The heirloom inn, p.1
The Heirloom Inn, page 1
PRAISE FOR OLIVIA MILES
“Olivia Miles is an expert at creating a sweet, romantic plot and setting endearing characters within it, which ultimately results in a delightful read.”
—RT Book Reviews
Praise for The Winter Wedding Plan
“A charming holiday tale of fresh starts, friendship, and love with a heroine even Scrooge couldn’t resist.”
—Sheila Roberts, New York Times bestselling author
“This second book in the Misty Point series continues to develop the relationship between sisters Kate and Charlotte Daniels—and their cousin Bree—with grace and sincerity. Charlotte proves a compelling heroine, a single mom determined to rise above her past mistakes and finally make her family proud.”
—RT Book Reviews, four stars
Praise for Mistletoe on Main Street
“The passion and tension between Luke and Grace are equal parts tender and intense, and their journey back toward each other is a sweet and nostalgic one. With a down-home feel throughout, this story is sure to warm any reader’s heart. A delightful read.”
—RT Book Reviews, four stars
“Sweet, tender, and burgeoning with Christmas spirit and New England appeal, this engaging reunion tale sees one couple blissfully together, artfully setting the stage for the next book in the series.”
—Library Journal
Praise for A Match Made on Main Street
“In the latest in her Briar Creek series, Miles brings us a book filled with crisp storytelling, amusing banter, and charming, endearing characters. The love between Mark and Anna is genuinely deep, and the tension between them is fiery. Miles’s modern romance will lure readers in and keep them turning the pages.”
—RT Book Reviews, four stars
Praise for Hope Springs on Main Street
“Hope Springs on Main Street is a warm, tender story overflowing with emotion. With strong, memorable characters and a delightful small town, this book will surely work its way into your heart. Olivia Miles weaves a beautiful story of healing and second chances.”
—RaeAnne Thayne, New York Times bestselling author
“Romantic, touching, and deep-sigh satisfying.”
—Emma Cane, author
“Appreciation for the setting will gradually grow on you as it does on Henry, which is a subtle and effective draw. With a charming cast of characters, the touching connection of family, and the lovely bloom of romance . . . Hope Springs on Main Street is a sweet and worthy addition to your romance collection.”
—USA Today
“This story is delightfully engaging.”
—RT Book Reviews, four stars
“No couple deserved a second chance at love more than this pair.”
—Harlequin Junkie, four stars
Praise for Love Blooms on Main Street
“Lighthearted storytelling laced with humor is the highlight of Miles’s latest story.”
—RT Book Reviews
“For those who want a deeper small-town read, I’d recommend Love Blooms on Main Street.”
—Harlequin Junkie
Praise for Christmas Comes to Main Street
“Readers seeking a peppermint-filled, cozy Christmas contemporary will be satisfied.”
—Publishers Weekly
Praise for Recipe for Romance
“Miles’s heartbreaking second-chance-at-romance story features a guilt-ridden hero and bewildered heroine. The author’s intuitive dialogue adds authenticity to her small-town setting as she keeps readers guessing until the end.”
—RT Book Reviews
Praise for ’Twas the Week before Christmas
“Miles debuts a holiday romance with more tangles than old Christmas lights: her grinchy hero with heart and elfish, Christmas-loving heroine entertain with their obstacle-course courtship as her narrative paints a Currier and Ives holiday scene.”
—RT Book Reviews
OTHER TITLES BY OLIVIA MILES
Blue Harbor Series
A Place for Us
Second Chance Summer
Because of You
Small Town Christmas
Return to Me
Then Comes Love
Finding Christmas
A New Beginning
Summer of Us
A Chance on Me
Stand-Alone Title
This Christmas
Evening Island Trilogy
Meet Me at Sunset
Summer’s End
The Lake House
Oyster Bay Series
Feels Like Home
Along Came You
Maybe This Time
This Thing Called Love
Those Summer Nights
Christmas at the Cottage
Still the One
One Fine Day
Had to Be You
Misty Point Series (Grand Central / Forever)
One Week to the Wedding
The Winter Wedding Plan
Sweeter in the City Series
Sweeter in the Summer
Sweeter Than Sunshine
No Sweeter Love
One Sweet Christmas
Briar Creek Series (Grand Central / Forever)
Mistletoe on Main Street
A Match Made on Main Street
Hope Springs on Main Street
Love Blooms on Main Street
Christmas Comes to Main Street
Harlequin Special Edition
’Twas the Week Before Christmas
Recipe for Romance
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Otherwise, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2023 by Megan Leavell
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Montlake, Seattle
www.apub.com
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-13: 9781662510816 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781662510809 (digital)
Cover design by Leah Jacobs-Gordon
Cover image: © Yevhenii Chulovskyi / Shutterstock; © Kirk Fisher / Shutterstock; © alb2018 / Shutterstock; © polinaloves / Shutterstock; © Dan Thornberg / Shutterstock
For Avery
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE LEAH
CHAPTER TWO EMMA
CHAPTER THREE SADIE
CHAPTER FOUR LEAH
CHAPTER FIVE EMMA
CHAPTER SIX SADIE
CHAPTER SEVEN EMMA
CHAPTER EIGHT SADIE
CHAPTER NINE LEAH
CHAPTER TEN EMMA
CHAPTER ELEVEN SADIE
CHAPTER TWELVE LEAH
CHAPTER THIRTEEN EMMA
CHAPTER FOURTEEN SADIE
CHAPTER FIFTEEN LEAH
CHAPTER SIXTEEN EMMA
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN SADIE
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN EMMA
CHAPTER NINETEEN LEAH
CHAPTER TWENTY SADIE
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE EMMA
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO LEAH
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE SADIE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR LEAH
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE SADIE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX EMMA
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN LEAH
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHAPTER ONE
LEAH
Leah Burke was doing a very poor job of forgetting the fact that she was on the wrong side of thirty-five and that, for the third time in her life, she was starting over again. The first time it had happened, she was a child with little say in the matter. The second round, she ran far and fast. Now, so many years later, when she’d thought she finally had her life settled, she didn’t know what to do.
