Tension threatened, but when he saw she was alone, he relaxed. He wasn’t ready to go another round with his father, he thought.

She looked different than she had when they’d first arrived. Happier. She held shopping bags in each hand.

“You’ve been busy,” he said, taking the bags from her.

“Mostly gifts,” she said, giving him a hug. “A few things for Carter. A couple of baby gifts.”

“Who’s pregnant? Felicia?”

“Not that I know of, but she’s made it clear she wants children. I’m planning ahead.” Her blue eyes softened. “She’s going to be a wonderful mother. I’m just so happy for them both.”

He had a feeling tears would be next. He glanced at Noelle and held up both bags. She nodded, understanding he was going to take them to his mother’s car.

They walked toward the front door.

“This time we’ll be a part of things from the beginning,” his mother continued, then looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “What about you? Any babies in your future?”

He swore silently. “No.”

“Noelle seems nice.”

“She’s my friend, Mom. We’re not dating.”

“Oh. I thought you two had a connection.”

They did, but he wasn’t about to discuss the fact that he found Noelle incredibly sexy with his mother.

“Is there someone special?” she asked.

“Not right now.”

An evasive answer, but it beat dealing with the truth.

“I was worried about Gideon,” she admitted as they walked out to the parking lot and she pointed to where she’d left the Explorer. “After what happened to him. Does he talk to you about it? Being held captive?”

“Not really. I know the broad strokes.”

“He hasn’t said a word to me. Your father says I shouldn’t push. That I couldn’t understand what he went through. I suppose that’s true, but I want to be there for him.”

“You should talk to Felicia,” he said. “She knows Gideon better than anyone. She’ll have an idea of the best way to deal with his past.”

His mother nodded. She opened the back of the Explorer, and he put the packages inside. She touched his arm.

“You know I love you, don’t you?” she asked, her gaze intense.

“I know, Mom.”

“I let your father have things his way. I’ve always regretted that. I know he was difficult. It’s just...” She paused. “He’s an honorable man.”

Norman Boylan’s honor wasn’t in question. It was how he’d chosen to deal with his sons that Gabriel had a problem with. And that his mother had let her husband determine all the rules.

“I don’t want to lose you,” his mother said, tears filling her eyes. “Please tell me I haven’t.”

He drew her into his arms. “I love you, Mom. You haven’t lost me.”

It was the truth. He would always love her, but he’d found that love existed best from a safe distance.

“Are you going to stay in the army?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

“For what it’s worth, I’d like you to get out. Settle down somewhere. Fall in love. Get married.”

“Give you more grandchildren?” he teased, mostly to distract her.

“Exactly.” Some of the sadness left her eyes. “I’m proud of you, Gabriel. You work so hard and you save so many soldiers. I know their families are grateful. But now it’s time to do what you want.”

“I like being a doctor.”

“We both know why you became one.”

He shrugged. “It was a long time ago. It’s what I know. And, as you said, I help.”

“I worry you would have been happier doing something else,” she admitted.

“I don’t.”

He’d chosen his path and there was no going back.

She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, then straightened. “All right. I’ve kept you long enough. You need to get back to work. I’d hate to be the reason Noelle fired you.”

He chuckled. “I don’t see that happening, but okay. I’ll see you later, Mom.”

She nodded and kissed his cheek. While she got into her SUV, he turned and headed back for the store. On his way, an older woman waved him down.

“Young man! Young man! Could you help me with my packages?”

She had a couple of bags and a box. He eyed them, then her, before nodding slowly.

“Happy to help, ma’am.”

He picked up everything and walked with her to her car. But as he lowered the items into the trunk, he was careful to keep his butt faced away from her. Maybe he’d imagined what had happened yesterday, but he’d learned that in a place like Fool’s Gold, a guy didn’t want to take any chances.

Chapter 7

Once the sun went down, the temperature dropped quickly. Noelle burrowed deeper into her thick coat, grateful for the scarf she’d grabbed at the last minute. The sky seemed lower than usual, as if heavy clouds were pressing down on the town. She might not be an expert, but she would guess there was snow in the forecast.

She’d closed The Christmas Attic an hour early and raced home to change into jeans and winter boots. She’d barely finished tying the laces, when Gabriel knocked on her front door. When he’d mentioned the tree lighting and she’d said of course she was going, he’d offered to pick her up at six-thirty.

Not a date, she told herself firmly. If it was a date, that would mean they were dating. Thinking a guy was hot and wondering if she should sleep with him was very different than the whole “going out” thing.

Now, as they walked toward the center of town, she tried to figure out why the ceremony was so appealing to him.

“You don’t strike me as the tree-lighting type,” she said as they waited at the corner for the light.

“I heard it wasn’t to be missed. By the way, Melissa is great.”

“I know. When she came and asked if I still needed help, I grabbed her.” She laughed. “I actually clutched her sleeve and begged her not to apply anywhere else. When she was still in high school, she helped my friend Patience through the opening of her store and she was terrific. On time, friendly, a hard worker. She’s a dream employee.” She paused and glanced up at him. “Not in your league, of course.”

“Of course.”

Gabriel was bundled up, too, in a heavy coat and boots. But enough of his face was visible to remind her he was one good-looking guy. Those blue eyes, his mouth. Her gaze lingered on the latter. She sure could use another couple of kisses, she thought wistfully.

“Over there,” he said, pulling her hand out of her pocket and taking it in his. “Hot chocolate.” He guided her toward the stand setup and started to laugh.

“What?” she asked, seeing only a growing crowd and, in the distance, the looming shadow of the dark Christmas tree.

