Chapter 7 Friendship Pact Addendum

Brady angled his head at the passenger door of his truck. "It's unlocked."

"In that case…" Noelle hurried around to the driver's side to open his door first.

He was busy tucking the tall stack of styrofoam boxes beneath his chin to free up a hand.

"I got you, boss man." She was surprised how easy it was to slip back into the light, cheerful banter they'd had between them before…

Before. What a loaded word it was! So much had happened since then. So many good things and so many bad things. So much happiness and so much heartache.

Instead of thanking her, Brady scowled ferociously at her from beneath the brim of his Stetson. "You trying to get me killed?"

"Whoa!" She winced playfully as she sauntered back to the passenger side of the truck. "You're even crankier than I remember. Contrary to popular belief, a little kindness never killed anyone."

He climbed inside the truck with a gusty exhale and settled the boxes of food between them on the seat. "Pretty sure your boyfriend's glare is peeling off my outer layer of skin."

Her mouth fell open. "Nash Carson is not my boyfriend. Why does everyone keep assuming that?"

"Oh, I don't know," Brady growled as he yanked on his seatbelt and started the motor. "Maybe because he wants to be?"

"Get out of town!" She reached blindly for her own seatbelt while cradling the beverage box between her legs. "Seriously, though. He and I are just friends. Really good friends. I like him. I trust him. He's great. Can we move on?"

"I don't know." Brady put the truck in reverse and lurched backward so quickly that he had to slap a hand on top of the food boxes to keep them from toppling over.

You don't know what? Out of sheer reflex, she reached for the boxes at the same time. Her hand landed on top of his. "Sorry!" She yanked it back as if she'd been scalded.

"That! That's what I'm talking about." He gripped the wheel so hard with his left hand that his knuckles turned a knobby white. "Once upon a time, you and I were a team. We trained horses together and did a decent job of running a ranch together. You, me, my sister, and some of the best ranch hands on the planet." He shook his head in frustration. "We shared drinks, snuck bites from each other's sandwiches, and finished each other's sentences. Then we somehow got our wires so crossed that you left town without a backward glance. I would do anything to fix that, Noelle. I just don't know how."

Their conversation was treading such dangerous territory that her hand crept to her cell phone in her back pocket. Her first thought was to text an SOS to Nash, but that wouldn't be fair to either him or Brady. Though rehashing the past might slash her heart to ribbons, maybe this was her chance to finally clear the air between her and Brady. It sure sounded like that's what he was trying to do.

"I'm sorry for how I left." She looked out the window, not sure where to even begin. "I really am." That was probably the best place to start.

"I don't want an apology, Noelle. I just want to know what I did to lose your trust."

"You didn't!" Her head swung back in his direction. "Listen, boss man. I don't exactly rush forward to open the door for just any ol' guy."

"Cute."

"I mean it. And I don't offer to backfill horse training duties for just any ol' guy either." Though he hadn't precisely asked her to do anything of the sort, she wanted it to be clear that she didn't mind helping out.

"You didn't hesitate to do it for Nash," he pointed out. "Why?"

"Because he needed me worse than you did at the time."

"I get that he was fighting for his life. I do, but?—"

"He had nobody," she interrupted. "That's why we clicked. I know what it's like to be alone in this world, and so does he." She glanced out the window again. "It's hard to explain that to someone like you, Brady."

"Someone like me?" He didn't sound too happy about her statement. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You have everything, Brady. You have parents who love you, a wife who's your perfect match, a sister who adores you to pieces, the world's greatest brother-in-law, an absolutely precious niece and nephew, and another one on the way. Y'all are like your own little tribe. If the rest of the world went up in smoke, you'd still have each other."

He snorted. "Pretty sure if something that disastrous hit the globe, we'd all go up in smoke together."

"Focus, boss man," she snapped. "I'm trying to make a point here."

"Well, hurry up, because we're about to be back at the ranch, and Shelly's gonna be wanting her pancakes yesterday."

They shared a chuckle, knowing he wasn't exaggerating.

She was silent for a few seconds. "The way I just described your world, Nash and his brothers don't have any of that, and neither do I. So maybe…" She darted a quick look at him from the corner of her eye, "Just maybe when I came to work for you at Bear Mountain Ranch, nursing a wounded heart and bleeding daddy issues, I might've accidentally built you into something you were never meant to be." She paused miserably. "Inside my head, at least."