For lack of a better idea at the moment, she sat on the edge of her younger daughter’s bed, watching as Annie tried to cram a third stuffed animal into the already overpacked suitcase. Ten minutes earlier, when twelve-year-old Chloe had made it clear that she didn’t require any help preparing for their trip tomorrow, Annie had promptly followed suit, leaving Leah with the weary knowledge that she’d be up late tonight, replacing the impractical plastic princess shoes with the more functional leather sandals and canvas sneakers, ensuring that her daughter had enough bathing suits and shorts for the warm days and sweaters and hoodies for the cool nights.
But she knew she’d still worry. It was in her nature. Perhaps it was inevitable, destined by birth order and her place as the oldest sibling. Or perhaps it was unavoidable, given that she’d lost her own mother when she was only Chloe’s age.
Leah had very much still needed a mother back then. On days like this, she still did. A mother to tell her that everything would be all right, even when most of the time it didn’t feel that way. Someone who would remind her that the girls weren’t going to be alone; they were going to be with their father, who, while certainly the more relaxed parent, was technically an adult. But more than anything, especially lately, what she really needed was a hug.
With a frown, she realized she couldn’t even pinpoint the last time that Ted had hugged her. They’d been separated for only four months, but the dis
Annie contemplated her suitcase and finally met Leah’s eyes. Leah gave her a knowing smile.
“I can’t go away for a whole month without Bunny the bear!” Annie protested before the argument had even started.
A whole month. As if Leah needed a reminder. Pretend that they’re going to sleepaway camp—that’s what her best friend, Gina, told her every time Leah brought up her ex-husband’s summer plans, which was often.
She hadn’t noticed the cracks in their marriage at first, but these last few months, they were all she could think about anymore when the house was quiet but her mind wouldn’t turn off. How she and Ted had drifted apart. How maybe they’d never been all that compatible from the start. How she’d rushed into a marriage that had only been another adventure for Ted. How, in the end, he’d left her behind.
“It’s a big trip,” Leah said to Annie. “I can take good care of Bunny while you’re gone.”
Annie wrestled with the decision, and it dawned on Leah that Annie felt the same anxiety over being parted from her favorite stuffed bear that Leah felt at not seeing her children for twenty-eight days.
“I don’t think I can leave her,” Annie said firmly.
“I understand.” More than she was letting on. That’s what this new arrangement called for: a stiff upper lip. “Just be careful not to lose her—”
“I would never lose the thing I love most in the world!” Annie said with the kind of innocence that came with having never really experienced a deep loss before.
Leah supposed she should pat herself on the back for that, protecting her children as much as she could, but she couldn’t shield them from everything. She started rattling off the instructions she’d already given earlier that day but stopped when she heard a groan from the hallway. A moment later, Chloe appeared and leaned against the doorjamb, her dirty-blonde hair—the same shade as Leah’s—loose at her shoulders, her brown eyes the same as her father’s, right down to the impossibly long lashes. “We know, we know. Check our luggage tags before we walk off because the bags might belong to someone else, which seems impossible given that ours are hot pink!”
“I love pink!” Annie said happily, while her older sister muttered something about it being so embarrassing.
“It’s practical,” Leah said. “If I bought gray or navy or black, then your luggage would look like everyone else’s.” Good God, she sounded like such a mom, and she was only thirty-six years old. She should feel like she had her whole life stretching ahead of her, but instead, she felt more than a little lost. For fourteen years, her entire adult life had been centered around her husband, her children, and their home. Without lunches to pack or activities to drive to, her days didn’t have much purpose.
“What time is our flight?” Annie asked.
“Early,” Leah stressed. “So it’s time for bed.”
