The Holiday Secret

“Miss El’ry. She got here last night. I saw her out the window when I was waiting for you to come home.” Bea looked up at him, all big blue eyes and rosy, sleep-flushed cheeks, not a hint of reproach on her sweet face.

Which only added another layer of guilt.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Carter wished he could tell Bea that he’d be there to tuck her in tonight, but past experience had taught him not to make promises he couldn’t keep.

“That’s aw’right. Gramma read me a bedtime story.”

Carter made a mental note to thank his mom. Again. He didn’t know what he’d do without her.

Transitioning from Navy SEAL to full-time deputy had been easier than taking on the role of single dad. Fortunately for him, nurturing little girls seemed to come as naturally to Karen Bristow as welcoming people into her home.

Carter didn’t feel qualified for either one.

Dimpled hands patted Carter’s cheeks. “We said prayers for you, too, Daddy.”

He dredged up a smile. It was a good thing someone did, because prayer was beyond his skill set, too. Especially when the ones Carter had lobbed toward the heavens when he was deployed, when his marriage was falling apart, seemed to have fallen far short of their mark.

“How about you get ready for school and I’ll meet you downstairs in a few minutes?” Carter tweaked Bea’s button nose. “Someone has to make sure the guests don’t eat all those pancakes.”

“Okay!” His daughter bolted for the door the moment her feet touched the floor.

Carter finished getting ready and yanked on a pair of wool socks and hiking boots before he ventured from the room. His days of walking barefoot down to the kitchen had ended three years ago, when he’d moved back to the UP.

When it came to his daughter, though, he was willing to make some sacrifices. Living at the Evergreen gave Bea the stability she needed and Carter peace of mind.

His mom took care of Bea while he was at work and in return, Carter acted as groundskeeper and general handyman. A win-win situation for all three of them, but Carter wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to strangers traipsing in and out of the house...

“Good morning!”

The middle-aged couple who greeted Carter on the landing was a perfect example. Avid cross-country skiers, they’d dressed the part in matching ski pants and soft-shell jackets in a blinding shade of tangerine.

“Morning.” Carter paused to let the couple descend the stairs first and was about to follow when the sound of a giggle—a slightly muffled but very familiar giggle—snatched the breath from his lungs.

How many times had he warned Bea not to venture into the guest wing alone? It was the first rule Carter had established after they’d moved into the inn and one she’d never broken. Until now.

He strode toward an open door halfway down the hall, all of his focus directed on finding his daughter...

There.

In a chair by the fireplace. Dressed in her favorite red sweater and candy-cane-striped leggings. And smiling from ear to ear.

Safe.

The adrenaline surging through Carter’s veins dissipated a little—until he turned his attention to the other occupant in the room.

Aquamarine eyes locked with his and Carter felt the floor shift below his feet.

No. Way.

“This is Miss El’ry, Daddy,” Bea announced. “I gave her one of the snowflakes I made at the library.”

Daddy.

The word ricocheted through Ellery’s head as she stared at the man in the doorway.

But it was...him. The deputy she’d met on the road the night before. He’d traded his uniform for faded jeans and a long-sleeve thermal Henley, but even in casual clothes, he still managed to look intimidating.

It was the eyes, Ellery decided. Striations of silver and dark gray, the color—and temperature—of Lake Michigan during a winter storm. A muscle ticked in his jaw, the only outward sign he was as stunned as Ellery that their paths had crossed again.

She tried to push out a smile but the man’s attention had already shifted back to his daughter.

“You know this side of the inn is only for the guests, Bea.”

He didn’t raise his voice but the girl’s shoulders slumped and her sunny smile instantly disappeared. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”

Given the fact this scene was unfolding in her room, Ellery decided she had the right to intervene.

“I thought it was very sweet of your daughter to bring me a welcome gift.” She held up the glitter-encrusted decoration to prove that Bea had been telling the truth. “I’m Ellery Marshall, by the way.”

The deputy didn’t look swayed by the evidence. In fact, his grim expression was identical to the one Ellery had seen on his face the day before.

