Christmas on 4th Street (Fool's Gold Romance)

by Susan Mallery

  “I wouldn’t know. I’ve been banned from the kitchen. All the men have. This is Felicia’s first Thanksgiving dinner.”

  They were still standing very close together. If not for the layers of coats and sweaters, their pose could be considered intimate. She liked how his hands rested on her hips and the way he was looking at her—like a man looks at a woman who intrigues him.

  “We should get inside,” he said. “You’re freezing.”

  She could stand the cold a little longer but nodded anyway and stepped back. She got the two grocery bags out of her car. Gabriel took them from her and together they walked inside.

  The house was bright and warm. So far there weren’t any smells, but it was barely eleven in the morning. If they weren’t eating until five, the turkey wouldn’t have been in the oven very long.

  Karen and Felicia stood together talking in the open kitchen. Felicia glanced up and saw Noelle, then hurried toward her.

  “You’re here. Thank you for stopping at the store. I don’t know how it’s possible I forgot anything. I made lists and I checked them at least twice.”

  “Just like Santa,” Gabriel murmured.

  Noelle took in her friend’s slightly frantic expression and did her best not to smile. “It’s okay. I’m happy to help. Where are you in the meal preparation?”

  She asked the question before realizing she was hardly an expert. Her lone Thanksgiving cooking experience had been two years ago—shortly after the death of her mother and grandmother. The meal had turned out, but she hadn’t really cared either way.

  This was better, she told herself as she took the grocery bags from Gabriel and put them on the counter. This time she was happy and healthy and the meal wasn’t her responsibility.

  “I read an article online,” Felicia began as she emptied the bag. “About a woman who does a just-in-case turkey the night before. At the time I remember thinking she was wasting a lot of time, but now I completely understand and I think she’s brilliant. I need a just-in-case turkey.”

  Noelle moved next to her friend. “While I’m enjoying the meltdown, because you’re normally so unflappable, let’s be rational for a moment. Has anything happened to make you concerned the turkey won’t turn out?”

  “No. It’s only been in an hour. It’s barely started cooking. I followed the directions precisely for cleaning it and then filling it with stuffing.” She turned to Karen. “You were with me, helping. Did it appear everything was in order?”

  Gabriel’s mother nodded. “You need to take a breath. There’s no crisis.”

  “I forgot whipping cream! Who forgets that? What if I forgot something else?”

  Gideon walked into the kitchen and took Felicia in his arms. “Hey,” he said, staring into her green eyes. “I love you. Carter loves you. We have a home and a dog and family. It’s one dinner. Get over it.”

  Noelle knew about Felicia and Gideon’s relationship, but she’d never had much of an opportunity to observe it firsthand. Now, as Felicia visibly relaxed in her lover’s arms, Noelle felt a twinge of envy. While she was happy for her friend, she wanted that kind of love for herself. The safety and sense of belonging. Life was short and it was important to hang on to whatever happiness was available.

  Her gaze wandered to Gabriel and she sighed. While he was nice eye candy and a surprisingly efficient stock person, he wasn’t anyone she could have a long-term relationship with. He was leaving and she was staying. She had no sense of him wanting to connect in any way. He wasn’t close to his family and according to Ana Raquel and his mother, had nearly reached the age where an explanation on the question “Why aren’t you married?” was going to get awkward.

  All reasons to remind herself that he was not good boyfriend material. Not that he’d been, you know, asking.

  He turned and caught her studying him. One eyebrow rose in inquiry. The movement was oddly masculine and very sexy. It made her wonder if she was worrying about the wrong thing. So she wasn’t going to marry Gabriel. Big whoop. Maybe she could simply mention they could do the wild thing while he was in town.

  Before Noelle could decide if she was being incredibly contemporary in her thinking or simply delusional, Felicia stepped out of Gideon’s embrace.

  “You’re right,” she said firmly. “The dinner will be fine. I understand the safest temperature for our dinner, so no one will get food poisoning. Everything after that is simply a bonus.” She glanced at the clock. “We need to get to town or we’ll miss the parade.”

