Room at the Inn (Bellingwood #5.5) (9 page)

Aaron held up the pies and said, "Kitchen?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Aaron. I'll take that. Thank you, Lydia."

"Lydia?" he exclaimed. "I'll have you know that I was the one who …"

His wife interrupted him, "The one who did what?"

He grinned and passed the carrier to Polly. "The one who says thank you to my beautiful wife for being so gracious and the one who carried them up here. That's all."

Another knock on the door and a woman's voice tentatively called out, "Hello?"

Polly set the carrier down on the peninsula and ran back to the door. She didn't recognize the couple standing there and
asked, "Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell?"

"The nice boy downstairs told us how to find you. Sycamore House is quite lovely," Marian Maxwell said.

"Come on in. Let me take your coats." Polly waited as they removed their coats and she hung them over the coat tree. "I have to apologize. There will be a large group here tonight. People kept helping and I kept inviting them to join us."

Marian Maxwell smiled and said, "It's Christmas. But I hope all of those cars out front aren't for this party."

"No," Polly laughed. "There's a corporate party in the auditorium. Please come in. Before everyone gets here, I'd like to show you what I found."

She led them to the sofa and placed the envelope onto Marian's lap. Sam Maxwell set his large, callused hand on top of his wife's and squeezed it. She gently opened the envelope.

"I'm sorry it isn't as pristine as the day I found it," Polly said. "Several people have read this as I've been looking for you."

There were no words from either of them as she pulled the card out, opened it and
thumbed through the pictures. They read the note in the card and she looked at the photographs again.

"I couldn't remember what they looked like," she said quietly. "My two big brothers.
I couldn't remember them. Look Sam. These are my brothers."

She ran her finger across the family photograph, stopping to rub the image of her mother and then her father. "I remember that nigh
t. People didn't think I would. I was asleep in the car and mommy didn't want to wake me up. We'd been out shopping all day and stopped at the grocery store. Daddy stayed in the car with me when mommy went into the store. I pretended to sleep because I didn't want to walk any more. Then I did fall asleep and woke up when the world exploded. That's all I remember."

"The letter is from your mother," Polly said. "If you want to go into the bedroom to read it, I understand."

Marian looked into her husband's eyes and he shrugged. She opened the letter and her lips moved as she read through it. Sam followed along and his arm reached around her shoulders as Polly watched her eyes fill with tears.

"Oh Sam,"
Marian said and slumped into him.

Polly turned around and the apartment was empty. She assumed Lydia had corralled them elsewhere. When she turned back, Marian Maxwell was brushing the tears from her eyes.

"I didn't know anything about my past. The Garrisons were wonderful to me, but they didn't have any information about my family. It is so good to know who I was named after. My son gave his little girls my names as their middle names. Now I can tell him that they are from two other women in my family."

"I'm so sorry that I have a house full of people tonight," Polly said. "If you want to go home, we will all understand."

"No!" Marian said. "I would love to meet your friends. This is a celebration! You've given me an amazing gift this Christmas. It's been over fifty-five years and I want to share this."

She looked around, "Where did they go?"

Polly smiled. "They are probably in the hallway. Lydia Merritt is a genius at knowing when not to be in the way. Let me get them." She went to the front door and found everyone milling around. Lydia had baby Salvador in her arms and smiled.

"How are things in there?"

"Things are great," Polly responded. "Come on in and meet the Maxwells. They are looking forward to celebrating tonight."

CHAPTER NINE
- EPILOGUE

Room at the inn. Polly thought about how fortunate she was to be able to offer space for the Living Nativity and for animals who needed a home and for a young family whose car had broken down. This was the last night of the Living Nativity. Sycamore House was finally quiet. Polly had driven Jeff to Des Moines earlier in the day so he could catch a flight to Ohio for Christmas with his family. Her friend, Sal, was at Mark Ogden's house decorating for the onslaught of his family from Minnesota. She promised Polly they would spend time together, but Polly wasn't holding out much hope and that was fine.

Jose, Maria and
Salvador were still here. The baby was healthy and laughing. Nate and Henry had gotten the car working again and it was parked out front. Jose and Maria had been a huge help to Eliseo and Sylvie throughout the busy week and decided that they would stay until after Christmas. Polly and Eliseo worked out a fair salary for them and she'd let him be the one to pay Jose.

