“It sounds like something you won’t want to miss.”
“We’re all excited. Chloe hasn’t told us an awful lot about what her team is doing but, knowing her, it will be fantastic.”
Peter handed Katie the folder. “I can see why your guests want to stay here. Apart from sleeping in a beautiful house beside Flathead Lake, they get to experience some of the excitement of finding a forgotten letter.”
“They appreciate us giving the original letter and dresser to the Smithsonian for safekeeping, too. We could have kept them or sold them to a collector, but it didn’t seem right. Especially when our great-grandfather promised his wife he wouldn’t gamble again.”
“Did he ever return to Montana?”
Katie closed the drawer. “He came back to visit his wife and daughter, but we don’t know how long he stayed. We found a bereavement card a friend of my great-grandmother’s sent her. So, we know he died before she did but, until now, we didn’t know where he was buried.”
“Is that important?”
“I didn’t think it would be until we found the bereavement card. We know a lot more about our great-grandfather’s life than we did a few months ago, but there are still so many questions we can’t answer. If someone in Chloe’s team has found where he’s buried, it would give everyone closure, especially Mom.”
Peter wrapped his arms around her waist. “What if you never find where he’s buried?”
“Mom will be a little disappointed, but we can’t do anything about it. If we can’t find his grave, we’ll add something to my great-grandmother’s headstone to commemorate his life.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Katie leaned her head against Peter’s chest. The sound of his heartbeat was strong and sure; it defined everything that had been missing in her life. “Do you have any deep, dark, mysteries in your family?”
“None that I’m aware of, but there are probably things someone doesn’t want to share.”
Leaning back, she smiled. “You could always create a little mystery of your own.”
“The only unanswered question I have is why I didn’t meet you sooner?”
“We haven’t been in the same place at the same time. Before I met you, I spent most of my time in the kitchen, cooking for our guests. When I wasn’t doing that, I was writing.”
“And I’ve mostly been at Zac’s house and in the tiny home village, checking Richard’s prosthetic leg.” Peter kissed her forehead. “I’m glad I saw you in the general store.”
“So am I.” Katie snuggled closer. “Just imagine our lives if we hadn’t met each other.”
A roar of cheering erupted from the other living room.
“It definitely wouldn’t be as exciting.” Gently, Peter lifted her chin upward and kissed her so soundly that her knees almost buckled.
“Why do I always feel as though my head’s spinning after you’ve kissed me?” she whispered. Her heart beat picked up at the grin on his face.
“I feel the same way. Do you think it means something?”
Pulling his head toward hers, Katie whispered, “It means we need to practice more.”
And with a groan, Peter happily obliged.
* * *
Three days later,Peter looked at the piece of paper in his hands, then at the cottage in Anchor Lane. The mailbox number, tilted so far sideways that it was a wonder it hadn’t fallen off, told him he’d definitely stopped outside the right house, but he still hesitated.
After Christmas lunch, Katie had told him about the eight cottages Penny was remodeling. Four would become small businesses and the others would be transformed into family homes. From what he could see of the first cottage, it wasn’t a project for the fainthearted.
A window opened and a familiar face appeared. “Wyatt said you might be stopping by,” Penny said as she jiggled the window wider. “I’ll meet you at the front door.”
He looked at the sagging porch, the blistered paint, and the rotten siding. He was surprised she’d been able to open the door, let alone use it to access the rest of the house.
“Welcome to our first commercial remodeling project in Sapphire Bay.” Penny took off her yellow hardhat and grinned. “What do you think?”
