“Thanks for showing it to me,” was all she said to Claire.
“I’d love to see the ranch you bought.”
“I’d love to get your professional opinion about the house,” Sunshine said. “If you don’t mind, we could go pick up the keys right now. Then we can meet up with Autumn and go see it.”
Claire agreed and an hour later all three women, and Arianna, were on their way to the ranch. Away from the restaurant, and too busy chatting with the others to think about Fran, excitement buoyed her mood and she clasped her gloved hands together to keep from fidgeting. This wasn’t just going to be Cole’s ranch, after all. This was going to be her home—her family’s home. She wanted to love it and she was anxious she might have chosen badly.
Autumn, sitting behind her in the back of Claire’s car, leaned forward and squeezed her shoulder. “It’ll be great,” she said.
“I hope so. Maybe I was stupid to buy it before I even walked the property.” Her realtor had told her to make an offer fast, though, if she wanted it. Ranches didn’t last long in this market and someone else had expressed an interest.
Arianna, in her car seat, squealed happily as they pulled up in front of the place. Sunshine wished she could, too. They had to park on the street because the lane hadn’t been plowed. The house was set back from the street, but just like in the photographs online it sat proud and square on the property. Their boots crunched as they walked up the long driveway and an icy breeze made her shiver. It definitely felt like Christmas.
“Oh, I love it,” Autumn said.
“It’s not fancy, like your house. Or anywhere near as grand as yours, Claire,” Sunshine said, but she too immediately felt the charm of it. The main house was two stories, its clapboard siding painted white and the trim around the windows and door a forest green. The door itself was black with a plain wreath on it. Sunshine wondered if a realtor had put it up in deference to the season. On one side, a single-story wing jutted out from the house. Sunshine knew from the photographs she’d seen it contained a family room that had been added on to the structure. The builders had done a good job integrating it into the rest of the house, however. The siding, paint and trim all matched perfectly.
The front porch was generous. Sunshine imagined flowers massed in front of it and shrubs to either side of the steps. She’d put up hanging baskets every spring—and maybe a birdhouse, too.
“Let’s go. I can’t wait to see inside,” Autumn said, breaking into her thoughts.
Sunshine was so nervous when they got to the front door, she fumbled with the keys before she could open it. Finally she unlocked it and stepped over the threshold.
“Oh, it’s lovely,” Claire said, coming in behind her.
Sunshine was so thankful to hear her say so. She loved it, too. The entryway was flanked by a living room to the right and a dining room to the left.
“A perfect Colonial,” Autumn said. “It’s similar to Crescent Hall. Have you met the Halls, Sunshine?”
“Minus a floor and about half the square footage,” Claire said. She bit her lip. “I mean, not that this is small.”
“It’s okay,” Sunshine assured her. “I haven’t met the Halls, but I’m not jealous of their big house. This is perfect for us, because we don’t have a big family. Besides, it has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Plenty of room for us to grow into.”
“That sounds wonderful.” Autumn led the way into the dining room. “I love the wainscoting and the chair rail.”
“I’m not such a fan of the color,” Claire said critically.
“Which is why I brought you,” Sunshine said. “Let’s brainstorm as we go. I want cheerful colors, but not wild ones.” They passed into the kitchen and all three stopped short.
“Well, it’ll need a little updating,” Autumn said tentatively.
“You mean it needs to be gutted. Sunshine, I hope you got a discount on the place,” Claire said in dismay.
Sunshine swallowed in a suddenly dry throat. She had gotten the place for a reasonable price, but reasonable when you were talking about a ranch wasn’t that cheap. The pictures had made it clear she’d need new appliances, and so had her realtor, but Sunshine hadn’t realized the kitchen would be this bad. The countertop was badly scarred, several shelves were missing from the cabinets and the linoleum floor was turning yellow with age.
“Well, so much for having the place done by Christmas,” she said.
“Not completely done but you can spiff it up a lot,” Autumn said.
“Autumn’s right. Some new paint and a whole lot of cleaning will go a long way. You and Cole can pick out appliances together,” Claire said.
“We’ll all help you get as far as you can.” Autumn shifted Arianna to her other hip. The little girl surveyed the place with interest, wriggling as if she’d like to get down. “Claire, you can help pick out colors and arrange for the painting to be done. Sunshine will oversee the project, of course, but we’ll all stop by whenever we can and help clean it up before the contractors come.”
Autumn’s words were music to Sunshine’s ears. “Do you really think that would work?”
“We need to make an overall plan. We’ll clean and paint before Christmas, then do the rest afterward,” Claire said thoughtfully. “I’ll squeeze your project in.”
“But you can’t tell the men,” Sunshine rushed to say. “Cole absolutely can’t know a thing about it until Christmas morning.”
“No one will spill the beans,” Autumn said.
They moved on to tour the rest of the ground floor. Sunshine loved the formal living room, but the family room was so cozy with its huge fireplace she knew they’d end up spending most of their time there. Upstairs they found the bedrooms generous, although the closets were small.
“You’ll need to buy a wardrobe or two,” Claire noted. “I’ll be sure to send you links to some examples.”
“That’s a great idea.” Sunshine was thankful Claire was being so positive.
They returned to the front hall. “Thank you both so much,” Sunshine told them.
“No problem. It’s exciting. I wish I could be there when Cole sees his present,” Autumn said.
“Where are you spending Christmas?” Claire asked.
“I don’t know. We’d booked our hotel room through the holidays, but now that’s not an option.”
“Well, that’s simple,” Autumn told her. “You’ll stay with us. One of our rooms opens up Christmas Eve.”
“Thank you.” Sunshine was overwhelmed by her generosity.
“Don’t mention it—”
All three women turned around when a loud knock sounded on the front door.
“Who could that be?” Sunshine stepped to the front entrance, afraid Cole had somehow tracked her down. When she opened the door, a man she didn’t recognize stood outside.
“Carl? What are you doing here?” Autumn asked.
“Are you Sunshine Patterson?” Carl asked, ignoring Autumn. He was a tall, rugged-looking man and Sunshine estimated he was in his thirties. He had a sharp, no-nonsense air.