Isabella Harper parked in front of the Willow Ridge Inn. Guilt poured over her that it had taken her grandmother’s death to bring her back to the house that had been filled with so much love when Bella was a child.
Now, the house belonged to her, along with her grandmother’s wish that Bella keep the bed-and-breakfast up and running. Now, here she was, having given her resignation as sous-chef in the restaurant she’d once wanted to be head chef in. Scary how one letter could turn her life plans upside down.
She opened her car door and stepped onto the pea gravel that made up the inn’s circular drive. Built on five acres and surrounded by magnolia, oak, and willow trees, the inn was close enough to the town of Misty Hollow to be convenient and still evoke the feeling of isolation.
She loved the old Victorian with gingerbread trim and turrets. Already her mind registered the fact the house was sadly in need of some exterior repairs—painting mostly, landscaping, and a new coat of stain on the front porch floor.
Pulling the key from the pocket of her denim capris, she headed for the front door. “Come on, Ghost.” Her husky mix jumped over the back seat and out the driver side door. “Stay close, buddy. Don’t wander off. This is new territory for you.”
The nicker of a horse sent her heart into her throat. To her left, where the original brick house that had to be two-hundred years old stood, a black horse with a white blaze stuck its head over the fence. When had her grandmother gotten a horse and why had no one told her? Bella had no idea how to care for a horse.
Had someone been feeding the poor thing in the week since her grandmother passed? Bella put that task at the top of her to-do list.
The key inserted into the lock easily. The double doors squeaked as Bella pushed them open. One more thing to fix. She pulled her phone from her back pocket and started making a list. It might be a while before the inn could reopen at this rate.
She breathed deep of the spring air that followed her into the house, blowing away the musty odor of a house closed up. A sweeping staircase led to the second floor. To her right was the front room, or parlor as Grandmother liked to call it. Off that would be Grandma’s office. To Bella’s right was the large dining room that led to the kitchen.
Bella climbed the stairs, brushing her hand over the carved banister in need of polishing. At the top, she peered into her grandmother’s bedroom, surprised to see that the bedrooms had been updated while still keeping their old country charm. Same with the bathrooms. Her grandmother’s room would now be hers, leaving the other five to one day be rented out.
Thankfully, she’d inherited enough money to live off of and do the needed repairs until the inn once again made a profit. She glanced out the bedroom window. Ghost and the horse touched noses. Bella smiled. Her dog had found a friend.
After a quick walk-through of the house, jotting notes into her phone, Bella headed for the kitchen. “Oh, how nice.” Grandma had updated the appliances. The cupboards needed to be sanded and repainted, but at least the main items were done. All this work just before she died. Had she had a premonition?
Bella perched on a stool at the kitchen island and watched Ghost and the horse frolic in the pasture. The doctor who’d called her a week ago said her grandmother had died of a heart attack. How was that possible when just days before her primary doctor had said Grandma’s heart was still strong at the age of seventy-two?
She shook her head. The world would not be the same without the feisty old woman with a heart as big as Arkansas. Again, guilt over not having returned to the inn in over five years assailed Bella. She’d kept up the weekly phone calls, but had that been enough for her grandmother? During their last conversation, Grandma had seemed distracted. Mentioned someone wanting to buy the inn, but she had no intentions of selling what had been in the family for generations. Had the stress of someone wanting to purchase her home caused her heart attack?
Bella jumped off the stool.
The back door opened and a tall, dark-haired man wearing a black cowboy hat strode in.
Bella jumped back and screamed. Ghost barked and burst into the kitchen behind behind the stranger.
The man whipped around toward Ghost.
- Publisher : Winged Publications
- Publication date : November 13, 2024
- Language : English
- Print length : 201 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1965352316
- ISBN-13 : 978-1965352311