The Inheritance (The Donatelli Series)

by SUE FINEMAN

  What if Blade changes his mind?

  “He’ll be at the church waiting for you, Maria. You look so beautiful, honey.” Mom always knew the right thing to say.

  Molly called, “Mom, there’s a white limo outside. Is that for us?”

  “Aunt Cara’s limo is black,” said Andy.

  “So was the one in New York,” said Maria. Her throat felt so tight she could barely speak.

  “We have to be there in ten minutes,” called Mom. “Is everyone ready to go?”

  “Where are the flowers?” asked Molly.

  “At the church,” said Mom. “Come on, boys, go out and get in the car. Molly, come on.”

  Mom took Maria’s arm, pulled the door closed behind them, and they walked out to the limo together. The small chapel had no bride’s room, so Maria stayed in the car and straightened her dress while the boys ran inside to see if everyone was ready.

  Vinnie came out with her bouquet. “I have been selected, as the older brother, to escort my sister inside. C’mon, sis. That poor slob standing at the altar is afraid you’ve changed your mind.”

  Tony pinned on Mom’s corsage and walked her inside, and Molly followed with Nick. And then her big brother took Maria’s arm and walked up the steps to the chapel and inside, where Angelo’s beautiful tenor voice filled the chapel.

  Maria’s eyes scanned the front and stopped on Blade’s wide blue eyes. You look magnificent, Maria.

  So do you, Blade.

  One corner of his mouth curled up. I love you so much.

  No doubts?

  No. You?

  None.

  How could she ever have doubted their love?

  Epilogue

  After a week in New York, where they attended the Banner-Covington board meeting, Maria and Blade returned home to finish the last-minute details on their new home. Their trip to Italy had been postponed until next summer, when they’d take the kids and their grandmother to Italy. Mom was excited about going, and so were the kids. The funny part was that Maria hadn’t suggested they take the family along. It was Blade’s suggestion.

  Three weeks later, the house had been finished, inspected, cleaned, and readied for them to move in. The movers came Friday morning. Maria stood at the front door and told the men which rooms to put the furniture in. Teresa helped place the furniture in the upstairs bedrooms, and Bridget directed the placement of the breakfast room furniture and boxes in the kitchen. Mom and Molly had stayed home to supervise the boys. Their work started tomorrow, when the unpacking began.

  The pool table, a gift from the men in Maria’s family, had been delivered yesterday, before the sliding glass doors were put in place. Al, Angelo, Nick, and Vinnie had all come to help. They usually brought a case of beer to family work parties, but out of respect for Blade, they brought soft drinks that day. Blade might not have noticed, but Maria did.

  At the end of the day, with all the furniture in place and the beds made, Blade and Maria went back to Sophia’s house for dinner.

  They still hadn’t told Sophia that one of those bedrooms would be hers. The kids wanted to see the house that night, and Blade told them they’d have to wait until morning, when they’d all go over, including Grandma and Daisy.

  The fence for the dog run wasn’t in yet, but the doggie door had been installed on the laundry room door. Daisy would have to learn to stay at home and out of the street until they could get the fence up. Vinnie didn’t have any of the landscaping in yet, but it would all get done in good time.

  <>

  It was barely dawn when a little voice asked, “Blade, is it time to get up?”

  He groaned and pulled the pillow over his face. “What time is it?”

  “Six o’clock,” said Andy.

  Blade threw an arm over Maria. They’d both dropped into bed last night, worn out from a long day of moving, and it looked like it would be another long day. “Yeah, I guess it’s time to get up. I’ll make breakfast in a few minutes. Go pack your clothes, kid. Today we’re moving into our new house.”

  After Andy left the room, Maria said, “We did put a lock on the new bedroom door, didn’t we?”

  He chuckled and dragged his sleepy body out of bed.

  <>

  Two hours later, Blade unlocked the front door of their new house. “Everyone look around this floor and then come back here.”

  Blade stood in the entry with Maria while the rest of the family walked through the main level. “Whose bedroom is this?” Molly asked.

