Unending Devotion (Michigan Brides #1)(66)

The fact was he couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. And he was sure he’d do just about anything to keep her from slipping away.





Chapter

20



“This is your home?” Lily was utterly unprepared for the enormity of the residence.

Connell had jumped from the sleigh and was already around to her side, holding out a hand to help her down.

But she couldn’t move. She could only stare at the tall Queen Anne–style mansion that seemed to sit on a throne of lattice and reign amidst the sprawling block-long grounds. Each of the dozens of various sized windows was lit—big bay, round arched, small square, diamond, and even stained glass. In the darkness, the interior lights illuminated the elaborate details of the grandly built home, almost as if the owner had planned to display it like a museum piece.

Connell followed her gaze. “Dad had it built three years ago.”

She’d guessed that McCormick Lumber was prosperous and Connell’s father was a wealthy man. But she’d never really thought about Connell belonging to a completely different class and way of living. She’d only seen him in his shanty-boy attire and thought of him as a backwoodsman.

She hadn’t pictured him in an elaborate home—not one like this with terra cotta brick, pretty gables covered with decorative patterns, and steeply pitched roofs. The prominent circular tower with its conical peaked roof made it look almost castle-like.

“I’m not really sure why he decided he needed a home this size,” Connell said, “especially since it’s just my mam and dad—and the servants.”

“It is rather large.” Her mind couldn’t even begin to comprehend why two people would need to live so extravagantly. In fact, she couldn’t understand why a family of any size would need such a large house—not when she’d grown up living with dozens of other children in sterile brick buildings that rivaled the McCormick mansion in size.

Her memory of living in a real home had faded—until Oren had brought her to his second-floor home above the photography studio. His few small rooms had seemed like paradise at the time, compared with anything she’d ever known.

But Connell’s family home was like an entirely different world.

“I suppose Dad just wanted to keep up with what all his friends were doing.” Connell reached for her hand again, and this time she allowed him to help her down.

He nodded to the house across the street, which was not as large, but still a finely designed Victorian-style home. “He had a house built for my brother and his wife as a wedding gift.”

“That’s a big gift,” Lily said.

“Especially for someone who doesn’t appreciate what he’s got.” Bitterness edged his voice as he assisted Daisy from the sleigh.

Connell greeted a man who had come around the house from the livery. He handed over the reins with instructions to take care of the team and supplies. Then Connell guided her and Daisy up a plank walkway to the front door.

Delicate leaves were carved into the panels of the door, and equally intricate carvings adorned the swan brackets above the porch posts. If every little detail of the outside of the home spoke of a style of living that was far above her own, what would she find on the inside? And how would she ever hope to fit in—not that she wanted to—but how could she take one step inside without feeling like a foreigner?

When he reached for the door handle in the shape of a lion’s head, she touched his arm and stopped him. “Are you sure this is the best place for us?”

He quirked his brow.

“I mean, look at us.” She lifted the faded material of her everyday skirt—made over from one of Betty’s old dresses after she’d died. “What will your mother think of you bringing two homeless girls into her beautiful house?”

“Mam will love you.” His eyes radiated confidence.

“Do you think so?” Suddenly she wanted his words to be true more than anything. She wanted Connell’s mother to like her and to approve of her. Not just as a charity case. But because of Connell. For Connell.

“Don’t worry,” he said.

“But what about the rumors she heard about us? What will she think of me?”

“She’ll think you’re a special woman.” His voice softened. “Just like I do.”

Daisy smiled. “I think I’m beginning to understand what’s going on.”

Lily was relieved to see Daisy’s smile, the first she’d given her since the rescue. Even if it was more of a smirk, it was still something.

“You and Connell are . . . you know . . .” Daisy wagged a finger back and forth between them, and her eyes took on a knowing glint.

Lily shook her head, fighting back a flush of embarrassment. “We’re just friends.”

“You’re falling for Connell.”

“Now, Daisy, that’s enough.” She tried to make her voice stern.

Daisy’s smile crept higher.

Connell looked from one to the other, his expression full of curiosity.

“It’s true,” Daisy persisted. “I can see it in your eyes.”

“Let’s just go in.” Before Daisy could say anything more to embarrass her, Lily stepped to the door, hoping Connell wouldn’t see the same thing Daisy had noticed.