Noelle's Christmas Wedding: Christian Contemporary Christmas Romance (The Candy Cane Girls Book 1)

by Bonnie Engstrom

  “No, not at all. What can I do for you?” He hoped it had nothing to do with Noelle deciding on the month long respite.

  “This is a bit spur of the moment, but I am hoping you can do it. I know you have a business to run, so I will understand if you can’t.” She blabbered on, and Braydon hoped she would get to the point soon. He really liked Kerstin, but he was tired and wanted to keep this conversation short.

  “It’s just a brief one hour presentation. I forgot I’m the member in charge this month to invite someone for that.” She finally exhaled to Braydon’s relief. He was afraid she might pass out. “Can you, could you possibly, do it?”

  He pulled up his calendar again. “Tell me the date and time, Kerstin.” He waited while he heard papers shuffling.

  “This Wednesday morning at ten. Coffee and sweet rolls served, of course. Can you do it?”

  “I will be happy to.” He heard a huge sigh of relief. “What do you want me to talk about? What can I bring?”

  “I dunno. Maybe roses? Since that is your expertise.” Kirsten paused and he heard another rustling of papers. “I am looking over the member list. Preferences. Seems like most like to grow roses, but most of us aren’t sure how. Can you guide us?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Braydon lifted three small pots of roses from his van trunk. Maybe early December wasn’t the best time to plant them, but he would give advice, and possibly personal assistance. What the heck, this was for Noelle’s mom. Least he could do.

  Kerstin rushed out from the community clubhouse where the gardening club met. She wrapped her arms around him, then stepped back in embarrassment.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I am so excited you are here.”

  He grinned and put a pot in her arms. “Can you carry that?”

  Together they deposited the three pots of gorgeous flowers on the table in front of the small audience of twenty women.

  “Good morning,” he said. Twenty nods, twenty smiles. This was going to be okay.

  An hour later, Kerstin hugged him as he was getting into his van. He had found a fun way to give the rose bushes as prizes. Two women, one gray-haired and another quite young, had won them. Kerstin had won the third, much to his surprise.

  “Please, will you help me plant it?” she requested.

  “Of course. Will Saturday morning work?”

  “Perfect.” She hesitated. “Do you mind if Noelle is here?”

  “No. As long as she is okay with that.” He looked carefully at Kerstin’s face. Did she know about the respite? “Please check with her; make sure she is fine with my being there to plant. Okay?”

  Kerstin nodded. He decided to accept that as an affirmation.

  ~

  Noelle was excited to help Mom with her garden. It would be like an early Christmas present. She wasn’t sure where Mom had gotten the small rose bush she mentioned. But, she thought maybe Braydon had something to do with it, since roses are his specialty. Mostly cut roses, though, in his shop. Still, he did help chose the roses for the Sherman Gardens. Maybe he was a closet cultivator. She chuckled to herself –a new moniker for him.

  She arrived at seven just as the sun was peeking from behind clouds of pink fluff. It was blessedly cool, so she pulled her lightweight sweater closer around her shoulders. Instead of parking in front, she swung around to the back and pulled in the driveway. Finally, she had her little red car back, and it looked perfect. The insurance check had come yesterday. This was going to be a good day.

  She opened her parents’ back door that led into the kitchen and hesitated. She heard voices, male and female. She knew her dad was traveling, so the male voice wasn’t his. She would have recognized it anyway. Maybe Uncle Mart? Creeping softly into the kitchen, she thought if it was him she’d give him a silly scare. Like the ones he used to give to her when she was a toddler – big hands covering her eyes from behind, then a cheek peck and “boo!” They would both laugh and hug, and he would swing her high above his head.

  The voices faded as if the man and woman were walking through the house to the front door. As she got closer, she distinctly heard Mom say, “I wonder where she is. Not like Noelle to be late.”

  The male voice responded, sounding familiar. “You sure she won’t be upset about this? You did run it by her like you promised, didn’t you, Kerstin?”

  Mom mumbled something that sounded like, “Forgot.”

  “Oh, no!” Male voice again. “I’m sure she’s going to be upset.” Pause. “The respite was her idea, and I’ve been honoring it.”

