Chapter 5 Their Almost Exes

Shelly pulled Nash and Noelle aside to give them the grand tour of their third-floor accommodations.

She tossed Nash a set of old-fashioned looking iron keys during their ride up in the surprisingly spacious elevator. "You and your brothers are in the Jack Frost Suite. Noelle will be staying next door in the Music Box."

Nash effortlessly caught the keys and studied them in bemusement. "My grandfather had a set of these for an old hunting cabin years ago."

"I seriously doubt it." Shelly pressed her hand against her side and winced. Noelle could only assume that the baby was kicking. "These have an embedded electronic chip. All you do is scan them on the security pad outside the door and voila! You're in. No twisting and turning necessary."

"You're kidding!" He lifted them to examine them more closely. "You and Chad really went all out on the details." He glanced around them. Like the rest of Santa's Toy Factory, the elevator was drenched in festive decor. An upside-down Christmas tree was suspended from the ceiling, and the mirrored walls were encased in candy cane striped wood paneling.

"The keys were Adeline's idea, actually." Shelly's announcement was accompanied by a curiously searching glance between Noelle and Nash. "We wouldn't have gotten this far this quickly on the renovations without her and Brady's input. Or their investment," she added in a grateful voice.

Noelle felt a stab of envy. "Another family venture, huh?"

"It didn't start out that way. But yes." Shelly drenched her with a happy smile. "I suspect there was a secret family meeting behind my back, during which everyone decided I'm too delicate in my current condition to do all the designing and decorating alone." She didn't sound the least bit offended by her family's outpouring of love and support.

"Are you still managing the office at the ranch, too?" Noelle couldn't imagine juggling so many balls at the same time while being a wife and a mother. A pregnant one at that.

"For now." The elevator beeped to announce their arrival, interrupting whatever else Shelly was going to say. The door rolled open. "This way." She stepped out ahead of them and led them down the hallway to their left.

It had a Christmas lodge feel, from the cedar flooring to the exposed beam ceiling. A glittering Christmas tree was tucked into a windowed alcove at the far end of the hallway.

They stopped in the middle of it and faced a pair of solid wood doors. A gold plate designated the first one as The Music Box. A second gold plate on the adjacent door read Jack Frost.

Thoroughly enchanted by the suite names, Noelle watched as Shelly waved her set of keys at the scanner beside the door leading into The Music Box. She shot Nash a wide-eyed look. "I guess this is where we part ways, cowboy."

"And miss seeing another one of Shelly and Adeline's magical spaces?" He waggled his eyebrows playfully at her. "Not on your life, Miss Ward."

Looking pleased, Shelly pushed open the door and ushered them inside. "Welcome to The Music Box," she said simply.

Noelle's hands flew to her mouth. It felt like stepping into a life-sized music box. The entire wall facing them was filled with hand-carved figurines and filigrees. The gilded headboard of the guest bed in front of it was an extension of the lovely feat of architecture.

"Watch this." Shelly waddled across the room to turn a large circular lever. Her movements caused a set of exposed gears in the wall to turn. The tinkling, bell-like notes to the classic carol, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, filled the room.

"This is unbelievable!" Noelle spun in a slow circle to absorb the full panorama. The wall on the hallway side boasted carousel horses artfully arranged around a tall, slender Christmas tree. "This room should be featured in a magazine."

"Maybe someday." Shelly gave her a hopeful look. "Your celebrity endorsement might speed things along there."

"Don't look at me." Noelle sniffed dismissively. "I'm just the Carsons' lowly horse trainer."

"Ha!" Shelly didn't look the least bit convinced of that. "Try telling that to all of the raving fans who witnessed your almost-kiss on nearly every major television network. The entire country knows you're so much more than that."

Noelle's lips parted in blushing astonishment. "It was a hug, not a kiss!" She couldn't believe Shelly was putting her on the spot like this in front of Nash. She must have been madder than Noelle had originally supposed about her fateful flight out of town on Nash's medical evacuation helicopter.

"Right," Shelly scoffed. "A hug that had your hand on his cheek and his lips pressed to the top of your head."

Only because what had happened in the minutes leading up to their embrace had been so earth-shattering. Noelle shot Nash a beseeching look, inwardly begging him to back her up. "It was just a hug," she repeated in a voice barely above a whisper.

His gaze burned into hers. "Guess we got caught up in the moment. It was a big night."

"It was," Noelle agreed in a thready voice. "It's kind of the whole reason we're back in Pinetop." She waved a hand nervously. "Invitations started pouring in right after Nash's record-breaking ride."

