Christmas on 4th Street (Fool's Gold Romance) (14 page)

Noelle glanced at the window and saw a dancing Santa. There were elves, too. Cute elves she didn’t remember from a couple of days ago.

“She’s getting to her decorating late,” she said. “It’s a tough time of year.”

“She’s not late,” Patience said. “It’s the competition. I thought about trying, but with the wedding and all, there’s no way. Maybe next year. Although Josh usually wins. I think he brings in people from outside to decorate. He’s a professional competitor. The rest of us don’t take it that seriously.”

Noelle stopped to face her. “What are you talking about?”

“The competition for best holiday window display,” Patience told her. “It’s silly, really. The prize is some little statue. It’s just for fun.”

“Why didn’t I know about this?” Noelle asked, gazing at the window display. “I have a Christmas store. I should be a contender.”

“Uh-oh.” Patience held up both hands. “I see that look of determination. I’m so staying out of your way.”

Chapter 8

Gabriel closed the cash register and handed over the bag. “Thanks for stopping by,” he said. “Merry Christmas.”

Unexpectedly, he enjoyed working in the store. People were really happy when they found what they were looking for and he liked the idea of seeing the transaction through. In his day job, he patched his patients up as best he could and then they were gone. Even in Germany, when his patients left the hospital, they still had healing to do. But here, he could sell a Christmas CD and feel a sense of accomplishment.

The front door opened and Noelle burst in. She was flushed and wide-eyed, her scarf falling off her shoulder.

“What happened?” he demanded, already moving toward her. Adrenaline pumped through him as he wondered if there’d been a car accident or some other tragedy he would have to deal with. He didn’t have a medical bag with him, which would limit what he could do but—

“There’s a window competition,” she announced. “How did I not know about this? There are prizes and everything. We have to win.”

Gabriel drew in a breath and consciously relaxed his body. The chemical rush would take a while to fade, but at his least brain knew she was okay.

“A competition?” he asked. “For windows?”

“Window displays. I wish Melissa was here. I could ask her about it. There was a flyer, but I guess I didn’t get it.” She walked over to the computer and typed in the password to log on to the internet, then searched.

“Here it is,” she said triumphantly. “The judging is the eleventh. That’s next Wednesday and doesn’t give us much time.” She looked around the store. “I need to get organized.”

“You’re going to try to win?”

She gave him a pitying look. “Of course. This is important. Not only is this my first year in business, I’m the Christmas store. I need to at least be in the competition, even if I don’t win.”

An unexpected side of Noelle, he thought, liking her fierceness.

“How can I help?”

She smiled then and it was like getting kicked in the gut. Gabriel held in a groan as he wondered when wanting Noelle had shifted to liking her, as well. Desire was safe. It was biology and a lot about proximity. But liking was different. Liking was about personality and caring, which meant when he left he was going to miss her.

Too late now, he told himself. He was stuck.

“I’m going to walk around town and look at the other windows,” she said. “I’ll take notes. Then this afternoon we can strategize about what to do.” She glanced toward the display in the south window. “I know we’re going to need a bigger tree—that’s for sure. But a real one.”

“You’re going to put a real tree in your window?”

“Why not? It will add a nice scent to the store and look more authentic. I wonder if Heidi would let me have one of her goats.”

“No goats,” he said sternly. “You can’t keep a goat in the window.”

“I suppose you’re right. But if we made it looking like a stable and it was just for sleeping...” She shook her head. “There would be clean-up issues and I don’t know how many hours a day a goat sleeps.” She wrapped her scarf around her neck. “Okay, I’ll be back with intel and then we can brainstorm.”

Intel? Gabriel rubbed his right temple. He could already feel a headache coming on.

* * *

By eight that night Gabriel wondered if Noelle was willing to admit defeat.

“I want to believe,” she murmured, pulling up the hood on her coat. Snow fell around them and the temperature was plunging, but he knew the cold wasn’t the reason for her glum tone.