  “I thought you were in charge of the festivals,” Karen said as they all moved toward the front of the house.

  “I am, but this isn’t technically a festival, so I don’t have to worry about it. However, I will be dealing with the Christmas tree lighting on Saturday.”

  Gabriel moved next to Noelle and held out her jacket. “Not a ‘holiday tree’ lighting?” he asked.

  “No. Here in Fool’s Gold we’ve decided to throw political correctness to the wind and call it a Christmas tree. I know because there was a very vigorous discussion about that exact topic at the last business association meeting. We took a vote.”

  He nodded slowly. “You voted for calling it a Christmas tree.”

  “I did.”

  The large group was sorted into two cars. Gideon stayed behind to watch the turkey. Noelle saw Felicia whisper something into his ear before they left. She suspected it had nothing to do with cooking.

  The trip down the mountain didn’t take long. Felicia directed Norm to a parking lot a few blocks away from the parade route, and they walked the rest of the way. Noelle found herself next to Gabriel, which was nice. She told herself it was because he was tall and broad, so he could block the wind, but in truth, she liked speculating about him. And if that caused a tingle or two, all the better for her.

  They stopped by several street carts and bought hot chocolate and popcorn. The sidewalks were crowded with families. Because it was Thanksgiving, there were fewer tourists than usual for a parade, but plenty of residents. It was as if most of the town had turned out to watch.

  “Over there,” Felicia said, leading them to a viewing area by the Fox and Hound. The corner spot allowed them to see down two streets.

  “Nice,” Norm told her. “You are good at logistics.”

  Carter settled on the sidewalk. Karen sat next to him. Norm and Felicia were behind them. Noelle noticed that Gabriel did his best to keep his distance from his father.

  She wondered about their relationship. Gabriel hadn’t said that much, but there was obviously tension. Despite the fact that Carter had showed up in Gideon’s life over the summer, Norm and Karen hadn’t come to meet him until a few days before. Felicia had been the one to invite them to visit for the holidays. What had happened to cause both sons to become, if not estranged, then at least disconnected from their parents?

  Not a question to ask minutes before the parade started.

  She sipped her hot chocolate, grateful for her coat and the sweater she wore beneath. The sky was blue, but the temperature couldn’t be much above freezing. She could see her breath.

  Gabriel pointed across the street. “That guy is selling chestnuts,” he said. “Are you sure this town is real?”

  “Mostly. I don’t think I like chestnuts. Now, if he had fudge, that would be a different story.”

  “You eat chocolate?”

  She glanced up at him. “I’m a fully functioning female, so yes. Why are you surprised?” She held out her to-go cup. “Hello, hot chocolate.”

  “I thought you only ate healthy stuff.”

  Because she was skinny, she thought, knowing that just over three years ago, she’d been curvy and completely happy with her body. Then she’d gotten sick. Weight had seemed to melt off her. It wasn’t exactly a diet she would have recommended to anyone.

  In the past year, she’d gained back about a third of what she’d lost. It was slow going, but she was determined that she would see her curves again.

  �
��I love chocolate,” she said firmly, and swallowed the last of her drink. Again, discussing the whys of her thinness wasn’t a subject for this second.

  The sound of music drifted to them.

  “It’s started,” Carter said, scrambling to his feet. Norm held out his hand to Karen as she stood. They all turned and looked up 4th Street, straining to see the beginning of the parade.

  “Are there floats?” Gabriel asked.

  “I don’t know. I hope so.”

  Felicia glanced at them. “There is the local high school marching band, some vehicles from the fire stations, a few old cars and some oversized balloons.” She shrugged. “I saw the list.”

  “That’s it?” Gabriel asked.

  Noelle poked him with her elbow. “Attitude, mister. It will be magical. You’ll see.”

  “Oversized balloons?”

  “Maybe it’s like the Macy’s parade in New York.”