Yesterday morning, when everyone had been down at the barn, Mark showed up with a crate. He opened it and introduced Hansel and Gretel. Hansel, the male cat, was pure black and beautifully sleek. The female, Gretel, was a gorgeous dark calico. They made their way around t
he barn, cautiously sniffing until they found Tom and Huck's stall. The donkeys were already out in the pasture and both cats climbed through the straw until they found a place to curl up. It had nearly killed Andrew to stay away, but Polly asked him to be quiet so he wouldn't scare them.

According to Mark, the cats had come from another barn and were more comfortable being here than inside. As long as there was food, water and shelter, they would be content and happy. Polly had already added a large bag of cat food to the feed room.

While they worked, they tried to ignore the cats, hoping they would get comfortable enough to explore the barn. Andrew was sitting on a bench when Tom came back in looking for some affection. Before they knew it, a black cat was standing beside Andrew. He tentatively reached out his hand and the cat brushed his face on him. Tom got closer to the cat and Andrew grew still. The moment passed, the donkey pushed his head against Andrew's leg, and the cat jumped down.

One year ago, Polly had a dog and two cats. Now there were more animals in her life than she knew what to do with. Eliseo
could never leave. Jason had come out of Nat's stall to watch Andrew with the donkey and the cat and she heard him laughing quietly as he went back in to finish mucking it out. One year ago, these boys lived in a small apartment with their mother. Today they lived in the same apartment, but because of the family's involvement at Sycamore House, they had room to play and grow. Both of them had grown up a lot since she first met them.

This morning everyone was there again. Weekends were fun at the barn. Jason and Andrew didn't have to be in school and they all spent time with the animals. Hansel and Gretel had apparently found their way around the entirety of the barn overnight.
When Eliseo opened the doors, he found them curled up in Demi's stall tucked in for warmth.

Jason and Andrew were bringing the donkeys up for the Living Nativity one last time. They had already donned their costumes and were down with Eliseo. Polly put the finishing touches on dinner. She had invited all her friends
, and everyone but Jeff would be there before they began their family Christmas celebrations. Dinner would be simple. Sandwiches and appetizers, salads and plenty of crackers, chips, and cheese.

Andy and Len were back from their honeymoon and were
bringing his daughter, Ellen. Beryl had come out of seclusion, announcing she was finished for a month. She needed a vacation. Billy and Rachel were coming and Doug had finally gotten up the nerve to ask Anita Banks for a date. He was bringing her and texted Polly that she had to be nice because he was really nervous. Polly had made Sylvie promise to take a long afternoon nap and stay away from the kitchen this evening. The Merritts were coming, Sal and Mark would be in attendance, and Nate and Joss Mikkels said they wouldn't miss it. The party would be a grand way to celebrate friends, both old and new.

Polly dimmed the
overhead lights, allowing the strands of white Christmas lights to stand out. She lit candles in the kitchen and turned on the flickering electric candles in her windows. The coffee was brewed, cider was bubbling, hot water was ready for cocoa and the egg nog poured into a punch bowl. She was ready.

Cars slowly passed the Nativity outside and some
pulled into the parking lot. People walked over to spend a few moments considering a night long ago, when the world changed forever. Each night the tableau had been filled with different participants and each night Polly spent time watching as they prepared themselves to represent that very holy family, the shepherds and wise men, who were the first to greet the Savior. Those moments were filled with reverence, even amidst the craziness of donkeys and sheep, attempts to keep warm and the bright lights of cars flashing over them as the twenty-first century clashed with images from two thousand years ago.

She looked out the window and watched as the scene played out one more time. Lydia's Jeep pulled into the lot and Beryl glanced up
to the window and waved at Polly.

Polly propped her front door open. Footsteps coming up her back stairs, along with Obiwan's wagging tail, told her that Henry had arrived. She met him at the top of the steps and when he kissed her, she allowed the moment to take her breath away. She was going to savor every moment this evening with her friends. She hadn't felt this much love since she'd been home with her father, Mary
, and Sylvester. That had been too many years ago.

"Halloooo," Lydia called.

Polly pulled back from Henry and said, "I'm glad you're here. Did you have a good day?"

"I think the house is finally ready for Mom and Dad."

"What time will they be in tomorrow?"

"Knowing Dad, they'll get in tonight, but they really aren't supposed to be home until tomorrow afternoon."

