way into his grandmother’s life, all to expand her bed-and-breakfast.
“After Carly lost her husband, she and Livie grew even closer. Your grandmother understood what Carly was going through.”
Something Carly probably used to her advantage.
“No one can understand the pain of a young widow better than someone who was also a young widow.” Dad lifted his cup and took another sip of coffee. “That aside, your grandmother had her concerns that you might sell the place.” His gaze settled on Andrew. “Making Carly half owner might have been her way of ensuring that the house remained with someone she loved.”
“But I’ve always wanted that house. That’s why Grandma left it to me in the first place.” That and the fact that none of his brothers were interested. “I would never consider selling.”
“You were in Denver, hardly ever came home.”
Guilt wedged deeper. Even if he’d found the time to come back, he wasn’t sure he could face the judgmental looks he was bound to receive from his brothers. As though he’d betrayed them for not getting here before Mama died.
“What are you planning to do with the house, anyway, son?”
His appetite waning, Andrew wrapped his suddenly cold fingers around the hot cup his father had given him. “Open up the bottom floor, add an extra bath, update the kitchen... I was hoping to have it ready by the high season to use as a rental.”
“Sounds like quite an undertaking.”
Andrew shrugged, still suspicious of the relationship between his grandmother and Carly. “You know, Carly mentioned something about wanting to expand Granger House Inn. You don’t suppose she shared those plans with Grandma in hopes of getting her hands on that house, do you? I mean, it is right next door.”
His father’s brow furrowed. “It’s possible she made mention of it. But Carly’s not the scheming type. You know that.”
Did he?
“Apparently she’s pretty determined,” Andrew said, “because she offered to buy my half of Grandma’s house.”
Lips pursed, Dad nodded in a matter-of-fact manner. “You gonna take her up on it?”
“No.” Andrew shoved his sandwich aside. “What was Grandma thinking?”
Dad chuckled, lifting his cup. “Doesn’t really matter, son. You and Carly are just going to have to find a way to work it out.”
“Yes, we do have an opening for Easter weekend.” Sitting at her kitchen table that afternoon, Carly settled the phone between her ear and shoulder, grateful for the distraction. Her mind had been reeling ever since her encounter with Andrew.
She brought up the reservations page on her laptop. “The Hayden Room is available. It has a queen-size bed, a private bathroom and a spectacular view of Hayden Mountain.”
“Oh, yes. I think I saw that one on your website.” Excitement laced the female caller’s tone. “It’s beautiful.”
Carly couldn’t help smiling. Actually, all of their guest rooms were on the website. Something that had garnered Granger House many a booking. The problem she most often encountered, though, was when a group of people or a family required more space or multiple rooms she didn’t have available. That was exactly where Livie’s house would benefit her. Not only could she book the three rooms there individually but also market the entire house to those larger parties. Whatever the case, the addition of Livie’s house would virtually double her income.
“I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.” She took hold of the phone. “Would you like to reserve it?”
“Yes, please. For Friday and Saturday night.”
Ah, yes. There was nothing Carly loved more than a fully booked weekend. Especially this time of year when things tended to be a little sparse. Looked like she’d better get her breakfast menus planned. Though it was still a few weeks away, Easter weekend was extra special. There’d be ham to prepare, biscuits, scones...
She took the caller’s information, hanging up as the kitchen timer went off.
Standing, she grabbed a pot holder and moved to the commercial-style range to retrieve a large baking sheet from the oven. Within seconds, her kitchen was filled with the aromas of cinnamon and vanilla.
She crossed the wide expanse of original hardwood and deposited the pan on the island. Until learning she’d inherited half of Livie’s house, Carly had been saving to remodel the kitchen at Granger House. While the room was large, it had one of the worst layouts ever, with the stove by itself at one end of the room and the refrigerator clear over on the other. Not to mention the lack of counter space. But since she’d be using that money to buy out Andrew’s half of Livie’s house, she’d just have to live with it a while longer.
Too bad Andrew had to be so difficult. Okay, so the house had been in his family for generations. She’d give him that. But unless he was planning to move back to Ouray, what possible use could he have for it? The place would just sit there empty.
Nope, no matter how she looked at it, there was no way this co-owning thing was going to work, and she couldn’t help wondering why Livie had set things up that way. Unless...
She picked up her spatula to remove the cookies, then stopped. Oh, say it wasn’t so. Livie had never tried to play matchmaker for Andrew and her while she was alive. Why would she do it in death?
No, no. Carly refused to believe it.
Still shaking her head, she shoveled the cookies from the baking sheet to the cooling rack. Regardless of Livie’s intentions, no matter what they might have been, Carly would simply have to figure out how to convince Andrew to sell her his half. She would not let him rob her of another dream. Not when this one was so close.
Back when she first took over Granger House from her parents seven years ago, she had grand ideas and had expressed an interest in expanding when the house on the opposite side of them came on the market. Her late husband, Dennis, had never been fond of the idea, though, so she’d tucked those dreams away. After his death two years later, she was too busy caring for Megan and simply trying to keep up to even think about anything other than what was absolutely necessary. But as Megan got older, Carly would occasionally revisit her daydreams. Still, with the other house no longer available, that’s all they were.
Until Livie’s death. Suddenly it was as though God had granted the desires of her heart in a way she never would have imagined. After all, just like Granger House, Livie’s house was only a block off Main Street, affording guests easy access to just about everything in town. And the fact that a narrow drive was all that separated the two houses made it the perfect candidate for her expansion.
At least until Andrew showed up, thinking he was going to claim his inheritance.
She let go a sigh. How was she, a simple small-town girl who’d spent her entire life in Ouray, going to convince some bigwig businessman like Andrew? It wasn’t as if their romantic history would score her any brownie points.
Her