An awkward lull in the conversation ensued. Shelly shattered it by moving toward the door. "Nash, since you got the grand tour of Noelle's suite, it's only fair that she gets a peek at Jack Frost next door."

The winter wonderland next door had Noelle gasping in astonishment all over again. The walls were a translucent blue glass, glowing from recessed lighting. Snowflakes drifted slowly down behind them.

"It feels like we're standing inside a snow globe." Noelle was enchanted by the creativity that had gone into the room's design. It felt more like a suite at a theme park than a hotel.

"For all intents and purposes, we are." Shelly happily pointed out the various sleeping arrangements, fully stocked coffee and hot chocolate bar, as well as the trays of candy cane scented toiletries on a shelf outside the bathroom.

While she was fluffing pillows and folding a bath towel into a snowman, Nash pulled Noelle aside to mutter, "My brothers are going to laugh their backsides off when they see this."

"Nash!" She hissed his name in warning.

He shook his head at her. "You might be fine living like a ballerina next door, but the Carson brothers are cowboys. Not half a breath from breaking into a princess song."

"So, no celebrity endorsement, huh?" She felt sorry for Shelly, who was still happily rattling off the many holiday features of the suite.

"I didn't say that." He looked amused. "But I can just as easily type my endorsement from a ski lodge on the other side of town."

"Oh, come on," she wheedled, giving him her most pleading look. "We're only going to be here a few weeks."

He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're killing me, babe."

She caught her lower lip between her teeth at the endearment. It was the second time he'd called her that.

"Please, Nash." Shelly would return to their side of the room at any second now. "You're too nice to make a pregnant woman cry." She hadn't missed the part of Shelly's story about needing Brady and Adeline's assistance with the investment. A lot was hinging on the success of their new holiday Air BB.

He was still shaking his head at her when Shelly sailed back in their direction. Her smile faltered. "Is everything okay?"

"It's perfect," Noelle assured, turning her back on Nash. "Everything about this place is amazing. We're going to have a blast staying here."

Shelly looked relieved. "I'll leave you two to get settled in." She backed from the room with a sly expression, leaving the door ajar.

Noelle stared after her, knowing she was deliberately being left alone with Nash. "I'm not sure how much settling we can do, considering that our suitcases are still outside in the trailer."

Nash stepped closer to gaze down at her. "I don't think she's buying our story about being just friends."

The air between them prickled with awareness. "She has no idea just how official we are." Noelle teasingly fluttered her lashes at him. "We're backed by a friendship pact, ground rules, the whole enchilada."

"Believe me. I'm not complaining about our arrangement." His voice was low and deliciously rumbly.

"Good." Every time he stood this close to her, she was tempted to lean in and rest her head against his shoulder. She knew from experience that it would fit perfectly. "For a second there, I was worried you were trying to ditch your faithful plus one."

"Never!" His protest was so vehement that she blinked.

Her cell phone vibrated inside her crossbody purse. "Oh, no," she groaned, reaching for it. "Something tells me that Triss Ward has discovered our arrival."

She wasn't wrong. Her mother's name flashed across the screen. Noelle accepted the call and lifted the phone to her ear. "Hi, Mom."

Her mother's words tumbled around her like a falling tower of wooden blocks. "Is it true that you're parked behind Santa's Toy Factory?"

"Technically, Nash did the parking." It was a lame attempt at a joke, one that her mother apparently didn't find funny.

"Are you seriously reserving a room in that dusty, drafty place when we have a perfectly clean guest room right here at the house?"

Noelle's heart sank. She hadn't even considered the fact that her parents might be expecting her to stay with them. "I've always had my own place," she reminded tightly. Before leaving town, she'd lived in one of the chalets a little further up the mountain. Not only did it possess an incredible view, it was mercifully clear of nosy, interfering parents.

"And now you don't," her mother shot back in a petulant voice.

"Listen, I'll come visit you," Noelle countered as a peace offering.

"When?"

"Today," Noelle said quickly. "Maybe we can catch dinner together or something."

"Absolutely!" Her mother's voice softened. "Be sure to bring that handsome boyfriend of yours."

"Oh! Um…he's not…" The phone went silent. Holding the phone away from her ear, she saw their call had been disconnected. "She seriously just hung up on me!"

Nash looked concerned. "Is everything alright?"

Noelle wrinkled her nose at him. "She invited you to join us for dinner, then hung up before I could turn her down. She's a piece of work!"

He shrugged. "What's the harm in meeting your parents for dinner?"

"You mean, you'll go?" She felt a little guilty asking. He had no idea what he was agreeing to.

