Chapter 14
Fourteen
Lila had barely slept. Every time she’d drifted off, she’d jolted awake thinking about Carol’s words: “I do know who your mother is.” Someone knew she was here and was deciding what might happen next.
Knowing someone was out there debating whether they wanted to meet her was worse than having no leads at all.
She’d spent most of the night staring at the ceiling, wondering who her birth mother could be. Had she been too young to raise a baby on her own? Had she never wanted children and gotten pregnant by accident? Had she ever regretted her decision?
Around five-thirty, pale light filtered through her curtains. Lila pulled them back to find fresh snow falling on the already white landscape, the world hushed and pristine in the pre-dawn quiet. Movement in the yard below caught her eye.
Brady was outside, methodically shoveling the walkway from the inn to Main Street.
Even in the dim morning light, she could see the rhythm of his work.
Watching him made something in her chest ease slightly.
At least she had someone she could confide in about everything.
Sure, she could call Jenna, but she was no doubt having a busy Christmas morning with her own family.
It was Brady who knew Carol and how badly Lila had begun to hope she was her birth mother.
Lila pulled on warm clothes and made her way downstairs.
The lobby was quiet except for the soft ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner.
She grabbed her coat from the hook by the door and stepped out into the crisp morning air.
Her breath formed small clouds that reminded her of a locomotive as she made her way down the newly shoveled path.
“Merry Christmas,” Brady called when he saw her approaching. Snow clung to his dark hair and the shoulders of his coat. “And happy birthday.”
“Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too,” she said, although without the same enthusiasm with which he’d delivered the greeting.
When she reached him, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “You’re up early.”
“Couldn’t sleep,” she admitted.
“Tell me about it while we feed the horses?”
“Sure. I could use the distraction.”
She followed him silently around the corner of the inn toward the stables.
The barn was warm and fragrant with the scent of hay and horses.
Thunder nickered softly when he saw them, and Buttercup tossed her golden mane in greeting.
There was something soothing about the simple routine of filling water troughs and measuring out grain.
And running her hand down Thunder’s nose had a calming effect.
“So,” Brady said after they’d worked in companionable silence for several minutes, “how did your conversation with Carol go last night?”
Lila leaned against Thunder’s stall, watching the horse eat. “She’s not my birth mother.”
Brady paused in his work with the feed buckets. “I’m sorry. I know how certain you were.”
“The worst part is that she knows who is.” Lila’s voice came out smaller than she’d intended. “She said she’s contacted my birth mother and that it’s up to her whether she wants to reveal herself.”
Brady set down the bucket and moved closer, his expression concerned. “So, your birth mother knows you’re here?”
“Apparently. Carol said I needed to give her time to process the news.” Lila wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling vulnerable. “What if she decides she doesn’t want to meet me? What if seeing me would just bring up painful memories she’d rather keep buried?”
“Or what if she’s been hoping for this moment for thirty-four years?” Brady’s voice was gentle but firm. “Lila, you can’t know her reasons for the original adoption or how she’s felt about it all these years. Maybe she’s been waiting for you to find her.”
“Carol said essentially the same thing last night.” Lila managed a small smile. “She also said she would have been lucky to have me as a daughter, which was incredibly sweet but also made me realize how much I’d started picturing it was her.”
Brady reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his touch gentle. “Carol’s not wrong. Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life.”
The simple statement, delivered with quiet conviction, made tears prick her eyes. “I don’t know what to do now. Just wait and hope she decides she wants to meet me?”
“I think that’s all you can do. But Lila, remember that no matter what happens, you’ve found people who care about you here.” Brady’s green eyes were serious in the soft barn lighting. “That’s not nothing.”
“I know. And I’m grateful for all of it, especially for you.” She looked up at him, this man who’d become so much more than she’d expected when she first arrived in Pine Ridge. “I just feel like I’m so close to answers, but that they’re completely out of my control.”
“The important things in life usually are out of our control,” Brady said softly. “But I find they’re often worth waiting for.”
