The three little girls picked up on the tension swirling in the air and fell silent.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” Aiden’s voice sounded husky.
Ellery shook her head.
“I can’t claim the title as the best-looking one in the family anymore.”
Ellery’s laugh turned into a sob as her brothers surged forward and embraced her.
* * *
Carter swung the ax and bisected the piece of oak centered on the chopping block. Picked up the shards of kindling and tossed them onto the growing pile.
A scrap of colorful paper cartwheeled across the snow, a colorful remnant from the live nativity that had somehow escaped the cleanup crew.
Gunmetal clouds moved sluggishly across the sky, their dark underbellies weighted down with snow, but Carter couldn’t blame the bone-deep numbness that had spread throughout his body on the falling temperature.
No. He blamed Ellery.
He’d had no idea the Kane brothers had been searching for a missing sister, but to find out that sister was Ellery...
Everyone in the room had looked as if Christmas had come early, but Carter felt as if they’d skipped right to April Fool’s Day.
And guess who was the fool?
Carter’s gut churned as scenes began to unfold in his memory.
Ellery’s reluctance to talk about her personal life. The questions she’d asked about the Kane family when they were together.
Carter was trained to be observant. To see things other people missed. And yet he’d totally missed the fact that Ellery had used him to gather intel on her brothers.
“Can we talk?”
He froze at the sound of Ellery’s voice behind him.
She’d been protected by a six-foot-tall wall of men at the live nativity and left the inn just after dawn. Carter knew what time it was because he’d been awake most of the night.
After the bombshell she’d dropped, Carter wasn’t surprised Ellery had gone over to Sunni Mason’s house, but he’d caught Bea staring out the window at least a dozen times over the course of the day, waiting for her return.
Carter set another log on the block and Ellery stopped a few feet away. The sight of her red-rimmed eyes and tremulous smile told a story, too, but Carter refused to be taken in again.
“I’d say you had plenty of opportunities to do that over the past two weeks.”
“I know. And I’m sorry.” Ellery tucked her hands into the pockets of the thin leather coat she’d been wearing the day they met. “I promised Jameson—my attorney—I wouldn’t tell anyone who I was.”
Ellery kept an attorney on retainer.
The chasm between them widened.
“And who is that, exactly?” Carter asked, unable to keep the bitterness from leaking into his voice. “Is Ellery Marshall your real name? Or did you lie about that, too?”
Ellery flinched. “I didn’t lie about anything. My parents never told me anything about my family history or that I had siblings. When the agency contacted Jameson and said my brothers wanted to meet me, he was concerned about their motives. He thought it was suspicious they’d waited until after my parents passed away to reach out to me. Jameson wanted to hire a private investigator to do some digging, but I couldn’t wait. I...I didn’t want to read about my brothers in a report.”
Every softly spoken word ripped out a piece of Carter’s heart.
“I guess it was pretty convenient you ended up here, then, wasn’t it?”
Confusion flickered in her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“It was the perfect place for a recon mission. We needed help, and it gave you an excuse to stay longer.”
“It wasn’t like that.” Ellery was staring at him as if he were a stranger.
Well, now she knew what it felt like.
“No? You didn’t pump me for information about the Kanes whenever we were together? The questions you asked about Aiden’s accident, about their business, wasn’t an attempt to find out if they are struggling financially and need a helping hand?”
Ellery opened her mouth to deny it but Carter had already seen the truth flash across her face.
“You can understand why I had doubts, too. My parents insisted on a closed adoption to protect me and I always trusted their judgment. I wanted to make sure my brothers wanted me, not the things I could do for them.”
Carter understood why Ellery’s adoptive parents had wanted to protect their daughter.
Something he’d failed to do. Again.
He should have known better than to let Bea spend time with Ellery.
“I could have told you everything you wanted to know about the Kanes the day you arrived, you know.” Carter gave voice to one of the thoughts that had taunted him during the night. “But I guess it doesn’t matter because the end result is the same. You got what you wanted.”
“Carter—”
“Are we done here?” He tried to ignore the tear that washed over the breaker of sable lashes and cut a crooked path down Ellery’s cheek. “It’s Christmas Eve, and I have things to do.”
“Yes, I should have confided in you. And although you don’t believe me, I stayed because...Karen needed help, not to gather more information about my brothers.”
A heartbeat of silence followed as she waited for Carter to say something.
When he didn’t, she nodded and walked away, taking what was left of Carter’s heart with her.
* * *
Liam and Anna’s wedding didn’t officially start for another half hour, but Ellery saw guests already filing into the building when she pulled into the parking lot of New Life Fellowship.
The church her brothers attended was tucked in a grove of birch trees at the edge of a quiet residential street in Castle Falls. Like the other buildings in town, the brick exterior had been mellowed by time and the elements. A rustic cross rose from the top of the steeple and stained-glass panels framed each of the windows.
Several people paused to glance in Ellery’s direction as she got out of the car. Her hands began to shake and she pushed them into the pockets of her faux-fur jacket.