  “The big one is for your mom and me. The other bedroom on this floor is for Grandma.”

  “For me?” said Sophia. “You built a room for me?”

  “Absolutely,” he said. “You’re part of our family.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  The kids stood around, waiting to go upstairs. “Ready to see your rooms, kids?” Heads nodded, so he said, “Molly, your bedroom has a big four-poster bed, a window seat, and your own bathroom. Andy and Jimmy, your room has two beds, and your bathroom has two sinks, so you can get ready for school at the same time. And Robbie, your bedroom is between the library and the back stairs. It has a window seat and an extra cabinet for your books. Take your suitcases up with you, kids.”

  The little boys scrambled up first, lugging their suitcases, and Daisy ran upstairs after them. Robbie went to the back stairs, and Molly carried two bags upstairs to find her room. Blade held Sophia’s arm and walked slowly up the stairs with her, so she could see the kids’ rooms.

  The library overflowed with boxes of books, and it would take time to unpack them all and get the library organized the way Blade wanted it. His grandfather’s partners desk fit perfectly in the study alcove.

  Boxes of linens sat in the hallway near the big linen closet, waiting to be sorted and put away, and there wasn’t a kid in sight. They were all inspecting their new bedrooms.

  Robbie’s bathroom was off the hallway, to be shared with the library, but the other two bedrooms had private baths. Robbie was already moving into his room, setting up his desk, and unpacking his books.

  Molly danced around her room like a princess, and she looked like a princess without her braces. Blade stepped into the room and danced her around the room. “I hope you like it, princess.”

  “I love it.”

  Andy and Jimmy were arguing over who got which bed. Maria pointed to one and said, “Andy,” and to the other one, “Jimmy.” Blade figured they’d swap just because she said who got which one. They had plenty of floor space to play on, and when they opened their suitcases, Blade saw they hadn’t brought many clothes. They’d brought toys. Good thing they’d chosen the bedroom set with the matching shelves. Blade had bolted those shelves to the wall yesterday, so they wouldn’t tip over if the boys climbed on them.

  Maria and Sophia stopped on the bridge between the living room and entry. Sophia looked out over the living room. “This is beautiful, even nicer than Nicky’s house, except you don’t have an elevator.”

  They’d left the big room over the garage unfinished. Sophia asked, “What are you going to do with this space?”

  “Fill it with more kids, of course,” Blade replied, and Maria smiled.

  They walked downstairs to the main floor and Blade took Sophia into her room. “This furniture is Italian, and we chose it especially for you.” The carpet, a light sage green, matched the living room rug, and the bedroom walls were painted to match.

  Maria knew Mom wouldn’t move in with them. She might someday, but not now. Angelo and Teresa would move in with her until they finished their new home, and then Al would be finished with school, and he’d live with Mom. She’d have family around to take care of her.

  Blade had given Mom the gift of knowing she was wanted, and Maria loved him for it. She knew how hard it was for him to adapt to being around a big family. He’d made a supreme effort, and her family had accepted him with open arms.

  They were finally in their own home, in a marriage blessed by the c
hurch, and she knew in her heart they were here to stay.

  They married for Blade’s inheritance, and they stayed together for love, the kind of love that would last a lifetime.

  Thank you for reading The Inheritance. Please turn the page for an excerpt of The Inn at Dead Man’s Point, book four in the Donatelli series.

  THE INN AT DEAD MAN’S POINT

  by

  Sue Fineman

  Prologue

  The old woman stood at the edge of the hill, looking down at the rocks on the beach below where her husband of over sixty years had died five years ago. He’d been shaky and unsteady, and his mind wasn’t always clear, but that wasn’t the reason she’d pushed him over. He’d wanted to give her inn to his bastard daughter.

