Christmas at Barncastle Inn: Four-in-One Collection

by Susan Page Davis, Darlene Franklin, Janelle Mowery, Lynette Sowell

  As Diane headed for the kitchen, Luke looked around the dining room. “This is pretty nice, isn’t it?”

  “I like the pictures.” Andy was staring over the sideboard, at a large scene showing horses pulling a sled piled with logs.

  “So do I,” Luke said.

  “I didn’t know if castles had cows.”

  Luke smothered a grin. “For the milk?”

  “Yes.”

  The kitchen door opened, and this time Jayne emerged, carrying a tray with two glasses. Luke realized he’d wondered if they would see her again. Andy spotted her, and a shy smile crept over his lips. Something inside Luke unknotted.

  “Hello again, Andy.” She set his glass of milk on the table.

  Andy picked it up and took an experimental sip as she set Luke’s ice water down. He lowered the glass and smiled at Jayne with his milk mustache.

  “Where do you keep the cow?”

  Jayne laughed. “We have a peasant down the road that we buy our milk from, sir. How do you like your bedchamber?”

  “It’s great. We can see the lake.”

  “It’s wonderful.” Luke was amazed that his son was talking so freely with Jayne.

  “I have much the same view from my room.” She leaned closer to Andy. “I’ve always slept in the east tower.”

  His eyes widened.

  Jayne grinned. “No one’s renting the west tower room right now. If you want, I’ll take you up there in the morning. And there’s a deck on top of the house, too. From up there, you get a really good view of the town and the lake. With the leaves changing colors now, it’s especially pretty.”

  “Sounds like fun,” Luke said.

  “I’ve also come up with a few local attractions that might interest you.” Jayne fished a small notepad from her apron pocket. “It’s too cold to swim now, but we have a rowboat, and I’m sure we have a life jacket your size, Andy. We also have fishing gear. Folks have been known to take some nice trout from that lake. And one of our near neighbors is a veterinarian. His family has quite a variety of animals on their farm, including a pig. Have you ever patted a pig?”

  Andy shot an uncertain glance at Luke. “Have I, Daddy?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Jayne grinned. “They have a few other animals you may never have seen, too, but I’ll let it be a surprise.”

  “Can we go?” Andy’s imploring look was irresistible.

  “It sounds like a great outing,” Luke said.

  “I’ll give Dr. Ross a call.” Jayne headed for the kitchen.

  “I like her,” Andy said.

  Luke looked down into his eyes, vivid with excitement now. Andy didn’t usually take to new people so readily. But

  Jayne Barncastle had shown more than courtesy. She’d gone to extra lengths to make them comfortable and search for activities Andy would enjoy. He reached over and touched the boy’s shoulder.

  “Yeah. So do I.”

  Chapter 3

  Jayne met Luke at the door when he and Andy came back from their walk along the lakeshore.

  “Did you enjoy your stroll?” “It was great,” Luke said. “So peaceful.” “Yes. When I come home, it always strikes me that way.” To Jayne’s consternation, she choked up a bit. Maybe she’d stayed in Boston too long this time. “Would you like to have some ice cream near the fireplace?”

  Andy yawned, and his eyelids drooped. “How about it, buddy?” Luke asked. “Or are you still too full from supper?”

  “Ice cream,” Andy whispered. Luke nodded at Jayne. “Will you join us?” She felt her face flush. “I don’t usually. But I did call Dr. Ross, so we might want to settle the details on that. Besides, Mom has some pistachio ice cream in the freezer, and I’m always a pushover for that.”

  Luke chuckled. “Sounds good. I’ll have some, too.” “We also have chocolate peanut butter, and black cherry. Oh and vanilla.”

  “Chocolate,” Andy said.

  “There you go.” Luke’s smile sent a dart to Jayne’s heart. “One pistachio and one chocolate peanut butter.” “Great. I’ll bring it to the parlor.”

  Luke guided Andy to the large, cheerful room. Jayne waited long enough to hear Andy’s exclamation when he saw the flames crackling in the big fieldstone fireplace. She reminded herself not to read too much into Luke’s friendliness, and hurried to the kitchen. Her mother was covering a large mixing bowl with a clean dish towel.

