Together for Christmas: 5-B Poppy LaneWhen We TouchWelcome to Icicle FallsStarstruck

by Debbie Macomber

  Then she went to get showered. Noelle was right on one account. Brandon would forget her soon enough.

  * * *

  Lunch with Scott was tense. His agent was the only one, besides Olivia, who knew that Brandon’s leg wasn’t healing properly, the one who’d arranged the operation to fix it. He had a vested interest in seeing Brandon succeed, so he clearly wasn’t happy when Brandon came toward him, unable to walk without a slight limp.

  “It’s worse?” he said.

  Some days, like today, the pain was so bad Brandon almost couldn’t tolerate it. “A lot worse.” He hated to hear himself say that, but there it was.

  Scott cursed, looked away, then forced a smile. “Dr. Shapiro will take care of you. He’s the best leg man in the world. A real miracle-worker.”

  Brandon nodded and listened as Scott detailed what they’d accomplish next season. Neither one of them admitted that, if the operation didn’t work, his career was finished. It wasn’t a possibility they could even acknowledge.

  By the time the waitress brought the check, Brandon was eager for lunch to be over. He’d thought seeing Scott would be helpful, motivating, encouraging, but he found that their visit had depressed him instead. It was the worry in Scott’s eyes.

  “When do you have to be at the airport?” Scott asked.

  Brandon glanced at his watch. “Half an hour. We’d better go.”

  They rode in silence. There wasn’t much more to say. Brandon had a rough few weeks ahead of him, with uncertainty his only companion.

  When they arrived, Scott insisted on parking and taking Brandon’s luggage. That in itself told Brandon his agent was deeply concerned. How many times had Scott brought him here and dropped him at the curb?

  Too many to count. But Brandon didn’t argue. He figured he’d be on his own all too soon.

  They were in line at the ticket counter when he received a text from Olivia. He couldn’t believe she’d finally responded.

  What she’d written came as an even bigger surprise: Before you go, I just want you to know that I’ve never felt about anyone else the way I feel about you. You own my heart, Brandon. I think you have since prom. So please, be safe. I want to see you on the slopes next fall.

  “What is it?” Although Scott had been getting anxious to leave—making calls and answering texts while they waited—he was watching Brandon now, too curious to be distracted by the passing time.

  “A friend,” he replied, but he realized almost as soon as those words came out of his mouth that she was much more than a friend. He’d never felt about anyone else the way he felt about her, either.

  “I can help you here, sir.” The gal at the ticket counter smiled, expecting him to approach. But he couldn’t move.

  “Brandon?” Scott had already dragged his luggage to the scale.

  “I can’t do this,” he said, remaining right where he was.

  Scott’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “What? Are you crazy?”

  The reason behind the fear that had been gripping his stomach for days suddenly became clear. It wasn’t only his career he was afraid of losing. “I have to see someone.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Scott said. “See who?”

  Waving the family behind him to the counter in his place, Brandon stepped out of line.

  His shocked agent hurried over with his bags. “What are you doing?” he whispered. “If you miss this plane, you’ll miss your operation. And I’m not sure when we’ll be able to reschedule. This doctor is booked. Do you hear me? He’s world-famous.”

  “I can’t leave her,” he said simply.

  “Can’t leave who, for crying out loud?” Scott jerked on his tie, trying to loosen it. “You have to get on this plane! Do you want to ski next season or not?”

  He wanted to ski. But that was no longer all he wanted. “Drive me back to Sacramento or I’ll take a cab,” he said and wrenched his suitcase from Scott’s hand.

  * * *

  Olivia felt much better after texting Brandon. She knew she’d probably never see him again—unless it was to bump into him occasionally while visiting Whiskey Creek. But at least she’d finally had the guts to be honest with him about her feelings. Somehow that seemed important, whether he wanted to hear what she had to say or not. It wasn’t as if she expected anything in return. She’d spoken the truth so he would know how hard she’d be praying for his health and well-being while he was gone. That was all. He needed someone to know, someone to care.

  Now she’d given him that.

  “Are you okay?”

  She had a prospective bride in her office, looking at samples of table linens. “Of course. Why?”

  The girl cocked her head. “You’ve got tears in your eyes.”

  Olivia dabbed at the corners. “I was just thinking of a friend.”

  “Must be a close friend.”

  She nodded. As brief as her time with Brandon had been, she felt closer to him than anyone else.

  She’d finished the appointment and was packing her briefcase with swatches and magazines—she had to meet another bride at River City Resort Club & Spa tomorrow morning—when she heard the buzzer that indicated someone had walked into the small anteroom outside her office. She didn’t have any employees, couldn’t afford payroll, so she called out, “Welcome to Weddings by Olivia. I’ll be right there.”

  “Could you hurry?” came the response. “I’ve got a plane to catch.”

  Brandon! Olivia’s heart jumped into her throat as she scrambled around her desk.

  When she reached the reception area, she saw him standing just inside the door with an exasperated-looking man wearing what appeared to be an expensive suit.

  “What...what are you doing here?” she asked, glancing between them.