He waved a hand at her. "If that's your way of saying?—"

"I had a crush on you, alright?" She couldn't believe he was making her spell it out in such painful detail. "I know you didn't ask for it or mean for it to happen, but it did. And that's the other reason why I left when I did. I had to." He was about to get married to Adeline, for crying out loud! She didn't want to do anything to mess that up.

"Eh, maybe I didn't ask for it to happen, but Shelly did a pretty good job of pointing out that I may have inadvertently contributed to it." He sounded so contrite that Noelle started to laugh.

He scowled at her. "What's so funny?"

She laughed harder. "Are you honestly trying to apologize for not crushing back?"

"Maybe. The truth is that I was trying so hard to get over Adeline when you and I first met that I did…consider the possibilities." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Between us."

"You're kidding!" Nash had said something to that effect to her a while back when he'd claimed that Brady must have been giving off some sort of vibes.

"Not sure why you're so surprised," Brady growled. "Everybody loves you, and I mean everybody. Every ranch hand, every child, every horse, every blasted house fly?—"

"Not Black Lightning." She shivered at the memory of being kicked by the spirited stallion. She was pretty sure her parents wished they'd given birth to someone besides her, too. Someone less independent. Someone they could control with their money.

"You know what I mean."

"You like me, boss man. Check." A warm feeling of acceptance pooled inside her, erasing a lot of the questions and hurt that had been riding between them for so long.

"Will you just hear me out?"

She sent him a mock salute as he pulled into the entrance of Bear Mountain Ranch.

"What I'm trying to say is that you're a great horse trainer and an even more wonderful person, Noelle."

"I'm an okay horse trainer," she corrected, "but I try to make up for it with my lame jokes and my overall adorableness."

He drove up to the barn that housed the ranch offices and pulled into his favorite spot at the side of the building. "Why are you always putting yourself down like that?"

She shrugged, not seeing it that way at all. "I know what I am, and I know what I'm not." Humor was like her superpower. So was keeping a humble attitude.

"Do you?" He pushed open his door and reached for the food boxes. "My sister is afraid she might go into labor early, and you're the person she's asking for. I mentioned to the staff this morning that you might drop by and help out today, and they about raised the roof with their cheering. That's the kind of person you are, Noelle. The kind of person other folks want to be around."

Everyone except my parents. Grateful tears stung her eyes. "You didn't have to say that."

"Yeah, I think I did, especially since I'm pretty sure I'm the guy who drove you out of town. I'm in love with my wife. Don't get me wrong. But I still think the world of you, Noelle Ward. The only reason I didn't ask you on a date when I had the chance was because God had other plans for my life." He stepped to the ground with the food boxes.

She dabbed at the corners of her eyes. It helped to hear him say that. "You made the right choice, Brady," she called after him.

"So will you." He ducked his head back inside the cab and lowered his voice. "Nash is a good guy, Noelle. I hope you'll give him a chance. A real chance."

She blinked in surprise, completely caught off guard by the rapid change in direction their conversation had taken. "Just stop while you're ahead, boss man." She didn't like discussing Nash behind his back.

"Bugging off as requested." Brady stepped away from the truck, kicked the door shut, and headed around the corner of the barn, whistling.

Noelle was glad to have a moment alone to collect her emotions. Though she hopped to the ground, she took an extra few seconds to send the text to Nash that she'd been composing inside her head for the past several minutes.

Don't forget…while you're canoodling with the elves, I'm out here mucking horse stalls!

She was kidding about mucking horse stalls. It sounded like Brady's biggest reason for bringing her to the ranch today was to spend time with Shelly again. Noelle was hoping for some reassurance that Nash was spending his time just as productively in her absence.

His response to her text came within seconds. If that means you're toying with the idea of giving me a two-week notice, REQUEST DENIED!

She sent him a whole line of question marks. How did you get THAT out of what I said?

Nash: I can breathe again.

Noelle: You didn't deny the canoodling.

Nash: There's nothing to deny.

Shelly's voice wafted to her from the entrance doors of the ranch office. "We're dying of thirst in here!"

"Coming!" Noelle shot off one last text. Gotta go, Mr. Secrets. It was her way of telling him she still didn't appreciate being left in the dark about whatever he was doing behind her back. He was hiding something from her, and she didn't like it. Until their trip to Pinetop, he'd been completely transparent about everything. And now he wasn't.

Am I losing him?