  “Breakfast cinnamon buns?” Jayne asked.

  “Yes. What are you up to?”

  “Ice cream for three. Luke Gilbert invited me to join him and Andy. I figured I might as well give them the details about visiting the Rosses’ farm tomorrow.”

  Mom smiled. “That little boy is a doll.”

  “Isn’t he? He seems quite timid, though.” Jayne set three bowls on a tray.

  Her mother helped get it ready, and Jayne carried the tray into the hall. As she entered the parlor, she tried to see it through the eyes of a new guest—especially those of a serious six-year-old. The fireplace dominated the decor. The glowing woodwork and soft green walls gave a peaceful backdrop for the comfortable antique furniture and reproduction artwork. Jayne had to admit her mother had great taste.

  Luke sat in one of the overstuffed armchairs with Andy on his lap. The little boy faced the fireplace and leaned back against his father’s shoulder, his gaze riveted to the dancing flames.

  Luke glanced up at Jayne. “Ice cream’s here, buddy. Do you want to sit over there?” He nodded toward the sofa.

  Andy shook his head and burrowed his head into Luke’s chest.

  “Okay. I just thought it would make eating easier.” He smiled up at Jayne. “I guess we’re staying put, if that’s okay.”

  “Absolutely.” Jayne set the tray down on the coffee table and took Andy’s bowl over. He reached for it, not meeting her gaze. He’d probably be even more anxious if he left his father’s arms. Why did he cling to Luke so closely? The unexplained absence of his mother might have something to do with that. “Here you go, Andy. Chocolate peanut butter, just the way the knights liked it back in the Dark Ages.”

  Andy flashed an uncertain look at her. “No, they didn’t.”

  “Oh? Maybe you’re right.” Jayne smiled and handed Luke his dish, hoping she hadn’t made things worse for the little boy.

  “Thank you, Miss Barncastle,” Luke said.

  “Oh please. Jayne.”

  “Very well, then we’re Luke and Andy.”

  She frowned playfully down at Andy. “Are you sure it isn’t Sir Andrew?”

  Andy said nothing but smiled as he chopped off a chunk of the ice cream with his spoon.

  Jayne poked up the embers of the fire, hung up the poker, and tossed two split maple logs onto the blaze. Andy watched enthralled as the flames licked around them. She wondered if he’d ever been close to an open fire before.

  “So, about the farm.” She picked up her bowl and sat down on the sofa. “Dr. Ross said any time after ten o’clock tomorrow. He’s not working tomorrow unless there’s an emergency, so he and his folks will be there to show you their menagerie.”

  Andy wriggled and nudged his father. Luke bent downto hear his whisper.

  “She said a ‘menagerie.’ That’s a collection of animals.”

  Andy looked solemnly at Jayne.

  “Dr. Ross told me they have a pony that you might be able to ride.”

  Andy’s mouth opened wide. “Daddy?”

  “That sounds like fun, doesn’t it?” Luke said.

  “Right now Alec’s got something quite unusual. One of his clients left a ferret with him during his vacation. You can see that, too.”

  Andy swiveled his neck and peered up at Luke.

  “It’s a furry animal,” Luke said. “Like a rat, only bigger.” He smiled at Jayne. “I’ve never seen one myself.”

  “You know, I haven’t either. Should be interesting.”

  Andy tugged his father’s sleeve, and Luke bent down again to listen. A sm
ile wreathed his face. “Not a fairy. A ferret. Different things.”

  Andy shook his head and concentrated on his ice cream.

  “After lunch, if you think Andy would like it, there’s an apple orchard on the other side of town. You can pick your own apples. It’s fun, and they give you cider afterward. You can see them squeezing the apples.”

  “That sounds neat, don’t you think, Andy?”

  His mouth full of ice cream, Andy just nodded.

  “Will you be able to go with us, Jayne?” Luke asked.

  Jayne felt her cheeks color. She’d hoped he would ask, but hadn’t counted on it. “I’d enjoy it, if you’re sure I won’t be in the way.”