  Braydon! It was his voice, his words. Mom betrayed her.

  She put her hand to her throat and spun around. She almost made it to the back door when a firm masculine hand caught her elbow. “Don’t touch me! Take your hand off my arm.” She felt herself trembling. Tears pooled in her eyes, and she swiped at them with her knuckles. The toe of her shoe caught the metal strip on the door’s threshold, and she grabbed air wildly. Just as she was about to fling forward, strong arms wrapped around her.

  “Noelle.” Braydon’s breath tickled her neck from behind. He chuckled a little. “Please don’t pass out this time, beautiful lady. There’s no sofa in the kitchen to deposit you on.”

  “Unhand me.” She wiggled loose from his grip and turned to face him. In her nastiest sneer she said, “I thought you were different. You and Mom set me up.”

  “No, Noelle.” Mom’s voice drifted across the kitchen. “It’s all my fault. Braydon told me about your wish for a respite, and I promised to tell you about him being here.” She came up to Noelle with tears on her cheeks. “I forgot.”

  Noelle looked at her mother whose face was staring at the floor where tears dropped. Poor Mom. She means well, and she’d never do anything deliberate to hurt me. She is getting older, and don’t older people sometimes forget? Even promises.

  She wrapped her arms around Mom. “It’s okay. I guess.” She hugged Kerstin warmly and kissed her nose. “I know you didn’t mean any harm.”

  Kerstin hugged back and nodded enthusiastically. Her head bobbed up, down and side-ways making Noelle and Braydon laugh. “You look like a bobble-head doll, Mom,” she said as she laughed some more.

  “I feel like one. Sitting on some idiot’s dashboard.” She wiped at her eyes with a tissue Noelle handed her.

  Noelle decided to be a big girl and let the whole incident go. She knew it wasn’t Braydon’s fault, and she knew in her heart he was a gentle, caring man with no agenda. Well, maybe one to become her sweetheart. He hadn’t grabbed her arm hard, was just trying to delay her to explain the situation. And, he prevented her from falling, maybe even from injuring herself. She had over reacted on both counts. Thanks to her unhealthy relationship with Clay. She had let that go, hadn’t she?

  “Planting. Aren’t we planting?” She eyed her mother and Braydon, both of whom nodded and grinned. “Let’s get on with it, then.”

  She learned from the two of them that Kerstin had won one of the beautiful rose shrubs when Braydon gave a presentation to the Harbor View Garden Club. “Did you fix it to make sure Mom won one of them?”

  “Wish I had, but you know that’s not my style. It was fair and square. Just luck.” He winked. “Or, maybe God’s hand was in it so we could plant together.” His grin lit up his face, and Noelle felt herself blushing as rosy as the buds on the bush.

  The three trooped out to the garden in Kerstin’s front lawn. It was a small square patch beyond the hedges bordering the walkway. It was the time of year when the bushes started to produce buds, and Noelle could see how glorious the colors would be soon when they burst open – crimson, yellow, pale orange, even soft pink with white, lacy tips.

  Braydon began to dig; first with a spade, then he dropped to his knees and used a pointed trowel. Noelle heard him mumbling something softly. She squatted down to get closer and hear better.

  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” He dug deeper.

  “I
pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people …”

  She recognized that scripture from Ephesians. What was he doing? He scooped up a hunk of dirt and deposited it next to the hole he’d dug.

  “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Isaiah?

  Not good at remembering or memorizing Bible verses, she thought she knew where some of the passages came from. Some were from the Old Testament, and some from the New.

  She knelt down beside him. He seemed to be in a daze, but very happy.

  “See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.” He looked content, turned to her and smiled. She felt her face flush and started to put her hand on his. The one holding his trowel. He wore no gloves. She had donned a pair her mother had insisted on giving her. She pulled off the left one and touched his hand.

  “You always do this? Recite Bible verses when you plant?” She looked at him quizzically. He grinned back.

  “Yep. Most of the time. Makes me feel like I’m doing something special for the Lord and the land.

  This is one of my favorites: ‘Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.’ From Song of Songs.”

