnants of her anger, undeniable relief, and a tangle of emotions she couldn’t even put a name to. At the same time, the huge weight that had been sitting on her soul lifted. She’d resigned herself to the fact that she couldn’t change her mother. Faith could only control how she reacted to Celia, bless her, and set her free.

BY THE TIME FAITH had picked up Lizzie from Granny Jo’s, walked Pup, fed Lizzie, and gotten her bedded down for her afternoon nap, she was washed out. No sooner had she collapsed in one of the living room chairs than she heard a car in the driveway. Expecting it to be Cole, and oddly eager to share her day with him, she opened the door before he had a chance to knock.

But she didn’t recognize the car. However, she did recognize the man who got out of it. Her heart skipped several beats. To Faith’s utter surprise, her father was walking across the lawn toward her.

“D . . . Daddy?” The word was forced from her suddenly dry throat. Not knowing what to expect, she waited, her nerves as tight as a bowstring.

Horace Chambers stopped a few feet away and stared at her. He’d aged, but his still-handsome face creased in a tentative smile. “Hi, Princess. Am I welcome here?”

Relief flooded her. Faith ran into his arms. “You’re always welcome here, Daddy.” Stepping back, she took his hand and led him toward the house. “Please come inside.”

He flung his arm around her shoulder as they walked together. Faith guided him to the living room and sat beside him on the couch, her hand still clutched in his. She stared at him, unable to believe he was actually here. “Does Mother know you came here?”

He nodded. “Yes, I told her I was going to see my daughter and granddaughter, and if she didn’t like it, she would just have to learn to live with it.”

Faith couldn’t believe her ears. She’d never known her father to stand up to her mother. In all the years of their relationship, her easy-going father had always allowed her mother to rule the roost, while he stayed quietly in the background. Why this sudden change?

“Oh,” was all she could say.

He squeezed her hand. “I heard what went on between the two of you when you came to the house. First of all, she never told me there was a grandchild. If she’d had her way, I would have gone through life never knowing. I know I haven’t always been the leader in our relationship, but I couldn’t have that. I want to meet my granddaughter.” He looked around them. “Where is she?”

“Sleeping, but she’ll be awake before too long. If not, I’ll wake her up to meet her grandfather.” Faith paused then asked the one question she needed an answer to just to ease her own mind. “Did Mother break into my house, Daddy?”

He paused for several moments before answering. “Truthfully, I don’t know for sure. I do know she borrowed her brother’s car when he came to visit that day. I never saw a reason for it. Hers was working just fine. When she came home, she was all aflutter. Her hair was messed up, and she was breathing hard. She wouldn’t tell me why. After your visit, I put two and two together.”

That confirmed for Faith what she already knew in her heart. “Why would she do it?”

Her father shrugged. “I don’t know that either. I know she’s always felt that she never found all the money your grandmother had hidden around the house.”

“But why would she expect to find it here? The only things in this house that belong to me are Lizzie, her few toys, and our clothing.”

Before Horace could answer, a cry came from the bedroom.

“Momma! Pup! Momma! Pup!”

Her father’s grin lit up the room. “Sounds like my granddaughter’s awake.”

Fifth laughed, and then stood. “Yes, she does make herself heard. I’ll go get her.”

When she entered Lizzie’s room, her daughter was hanging over the crib rail trying to reach Pup. “No, Pup! No!”

Lizzie had thrown Fuzzy out of the crib and now the dog was lying on the floor happily chewing on the bear’s ear. It wasn’t the first time Pup had commandeered the bear as a chew toy. Ever since he’d come to live with them, Faith had been forced to rescue the toy from the sharp puppy teeth.

“Pup, that’s not yours.” Faith snatched Lizzie’s favorite toy from the puppy and gave it to her daughter.

Lizzie cuddled it close. “Bad Pup!”

“Yes, he’s a bad pup,” Faith told Lizzie as she carried her child into the living room to meet her grandfather. “Lizzie, this is your Papa.”

Lizzie stared at Horace, her eyes wide. “Papa.” Then she thrust the bear toward him. “Fussy. Bad Pup.”

He gazed at the child, his face wreathed in smiles. “She’s beautiful. May I hold her?” As Faith transferred her daughter to her father’s waiting arms, he stared down at the bear. “Good grief, is that your old bear, Faith?” Faith nodded. “I would have thought it fell apart years ago.”

Fait laughed and tried to tamp down her shock at how easily Lizzie went to Horace. Cole had been the only other man to break through her dislike of males. “Well, it seems that if Pup has anything to do with it, its life expectancy is in serious question.”

“Bad Pup,” Lizzie chimed in at the mention of her dog’s name.

“He certainly is a bad pup,” Horace said. He sat down on the couch and settled Lizzie on his lap. “I’m sure your mommy will make sure he doesn’t eat such a fine upstanding bear.”

Faith sat in the chair across from them and watched as her father and daughter became acquainted. A wave of contentment spread through her like a summer breeze warming the earth of Hawks Mountain.

Finally, her life was settling down. For the first time, she felt that perhaps this move back home wasn’t a mistake after all.

Suddenly, the door burst open.