A dog, curled up on a fleece blanket not far from Sunni’s feet.
And in spite of the festive red-and-green bandanna knotted around the animal’s neck, Carter recognized him, too.
Bea’s arms clamped around his leg when the dog’s lips peeled back, exposing a row of jagged teeth.
“Don’t worry. That’s just Dodger’s way of smiling at you,” Sunni explained. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a biscuit. “Would you like to give him a treat?”
Bea’s eyes lit up. “Uh-huh.” She dropped to her knees and giggled when the dog licked her face instead of the biscuit. “He likes me!”
“Of course he does. Dodger might not look like a show dog but he has a very big heart.” Sunni dropped her voice a notch. “In fact, if it wasn’t for your daddy, I’m not sure where he would be now.”
“My daddy?” Bea breathed.
“That’s right. Dodger got lost in the woods and he was hurt. Deputy Bristow—your daddy—saved his life.”
“I found him,” Carter corrected.
“And brought him to the vet. And, if the rumors are true, paid his bills.”
Were veterinarians exempt from patient confidentiality? Carter made a mental note to find out.
“Not that big of a deal,” he muttered.
“I don’t agree.” Sunni looked at Bea. “Your daddy is a hero and I’m sure Dodger thinks so, too.”
Bitterness rose in Carter’s throat, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.
In spite of what Sunni claimed, he wasn’t a hero. Not when he hadn’t been able to save his own marriage.
Carter bared his teeth in a smile. “Just doing my job.”
“Dodger likes Miss El’ry, too.”
Sunni looked a little startled when Bea knelt down beside Ellery. She must have assumed that Ellery was the next customer in line.
And the flash of delight Carter saw on the woman’s face told him that she’d just made another one.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were together.”
Chapter Seven
Ellery found herself on the receiving end of a wide smile. And there was no mistaking the slight emphasis the dog’s owner had put on the last word.
Togeth— No.
Oh, no.
In spite of the temperature, heat flooded Ellery’s cheeks. She didn’t dare look at Carter. “I’m a guest...at the inn.”
“Then welcome to our town!” The woman’s smile spilled into the lines fanning out from her chocolate-brown eyes. “What brings you to Castle Falls?”
Ellery caught her lower lip between her teeth. She didn’t want to lie but she couldn’t tell the truth, either. Observe, not engage. What she’d thought would be a simple strategy had become more complicated since she’d arrived.
Bea—bless her heart—answered the question Ellery couldn’t.
“Miss El’ry needs peace and quiet,” she said.
The woman chuckled. “You’ll find plenty of that around here,” she affirmed, echoing what Karen had said the day Ellery checked into the inn. “Where do you call home?”
“Downstate...” Relief poured through Ellery when three small children scampered up to the booth, their parents a few steps behind. Ellery moved aside to make room and put some distance between herself and the woman’s curiosity.
Carter scooped Bea up in his arms. “It’s almost bedtime, Issybea. You can pick one more thing to do before Miss Ellery takes you home.”
Bea didn’t have to think about it. “The snow maze!”
Ellery pressed her lips together to seal off a smile.
Carter’s adorable, precocious daughter had chosen the activity guaranteed to postpone bedtime a little bit longer. It was clear Carter knew he’d been outmaneuvered by a five-year-old, but the look he leveled at Ellery said he held her partially responsible for the decision.
“It starts over there,” she said helpfully. “At the North Pole.”
Carter set Bea down and gestured toward the booth flanked by two gigantic candy canes. “Lead the way.”
One of the elves—a lanky teenage boy wearing pointed ears and a ball cap emblazoned with the words Team Santa—greeted them at the entrance of the maze. He handed out plastic tokens shaped like snowflakes to each of them and winked at Bea.
“Don’t lose this. You’ll need it when you get to the end.”
Carter examined his snowflake with the same intensity he would devote to a piece of evidence but Bea didn’t display any of her father’s skepticism. She skipped ahead of them and disappeared into the maze, leaving Carter and Ellery with no choice but to follow.
The walls, built from blocks of snow, were high enough that Ellery couldn’t see over the top. Bea led the way and giggled when the first turn led them to a dead end. They retraced their steps and waited while she chose another path.
“This is amazing,” Ellery whispered. “Does the Chamber of Commerce do this every year?”
“I have no idea,” Carter admitted. “I haven’t been to one of these events since...my last deployment.”
Ellery shouldn’t have been surprised to learn Carter had been in the military. “Which branch?”
“Navy,” he said curtly. “Special forces.”
He’d been a SEAL?
A dozen questions sprang into Ellery’s mind, but she remained silent, afraid that if she delved into Carter’s personal life, it would give him license to do the same with hers.
Not that he seemed interested in finding out more about her. Ellery got the feeling Carter had already formed an opinion of her and for reasons she didn’t quite understand, it wasn’t very favorable.
Bea, who’d been zipping through the icy corridors as quickly as her namesake, disappeared around a corner.
“I think she needs a scarf with bells.” Carter quickened his pace to catch up with her, but not before Ellery saw the telltale glint in his eyes.
