Page 27 of Christmas at Pine Ridge Inn
“We should probably head back,” Brady said as the crowd thinned.
She nodded. “Probably.”
He reached for her hand again, and they began walking slowly back toward the inn. The streets were quieter now, most of the festival activity winding down for the evening, but the whole town seemed to glow with the warmth of celebration and community.
Brady dropped her hand as they reached the front door of the inn, and she immediately missed the weight of it in hers. He must have seen the disappointment on her face.
“I need to go help Tom get a few things ready for tomorrow, but if you’re not tired yet, maybe we could sit by the fire for a little while after?”
She nodded. “I’d like that. I’ll just go change into something more comfortable.”
“I’ll meet you in the lobby in a half hour,” he said.
As Lila climbed the stairs, she knew what she wanted to do. She was going to tell Brady why she’d really come to Pine Ridge. Maybe he knew something about Carol she didn’t.
Ten
Thirty minutes later, Lila descended the stairs to find Brady carrying in more wood for the fire.
“I’m going to grab a cup of tea. Can I get you any?” Lila asked.
“Sure, I’ll take a peppermint tea.”
Lila made them each a tea over at the beverage station and resisted the urge to suggest they put a single-serve coffee maker that took both coffee and tea pods here like they had upstairs. It wasn’t as flashy as the Brew Pro 11 she’d suggested a couple of days ago, but it would make tea a lot faster than the bag she was currently steeping in each cup. Maybe Brady had been right about slowing down though. The wait gave her time to plan what she was going to say to him.
Returning with two cups of tea in hand, Lila found Brady on the couch waiting for her.
“So did you enjoy your first Pine Ridge Christmas Festival?” he asked, accepting the tea she held out.
“Very much so,” she said as she settled down next to him. “It must be really special growing up in a place like this.”
“It was. The whole town was my family, even before I lost my own. Losing your parents is never easy, but I’ve never really felt alone here.”
Lila nodded, wrapping her hands around her mug to keep them from shaking. She didn’t feel alone here either, but she increasingly believed she did indeed have real family here too. And it was time to see if Brady might be able to help her uncover the truth.
“Brady,” Lila said turning on the couch to face him, “if I tell you something important, can we keep it between us?”
He stopped and turned to face her, his expression growing serious. “Of course.”
The firelight flickered across his face, illuminating his strong jaw and kind, perceptive eyes. A week ago, she would never have imagined trusting someone so completely. But somehow their connection had grown so much, she almost couldn’t imagine not telling him.
“I want to tell you why I really came to Pine Ridge,” she said, the words coming out in a rush before she could lose her nerve.
Brady’s expression grew more attentive, but not worried. “Okay.”
“It wasn’t just for a quiet Christmas. I came here looking for someone.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “I came to find my birth mother.” The relief of finally saying it out loud was immediate and overwhelming. “I was adopted as a baby, and I had this clue—a quilt that led me here. I’ve been trying to figure out if she might still be in Pine Ridge.”
Brady was quiet for a long moment, processing her words. “That’s why you asked if I felt guilty about my relationship with the Brennans after my parents’ death,” he said, more as a statement than as a question.
“Yes. And Brady, I think—” She took a deep breath, knowing that once she said this, there would be no taking it back. “I think it might be Carol.”
If she’d expected shock or disbelief, Brady surprised her. Instead, he just nodded slowly, as if the pieces of a puzzle were falling into place in his mind.
“That would explain a lot,” he said quietly.
“You’re not surprised?”
“I’ve watched you with her all week. There’s something there, some kind of connection. And Carol ...” He paused, seeming to choose his words carefully. “Carol has always carried a sadness about not having children. It’s not something she’s ever really talked about. I always thought she and Tom lost a baby. I never considered that perhaps she’d given one up for adoption. It must have been before she met Tom.”