  Noelle could hardly believe it, but she heard birds chirping and doves cooing. She reasoned it was morning when most birds chirped and cooed. Still, had they heard the scripture? She had always loved Song of Songs, the marriage book. She had hoped to have passages read at her wedding. But, that never happened, at least not to abusive Clay. She placed her hand on Braydon’s. Did he feel the electricity as she did?

  Why was this happening? She wasn’t ready for another relationship, at least not this soon, just days from when her former wedding would have happened.

  Braydon smiled up at her from his position on the ground. He kept digging and scooping. She was mesmerized. How could this man who owned a floral shop and planted roses have any interest in her? He had run into her car, her BMW baby; he had scooped her up twice, once when she had actually fainted, once when she almost had. He had dined her and given her insight and seemed to really love her mother. Why?

  ~

  Braydon stood up and brushed the damp dirt off the knees of his old corduroy pants. He had forgotten to toss a kneeling pad in his trunk, so good thing he wore the brown trousers. Noelle was slightly bent forward, her manicured fingers resting on her hips. “You could have kept on the gloves and helped,” he quipped. He hoped he didn’t sound snappish. He reached for her hand.

  “I know. It’s not that I am uninterested, but I was fascinated watching you.” She turned her head and grinned up at him. “I learned a lot, and I loved hearing the Bible verses.”

  He nodded, and a wide smile spread across his face. “I know it sounds silly, but when I’m planting in a garden or arranging a vase of cut flowers, my concentration is focused. That’s when verses leap into my brain.” He laughed and clasped her hand. “Concentration is all!”

  “Is wet dirt part of it?” She looked down at his mud-splattered hand covering her pristine one and laughed hard.

  He laughed back and wiped his hands on one of the towels he’d brought. At least he had remembered to put them in his trunk. “Let me wash up, and we can grab some lunch somewhere.”

  Noelle gave that some thought while he was in the washroom. She was willing to overlook this morning and Mom’s forgetfulness, but she wasn’t sure about the rest of the day. Braydon came back grinning and humming. “Ready?”

  “I … I’m not sure we should, Braydon. It’s only been a week and a half, and our respite was supposed to be a month.” She cocked her head to study his face, the visage that had crumbled and paled. Would he agree? Would he understand?

  “Oh,” was all he said. He jammed his now clean hands in his pockets and kicked a pebble with the toe of one of his boots. Like a naughty little boy. Like one of her students when she asked for an explanation for misbehavior. Even high school seniors, especially boys, shuffled when uncomfortable. Girls, of course, just started running at the mouth giving ten explanations at once.

  “Oh,” he said again. This time he shuffled. His behavior was really charming, and it wasn’t deliberate or calculated. He was either at a loss for words, or disappointed, or both. It was kind of fun to see a six foot two handsome man bumbling. Men are such characters. She was just about to give in when Mom solved the day.

  “Braydon?” Mom stepped out on the walkway. “I’m glad you’re still here. Can you join us for lunch? I made Noelle’s favorite tuna sandwich on that new pretzel bread.”

  At least that wouldn’t be like a date, just an extension of the morning. This time Noelle grabbed his elbow, gave it a little pinch and led him into the kitchen. They turned to each other and winked. Problem solved.

  Mom, however, couldn’t let it go. “What’s this about a respite? Whose idea was that again?” She searched the two younger faces across the table from her and fiddled with her unnecessary knife.

  Braydon and Noelle looked at each other. Both said, “You!”

  “You mean you came up with the idea together?” Mom frowned. “Why?”

  “No, Kerstin. It was purely your daughter’s idea.” Noelle kicked him lightly under the table. Since she was sitting next to him, (thank you, Mom) she only caught his ankle. If she had been across from him she might have kicked him squarely in the shin.

  Kerstin looked at Noelle. Noelle shrugged. “Can’t you guess?”

  “Yes. But, this young man is so different from … most others.” She finished lamely and bowed her head. “Oops. We never prayed before taking our first bites. Let’s do that now.”

  Again, Mom’s forgetfulness saved the day, or at least the moment.

