Endless Love (Santa’s Secret Helpers #5) - Leeanna Morgan Page 0,49
somewhere we could use in Sapphire Bay.”
“What about the old steamboat museum?” Shelley suggested. “The construction team for the tiny home village doesn’t use the entire building.”
“It could work.” Sam smiled at her parents. “It will be amazing having you here.”
Elena wiped a tear from her eyes. “We can’t wait, either. Your dad and I love you all so much.”
“We love you, too.” Shelley gave her parents a hug. After nearly losing her mom, it made her appreciate each day they had together. “Now all we have to do is find you somewhere permanent to call home.”
Bailey grinned. “You could make another list of all the things Mom and Dad are looking for.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Shelley said with an amused smile. There had to be some benefits to making lists for everything that needed to happen—especially when it involved her parents.
Chapter 14
The following Saturday, John placed a ladder in the back of the truck they’d brought to Bozeman. So far, packing up Ted and Elena’s house hadn’t taken as long as they thought it would. But sorting through everything in the garage and workshop was a bigger job than anyone anticipated.
Ted had kept every scrap of wood, nail, bracket, and tool he’d ever used. If they had any chance of emptying the large space, Ted would have to be more ruthless about what he kept and what he threw away.
While Bailey and Caleb worked inside the house, John returned to the workshop.
Shelley held up one of her dad’s power tools. “Are you sure you want to keep this, Dad? The cord is broken.”
“Your mom bought me that for Christmas last year,” Ted said, ignoring the fact that the severed cord meant it couldn’t be used.
Shelley dangled the cord in the air.
“Oh, okay,” Ted grumbled. “Put it in the pile of things for the dumpster.”
John held back a smile. Sorting through the furniture, kitchen appliances, and other personal items inside the house had been easy. The list Shelley and her mom had made meant they were able to quickly fill half the truck with Ted and Elena’s essential items.
But the workshop was a different matter.
Ted spent hours in here and John knew it was important to him. With a large room in the old steamboat museum at their disposal, Ted would be able to set up a new workshop in Sapphire Bay. But that meant moving all his tools and equipment. And this time, a list wouldn’t help them—not when Ted wanted to take everything with him.
“We can come back next week for more things.” John picked up a box of tools that needed to go on the trailer. “Just choose the things you really want to take today.”
Ted ran his hand around his neck. “Do we have room for my workbench?”
John stood back and studied the large wooden bench. “It’s too heavy and long to take in one piece. But if we cut it in half, it could work.”
“It was my dad’s,” Ted said. “We built this workshop to fit it.”
Shelley closed the lid on a box of screws. “I didn’t know that.”
“Your mom couldn’t believe I wanted to bring it into town from the ranch.”
John could understand why Elena was surprised. The workbench ran the entire length of the workshop. Battered and bruised after years of use, it looked like the last thing you’d place in a new home.
Shelley lifted a sheet that was covering a shelf. “Are these what I think they are?”
Ted walked closer to his daughter. “They’re the sides of the dollhouse you played with when you were little.” He moved farther down the shelves and removed another sheet. “I’ve sanded it back to the bare wood. All it needs is another coat of paint. The furniture for the dollhouse is in here.” He showed Shelley another box with all her treasures carefully stored away. “Once I’ve finished the house, I’ll fix the furniture.”
She picked up a tiny rug her mom had made for the miniature living room. “We used to play with the dollhouse for hours. I didn’t know you kept it.”
“I thought one day, our grandchildren might like to play with it.”
“They’d love it,” Shelley said softly. She reached into the box and showed John a little bed. “Dad made everything, right down to the pots and pans in the kitchen.”
John stood behind her and looked inside the box. “It must have taken a long time to make everything.”
“It did. But seeing the girls’ faces on Christmas morning made it all