The Lakeside Inn by Leeanna Morgan (ebooks children's books free .txt) 📗

a president. It’s a pity we can’t live by the same principles today.”

Diana leaned her elbows on the table. “Do you think Abraham Lincoln realized just how inspirational those words would become?”

Penny forwarded the email from Chloe to each of her sisters. “I hope so. And maybe that answers Barbara’s question, too. I think we should give the letter to the Smithsonian. That way, more people can enjoy the letter and what it represents.”

Diana nodded. “I agree, but I’d like a copy for my wall, too. And I know Mom and Dad would appreciate a copy.”

“What about Wyatt?” Katie asked. “Do we want to ask him what he’d like to do with the letter?”

Diana nodded. “That’s fair. If he hadn’t realized there was a hidden compartment in the dresser, we wouldn’t have found the letter.”

“If Wyatt hadn’t found the photo of our grandma and great-grandmother in Polson, I doubt we would have come this far.” Penny looked at her sisters. “He started this chain of events.”

Katie smiled. “It’s a pity he’s living in Berlin. He’s just earned himself a lifetime’s worth of home baking.”

Penny laughed. “He’d like that.”

“He likes you more,” Barbara told her in a stern voice. “And you like him. What are you going to do about it?”

Penny’s smile disappeared. “I don’t know.”

Diana patted her hand. “Yes, you do. You’re going to call him and tell him about the letter. Then you’ll keep talking to each other to see what you can do about your relationship.”

Penny looked at her sisters and sighed. If only it were that simple.

A week later, Penny looked at the curtains Richard was hanging. “I really appreciate you coming here this morning to help us.”

“It’s the least I can do,” Richard said as he connected the last few curtain hooks into the track. “You can’t have people looking at the honeymoon suite without curtains on the windows. Besides, I was going to call you, anyway. I forgot to get Wyatt’s phone number.”

“I’ll give it to you before you leave.”

“Thanks. Was his exhibition a success?”

“It was. All of his landscapes sold, including the ones he painted in Sapphire Bay. He starts the artist in residency program in a few days.”

Richard moved the curtains back and forth. “How does that look?”

Penny took a few steps away from the ladder. “They’re perfect.” The floral curtains were stunning. They couldn’t have chosen a prettier fabric for the honeymoon suite. It reminded her of her grandma’s rose garden and the blooms they replaced every few days in the house.

Carefully, Richard backed down the ladder. His new prosthetic leg looked incredible. Even the way he walked and moved was so much smoother than when she’d first met him.

The sound of someone hurrying up the wooden stairs made her turn around.

“Barbara wants to know if the curtains are hung yet?” Katie said breathlessly. “Just about everyone we invited to our official opening has arrived.”

Penny checked her watch. “I thought most people would be a little late. It’s just as well Richard’s here. Thanks to him, the curtains are all finished.”

Katie looked over Penny’s shoulder as Richard pulled open the heavy drapes. “They look fantastic. I love the rose fabric with the chandelier you chose. It looks elegant and inviting.”

Penny looked at the clipboard in her sister’s arms. “We only have fifteen minutes until Barbara is supposed to thank everyone for coming. Is there anything else we need to do?”

Katie ran her finger down the spreadsheet Barbara had given her. “I think everything’s done. The food and drinks are on the tables, the information desk is ready, Diana has blown up enough balloons for ten children’s birthday parties, and now the attic is beautiful. Everyone will be impressed with the transformation.”

Penny hoped so. It had taken a marathon effort to complete the house before their opening day. To add more stress to the occasion, they’d had inquiries from people all over America wanting to come and see the town where a letter from Abraham Lincoln was found. They didn’t seem to care that the Smithsonian hadn’t said it was real, they simply wanted to be part of the excitement.

That excitement grew even more when people realized the dresser and her great-grandmother’s chest were still in their grandma’s house.

To keep her family sane, Penny spoke to Pastor John. They’d decided to offer tours of the house and the old steamboat museum for the three days before their first guests arrived. Within a few hours of opening registrations, all spaces were booked. After that, the only way people could see the dresser where the letter was found was to look on The Lakeside Inn’s website or stay with them.

Richard folded the ladder in half, and Penny moved out of the way as he carried it toward the stairs. Katie followed him, making sure he was staying for the opening celebrations.

Before she joined their guests, she took one last look around the attic. Her grandma would be so proud of what they’d done, of the changes that meant her granddaughters could stay in the house together. With a lot of hard work and a small budget, they’d transformed the house into a gorgeous Bed and Breakfast. Now all they had to do was get through today. After that, a new chapter in each of her sisters’ lives would begin.

“Are you coming downstairs?”

Penny froze. Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure it would jump out of her chest. It couldn’t be Wyatt. He was on the other side of the world getting ready for the residency program.

Slowly, she turned around.

His shy smile was her undoing. All the anticipation of the day, the grief of knowing she was here without her beautiful Grandma, the pain of losing him, rushed to the surface.

“Hey,” he said softly. “Why are you crying?”

She met him halfway across the attic, falling into his arms and holding him tight. “I’ve missed you, I miss Grandma, and everything is just too much.”

“It will be okay.”

Penny burrowed her head into his