A split second of silence preceded his response. And then a measured “Carter Bristow.”

“I made a snowflake for you, too, Daddy,” Bea said in a small voice. “Do you want to see it?”

Carter nodded. “Of course I do. Right after breakfast.”

His meaning was clear.

“Okay.” Bea slid off the chair, the bounce in her step noticeably absent as she shuffled out the door.

“Please don’t be upset with her,” Ellery said the moment they were alone. “Bea was the one who showed me to my room last night, so I didn’t think it would be a problem if I invited her in.”

Ellery’s explanation didn’t seem to satisfy Carter Bristow. Just the opposite, in fact.

“Bea showed you to your room?”

Way to go, Elle. Now she’d probably gotten Karen Bristow in trouble, too.

It explained the innkeeper’s hesitation when Ellery didn’t object to Bea accompanying her upstairs. Karen knew someone who would.

Carter Bristow might help out at the inn, but it was obvious he didn’t embrace Karen’s “enter as friends, leave as family” motto.

He stepped out of the doorway and into the room, which immediately seemed to shrink in size.

“I have rules in place for Bea’s protection,” he said tightly, confirming her suspicions. “She doesn’t always understand boundaries.”

Ellery hadn’t realized Carter was so tall. He was also broad in the shoulder and narrow in the waist, with a lean but muscular frame that Ellery guessed was the result of an active lifestyle, not a gym. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t on duty, either. Carter Bristow took command of his surroundings with an economy of words and motion.

And judging from the interaction Ellery had witnessed between father and daughter, it seemed he approached parenting in much the same way.

His daughter.

Ellery still couldn’t believe it. There was no physical resemblance between the two that she could see. Unlike her father, there wasn’t a hint of a cloud in Bea’s blue eyes. Her golden hair, freed from the pigtails she’d worn the night before, had framed her heart-shaped face in a riot of loose curls. Carter’s sienna-brown hair was cropped close to his head, effectively discouraging any rebellious behavior.

Ellery cast a discreet glance at Carter’s left hand. No wedding ring.

What had Bea said when Ellery inquired about her family?

Just me and Daddy...

Ellery opened her mouth, ready to apologize for her part in encouraging Isabella to break a family rule, but Carter didn’t give her the opportunity.

“The main roads will be plowed and salted by checkout time,” he said. “You shouldn’t have any trouble getting to wherever it is you’re going.”

Distracted by her thoughts, and, if Ellery was completely honest, the intriguing glints of mahogany scattered throughout the grain of stubble on Carter’s jaw—it took a moment for his words to register.

“I’m not checking out today.”

The temperature in the room immediately dropped several degrees. “I assumed you ended up here last night because of the weather.”

“No, coming to the Evergreen was always the plan.” An impulsive plan. But still.

“Why?”

The blunt question caught Ellery off guard. She could only imagine how many times Carter had employed that same tactic to extract a confession from someone.

“It’s the perfect place for a change of scenery, don’t you agree?” Ellery said lightly. For good measure, she punctuated the question with a bright smile.

Not only did Carter Bristow not smile back, some undefinable emotion crackled in his eyes, there and gone as swiftly as a flash of summer lightning.

“Enjoy your stay, then.”

Before Ellery could respond, he was gone. The door closed with a soft click behind him.

Ellery collapsed into the closest chair.

In spite of the fact that Carter Bristow had seemed all too ready to send her on her way—again—the urge to confide in him had been surprisingly strong.

He was a county deputy who lived five miles from Castle Falls. Wouldn’t he know the people who lived in the town on a personal basis as well as a professional one?

But Ellery had already broken one of the promises she’d made to Jameson.

As if on cue, her cell began to ring.

Ellery dragged in a breath, exhaled a silent prayer for strength, and reached for her phone.

Ignoring Jameson Ford’s call would only postpone the inevitable.

“I know it’s early,” the attorney said without preamble, “but I made some phone calls and found a private investigator who has a reputation for being thorough and discreet. I explained the situation and Dwayne Howard agreed to make the case his top priority.”