She stopped on the sidewalk and drew in a breath. “You can be done with this,” she added, although she didn’t sound very convincing.

“You don’t mean that,” he told her.

“Nobody wants to spend this long looking for a Christmas tree.”

“Why stop now?” he asked, not mentioning that they’d already been to all five lots in town. He would swear she’d examined every tree needle by needle but was still unsatisfied. “You can’t be giving up.”

“I’m not. I still think the perfect tree is out there. It has to be.”

“Then you’ll find it.”

She looked doubtful. “Are you saying you agree with me or are you humoring me because it’s the quickest way to get out of the snow?”

“Both,” he admitted.

She flashed him a smile that took care of any chills.

Her cheeks were red from the cold, as was her nose. Snow landed on the faux shearling edging her hood and dusted her shoulders. She looked adorable and sexy at the same time and he suspected she had no clue as to how she got to him.

“I can’t help it,” she admitted. “This is important to me.”

“I guessed that.” He stomped his feet.

“Go home,” she said. “You’re freezing. I’ll give up.”

His gaze settled on her face. “Why do I know you’re lying?”

“I’m not.”

She stared at him with what he would guess she thought was an open expression. But he knew what she was thinking. She wasn’t the type to give up.

“Sell it somewhere else. You’re going to keep at this until you have the perfect tree and what you think is a shot at winning some ribbon.”

“I heard it’s a trophy.”

“Well, then.”

“Are you mad?” she asked.

“No. Just wondering what you’d be like if you
really
wanted something. Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“I’m walking you home. On the way, we’ll come up with a plan to find the perfect tree.”

She had fallen into step with him, but now she jumped in front of him and grinned. “Really? I was wondering if maybe we could drive up the mountain and cut down a tree.”

“Is that legal? Aren’t the mountains state or federal lands?”

“I don’t know. I could find out. Anyway, it’s just one tree.”

“Great. An obsessed lawbreaker.”

They were standing by the park, across from Morgan’s Books. The sky was dark, the snow falling gently, and there were dozens of people on the sidewalks. Music was piped in from somewhere, tinny Christmas carols that reminded him of his childhood. He couldn’t feel the lower half of his body. Probably a good thing considering she was staring at him as if he’d just saved puppies from a fire.

“So you’ll really help me?” she asked.

“I’ve come too far to turn back now.”

“That is so great.” She bounced in place. “I’ll check to see if it’s legal
before
we head up the mountain. How’s that? We can take my car.”

“You’re going to drive?”

“It’ll be hard to walk back, dragging a tree.”

“You’re not ready for mountain driving.”

She waved away his concern. “I’ll be fine. I have righteousness on my side. What could go wrong?”

“Don’t tempt fate. I’m coming with you and I’m driving. We’ll take Gideon’s truck.”

She stared into his eyes, her expression innocent. “That would be very nice. Thank you.”

He touched his gloved fingers to her chin, forcing her to look at him. “You’re welcome.”

She grinned and grabbed his hands in hers. “It’ll be fun. We’ll find a huge tree and cut it down. Like we’re pioneers or something. Then bring it back and put it in the window. I’ll win for sure.”

He wasn’t convinced. “You’ll have to measure the window. We don’t want to bring back something that’s too big.” He drew her against him and they started walking.

“I’ll go online tonight and find out what the best trees are. We need it to last a long time and look pretty. Maybe Felicia knows. She knows everything.”

He studied her. “Is this what you were like in law school? Always trying to be the best?”

“I didn’t graduate first in my class, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Number two?”

“I was third. Besides, this isn’t like that.”

“It’s a contest. It’s pretty much like that.”

Before she could answer, a little girl ran over to them. She was adorable, maybe five with shiny black hair and big eyes. She wore a thick red coat and rain boots with red polka dots on them.

“Hey, you,” Noelle said, crouching down and smiling at her. “Are you staying warm?”

“I am,” the girl said, smiling shyly. “We bought my grandma an ornament at your store. You helped me pick it out.”