Ellery should have been more specific when she’d called Philomena and asked her to overnight an outfit suitable for a winter wedding. Wrapped in tissue paper was the dress Ellery had worn to a charity gala the year before. Made from yards of ice-blue velvet, the full skirt landed an inch above the knees and dozens of tiny crystal beads shimmered on the bodice.
Phil, who was as skilled at putting together a wardrobe as she was a dinner party, believed in a woman having the proper accessories, too. She’d added three pairs of shoes for Ellery to choose from and a tiny jeweled clutch.
But it was the slender box from Tiffany’s that jump-started a fresh round of tears.
She’d lifted the necklace from its bed of satin and traced her finger over the five pearls threaded on a delicate gold chain.
Five.
According to Candace, they’d bought the necklace in honor of Ellery’s first birthday and placed it in safekeeping until she was older. Ellery hadn’t understood the significance behind the number of pearls until now. Her parents had been celebrating her first birthday with them.
“Ellery?”
Ellery realized she’d reached the door. The red-haired woman holding it open was the same one she’d met at The Happy Cow the day she’d brought Bea there for ice cream.
“Yes.”
“I’m Nancy Leighton, Anna’s mother. I was told to watch for you.” Ellery was guided into a spacious entryway.
Tall, freestanding candelabras wrapped in ivory tulle flanked the doors to the sanctuary but Nancy pointed to a hallway branching off from the main entryway. “It’s the second door on your right.”
Ellery didn’t have time to ask questions. Anna’s mother was already bustling away.
>
The door was closed but Ellery could hear laughter on the other side. Before she could knock, it swung open and Ellery was yanked inside. Enveloped in an effusive hug and a cloud of perfume.
“You’re just in time!”
She found herself looking into Sunni Mason’s warm brown eyes.
After spending the day with her brothers’ adoptive mom, Ellery knew why their loyalty ran so deep. Sunni and Candace had a lot in common and Ellery had no doubt, if the two women had ever met, they would have become good friends.
Ellery was swept into a flurry of activity. Lily and Maddie, beautiful in emerald green organza, were in the process of weaving satin ribbons into Cassie’s and Chloe’s braids. The twins’ matching dresses were the same color as the bridesmaids’ but the skirts were made of heavy tulle and belled out around their ankles.
Anna emerged from behind a three-paneled screen and the hum of conversation stopped as every pair of eyes turned toward the bride.
Anna’s wedding gown was beautiful in its simplicity. Ivory satin the perfect complement to her chestnut hair and unusual amber eyes. Eyes that looked a little apprehensive now.
“Well? Will someone please say something?”
“Wow.” Cassie broke the silence and everyone laughed.
“I think that word sums it up,” Sunni said. “I’ll be surprised if Liam doesn’t fall over in a dead faint when he sees you coming down the aisle.”
“You’ll need this.” Lily handed her future sister-in-law a bouquet made up of peonies and white roses. “Now, what are we missing?”
“Your shoes are fresh from the box, so we’ve got the ‘something new’ covered.” Maddie tucked a lace handkerchief into the center of Anna’s flowers. “And this is your ‘something old.’”
“So, that means you have to borrow something from one of us.”
Ellery was already unfastening the clasp on her necklace. “You can wear these.”
Anna’s eyes went wide. “Oh, Ellery...your pearls. They’re beautiful, but I can’t...”
“Please,” Ellery said. “I’d like to contribute something to the wedding.”
“Your being here today is all we need,” Lily said.
Tears banked in Ellery’s eyes and Maddie immediately began to dole out more handkerchiefs.
“Why is everyone crying?” Cassie asked in a low voice.
“I think they’re happy tears,” her twin whispered back.
“Chloe is right, but even happy tears can make a girl’s mascara run.” Sunni grinned at Maddie. “You better restock those tissues while I check on the men. It’s almost time.”
Her words sparked another flurry of activity and Ellery slipped quietly from the room.
Thank You, God. Being here today...watching Anna and Liam exchange their vows... It was so much more than I expected.
Ellery felt another attack of nerves as she retraced her steps down the hallway, even though the chances of Carter attending the wedding were about the same as him forgiving her for not telling him the truth right away.
Based on what she’d learned about his past, Ellery should have anticipated Carter’s reaction. He thought she’d used him, manipulated him the way Jennifer had.
Yes, she’d come to Castle Falls to find her brothers. But she’d stayed to help Karen. And...because of him.
A teenage boy with short, sandy-brown hair and wire-framed glasses offered Ellery his arm at the door leading into the sanctuary.
Anna and Liam had chosen to have a small wedding, but Ellery could feel the furtive looks from close friends and family as the teen escorted her down the aisle. She paused when they reached the center of the room and slipped her arm free.
“This is fine. Thank you.”
The boy looked confused. “Aren’t you Ellery Marshall?”
“Yes.”
“Liam said I’m supposed to escort you to the first row. The one reserved for family.”
