Page 19 of Agent of the Heart (Hearts in Hawthorne #3)

Chapter

Twelve

A fter Jace had left Mark, he spoke with Elena, telling her how he wanted a fun day outdoors with Darby and thought to take her to the Dallas Arboretum.

He had attended a client’s wedding held there last spring, and the grounds were breathtaking.

Elena had told him she would handle everything there.

Parking. Tickets. Seeing that a picnic lunch was provided.

She also recommended after leaving the arboretum that they visit White Rock Lake, telling him they could walk around it or choose to rent bikes.

She even gave him the option of renting kayaks, and he had instructed her to set up reservations for both kayaks and bikes, not knowing which Darby might prefer.

Elena had given him a look. Actually, she had several of them. The Angry Look. The Get Out of My Face Look. The Don’t You Know I’ve Already Done That Look. Each of her distinctive looks told Jace to back off.

This new one, however, was different. Subtle.

Intrigued. Analytical. He didn’t have time to ask her about it.

He just wanted things done. She promised she would handle the arboretum and the lake—and that she would have a special surprise after those activities, which he figured would take most of the day.

Jace supposed she would make dinner reservations for them, hoping she would give them enough time to get cleaned up after a day spent outdoors.

He pulled the Porsche into the arboretum and pulled up to where a security guard waited.

Quickly searching his phone, he found an email from Elena, with parking and tickets attached.

He showed the guard and was waved through, easily finding a parking place.

With the arboretum just now opening and kids in school, he figured the crowd would be small for a weekday.

Probably moms with young children in strollers or retired couples strolling the grounds.

“Let me read the rest of Elena’s email,” he told Darby, not wanting to miss anything his assistant had sent.

Sixty seconds later, a pleased smile crossed his face.

“Good news?” asked Darby.

“Elena has everything handled. She truly is the best.”

“Then I hope she gets that raise which was mentioned,” Darby added.

He liked the fact that she spoke up in support of another woman. All too frequently, he had seen women in competition with one another, tearing down instead of building one another up.

Going around to her side of the car, he opened her door and pulled her from her seat.

“Let’s go enjoy the day,” he told her.

Once their tickets were scanned, he turned his phone’s ringer off, leaving it on vibration in case Elena sent him more info. For now, he wanted to devote his sole attention to Darby.

As they entered the grounds, she said, “Oh, this is lovely. I know besides Christmas, they also dress up the park for fall and Halloween. It’s considered one of the top botanical gardens in the world.

I’ve been to the one in Phoenix, where desert plants were prevalent across the landscape.

This will be a much different experience. ”

He took the map they were handed and said, “Let’s get familiar with the property.”

Leading her to a bench, they reviewed the map. He was specifically looking for the DeGolyer House and easily found it and the gardens surrounding the house, which was over twenty thousand square feet.

“We should go to the DeGolyer House first,” he told Darby.

She rose from the bench. “Lead the way.”

They reached the gardens in front of the house, which featured a gorgeous fountain and an abundance of flowers. Darby knew gardening and told him the difference between the seasonal and perennial blooms which surrounded them.

“I’ve never had a house of my own,” she explained.

“I’ve lived in the same apartment in KC since taking the job with Cheer USA.

I used to love helping my mom, though. We’d weed the flowerbeds.

Plant some seasonal flowers. Lantana in the spring.

Black-eyed Susan and Star Hibiscus for the summer.

Fall asters and goldenrod for autumn. Pansies and snapdragons for winter. ”

She bent and sniffed a bunch of flowers. “For perennials, Mom planted gorgeous purple Mexican bush sage and purple fountain grass. And salvia.” Darby rose, a smile on her face. “You’ve brought me to the perfect place, Jace.”

Happiness washed over him. Suddenly, he realized he was more interested in making Darby happy than himself. He’d been a loner for so long. Selfish. Taking care of only himself. It was as if a light had been switched on inside him, and he could now see what was important.

