Christmas at Barncastle Inn: Four-in-One Collection

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

  “Do you have a chair I could borrow? I need to feed my baby.”

  “Of course. Isn’t she sweet?”

  While the hostess bustled around for supplies, Waverly explained the situation to Alec. “Why don’t you order something for me, and I’ll eat in the truck.” She looked out the window. “We really don’t want to get caught in the snow.”

  Alec found a spot far removed from cold windows, near the warm kitchen, and drank two cups of coffee.

  The hostess—who also appeared to be the only waitress—plunked down across from him while she poured a third cup of coffee. “Ready to order?”

  He glanced at the bathroom door and then at the snow driving against the window. “I guess I better.”

  “I know, it’s hard when they’re little like that.” The waitress—her name tag read ROSIE—tapped her order pad. “Don’t know that Donnie and I got to eat a single meal together as long as the kids were little.”

  “Oh, we’re not a couple.” Now, why did I feel compelled to say that?

  “Could have fooled me. You look right natural together.”

  Alec scowled. What had happened to his plans to share his heart with Waverly today? He hadn’t expected Cinnamon to take over the entire trip. “I guess we’ll have two cheeseburgers with fries to go. And if I bring in a thermos, can you fill’er up? With a large cup to go?”

  “Sure.”

  He pushed his arms into the sleeves of his coat andwalked out into blowing snow in air that had dropped ten degrees. Grabbing the thermos, he went back inside.

  Waverly stood at the cash register, chatting with Rosie.

  “You all set?” Alec looked down at Cinnamon, eyes closed, her forehead wrinkling in sleep, the same look he had seen on Waverly’s face when she concentrated on something. The baby looked a lot like her mama. “I bet you feel better now.”

  “She should. I wonder if the pickled beets I ate yesterday gave her a tummy ache.”

  “Here you go.” The heavenly aroma of burgers and freshly toasted buns wafted from a bag in Rosie’s hand. Alec opened the thermos, and she filled it up. “That should do it for you.” She beamed at the two of them. “Hope to see you again sometime.”

  Waverly paused at the door, staring at the flying snow. “Oh my. How are we going to make it?”

  “We don’t have much choice.” Alec held the door open for her and then ran ahead of her to the truck. She hustled and bundled Cinnamon straight into her seat.

  “We promised Jayne and Luke. Can’t have Magi weekend without camels.”

  The truck had grown cold and Alec kept his ridiculous hat on his head until the heater kicked in. Waverly buckled her seat belt. “Every nativity set I’ve ever seen has camels, but does the Bible even mention them in the Christmas story? Why do we assume the wise men rode camels?”

  Alec shrugged and removed his hat. “I don’t know. But my Bible’s in the glove compartment there. You could read the second chapter of Matthew and check, I suppose.”

  Waverly pulled out the Bible and plucked off her gloves so she could turn the pages. “It says ‘magi from the east came to Jerusalem.’ And later, after they left Herod, ‘they went on their way.’ ‘On coming to the house.’ ‘They returned to their country by another route.’ Nope, not one word about their mode of travel.”

  Alec’s side window was frosting over. The windshield wipers fought the snowfall. Behind them, the animal trailer swished a bit.

  “It’s getting bad out there.” Waverly wiped at her window with her mitten.

  Alec checked his odometer. With the stop at the state line, they had covered only a little more than half the distance. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed the animal farm.

  “Alec, where are you?” Ken, the owner of the farm, asked.

  “Just over the state line, and we’ve got a real storm brewing. I’m heading back to Castlebury. Don’t want to risk damage to your camels.”

  “I’m relieved to hear it. Not fit weather for man nor beast out there. Skedaddle on home and let me know if you decide to come down tomorrow.”

  “Ten four.” Alec shut the phone.

  “You mean it? We’re headed back to Castlebury?”

  “I think it’s the best course.” He maneuvered the truck so that he could turn around.

  “I’m sorry if we slowed you down.”

  He looked at her, smiling. “You’re the best part.” He rubbed his gloves against the windshield, clearing off a patch free of ice, and pulled back into traffic.