Ellery couldn’t hear the piano over the rushing sound in her ears as she took her seat. She would have been content to remain on the sidelines today. Being able to attend Liam and Anna’s wedding was enough, but the family made her feel as if she belonged.
A low murmur swept through the church as the men filed in behind Pastor Tamblin. Her brothers had exchanged their usual flannel and denim for charcoal-gray tuxedoes. Wind-tossed hair was tamed, faces clean-shaven. They looked like strangers again. Until Aiden caught Ellery’s eye and winked.
Ellery winked back.
Pastor Tamblin opened in prayer and the pianist began to play the processional.
Lily and Maddie walked down the aisle in single file and both of them smiled at Ellery before they took their places at the front of the sanctuary.
The music changed and Anna appeared. Ellery had assumed Cassie and Chloe would act as flower girls, but when they each took hold of one of Anna’s hands, it became clear the twins were escorting their mother down the aisle.
Ellery fumbled for a tissue and saw a dozen other people do the same as everyone rose to their feet to honor the bride.
Her heart felt incredibly full as she watched Liam bend down and give the twins a hug.
This was a family who made room. Brokenness had made them bigger, allowing God’s light to shine through.
She and her brothers had talked for hours the previous day, taking turns sharing their stories, and Ellery had silently thanked God that her brothers had had each other. Thanked Him that Sunni and Rich Mason had opened up their hearts and their home.
There was so much she’d missed, growing up without them, but there’d been wonderful gifts along the way. Ellery had had parents who’d loved and encouraged her. Taught her about a God who kept His promises.
Ellery couldn’t change the past even if she wanted to, but she trusted God with her future.
Even if that future didn’t include Carter.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Carter peeled off his coat and hung it on the hook in the back hallway.
He hadn’t planned to spend the majority of the day on Christmas Eve trudging through the woods, trying to locate a teenage girl who’d been injured while cross-country skiing, but he couldn’t ignore someone who needed help even when he wasn’t technically on call.
He’d heard the chatter on the radio and knew the deputies on duty were clear across the county, having responded to an accident scene. Carter had quickly changed into his uniform and driven to the trailhead, where the teen’s terrified twelve-year-old sister had hiked out alone and dialed 911. To complicate matters, the girl couldn’t pinpoint her sister’s exact location on the map because they’d veered off the marked trail.
The girls’ parents and the county K-9 unit were en route, but waiting wasn’t an option when a light snow continued to fall, covering the girls’ tracks. He’d instructed the younger sister to wait in the squad car, where she could stay connected to dispatch until her parents arrived.
Then Carter had struck out into the woods with his medical bag and an inner peace that told him he wasn’t alone.
“Carter.” Karen padded into the hallway, wearing her robe and slippers. She searched his face and expelled a sigh of relief. “You found her.”
Carter nodded. “A fractured ankle, some bruised ribs and a touch of hypothermia, but she should be fine.”
“Praise God,” Karen murmured. “I’ve been praying.”
Carter had, too. When he’d spotted the girl curled up in a ball at the bottom of the ridge, injured but alive. When the darkness had swallowed everything but the beam of Carter’s flashlight as he’d carried her the half mile back to the squad car.
It had felt right, leaning into God, leaning on His strength, instead of relying solely on his own.
And when the teen was reunited with her family, Carter’s silent prayer of gratitude felt like another step in the rig
ht direction, too.
Karen linked her arm through his. “You’re probably starving. I kept the soup and the coffee hot for you.”
“Bea’s asleep?”
“It’s been a busy few days.”
Busy didn’t begin to describe it, Carter thought.
“Carter...” Karen fiddled with a terry-cloth belt tied around her waist. “Ellery checked out before she went to Liam and Anna’s wedding this evening.”
The floor shifted underneath Carter’s feet. “She left?”
“Sunni invited her to stay at the house for a few days.”
She’d left. On Christmas Eve.
“Does Bea know?”
Karen nodded. “She helped Ellery pack up her things. Ellery promised she’d be back, which made it a little easier, I think.”
Coming back to say goodbye.
But what did he expect? He’d practically chased her away.
Carter opened Bea’s door and quietly entered the room. She was sound asleep, one arm tucked underneath her pillow, the other holding tight to one of her many treasures.
Carter eased it from her grip. On the cover was a stick figure with bright blue eyes and a smile that extended from one yellow pigtail to another. He read the words neatly printed across the top. Isabella’s Best Christmas Ever.
This was the book Ellery had told him about.
Carter sank into the rocking chair and his fingers shook a little as he turned the pages.
Bea knew what mattered most...and so did Ellery.
She was the one who’d encouraged him to be present, to make memories with his daughter, when she’d been dealing with a terrible loss of her own.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
The verse Pastor Seth had quoted during his message at the live nativity flashed through Carter’s mind.
God had given Carter gifts he’d been too afraid to open.
He’d done a little investigating of his own. Convinced himself that Ellery was a woman who had everything. Financial security. A fulfilling career. And now a family.
The Holiday Secret (Castle Falls Book 4) Page 17
