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

Pia rested her hand on her belly. “Trust me, this is nothing. Last time I was pregnant with twins. Now that was huge. By comparison, this is easy. Don’t worry. I’m keeping my feet up and staying hydrated. Raoul is checking on me every fifteen minutes, and I’m not exaggerating about that. I’m fine.”


She looked down at her notes. “I have information on a vacation rental for Mr. and Mrs. Boylan. They’re staying with Gideon. Is it available?”

“Gabriel’s been using it, but I can clear out his stuff for a couple of nights.”

Pia raised her eyebrows. “So it’s like that, is it?”

“For the moment.”

“I’ll put his place on the list and let you know if we need it.”

Noelle briefly wondered if she should say anything to Gabriel, then decided it didn’t matter. He would be fine with what she’d done. And if he wasn’t, she would remind him it was only for a couple of nights.

Love as empowerment, she thought with a smile.

Madeline, Isabel’s assistant, put down her phone. “The last missing person has been found,” she announced. “We have serious injuries, but so far no deaths.”

Pia sighed. “Thank goodness.” She raised her voice. “All right, people, we need more beds for tonight. Get back to those calls.”

* * *

The hospital emergency room was more controlled chaos than the hotel ballroom had been, Gabriel thought as he walked inside. With the last of the missing skiers recovered, the search-and-rescue volunteers had been recalled and their vehicles had been put to use as patient transport.

As Gabriel walked through the busy waiting area, he heard a couple of people talking about the new hospital that was being built and how the town needed it. Families clustered together, looking relieved or worried, depending on the condition of their loved one.

He went to the front desk and identified himself, telling the nurse he would be available if extra help was needed. She looked harried and nodded as he spoke.

“We might be calling you,” she said. “Are you going to stick around for a while?”

“Until the crisis is past.”

She took down his cell number, then turned to the next person waiting. Gabriel glanced at the signage on the walls, thinking he would go find some coffee. Before he could, a dark-haired man walked up to him.

“Justice Garrett,” the man said. “From CDS.”

Gabriel shook his hand. “The bodyguard school.”

Justice sighed. “We’re never going to get them to stop calling it that, are we?”

Gabriel grinned. “Not in this town. How can I help you?”

“Just wanted to introduce myself. My fiancée, Patience, is friends with Noelle.” He gave a casual shrug. “Obviously, they talk.”

Gabriel was very clear on how much women talked. What he didn’t know was what had been said.

Justice pointed to the two men in similar cargo pants and black long-sleeved T-shirts who joined them. “My business partners. Angel Whittaker and Ford Hendrix. Of more importance to you, these are the two who rescued your brother from the Taliban.” He looked at his friends. “Gabriel is Gideon’s brother.”

Angel, a man with pale gray eyes and an interesting scar on his neck, moved forward. “Nice to meet you. Gideon’s a good guy.”

Gabriel shook his hand. He had so many questions, but at that moment he couldn’t think of any of them.

“Thank you,” he said, turning to Ford. “We’re glad we still have him around.”

Ford smiled. “Yeah, he’s not so bad.” The smile faded. “That was a good day for all of us. We were happy to help.”

Gabriel knew what they’d done was more than help. They’d risked their lives to save his brother from a horrible death. Gideon had been the last of his team left alive after nearly two years of captivity and daily torture.

Felicia hurried up to them. She walked to Gabriel and rested her forehead on his chest. “I’m struggling to keep control.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “You can’t have control. This is an out-of-control situation. The best you can do is mitigate fallout. You’re doing that.”

He felt her draw in a breath. She raised her head and looked at him. “Thank you,” she said, then turned and walked away.

Justice grinned. “Good to know her new family gets her.”

“She’s great,” Gabriel admitted. “The smartest person I know, and that’s saying something.”

“Come on,” Ford told Angel. “We’ll go get everyone coffee.”

“I’ll go with you,” Justice said, then looked at Gabriel. “How do you take yours?”

Gabriel chuckled. “You know I’m in the army, right?”

“You’re a doctor.” Justice held up both hands. “Okay, okay. Black it is.”