“Of course it is.” I was saddened for Julie. She didn’t have family locally. Her son lived in Scotland, and I knew he wasn’t coming home for Christmas. Benedict and I had invited her to stay with us, but she’d had invites from friends and had declined.
“Well, the good news is Benedict knows how to pull a pint.” I chuckled.
“The staff won’t get in—it’s a good job the cleaning team did their deep clean yesterday.”
“Will we be okay for food?” I asked.
“Yes. We have enough, and the order will fill the freezers.”
“Is there anything you need Benedict and me for?”
“Can Benedict bring some wood in? And a barrel needs changing,” Julie replied.
“The backup generator is also full. Benedict checked that yesterday. If we lose electric, we have plenty of gas to keep it going.”
“Okay, I’ll go and prepare their rooms. They have two adjoining ones. Our other guests are scheduled to arrive next week, and the others checked out last night after hearing the weather report. The inn will be empty apart from the Maddons and us. I hope they’re not put off by snow,” Trudy replied.
“I’ll have Julie make them a warm meal for their arrival. I bet they’re cold, hungry, and tired.”
Trudy laughed. “I doubt they’re hungry. Rose-Marie wouldn’t let anyone starve. But maybe a good lunch will better welcome them.”
“True.” I smiled at the thought of my friend. She had a heart as big as the world and had never met a stranger, although she guarded her witchy self vigorously. Her café was the heart of the village.
“Okay. Let’s get moving. We’ve no idea when Farmer Terry might be bringing them.”
Benedict entered the bar and looked around. “Everything okay?”
“Julie’s making breakfast.”
“Julie got in?” he exclaimed.
“My reaction exactly.” I laughed. “We need you to bring some firewood in and check the levels on the generator again, please. A barrel also needs swapping out.” I quickly updated Benedict on the rest of the news, and he frowned.
“That’s awful service to just dump people in the middle of nowhere. How dreadful for them, I hope they complain against the driver.”
“Even worse, when they’ve three young children. But we’ll make it up to them. I’m sure I saw skis, snowshoes, and sleighs in the attic room.”
While there were bedrooms in the attics, some of the space had been kept free for clutter or seasonal things, such as Halloween and Christmas decorations.
“We’re going to make this the greatest holiday they’ve had,” I said, smiling as Julie bustled in with three full plates of food.
Chapter Three.
Adam
This was the worst vacation ever. For once, I felt something other than self-pity; a raging anger took over me as the taxi driver left out belongings dumped on the roadside and drove away.
“Adam?” Rina looked a little scared and uncertain. The village we’d been left at was in sheer darkness, and the snow kept falling—and hard. In the time it had taken us to reach here, the entire countryside was covered.
The kids shivered in the cold, and worry crossed my mind. I was about to bang on someone’s door and ask for help when the lights came on nearby.
A door opened, and a woman stepped out of the café, just a few doors up. “Come in!” she called out in a husky voice.
I didn’t hesitate and grabbed Zoie and hurried towards her. My footing wasn’t stable because of my leg, but I helped Zoie inside without falling and hurting her. Walker carried Callum, and Rina had Xander.
“I need to get our luggage,” I said to the stranger, who was sporting bedhead and a thick robe. She’d clearly been woken up and had got out of bed.
“I’ll help Dad,” Walker said and walked out beside me.