Two jokes in the space of an hour. The man did have a sense of humor—and it looked really good on him...
Carter stopped so abruptly that Ellery almost crashed into him.
They’d reached the end of the maze. Ellery peeked over Carter’s shoulder and she spotted the landmark Stanley Potter had pointed out during their tour. Only now she could see a copper bell hanging from the center of a stone arch. Dozens of plastic snowflakes were scattered on and around the rustic bench beneath it.
“Look, Daddy! The wishing bell!” Bea danced ahead of them. “Come on!”
Ellery took a step forward, but Carter didn’t budge. His eyes remained riveted on Bea as she closed her eyes and pressed the snowflake against her heart.
“Why do people encourage things like this?” he murmured.
“Things like what?”
“Wishes.”
The muscle working in Carter’s jaw told Ellery he wasn’t kidding. She also realized he wasn’t expecting an answer, but the words slipped from her lips before she could stop them.
“Because they remind us of what’s important?”
Carter cut a sharp, disbelieving glance in her direction.
“There’s no wind. Bea is going to be disappointed when that silly bell doesn’t ring after she makes a wish.”
“Bea is five years old,” Ellery said softly. “She’ll make another one the next time you bring her. I’m sure you’ve made a wish when you’ve blown out the candles on your birthday cake or seen a falling star. It’s not so much about the wish coming true...it’s about hope.”
Carter didn’t respond and Ellery was afraid he didn’t believe in that, either.
Ellery closed her eyes, exchanging the wish for a prayer.
Only this time, it wasn’t for the family she’d come to Castle Falls to find.
It was for Carter’s.
* * *
Carter l
et himself into the back hallway and hung his coat on the wooden rack by the door. One hook over, the scarf Ellery had borrowed from his mom cascaded down the wall and formed a red-and-purple puddle on the floor.
A smile worked its way free before Carter realized what was happening.
Another sneak attack.
Just when he thought Ellery was cut from the same designer fabric as his ex-wife, who wouldn’t have been caught dead in a borrowed ensemble, she did something that took Carter by surprise.
But being a good cop meant reducing the element of surprise.
Because surprises could be dangerous. Change a man’s life.
Like the soft chime of a bell on a windless night.
Did you hear that, Daddy?
Bea had breathed the words as they’d stepped back into the maze, her eyes filled with wonder.
Carter had heard it, all right. But he sure couldn’t explain it.
The words Ellery had spoken circled back through his mind.
It’s hope.
Maybe the most dangerous thing of all.
Carter took the back staircase to the second floor, locked up his duty weapon and changed out of his uniform before stopping in to check on Bea.
Tiny lights in every color of the rainbow decorated the branches of a small artificial tree in the corner. Christmas had sneaked in here, too.
He stepped over a miniature horse corral spread out on the rug and leaned down, pressed a kiss against Bea’s forehead. Her eyes flickered open.
She smiled and burrowed deeper under the comforter. “‘Night, Daddy. Wasn’t it fun?”
“Yes.” Inexplicably, Carter’s throat tightened.
Most of the time, his mom supervised Bea’s activities and outings. Carter heard about their adventures second-hand. His mom easily navigated the carefree, glitter-strewn world of a little girl. Understood the importance of hair bows and tea parties and books with ponies prancing on the cover.
Carefree wasn’t exactly a word in Carter’s vocabulary anymore. Protecting and serving defined his days. The very nature of his career required that he remain vigilant. The same things that made Carter a good officer made it hard for him to let his guard down. But if he were completely honest, he had enjoyed the evening.
Seeing his daughter happy made Carter happy.
But that still didn’t mean it was in Bea’s best interests to spend time with Ellery.
“See you in the morning, sweetheart.” Carter turned off the nightlight and backed out of the room.
There was no sign of his mom, but if new guests had arrived in the past few hours, chances were strong that Karen would be in the kitchen, starting the breakfast prep work.
Carter found her at the butcher block island, up to her elbows in bread dough.
“Mom—”
“I know what you’re going to say. And I’m sorry if you’re upset that I let Bea go to the parade tonight,” she said quietly. “Ellery overheard me telling Bea that I had to be here when the guests arrived. She saw how disappointed Bea was and offered to take her along.”
“I’m not upset.” Carter blew out a sigh. “And I do trust your judgment. But it doesn’t make sense to me that someone who claims she came here for peace and quiet extended the invitation to a five-year-old who doesn’t stop talking even when she’s asleep.”
Karen smiled at the description. “I know your job has made you a little...suspicious of people’s motives, but I don’t see anything in Ellery that raises a red flag.”
Carter did.
“I don’t want Bea to be a...a cure for boredom, that’s all. She isn’t a doll that Ellery Marshall can discard when she gets tired of playing with her.”
Understanding dawned in his mom’s eyes.
“Carter.” A quiet exhale stirred the silence in the room. “Please tell me that you aren’t comparing Ellery to Jennifer.”
“They seem to have a lot in common,” he said tightly. “You saw the car she drives. The clothes she wears.”