Fear rose in her throat as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket and grabbed the beverage box. As she nudged the truck door shut with her shoulder, her phone buzzed with another text message. It was probably from Nash. She would read it as soon as she set down the drinks inside the office.

Shelly held open the door on the right for her, looking all swollen and pale in her bright pink maternity top.

Noelle pressed the toe of her boot to the bottom edge of the door. "Go! I've got this, girlfriend."

Shelly made a pouty face. "I look that weak and helpless, huh?"

"You look pregnant," Noelle returned firmly. "That means you need to take it easy. Here." She pulled an unsweetened tea out of the beverage box. "This one's for you. Extra lemon," she announced in her brightest voice.

"And no sugar. I know." Shelly rolled her eyes. "Brady told me the pancake syrup was enough."

"The syrup is sugar free, and the pancakes are made with almond flour," he announced from the reception desk where he was opening her box and laying everything out for her. "Doctor's orders."

"Way to ruin my morning!" Shelly stomped around the booth and flounced into her seat, or tried to. She nearly lost her balance.

Brady lunged forward and caught her, easing her slowly into the chair on wheels. "Shells," he groaned. "You've gotta be more careful. You're carrying precious cargo."

Noelle set the beverage box on the cabinet and leaned over the tall ledge to frown down at her friend. "Are we talking gestational diabetes here?"

"Borderline." Shelly's lower lip came out in a pout. "It's so unfair! Being pregnant is hard enough," she quavered. "And now everything that makes life fun, like chocolate and ice cream, is off the table!" She jabbed her plastic fork into her healthy pancake and promptly burst into tears.

"Oh, honey!" Noelle flew around the cabinet and squatted down beside her friend. "It's going to be so worth it when they hand you that sweet, squishable baby with dimples in his cheeks." She chuckled. "And probably on the tops of his feet."

"And on his chubby little backside." Shelly started laughing and crying at the same time, eliciting such a helpless look from her brother that Noelle waved him away.

"Shoo, boss man! This is girl talk."

He stepped behind Shelly's chair and pressed his hands together in a gesture of prayerful gratitude. Then he grabbed two of the food boxes and headed to his office with them. "I'll be back for the drinks," he called over his shoulder. "Noelle, don't let her trade hers with mine while my back is turned."

"I hate him," Shelly hissed. "Hate, hate, hate?—"

"No, you don't." Unable to resist the temptation, Noelle reached for one of the spare plastic forks and stole a bite of Shelly's pancake. It wasn't nearly as bad as she expected.

Shelly watched her, frowning. "Like I said, all light and joy have been sapped out of my life."

Noelle snickered at her dramatic tone. "It's not that bad. A little grainier than regular pancakes, but the flavor is pretty decent."

"Not bad? Sorta, kinda, maybe decent?" Shelly's expression grew stormy again. "Those are not the words any sane person would use to describe a melt-in-your-mouth, syrup-soaked, decadent bite of pancake paradise. I—" Her words grew garbled as Noelle stuffed an oversized bite in her friend's mouth.

She chewed, frowning ferociously, and swallowed. Reaching for her unsweetened tea, she washed down the bite and shuddered. "I miss sugar. So much!"

Noelle straightened and hiked a hip on her desk. "Then I'll distract you with one of my lame horse jokes. Where do horses go when they're sick?"

"Not to the Peppermint Palace, that's for sure, or they'd get sicker." Shelly poked her fork viciously at the corner of her pancake.

"Not even close," Noelle sang out. "They go to the horse-pital."

Brady, who'd just walked back into the reception area, guffawed. "That's so bad it's actually funny."

"I know." Noelle grinned at him and nudged the beverage box his way. "Don't worry. I kept your favorite office manager so occupied she didn't have the chance to poison your drink."

"I greatly appreciate it!" Adeline sailed into the room, dripping sawdust as she removed her gloves. "Nice to see you, Noelle." Though her glance at Noelle was curious, her smile was warm with welcome as she accepted the cardboard cup Brady was holding out to her. Her cheeks grew pink as he tipped her chin up for a kiss.

Five months ago, the sight of them kissing would've crushed Noelle. Nowadays, she felt nothing. Okay, maybe a little envy. Brady was still an incredible guy, and Adeline was the luckiest gal on the planet to have won his heart.

As soon as the two of them disappeared back down the hallway, Shelly sighed, "Please don't leave me before the baby's born."

Noelle stared at her. "The Carson brothers' show is only supposed to go for another week."

