Mending Hearts (The American Soldier Collection 11)

Deanna laughed.

“Okay, well, from what I heard, she was very wealthy, and she was a collector of fine art. She also had a lot of costume jewelry from what the list of items available online said. She was a major part of the community many years back, and she was sort of a hoarder.”

“A hoarder? Oh no, that’s not good. Hoarders usually collect junk.”

“Not this woman. Her junk was expensive, and supposedly, she was into mystical things.” Deanna gave Alana a wink. Alana chuckled as they continued on their way to this estate in Salvation.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived, and there were only a few people coming and going.

“I don’t know. It’s a very old house but looks disheveled.”

“Alana, she was very old and lived alone. It’s not really disheveled anyway. It’s kind of charming.”

Alana shrugged and headed inside. The moment she entered the house, she felt a bit strange. There was a large winding staircase carpeted in a rich, burgundy color up the middle of each dark-wood-stained step. The wood on the railing was exquisite, and then Alana caught sight of all the things right there in the main entryway. There were racks of clothing that contained gorgeous evening gowns from a time well passed. If Alana had to guess, she would think they were from the twenties or thirties. There were gorgeous mirrors, a secretary’s desk that had to be a hundred years old, and so much more.

“Hello, ladies. Is there something specific you were looking for today? I would be happy to help you,” one older woman said as she greeted them hello. She looked so kind that Alana couldn’t help but smile.

“I think we’re just looking,” she told her. The woman nodded but seemed a little sad.

“This is my first time walking through an estate sale. I’m not really sure what to do.”

Her eyes lit up, and Deanna smiled at Alana.

“My name is Agnes.”

“I’m Alana, and this is Deanna. This home is so beautiful and huge.”

“I know it may seem overwhelming, but my Great-aunt Margaret was an amazing woman. She collected so many different things. Take your time and look around. If you see anything you like, just let me know, and we can talk cost.”

“Oh, wonderful. Thank you,” Alana said.

“I’m going to look over here at some of the kitchen things,” Deanna told her.

“Okay, I’m just going to browse around,” Alana said and then walked by the evening gowns and made her way through the front parlor and the back bedrooms.

It was odd, but Alana felt kind of funny walking through Margaret’s home. The woman had only recently passed away, and it seemed strange to allow so many people to just walk through and see things, even buy them. But as she noticed people walking by and picking up items as though they were at a yard sale, she began to really look around. She climbed the back stairs that led to the second-floor bedrooms.

The second floor was even more stunning, and there were more closets with racks of clothing and people looking through them. There were brass and wood headboards, gorgeous pieces of furniture like large dressers and antique mirrors, an old-fashioned sewing machine, and even some ornaments and decorations. Then she noticed the displays of antique wooden boxes opened wide on a long, large dresser. There were beaded necklaces, mostly broken, and some in fairly good shape. Many of the patterns and colors caught her eyes, and she knew they would make the perfect additional pieces to jewelry she designed. She could reuse them and add them to certain pieces she had.

“Did you find something that you liked?” Deanna asked as she approached, carrying a pretty vase and some curtains.

“Yes, these beads. They would make some beautiful additions to my collection and materials I use to make my own jewelry. Look at this one. And this one.” Alana showed them to Deanna.

“Those are very pretty and unique. It has a sticker of twenty dollars on it.”

“Each?” Alana asked.

“No, silly, for the whole box. Look, this one says it too.”

“Oh my, this is great. Do you think it’s okay to take them all?”

“Of course. I bet Great-aunt Margaret would be happy to see you turn them into something amazing.”

Alana chuckled and then turned to the right. That’s when the piece of furniture under the large stacks of blankets caught her eye.

“Oh my, look at this, Deanna.” Alana made her way closer and began to move the stacks of blankets to the side. She uncovered a desk that had multiple drawers in a golden wood color with etching and an antique finish. But this was authentic, not manufactured to look old and antiqued.

“God, that is a stunning piece. That could make a good work station for you.”