Ellery’s hand tightened around the phone. “That won’t be necessary.”

“You decided not to pursue the matter?” The relief in Jameson’s voice was almost palpable. Which only made what Ellery had to admit even more difficult.

“No...because I’m already here. In Castle Falls.”

Silence.

Ellery could almost see Jameson pacing the floor of his office the way he did the courtroom when new information called for a change in strategy.

“I thought we agreed it would be best not to rush into anything, Ellery,” he finally said. “You need more facts before you let these people into your life.”

By these people, Jameson meant the siblings that Ellery had been separated from for the past twenty-five years.

Brendan. Liam. Aiden.

Those were the signatures she’d seen on the document. Names without faces.

Brothers.

Ellery had been in Haiti, visiting one of the many orphanages the Marshall Foundation supported, when the Kane brothers had contacted the private agency that had handled her adoption. And no matter what happened in the future, Ellery’s life had changed the moment Jameson had given her a copy of their letter. A piece of her past that Ellery hadn’t even known was missing forty-eight hours ago.

Ordinarily, she would have taken Jameson’s advice. More than a respected attorney, Jameson Ford had been her father’s closest friend. But in this situation, Ellery knew she couldn’t sit back and wait for a private investigator to complete an investigation.

“I don’t want to read about them in a report.” Ellery wanted to see where they lived.

Wanted to see them.

“I understand,” he said. “But your parents insisted on a closed adoption to protect you. It could be they were afraid something like this would happen down the road.”

A familiar ache bloomed in Ellery’s chest at the mention of her parents.

She’d always known she was adopted. According to Ray and Candace Marshall, Ellery was a dream they’d carried in their hearts until the moment she’d become part of their lives. What they’d failed to reveal were the details surrounding Ellery’s birth—or the fact she’d once been part of a larger family.

“I know Mom and Dad thought they were acting in my best interests at the time,” Ellery said softly. “But I’m an adult now.”

“Exactly,” Jameson agreed. “And that’s why the timing of their letter troubles me. The Kanes could have reached out to you long before now.”

Before she’d inherited a sizable estate is what he really meant.

“You said that my brothers cited ‘unique circumstances’ when they contacted the adoption agency and asked that my records be opened,” Ellery reminded him.

“That doesn’t mean their motives are trustworthy,” Jameson muttered.

“I appreciate your concern...but do you trust me?”

Jameson’s sigh funneled through the speaker. “Of course I do. Most of the time you’re a very levelheaded young woman.”

Ellery smiled. “A levelheaded young woman with an advantage. I know my brothers’ names but they don’t know mine. I’ll observe, not engage,” she said. “You’ll get a full report when I come back and we’ll figure out the next step.”

“You promise you won’t tell anyone why you’re there?”

“I promise.”

“In a town that size, you won’t exactly blend in.”

Jameson still sounded skeptical, but Ellery sensed a softening in his attitude and pressed her advantage.

“I’m staying at an inn a few miles outside of Castle Falls,” she told him. “There’s a festival starting this weekend that draws people from outside the community, so I doubt anyone will notice one more visitor. It’s a good plan, don’t you think?”

“I think I made a mistake when I let you sit in on some of my closing arguments,” Jameson retorted.

It was, Ellery knew, as close to a blessing as she would get from the attorney.

Her smile expanded to a full-blown grin.

“I’ll see you soon, counselor.”

Chapter Three

After dropping Bea off at school, Carter returned to the inn to get started on his to-do list.

He cut through the dining room to grab a pastry and had to duck to avoid a ball of mistletoe hanging from the chandelier. One he was sure hadn’t been there the day before.

Based on past experience, Carter knew it was only the beginning. Not a single nook or cranny escaped the assault of pine garlands, twinkling lights and shiny ornaments during the month of December.

Now that Bea was old enough to help her grandmother with the annual transformation, she was all-in. A herd of plastic ponies grazed next to the sheep in the nativity set on the coffee table and Carter could barely see outside through the flurry of paper snowflakes covering the windows.

