irresistible—even if that world that didn’t have room for an active toddler.
So instead of spending the holiday together, Carter had driven back to Castle Falls with a little girl who’d only seen her father twice since she’d been born. One who didn’t understand that when her mother had walked away from Carter, she’d been left behind, too.
So, yeah. Christmas was tough.
“Don’t you think it’s time to start replacing the bad memories with some good ones?” Karen asked softly. “Not only for Bea’s sake, but for your own.”
She was probably right.
But the holiday that brought families together only reminded Carter that his had fallen apart.
“But I want to go, Gramma!”
The tearful declaration echoed around the lobby as Ellery came down the stairs on Saturday afternoon.
Bea was looking up at her grandmother, arms crossed, her stricken expression a dramatic change from the happy little girl Ellery had spent time with over the past few days.
Ellery slowed down, unsure of what to do. She didn’t want to interrupt the conversation but she didn’t want it to appear like she was eavesdropping, either.
“I know you do, sweetheart, but your daddy was called in to work and I have to wait for our new guests to arrive.” Karen looped her arm around her granddaughter’s shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze. “But we can still do something fun. Why don’t you pick out a game and I’ll make some popcorn, okay?”
“Okay.” Bea’s sigh stirred the wisps of golden bangs on her forehead. She trudged toward the door, feet scraping the floor with every step, so downcast she didn’t notice Ellery standing at the bottom of the stairs.
Karen did. “I’m sorry, Ellery.” Her smile looked a little rueful. “When there’s a five-year-old in the house, life isn’t always contained to the family suite.”
“And it shouldn’t be,” Ellery said swiftly. “The inn is also your home.”
“Boundaries can be tricky, though.” Karen sighed. “Carter and I chose different careers but in some ways they’re very similar. We’re both on call 24/7. Most of the time we can make it work with some creative juggling...”
“But not today?” Ellery guessed.
Karen glanced at the doorway, making sure Bea was out of earshot.
“Carter planned to go to the parade with Bea, but his supervisor said they needed him tonight. And then fifteen minutes ago, a woman called and reserved two rooms. She guessed their party would arrive between six and eight, so I can’t take his place. I realize plans change, of course, but I hate to disappoint her.”
Ellery knew she might be overstepping, but it had bothered her to see Bea looking so dejected, too.
“She can go with me.”
“Ellery... I can’t ask you to do that,” Karen protested.
“You didn’t. I offered.” Ellery smiled. “I enjoy Bea’s company.”
Karen’s expression clouded suddenly, and Ellery realized the innkeeper’s hesitation didn’t stem from concern for her granddaughter. It was for her son.
“I don’t want to put you in a difficult spot, though,” Ellery said quickly. “Carter—”
“Trusts me to decide what’s best for Bea when he’s at work,” Karen interjected firmly. “And I think that going to the parade with you this evening falls into that category.”
Ellery wasn’t sure he would agree, but it was too late to retract the offer. Nor did she want to.
Karen thought that Ellery was helping her, but it was the other way around.
The night she’d arrived at the inn, Ellery had been looking for a “base camp.” A place to stay while she gathered information about her brothers. But God, as always, had given her so much more.
Karen’s warm hospitality reminded Ellery of her mother and Bea’s giggles healed the tender places in a heart still rubbed raw from grief.
“Do you want to finish getting ready while I round up Bea’s snowsuit and boots and tell her the good news?” Karen asked.
Finish?
“I’m ready.” Ellery paused. Glanced down at the outfit she’d chosen. “Aren’t I?”
“Well...” Karen cleared her throat. “You’ll be outside a few hours and the air always feels colder when you’re standing in one place.”
A tactful way of saying that no, she wasn’t.
“I didn’t think I would be spending a lot of time outdoors while I was here,” Ellery admitted.
In fact, she hadn’t thought much about her wardrobe at all. After Ellery made the decision to go to Castle Falls, she’d tossed a few things into her suitcase and was on the road before she could change her mind.
“No worries.” The familiar twinkle stole back into Karen’s eyes. “I’m sure we can find something to keep the cold at bay.”
A few additional layers might insulate Ellery from the falling temperatures, but Ellery doubted they would protect her from the chill in the air whenever her path crossed with Carter’s.
His attitude was confusing.
But what Ellery found even more confusing was why it bothered her so much. Her life was complicated enough without adding Carter Bristow to the mix.
Ten minutes later, Ellery was buckling Bea into the booster seat she’d borrowed from Karen.
“Are you excited, too, Miss El’ry?” Bea piped up from the back seat.
“Yes, I am.” Excited. Nervous.
Really nervous.
The butterflies that had taken up residence in Ellery’s stomach after her decision to go to the parade weren’t fluttering. They were performing acrobatics.
And the Lord, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not forsake you.
The verse Ellery had leaned on, rested in, clung to, after her parents died rose in her mind. Calmed her heart and the butterflies.
Nothing happened that took God by surprise. No path His children walked where He wasn’t at their side.
And sometimes—Ellery smiled as Bea chattered on about story time at the library—He provided another companion for the journey.
The wrinkles in the winding ribbon of road smoothed
