Bending the Iron by Libby Drew

Author:Libby Drew [Drew, Libby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 2013-08-19T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

They walked a short distance to a park office where Michael learned that not only would they be staying overnight in the Duncan House, but they’d have the home to themselves. “One guest at a time,” Eric said. “That’s the way it works.” He handed Michael a thick book on Polymath and the other Wright houses in the area.

The whole house to themselves? Michael didn’t want to think about what that had cost. But Eric signed the register and produced a credit card without blinking an eye, so Michael tried not to worry. It wasn’t until they walked back to the parking lot and Eric gestured to a silver sedan that Michael put his foot down.

“A rental car too?”

“Well, yeah.” Eric cocked his head. “It’s actually a couple of miles to the house. Not too far to walk, I guess, but we need the car anyway for tomorrow. Fallingwater is a good fifteen miles away, the next town over.”

Michael planted his feet. “And how much did that set you back?”

“Oh.” Eric had the nerve to look relieved. “I thought you had something against Toyota. Nah, man, don’t worry about that. Enterprise rocks—they pick up and drop off for free. It’s not as bad as you’re thinking, and besides—” he hooked Michael’s arm and steered him toward the car, “—I asked you on this adventure. So it’s on my dime, okay? Don’t sweat it. Please.”

It was a sincere enough plea. Grudgingly, Michael nodded, but the childish righteousness stayed with him until they swung around the final turn, gravel crunching under their tires, and the house came into view.

“Huh,” Eric said, breaking to a stop. “There it is.”

Huh was probably what a lot of people thought at first sight. Michael smiled, not upset by Eric’s lack of enthusiasm. They had time. Being a good student came naturally to Eric. Michael would teach him. He’d show him the difference between Craftsman and Colonial, how stone and metal and wood could blend seamlessly, and how straight lines accomplished one thing and curves another. And how the genius of one man could inspire generations.

He stepped out of the car to stare, taking in how the clean horizontal lines of the house complemented the towering trees surrounding the structure. Rust red and gray stone dominated the palette. But this was just the front, the beginning. How would the inside compare?

Michael took off toward the door, pausing every few steps. He changed his mind at the last minute, veering off from the front entrance to follow the path along the rear of the house. Along the back, he found an artful arrangement of boulders and the same stunning lines of wood and stone.

Peripherally, he knew as he explored that Eric was following, hanging back a step or two, but always close. His presence added rather than detracted, reminding Michael of why this experience was so much more than it would have been had he come alone.

The interior was everything he had hoped for, and was such an obvious reflection of its creator that Michael had to laugh.

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