Claire stepped closer to the canvas. “Winslow Homer’s paintings are exhibited at galleries around the world. I can’t believe the McConachies own one of his paintings.”
“Ida bought a lot of art. She used to spend most of her evenings looking through auction catalogs.”
Claire looked at the other paintings. “She liked landscapes.”
“They reminded her of how important it is to look after the land. I’ll see if Hannah’s in the attic.”
“I’ll come with you. Hannah told me about the unsigned painting she found. Has Nick sent it to New York City yet?”
“The security company collected it yesterday.” The lights were on in the attic, so the chances were high that Hannah was working there. Before he climbed the stairs, he turned to Claire. “I’m not sure how to say this without sounding over-the-top, but I have to say it. Could you not say anything to anyone about Pat and Ida’s art collection? Until our new security system is installed, we don’t want anyone else knowing about the paintings.”
“Don’t worry. Hannah told me to be careful. I won’t say anything.”
“Thank you.” He walked upstairs and stood in the doorway. Hannah was wrapping a small painting in tissue paper. “Your sister’s here.”
She jumped, nearly knocking the painting off the edge of the table. “I didn’t hear you come up the stairs. Claire’s here?”
Claire tapped him on the back. “I can’t get by you.”
Brett stepped into the room. Before he could read too much into Hannah’s flushed cheeks, Claire rushed around him and hugged her sister.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home today?” Hannah asked. “I could have picked you up from the airport.”
“I didn’t know myself until last night. The meetings I’d planned finished ahead of time. Christmas Eve is a terrible time to travel, so I thought I’d catch an earlier flight. I’ve already been by the house and collected our mail.” Claire looked at the paintings on the table. “You’ve been busy.”
“I’ve enjoyed every minute, but it’s taking longer than I thought.”
Claire grinned at her sister. “I could help but, first, I’ve got something to tell you.”
Hannah frowned. “You didn’t buy the chandelier, did you?”
“No, but I was tempted. This is a hundred times better than a chandelier.”
Brett cleared his throat. He had a huge pile of wood to chop and only a few hours of daylight left. “I’ll leave the two of you to catch up on what you’ve been doing. If you need me, I’ll be by the barn with Thomas.”
“Wait,” Claire said excitedly. “You can be the first person to congratulate Hannah.” She handed her sister the envelope she’d taken off her dashboard.
“What’s this?”
“Do you remember the application you made to the Judith Carr University?”
“For their artist-in-residence program? That was ages ago.”
“They’ve sent you a letter.”
Hannah looked at the envelope and frowned. “It’s probably thanking me for my application. They’ve already announced the artists who were accepted into the program.”
Claire grinned. “Open the envelope.”
Brett had never heard of the Judith Carr University but, from the hopeful look on Hannah’s face, it seemed important to her. She carefully opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper.
“It’s an invitation,” she murmured.
“Keep reading,” Claire urged.
Hannah’s mouth dropped open. “I can’t believe it. They’ve offered me one of their positions. This is…I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. It’s what you’ve wanted for a long time.”