  He concentrated on driving—and only driving—for thenext fifteen minutes. Waverly ate her food in silence. “I think that’s the sign for the state line.”

  He grunted. Still fifty miles to go.

  “You haven’t eaten.”

  “Gotta keep my hands on the wheel.”

  “Here, let me help.” The paper bag rustled, and the aroma of grilled meat tickled his nose. “I tore off a piece. Just bite into it.”

  He took the small piece and stuffed it in. It went down as quickly as a ravenous wolf’s first bite. “More. Please.”

  Laughing, she fed him in small bites, a single french fry at a time. His lips brushed her fingers once or twice and they burned, although the food had grown cold. She giggled, and he laughed with her.

  “No more. The windshield wipers aren’t working well enough.”

  “Okay.” She leaned back, and a bite of cold air sliced across his face. He wiped his glove across the windshield to clear a small patch. “Defroster’s not working fast enough.” He frowned. “It’s fogging up inside the cab. I’m gonna have to open the windows a crack.” He slipped it open a quarter of an inch, and the temperature in the cab dropped about ten degrees.

  “But Cinnamon.” The baby cried and Waverly twisted in her seat. “I don’t want her to get sick.” A certain amount of panic rose in her voice.

  Alec stared out the narrow strip of the windshield that was clear. The wheels slipped.

  “What was that?”

  “The road’s getting icy. They weren’t predicting thismuch snow.” Alec eased up on the gas pedal. “About Cinnamon, I don’t know.”

  Waverly unbuckled her belt and knelt on the seat, reaching for Cinnamon. “I can’t reach her.” Frustration edged her voice and she ran her arm down behind Alec’s seat, reaching for something on the floor. She found the diaper bag and sat frontward again. “Maybe I can add more layers to help keep her warm. But what? I have a change of clothes, but that won’t do any good since I can’t reach her.”

  “And I don’t dare stop, afraid I might not get going again.”

  Waverly pulled out a changing cloth. “Better than nothing, I suppose.” She slipped off her coat before kneeling over the headrest again. Alec heard her settling the extra layers over Cinnamon, and the baby’s cries grew muffled.

  “Are you warm enough?” Alec looked at Waverly with concern.

  She put on the scarf and hat she had removed in the cab and folded her arms around her waist. “I’ll be okay. I have more resistance to winter than my baby.”

  A mother’s love … the closest thing that could compare to God the Father’s love, the kind that sacrificed without any expectation of getting anything in return. Waverly was a good, godly woman.

  And once again he had to postpone that serious conversation he kept rehearsing in his mind. Getting them home safely through cold and snow was his top priority.

  They couldn’t get back to Castlebury soon enough to satisfy Waverly. She wasn’t dangerously cold, a lesson shehad learned in her first time on the ski slopes as a kid, but she was chilled through and through. Cinnamon’s constant crying caused Waverly’s milk to flow. She hoped Alec wasn’t paying attention to the dark spots appearing here and there on her sweater. She didn’t think he had. His attention had riveted on the road and the weather radio. The predicted snow flurries had changed to near blizzard conditions, with snowfall of up to a foot in some areas. People thinking of traveling for New Year’s Eve were encouraged to
exercise caution. At last the sign for Castlebury appeared, and Waverly relaxed a bit. Alec’s fingers relaxed their grip on the steering wheel as well. “Oh, look, Joe’s Java is open.” She spotted the cheery neon sign. She glanced at Alec. “But can we stop?”

  Alec grunted. “A hot drink sounds good about now, but let’s park by my office and transfer us all to one of our cars and come back. I don’t want to move the trailer after I’ve stopped.”

  “Of course.” Heat jumped to Waverly’s cheeks, warming them from their cold state. “You don’t need to come with us.”

  “Oh but I want to.” Alec flashed a grin at her. “I need you with me when I explain to Jayne why we don’t have three camels as ordered.”

  Waverly glanced at her sweater. The spots had become fairly noticeable. She’d put her coat on when they went inside and she’d keep it on, even if she warmed up so much she felt like a furnace.

