Ellery. Incognito.
Carter’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.
Why had she brought Bea to the parade?
A question you’d probably know the answer to if you’d listened to your mom’s voice mail, an inner voice chided.
But Carter had been helping a young mother locate the car keys her toddler had tossed in a snowbank a few minutes before the parade started and then a guy had tried to drive around the barricade...
Now he wished he’d taken the time.
It wasn’t that Carter didn’t trust his mom’s judgment. He did. What he didn’t trust was the tiny spark of something that flickered to life whenever Ellery was nearby. Like finding an ember in the ashes of a fire you thought had been stamped out.
He’d been burned once before, though, when he’d listened to his heart and not his head.
* * *
“Look, Miss El’ry.” Bea’s voice dropped to an almost reverent whisper as they strolled down one of the snowy paths fanning out from the pavilion after the parade. “Ponies!”
Ellery followed the little girl’s gaze to a sleigh parked under a nearby lamppost. She smiled at the description. Not ponies, but a matched pair of coal-black Friesians. The team stood shoulder to shoulder, their breath creating plumes of frost in the air. The bearded driver, clad in a buffalo-check flannel shirt and bib overalls, resembled the lumberjacks in the sepia photographs on display in Karen’s gathering room.
Ellery was about to suggest they walk over and say hello, but Bea had already changed direction. Ellery’s feet almost slid out from under her as she struggled to keep up.
The driver flicked the brim of his wool cap when they approached. “Good evening, ladies. Stanley Potter at your service. Are you ready for a little jaunt around the park?”
Bea clapped her hands over her mouth and the only sound that slipped out was a tiny squeak.
Ellery laughed. “I think that means yes.”
“Up you go, then.” Stanley held out a gloved hand and helped them onto a narrow wooden bench behind the driver’s seat. “Diamond and Opal will be happy to take you on a scenic tour of the town.”
He clicked his tongue and the team lurched forward, the rows of tiny silver bells attached to their leather harnesses playing a merry tune.
She studied the storefronts as the sleigh turned onto main street, hoping to see her brothers’ last name on one of the signs. Ellery’s brief online search before she’d left home hadn’t yielded any clues as to what her brothers did for a living, nor did they show up on any of the popular social media sites.
But then again, Ellery didn’t, either. Her parents had stressed the importance of connecting with people face-to-face and encouraged Ellery to do the same.
But what if there’d been more to it than that? What if they’d been afraid that her biological family would somehow find her?
Even as the thought sprang into Ellery’s head, it felt like a betrayal.
Lord, I’m questioning everything these days...
“Whoa!”
Ellery grabbed Bea’s hand as Stanley pulled back on the reins.
The team tossed their heads in response to the abrupt command but obeyed. The center of the street seemed like an unusual place to stop, so Ellery leaned forward.
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m not sure,” came the cheerful response. “We’ve never been pulled over before.”
Chapter Six
Pulled over?
Ellery twisted around. Felt her stomach drop all the way down to the toes of her boots when she saw Carter’s lean frame unfold from the driver’s seat of the squad car.
Karen had assured Ellery that she would let Carter know about the change in plans, but apparently, he hadn’t received the memo.
Bea, whose gaze had been riveted on the horses, let out a squeal of delight when she saw the man striding toward them.
“We saw you in the parade, Daddy!” Bea said, pride shining in her eyes. “Can I go with you next time? Hannah got to ride on a float with her daddy.”
“I’m afraid it’s against the rules, sweetheart,” Carter explained. “You have to have a badge like mine to ride in the squad car.”
Bea deflated against the seat. “Okay.”
Ellery saw something flash in Carter’s eyes. Guilt? Regret?
Life, Ellery had learned in the past year, was too short for either one. Bea might not be able to ride in the squad car, but that didn’t mean father and daughter still couldn’t make another special memory.
And just like that, her mission changed.
Ellery’s father, a renowned neurosurgeon, had worked long hours and been on call, too, so her parents had had to be creative and flexible when it came to spending time together. Ellery treasured those memories even more now that they were gone.
“Maybe your daddy can ride with us in the sleigh,” she heard herself say.
Carter’s expression was much easier to read this time.
Disbelief.
In for a penny, in for a pound, as Ellery’s mother used to say. “When are you off duty?”
“Five minutes ago,” Carter admitted slowly, eyes narrowing on her face as if he was searching for an ulterior motive behind the question.
Ellery preferred to think of it as taking advantage of a memory-making opportunity.
“Mr. Stanley won’t mind, Daddy!” Bea was already scooting over to make room on the bench. “It’ll be fun!”
Fun looked like a completely foreign concept to the man.
“A moonlight sleigh ride with two pretty gals?” Stanley mused out loud to no one in particular. “I would call the man who gets that opportunity blessed.”
Ellery could see that Carter wanted to refuse. He slid a look at Bea and that tender look—the one that told Ellery a soft heart beat behind the shield—stole into his eyes again.
“Fine. I’ll park by the bank,” he told Stanley. “You can pick me up over there.”
The driver grinned, snapped the reins, and the sleigh glided down the street again.
