Page 73 - Homestead By Ann Newhouse

fire in Texas and find out what had happened to her baby boy. Her spirits rose when she realised that Mitch may be her missing son. Everything seemed to tie in.
Joanna and I bid them goodnight, promising to visit again tomorrow after we had spoken to Mitch and his mother. I had not shown them the old letter I still held.
Back at the Hotel Josh had a restful sleep. Margarete had a serious chat with Mitch on how they were going to go forward. Mitch was showing more maturity then I thought he had in him. He had forgiven Margaret for the past, as he realised, she was very young and was led astray by his more mature father. His main concern was, are Liz and Josh related to him? They would cross that bridge when they came to it. He wanted time to clear his head. He wanted to stay and work in Truth, no matter what happened. Margarete O’ Neilson agreed and hoped to find something in the Hotel to help her make a life. She had agreed to look after Josh until he regains his strength and his broken arm had healed. I had spoken to the owner, the shabby old man named Mr Choo, and he was finding running the hotel a chore and would like to retire as soon as possible. I had an idea and called a meeting with Johanna, Josh, Margarete and Mitch, to ask them if they would be interested in putting in an offer for the hotel, running it as a business and also using it as our home. Mr. Choo would have to approve of the offer, but I got the impression he would be happy for us to take it off his hands, providing we could offer him a room in the hotel to end his days. He had never married and had no family. A situation that suited all.
Leaving Josh, Mitch, and Margarete to fend for themselves for the rest of the evening, Joanna and I set out to return to the Homestead. I wanted to fill Sofie in on the latest news and return early next day to Truth, to have our meeting with Mr. Choo. Johanna was going to have to speak to the doctors as they were due to call to the medical hall for an update on their patients. I was hoping that Sofie could fill me in on how Margarete stood if she wanted to sell her cabin, as she would need funds to put into the hotel and to be able to live from day to day until things were sorted. She was one of the few people who had bought their cabin outright.
The hotel had ten bedrooms and bathrooms, but only half the accommodation was open to the public, as the rest needed updating and repairs. Also, there were separate private quarters consisting of three bedrooms, a lounge, kitchen and bathroom. There were various storage units at the back of the hotel, which could eventually be renovated, for private use. The property had good business potential, as well as, perhaps, offering accommodation for the investors.
As we neared the Homestead the twinkle and flicker of the lamps and candles from the windows of the cabins were a welcoming sight. The big house was lit up like a Christmas tree. The large electric