This woman made him happy. And he wanted to keep her awash in happiness.

“Let’s go inside the house.”

“Oh, I don’t think you can. That one time we came, the house was off-limits. Dad said they gave tours once a month, but we weren’t here at the right time.”

“We can get in. I promise.”

She studied him a moment. “You’re pretty darn cocky, Tanner.”

“I like to call it confident.” He threaded his fingers through hers. “Come on.”

Leading her to the front of the house, he opened the door, hoping that what was in Elena’s email was correct.

“Mr. Tanner?” a woman in her mid-forties asked. She had dark hair and very blue eyes.

“Yes. Are you Rebecca?”

She smiled. “Rebecca Wimsey. I’m here to show you the DeGolyer House. Or as some say, the DeGolyer Mansion. If you’ll follow me.”

Darby flashed Jace a perplexed look as they moved from the foyer.

“The DeGolyer House sits on part of the sixty-six acres which make up the Dallas Arboretum,” their guide explained.

“The home is listed on both the National and Texas Registers of Historic Places. It is built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and was designed by two architects from Los Angeles, Burton Schutt and Derman Scott.”

They entered the first room, and Rebecca continued.

“Originally, the house was called Rancho Encinal by its owner, Everrette DeGolyer, who commissioned it in 1939. Its formal gardens were designed by Arthur Berger, a prominent landscape architect. Mr. DeGolyer made his money in the oil industry, first as a petroleum geophysicist and then an oil company executive. He was quite well known for his philanthropy, and the library he built at this house, full of early editions and rare books, became one of the most famous private libraries in the nation.”

He and Darby gazed about the room, and she said, “It’s incredible.”

Rebecca smiled. “Mr. DeGolyer was born in a sod house in Kansas, so you can see he really came up in the world. The library now is very small compared to what it was in its heyday. He donated parts of his collection to SMU, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Oklahoma. Everything from law books to the history of Mexico to seminal works of science. Mr. DeGolyer also helped found St. Mark’s School of Texas here in Dallas, and he served on the board as President of the Dallas Public Library. ”

They followed Rebecca throughout the large house for an hour as she told them stories of various pieces of furniture and portraits which hung in the house.

By the end of their tour, Jace was fascinated and could see Darby had also enjoyed their time with Rebecca.

“Thank you for your time today, Rebecca,” he said. “I know this was last-minute.”

“Oh, I didn’t mind at all, Mr. Tanner. And your generous donation will go far to help with programs here at the Dallas Arboretum.”

They left the one-story house, and Darby said, “That was incredible. I’m sorry it cost you a hefty donation, but I thoroughly enjoyed hearing all the history of the house and its occupants.

It was like stepping back in time. Everything is so well preserved.

I would love to come again at Christmas since Rebecca said they decorate it as the DeGolyers did. ”

“We’ll have to do that.”

He saw her frown slightly but didn’t press her. Glancing at his Patek Philippe watch, he said, “We have time to visit one garden, and then we need to make a stop.”

“Another surprise?”

“You’ll see.”

They ventured to the Lay Family Garden, filled with beautiful flowers and plants.

It contained two water features. One, the Lay Grotto, had a waterfall and koi pond.

The other had a cascading water element beneath a trellis of greenery.

No one was in the garden, and Darby snapped a few pictures of it.

He pulled out his own cell phone and slipped an arm about her waist, pulling her close.

“Smile, pretty lady,” he said, snapping a selfie.

He appreciated when she didn’t ask to see it. Too many times, he’d been around women who deleted picture after picture, waiting to capture a perfect snapshot. Darby seemed happy to pose and move on.

Another thing to like about her.

“Time to go to Guest Services,” he announced, where he retrieved a picnic hamper and a blanket.

“What’s this?” she asked, clearly curious.

“Lots of people picnic on the grounds. I thought we could do the same. Elena recommended we go to the Jonsson Color Garden.” He consulted the map. “Here it is.” Handing her the map, he said, “You lead the way.”