It’s Jesus’s birthday, Daddy. And birthdays are special.

Because the star that Carter dutifully placed on top of the tree every year wasn’t half as bright as his daughter’s outlook on life, he kept his feelings about Christmas to himself.

Pretended that things like peace and joy weren’t far beyond his reach these days.

The double doors that separated the kitchen from the dining room swung open and his mom breezed in. With her dark blond hair woven into a neat braid and a pristine white apron over her navy wool sweater and jeans, there was nothing pretentious about Karen Bristow.

Most of the guests didn’t know that their innkeeper, who’d gained a reputation for serving mouthwatering comfort food, had studied at a prestigious culinary institute on the East Coast.

“You must be in stealth mode today,” she teased. “I didn’t hear you come back.”

“What can I say? I take my duties as a silent partner very seriously,” Carter said.

His mom chuckled. “The light in the atrium burned out yesterday and I couldn’t find the ladder. Do you know where it is?”

As a matter of fact, Carter did. But it was safer to dodge the question than admit he’d hidden it after he’d spotted Karen teetering on the top rung, feather duster in hand, attacking a cobweb on the ceiling.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Your to-do list is already a mile long,” Karen said. “And this is supposed to be your day off.”

“Cutting firewood is relaxing.”

His mom smiled and shook her head. They’d had variations of this conversation in the past but Carter couldn’t convince her that spending time outdoors, no matter what he was doing, didn’t fall under the category of work.

“You skipped breakfast.” Karen lifted the coffee carafe and tested its weight. “We have a new guest and I was hoping you’d have a chance to meet her before you disappeared into the woods.”

“Bea already introduced us,” Carter said curtly. And Ellery Marshall was the reason why he planned to stay as far away from the house as possible. “She decided to stop by Ellery’s room and give her one of the snowflakes she’d made at the library.”

Karen didn’t appear nearly as shocked by his daughter’s unsanctioned visit to the guest wing as Carter had been.

“You know Bea. No matter what craft project Maddie assigns to the children, she always makes extras to give away.”

“To a woman she’d never laid eyes on before last night?”

“Ellery Marshall is close to Maddie’s age and you know how much Bea likes her. Maybe that’s why they bonded so quickly.”

True. The local librarian and Ellery Marshall were both in their midtwenties, but as far as Carter could tell, that was the only thing the two women had in common. Maddie Montgomery had grown up in the area and her recent engagement to Aiden Kane, a man as fiercely devoted to the family business as he was to his shy fiancée, proved that Maddie was content with life in a small town.

Ellery reminded Carter of a rare butterfly that had briefly lit in Castle Falls. Looking for, in her own words, a change of scenery. And when she grew tired of the view from her upstairs window, she’d go back to where she belonged.

Like Jennifer had.

Which meant the last thing Carter wanted was for Bea to “bond” with his mother’s newest guest.

“How long is she planning to stay?”

“I’m not sure,” Karen admitted. “Ellery decided to go day to day.”

She wouldn’t even commit to an entire weekend.

The thought pushed Carter toward the door. “I’ll plow the driveway before I cut wood, so if there’s anything you need, let me...”

Know.

The last word got caught in Carter’s throat when he spotted Ellery standing beside the desk in the lobby. It was a little unsettling to admit that a pair of ocean-blue eyes could be so...unsettling.

“You mentioned a tour...” Ellery’s gaze slid back to Karen, who glided past Carter with a warm smile. “Is this a good time?”

“I have to call about a delivery, but it won’t take long.” Karen’s smile expanded to include Carter and before she said a word, he knew his mom was about to take him up on his “if there’s anything you need” offer. “I’m sure Carter won’t mind taking my place. It will give you two a chance to become better acquainted.”

Um. Carter did mind. A lot, actually. And he knew everything he needed to know about Ellery Marshall. But he couldn’t admit that without jeopardizing the inn’s five-star hospitality rating.

“Sure.” He pushed the word out. “Not a problem.”