Carter arrived first and Ellery felt that now-familiar uptick in her pulse at the sight of him. Like the bluffs that lined the shores of Lake Superior, there was a rugged beauty in the clash of angles and planes that made up the deputy’s austere features. An appealing contrast between slate-gray eyes and sun-bronzed skin.
“Hold steady, girls!” Stanley Potter crooned at his team as Carter detached himself from the squad car and walked over to the sleigh.
Unlike Ellery and Bea, Carter didn’t need any assistance. He braced his hand on the wheel and leaped lightly into the back.
Bea scooted to the end of the wooden bench and suddenly, it didn’t seem nearly as roomy as it had at the start of their journey.
The warmth from Carter’s body breached through the windproof outer layer of her borrowed coat and radiated against Ellery’s arm. She shifted a little and the scent of his cologne, something woodsy and masculine, teased her senses.
Sooo. Maybe she hadn’t thought this through.
In spite of the temperature, Ellery couldn’t quite suppress a shiver. Which, of course, Carter noticed.
“Are you cold?”
“No,” Ellery said quickly, holding up the ends of Karen’s purple-and-red scarf as proof. “Your mom was kind enough to lend me a few things.”
Carter flicked a look at the gold bells threaded through the tassels. “I’m not sure I’d call that kind,” he murmured.
Ellery’s lips parted in shock. Had the taciturn deputy actually cracked a joke?
Her gaze flew to meet his and the gleam of laughter in Carter’s eyes was like finding an agate on the Lake Superior shoreline. She wanted more.
“It’s warm. And...” Ellery paused, searching for the right word. “Warm.”
Carter�
�s lips twitched at the corners. “Like the hat?” He tugged on one of the earflaps and in the process, his fingers accidentally grazed the curve of Ellery’s jaw.
The featherlight touch triggered a flash of heat that streaked through Ellery and spilled into her cheeks.
Carter’s hand dropped to his side and Ellery heard him suck in a quiet breath, as if he’d felt it, too.
“Is everyone ready?” Stanley called out, breaking the fragile connection between them.
Sixty seconds ago, Ellery would have said yes. Now she wasn’t so sure.
Fortunately, Stanley didn’t wait for an answer. He whistled and Diamond and Opal lurched forward down the snow-covered street.
* * *
Carter had scaled mountains. Jumped from a helicopter into the ocean. Hiked through deserts hot enough to melt the top layer of a man’s skin.
But never had Carter felt more out of his element than he did right now, in a sleigh drawn by two horses that jingled all the way down the main street.
Everything was out of his control. The speed. The route.
The clatter of his pulse when Ellery smiled at a group of teenagers who waved as the sleigh glided past them.
This is for Bea, Carter reminded himself. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint her again, even if it meant a forced trip down Memory Lane.
He shot a sideways glance at Ellery. She looked as captivated by the passing scenery as his daughter and Carter’s lips twisted.
His ex-wife had been fascinated with Castle Falls’s small-town charm, too, but in her case, the feeling hadn’t lasted very long. Shortly after Carter was deployed again, the woman who’d claimed she wanted to experience everything the area had to offer quickly ran out of things to do.
The sleigh turned at the corner and their driver pointed to a grove of trees. “The stone arch you see over there is a local landmark. Folks around here call it the wishing bell.”
Bea wriggled closer to the side of the sleigh, trying to get a better look. “Why?”
“I’m not from around here, mind you, but I was told that if you make a wish and the bell rings, it will come true. Did I get that right, Deputy?”
The part about it being a local landmark, yes. The rest of the story, of course, was pure fantasy. Probably something the Chamber of Commerce had cooked up for tourists back in the day. The arch not only provided a pretty backdrop for photos, it also happened to be a stone’s throw away from the businesses that kept the town alive.
If Carter said that, though, he’d be guilty of letting his cynicism show, so he settled for a safe “That’s what I’ve heard,” instead.
Bea clapped her hands together and before she said a word, Carter knew what was coming next. “Let’s make a wish, Daddy!”
“I wish I had some of the caramel corn I saw for sale in the park,” Carter said promptly. “And listen.” He put his finger to his lips. “Bells.”
Yes, the sound was coming from the ones sewn on the horses’ harnesses. And yes, it was a blatant attempt to avoid the very place Carter had declared his love to Jennifer. But thankfully, it worked.
“I hear them!” Bea nodded so vigorously that her hat almost slipped off her head.
Stanley laughed. “I’ll let you off at the next stop, then.” He guided the horses to the side of the street and shouted another “whoa” that caught the attention of a group of prospective passengers.
Carter hopped out first. Bea launched herself into his arms and Carter set her on the ground before turning his attention to Ellery. The bulky coat and miles of scarf hampered her movements as she attempted to climb down.
Carter automatically reached for her, too. His hands bracketed Ellery’s trim waist and he lifted her down. The fur-lined flaps of the bomber hat obscured her expression, but Carter heard a slight gasp as her feet touched the ground.
“Okay?”
“Y-yes.”
That made one of them, anyway.
Carter was still battling another unexpected spark of attraction before it gained more ground.
