A Home for Her Heart by Janet Lee Barton

now, I’m going to stay here. I’ll have a raise in pay and that will allow me to save more money for when I decide where exactly I want to go.”
    “And give us some time to get used to the idea of you leaving,” Mrs. Heaton said. “I’d hate to see you go, but I can understand wanting to head out West. I have a cousin who did just that years ago.”
    “Where did she go, Mrs. Heaton?” Elizabeth was surprised at the small twinge of envy she felt. Here she thought she was independent, but to move away from all that was familiar—
    “She was part of the Oklahoma Land Run and settled out there.”
    “Oh, my. That is exciting. To be in on settling a new area. I don’t think I’m quite that brave,” Elizabeth said. “If I were, I might tag right along with Julia when she goes.”
    * * *
    John didn’t like the sound of Elizabeth’s words. Surely she wouldn’t up and take off for the Wild West!
    “You wouldn’t really, would you?” he whispered as everyone began to give Julia suggestions on where she might want to go.
    She shook her head. “I’m not that brave. Besides, Heaton House is home to me. I can’t imagine taking off and leaving everyone.”
    The odd tightness in John’s chest lightened a bit. “I’m glad. I’m sure there is a lot happening out West, but it can’t compare to what goes on in this city.”
    “I don’t think so, either.”
    “I haven’t heard from my cousin in a while,” Mrs. Heaton was saying. “Perhaps I should write her and see how she likes it there and find out what it is like for you, Julia. It might be a place you’d like to go and you’d have at least one contact.”
    “That would be nice of you, Mrs. Heaton. I’d love to find out more. But I’m happy to be staying here for a while longer and thrilled that this promotion will make it possible for me to go out West one of these days. It gives me time to plan. So, please do write your cousin. I’m excited to see what she says about it all.”
    Talk around the table turned to places everyone had been. Luke had actually been all the way to Arizona and New Mexico and was planning on taking Kathleen out there to see it at some point.
    By the time the meal ended, John had almost begun to think he’d like to go just to see what it was like one day. Almost. But with his career about to take of, he wasn’t going anywhere.
    He slid out Elizabeth’s chair from the table and she stood. “Thank you, John. Do you want to see the photos Millicent developed?”
    “I do.”
    “I’ll run up and get them,” Millicent said. “I’ll be right back.”
    “Meet us in the back parlor, okay?”
    The other girl gave a little nod as she hurried out of the room.
    “Do you want to see more photos of what we looked at on Monday, Kathleen?”
    “Of course.”
    She and Luke followed Elizabeth and him to the small back parlor but before any of them could take a seat, Millicent was back with a packet she handed to Elizabeth. “I’m going back to the big parlor—Julia is playing the piano and I don’t want to miss that. See you all later.”
    She scurried out of the room fast as she could.
    “I think we must have scared her away last time.” Elizabeth looked sad as she took a seat at the table.
    “It was my fault,” John said. “I am sorry for that night.”
    Elizabeth took the seat he held out for her and rewarded him with a smile. “I am, too. I wasn’t on my best behavior.”
    Luke chuckled as he pulled out a chair for Kathleen and took his seat. “You two almost scared me that evening. Play nice this time.”
    “We will,” John said. “They are your photographs, Elizabeth. You take the first look.”
    She opened the packet and pulled out the photos. She’d taken more than John realized. She began to look at them and then handed him several and he, in turn, handed them to Kathleen, who handed them to Luke.
    “These are quite good, Elizabeth. This is the second building we looked at on Monday, right?” The photo he