"Who else were you planning on taking?" He reached out to tweak one of her braids. "Last time I checked, I was still your plus one."

Noelle gave him a pained look. "I think this is the part where I tell you that my Mom is under the impression we're a couple."

"So does everyone else, apparently." He didn't sound too bothered by that fact.

It took morethan an hour to get the horses unloaded at the stables located beneath Castellano's. Only then did the Carson brothers and Noelle make their way to their complimentary suites above Santa's Toy Factory with their suitcases in hand.

On the elevator ride up, Ames and Flint cracked nonstop jokes about the residents of Pinetop.

Ames flicked a finger against the candy cane trim on the wall. "I've always enjoyed the holidays, but give me a break! There are more Santa lookalikes in this town than there are Elvis impersonators in Vegas."

Flint twisted his mouth into a comical look of distaste. "Yeah, and way too many people around here jingle when they walk." He reached up to rattle a fingertip in one ear. "Thought something was wrong with my eardrums until I caught sight of the bells sewn onto one guy's socks."

Nash smirked at his youngest brother. "Believe me, there are lots of things wrong with you, bro." He leaned back against the elevator wall and dipped his head closer to Noelle's. "Told you this was a bad idea," he reminded against her ear.

She had to quell a shiver as his warm breath grazed her earlobe. "We don't know that for sure," she murmured, fearing he was right. They were about to have the topic cleared up once and for all.

When the elevator stopped, Ames and Flint made an exaggerated show of holding open the door for Noelle and ushering her ahead of them into the hallway.

"Thank you." She smiled when they noticed the credenza resting on the wall opposite the elevator. It held a festively arranged hot beverage bar and a tray of homemade cookies.

They raced each other like small boys to grab cookies. While they wrestled each other for the privilege of going first, she moved down the hallway toward The Music Box. Because Ames and Flint were still bickering over the cookies, she took her time getting out her ancient looking scan key.

Nash shot her a knowing look as she bent to fiddle with the cuff of her jeans. He'd probably guessed she was purposefully loitering in the hallway so as not to miss his brothers' initial reaction to the Jack Frost suite.

Ames and Flint swaggered down the hallway in their direction, bickering in more muffled tones now that their mouths were full of cookies.

"You didn't mind the way the elves were jingling on the first floor," Ames was pointing out.

"It wasn't their jingling that caught my attention," Flint assured with a wicked look.

"Aw," Noelle snickered. "Was it their candy cane tights?"

"Something like that." Flint snorted. Reaching his oldest brother, he nudged him with his elbow. "Bet you wish you could see Noelle in a pair of those."

Nash hurriedly pushed open the door leading inside the Jack Frost suite. Stepping across the threshold, he glanced over his shoulder at his brothers and waited.

They fell silent.

It seemed to Noelle that Flint was having trouble swallowing his last bite of cookie. The muscles in his neck contracted a few times. Then he coughed. A cookie crumb flew out of his mouth, which he somehow caught and tossed back into his mouth.

He and Ames exchanged a horrified look, then exploded into laughter.

Ames bent over double, nearly knocking off his hat. "No," he howled, trying to straighten. "Just…no!"

Flint shook his head and backed away from the doorway. "How about we leave Snow Globe Boy here to drool in peace over his girl while we go find us a proper ski lodge?"

Ames reached for the handles of his suitcases, looking like he was in full agreement with his youngest brother's assessment of the place. "Preferably one that doesn't require forfeiting our man cards."

Nash stepped back out in the hallway to watch their exodus. He waited until the elevator door rolled open before calling to them, "You wanna borrow my truck keys?"

To Noelle's amusement, both brothers paused in their tracks. "Not a bad idea." Ames sounded a bit sheepish about having to be reminded. He slapped a hand against the side of the elevator door to hold it open.

"No can do." Flint shook his head fiercely. "Not gonna leave you without a set of wheels, bro. We'll hike down to that satellite rental car spot near Town Square and see what they have available." He snatched another handful of cookies before stepping inside the elevator.

Noelle was left alone in the hallway with Nash.

He lounged against the wall between their suites. "It wouldn't be cool of me to say I told you so." He curled his upper lip at her. "So I won't."

"Oh, the fun is just beginning." She pushed open her door and nudged her pair of suitcases inside with the toe of her boot. "You've yet to meet my parents."

His expression grew quizzical. "They can't be all that bad." A smile quirked his mouth upward as he reminded, "They had you."

"Hold that thought, cowboy," she warned.

His grin widened. "Should I shave?"

She shrugged. "You're on vacation. Do what you want."

