Christmas on 4th Street

“There are nights that end like that. Just don’t tell anyone.” Dellina looked at her. “What about you? Are you okay with all this wedding fever?”

“I’m fine with it.” She paused, then sighed. “Okay, I’ll admit to twinges of...” What was the right word? “Longing, I guess. I want them to be happy, and I want what they have, too. I wish...”

“That your hunky doctor friend wanted more than just sex?”

Noelle winced. “Is it that obvious?”

“No, I was guessing.”

“Then I want you on my team the next time we play charades.” Noelle reached for more candy. “He’s great. More than great. But he’s not interested in anything long-term and even if he was, he’s leaving. I want to stay here and dig my roots in deeper.”

“I’m sorry he’s not the one,” Dellina said. “But the sex is great, right? Because that makes me so envious.”

Noelle grinned. “So it’s like that, is it?”

“Absolutely. I’m not looking for love. I just want a couple of hot nights. Or twenty.”

“Not love?” Noelle asked.

“No way. My folks died when I was sixteen. I got custody of my twin sisters when I was eighteen.”

“Wow, that’s tough.”

“For anyone, but I had it really hard. I was kind of flaky and irresponsible. My parents indulged me more than they should have. I wasn’t even close to ready and then I didn’t have a choice.”

Dellina paused, as if remembering. “I got my sisters through high school and college. They’re finally happy and settled in their lives. Now it’s my turn. There is no way I want to take on any responsibility right now.” Her brown eyes flashed with humor. “The only issue I want to deal with is a charming guy asking me if I want to be on top.”

Noelle knew she was both teasing and telling the truth. “I get that,” she admitted. “The whole fear of not being enough or the love being too much, as well as not wanting to take on one more thing.”

“I believe a well-trained psychologist would say that I’m afraid of commitment,” Dellina said cheerfully. “A flaw I can live with. One day I’ll be ready to be in love. Just not yet.”

She’d been like that, too, Noelle thought. After being sick and Jeremy dumping her. She’d been scared to risk her heart. But then she’d realized she’d been given the gift of a second chance. Was the lesson she really wanted to take away from that the idea that it was okay to live in fear?

She wanted to say she regretted loving Gabriel, but she couldn’t. He was wonderful. How could she not have loved him? Only now she was left with the fact that she was staying and he was leaving and when he left, her heart would go with him.

* * *

Gabriel’s mother passed over another listing. “This one has stairs.”

“Why shouldn’t we buy a house with stairs?” Norm asked, leaning over and kissing his wife’s neck. “We’re not old. Look at you, Karen. Every guy in the restaurant is checking you out. They’re probably wishing they were going to be me later.”

Gabriel held on to his beer with both hands and reminded himself that this, too, would pass. Not so much dinner with his parents, which had been pretty okay. But his father’s change of heart. Because a kinder, gentler version of the man was more than a little tough to deal with.

The quieter voice was great, as was the genuine interest in what other people were doing. Enjoying the restaurant rather than complaining was good, too. But the ongoing flirtation with Gabriel’s mother was tough to take. Gabriel was glad his parents had a loving and passionate relationship. But jeez, he was their kid. He didn’t want to watch it happen in front of him.

“Stairs don’t matter now,” Karen told her husband. “But what about when you’re eighty?”

“We’re still going to—”

“Dad!” Gabriel said sharply. “Give me a break, okay?”

Norm leaned back in his chair and grinned. “You should be pleased to know the sports equipment is still—”

“Norman,” his wife said. “You’re embarrassing our son.”

“He’s a doctor. He knows about sex.”

Karen beamed at her husband and Gabriel waved at their server. He held up his beer bottle, grateful Margaritaville was close enough to Noelle’s house that he could walk. Maybe if he got drunk enough, he wouldn’t be able to follow the conversation.

A woman in her forties stopped by the table. She had dark hair and brown eyes. She smiled at him. “Dr. Boylan?”

“Yes.”

She touched his shoulder. “Thank you so much for your work on the mountain. My son was injured. Several fractures and some internal bleeding. You stabilized him so he could make it to surgery. He’s doing well and is expected to make a full recovery. His father and I are so grateful you were there.”

He rose and shook her hand. “You’re welcome. I’m happy to help. Thanks for letting me know he’s going to be all right.”

Her smile trembled as if she were fighting tears. “If you’re not too busy, maybe you could stop by the hospital. He’d like to thank you himself.”

Gabriel nodded, knowing the kid wouldn’t recognize him. He’d been one of the badly injured ones—unconscious the whole time.

The woman left, and Gabriel sat back down. His father grinned at him. “Look at that. You’re a superstar.”

“It’s different,” he said, staring after the woman. “I don’t usually get to hear what happened to my patients after they leave me.” When he’d been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, his job had been to get them stable enough to make it to a better hospital or for surgery. Even in Germany, he rarely dealt with any long-term care. He was on the front line and there weren’t updates on those who had been sent on.

Their server returned with his second beer, and his mother handed over a couple more listings they’d been to see. Life had returned to normal in Fool’s Gold.

* * *

After dinner, Gabriel said goodbye to his parents and started back for Noelle’s house. As he walked by Brew-haha, Mayor Marsha stepped out and greeted him.

“Just the man I was hoping to run into,” she said. “Can I buy you a cup of coffee? It’s late, but they offer decaf.”

Gabriel was tired and wanted to get home. He liked hanging out with the cat herd and looked forward to seeing Noelle. Still, the mayor was old enough to be his almost-grandmother and he’d been raised to be polite.