"I know, but I had to ask." Shelly leaned back in her chair, looking even more exhausted than before.

"How long do you have left until the big day?"

Shelly laid down her fork to yawn and rub her eyes. "I'm due mid June, but I don't think I'm going to last that long."

Oh, sheesh! It was already mid-May. If Shelly's worries were correct, her baby might come any day now. Noelle drummed her fingers on the desk on either side of her. "Mind if I step outside to make a quick phone call?"

Shelly shook her head, yawning again. "Don't be surprised if you find me face down in my pancake when you get back. I'm so stinking tired, and I haven't even done much today."

Noelle hopped down from her perch and bent to give her friend a peck on the cheek. "I won't be that long. Promise!"

To dodge any would-be eavesdroppers, she pushed open the door and walked toward the nearest pasture as she pulled out her phone. A couple of the horses recognized her and trotted her way.

"You sweet things," she cooed to them. "I've missed you, too." Before she could dial Nash, she caught sight of his last text message.

Ask me anything you want, and I'll tell you the truth.

Her heart melted. Man! Brady was right. Nash was such a good guy. She dialed him and lifted the phone to her ear.

He picked up on the first ring. "The answer is still no if you're calling to give me notice."

"Nash," she protested, laughing.

"What's your first question, babe?" He sounded anxious. "No more secrets between us. I promise."

"Can you meet me for lunch here at the ranch?"

"Okay." He sounded puzzled. "That wasn't the kind of question I was expecting."

"Is that a yes?" She smiled, enjoying the sound of his voice. It always made her day better.

"Of course it's a yes! What time?"

"As close to noon as possible. And I know it's asking a lot, but would you please try to pick up something for Shelly to eat that doesn't have sugar in it? I just found out she's coping with borderline gestational diabetes." Noelle wracked her brain for ideas, wishing she'd done a little research online before bothering him about it.

There was a short pause. "Exactly how many people are going to be present during our lunch date?" His voice grew cautious.

"Oh, wow! You and everyone else." A shy chuckle escaped her.

"Did I miss the punch line of your latest joke?" His voice was dry.

"I just meant that everyone in Pinetop seems to think we're dating. Even you, apparently." She kept her voice light and teasing. It was the closest they'd ever come to a real conversation about taking their friendship to the next level.

"Would you say yes if I asked you out, Noelle?" The husky tenor of Nash's voice reverberated across the phone line, making her smile and blush at the horses leaning over the fence in her direction.

"Is that a rhetorical question, or are you really asking me?" Her breathing dwindled to short, shallow breaths.

"Wouldn't want to disappoint everyone in Pinetop, babe." It sounded like he was smiling. "Including myself."

"Nash, this would change everything," she breathed. Are we seriously talking about dating each other?

"I know."

"Are you sure?" A thousand questions swam through her brain. "We still have like six-and-a-half months left of our friendship pact. We're supposed to be protecting each other from rushing into the next relationship?—"

"Breathe, Noelle!" He drew a heavy breath. "I wasn't planning on giving up our friendship. If it makes it any easier, you can think of it as an addendum to our original agreement, one that allows us to be friends who hold hands and kiss."

"We already hold hands," she squeaked. Their feelings had been tangled up with each other for a good while now. She'd tried to write it off as okay, since friends were supposed to care for friends. However, her heart told her that what she was feeling for him was more than that.

"I really want to kiss you, Noelle."

His admission made her heart feel like it was floating.

"I've been wanting to kiss you for weeks. No, months. I just didn't want to do it before you were ready."

"No sloppy seconds for Nash Carson, huh?" She felt like laughing and crying at the same time.

"I just want to be the only guy you're kissing when it finally happens, babe."

"You don't need to worry about that," she assured softly. "Since you brought it up, though, you might be interested in knowing that Brady and I finally talked some things out on our way here."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Turns out you were right about the vibes he was giving off for a while there."

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?" Nash sounded so incensed that her eyes widened.

"He said he was trying really hard to move on from Adeline around the time I started working for him, so he definitely considered the possibilities between us."

"And?" Nash demanded when she fell silent.

"He said it just wasn't in God's plans." She bit her lower lip. "He's right, Nash. I couldn't see it back then, but I do now."

When he didn't answer, she added, "Please don't be angry about this. I think Brady was anxious to clear things up between us for Shelly's sake. She really needs me right now."

Nash blew out a breath. "I'm trying not to read anything bad into your last statement."