He leaned closer and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial note. "I'll shave if you wear a dress."

She rolled her eyes at him. "If this is about Flint's comment, I don't own any striped stockings."

"It's not." He winked at her. "I just like seeing you in dresses."

On that startling note, he pivoted and returned to his room. The door clicked firmly closed behind him.

She was left in the hallway, blinking and repeating his words inside her head. For a tough cowboy, he sure had his weaknesses. She liked the fact that she was one of them.

She showered and rummaged through her suitcase, wondering which dress she should wear. After a quick debate, she settled on a white dress with blue flowers that didn't look too wrinkled. It had a square neckline, lightly puffed sleeves, and a short, ruffled skirt that would show off her toned legs to perfection. She considered them to be her one good feature. Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do about her petite stature or freckles. She hadn't been blessed with creamy, classical features or a supermodel's height.

Since her hair didn't seem in the mood to hang straight, she applied a handful of mousse and scrunched it a little more. The effect was a cascade of strawberry blonde waves around her shoulders that provided a lovely contrast to the blue and white dress.

Nash was waiting for her in the hallway when she stepped outside her room. He took one look at her and whistled. "Better stick close to my plus one tonight." He splayed his bionic hand lightly against her lower back as they strolled together to the elevator.

She waited until the elevator doors rolled shut behind them before speaking again. Then she turned impulsively his way. "Do you think that picture of our almost kiss at the rodeo was shopped?"

"Nope." There was no hesitation in his answer. His look made her insides weak.

"Did we then?"

"Did we what?" His lazy drawl told her he wasn't going to make this easy on her.

"Almost kiss?"

"I wanted to." He reached for her hand to tangle their fingers together again. "If you were my girlfriend, I would have."

His answer left her aching with even more questions as the elevator doors rolled open again.

They made their way to his truck in silence. He assisted her into the cab, then made his way around to the driver's side to slide behind the steering wheel. "Are you upset with me again?" He started the motor.

"No." She watched him idly run his left hand up his right arm, pausing where the stump ended and the bionic components began. "Is the phantom pain back?"

For an answer, he rested his arm on the console, palm facing up.

She slid her fingers over his wrist and nestled them against his mechanical digits. "We're complicated, aren't we?"

He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed her fingers to his lips before responding. "I like what we are, Noelle."

His answer made her heart race. When she'd first proposed the friendship pact, she hadn't anticipated growing this close to him. They could sense each other's feelings and anticipate each other's needs. It was both sweet and terrifying, something she didn't want to think too hard about right now.

They didn't speak the rest of the drive to her parents' new chalet. They'd moved to a bigger place after she'd left town. It surprised her that they'd remained in town at all. Then again, they did so much traveling together that it almost didn't matter where they stayed between trips. It wasn't as if they were ever in any one place for long.

She frowned and straightened in her seat as Nash parked his pickup beside a much older, classic truck — a two-tone burgundy and gray refurbished Ford F-150 that belonged to none other than Brady McGrath.

"Why would my mother do this to me?" Noelle slumped back against the seat cushion at the realization that Triss Ward must have taken it upon herself to invite Brady and Adeline over for dinner. It was a deliberately cruel move, probably intended to again underscore Noelle's failure to reel Brady in.

Nash turned off the motor. "I agree, it's a little unexpected."

"It's ridiculous and unacceptable." Anger sparked in her chest. "We should leave."

Nash made no move to open his door. "It's a small town, Noelle. We were bound to run into him again soon."

She gave him a searching look. "Does it bother you that Adeline is probably here, too?"

"She and I parted as friends." Though his voice was mild, there was a new level of tension in his grip on her fingers. "I have no reason to avoid her."

Noelle pursed her lips. "Fine. I'll be civil. But if my mother pulls anything else, and I mean anything, we're cutting the evening short."

"Deal." He raised her hand to his lips again before they exited the truck. Then he walked her to the front door of her parents' chalet.

It flew open before they could knock. "My sweet baby girl," her mother cooed. She was wearing a bright red pantsuit and a matching layer of lipstick. After a curious glance at the hand Nash had resting on her daughter's back, she held out her arms to Noelle. "I've missed you." There was a hitch to her voice that Noelle didn't recognize.

"You did?" Though she couldn't say the same thing, she obligingly air-kissed Triss Ward, having been taught years ago not to do anything that would mess up her mother's hair or makeup.

"Of course! I've been worried sick about you," Triss Ward hissed angrily before stepping back.