When they arrived, he saw many flower beds of what he thought were seasonal flowers, with reds, golds, and oranges dominating.

The large lawn of lush, green grass in front of these flowerbeds had a few scattered picnickers on it.

He guided them toward a place to the side, where they had an excellent view of all the garden and a bit of privacy.

Handing Darby the hamper, Jace opened the blanket and spread it out.

They sat, Darby opening the basket and pulling out a variety of food.

Cheeses and crackers. Fruit, including red grapes and slices of apple.

Chicken salad sandwiches. There was also bottled water to wash it down, as well as a bottle of a crisp Chardonnay with a corkscrew and two plastic glasses.

“Remind me that Elena deserves a really big raise,” Jace said.

“I told you so,” Darby replied, placing a slice of cheese on a cracker and feeding it to him.

Damn. He could get used to this.

They took their time eating and then packed up the basket and folded the blanket. He returned it to Guest Services, telling the clerk that she was welcome to keep everything.

After that, they strolled the rest of the grounds.

Darby fell in love with the Woman’s Garden, with its scenic view of White Rock Lake behind the large infinity pool.

They also visited A Tasteful Place, an ornamental garden which also had a nearby kitchen and pavilion and had been inspired by the movement to eat fresh, sustainable, locally-grown food. They even enjoyed a free tasting.

When they reached the secluded McCasland Sunken Garden, they saw a bride was having her portrait made. They started to leave, but the bride called out for them to stay.

“I don’t want to monopolize a public place,” she told them.

“My fiancé and I are actually getting married in this exact spot next month. I’ll walk down that staircase.

We’ll have the wedding over in the courtyard.

My grandparents will sit on that bench.” The bride-to-be smiled.

“This is the place my parents met thirty years ago. They got married at the arboretum, and we wanted to do the same.”

They took a seat on the bench, watching the photographer as he made suggestions for poses.

“She radiates happiness,” Darby observed. “I hope I’ll be that happy when I fall in love someday.”

Jace found his throat tightening with emotion.

Because he was in love with Darby Montgomery.

Yes, it sounded totally insane. He’d known her less than a week, but she was already as necessary to him as the air he breathed.

He couldn’t say anything, though. Besides sounding as if he should be committed, Jace didn’t want to scare Darby away.

She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and that even included finding Eli.

He supposed he wanted what Eli and Autumn had.

No, he knew he wanted what the couple had.

And he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Darby.

Instead, he simply smiled at the woman wearing the bridal gown, thinking how much he wanted to see Darby in something similar.

They wished the bride well and continued walking the grounds before setting out for his car.

As they walked, he asked, “What was your favorite place we saw?”

She grew thoughtful. “Maybe the Red Maple Rill. Those Japanese maples growing along that stream was a beautiful contrast. How about you?”

“I think I liked Crape Myrtle Alley. The way the trees arched in a natural tunnel was pretty cool. And I liked the fountain at the end of Toad Corner.”

They reached his car, and Darby sighed. “This was wonderful, Jace. I think I’ll want to visit the arboretum every year in the future.

Maybe during different seasons, so I can see the different varieties of flowers.

Oh, especially spring. Tulips are my favorite flower.

I’ll bet they have plenty of those come April. ”

He wanted to tell her he would bring her to visit as many times as she wanted, but he was afraid to voice that.

Except for their fiery lovemaking and the fierce attraction between them, everything between them had been casual.

Friendly. He didn’t want to put any pressure on her.

And he certainly didn’t want to declare that he loved her.

It was hard for him to understand these new, fragile feelings he’d never felt before, much less voice them to Darby.

“More to do,” he told her, pushing aside thoughts he wasn’t ready to deal with just yet.

“I don’t think you could top this.”

He gave her a cocky smile. “Challenge accepted, Montgomery.” Opening the car door, he helped her into the vehicle. “Let’s see what you think an hour from now.”