  He grinned at her. “I’m sure it’s exactly like that.”

  The music got louder. Soon they could see two teenagers with a banner welcoming them to the annual Fool’s Gold Thanksgiving parade. An old convertible went by with Mayor Marsha perched in the back. She waved regally as she passed.

  There were a few balloons, including a charming Christmas penguin with a bright red cap.

  “Aren’t penguins in the South Pole?” Gabriel murmured in her ear.

  “Stop talking.”

  “Where it’s summer?”

  She looked at him. “You’re not getting into the spirit of this.”

  “It’s the best parade I’ve seen in years.”

  “You’re just saying that.”

  He surprised her by putting his arm around her. “No. I mean it.”

  She allowed herself a moment of enjoying the warmth of him next to her, then turned her attention back to the parade. The marching band came by next, blasting a rock version of “Jingle Bells,” then a couple of police cars and a fire truck. The latter had a fireman’s hat on the hood with the number 46 on it. There were wreaths on the side of the truck and a plastic Santa sitting on the bumper.

  A block or so away, people started yelling. Noelle turned but couldn’t see what was causing the fuss. The sounds were happy—mostly surprise and delight. She raised herself on tiptoe.

  “Can you see what it is?” she asked.

  “Not yet,” Gabriel began, then swore softly. “No way,” he said. “No way.”

  Felicia glanced up the street. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot about them.”

  Norm and Karen both looked at her. “How could you forget?”

  Noelle shifted forward, trying to get a look. “Forget what?”

  Then the crowd seemed to move back and she had a clear view of Priscilla...dressed as Santa.

  “Is that an—” Gabriel began.

  “Elephant?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Yes.” Noelle squeezed her hot chocolate cup and danced from foot to foot. “Do you see what she’s wearing? I know it’s just a jacket, but still.”

  “How do you get a jacket on an elephant?” Gabriel asked.

  “In pieces,” Felicia told him. “They’re held together with industrial-strength hook-and-loop closures.” She turned to Gideon’s parents. “There’s a ranch outside of town. Mostly they have goats, but there is also an elephant, some llamas and other animals. It’s very eclectic, which suits the town.”

  Noelle didn’t care about that. She began to cheer at the sight of Priscilla the elephant strolling down the street.

  Most of the Stryker family walked with her, each of them dressed for the holidays. Rafe and Shane pulled wagons with their children in them. As Priscilla got closer, Noelle saw that she was trailed by a goat and a pony, each dressed as a Christmas elf.

  “I’m never moving,” she said with a sigh.

  Gabriel still had his arm around her. Now he pulled her against him. “Was it ever a question?”

  “No, but now I’m completely and totally sure.”

  * * *

  After the parade, the family drove back up the mountain. Once in the house, Felicia headed for the kitchen. Noelle and Karen went with her while the men headed downstairs to watch whatever game was on. The smell of roasting turkey filled the air and made Noelle’s stomach growl.

  Felicia crossed to the oven and turned on the light. “It would make me very happy if you could cooperate,” she whispered, then glanced over her shoulder. “I do understand the foolishness of talking to my entrée. I just can’t seem to help myself.”

  Karen nodded sympathetically. “I’ve had many a conversation with my meals,” she confessed. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

  Carter flew into the kitchen, Webster at his heels.

  “I’m going to take him out,” he said, crossing to Felicia and hugging her. “Then I’ll be back. I’m going to peel the potatoes. You remember that, right?”

  “Yes. I remember,” Felicia told him.

  The boy and the dog headed outside.

  When he was gone, Felicia turned to them. “He wants to help. It’s so nice. We’ve been very fortunate with his personality and how he was raised. His mother did an excellent job. I hope when Gideon and I begin a family that I can be half as skilled.”

  Karen moved toward her and touched her shoulder. “You’ll do great.”

  “I have doubts,” Felicia admitted.

  Noelle was about to reassure her when she heard a sharp, angry voice. It took her a second to realize it came from downstairs. Karen and Felicia both turned in that direction.

