Broken Love (Broken #4)(56)
“To the best of my memory, yes. She was alone. I do know that was the first time young Kate had stayed at the house alone, but she mentioned her beau would be stopping by later for dinner.”
Why would Kate and Jackson stay the night at the house in Helena? It’s not like they needed a place to be together.
“One more question, Parker. Do you remember what room she stayed in?”
“Oh yes, the master bedroom. Why?”
Lizzy and Robert’s.
“Just curious. Thank you so much, Parker.”
“Your welcome. Did you and Mrs. Montgomery enjoy the old letters from Lizzy and Robert?”
My mind was spinning. There was something missing to all of this. I had felt like there was something Kate was hiding the moment I started reading her diary. At first I thought it was a long-lost secret of Lizzy’s. When I found out she was pregnant, I thought that was it, but it wasn’t. There was something else and I could tell by how conflicted her words were in her diary. I needed to find out what it was.
“Um … oh yes, the letters. They are amazing! We have a few left to read. Did you say that Kate had come to the house before? Was it with her sisters or brothers?”
“Yes, they would come together. Young Kate loved exploring the old house.”
That much I had figured out. Kate must have stumbled upon the letters while exploring. She wrote about some of the things that were in the letters in her own diary.
“Well, it’s an amazing house to say the least. The letters have helped a lot in getting to know Lizzy and Robert.”
“Wonderful! Wonderful. Okay, well that was all I needed to say. Just let me know when you’ll be coming to the house again.”
“Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
I bumped Ryder to wake him up. “Yes, Ryder and I will be heading there tomorrow. He has a business meeting in town, so I think we’ll stay the night.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be sure the heat is turned up for you then.”
Ryder sat up and looked at me with a dazed look. “Thanks, Parker. Have a nice night.”
I hung up the phone and stood. “I think there was something else Kate was hiding. I’ve felt it from the very moment I found her diary. I thought the pregnancy was it, but I can’t shake this feeling there was something else.”
“Oh God,” Ryder moaned. “I don’t know if I can take anymore secrets being found out.”
“I’m going with y’all tomorrow to Helena. Can we stay the night at the house?”
Ryder lifted his eyebrow. “Yes. Why?”
My face curved with a smile. “We’re going exploring.”
“DON’T EXPLORE WITHOUT me.”
My jaw dropped. “That’s like asking me to never eat chocolate again!”
Ryder furrowed his brows. “Really? I’m just asking that you don’t try to find anything until I get back.”
“What am I supposed to do until you get back?”
He shrugged. “See if Jennifer wants to meet for lunch. Or Dani and the baby.”
Dani had a little girl a few days after Christmas she named Lindsay. She was adorable and the moment I held her in my arms, something weird happened. I wanted a baby. Not that I would ever admit that to anyone.
“I guess I could do that,” I somberly said.
Pulling me closer to him, Ryder held my eyes with his. “I want to be here if you find something.”
His eyes looked so sad. There was no way I would ever go against his wishes. “I’ll call Jennifer and Dani. Maybe they can both sneak away for lunch.”
His hand came up to my face where I leaned into it. “Thank you.”
Smiling, I closed my eyes and let the moment between us settle in my heart.
“One more thing.”
Opening my eyes, I looked at him skeptically. “What?”
“I called Jackson.”
Gasping, I replied, “When?”
“This morning. I asked him if he would join us for dinner. I didn’t ask him to come to the house. Not really knowing what happened here between them, I wasn’t sure how he would feel.”
“That was sweet of you to think that way. What are you planning on saying to him?”
I couldn’t imagine how Ryder was feeling or what he was even thinking. Even more so, I couldn’t imagine what information he thought he would get from Jackson.
“I’m not sure. I guess I want to ask him about the baby. Was Kate scared? Was she happy? What in the hell were they thinking?”
With a slight frown, I placed my hands on his chest. “Will you do me one favor?”
His face softened. “Of course.”
“Remember he suffered a loss as well and he had to hide part of that loss. Put yourself in his shoes, Ryder. He lost the girl he loved and his child.”
His eyes fought back the tears that were welling up. “I know. I promise I’ll remember that.”
Reaching up on my toes, I gently kissed him. “You better go before you’re late.”
With a nod, he replied, “I’ll call you when the meetings over.”
Following him back out to his truck, I watched him drive off. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vanessa. Peeking over, I watched her wave and smile as Ryder drove off.