She’d made him part of the Kendall in her mind. But he wasn’t. He had a life ahead of him. He had a son. And she didn’t see him staying around the Kendall for the rest of his life fixing broken pipes and mending fences. The letter might be his ticket out of here.
On the other hand, Jace had told her that Sheldon treated him badly. Was this letter somehow a continuation of that? What would this letter tell him?
Kelly slipped her finger under the flap and slid it along the edge. It opened and she pulled the single sheet of paper out and read it.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am the former owner of the Kendall. I am trying to get in touch with my brother, Jason Kendall. I haven’t seen him for years and have no idea where he could be. If he contacts the farm, would you please give him my address and ask him to contact me.
It was signed Sheldon Kendall. There was no phone number, only the address in North Carolina.
Kelly swallowed, placing a hand to her chest. Her heart was beating double time. It was him. It was really Sheldon. She knew where he was. And he was seeking Jason, wanted information about him, wanted to find him.
But what about Jason? He’d been angry with her once, mistakenly, over concealing information. But did he really want to suture the riff between them or did he want to start a fight over the loss of the Kendall? Would this information put Kelly in the middle of two feuding brothers? Would this mean the end of any hope for her and Jace?
She refolded the letter, taking her time given its value and importance. She slipped it back in the envelope and pushed it between two magazines. Then she began the return walk to the Kendall. Though, this time the glistening white structure growing larger before her wasn’t what was on her mind.
* * *
“DON’T OPEN YOUR EYES,” Ari said. “Keep them closed.”
“I will,” she agreed, taking a tentative step. The heat of the day hit her full-on as she left the air-conditioned comfort of the house.
Ari’s small, clammy hand was holding on to Kelly’s. Jace’s hand was on the small of her back. The tender gesture didn’t go unnoticed. The two of them were guiding her to the garden outside. It was finally finished and Ari and Jace wanted her to be surprised when she saw it.
Of course Kelly could see part of it from her office window, but she couldn’t see the entire thing. And she pretended for Ari’s sake.
“Wow!” Kelly exclaimed, using Ari’s favorite word, as the blindfold was removed and she saw the garden. The wow wasn’t just for Ari. The spot was beautiful. It was more than she thought it would be. “I love it,” she said.
The two guys beamed. “Come look at this,” Ari said. Taking her hand, he dragged her over to the seating in the center of the square. “Down here,” Ari directed. Kelly went down on her knees. In the corner was a small tile that had the word Ari written into it. The handwriting was little more than chicken scratch, but it was readable.
“Ari, did you write that?”
He smiled widely. “Dad showed me how,” he said. “But I wrote it. All by myself. Didn’t I, Dad?”
Kelly twisted around to look at Jace. She raised her hand to block the sun.
Jace nodded to his son. “All by yourself.”
“Where did you sign it,” Kelly asked Jace.
“I’ll show you,” Ari volunteered. “He signed it twice.”
“Once,” Jace contradicted. “Over there near Ari’s signature.”
Kelly looked at him questioningly, then turned back to the boy. Ari was pointing to a spot on the wall above his name. Jace bent near her and pointed. She looked and saw his name Jason Pharis Kendall. Kelly read it out loud. “Pharis?” She looked at him.
“My mother’s maiden name.”
He’d never told her about his mother. Only that he came to the Kendall after she died. Kelly put her hand on the carved letters. The tile was smooth, coupled with the depressions that formed his name. She felt as if she was touching him. Not the Jace he showed her, but the man he was inside. The vulnerable man who was capturing her heart.
* * *
THE EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Ford 150 ambled down the long driveway. Kelly’s heart beat faster as she saw the truck coming. Jace was driving and he’d reach the Kendall’s front circle soon. Ari stood by her, holding her hand.
Frowning, Kelly realized there was a horse trailer attached to the back of the Ford and he was pulling it toward them. Why would he need a horse trailer? They had no horses.
“What’s he got?” Ari asked.
“I don’t know, honey,” she said softly.
Jace smiled and waved as he went by them and continued around the house. Kelly didn’t hear anything coming from the trailer, but her jaw dropped open when she saw the backside of two horses.