“Sure. Thank you.”

He followed her back into the coffee shop and settled across from her.

The mayor looked as she always did. A conservative suit, pearls, her hair up. He wondered what she’d been like forty years ago—when she’d been young and her life had stretched out before her.

“I’m sure you think you’ve been thanked enough for what you did, but I want to make sure you know how much we appreciate you stepping in to help after the avalanche,” she said.

“I’m glad I was here to help.”

The college-age server walked over with his coffee. The mayor sipped her latte.

“The town is growing. Over the past five years we’ve had a big upswing in the population. More young couples are settling here and having babies. Our demographics are improving.”

“Have you always lived here?” he asked.

“Born and raised.” Her blue eyes twinkled. “I’m California’s longest-serving mayor, you know.”

“I’d heard that. Congratulations.”

“I have a lot of years left in me. I think about retiring, but then what would I do with my time? I have a beautiful granddaughter and great-grandchildren. I’ve been blessed.”

“Which isn’t what you wanted to talk about,” he said gently, knowing they were going to get to the sales pitch soon.

“No, it’s not.” She smiled. “Did you meet the gentlemen from CDS?” she asked.

“The bodyguard school?” He nodded. “Ford and Angel were the ones to rescue my brother.”

“Yes. They’ve been an excellent addition to the community. Angel needs to let go of the pain of his past and fall in love again, but I’m hoping that will happen soon. We have a new PR firm moving to town. Score. The company is a partnership. Three former NFL football players will be moving here.” She sighed. “I know they’re going to make trouble, but eventually they’ll figure out how to fit in. On the bright side, they’ll be able to help our town advertise itself nationally.”

“I’m sure that will be a good thing.”

“We’re continuing our planning for a search-and-rescue team,” she added. “I’ve been thinking about it for years, but what happened last week has made the need even more apparent. Getting the necessary funding will be a challenge, but we’re up to it.” She glanced at him. “Your parents are staying in town.”

“I just saw some of the real-estate listings they’re considering.”

“And you?”

“I’m leaving.”

“May I ask why?”

Because...because... Gabriel stared into his coffee, as if the answers were there. “I have to go back to the army.”

“Oh. I thought you’d fulfilled your time.”

“Yes. I’m up for reenlistment.”

“But you haven’t made your decision yet,” she said. “You’re still considering your options.”

He wasn’t sure if she was asking him or telling him. Both options were slightly unsettling. Mayor Marsha seemed to know far too much about him, and he couldn’t figure out how. Noelle would have mentioned any conversation with the mayor, and he couldn’t see either of his parents chatting with her. Or maybe he could.

“Felicia will be pregnant soon,” the mayor continued. “Gideon having a baby. That will be a show.”

Gabriel chuckled. “The two of them could be very intense parents.”

“Carter keeps them grounded. He’s a strong soul. He’s going to be an extraordinary young man. I would imagine in your line of work, you see the dark side of life. The thin thread that can be cut at any moment.”

The shift in conversation caught him off-guard. “It’s tenuous,” he admitted. “One second a soldier is standing there, laughing, and the next, he’s in pieces. You never get used to it.”

“No one could,” she murmured. “It’s not like that here. We have our tragedies. There are accidents and people die. But we are a community in every sense of the word. In Fool’s Gold, people belong. We work together to keep those on the fringes from slipping through the cracks. We’re not always successful, but we keep trying.”

She picked up her mug. “You’re familiar with Noelle’s past?”

“Yes,” he said, wondering how Mayor Marsha had found out.

“I admire her courage. She went through so much and survived, yet found herself abandoned by the very person who was supposed to love her. A lesser person would have been crushed, but she pulled herself together and started over. I have great respect for her.”

“Me, too.”

“Then stay and prove that there is a happy ending for both of you.”

He stiffened, the gentle attack surprising but strangely effective.

She took a sip, then put down her mug and reached for her large handbag. She opened it and pulled out a manila envelope.

“These are for you,” she said.

The conversational shifts had left him reeling. He couldn’t think of what to say, so he opened the envelope and was shocked to find dozens of cards and letters, all addressed to him. They were from former patients—soldiers he’d kept from dying in those first critical hours. There were drawings from their kids and pictures. Men and women, some scarred and missing limbs, but smiling and happy. Home, where they belonged.

He flipped through the cards, reading words of thanks and gratitude. Notes reminded him of forgotten moments, of a kind word or a promise that he wouldn’t let that particular soldier die, so not to give up.

He looked at the old woman sitting across from him. “How did you get these?”

“I have my ways. You don’t get to be my age without meeting a few people.” She rose and shrugged into her coat. “We need you, Gabriel. Not just for your skills, but because of who you are as a man. Fool’s Gold needs you, but just as important, you need us. You belong here. Take a step of faith. I promise it will be well rewarded.”

* * *

Noelle wrote down the information. “Got it,” she said with a grin. “Tell her I’m thrilled.”

She hung up and put her cell phone on the kitchen counter, then turned to Gabriel. “Pia had her baby. A boy named Ryder. They’re both doing great and—” She laughed. “You have no idea who I’m talking about, do you?”

“Not a clue,” he admitted. “But if you’re happy, I’m happy.”

True words, he thought as she moved toward him, stepping over kittens as she went. They were all wide-eyed and running around the house now. Seven kittens, two mother cats and dozens of boxes from his online shopping binge a week or so ago competed for space in her small house.

Noelle reached him and plopped herself on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lightly kissed him. “You’re such a guy.”

“So you’re not going to believe I used to be a woman?”