“Yes, but those kinds of things aren’t an accurate gauge of what’s in a person’s heart,” Karen protested. “You have to look beyond them.”
Carter knew she was right.
But the plain and simple truth?
He was afraid to take his mom’s advice.
Afraid that if he did, he’d discover that Ellery was as beautiful on the inside as she was in her borrowed red-and-purple scarf and fur-trimmed hat.
Because it wouldn’t change the fact that her stay in Castle Falls would be over as quickly as Bea unwrapped her presents on Christmas morning.
Chapter Eight
Sunday morning, Ellery woke up to the aroma of freshly baked bread and the insistent hum of her cell phone on the nightstand next to the bed.
She pushed her hair out of her eyes and reached for it. Groaned when she saw the time...and the name flashing on the screen.
Jameson.
“Good morning!” Ellery injected what she hoped was the right amount of enthusiasm into her tone. “How are you?”
“When are you coming home?” The attorney parried, making it clear that his answer was dependent on her response.
Ellery flopped onto her back and stared at the tiny glass prisms hanging from the antique chandelier on the ceiling. “I’m not sure,” she hedged.
“I’m trying to see things from your perspective, Elle, but I’m still not entirely sure what it is you’re hoping to accomplish.”
“I don’t know if I can explain it, either,” Ellery murmured. “It’s...complicated.”
“Have you had an opportunity to explore Castle Falls?”
“Last night.” Ellery was glad that Jameson couldn’t see the wave of color that heated her cheeks.
In addition to the tangle of emotions Ellery had been sorting through upon discovering she had brothers, now she was dealing with those that Carter stirred inside her.
“I’m still not comfortable with this, Ellery. One phone call to Dwayne Howard and we’ll have everything we need to know about the Kanes.”
That was the trouble. If Ellery agreed, she suspected the private investigator and Jameson would decide what was important.
And even though Ellery hadn’t discovered anything about her brothers, how could she explain that being in Castle Falls made her feel closer to them somehow? Knowing she was part of a family—even one she hadn’t met yet—eased some of the emptiness inside.
So did spending time with Bea.
And Carter, an inner voice teased.
Ellery tried to sweep the thought away, only to discover every moment of their evening together had become woven into her memory.
The sense of humor lurking behind the man’s serious, just-the-facts exterior intrigued her. The patience and tenderness he displayed with Bea tugged at her heart.
Not to mention that Carter was a former Navy SEAL who’d rescued an abandoned dog and paid its vet bills...
“I’m not ready to leave yet.”
When Jameson sighed, Ellery realized she’d said the words out loud.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll be tied up with a jury trial for a few days, but you’ll keep me in the loop.”
It wasn’t posed in the form of a question but Ellery didn’t take offense. The attorney had been a steadfast presence after her parents died and Ellery knew Jameson’s command stemmed from concern, not a need to control.
“Of course I will. And you have to agree to keep the private investigator on hold until I get back,” Ellery said.
“I...I’m sorry, Elle.” She heard a sudden commotion in the background. “I have to run.”
“Bye, Jameson.” Ellery was glad he couldn’t see the look of relief on her face right before she hung up the phone.
There was no use trying to fall back to sleep. If Jameson’s phone call hadn’t awak
ened her, the enticing aromas seeping through the vents in the floor would have done the trick.
Ellery took a quick shower, pulled on a cashmere tunic in her favorite shade of robin’s-egg blue, black leggings and ballet flats before padding downstairs.
She expected to find the dining room empty, but Karen and Carter were standing in front of the beverage table, deep in conversation.
A tense conversation, judging from their expressions.
“I’m sorry.” Ellery pulled up short. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Karen waved aside her apology.
“I’m glad you did,” the innkeeper said candidly. “Carter and I were having a difference of opinion and now I can call an official time-out.”
Ellery stifled a groan. One more thing the man could hold against her!
“The only reason you want to call a time-out is because your argument isn’t holding up,” Carter retorted.
“This isn’t court, Deputy Bristow.” Karen winked at Ellery as she poured a third cup of coffee. “The director of the local shelter called a few minutes ago and asked if I’d be willing to foster one of their animals.”
“And you don’t allow pets at the inn,” Ellery guessed.
Carter shot Karen a dark look. “Yes, but in this situation, Mom is willing to bend the rules.”
“That’s because the animal is a horse and it won’t be inside.” Karen’s eyes twinkled. “Technically, I’m not bending the rule because it doesn’t apply.
“The horse’s owner is moving into an assisted living facility and no one in his family has a place for it. They found a summer camp downstate that accepts older horses for a therapeutic riding program, but the entire staff gets time off in December, so it needs a temporary home. I’m one of the few people in the area who has a barn.”
“You also have an inn to run.” Carter pointed to the chalkboard calendar. “And a to-do list that literally takes up an entire wall.”
“Volunteers from the shelter will come out here every other day to take the horse out for some exercise. Clean out its stall.” Karen chuckled. “The only thing I have to do is figure out how to convince Bea that she won’t be able to sleep in the barn.”
The Holiday Secret (Castle Falls Book 4) Page 6