tightened. “Thank you, Mrs. Bristow.”
“Karen,” the innkeeper corrected. “We have a saying here at the Evergreen. Enter as friends, leave as family.”
The tears that Ellery had successfully held at bay since she’d left Grand Rapids that morning banked behind her eyes. She turned and reached for her suitcase before they spilled over, only to discover someone else had already claimed possession.
“I’ll carry it for you!”
The tiny bellhop standing next to Ellery’s Louis Vuitton suitcase had golden-blond pigtails, Dresden-blue eyes and wore footie pajamas.
“My granddaughter, Isabella.” The affection in Karen’s tone belied the stern look she cast in the child’s direction. “Who, I might add, is supposed to be asleep by now.”
“I tried, Gramma, but my eyes wouldn’t stay shut,” the little girl said earnestly. “I was waiting for Daddy to get home.”
For the first time, the innkeeper’s smile slipped a notch. “I’m sure you’ll see him bright and early tomorrow morning, sweetheart. Now, can you say hello to Miss Ellery? She just checked in.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Miss El’ry.”
The polite greeting was accompanied by a gap-toothed grin that instantly melted Ellery’s heart. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Isabella.”
“That’s my real name,” she was informed. “But I like Bea better ’cause that’s what my daddy calls me.”
Tiny, active and adorable. Ellery decided the nickname was a perfect fit.
“I almost forgot to give you this.” Karen presented Ellery with an old-fashioned metal key, an accent Ellery found as delightful as the rest of the inn’s decor. “You’re upstairs in Wood Violet. Third door on the right—”
“Can I show Miss El’ry where it is, Gramma?” Bea interrupted, her pigtails practically vibrating with excitement. “Pleeease?”
Ellery sensed Karen’s hesitation and returned the kindness the woman had extended to her. “I don’t mind, but you’ll have to let me carry the suitcase.” She winked at Bea. “I might have brought too many shoes,” she confessed in a whisper.
“Okay!”
Before Ellery could blink, the little girl had taken hold of her free hand and was towing her toward a staircase leading to the second floor. Like the rest of the lobby, the banister was dressed in twinkling lights and festive greens. A wide landing at the top, furnished with floor-to-ceiling bookcases and comfy chairs, branched off into two corridors.
Her pint-size guide pointed to the one on the left. “My room is on that side.”
The comment piqued Ellery’s curiosity. Karen Bristow had been the only name listed as proprietor on the inn’s website. “Do your parents work here, too?”
“Just me and Daddy...when he’s not at his other job.” Bea skipped past several doors until they reached the one marked with a hand-painted violet. “You’ll like this one because the rug is nice and squishy,” she chattered on. “And there’s a picture of a pony on the wall. I love ponies. Do you have one?”
“No.” Ellery hid a smile as she set the suitcase down. “But I like them, too.”
“I put one on my Christmas list,” Bea whispered. “But Daddy said that Santa only has room in his sleigh for toys—”
“Bea?” Karen appeared at the top of the stairs. “Time for bed now.”
Once again, Ellery found herself on the receiving end of the child’s gamine grin. “I’ll see you in the morning, Miss El’ry. Gramma is making pancakes for breakfast!”
Bea skipped back down the hall, and Ellery watched Karen Bristow sweep the little girl into her arms. Heard giggles as the pair spun a graceful pirouette before disappearing through the arched doorway at the opposite end of the hall.
A familiar silence descended, pressed down on the tender places in Ellery’s heart. Almost a year had gone by since her parents had passed away but it was still difficult, being alone at the end the day.
Ellery fit the key in the lock, opened the door and immediately discovered the inn’s homey decor wasn’t confined to the lobby downstairs.
The down comforter on the antique poster bed looked as inviting as a cloud. Thoughtful little touches—sprigs of fresh balsam tucked in a vase and a quilt folded on the chair by the corner fireplace—offered a warm welcome. Encouraged Ellery to stay awhile.
Unlike a certain county deputy.
The memory of their brief encounter made Ellery wince.
It was a little humbling to admit she’d been oblivious to the squad car—and the handsome, albeit stern-faced, deputy who’d stopped to check on her and then escorted her back to the highway.
Oh, he’d been polite. Professional. But what Ellery hadn’t missed was the gleam of disapproval in the man’s slate-gray eyes when she’d pointed out the bald eagle in the tree.
The bird was beautiful, but Ellery couldn’t tell him that a photograph wasn’t the only reason she’d stopped on the side of the road. The deputy looked like a “just the facts” type of guy. He wouldn’t understand that as the number of miles to Ellery’s destination had begun to diminish, the doubts had only intensified. Swirling around her, clouding her vision, like the snow that had started to fall.
The eagle had offered more than a welcome distraction. Getting out of the car for a few minutes had given her a chance to clear her head. Pray.
Because contrary to what she’d told Karen Bristow, Ellery wasn’t looking for peace and quiet.
She was looking for the three brothers she hadn’t known existed until yesterday.
“Daddy!”
The next morning, Carter had a split second to brace himself for impact as the bedroom door flew open and a tiny missile in pink flannel hurtled toward him. “You’re here!”
The guilt that had clamped around Carter’s heart like a vise after Jennifer ended their marriage tightened its grip. Like the duty belt he’d been issued after accepting a job with the sheriff’s department, Carter had adjusted to the added weight. If only it were as easy to set aside at the end of his shift.
He scooped Bea up in his arms, caught a whiff of something sweet. “Someone smells like maple syrup.”
“Gramma is making gingerbread pancakes for Miss El’ry.” Bea snuggled against his chest.
“Who?” Carter couldn’t remember his mother mentioning a new guest, but with all the overtime he’d been putting in lately, it wasn’t as if they’d had a lot of time to talk.
“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