One afternoon, she dropped her hammer while working on the fence. It disappeared into the tall grass. She searched for ten minutes before giving up. A moment later, Scout trotted over with the hammer in his mouth, looking very proud of himself.
“Good boy!” Anna laughed, taking the tool. “You’re the best assistant I’ve ever had.”
By the time the first frost hit in November, the cabin was finished. It was cozy, warm, and beautiful. Anna had bought a few pieces of simple, sturdy furniture and hung a framed photo of her mother on the wall.
“We did it, Mom,” Anna whispered to the photo. “It’s perfect.”
Meanwhile, back in the city, Sarah Miller was standing in the middle of her grand Victorian living room, staring at a massive water stain on the ceiling. The roof was leaking. The foundation was settling, causing cracks in the plaster. The “mansion” was becoming a nightmare.
Sarah was drowning. She had three credit cards at their limits, a massive loan on her Range Rover, and a mortgage on a condo she was trying to flip that wouldn’t sell. She was spending $5,000 a month just on interest. She had no money for repairs.
“When I sell this place,” she told herself, “I’ll be fine. I’ll pay it all off.”
But the house sat on the market for months. Prospective buyers walked through, saw the structural issues, and walked right back out. The real estate agent told her she’d have to drop the price by a hundred thousand just to get an offer.
“No,” Sarah snapped. “It’s worth more than that. I’m not giving it away.”
One day in early December, Sarah ran into an old family friend, Mrs. Gable, at the grocery store. Mrs. Gable lived near Pine Ridge.
“Oh, Sarah! Have you seen what Anna did to that old cabin?” the woman chirped. “It’s absolutely darling. She’s fixed it up like something out of a magazine. New roof, beautiful garden… I heard she even bought a brand new truck.”
Sarah froze. “A new truck? Anna?”
“Oh yes. And she looks so happy. I wondered where she got the money, honestly. I thought she was just a nurse.”
Sarah’s blood began to boil. Anna? The quiet sister? The one with the “shack”? How could she afford a total renovation and a new vehicle? Sarah pulled out her phone and looked at the photos Mrs. Gable had taken. The cabin looked stunning. It looked… expensive.
“I’m going to find out what’s going on,” Sarah hissed to herself as she walked to her car. “She must have stolen something. Mom must have hidden money there, and Anna kept it all for herself.”
The jealousy was a physical weight in her chest. She called her lawyer that afternoon.
“I want to challenge the will,” she told him. “I think my sister withheld assets from the estate. I want an investigation.”
Sarah drove to Pine Ridge the following Tuesday. She didn’t call ahead. She pulled her Range Rover up to the new fence and stepped out, looking like she was ready for a fight. Anna was on the porch, wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, brushing Scout.
“Sarah? What are you doing here?” Anna asked, surprised.
Sarah didn’t bother with pleasantries. She walked right up to the porch. “Where did you get the money, Anna? The roof, the paint, the truck… don’t lie to me. You found something in this house, didn’t you?”
Anna stood up slowly. “Mom left me this house, Sarah. Whatever was in it belongs to me. That was the will.”
“The will assumed an equal distribution of value!” Sarah shouted. “If there was a hidden stash of cash or jewelry, that’s part of the estate. You owe me half!”
Scout stood up and let out a low, warning growl. He stepped between Anna and Sarah, his eyes fixed on the intruder.
“Easy, Scout,” Anna said, but she didn’t back down. “I didn’t steal anything. Mom gave me what she wanted me to have. Just like she gave you the mansion.”
“The mansion is a ruin!” Sarah screamed. “It’s costing me a fortune! You got the better deal, and you knew it!”
“I didn’t know anything, Sarah. I just trusted Mom.”
“Well, I don’t trust you,” Sarah spat. “My lawyer is already looking into this. And he found something else, Anna. Something you probably didn’t even know.”
Anna felt a chill. “What are you talking about?”
Sarah smirked, a cruel, triumphant look. “He went through the old records. You’re not even a Miller, Anna. You were adopted. You’re not blood. You have no legal right to any of this.”
Anna’s heart hammered against her ribs, but she kept her voice steady. “I know I’m adopted, Sarah. Mom left me a letter. She told me everything.”
Sarah’s face fell for a split second, then hardened again. “It doesn’t matter. A judge will see it differently when I show them you’ve been hiding assets. I’m taking this house, Anna. I’m taking everything.”
She turned and stormed back to her car. Anna watched her go, her hand resting on Scout’s head. She felt a wave of sadness, not for herself, but for her sister. Sarah was so consumed by greed and debt that she couldn’t see the gift she’d already been given.
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