“But it’s only seven!” Chloe insisted. She’d been pushing to stay up until ten since school ended last week, something that her friends apparently did, which led to countless arguments that replaced the previous ones about getting her the latest-model cell phone.
“Babies go to bed at seven,” Chloe continued.
Leah bit back a laugh. Her babies certainly hadn’t gone to bed at seven, and if they did, they were up again by eleven. Those days had been long, but now, looking at her two growing girls, she yearned for them, sleepless nights and all.
She checked herself right there. There was no sense in wishing for the past. She’d made that promise to herself a long time ago, and more than once.
“You have to get up at four if we’re going to make it to the airport in time for your six o’clock flight,” she reminded them.
“Why do we have to leave so early?” Annie pouted.
Why? That was the question Leah wanted to ask too. Why had Ted booked such an early flight, knowing the girls would be grouchy and tired? Why had he decided to end the marriage and disrupt their family life? Why had he stopped loving her?
There were many questions, and only one person had the answer. And at the end of the day, it didn’t change a damn thing.
“Your father booked the tickets, and he’ll be waiting for you at the airport bright and early!” She tried to feign enthusiasm even though the mere thought of seeing Ted, however briefly, only filled her with dread lately.
Annie clapped her hands with excitement. “And then we’ll be on our way!”
Yep. Then they’d be on their way. While she . . . she’d be right here. Where she’d faithfully been day after day, year after year. Her home. Her safe place. So much for that.
While the girls brushed their teeth, arguing over the sink they shared in the bathroom that separated their two rooms, Leah quickly swapped the dress-up clothes for sneakers, T-shirts, and shorts. She hauled each piece of luggage to the hallway landing, deciding to leave them there until the morning in case there were any last-minute changes.
The water had stopped running, and she walked back into Annie’s room to pull down the purple floral duvet and plump the pillow. Like Chloe’s, Annie’s hair was shoulder length and blonde, only she’d gotten Leah’s loose curls. Leah had always felt singled out by her hair as a child, and she’d felt a kinship with her younger daughter over this shared trait—a reminder that Annie wasn’t just her child but her family. A new family to replace the one she’d lost.
Annie climbed under her blankets and pulled them up to her chin. “Mom?”
Leah smiled softly at her. She’d never tire of that sweet voice. “Yes, honey?”
“What are you going to do when we’re away?”
Good question, Leah thought. She supposed she could clean out the linen closet. Maybe finally start putting a résumé together—even though she had no real work experience outside the home. Maybe she’d tackle the weeds in the perennial beds. She knew what Gina would say. An entire month without all the responsibilities that came with parenthood, and now, single parenthood? But Gina, with three kids of her own, was only fantasizing. Her summer would be defined by dropping the kids off at day camp, blowing up floaties for afternoon trips to the town pool, and hauling coolers, towels, chairs, and an umbrella to the shore of Lake Michigan every Saturday.
All the things that Leah yearned to do right now, even though at times they had felt downright exhausting.
“Oh, I’ll probably just spend the days snooping through Chloe’s drawers and reading her diary.” She winked, and Annie giggled. Leah didn’t even think that Chloe kept a diary, and she could only imagine the reaction her daughter would give her if she so much as entered her room without knocking first.
She was laughing as she flicked off the bedside lamp, but her heart felt heavy when she stepped into the hallway, wishing for just tonight that Chloe would let her tuck her in like she used to do.
“Night, Chlo!” she called out.
She heard a grumbled response from somewhere behind the door. The separation had been hard on Chloe, Leah knew, even if she didn’t like to talk about it. And this trip, exciting as it would probably be for the girls, was hard on all of them. Even if they didn’t talk about that either.
Downstairs, Leah started the kettle for tea and flicked on the television. She picked up the phone to see if Ted had sent any more updates on the itinerary, but there were only two text messages from Gina trying to cheer her up (Happy hour every night at five! No laundry piling up! The television all to yourself!) and another from her youngest sister, sent an hour ago.
Please call. That couldn’t be good. Emma seldom reached out, and when she did, it was around the holidays or someone’s birthday, usually full of cheer and gossip, with carefully edited stories of all that had been happening in Door County.
They didn’t speak often, not in the way some of Leah’s friends did with their sisters. It wasn’t that they didn’t like each other, more that they weren’t close—or at least hadn’t been in a long time. Once, it had been their six-plus-year age difference that separated them, leaving Leah feeling maternal toward Emma, especially with their difficult circumstances. But Emma was twenty-nine now, meaning that she was technically one of Leah’s peers, even though it was difficult to shake old habits and think of her as a proper adult.
Maybe it was the fact that Emma still lived in their childhood home and hadn’t yet settled into the normal set of responsibilities that had defined Leah’s daily life by that age. Or maybe it was the fact that Emma lived in Fog’s Landing, and that alone made Leah keep her distance.
