A Heart Worth Healing

Chapter 13

"Where are you taking me?" Kirsty asked, trying to keep the curiosity out of her voice.

"We'll be there in a minute," Derek said, chuckling softly. He had blindfolded her before the jet had landed and now they were in a limousine. Kirsty had been surprised by his spur-of-the-moment invitation to go with him on a weekend trip. But she was not complaining. After all, it had been so long since they had been anywhere together that she would have joined him on the moon if he had asked her to.

"We are in Braidwood, aren't we?" Kirsty guessed. "The flight was not very long."

"Will you be quiet?" Derek admonished lightly. "I'm not going to give you any more clues. It's a surprise."

"You're always surprising me," Kirsty replied, wishing she could take off the blindfold. "You don't have to surprise me all the time, you know. Sometimes it's better to know what to expect so you can prepare yourself."

"If you don't shut up, I'm going to kiss you," he threatened, his voice still in a teasing tone.

"What kind of a threat is that?" Kirsty joked, noticing that the car was tilting at an incline. "Hey, are we going uphill? I bet I know..."

She did not get to finish her sentence because Derek carried through with his threat. She soon forgot about trying to guess where they were going. Derek did not stop kissing her until the car had rolled to a halt.

"You are a man of your word," Kirsty said softly, after Derek had pulled away from her.

"That I am," he replied, opening the door of the limousine and taking her by the hand.

"Finally," Kirsty teased, giggling nervously.

"Are you ready to see your surprise?" Derek asked, after they were standing outside.

"Sure," Kirsty answered, wondering what he was up to. She could feel the heat of the sun on her face and wondered if they were in the woods or a park.

Derek moved behind her and untied her blindfold.

Kirsty squinted her eyes against the bright sunlight. Then, as she grew accustomed to the light, she gasped in surprise. They were standing in a circular driveway in front of what looked like a small inn. It looked deceptively grand with pillars in front of the entrance and the roof sloped at a high angle. It also had the appearance of a cottage, with small windows strategically placed to show nothing of what was inside.

Turning toward Derek, Kirsty said in admiration, "What a quaint little inn."

"It's not an inn," Derek replied, amused at her mistake. "It's a house. Your house, to be exact."

"My house?" Kirsty exclaimed incredulously. "I don't understand."

"It's my gift to you," Derek explained, squeezing her hand. "For your loyalty. And for helping me with Harrison. I wanted to show you my gratitude."

Kirsty could only look at Derek dumbly, too shocked to take in his words.

Derek smiled, apparently enjoying her speechlessness.

"Come on," he said, pulling her after him, "let's give ourselves a tour."

When they reached the entrance, Derek pushed a series of buttons on a small panel beside the doorbell. There was a short beeping sound and the front door automatically opened.

"You don't have to use keys to get into the house," Derek explained. "You set up a security code and no one can break into the house without the alarms going off."

Kirsty nodded, too bemused to make a comment.

When they entered the house, the first thing Kirsty noticed was the brightness of it. There was a small foyer and sitting room to the side.