Christmas on 4th Street (Fool's Gold #12.5)

“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.