  “I couldn’t do it,” Brandon said. “I couldn’t leave without you.”

  Was she hearing him right? He seemed in earnest.... “But your...your operation!”

  “It can wait.”

  “Not if he wants to ski next season, it can’t,” the man he’d brought with him cut in. “But he can still make it if he’s on the next plane.”

  “When does it leave?” she asked.

  “In three hours.”

  “I’ll only go if you go with me,” Brandon said. “Do I have any hope of talking you into that?”

  “I—” Her mind whirled as she thought of her apartment, her business.

  “Come here, honey,” Brandon said, reaching for her.

  He didn’t have to ask twice. She walked right into his arms and pressed her body against his, so grateful to see him, to touch him, her chest ached at the prospect of letting go.

  He’d come back. For her.

  “I think what we feel deserves a chance,” he explained, his voice low in her ear. “I don’t want to walk away from it.”

  “I’d like to be there for the operation.” She wanted nothing more than to watch over him, keep him safe. “But I have clients to take care of and rent to pay—”

  The other man made a show of tapping his watch. “Maybe you could join him in a week or two.”

  “Olivia, meet Scott Jones, my agent,” Brandon said. “You don’t have to listen to anything he says. Personally I’m finding that quite liberating.”

  Now she understood why this other person was so upset. Brandon was risking his career by coming here. She grinned at Brandon’s tongue-in-cheek comment but spoke to Scott. “Won’t the operation be over by then?”

  “You could make it for the recovery,” Scott said. “That’s the most important part, anyway.”

  Not to her. She wanted to be there to support Brandon through the whole thing. She wanted to go with him now.

  She could refer her clients to another planner she knew i
n River City. That wasn’t the tough part. The tough part was paying her rent without that income....

  “He’s right,” Brandon said. “I’m being selfish. I’ve just missed you so much. If it’s too hard, you can come later.”

  She considered the money in her savings account. She’d put that away to get her through difficult times, had promised herself she wouldn’t touch it except in an emergency.

  Was she willing to spend it on love?

  Everyone she knew would probably tell her she was being foolish, reckless. If Brandon recovered, he’d return to his career. But when she was with Kyle, and even long before that, she’d been so responsible, methodical, cautious—and that hadn’t saved her from heartbreak. If Brandon could risk his career for her, she supposed she could risk her career for him.

  “I’ll throw some clothes in a bag. The rest I can handle via the internet,” she said and smiled happily as his arms tightened around her and he buried his face in her neck.

  “I’ll make you glad you did,” he promised.

  Epilogue

  Present Time

  “SO WHAT HAPPENED?” LORIANNA LEANED forward, her hair now dry and her coffee long cold. “What was wrong with Brandon’s leg? I mean, I’ve seen footage of the accident. I knew his injuries took him out of the sport. But why didn’t his leg heal? What did the doctor find?”

  Olivia tightened her ponytail, then turned her mug of tea in a slow circle. She was thinking about how lucky she was to have found Brandon.

  Maybe letting go of her resentment over what Noelle had done wasn’t completely outside the realm of possibility. Noelle had behaved badly and often behaved badly still, but she was so caught up in fulfilling her own needs that she seemed almost incapable of considering the needs of those around her. She definitely didn’t understand that the way she approached life would never bring her the satisfaction she craved. Look where she was. Not only had she lost Kyle, she’d tried to get together with several other men since, none of whom were interested in more than a quick fling. She was working as a day clerk at a gift shop, moonlighting as a waitress at Sexy Sadie’s and living at home. She didn’t even have any good friends. The type of people she associated with came and went.

  Weren’t the natural consequences of her actions punishment enough? Why did Olivia feel Noelle had to be remorseful in order to obtain forgiveness?

  Maybe she was using Noelle’s behavior as an excuse, Olivia realized. It was easier to move on without someone like that in her life. But they were sisters. And what kind of debt did she owe her parents? They weren’t perfect, but they’d always done their best.

  “Olivia? You still with me?” Lorianna prompted.

  Olivia looked up. “Oh, sorry. You asked...”

  “What was wrong with Brandon’s leg.”

  “It was a bone infection,” she said. “Dr. Shapiro wasn’t sure how the doctors here missed that, considering it was so extensive. He had to scrape away the infected area and drain a couple of abscesses. But, thanks to his efforts, followed by some heavy antibiotic therapy, Brandon recovered completely. He has no pain now.”

  Lines appeared on her friend’s forehead. “So it wasn’t his injury that took him out of skiing?”

  “Not really. He could’ve come back for one or two more seasons. He considered it.”

  “Why didn’t he?”

  A sense of warmth, of well-being, passed through her. “He wanted something different by then.”

  Lorianna’s lips curved upward for probably the first time since she’d arrived in Whiskey Creek. “He wanted you, a family.”

  Olivia’s hand went to her stomach. “Yes.”

  “I bet Scott was upset to hear that news,” Lorianna said with a laugh. “I don’t know him well. Jeff had a different agent when he was skiing. But any sports agent who repped an athlete like Brandon wouldn’t want him to quit too soon.”