  “I think we’d both like it if you went.” After a minute or two of companionable silence while they ate, Luke said, “You mentioned ‘coming home’ to this house. Does that mean you’re usually elsewhere? If that’s not too personal …”

  Jayne shrugged. “It’s not. I usually come home to help my folks run the inn in summer, but this year I was so close to clinching my master’s degree, we all felt I’d be silly to put it off. So I stayed in Boston and studied all summer. I’m glad it’s done and I’ve got the credential, but …” She hesitated. “I’m facing a big decision about employment. I have an offer in the city, but coming home this week reminded me of what I’ll give up if I take it. And then there’s Mom and Dad …”

  Luke arched his eyebrows invitingly, but said nothing.

  Jayne scraped the bottom of her dish. “They’d like me to stay. I’m just not sure that’s what I should do—or what I want to do.”

  “It’s a big decision.”

  “Yeah.” She hesitated then said softly, “I’m praying about it.”

  “Good move.”

  They looked at each other, not speaking, but Jayne felt there was no need. In Luke’s blue eyes, so much like Andy’s, she saw sadness and fatigue, but also understanding.

  Andy’s spoon clinked as it fell from his hand into his bowl. Luke arched his neck to peer down at his son.

  “He’s asleep,” Jayne whispered, leaning forward to take the dishes from Andy’s lap.

  “At least he finished his ice cream first. I’ll carry him up to bed.”

  Jayne took Luke’s bowl and put it on the tray. He rose carefully, shifting Andy in his arms.

  “Thank you, Jayne.”

  “Let us know if you need anything. You can call down on the phone in your room if you want, so you don’t have to leave him alone.”

  “Thanks. If Andy didn’t feel secure here, he’d still be wound up. I think he finds this place relaxing, which is a wonderful thing for him.”

  “I’m glad.”

  Jayne walked with him out into the hallway and watched Luke carry the inert little boy up the stairs. Where they turned at the landing, Luke looked down at her and smiled. Jayne raised her hand in a friendly wave. She turned back to the parlor to collect their dishes.

  Was she giving up more than she’d considered to begin her career in Boston? Luke and Andy seemed to be alone now, but they had the Dillard family—his in-laws. He must be on friendly terms with them. Did that mean there’d been no divorce? Luke and Andy belonged to a good-sized extended family. Eleven people for Christmas week, provided Luke and Andy liked the inn. So far, so good.

  A sudden thought pricked her. When had she stopped taking extra pains just to get the Christmas booking and begun doing it for Andy? When she’d seen how shy and fearful he was, and then his excitement about the animals, and even the fireplace and the ice cream, her heart had tumbled. He was such a sweet little thing. In the last five hours, her goal had shifted to making Andy feel at home at the Barncastle—whether his grandmother booked the Christmas package or not. Andy’s comfort and security were paramount.

  Jayne carried the tray to the kitchen, where her parentssat at the table eating ice cream. In a year, they would be gone, and the inn would be sold. If she stayed to run it with hired help, who would be here to make her feel at home in the castle? Keeping the house she loved in rural Vermont might end up as lonely as pursuing a frenetic career in the city—and she’d have more time to think about it. Would she ever have a family of her own to share life with her?

  A chilly wind swept in off the lake the next morning, and Luke insisted on driving his SUV down the road to the Ross family’s farm.

  Alec Ross and his father greeted them cheerfully. Alec told Luke about his veterinary office in the village, where he practiced with an older man, Dr. Coe. After they visited Alec’s two dogs in the yard, he led them into the barn, to a cage holding a furry animal the size of a small cat.

  “Is that the ferret?” Andy pronounced the word carefully.

  Luke and Jayne exchanged an amused look. Jayne couldn’t know how proud Luke felt at that moment—seeing Andy actually speak up to Dr. Ross and ask his own question, instead of whispering it to his father and getting Luke to talk for him.

  “Yes, it is,” Alec replied.

  “Do they make good pets?” Jayne asked.

  “Some do.” Alec made sure the door was closed. “I’ll take it out of the cage, and you can pat it if you want to, Andy. I’m not going to let you hold it, though, because I don’t know this guy very well. He’s been polite so far, but I wouldn’t want anything to happen.”

  He put on leather gloves and took the animal carefullyout of the wire cage and cradled it in his arms then stooped so the ferret was at Andy’s waist level. “You can pat his side and back. I wouldn’t reach directly toward his face, though.”