Polly had spent time with him yesterday scrubbing down bathrooms, washing curtains and re-making the beds. When she'd left, the house had been sparkling, but Henry told her this morning that he was still cleaning and decorating. She supposed it would be difficult having your mother return to her old home. His mother couldn't be that much trouble, though. Polly tried not to be nervous about meeting them and then shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about that. She had guests.

They went into t
he living room and saw that Andy, Len and Ellen, Joss and Nate and Sylvie were also there.

"Merry Christmas!" resounded through the room as everyone greeted each other. Billy, Rachel, Doug and Anita all showed up, then Eliseo came in with Jose, Maria and
Salvador. Eliseo was carrying the baby and laughing at something Jose had said. Mark and Sal were the last to arrive and Polly smiled and shook her head when they walked in holding hands. Sal's laughter was contagious and soon they were mingling with everyone.

Polly turned on Christmas music
. She was glad to not have the pressure of a large Christmas party this year.

"I'm glad you are all here tonight
," she said. "You are my family and I couldn't imagine not spending Christmas with you. One of the best parts of family is that it grows. Andy and Len are back and I am thankful he is part of my family. Welcome home."

She reached over and took Henry's hand. "This last week Henry and I have been working on a new business deal and we are going to begin a partnership ... "

Before she could finish her sentence, there were gasps and smatterings of applause around the room. "No, not that," she scolded. "A business partnership. We are purchasing the old hotel out by the new winery. Sycamore Inn will open next summer or fall. Bellingwood needs a hotel and I can hardly wait to begin work on this. I've spoken with both Eliseo and Rachel. Rachel will begin working for us full-time just after the New Year. She will help in the kitchen and be responsible for the guest rooms here at Sycamore House, leaving Eliseo more time to be outside. This spring he is going to plant a rather large vegetable garden out back and we will start having a monthly Farmer's Market here in the spring. It is going to be an exciting year and I look forward to our continued growth. I wish Jeff were here to celebrate with us this evening since he has been such a big part of everything."

"To Sycamore House!" Beryl
said, lifting a glass of eggnog.

"To Sycamore House!"
came the response from the others.

"Thank you all for being part of my life this last year," Polly said.

Sal stepped forward and hugged her. "I'm proud of you," she said. "I knew you had this inside you. Your dad would be proud."

She moved back giving way
to Joss and Nate. Joss hugged her as well and then whispered into her ear, "Our lives are getting bigger next year, too. We've finally decided to do something about adopting and everything is in place. We weren't going to say anything until we were approved, but it's starting!"

Polly looked up at Nate with excitement. "I’m so happy for you two. Did you know?" she turned to Henry.

"Know what?" he asked.

"They're adopting a child!"

"Congratulations, man," Henry clapped his friend on the back. "Before you know it, you’ll own a minivan instead of the Impala."

"Bet me," Nate laughed. "That was the first conversatio
n I got out of the way. No minivans allowed."

"He's not kidding. He made me promise that we wouldn't ever park a
minivan in our garage," Joss said. "I can agree to that."

Polly hugged her, "I really am excited for you. This is going to be a great year!"

When she had finally spoken to everyone and they were milling around the food buffet, she stepped back into Henry's arm. "You know, it's hard for me to believe all that has happened this year."

"It's been a good year."

"I barreled through, hoping I wasn't making some huge mistake. But when I kept meeting all of these wonderful people, I knew it wasn't a mistake. Can you imagine what next year is going to be like? I'm going to need a bigger place just to have all of my friends in the same room at once."

"Pretty girl, I
love watching you make friends. Nothing stops you when you decide someone is going to be part of your life."

"I'm glad you are part of my life."

"Me too. We've had a lot of fun so far."

"And we're going to have more fun next year!"

They had backed away from the main party and were standing next to the Christmas tree. Polly reached over and took a small package off one of the branches and handed it to Henry. "This is for you," she said.

He took it. "I thought we were exchanging gifts on Wednesday with my family."

"I know, but I want you to have this now."

Henry opened the box and kissed Polly on the nose. "You're a nut," he said.

The engraved pen and pencil set read, "Sturtz & Giller, Partners, Bellingwood, Iowa."

"I had one made for myself, too. We're official now."

"I like being official with you," he laughed and kissed her on the lips. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Henry Sturtz. I love you."