“Wonderful! I’ll catch up in a few minutes.” Karen slipped the cell from the pocket of her apron and retreated to the kitchen to make the call.

Leaving Carter alone with Ellery for the second time that morning, the wary expression on Ellery’s face a clue she wasn’t looking forward to spending time with him, either.

Fine with him.

“The common areas all have names.” Carter pointed at the French doors off the lobby. “That’s the gathering room. Mom keeps it stocked with games and puzzles, so people like to hang out there in the evening.

“You’re already familiar with the dining room, so we’ll start down here.” Carter strode through the lobby, bypassing both the kitchen and the parlor he’d converted into the family’s private living room and opened a door at the end of the hall.

“The atrium.” Carter turned and almost bumped into Ellery, who’d positioned herself in the doorway for a better look.

“I love the windows.” She took a step forward and the fragrance of something exotic and floral—jasmine, maybe—teased his senses.

“You may want to come back later.” Carter tried unsuccessfully to block both the scent and Ellery’s attempt to enter the room. “I haven’t started a fire yet and the room gets pretty cold.”

Cold.

Ellery decided the description fit her tour guide, too.

Karen probably hadn’t noticed the wintry look in Carter’s eyes when she’d drafted him to take her place, but Ellery certainly had.

Was the man this abrupt with all the guests? Or just her?

She tried to peek around Carter, and she could almost feel his impatience as he moved to the side.

In spite of Carter’s reluctance to linger any longer than was necessary, Ellery couldn’t help but step into the room.

A couch upholstered in emerald-green velvet and two matching chairs curved around the hearth like a smile. A light glowed in a rustic crèche on the mantel, illuminating a small band of shepherds gathered around the holy family.

Ellery’s gaze moved to the balsam tree in the corner and a lump instantly formed in her throat.

This would be her first Christmas alone.

Like Karen, Ellery’s mom had decorated every room in the house. Miles of lights, rooms scented with bayberry and cloves and exquisitely wrapped gifts underneath the tree.

The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas had been filled with laughter and a steady stream of guests. Candace Marshall had understood that entertaining was more than simply sharing the same space—it meant sharing your life.

A legacy Ellery had continued after the private plane her parents had rented had gone down on their way to a medical conference.

For the last eight months, Ellery had poured all of her time and energy into starting a foundation that bore the Marshall name. Caring for people gave her a purpose. Something that filled the empty spaces in her heart when she returned to an empty house at the end of the day.

Still... Christmas.

Ellery couldn’t imagine celebrating the Savior’s birth without her parents.

She walked across the room, each step giving her a precious moment to collect herself.

Mullioned windows framed the peaceful scene outside. When Ellery had arrived, travel weary and white-knuckled from maneuvering through the snow-covered back roads, all her attention had been focused on the inn itself, not her surroundings.

Now she could see a weathered barn and a cluster of tiny stone outbuildings with arched windows and sloping rooflines dusted with snow.

“It looks like a gingerbread village.”

“I’ve always thought the same thing.” Karen appeared at Ellery’s side. “It’s been suggested that I have those old buildings torn down, but I can’t quite bring myself to do it yet.”

“No!” The word rolled out before Ellery could stop it. “They’re part of the inn’s history.”

“But not as practical as a parking lot,” Carter interjected.

Ellery should have known. The person who’d “suggested” that Karen level the outbuildings was the same one who’d voiced his opinion on how best to utilize the empty space.

But a parking lot? Really?

Karen turned toward Carter with a smile, unaware of the tension that had been crackling in the air since the beginning of the tour. “I’ll pick up Bea after school today. A package we ordered was shipped to the post office, and we can swing by to get it on our way home.”

Carter shook his head. “More decorations?”

“Christmas,” Karen responded cheerfully, summing up the reason for the festive environment with a single word. She winked at Ellery. “We do tend to go a little overboard this time of year.”

“The tree is beautiful,” Ellery murmured.

“Carter and Bea found it on the property,” Karen said. “Cutting down the tree has become a tradition.”