The Lakeside Inn by Leeanna Morgan (7 ebook reader .TXT) 📕

fixtures and fittings. But we might have to be careful about the furniture we need to buy. It might be better to look at pieces we could use from other parts of the house.”

Diana shrugged. “That’s okay. Grandma and Granddad had great taste in furniture and at least it will be in keeping with the age of the house.”

Penny admired Diana’s spirit. Nothing seemed to faze her. If there was an issue, she just got on and did what was necessary to make it go away. You couldn’t ask for a better person to work with.

“Have you heard from Wyatt?” Diana asked.

“He’s finishing his paintings, so I haven’t seen him for the last two days. But I have called him. He’s doing okay.”

“I’m glad. He has a big heart and I imagine it gets bruised easily.”

The front doorbell rang and Penny jumped to her feet. “That will be the electricians. I’ll be back soon.”

“There’s no hurry. I’ll be here for at least another hour. Just warn me if they need to turn off the power. I don’t want to lose what I’ve been doing.”

“Okay.” Penny hurried to the front door with the approved house plans clutched in her hands and a smile on her face.

Half an hour later, she wasn’t quite so cheerful. “Are you serious?”

The electrician looked her straight in the eye. “Totally serious. Rats have chewed through your cables. The good news is that, when we were working in the kitchen, it looked okay. But the attic and the bedrooms directly below need to be rewired.”

That wasn’t the news she was hoping to hear. “How much will it cost and how long will it take?”

“Let’s see.” The electrician took his cell phone out of his pocket and leaned over the house plans. Using far too many numbers, he added the square footage of each room together, then did some other calculation that Penny couldn’t figure out.

She bit her bottom lip. They’d already dipped into their contingency fund. If she couldn’t claw back some money from another area, they’d be in danger of having an unfinished house.

“I could do the attic and the three bedrooms for fifteen hundred dollars. My team will try to be as careful as possible. If we can drop the cables through from the ceiling it will reduce the amount of drywalling and re-plastering you’ll need to do.”

“If you can do that, I’d appreciate it. When can you start?”

“We’ll remove the cables today, then come back tomorrow to finish the job.”

There went her time line for the plumbers.

“I’m sorry the news isn’t better.”

“It’s not your fault. I’ll order some rat and mice traps. The last thing I want is more chewed cables.”

“Good idea. If you need us to place them in the ceiling, let me know.” The electrician picked up his tool belt and walked back to his van.

While he was getting ready to start work, Penny called the plumber. At least they were only a couple of days behind in their schedule. It could have been a lot worse.

Wyatt opened another can of paint and gave it a good stir. So far this morning, twelve volunteers had arrived to paint the three garages. Outlining the design last week was making an enormous difference. Everyone knew what they were doing and, regardless of how much painting experience they had, they were enjoying themselves.

Penny walked toward him holding a clipboard. “Do you have a can of Sienna Gold paint?”

He looked at the cans on the ground and picked up the one she wanted. “I just need to give it a stir. How’s your team doing?”

“They’re making great progress. The outline makes it so easy. It’s almost like painting by numbers.”

“We used the same process for the last community project I worked on. It’s a lot easier when different people are painting on different days.”

“Hopefully, the same people come back tomorrow.” Penny tilted her head to the side, watching him intently. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better. Your phone calls have helped.”

Penny smiled. “I thought it was the muffins I left on your veranda that made a difference.”

“They definitely helped, too.” He gave the paint one more stir. “Have you heard anything from the Smithsonian?”

“Not yet. It could take a few weeks to find out if the letter is real.”

After they’d found the letter in the dresser, everything moved quickly. Penny had called Nick Costas, the gallery owner in Bozeman who was helping them discover more information about the blue enamel box. After sending him a scanned image of the letter, Nick had contacted a woman who worked at the Smithsonian Institute. The following day, she flew to Montana and took the letter back to Washington, D. C. for analysis.

Wyatt wasn’t the only person who was looking forward to seeing if Abraham Lincoln had written the letter. Yesterday morning, he’d met Diana, Barbara, and Charlie on the trail around the lake. The two sisters were still excited.

He placed the lid on the can of paint and handed it to Penny. “I’m surprised by your mom’s restraint. She hasn’t posted anything on the community Facebook page about the letter.”

“The lady from the Smithsonian said not to say nothing until we know the outcome of their tests. For once, Mom listened.” Penny kissed him on the cheek. “Katie wants to have a few evening meal options for our Bed and Breakfast guests in case they want to eat in. We’re trying one of the recipe’s tonight. Do you want to come for dinner?”

“I’d love to. What time?”

“Six-thirty. If you need to go home straight afterward to do some painting, we’ll understand.”

“I should be okay to stay longer. The paintings are almost finished.” Before Penny returned to her team, he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Have I told you how adorable you look in your coveralls and red polka dot headscarf?”

Penny’s cheeks turned pink. “It’s my new work uniform. After what’s happening at home, everyone’s wearing clothes that keep the dust off them.”

Wyatt frowned. “I thought most of