“It wasn’t my choice,” he admitted.
Kelly knew that. Gossip spread easily around Windsor Heights then and now. Some she’d met since buying the Kendall had told her stories of the Kendall family. It wasn’t always pleasant.
“You haven’t told me why you love it here,” Jace said.
Her throat closed and she had to swallow the emotion that rose in her. “I’ve always felt I was part of this land. And that this is where I was supposed to be. When I bought it, it needed a lot of work. And I mean a lot. But I loved doing it. I loved seeing it come back to the glory it once had. I want to make it into a showplace. And every floor I restore, every nail I use to repair something is part of me going into the history of this place.”
“But you’re not a Kendall.”
The words hurt for some reason. She would never be a Kendall. “That’s true, but...I belong here. I feel it. I suppose it was because I grew up so close to the place. The Kendall had survived war and depression, and I wanted to be a survivor, too, in my own way.” Things were often out of sorts in her own home. The Kendall was her anchor.
“Why haven’t you changed its name then? You’ve been here two years.”
She shook her head, still smiling. “It wouldn’t be the same. For over a century this has been the Kendall. Changing a name would change the nature of the place.”
“Do you know where my brother is?” He abruptly switched subjects.
“I haven’t seen him. In fact, I never saw him. The entire transaction was completed between the bank and the county. Your brother wasn’t ever required to be there.”
“Why didn’t he pay the taxes? Sheldon loved being the lord of the manor.”
“I don’t know. People in town said it was mismanagement. Given the state of the property when I showed up, it wouldn’t be hard to believe.”
“It wasn’t necessary to the sale,” Jace said, and Kelly heard the censure in his voice.
“It wasn’t my business,” she told him. “I didn’t force your brother to get into trouble with his finances and there was no reason why I should help him if that’s what you’re implying.”
“Ari, don’t do that,” Jace shouted. He was on his feet, ready to run and aid his son if necessary.
Kelly quickly followed Jace’s gaze to where the child stood. His foot was in midair as if he’d been paralyzed by the urgency in Jace’s voice. Ari had been about to climb a ladder propped up on the side of the barn. It wouldn’t take much for Ari to tumble over.
“I should think you’d be glad someone who really cares about the Kendall bought it,” she said. “It could have gone to a developer who would raze the house and subdivide it into apartments or condos.”
She left him then and went into the house. She had work to do and she was grossly behind getting started.
* * *
THIS WAS NOT the homecoming Jace expected.
Rushing forward, he headed for Ari. When the boy saw him coming, he took off and ran for him. His weak leg dragged a little behind, but Ari compensated. Already Jace thought he was doing better. He hadn’t had a problem with his asthma today; surely Kelly would have told him if Ari had had restricted breathing.
“Dad, can we go in the barn?” he asked, instinctively taking his hand and pulling him in that direction.
“Let’s go look at where the horses used to live,” Jace said.
“Wow! Horses!”
The barn was a few hundred feet from the house. While the weather last night had been wet, the grass under their feet was already dry. Jace thought the silence was eerie. Back in his day, he should have heard the horses by now.
Jace pulled the barn door open all the way, waiting a moment for his eyes to adjust before stepping into the dim light. Ari scampered forward, eager to see.
The faint scent of horse manure and cleanser permeated the air. Jace frowned as anger stole over him. The horses had been his sanctuary. How dare Sheldon let the Kendall fall apart to the point where there were no horses here.
Their great-great-grandfather had provided for the upkeep of the house by investing in and training horses, race horses especially. Evidently, he was very good at it since he forged a legacy that had continued for generations. It was Sheldon’s legacy and Jace’s, too—no matter what his father thought—to keep it alive by offering the best in boarding and rearing horses. And now they were gone.
“Where are the horses, Dad? Are they all in Texas?”
Ari had no concept of the size of the United States. Texas could have been on the other side of the barn as far as he knew. He’d seen horses on television and the logic of a four-year-old jumped to explain.
“I don’t know where they are, Ari.”
“We’ll have to ask Kelly,” he said positively. “She will know.”
Jace doubted that.
* * *
KELLY MASSAGED HER temples as she studied father and son from her office window. They disappeared around the side of the horse barn. She knew Jace loved horses. He’d ride as if the devil himself was after him, but then he’d spend an hour in the barn, making sure to cool down the treasured animal.
Eventually, she wanted to have horses boarding here, and if possible, expand the operation even further. Some day she planned on having allowance races run here, and eventually move up to stakes races. But she had other things to do with the small amount of money she still had in her account.
Telling herself she’d deal with Jace later, she pulled her hair into a long ponytail and went to the library. It was the last unfinished room in the house. It needed to be painted and decorated.
With all the prep work done, it was time to put the paint on the walls. Kelly scrubbed her roller up and down in the pan to prevent drips and raised it to the wall. The soft blue transformed the space. She liked it already. The steady action gave her time to think.
What was she going to do with Jason Kendall and his son? And why did she believe it was her duty to do anything? Jace was a grown man. He had to be nearing thirty by now. He seemed to be responsible, at least where Ari was concerned. She’d given them one night only. He should be searching for a new place to stay, instead of hanging out at an estate he never owned. His own father mustn’t have thought much of him to do that to him. That was the rumor Kelly had heard. She’d felt sorry for Jace at the time. She realized that as a kid she’d been caught up in how things looked around here. That just because the Kendalls had a lovely house and lovely horses, didn’t mean their family was any less troubled than hers. It occurred to her that there were some old files and family photos she’d moved into the attic, since the sale of the property had included all of the furnishings.
It was as if Sheldon had walked away with only the clothes on his back. She supposed she should give those items to Jace.
The blue wall looked beautiful. She stepped back, analyzed her work. Smiling, she thought when the books were brought back into the room, it would be a welcome place to sit and read.
Kelly dropped her shoulders. She felt an allegiance to Jace, although that made no sense. She hadn’t known him well while they were growing up, but he was a Kendall. And this had been his home once.
Maybe she should give him a job. The place could use his help. He could stay until he found a place of his own.
Stepping back, she said, “Yes, that works.” Though her eyes were on the wall, she was talking about Jace.
“Kelll-ly!”
She heard Ari’s sweet voice calling her name.
“Down here,” she hollered.