“Hold on, sweetheart. Your boot came untied.” Ellery dropped to her knees in the snow and Bea stood patiently while she tightened the laces. When Ellery finished, Bea hooked her arms around Ellery’s slender waist and gave her a hug, a gesture of affection so unaffected that it caused Carter’s breath to seize in his lungs.
This couldn’t happen.
Carter wouldn’t let it happen.
He hadn’t dated anyone since the divorce. By choice. It had taken months for Bea to emerge from her shell after Jennifer abandoned them. To find her smile again. It was too risky to open a door that could potentially lead to more hurt. Protecting his daughter was Carter’s first priority.
If he did decide to wade into the dating pool again, it would be with a local girl. Someone who wouldn’t miss the theater and concerts and stores that stayed open past five.
He appreciated the fact that Ellery had brought Bea to the parade, but she had no ties to the area. He didn’t want to risk getting attached—Carter caught himself. He didn’t want Bea to get attached to Ellery.
He tucked a folded bill into the wool cap that now lay upside down on the seat and looked around for Bea. Just as he suspected, she was deep in conversation with the horses. One small hand clutched Ellery’s while she stroked their velvety noses with the other.
Carter cleared his throat. “Ready to go, Bea?”
She nodded, her eyes shining. “I’m saying goodbye to the ponies!”
“And what do you say to Mr. Stanley?” Carter prompted.
“Thank you!” Bea blew kisses at the horses before she skipped back to his side.
“The caramel corn stand is by the pavilion.” Carter didn’t have time to gauge the fastest way to get there. Bea grabbed his hand, too, linking the three of them together.
If that wasn’t bad enough, it suddenly occurred to Carter that his brilliant plan to exchange a trip to the wishing bell for the caramel corn stand meant taking a path through the center of the park.
Luminaries made from blocks of ice lined the pathways that meandered through the park. Snow continued to fall, the kind that covered everything with a sparkling crystal veneer.
Local organizations and vendors had painted their booths to look like gingerbread houses, each one with a different theme. And all of them more tempting to a five-year-old than the candy display in the checkout line of the grocery store.
The idea for the Countdown to Christmas had been sown during a Chamber of Commerce meeting, but every year the event grew in popularity...and size.
Members of the historical society, dressed in clothing that looked as if they’d stepped from a photograph on the wall of the museum, strolled through the park singing Christmas carols. Food booths and carnival-type games supervised by what looked to be an entire squadron of Santa’s elves encouraged people to linger awhile.
“Can we play some games, too?” Bea pointed to a boy about her age, rolling a soccer ball toward a cluster of red-and-white-striped bowling pins.
“Of course,” Ellery said before Carter had a chance to respond.
Bea could hardly contain her excitement. The teenage volunteer, another one of Santa’s friendly elves, looked at Carter when they reached the front of the line.
“Ready to try snow bowling?” she asked cheerfully.
“Yes.” Once again, Ellery beat him to the verbal punch. “We’ll need three snowballs.”
Carter raised a brow when the teen handed each of them a soccer ball. “Snowballs?”
“Use your imagination,” Ellery whispered.
For a man who’d been through what Carter had, imagination ranked right up there with dreams.
Both of them led to disappointment.
Bea rolled the ball and knocked down two candy canes. Ellery missed them all by a mile, but she tossed a
teasing smile at Carter when it was his turn.
“Don’t worry, Deputy. You can do it.”
Ordinarily, Ellery would have been right.
But there was nothing ordinary about the way the evening was playing out.
Carter had been one of the best marksmen in his unit, but now he wasn’t as confident of his skills. Not when the scent of jasmine—and Ellery’s smile—were wreaking havoc with his concentration.
Somehow, whether driven by desperation or determination, Carter’s survival skills kicked into gear again. He managed to knock all five candy canes down. The “elf” awarded him with a stuffed polar bear that he promptly turned over to Bea.
By the time Carter spotted the caramel corn booth, he had played pin the carrot nose on the snowman and decorated a sugar cookie. The second activity took longer than it should have because Ellery and Bea applied frosting and sprinkles with the same amount of care Michelangelo must have used when painting the Sistine Chapel.
“You spent fifteen minutes decorating a cookie that will be gone in fifteen seconds,” Carter said as they walked away.
The tip of Ellery’s tongue swept away a sprinkle clinging to the corner of her mouth. “Your point?”
Ah...he’d had a point.
He just couldn’t remember what it was at the moment.
Carter dragged his gaze away from Ellery’s lips and focused his attention on the booth at the end of the path.
The woman behind the counter wore a white wig, oversize spectacles and a red velvet coat, but Carter recognized Sunni Mason.
Before he could greet her by name, though, Sunni tapped the badge hanging from a red-and-white lanyard around her neck.
“Mrs. Paws,” he read out loud.
“That’s right.” She grinned. “Now, which flavor of popcorn would you like? Caramel or white chocolate?”
Carter glanced down at his daughter. “Bea?”
She wasn’t looking at Sunni or the bags of mouth-watering caramel corn lined up on the counter. Something inside the booth had claimed her attention.
The Holiday Secret (Castle Falls Book 4) Page 5