  They left the truck at the vet’s office. In spite of the weather, the parking lot was full. “I guess everybody else had the same idea.” He opened the door.

  Waverly didn’t know if she could manage a cup of cocoa with her shivering fingers, but Alec solved the problem by carrying their order on a bright red tray, in keeping with the “ho ho ho” cups holding their drinks. “She even warmed the muffins for us. We had a choice of apple cinnamon or apple cinnamon.”

  Waverly laughed. “Sounds good.” She peeked at Cinnamon’s face but left her in the bunting until they both warmed up a bit. “Bet they won’t be half as good as you.” She rubbed noses with her baby, and she gurgled, her cry calming down in the warm room.

  “Is she hungry?”

  “She probably could snack, but I’ll wait awhile. Mama needs to warm up first.” She tucked Cinnamon into the crook of her arm and gave her a pacifier. The baby sucked peacefully and curled up against her mother.

  Waverly bit into the muffin and washed it down with a mouthful of whipped cream that she spooned from the top of the hot chocolate. “Are you coming to Jayne’s baby shower tomorrow?”

  “That’s tomorrow?” Alec’s nose wrinkled the way it did when he was puzzled, a trait she found endearing.

  “I thought I told you. We’re planning the baby shower after we have the wise men rehearsal tomorrow. Speaking of Jayne …”

  “Yeah, I know.” Alec scooped a crumb of cinnamon streusel into his mouth before he opened his cell phone. “Hi there … No, we didn’t get through … You know, Waverly checked that while we were on the road. The Bible doesn’t even mention camels, I think it’s just tradition … Extra horses? Sure.”

  “So if they can’t arrive by camel, we’re going to put them on horseback?”

  “You know they weren’t going to ride the two-humped critters. We were going to show them arriving with the camels and gifts in tow.”

  “I know.” Waverly looked out the window at the snow that continued falling. “Have her guests arrived?”

  “Apparently the snow started down south before it got here. They left early to miss it. So the show will go on.” He glanced at his watch. “I hate to rush things, but I need to pick up something for tomorrow. Are you ready?”

  “Sure.” Waverly reversed the dressing for outside weather in record time. Minutes later, Alec dropped her off at her apartment. He lifted the blanket long enough to peek at Cinnamon, and a soft expression crossed his face, like the smiles she had seen on Luke’s face when he felt Jayne’s baby moving about inside. Waverly pushed down the longing that came with the gesture.

  I almost blew that one, Lord. Alec breathed a sigh of relief that the local businesses had kept their doors open—local drivers put on their winter gear and tire chains if necessary and went where they needed to. Unless they were transporting expensive cargo like borrowed camels. He stopped by a couple of stores before he had everything he needed.

  Tomorrow, Lord, for sure.

  Chapter 7

  Iconfess I’m just as glad you found me a horse. I was a mite worried about camels,” Omar Shippen, a local playing one of the Magi, said. Inn guests would portray the other two wise men.

  “Yeah, Prince here will be just fine. Worthy of carrying gifts to the Lord of Lords.” Alec offered the Morgan an apple and rubbed his nose. He wouldn’t admit he felt the same way. Vets knew a little about many different animals; he’d dealt with everything from a porcupine in heat to somebody’s pet python. He’d felt confident he could handle the camels—with a little know-how from the owner of the exotic animal farm. But then he thought of Waverly slipping and sliding around the sheep and shook his head. Maybe not.

  “Especially since we’ve got quite a load for them to carry today.” Omar nodded toward the parcels, bundled in burlap sacks died purple and red. “More than Santa Claus carries on Christmas Eve.”

  “How else are we going to get wrapped presents into the Barncastle without Jayne knowing?” Alec winked. “I doubt that the original gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh took up so much space.”

  Omar waved his hand in the air. “Travel supplies. They’d been on the road for two years, isn’t that the estimate?”

  “According to King Herod.” When Omar turned away, Alec slipped his gifts into one of the bags.

  The snow had stopped falling during the night, after dumping eight of the predicted twelve inches. White Christmas had arrived a week late, but didn’t some Christians celebrate Epiphany on January sixth? “So we have a white Christmas, after all.”

