point.”
“So you came up with the idea of starting the bed-and-breakfast to help her.” How disapproving did she sound? Apparently some, because Rachel’s gaze slid away from hers.
“It seems like a good use for the house. Nobody needs a huge place like that just to live in.”
“Exactly.” She sat down in the vinyl padded chair that was all the room offered for a visitor, turning it to face Rachel. “So wouldn’t Grams be better off to sell? The place is way too big for her, and I don’t think she should have the worry of starting a business at this time of life.”
“You don’t understand.” Rachel straightened, eyes flashing. “Grams loves that place. Unger House has been her home for fifty years. How can you act as if it would be easy for her to give it up?”
That was as much anger as she’d seen from Rachel since Caroline stole her boyfriend in tenth grade. She leaned forward, resting her hand on her sister’s.
“I know it wouldn’t be easy, but doesn’t that point come to everyone? When people get older, they usually have to move into a place that’s more manageable. I’m sure Grams understands that.”
Rachel’s expression was unusually stubborn. “She’s not ready for that. Besides, she always assumed there’d be family to take over Unger House one day. Us.”
That was like a blow to the stomach. “She—why would she think that? It’s been years since we left.”
“Not that long, as Grams sees it.” Rachel tilted her head, surveying Andrea with an expression that suggested she just didn’t get it. “You’re the one who had the most time here. I’d think you’d have lots of good memories.”
“Good memories?” Something hardened in her. “What I remember is being dragged out of the house with half our belongings, Caro screaming, Grams crying, and Grandfather standing there like a statue. As if he didn’t care.”
“Oh, honey.” Rachel patted her hand as if she was the one who needed comfort. “I know how bad that was, but can’t you think about all the good times, instead? We were happy here once.”
She jerked her feelings back under control, shoving the images from that day behind a closed door. In her ordinary life, she never let them out. Here, she’d been tripping over them every other minute, it seemed.
“You’ve always been the peacemaker, Rachel, trying to make everyone else feel good.” Lucky Rachel had the gift of being able to separate out the bad stuff and remember only the happy times. She didn’t, it seemed.
“There were lots of good things,” Rachel insisted. “Remember the time the power went off in the big snowstorm, and Eli and Levi Zook brought the horse and sleigh and took us for a ride over the fields to their place? Having the power go off wasn’t a problem for them, since they don’t depend on it anyway.”
“I remember.” She couldn’t help a smile. “Caroline tried to teach Eli and Emma’s kids how to do the hokey-pokey. I don’t think they appreciated it.”
“The point is that if Grams wants to stay at Unger House, I’m ready to help her do it. The bed-and-breakfast seemed like the logical answer.” She rubbed the wrinkle that formed between her brows. “My getting hurt wasn’t part of the plan, but I still think if they’d let me go home, we could work it out. Emma’s a good cook, and if I’m there to supervise—”
“Absolutely not.” That was one thing she was sure of in this situation. “I’ve talked to the doctors. You needrest, healing and therapy, in that order. No coming home until they give the okay.”
Rachel looked at her steadily. “If I do that, how is Grams going to get the inn ready to open? She can’t do it herself. Just making all the decisions, let alone the work—”
“She won’t be doing it by herself.” She’d reached the point she’d probably known all along she would. This wasn’t her dream, but she couldn’t let her family down. “I’ll stay and do my best to get the
“So you came up with the idea of starting the bed-and-breakfast to help her.” How disapproving did she sound? Apparently some, because Rachel’s gaze slid away from hers.
“It seems like a good use for the house. Nobody needs a huge place like that just to live in.”
“Exactly.” She sat down in the vinyl padded chair that was all the room offered for a visitor, turning it to face Rachel. “So wouldn’t Grams be better off to sell? The place is way too big for her, and I don’t think she should have the worry of starting a business at this time of life.”
“You don’t understand.” Rachel straightened, eyes flashing. “Grams loves that place. Unger House has been her home for fifty years. How can you act as if it would be easy for her to give it up?”
That was as much anger as she’d seen from Rachel since Caroline stole her boyfriend in tenth grade. She leaned forward, resting her hand on her sister’s.
“I know it wouldn’t be easy, but doesn’t that point come to everyone? When people get older, they usually have to move into a place that’s more manageable. I’m sure Grams understands that.”
Rachel’s expression was unusually stubborn. “She’s not ready for that. Besides, she always assumed there’d be family to take over Unger House one day. Us.”
That was like a blow to the stomach. “She—why would she think that? It’s been years since we left.”
“Not that long, as Grams sees it.” Rachel tilted her head, surveying Andrea with an expression that suggested she just didn’t get it. “You’re the one who had the most time here. I’d think you’d have lots of good memories.”
“Good memories?” Something hardened in her. “What I remember is being dragged out of the house with half our belongings, Caro screaming, Grams crying, and Grandfather standing there like a statue. As if he didn’t care.”
“Oh, honey.” Rachel patted her hand as if she was the one who needed comfort. “I know how bad that was, but can’t you think about all the good times, instead? We were happy here once.”
She jerked her feelings back under control, shoving the images from that day behind a closed door. In her ordinary life, she never let them out. Here, she’d been tripping over them every other minute, it seemed.
“You’ve always been the peacemaker, Rachel, trying to make everyone else feel good.” Lucky Rachel had the gift of being able to separate out the bad stuff and remember only the happy times. She didn’t, it seemed.
“There were lots of good things,” Rachel insisted. “Remember the time the power went off in the big snowstorm, and Eli and Levi Zook brought the horse and sleigh and took us for a ride over the fields to their place? Having the power go off wasn’t a problem for them, since they don’t depend on it anyway.”
“I remember.” She couldn’t help a smile. “Caroline tried to teach Eli and Emma’s kids how to do the hokey-pokey. I don’t think they appreciated it.”
“The point is that if Grams wants to stay at Unger House, I’m ready to help her do it. The bed-and-breakfast seemed like the logical answer.” She rubbed the wrinkle that formed between her brows. “My getting hurt wasn’t part of the plan, but I still think if they’d let me go home, we could work it out. Emma’s a good cook, and if I’m there to supervise—”
“Absolutely not.” That was one thing she was sure of in this situation. “I’ve talked to the doctors. You needrest, healing and therapy, in that order. No coming home until they give the okay.”
Rachel looked at her steadily. “If I do that, how is Grams going to get the inn ready to open? She can’t do it herself. Just making all the decisions, let alone the work—”
“She won’t be doing it by herself.” She’d reached the point she’d probably known all along she would. This wasn’t her dream, but she couldn’t let her family down. “I’ll stay and do my best to get the
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