  Mattie had left his body on the rocks long enough to be sure he was dead before she called 911. He’d gone out for a walk and disappeared, she’d told the woman on the phone. He was old and sick, and she was worried about him. It didn’t take them long to find his body. She’d called the girl then, as was expected, and they had a nice funeral service for Charlie. Nobody had suspected a thing, Mattie still had her inn, her home, and his bastard had returned to Seattle. Charlie’s handwritten will had curled and turned to ashes in the fireplace. The girl would never get her hands on this inn.

  Mattie turned to walk back toward the inn, her home since the day she was born. The county wanted money for taxes, but she couldn’t find the money Charlie had hidden away, and she couldn’t pay the bill. If she didn’t sell it, they’d auction it off, and she’d end up in a nursing home, a place where old people went to die. And she wasn’t ready to die.

  The young man who’d offered to buy the inn agreed to let Mattie live on the main floor of the inn for as long as she could take care of herself. She told him she’d think about it, but she was running out of time. The county auction was scheduled for the end of the month.

  The wind picked up and howled through the trees and around the inn, chilling her to the bone. The sky darkened and the first big drops of rain splattered in the weedy grass around her. She hurried back to the inn to call the young man. Yes, she’d sell him the inn.

  If she didn’t want to die in a nursing home, she had no choice.

  Chapter One

  “No, Brian, she’s not spending a week with you and your parents.”

  “She’s my daughter, and I have a right to spend time with her.”

  “Yes, you do, but not a whole week with your parents.” After a two-hour visit, Katie came home wheezing from Brian’s father’s cigar smoke. An entire week would put her four-year-old daughter in the hospital for sure, and Jenna no longer had health insurance. That went away with her job two months ago.

  She wouldn’t mind letting Katie spend a week with Brian if he didn’t take her to his parents’ home, but he always did, and Katie always came home sick. Jenna hadn’t been able to convince Brian’s parents that Katie couldn’t handle the smoke. Brian’s mother talked so much she didn’t hear the wheezing, his father always blamed it on a cold, and Brian was oblivious.

  Jenna glanced at the clock. “Brian, I have to go get Katie from pre-school.” She hung up and grabbed her purse. Before she could get out the door, the phone rang again.

  She picked it up. “Is this Jenna Madison?” the woman asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Miss Madison, this is Margaret Lofgren from Allenmore Hospital in Tacoma. I’m calling about Mattie Worthington.”

  Her breath caught. “What about her?”

  “She fell off a ladder and broke her arm. The doctor is reluctant to release her without someone at home to take care of her. He suggested a nursing home and she refused. She said to call you, that you’d take care of her.”

  Fell off a ladder? Aunt Mattie was ninety years old. What was she doing on a ladder? “How soon will she be released?”

  “The doctor wants to keep her for a day or two, maybe longer. At her age, fractures can be quite serious, and she’d apparently been on the floor for at least two days before someone found her. She’s dehydrated and weak.”

  Jenna took down all the pertinent information and ended the call. Poor Aunt Mattie. Bad enough to break something without lying on the floor for two days.

  Her great aunt was a handful to deal with. Uncle Charlie had always been a sweetheart, but Aunt Mattie was outspoken, opinionated, and critical of others. Especially Jenna. When the inn was open, nobody wanted to work for her, and her surly attitude had often chased customers away.

  The thought of taking care of her aunt gave Jenna a headache, but there was no one else. Aunt Mattie and Uncle Charlie had never had children of their own, but they took care of her after her parents died, so she couldn’t refuse to take care of her aunt now.

  Jenna picked Katie up from pre-school, drove through McDonalds for a Happy Meal, and then headed to the hospital in Tacoma. Her aunt was zonked out on pain medication, so Jenna had a long talk with the nurse. Aunt Mattie had always been a robust woman, but now she looked thin and frail and very old. One side of her face was black and purple, and the white cast on her arm looked bigger than she was.

  How long had it been since she’d seen Aunt Mattie? A year, two years, or three? Katie wasn’t walking yet, so it must have been over three years. They’d talked on the phone occasionally, and Jenna always got a lecture on morality. She’d tried to explain why she wouldn’t marry Katie’s father, but Aunt Mattie wouldn’t listen. To her, it wasn’t right for a woman to have a baby unless she was married.