“I remember,” Noelle told her. “Did you give it to her?”

The girl nodded.

“Did she like it?”

There was another smile and a quick nod. “She cried.”

“Those are the best kind of presents.”

The girl’s mother came over and took her hand. “We were in town for the long weekend with my parents,” the woman said. “Your store was wonderful. Sophie wanted you to know.”

Noelle touched the girl’s cheek. “Thank you for telling me about your grandmother, Sophie.”

“You’re welcome.”

Noelle rose and turned back to him. “Does that make you want to give the world a hug?”

“You make people happy.”

“I try. It’s not me, it’s the store, but still.”

She flung herself at him. He caught her and held on tight.

He knew she was wrong—she was the one with the special touch. Without her, The Christmas Attic was simply a collection of things. She brought it all alive. While he didn’t remember the little girl or her mother, he didn’t doubt Noelle had taken plenty of time with them. She did that with every customer. She made shopping at her store an experience.

“We’ll go up the mountain,” he told her. “Find out where the best trees are and we’ll go.”

She smiled up at him. “You’re not so tough. You pretend you’re all broody and wounded but you’re really a sweet kind of guy.”

He wanted to tell her not to believe in him, that he wasn’t a good risk. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he couldn’t have her faith. But those were words for another time, he thought, brushing his mouth against hers. A time when it wasn’t snowing on a beautiful night a few weeks before Christmas.

* * *

Gabriel walked through the cold night, grateful that the temperature would take care of any lingering desire. He’d done the gentlemanly thing—he’d walked Noelle home and left her on her doorstep without even hinting how much he wanted to go inside.

He’d read the indecision in her eyes and had known he could have easily convinced her. A few kisses and she would have started to melt. But as much as he wanted her, he needed her to be sure. To understand what the consequences would be.

A conscience was a giant pain in the ass, he thought as he turned the corner. Well, not his ass, exactly.

“Hello, Gabriel.”

An older woman appeared at his side. He would have sworn there was no one else out on this snowy night. Not this late. The bustling city tended to shut down right around nine.

The woman had white curly hair and deep blue eyes. She had to be in her sixties, but she stood straight and strong. He’d seen her before, but couldn’t remember where.

“Ma’am,” he said, no longer surprised people he’d never met knew who he was.

“I’m Mayor Marsha Tilson,” she said with a smile. “I’m glad I ran into you. I’ve been wanting to speak to you.”

She motioned to a business across the street. He peered through the snow and saw a sign that read Jo’s Bar.

“Let me buy you a coffee,” she said, already stepping off the curb. “Irish coffee,” she added with a laugh. “Nobody makes it better than Jo.”

Somehow he found himself following the woman. He told himself to stop, that he had no business going into a bar with a woman thirty years older than him. He remembered the butt pat from the other day and wondered if he was about to get into an even more awkward situation. But somehow he kept moving along at her side, answering polite questions about how he enjoyed the town.

When they stepped inside, he found he was in the strangest bar he’d ever seen. The walls were a pale purple-blue color and the big TVs had on what looked a lot like overweight people exercising on treadmills. Was this some sports show he’d missed while he’d been gone?

The mayor led him to a table in the corner. “Irish coffees, please, Jo,” she called as she pulled out a chair.

“You got it, Mayor Marsha.” The woman behind the bar chuckled. “Who are you torturing tonight?”

“Jo, I never torture anyone. You know that.”

“Sure you don’t.”

“This is Dr. Gabriel Boylan. Gideon’s brother.”

“Welcome,” Jo told him. “Don’t bother fighting her. It never works. It’s like quicksand. Relax and you’ll be fine. Struggle and you’ll end up sinking in deeper.”

The mayor draped her heavy coat over an empty chair and sat down. She wore a pale blue suit and pearls. “Jo has an imagination.”

Gabriel nodded even as he wondered if Jo was the one telling the truth. He shrugged out of his jacket, then sat across from the mayor.

She set her hands on the table and laced her fingers together. “You’re here through the holidays.”