  “Scott was definitely disappointed.”

  “But Brandon didn’t change his mind.”

  “No.”

  Lorianna pushed her cup toward the center of the table. “How did you feel about his decision?”

  “Torn. If he was going to give up skiing, I didn’t want him to regret it, or blame me later. But I also didn’t want him to take the same risks he’d been taking.”

  Lorianna bit her lip. “And? Has he missed it?”

  Olivia went over the past three years in her mind, examining those days, as she often did, for any dissatisfaction on his part. “I’m sure he has. But he’s never focused on that loss. He got involved in opening the store and giving ski lessons. He even started his own winter camps for kids, instead of just helping out with other people’s, and he still skis for fun. He seems to be...content.” And that made her content, as well.

  After that, they both seemed to get lost in their thoughts, and the silence stretched out.

  Several minutes later, Lorianna spoke again. “So that man who came to the door—your ex-boyfriend—he’s also your brother-in-law?”

  “Can you believe that?”

  “I guess stranger things have happened. But it can’t be comfortable to see him at family gatherings.”

  “It’s getting easier. I believe he’s glad I’m happy.”

  “Is he happy?”

  “I think he’d like to find someone and settle down.”

  “He’s a handsome man. I can’t imagine that’ll pose a problem—once he gets over you.”

  “I hope you’re right. I’d like him to have what I have.”

  Lorianna pulled the top of her robe more tightly closed. “So what are you going to do?”

  Olivia got up to set their cups in the sink. “About what?”

  “Noelle. Isn’t that the person you need to forgive? Because it sounds like you’ve forgiven Kyle.”

  “I’m not quite sure how to handle my sister,” she admitted. “What would you do if you were me? Should I let the past go? I mean...really let it go?”

  Lorianna toyed with her belt. “That’s hard to say. She doesn’t deserve it.”

  “Same thing Kyle said. But your husband probably doesn’t deserve it, either,” Olivia pointed out.

  “At least he claims he’s sorry,” she responded.

  “Claims? You don’t believe it?”

  She stared down at her hands. “Actually, I do. He was in tears when he told me what he’d done. I’ve never seen him cry like that.”

  Olivia leaned against the counter. “So...what does that mean?”

  “It means, once I recover from the disappointment, I’ll try to rebuild, give him another chance.”

  After what she’d been through herself, Olivia had a small inkling of what Lorianna must be feeling. “That won’t be easy,” she said as she rinsed the cups and put them in the dishwasher.

  “No. But your story about Kyle made me realize that I don’t want to throw away what we have over one mistake.”

  After wiping off the counter, Olivia went over and plugged in the Christmas-tree lights. She couldn’t say if Lorianna was doing the right thing. Only time would tell whether Jeff was capable of appreciating her forgiveness for the gift it was. But as Olivia stood back and looked at all the twinkling lights, her heart lifted as if it had suddenly divested itself of a huge burden.

  She was confident she’d arrived at her decision, too.

  * * *

  “You’re sure we have to do this?” Brandon raised one eyebrow as they stood on the doorstep of her mother’s house. Olivia was holding a casserole dish, while he was loaded down with the presents she’d purchased and wrapped.

  “Not entirely,” she replied. “But it’s Christmas, right? I want to give a more meaningful gift than a new purse or...or a shirt.”

  That didn’t seem to change his mind. “This is m
ore of a sacrifice than I think you should be required to make.”

  “Anything that doesn’t require a sacrifice isn’t much of a gift. Remember that O. Henry story?”

  “Sure. But when has Noelle ever sacrificed for anyone?”

  “Don’t confuse me,” she said. “My decision can’t be contingent on that.”

  He winked at her. “Okay. I won’t argue. I’m just happy you’re the kind of person you are.”

  “We’re going to have a baby. We want to have good relations with both our families, don’t we?”

  “Personally? I like things the way they are, but you mean enough to me that I’m willing to do anything—even if it involves your sister.”

  Her mother opened the door before she could respond. “Olivia! Brandon! What are you two doing here?”

  “We came over to surprise you,” Olivia said.

  Her mother smoothed the apron covering her black polyester slacks and red sweater. She wore Christmas-tree earrings that blinked, with a matching brooch. “I was just doing some holiday baking. Smells like you’ve been doing the same.”

  “I made some hot crab dip for your dinner tonight.”

  “That cheesy one?” she asked with apparent enthusiasm.

  Olivia nodded.

  “I love that!”

  “I know.” She smiled, but she’d already warmed the dip and the heat was beginning to seep through her hot-pad holders. “Are you going to let us in?”

  “Of course. I just—” Nancy lowered her voice “—Noelle’s home tonight.”

  For a moment, Olivia’s customary reaction to the prospect of seeing her sister nearly got the better of her, but she quickly beat back those negative feelings. “That’s okay. We thought maybe we could all have dinner together for a change.”

  Her mother’s gaze shifted disbelievingly from her to Brandon and back again.

  “It’s true,” he said. “But she gets all the credit. I tried to talk her out of it.”

  He was teasing, trying to lighten the mood, but they all understood that it was basically true.