  “No,” Karen said firmly. “They’re not going to fight on Thanksgiving.”

  She spoke as if this had happened before, but didn’t explain any further. But when she started for the stairs, Felicia and Noelle went with her, all three women hurrying down to the lower story.

  The voices grew louder.

  “This isn’t about you,” Gideon growled. “It’s not your choice.”

  “I get a say,” Norm shouted. “You’re both my sons and you will respect my opinion.”

  The three women raced into the family room. The men faced each other. Tension was thick with more than a hint of anger. Noelle saw Gabriel’s back was stiff, his shoulders set. A muscle twitched in his jaw.

  She had no idea what the fight had been about, but she knew he was in pain. As she moved toward him, Karen grabbed Norm’s hand and physically pulled him toward the stairs.

  “You stay out of this,” he told her.

  “No,” Karen said, still pulling. “You’re coming with me until you can cool off. We talked about this.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “I understand plenty.”

  Felicia went to Gideon and murmured something. He nodded and they went down the hall behind the family room. Which left Noelle with Gabriel.

  He crossed to the window and stared out toward the mountainside. “Sorry about that. It’s a family thing. My dad has... He has expectations.”

  She thought about making a joke that he was a doctor and what more did his father want. Only she didn’t know what the fight was about and couldn’t be sure she wasn’t stepping on toes. She wanted to help and didn’t know how. A frustrating combination.

  Gabriel stood alone and in that moment, as she watched him, she wondered how much of his life he spent like that. Solitary.

  Without knowing what else to do, she crossed to him.

  “Hey,” she said, touching his good hand.

  He turned his face to her. Pain darkened his eyes, along with something she could only assume was hope. Hope that she would somehow make it all better.

  Panic seized her. She had no idea what to say. What to do. A distraction was called for but short of yelling “Fire,” there was nothing that...

  “You could kiss me again,” she blurted.

  In that split second before he responded, she braced herself for dismissal, sarcasm or pity. Which probably didn’t make her a poster girl for mental health, but then she’d
never believed in lying to herself. The fact that she found him attractive didn’t mean the interest was returned.

  One eyebrow rose. “I could,” Gabriel said, right before he lowered his head and did just that.

  The first touch of his mouth on hers was soft. Not tentative, she thought, closing her eyes. More discovery than passion.

  He had nice lips. Warm and tender, but masculine enough to keep things interesting. Although she expected him to straighten right away like he had that morning, he didn’t. He lingered.

  Nerve endings began to fire. Instinctively, she stepped toward him just as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. They touched everywhere and still it wasn’t enough.

  She rested her hands on his shoulders. He was muscled and strong. He shifted slightly so he was kissing her cheek, her chin, her jaw. Heat radiated from every point of contact. When he trailed light kisses down her neck, her breath caught.

  It wasn’t just that she hadn’t been kissed in what felt like forever. It was that she hadn’t ever been kissed by this man before. She hadn’t felt the solid pressure of his chest flattening her breasts, hadn’t experienced his large hands splayed against her back, hadn’t known the depth of wanting that left her practically trembling.

  He returned his mouth to hers. She parted her lips without him asking and was thrilled when his tongue swept inside. At the first hungry stroke, she knew she couldn’t refuse him anything. Or if she could, she didn’t want to. She ached all over. Her breasts, between her thighs. She wanted him touching her, exploring her. She wanted to touch him in return, learn everything about his body. She wanted to yield and then she wanted to take.

  The need was so great, so overwhelming, she was suddenly terrified she was the only one at the party. She drew back, doing her best to control her breathing. Gabriel stared at her, his expression hungry.

  “You’re unexpected,” he murmured.

  “I could say the same thing.” She cleared her throat. “I wanted to distract you.”

  “Well done.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “I knew you’d be trouble, but I didn’t think you’d surprise me.”

  She smiled, liking the sound of that. But before she could say anything else, Carter clattered down the stairs, Webster at his heels.