“Do you know which one you want?” she asked.

Lillie nodded, then pointed to the little black-and-white kitten crawling up the side of the sofa. “Her.”

Noelle looked at Patience, who nodded.

“Merry Christmas,” Noelle said.

Lillie grinned broadly, then hurried to pick up the kitten. The little cat relaxed into her arms and playfully batted at a lock of hair.

“Thank you,” Patience said. “She’s so excited.”

Noelle laughed. “One down, six to go. Spread the word.”

* * *

Gabriel had decided to go to Mexico. He headed south on I-5, only to change his mind when he hit San Diego. He spent the night in a cheap motel by a truck stop, then figured he would go east. Maybe Florida would be nice. Halfway across Arizona, he turned around again. By two o’clock on Christmas Eve day, he was at the Oregon border, pulling into a rest stop and wondering when he was going to admit the truth.

He couldn’t leave. He’d been driving for two days and he was still within a couple hundred miles of where he’d started.

He told himself to let go. That he had to move on. That there was nothing for him in Fool’s Gold. Not friends, not family and certainly not Noelle. The thing was, he’d never been very good at lying to himself. Everything important to him waited there and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why he was so scared to simply accept that.

At the rest stop, he got out of his car, then stood there with no clue as to what to do next. He wanted to raise his fist, but to whom? And for what? There was no one to be pissed at except maybe himself. He’d left her. That was the raw truth. He’d left Noelle, no doubt hurting her. She’d said she loved him and he’d run like some scared little kid.

He walked to the sidewalk, then back to his door, telling himself he hadn’t had a choice. What was he supposed to do? Tell her he loved her, too? Propose again, this time for real? That wasn’t going to happen. Six weeks he could give her. He would have been there for her every second. He would have—

Gabriel swore loudly, startling an older woman walking a small dog. She came to a stop, stared at him, then quickly turned and went the other way.

“I’m sorry,” he called after her. “I’m not crazy or dangerous.”

The woman walked faster.

He got in his car, where at least he could rant without disturbing people and retraced his logic. He would help Noelle die but he wouldn’t share in her life. Was that it? Six weeks were okay, but what about eight? Or twelve? Would he agree to one year but not two?

Life was tenuous, he reminded himself. It could be taken away at any second. He’d seen it countless times.

But he’d also seen his father feeling up his mother after nearly forty years of marriage. He’d seen happy couples of all ages, enjoying what they had. Everyone knew that life ended, but they didn’t live in fear. They lived with joy. They loved and laughed and when it was over, however long that was, they could say there were no regrets.

He started the car and drove out of the rest stop and back onto I-5. This time he was going south, following the signs to Sacramento. From there he would go east into Fool’s Gold. He’d already missed the live nativity, but there was still the Dance of the Winter King and then a wedding. More important...most important...was Noelle. Sweet, beautiful, brave Noelle, who loved cats and was overly competitive about window decorations and who sold gourd nativities. Noelle, who was the strongest person he knew and for reasons he couldn’t ever understand, loved him. She loved him.

The realization of what he’d nearly missed, nearly lost, swept through him. He clutched the steering wheel, knowing the folly of driving too quickly, but unable to grasp what an idiot he’d been.

He glanced at the clock. He would be there in time. He had to be.

* * *

Noelle zipped up the wedding gown that had once belonged to her grandmother. She turned back and forth, pleased the dress nearly fit perfectly. She still had a few pounds to put on, but that would come with time. The strength she’d drawn on to survive her illness was still with her. As were her friends and her store and this town. She belonged.

Loving Gabriel wasn’t a bad thing, she told herself. Giving her heart had been the last part of her healing process. She’d been willing to risk it all and she would again, one day. She would find the right man and they would be happy together. Until then, she would save her grandmother’s dress.

She undid the zipper and slipped on her robe. She folded the dress carefully, using lots of tissue. She had a little time until she needed to get ready for the Dance of the Winter King and the weddings to follow.

She thought of how surprised everyone would be and was pleased she got to be a part of it all. Talk about memories.

Someone pounded on her front door. The noise was determined and insistent.

She hurried to the front of the house and pulled open the door. “What’s...”

The rest of her sentence got caught in her throat as she stared at Gabriel. He looked exhausted—nearly as gray as he had been the first time she’d seen him. There were dark circles under his eyes and she wondered if he’d slept at all over the past couple of days. She would guess he hadn’t been eating. Signs of his suffering should have pleased her, but they didn’t. She wanted him to be well.

He didn’t speak. Instead, he walked into her house, slammed the door shut behind him and then pulled her close. He held on to her so tightly, she could barely breathe. A shudder raced through him.

