As Jenny viewed each room, she learned that Amanda Pearl Featherstone had been born Amanda Pearl Ambrose and that this house had actually been in her family since it had been built in 1850.
The library was filled with shelf after shelf of amazing books. Some appeared quite old. This is an awesome place, absolutely teeming with history.
She didn’t keep track of the rooms. Mr. Mathers had provided her notes on the place. Later she would read those notes and recall the rooms as she did so. Finally, they arrived at the dining nook. It was a glassed-in room off the kitchen, more intimate than the formal dining room, with a wonderful view of the perfectly manicured back lawn and beautiful gardens.
Mrs. Novak waited until they were seated. “I’ll just go get our refreshments.”
“Will Mr. Kramer and Mr. McBride be joining us?” Jenny asked.
“They can, if you’d like.”
Jenny smiled. “Yes, please. This is their home. This is your home. As far as I’m concerned, that makes all of you family. You all knew my grandmother.” Jenny smiled. “I have so many questions about her, and about Mandy.”
Mrs. Novak gave her a wide smile. “They’ll be pleased to join us. I’ll just go and get them, and a couple of photo albums I took out, in case you were interested.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Novak. I’m very interested.”
* * * *
Parker was so damn proud of Jenny. All that she’d been through, just since they’d known her, had shown him and Dale her heart and her soul. Jenny Collins was a beautiful woman, inside and out.
He held her chair for her as she sat down at the large dining table. They’d arrived back from Austin that morning and had been invited to supper at Jackson, Cord, and Ari’s.
They’d all been surprised, and pleased, to see Grandma Kate was in attendance. Since they’d come to Lusty, he and Dale had found all that they’d been hoping to find—everything they’d felt a little naïve in hoping for that day at Jake’s Steaks. They’d found not just work but family, and a place to belong. A place where people were built up and not torn down.
He and Dale would always love their parents and, yes, even their brothers. But Lusty was home to them now, and these Benedicts were their family.
Once the food—brisket, rice, corn, and fresh biscuits—was served, eating shared center stage with conversation.
“Jenny, have you made any decisions about your inheritance?” They were all family, and Parker would have been surprised if Jackson or Cord hadn’t asked that question.
“Some. I have more research to do. My biggest dilemma was what to do with the mansion. But I think I’ve figured it out.”
All eyes were on Jenny. She glanced at him, and he smiled his encouragement. Then he saw her look at Dale. They both liked that she did this—included them in the conversation even when they remained silent.
We’re three parts of a whole.
“You may or may not know that my grandmother was born in that mansion and that it had been in possession of her family, the Ambrose family, since it was built in the mid eighteen hundreds. So, I’ve consulted with the current residents—Eugenia Novak, Archibald Kramer, and Carl McBride. They were Amanda Featherstone’s household staff—her family. That mansion has been their home for a very long time. I didn’t feel right asking them to leave. What would they do? Where would they go? It bothered me—until I saw the house itself, and then I knew what to do.” Jenny looked around the table. Because she was sitting next to him, he could feel her excitement.
“We’re going to turn the house into a museum. We’re going to call it the Ambrose-Featherstone Mansion. Eugenia, Archie, and Carl have agreed to help in this endeavor. My dad is heading up the project.” Jenny grinned. “He just retired recently and had been wondering what he was going to do with his time and had been looking for something to hold his interest. He and mom are going to split their time between Dallas and Austin. He’s going to consult with a team of experts, as there are safety standards and upgrades to be met. Then, when it’s open to the public, our three residents will be in charge of running it. I told them, no matter what, they could consider the place their home for the rest of their lives.”
“Oh, I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Grandma Kate beamed at her. “I bet your father is thrilled. He’s quite the amateur historian, isn’t he?” She winked at Jenny, and his woman just nodded.
I wonder what that’s about. He’d try to remember to ask her later.
“As to the financial inheritance, I have earmarked some to be put away and invested for the future. But the bulk of the estate is going to go to some of the charities that my grandmother favored, as well being put into a foundation that will be devoted to helping women who were in the position my birth mother was in. She’d turned her life around but never really had the chance to get that second chance.”
“I’m very proud of you, Jennifer Collins,” Grandma Kate said. “You’re a good woman.”
Dale looked at him. He saw the expression on his twin’s face. People said that only identical twins shared a connection, a kind of knowing what the other thought or felt. But he and Dale both knew that wasn’t true. Parker gave him a slight nod and then looked at Grandma Kate.
“She is, isn’t she?” He turned to Jenny. Sitting on her left, he picked up her hand and kissed it. There must have been something in his gaze that alerted her. She set down her fork, and Dale, on her right, picked up her other hand.
It sure wouldn’t be a bad thing at all if she learns to read us. We’d never have any secrets from her, and that’s fine.
Parker tried to steady his nerves. He was shaking inside, his