"I'm not staying in Pinetop without you," she assured him quickly. "I'm very happy with my job at Canyon Creek Ranch." And my relationship with its hunky ranch manager.

"Better."

"There's one more thing we need to talk about," she sighed.

"Uh-oh. Should I be worried?"

"It's just that I overheard Flint say something about the Castellanos asking you guys to extend another few weeks." Nash said he didn't want any more secrets between them, so she was giving him the full story up front. "Shelly's not due until mid June, but she doesn't think she's going to make it that long."

"I'll see what I can do, babe." She could practically hear the wheels turning inside Nash's head as he carefully considered what she'd said, as well as what she'd left unsaid. "If I can't negotiate an extension for our show that satisfies all parties involved, I'll fly you back here when the time comes. I'll even come with you, if you want."

"Yes, please." The fact that he was willing to give her options was good enough for her.

"I really want to kiss you right now." His voice grew rough. "Not sure how I'm going to make it until lunch."

Her heart pounded in anticipation, though she wasn't sure how they were going to squeeze in any kisses without being seen.

"I want to kiss you, too, but…"

"Another but? Really, Noelle?"

Though she smiled at the frustration in his voice, she plowed onward. "Are you sure you want to go public with our relationship just yet?" Everything involving Nash Carson tended to make headlines and splinter into a thousand different versions of the original story. Privacy wasn't something he and his brothers got to enjoy much in their personal lives. They could hardly hiccup without it being shouted from the rooftops.

"No, you're right, Noelle. Man! As badly as I want to let the world know you're mine now, I don't want the paparazzi coming after you. Not yet, anyway." His voice grew caressing. "Wouldn't mind having you to myself for a few days first."

"What about your brothers?" she asked shyly. "We should at least tell them."

He snorted. "Telling Flint would be about the same as going to the press, babe."

She chuckled. "I hear you, but we shouldn't keep it from them for long. They're your family." He was fortunate to have them in his life.

"Fine. How about we enjoy being together for one month before we complicate things?"

"Deal." She chuckled. "Bye, Nash."

"Bye, babe."

As hard as it was, she ended their call. Then she hugged her phone to her chest, blinking back happy tears.

I'm dating Nash Carson. A wave of lightheadedness shook her. After all the mixed signals, crossed wires, and wrong turns along the way, she was finally with the right guy. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world.

Nash staredat his phone in wonder. That really just happened. His heart was thumping double-time as he stepped back into Santa's Toy Factory.

Lucy glanced up from her easel where she'd been doing some more sketching. "We included everything you asked for. Come look!" Her red-and-white striped stockinged legs were crossed, and the heels of her elf boots were hooked on the middle rung of her stool.

Both Ames and Laura were peering around her shoulders in fascination. Flint was on the other side of the room goofing off with one of the train sets. No surprise there.

Nash strode toward the easel and bumped his brother out of the way with his shoulder.

The music box that Lucy had sketched looked like something that should be framed and hung in a museum. She'd sketched the box with its lid open. Inside was a full panorama nativity scene. There were shepherds and sheep on the outer edges, a manger with baby Jesus in the center, with Joseph and Mary kneeling beside him. An angel hovered over them, and three wise men waited expectantly on their right.

Lucy smiled at his awed expression. "When you first open the lid, a built-in music box will automatically start playing The First Noel. These pieces are stationary." She used the eraser end of her pencil to point at Mary, Joseph, and the baby in the manger. "These pieces will rotate in an oval path around the central figures." She gestured at the shepherds, sheep, and wise men. "The angel will spin in place for added visual interest."

"All hand carved by Laura and Lucy." Ames' voice was hushed with admiration. "A true masterpiece."

Lucy scanned Nash's features. "Are you sure about the real gold plating and gilding? It'll more than double the price."

"I'm sure." He didn't have to think twice about it. He had the money, and Noelle was worth it. He hoped it would make her feel special, like she was finally coming first with someone.

"Just friends, eh?" Ames muttered, shaking his head. "Are you ever going to get around to asking her out, bro?"

"She's pretty amazing, isn't she?" Nash drawled, sidestepping the question. He didn't dare meet his brother's gaze, afraid he'd spill the truth right then and there.

One more month, and I will.

Between now and then, he intended to savor his first kiss with Noelle. And their second kiss. And the third. And maybe the twentieth. Nah, it would be more than that.

He was looking forward to losing count.