They finished with the horses and made their way back toward the inn, where warm light was beginning to glow from the kitchen windows. The rest of the world was still quiet, but Lila could see Carol moving around inside, preparing for the day’s festivities.
“Whatever happens today,” Brady said as they reached the porch steps, “I’m glad you decided to stay.”
He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her lips. It was gentle and sweet, and as soon as he pulled away, she missed the warmth of his lips on hers.
“I’m glad I decided to stay too,” Lila said, and meant it. Whatever uncertainty lay ahead about her birth mother, she was increasingly certain she was catching feelings for Brady. And like he had said, that wasn’t nothing.
By the time they’d returned from the barn and cleaned up, the inn was coming alive with Christmas morning energy. The scent of cinnamon rolls and coffee drifted from the kitchen, and Lila could hear voices and laughter from the dining room.
“Merry Christmas, you two!” Kimberly called out when they appeared in the lobby. She was already dressed in a festive red sweater, her hair pulled back with a sparkly headband. “Brady, Carol’s been looking for you. Something about the coffee machine.”
“Maybe someone should have asked Santa for a Brew Pro 11 after all,” Lila teased.
“Nah, I was saving my Christmas wish for something even better,” he winked at her before turning to head to the kitchen.
In the dining room, another feast awaited the group.
The table was set with china that had tiny holly leaves with red berries around the edges of the plates, and the breakfast spread looked like something from a magazine.
Fresh fruit was arranged in the shape of a Christmas tree, and thick-cut bacon lay mounded next to the tray of cinnamon rolls.
The breakfast casseroles Carol had prepped the night before completed the buffet.
“This is incredible, Carol,” Ali said, already filling her plate. “I can’t believe you got up early enough to prepare all this.”
“Sarah helped me prep the casseroles last night and make the fruit tree, and the rest was easy,” Carol replied.
Brady appeared with a fresh pot of coffee, refilling everyone’s mugs. “Speaking of Sarah, has anyone seen her yet this morning or is she sleeping in?” he asked as he reached Lila’s place at the table.
Lila had completely forgotten about their usual morning coffee date in her haste to go tell Brady about the conversation with Carol. It was becoming a treasured part of her day, and she hated that she’d missed it.
“She’s not feeling well,” Carol said, glancing toward the stairs with concern. “She sent word down that she’s going to rest in her room today. I offered to bring her some breakfast, but she said she just needs to sleep.”
Lila felt a pang of disappointment. Sarah had been such a steady, comforting presence all week, and she loved Christmas. Lila hated that she wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t enjoy the day’s festivities. Maybe she’d be able to join the group later that afternoon after she’d rested up some.
As they finished up breakfast, Sophie began tapping her fork against her juice glass. “Before we disperse,” she announced, “Miles and I have a little surprise for everyone if you can join us in the lobby.”
They all followed Sophie and Miles and sat down on the couch and chairs closest to the Christmas tree they’d all helped decorate only a few days before.
Lila noticed there were now presents under the tree that hadn’t been there the night before, and Miles picked up two of them.
“We picked up a few little things at the festival for everyone,” he explained.
“Nothing fancy, just a small token of appreciation for such a wonderful week.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Carol protested, but her eyes were bright with pleasure.
“Nonsense,” Sophie said, helping Miles distribute packages. “Christmas is about sharing, and you’ve all made this such a special holiday for us.”
The gift exchange that followed was warm and heartfelt.
Sophie and Miles had chosen thoughtfully—a hand-carved ornament for Carol and Tom that featured the outline of buildings on Main Street, locally-made soaps for the sisters, a beautiful bookmark made from pressed mountain flowers for Ali, an etched highball glass for Mike with Breckenridge’s ski slopes, and a handmade leather wallet for Brady.
They’d given Lila a small pottery coffee mug with “Pine Ridge” painted on it in delicate script.
“So you’ll remember us when you’re back home and having your morning coffee,” Sophie said with a wink.
“As if I could forget,” Lila said, touched by the gesture.