Noelle grimaced. That was more like the mother she remembered. The only thing she was probably genuinely worried sick about was what her shallow friends would think if she couldn't produce any recent photos or gossip about her only child. "In case you're wondering, I'm enjoying my new job," she informed her coolly.

"You were on crutches when you left," her mother reminded in a low, terse voice. "You've missed half a dozen doctor's appointments already, and?—"

"Do you want me to leave again?" Noelle met her mother's unyielding gaze.

"Of course not! You just got here." With a resigned look, Triss Ward finally backed down and waved them further into the chalet.

Nash bent his tall frame to press a light peck on her check as he followed Noelle.

Triss Ward caught her breath and reached up wonderingly to touch her cheek. "I invited Brady and Adeline McGrath to join us," she announced like they were all old friends as she herded them toward the dining room.

The chalet had gleaming hardwood floors, freshly painted walls, and not a speck of dust in sight. Her mother probably had the place professionally cleaned before their arrival. She was big on appearances. Crystal goblets glinted enticingly from the table.

Brady McGrath rose from his seat the moment he saw them. So did Denver Ward.

"Hi, sweetie." Her father's smile was coolly professional as usual. Ever since she'd broken up with his junior partner, he'd treated her with a glacial form of politeness. Nothing more. Nothing less.

"Hi, Dad." Ignoring his starchy white shirt and even starchier demeanor, she moved around the table to give him a quick hug.

Kill him with kindness. It had become her mantra where he was concerned.

He looked surprised, and his expression seemed to soften for a moment.

She turned to shake Brady's hand. "Fancy running into you again." Her voice was dry. It was probably clear to everyone in the room that her mother had manipulated tonight's round of awkwardness.

From the corner of her eye, she watched Adeline greet Nash.

"Hey, stranger!" She shook his hand, then leaned in for a hug. "I feel like I should ask for your autograph or something." Her ponytail bounced around as she spoke with her hands. She was in a long, flowy maxi dress with a split riding up the side.

In comparison, Noelle felt like she was dressed for a junior high dance. She swallowed a sigh of envy as she listened to Nash's response.

"Whatever." He chuckled. "Speaking of accomplishments, I hear you and Brady went in on those Air BB rooms where we're staying."

Where some of us are staying. Noelle's lips twitched at the memory of Ames' and Flint's reactions to the Jack Frost suite.

"We did." Adeline shot a humored look at her husband as they took their seats again. "Brady thinks we might've gone a little overboard with the themes. What do you think?" Her head swung anxiously between Noelle and Nash.

Noelle opted not to give a direct answer. "I'm staying in The Music Box," she announced brightly.

"There's always room for you here, too," her mother reminded, breezing back into the room with a tray of glazed sirloin steaks.

Please don't start in on that again. Noelle nodded, giving her a tight smile.

After they prayed over the meal, the conversation quickly switched to the Carson brothers' new rodeo routine that would be starting at Castellano's in a few days.

Adeline sat forward in her chair, looking fascinated. "I totally get why Ames and Flint would go the comedy route. They're as hilarious as a draft horse on roller skates. What I don't understand is how they managed to rope their serious older brother into it!"

Rope him into it? Noelle's gaze flew to his, knowing the invitation to the Castellano's rodeo had been personally addressed to him. He'd been giving his input to the idea since the first sketch on a beverage napkin over dinner. Though he wasn't as loud or as boisterous as his younger brothers on the topic, he possessed a quiet brand of humor that uniquely offset theirs. It was their unique combination of personalities that made the script so perfect.

Nash casually reached over to drape his bionic arm around the back of her chair. "A very good friend reminded me how fortunate I am to have been given a new lease on life. Figured it would be more fun to stick around for the next adventure than risk being tossed by an angry bronc into the next guardrail."

His gratitude warmed Noelle from the inside out. To have won such high regard from an athlete of his caliber was downright humbling.

Her mother stood and left the room. She returned with a rolling cart bearing plates of peach cobbler and ice cream. As she served Noelle, she murmured in her ear. "Maybe you could try a little harder to keep this one."

Noelle's appetite faded. As soon as her mother rolled her cart to the other side of the table, she scooted back her chair. "Thank you for dinner. We're sorry to have to break away like this, but we need to get going."

Nash stood and held out a hand to pull her to her feet. "Yeah. We've gotta head to a rehearsal."

Noelle couldn't tell if he was being honest, or if he'd made up that excuse on the spot. Either way, she was grateful that he had her back.

Her mother followed them to the door and managed to hiss out one last question while air-kissing her goodbye. "Was it something I said?"

You know it was. She met her mother's gaze sadly. "Thanks again for dinner. Goodnight, Mom."