The Holiday Secret

Ellery laughed. “I think that means yes.”

“Up you go, then.” Stanley held out a gloved hand and helped them onto a narrow wooden bench behind the driver’s seat. “Diamond and Opal will be happy to take you on a scenic tour of the town.”

He clicked his tongue and the team lurched forward, the rows of tiny silver bells attached to their leather harnesses playing a merry tune.

She studied the storefronts as the sleigh turned onto main street, hoping to see her brothers’ last name on one of the signs. Ellery’s brief online search before she’d left home hadn’t yielded any clues as to what her brothers did for a living, nor did they show up on any of the popular social media sites.

But then again, Ellery didn’t, either. Her parents had stressed the importance of connecting with people face-to-face and encouraged Ellery to do the same.

But what if there’d been more to it than that? What if they’d been afraid that her biological family would somehow find her?

Even as the thought sprang into Ellery’s head, it felt like a betrayal.

Lord, I’m questioning everything these days...

“Whoa!”

Ellery grabbed Bea’s hand as Stanley pulled back on the reins.

The team tossed their heads in response to the abrupt command but obeyed. The center of the street seemed like an unusual place to stop, so Ellery leaned forward.

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure,” came the cheerful response. “We’ve never been pulled over before.”

Chapter Six (#u484cf79b-4cd4-5297-bc1c-ac565409bce0)

Pulled over?

Ellery twisted around. Felt her stomach drop all the way down to the toes of her boots when she saw Carter’s lean frame unfold from the driver’s seat of the squad car.

Karen had assured Ellery that she would let Carter know about the change in plans, but apparently, he hadn’t received the memo.

Bea, whose gaze had been riveted on the horses, let out a squeal of delight when she saw the man striding toward them.

“We saw you in the parade, Daddy!” Bea said, pride shining in her eyes. “Can I go with you next time? Hannah got to ride on a float with her daddy.”

“I’m afraid it’s against the rules, sweetheart,” Carter explained. “You have to have a badge like mine to ride in the squad car.”

Bea deflated against the seat. “Okay.”

Ellery saw something flash in Carter’s eyes. Guilt? Regret?

Life, Ellery had learned in the past year, was too short for either one. Bea might not be able to ride in the squad car, but that didn’t mean father and daughter still couldn’t make another special memory.

And just like that, her mission changed.

Ellery’s father, a renowned neurosurgeon, had worked long hours and been on call, too, so her parents had had to be creative and flexible when it came to spending time together. Ellery treasured those memories even more now that they were gone.

“Maybe your daddy can ride with us in the sleigh,” she heard herself say.

Carter’s expression was much easier to read this time.

Disbelief.

In for a penny, in for a pound, as Ellery’s mother used to say. “When are you off duty?”

“Five minutes ago,” Carter admitted slowly, eyes narrowing on her face as if he was searching for an ulterior motive behind the question.

Ellery preferred to think of it as taking advantage of a memory-making opportunity.

“Mr. Stanley won’t mind, Daddy!” Bea was already scooting over to make room on the bench. “It’ll be fun!”

Fun looked like a completely foreign concept to the man.

“A moonlight sleigh ride with two pretty gals?” Stanley mused out loud to no one in particular. “I would call the man who gets that opportunity blessed.”

Ellery could see that Carter wanted to refuse. He slid a look at Bea and that tender look—the one that told Ellery a soft heart beat behind the shield—stole into his eyes again.

“Fine. I’ll park by the bank,” he told Stanley. “You can pick me up over there.”

The driver grinned, snapped the reins, and the sleigh glided down the street again.

Carter arrived first and Ellery felt that now-familiar uptick in her pulse at the sight of him. Like the bluffs that lined the shores of Lake Superior, there was a rugged beauty in the clash of angles and planes that made up the deputy’s austere features. An appealing contrast between slate-gray eyes and sun-bronzed skin.