  “What’s that you said?” Omar asked.

  “That we’re having a white Christmas after all. For the wise men’s Christmas.”

  “Hah.” Omar snorted. “That’s one thing I doubt the Magi had to contend with. Not much snow in the Middle East.”

  “True enough. Say, can you help me get the horses in the trailer? Usually Waverly helps me, but I’ll be picking her up on the way.”

  “Sure.” Before long, they had loaded the horses into the trailer and the bags into the dry safety of Omar’s van. Alec called ahead to alert Waverly to his arrival. “And my dashboard says the current outside temperature is thirty-two degrees, and the sky is clear. There should be no worries about little Cinnamon today.”

  “I guess I was a worrywart. She was fine.”

  “You’re a mom. That’s your job. But how about you? You looked a little frosty around the edges before we got hot cocoa into you.”

  “I’m fine. But just in case, can I have a sick day?” Waverly faked a cough. “See you in a few.”

  Mrs. P. popped out the door when Alec pulled into the yard. “I’m so happy Jayne invited me to be one of the wisemen’s servants. I would hate to miss the excitement today.” She lowered her voice. “And here comes Waverly.”

  Waverly wore what Alec thought of as her workaday outfit, much like she wore yesterday. He frowned when he considered her limited wardrobe. One more of her many needs that she handled without complaint. Cinnamon, on the other hand, was bundled in a different bunting this morning, this one a pale lavender with pink daisies embroidered on it.

  “How are my two favorite redheads this morning?” Prince snorted, and Alec realized what he had said.

  Aside from a funny look, Waverly didn’t comment. “We’re fine. Prince seems ready to play his part.”

  “He was born ready. And let me take that.” He accepted the bag with wrapped bundles from Waverly’s hands and put them on the backseat. “I suggested people bring their gifts to the office. We’ve hidden the gifts in the burlap sacks the horses are carrying. Omar has the sacks in his van. We’ll add yours when we get there.”

  Waverly giggled. “What a wonderful idea! Jayne will never guess. Would you grab the baking pan from my kitchen? I made those chocolate chip brownies Jayne is so fond of.”

  Alec whipped into the apartment and took a deep sniff of the wonderful aromas, part spice, part baby powder, everything Waverly, then opened his eyes and spotted the brownies in a blue foil pan. Numerous photographs dotted the room: a few of favorite patients at the clini
c, one of her parents at their home in Florida. Pride of place went to a formal portrait of a smiling Cinnamon, propped up againsta lambskin blanket. Tucked into the corner he found a snapshot of Waverly holding the baby, joy beaming from her face. His heart heaved. The clock on the microwave blinked, reminding him to get on the road.

  He found Waverly staring out the open window. “The snow gave us a miserable time of it yesterday, but I don’t mind so much when it looks so beautiful today. Kind of nice for New Year’s, don’t you think? Fresh snow, fresh year, fresh start.”

  Color sparkled in her cheeks, as if she had been reborn with the year. He put the brownies next to the presents and climbed into the truck beside her. “To new beginnings, then. Thinking of the New Year—have you made up your mind about going back to school this term?” He held his breath. His own dreams for the coming twelve months might depend on her answer.

  “I have a few more days to register for the spring semester, but I think I’ll wait until next fall.” She rolled up her window. “I want to enjoy Cinnamon while she’s still so little, before I jump back into classes and studies. Not to mention vet school and clinical training …”

  “You know you’ll always have a place here.” In more ways than you know.

  She flashed him a brief, tentative smile. “I’m counting on it.”

  Alec tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, raw nerves making him fidgety. He swallowed and started the engine.

  Waverly hadn’t known what to expect of Jayne’s father in the role of King Herod. She doubted the genial oldergentleman could play the hard-hearted king, but when he told the Magi, “Search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him,” she shivered. He drew a knife across his palm when he instructed his soldiers to kill all baby boys under the age of two. Waverly clutched Cinnamon close to her chest, and tears tickled her eyelids for all those parents and the boys so needlessly sacrificed to the king’s ambition.