  “She’ll probably sleep for most of the afternoon,” said the nurse. “The bruise on her face isn’t as bad as it looks.”

  Jenna took a deep breath. Was she prepared to take care of a ninety-year-old woman with a broken arm? Aunt Mattie wouldn’t be able to do much of anything until that cast came off. Feeding herself would be awkward, if not impossible, since she’d broken her right arm.

  Better check out the inn. She hadn’t been there since Charlie’s funeral.

  Jenna strapped Katie in her car seat and drove across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge toward Gig Harbor. Minutes later, she pulled off the main road at the faded sign for The Inn at Dead Man’s Point and drove down the single-lane drive under a dappled canopy of green. Uncle Charlie used to trim the trees back from the drive, but he’d been gone a long time.

  Jenna stopped at the clearing at the top of the hill and gazed down at the big old house with the wraparound porch, her home from the time her parents died until she left for college. The siding was streaked and dingy, and the patched roof was covered with moss. The inn had been neglected for so long she wanted to cry. The Japanese maple that she and Uncle Charlie had planted when she was twelve had gotten so big she could barely see the water beyond sparkling in the sunshine. The tree they’d planted in memory of her parents needed to be pruned and the flower beds torn out and replanted. It was mid-May, when the flowers should be blooming and the grass thick and green, but it looked like the weeds and moss and blackberry vines had taken over.

  She drove down the winding drive to the front door, hoping the inside didn’t look as bad as the outside, yet knowing it must. There was a car parked in front. Unless Aunt Mattie had bought another car, someone was here. Jenna parked beside it. Katie was sleeping in her car seat, so Jenna rolled down all the windows and left her there. It was a cool day, so she should be all right for a few minutes.

  Opening the front door of the inn, she called, “Hello.”

  A man walked to the door. Tall, dark, and handsome barely touched it. This guy was gorgeous, but who was he and what was he doing here?

  “Can I help you?”

  “I’m Mattie Worthington’s niece, Jenna Madison.”

  “Alessandro Donatelli.”

  Al Donatelli? Jenna didn’t mean to stare, but she couldn’t help it. His skinny frame had filled out, and he’d grown into a handsome man. A lifetime ago, they’d gone to high school together. Al was the class nerd, the quiet kid who’d never fit in. If only they co
uld see him now. The thick black-framed glasses were gone and his dark hair was cut and styled just so. He wore tailored slacks and a tapered button-down shirt instead of the ill-fitting hand-me-downs he wore back then. If she’d met this guy in a bar or at a party, she’d definitely give him a second look. He oozed success and something she would never have thought possible. Sex appeal.

  He backed away from the door. “Come on in.”

  She waved toward her car. “I left my daughter in the car.”

  He walked outside with her and they stood on the porch. “I don’t know how long Mattie had been on the floor when I found her. I was in California for a few days on business, just got back yesterday.”

  “What kind of business?”

  “I’m an architect. My brother runs the California division of Max and Company, so I took him a few house plans for a retirement community they’re building.”

  A slow smile tugged at her lips. “You’re kidding! An architect?”

  A little face peeked out the car window, and Jenna walked out to open the car door for Katie. She was a little shy with strangers, but when she spotted the black cat walking out the door behind Al, she squealed, “Kitty,” and ran right up to pet the cat.

  “Careful,” Al said. “That one is a little feisty. Sit down on the porch and talk to her. Let her come up to you, and don’t try to pick her up.”

  Katie plunked her little behind on the porch by Al’s feet and called the kitty, and a minute later, the cat was rubbing against Katie’s arm and purring. Katie looked up at Al and gave him an adoring smile.

  Al followed Jenna inside. “Do you think Mattie will be able to live here again?”

  “Not without someone to take care of her. I’ll give it a try for awhile, but I don’t know how long I can stay. She’s…” Jenna sighed. “She’s impossible at times.”