  Andy reached out, paused, then continued. His fingertips grazed the ferret’s fur, and he smiled up at Luke. “It’s really soft.”

  “Your dad and Jayne can touch him, too.” Alec stood straighter, and Jayne reached to feel the soft pelt.

  “You’re right, Andy. He feels as soft as a kitten.”

  Luke, too, stroked the animal. The ferret began to stir and wriggle in Alec’s arms.

  “Time to go back in your cage.” Alec slipped the ferret smoothly in through the door and closed it.

  Andy stepped closer and stared as the ferret groomed itself, its long, pink tongue flicking over its silky fur.

  “Want to see the other animals now?” Alec asked him.

  Andy nodded.

  “We have some sheep you can pat, and a cute little pig, and then there’s the pony. My dad said something about putting his saddle on him.” He smiled and held out his hand to Andy.

  Luke held his breath, but Andy placed his hand in Alec’s and walked with him to the door.

  “I think Andy’s found a new friend,” Jayne murmured.

  “Looks like it,” Luke said. “Shall we tag along?”

  Jayne hadn’t enjoyed a day so much for a long time. After Andy’s pony ride, Luke drove to a small café in the village. They dawdled over sandwiches and milkshakes, with Luke and Andy telling silly riddles. Most were based on puns the six-year-old found hysterical.

  “Where does the sheep get its haircut?” he asked Jayne, suppressing a giggle.

  “I don’t know. At the shearer’s?”

  Andy shook his head and shouted gleefully, “At the baa-baa shop!”

  Jayne laughed. “Guess I never heard that one.” They piled into Luke’s SUV again, and she guided him to the apple orchard.

  “We haven’t had a hard frost yet,” the owner told them, “so some of the varieties aren’t ready yet. But you can pick Mcintosh and Cortlands.”

  “Do we like those, Daddy?” Andy’s worried frown crept back over his forehead.

  “We sure do.”

  Jayne scooched down and smiled at Andy. “If you get a bag of McIntosh, my mom will make you an apple pie.”

  Andy licked his lips. “Let’s do that, Daddy.”

  “Okay.” Luke ruffled his hair and took a sturdy paper tote bag from the farmer. While he and Andy carefully picked the ripe apples, Jayne took pictures. Andy ignored her, and she got some great shots, using her close-up from several yards away.


  After Luke paid for the apples and they drank cups of cider, they strolled back to the parking lot.

  “I’ll put the pictures in my computer and print them for you tonight,” Jayne said. “I think I have some you’ll like.”

  “Great.” Luke glanced at Andy and lowered his voice. “Thanks for doing that. He’s usually camera shy.”

  She shrugged. “He wanted a picture of him on Alec’s pony, and after that, he didn’t seem to mind anymore.”

  “He likes you.”

  “I’m flattered.”

  Before they’d pulled onto the road, Andy had drifted off to sleep.

  Luke threw Jayne a smile. “He’s too old for taking naps, but all this fresh air and excitement tuckers him out.”

  “He’s adorable. I’m glad he’s enjoying his stay.”

  “Me, too.” Luke hesitated. “Sometimes he has a rough time, especially around new people and places.”

  “I thought maybe.” Jayne looked out the window as the familiar houses floated by. “Sometimes big people have trouble adjusting, too.”

  “Are you having a tough time just now?”

  “Sort of.” She pressed her lips together. She barely knew Luke, and he was a guest at the inn—not the person she should use as a sounding board for her dilemma. But his inquisitive glance and sympathetic half smile said otherwise. “It’s this decision I have to make on whether to come home permanently to help my folks run their business, or take the job I’ve been offered in Boston.”

  “Quite a choice.” He turned onto the road that led to the Barncastle. “Do you like working at the inn?”

  “I love it.”

  “What’s holding you back?”

  She sighed. “For one thing, I have a solid job offer in hand. But my folks told me Monday they’d like to retire next year. I never thought the inn would bring in enough to support more than the immediate family, but now that I’ve studied marketing, I’ve concluded that it can be done.

  Trying could be a lot of fun. I’d have to hire help of course.” She tried not to connect the inn’s success with his family’s decision on the Christmas package—she wouldn’t want Luke to get the idea that his or Mrs. Dillard’s preferences would decide her future.