He pointed and she saw Ana Raquel manning the stand. “I know she’s going to ask me why I’m not married.”

“She’s too busy,” Noelle assured him, liking that a petite twentysomething made the sexy doctor nervous. “But if she says anything, I’ll tell her you’re a god in bed, and that will shift the rumor mill into a more acceptable direction.”

He winced. “I’m not sure I want that out there.”

“Of course you do. Doesn’t every guy?”

“Then I’d have a reputation to live up to. I don’t want you disappointed.”

She paused on the sidewalk and pulled her fingers free of his, then planted both her hands on her hips. “There’s an assumption.” She glanced around, then lowered her voice. “I haven’t said yes.”

“You haven’t said no, either.”

She was about to agree when she suddenly remembered what had happened. She leaned close so she could speak even more softly. “You’re the one who told me no.” She poked him in the middle of the chest.

“I was doing the right thing.”

“Like that matters,” she grumbled, even though she knew it did.

He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her toward the stand. “You need liquid chocolate in your system,” he told her. “Hot, thick and delicious.”

It did sound good, she thought. “With whipped cream?”

“Sure. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

They waited in line, then placed their order. Ana Raquel talked them into some brownies she’d baked, made change efficiently and shooed them on their way.

“See,” Noelle said as they joined the crowd standing around the tree. “You were practically anonymous. Feel better?”

“I’ll admit to being wounded by her inattention.”

She laughed. Now that he’d relaxed a little and gotten to know her, she’d figured out Gabriel was a lot of fun. He didn’t take himself too seriously and he had a unique view of the world. Both really good qualities.

He kept one arm around her, which meant she had to feed him bits of cookie as his other hand held his hot chocolate. She liked the feel of his lips against her fingertips and the warmth of his breath. Around them, Christmas music played and she could see several lit storefronts.

“I like how all the businesses decorate for Christmas,” she said. “My store always celebrates the season, but it’s nice when everyone else joins me.”

“What do you do at the other holidays?” he asked.

“This year I didn’t open until Labor Day and it was all Christmas. But I have those two small windows on the side. I thought I’d change them out for the regular holidays. Hearts at Valentine’s Day, that sort of thing.”

“You could have a section in the store for different holidays,” he said. “From January to, say, October. Once the locals find out they can buy a cute Easter bunny at your place, they’ll come in more.”

She stared at him. “That’s a really good idea.”

He kissed her nose. “Thank you for sounding so surprised.”

She laughed. “You’re not a retail guy, but it’s brilliant. I’ll do it.” She snuggled close to him again.

“This time of year always reminds me of my family,” she told him. “My mom and grandmother would have loved Fool’s Gold.”

“They’re here with you,” he said.

“You believe that?”

He nodded. “We might go at any time, but there’s something that goes with us. I’ve seen a lot of soldiers die and when they do...” He paused. “Sorry. Not moment-appropriate conversation.”

She shifted so she faced him. “Gabriel, you don’t have to edit yourself with me. You can’t shock me.”

“Want to bet?”

“Okay, you can, but that’s okay. I’ll get over it. If you want to talk about anything, I want to listen.”

Gabriel thought about what he’d been through on his various tours. The screams, the horror, the blood. There was no way he was going to tell her how an IED ripped a soldier to shreds. How the first hour was all about stopping the bleeding. That more than shrapnel was blown into the ravaged body. That rocks and dirt and plant matter had to be dug out of the wounds. That when the soldiers were wheeled off to surgery, he sometimes wondered if there was enough of them left to make it.

He wasn’t going to say that like every other soldier he knew, he had nightmares, moments of cold sweats and disorientation. Despite her offer, she didn’t want to know. No one did. The images, once embedded, couldn’t be removed.

He stared into her blue eyes and smiled gently. “Christmas was a big deal at our house, too,” he said. “My mom baked for weeks and my dad was pretty mellow.” The smile turned genuine. “Gideon and I believed that came from the amount of rum she put in Dad’s eggnog. There were always lots of presents and we sang carols and went to church at midnight.”

“That sounds nice.”

“It was. Once my dad was a drill sergeant, we stopped moving around. That was good, too. Gideon and I went to the same high school all four years. He got to play football and I...”

“Read obscure books and made your father crazy.”

“Something like that.”

She was beautiful, he thought absently, the crowd around them fading as he took in the curves of her face. Somewhere along the way they’d finished their hot chocolate and tossed the cups. Now she placed her hands on his chest.

Through the thickness of his coat, he couldn’t feel much more than the pressure, but even that was nice. Nicer would have been both of them na**d, but the tree-lighting ceremony didn’t seem the right place for that sort of thing.

Still, he leaned close and kissed her. Lightly, without expecting any more. He lingered, wanting to taste her, feel her softness, enjoy the intimacy. When he drew back, she sighed.

“You’re a good kisser.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you appreciate my skill.”

She laughed. “At last the doctor’s large ego rears its ugly head.”

He moved so his mouth was next to her ear. “That’s not my head.”

She laughed again, then leaned against him. An older woman stepped onto a small podium and the crowd quieted.

“Good evening. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Mayor Marsha. Welcome to our annual tree-lighting ceremony.”

The mayor went on to explain about the tradition and outlined events that would take place over the holiday season, including a lighting of the large menorah on the first day of Hanukkah. Gabriel didn’t know where they planned to put the menorah, but he wouldn’t be surprised if it was right next to the Christmas tree. Fool’s Gold was that kind of place—all faiths would be welcome to join in.