Christmas on 4th Street (Fool's Gold #12.5)(38)

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.”