“I could have lost you,” he said. “I could have lost us.” Then he let her go and dropped to his knees.

He took both her hands in his and stared into her eyes. “Noelle, I’m sorry. I was wrong about everything. Not in wanting to take care of you, but in believing that would be enough. I want to give you everything I have, everything I am. Whatever it takes to convince you, I’ll do it. I swear. I love you. I want to be with you, always. I want to be by your side for however long we have. Six weeks or sixty years. I’m sorry I left. I have no excuse except that every soldier has to face fear and some do it with more grace than others. I won’t run again. I’ll stand and fight. For you. For us. If you’ll have me.”

There were too many words, she thought, unable to take them all in. Except right in the middle, she would have sworn he said he loved her.

He must have read the question in her eyes because he held on tighter and repeated, “I love you. I’ve loved you from the first, but I didn’t want to admit it. I want to marry you, if you’ll have me.”

Somehow she managed to pull him to his feet. Then they were holding on to each other and he was kissing her and she was kissing him.

He drew back. “Am I too late?”

She smiled. “It’s been two days. Did you think I’d forget so fast?”

His expression turned hopeful. “You’ll marry me?”

She smiled. “You know about the cats, right?”

He laughed and pulled her into his arms. Then he swung her around until she was dizzy and slowly lowered her to the ground.

“I stopped at Jenel’s store in town. The longest few minutes of my life, for many reasons.” He pulled a diamond ring from his pocket and slid it onto her left hand.

“I love you, Noelle,” he said, staring into her eyes.

“I love you, too.”

“So about the wedding tonight.”

She gasped, then looked at the clock by the TV. “I have to start getting ready. I’m the bridesmaid.”

“Are you sure? Because I talked to Dellina on my way here and if you want to make it a quadruple wedding, she says she can handle it.”

Noelle couldn’t believe what was happening. Gabriel was back and he loved her. That was enough. But to get married tonight?

“You’ve been busy! Are you sure?” she asked.

He smiled. “You think now that I’ve finally figured out what I have with you that I’m going to be stupid enough to let you get away?” He chuckled. “Don’t answer that. Yes, I’m sure. I want to start our life together. I’m going to leave the army and live here in Fool’s Gold. I hear there’s a new hospital that needs a trauma specialist.”

She flung her arms around him, knowing she would never let go. “The wedding is supposed to be a surprise,” she murmured.

“Then let’s make it a big one.”

* * *

The last strains of music faded. Evie Jefferson walked out onstage. “Thank you so much for joining us tonight,” she said as her dancers waited behind her. “Before you go, we have a little something special prepared.”

She moved off the stage and her students began to dance to a special arrangement of the wedding march. Four girls twirled into view, each dressed as a bride. Then two teenaged boys walked down the center aisle, carefully unrolling a white carpet.

In the audience, whispers were heard as the townspeople realized this wasn’t a simple encore. As if to confirm the murmurs, Mayor Marsha walked out, a microphone in her hands.

“Good evening. Tonight as we celebrate a season of miracles, I am pleased and honored to tell you there will be four weddings performed here. Four beautiful brides join with four handsome grooms and begin their lifetime journey of love and commitment.”

Gladys nudged her friend Eddie. “Another wedding. It’s a Christmas miracle.”

“I hope one of them is wearing Vera Wang. I just love Vera Wang.”

The music changed and Lillie and Carter walked down the aisle together. They separated and stood on opposite sides of a podium someone had put in front of the stage. Four men started down the aisle, each in a black tux.

Seventysomething Eddie sighed. “Now that they’re getting married, we’ll never see them na**d. Wives have a way of objecting to that.”

“What about those football players moving to town? We can suggest another calendar as a fundraiser. Butts of Fool’s Gold.”

“Good plan.”

The music swelled to the wedding march. Everyone rose and turned to watch as four brides started down the aisle. Patience, Felicia, Isabel and Noelle.

The bouquets were done in shades of pink, ranging from very pale to nearly fuchsia. The dresses were all strapless, but otherwise as different as the women themselves.

Dellina watched the ceremony begin from the far side of the convention center. Once the couples started speaking their vows, she turned back to the flurry of activity taking place to get the reception ready. Huge trays of food were being set out for the buffet. The tables and chairs were set up and the kids area prepared. She was exhausted, but pleased. Everything had turned out perfectly.

Noelle stood next to Gabriel and listened to him recite his vows. He slid the diamond band on her finger, sealing their love in a tradition that stretched back for generations. She felt the warm, loving presence of her mother and grandmother, as if they were there, holding her close. And for one brief second, she saw her future with Gabriel. Decades of happiness, children and grandchildren, and the miracle that was the true meaning of Christmas.