  They were cleaning up the lunch dishes and stacking them in the dishwasher. Braydon had insisted Kerstin sit down and sip her latte, the one with the foam on top she made in her fancy machine. Noelle liked that Braydon inserted the dishes in order, not haphazardly in random, like someone else she had known. She also liked, very much, that he was considerate about Mom. It was hard to find fault with him. He was kind, courteous, gracious, put others ahead of himself, and … handsome. Yet, he never preened or referred to himself to make an impression. Ah, that was it. He is comfortable in his skin, and in his faith.

  Her cell phone rang that annoying message, “You are getting a call.” She would have to change that, if only she could figure out how.

  Her hands were deep in soapy water. As she grabbed a towel to dry them, Braydon asked, “Want me to grab that for you?”

  “Sure. But I can’t imagine who would be calling me on a Saturday afternoon during break. Oh, maybe one of the Candy Canes.” He looked at her quizzically and tilted his head. “Didn’t I tell you about them? I will, soon.”

  Braydon picked up the phone that was lying on the kitchen counter. “Hello?”

  “Who the …. is this? Is this Noelle Day’s phone?”

  Noelle grabbed the instrument from Braydon. She recognized Bruce Walker’s booming, confrontational voice. How had he gotten her cell number? Probably from school records, but those were privileged, only to be used in an emergency.

  “Who IS this?” She decided to play dumb.

  “It’s Bruce, Baby. Your devoted boss.” He chuckled, a sound that churned Noelle’s stomach. “Hey, who was that who answered? I hope your brother. Oops, you are an only child. Mmm. Dad, uncle maybe?”

  Noelle almost gagged that he knew so much about her. As the principal, he had privy to personal records. Still, he had abused them.

  She looked to Braydon and Mom for help. She mouthed the words explaining who he was and how he was pursuing her. Braydon looked baffled. Mom didn’t.

  Kerstin grabbed the phone and in a controlled voice, like a lawyer, said, “Bruce. Kerstin Day here, Noelle’s mother. Stop harassing her on the phone, in the parking
lot, and stop sending her flowers. NOW.” Mom bit her lip. “You are old enough to be her father, and you are acting like a fool. If you don’t stop annoying her immediately I will contact our attorney. You know his name. His daughter is the same age as Noelle, as is your step daughter.” She took a deep breath, held the phone away from her ear and practically yelled. “Now, git! Get out and don’t come back. You lech.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Noelle scooped up Misty and held her close. The little dog nuzzled into Noelle’s neck. “Ugh! Misty – wet!” Noelle giggled just as a tiny rough tongue licked her neck. “Enough. I love you, but …”

  She danced around Noelle’s feet, front legs raised pawing the air and fluttering. Noelle scooped kibbles and a bit of wet food into the metal dog bowl and set it down in front of the prancing dog.

  She was weary, no, tired. She wanted to smash her cell phone and get rid of any memory of Bruce’s call. But, she rationalized, it wasn’t the phone’s fault. There must be a way to block calls from certain people. Tomorrow she would go to one of the nearby phone stores.

  She finally drifted off to sleep. What was that chirping sound? Scrambling out of bed and catching her big toe on the sheet, she raced to the kitchen. She always left her cell there, plugged in to be ready for tomorrow. Grabbing at the offending sound to silence it, she looked at the caller ID. Not a number she recognized. But, curiosity took over. If it was Bruce, she would hang up and spit on the phone. She almost laughed at that thought – so dramatic!

  The voice on the other end was familiar, and desperate sounding.

  “Noelle? It’s Cindy.” Noelle gasped and waited. Why, at three a.m. was her Candy Cane friend Cindy calling her? “You there?”

  “Yes. Something wrong?”

  “Yes,” came the tearful reply. “It’s Doreen. She’s been in an accident.” Cindy sucked in a deep breath. “She has no family. None. At least not here.”

  “What?” Noelle couldn’t comprehend it. Doreen was always the bubbly one who inspired the rest during competition. She couldn’t remember a family, or a group of people, cheering her on like the rest of them had. But, as the anchor on the relay team, she had so much spirit and determination. Surely, she’d had family encouraging her.