Then, two years after that Easter dinner, I discovered something unexpected.
While eating lunch at the hospital, I noticed a county property-auction announcement in the local newspaper.
Most listings were vacant lots.
But one caught my attention.
An abandoned farmhouse on 2.3 acres north of town.
Everyone knew it as the Miller property.
The house had stood empty for six years.
Its paint was peeling, weeds covered the yard, and the front porch visibly sagged.
That evening, I took Nate to see it.
We couldn’t enter before the auction, but he carefully inspected the exterior.
He studied the roofline, examined the foundation, and shone a flashlight beneath the porch.
Finally, he looked at me.
“The porch is terrible, and the electrical system is probably ancient.”
I sighed.
“So you’re saying no?”
He smiled.
“I’m saying the house has good bones.”
Our savings had reached approximately $42,000.
That was nearly everything we possessed.
