Christmas In Icicle Creek: Home For The Holidays Read online

  “A Christmas invitation?”

  “Yes! That’s been a part of my life since I was born. I about cried my eyes out last year when Christmas rolled around in Hawaii and I’d just been home two weeks before the holiday.”

  “But you had Kendall, right?”

  “Yes. But … well, he’s not all that into Christmas, and he’s not into Icicle Creek at all.”

  “Ahhh. I see. What else happened? With Kendall, I mean.”

  A little shiver went through Noelle as the darkest memory came forward. “I think he cheated on me, but I was never sure.”

  Tristan involuntarily pulled Noelle close, and she felt his arm tighten around her, bringing her closer to him as if to warm and protect her from the hurt of such a betrayal. “Then he truly didn’t appreciate you,” Tristan said.

  Noelle swallowed. “Did you ever …?”

  Tristan waited. “Go ahead and ask.”

  She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer, but she had to ask. “Did you ever cheat on Courtney?”

  “No,” Tristan said. “I never did.”

  Noelle let out a pent-up sigh. “Thanks for letting me tell you about Kendall. Somehow, voicing it to you makes it smaller.”

  Tristan lifted Noelle’s chin gently so her lips were close to his. “I hope so. I hope he will be nothing more than a pinpoint of a memory,” he murmured as he kissed her softly.

  Noelle opened herself to Tristan’s soothing presence, and sitting with him in his truck with his warmth enveloping her with understanding, she began hoping for the same thing.

  * * *

  Thirty minutes later, Noelle sat in her room, gazing out the window. The night was deepest black, but she cracked open her window and listened for the harmonious sound of Icicle Creek while Sampson snored softly, sprawled on Noelle’s bed.

  Moving from the window, Noelle crawled onto her bed and cuddled against the puppy, who spooned into her with a contented sigh.

  Noelle understood Sampson’s sweet serenity. For the first time since coming home, she felt it too. She had told Tristan her deepest secrets and insecurities, and he simply held her. He didn’t disparage Kendall, and he didn’t ask a bunch of questions. He accepted her story at face value and offered her comfort that felt unforced and simply right.

  Everything about Tristan was beginning to feel right. But something abundant called to her, something profound. There was a deepening intimacy growing between her and Tris. It was starting to develop in a look, a touch, and how Noelle’s desire to share her family and herself with Tristan was expanding with each visit. She had offered these things to Kendall, but he’d turned them away, while Tristan embraced them wholeheartedly. This new beginning was still fragile, but Noelle could sense the creation of their privately shared mystery and everything it offered.

  Chapter 16

  Three days later, Noelle sat at her laptop and fluttered through Facebook for a minute before changing her relationship status. She was no longer single, but in a relationship with Tristan Burke. A peaceful thrill went through her as she told the world about her newfound love. Was it really love? Maybe that still needed to be determined, but there was no doubting the knitting together of their hearts. Would Kendall see the change? She dismissed the thought. It didn’t matter. She and Kendall weren’t friends on Facebook, and they hadn’t been in contact since she’d left Hawaii.

  Turning off her computer, she turned her thoughts to Tristan as she began her morning routine. They were working the evening shift so Sian and George could have a night off. The older couple were heading to Wenatchee for dinner and a movie.

  Noelle was finishing her makeup when her phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number that flashed on her screen. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Noelle. This is Courtney.”

  Noelle blinked in stunned surprise. She and Courtney had never exchanged six words in high school. What could she possibly have to say now?

  “Courtney Sanders. We went to high school together.”

  Noelle’s guard went up, crossing swords like a front line of soldiers. “Yeah. I remember. You were Tristan’s girlfriend back in the day.”

  “Past tense would be appropriate,” Courtney went on quickly. “I won’t keep you, Noelle, but there’s just some things you need to know. Has Tristan ever mentioned his time in Arizona?”

  A charge of electricity ran through Noelle along with a trickle of disappointment. She tried to soothe herself. Whatever Courtney had to say probably wasn’t important. After all, she was the drama queen of high school. “I don’t expect to know everything about him this early in the relationship.”

  “Of course not, but don’t you think you should know the important things—like the fact that he was jailed and considered a suspect in a crime? His best friend is doing time in federal prison.”

  Courtney’s words sent Noelle reeling, but she kept her voice steady. “If this is more of your drama, Courtney—”

  “Honey, this isn’t my drama. Trust me, if that’s all this was, Tristan and I would already be married. Look, if you want to know Tristan, you need to Google his name. While you’re at it, make sure you Google the name James Talbot, too. You can do whatever you want with the information. I just think it’s important for you to have it.” She paused. “Oh, and there’s something else you should know. I think Tristan is still in touch with James the jailbird. So, even though this guy is doing time in the federal pen, Tristan still counts him as a friend. Now, I’m sure you’re busy, and I know I am, so I’ll just let you go.” The phone went dead.

  Before the screen on her phone faded to black, Noelle flipped on her laptop and typed in Tristan’s name. Her stomach bottomed out as the headlines popped up. “Fraudulent House-Flipping Scheme Bilked Millions from Investors.” “James Talbot Found Guilty on Fraud Charges.” “The Life of Fraudulent Millionaire” “James Talbot and Friends Meets Mr. Ponzi.” “James Talbot Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison.”

  With the beginning of each article Noelle’s muscles tensed with anger. By the time she finished the last article, her thoughts were spinning down into a cold hurt. Her breath came in short gasps as she watched video clips of news stories where Tristan proclaimed his innocence as federal prosecutors issued search warrants for Tristan’s apartment, cell phone, computer, car, and work accounts. The prosecutors were convinced that James Talbot could never run such a detailed operation on his own, and they were pointing the finger at his best friend, Tristan Burke.

  Noelle covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide as she took in the words that pointed her down the path of Tristan’s past. Her heart beat wildly and uneven in her chest as she considered Tristan’s silence. How could something like this go unspoken between her and Tristan? Sure, they’d only known each other about around a little over a month, but wasn’t this relationship different? They were sharing everything. Or so she’d thought. Apparently, she was doing all the sharing while Tristan held back.

  Questions piled up so fast, she couldn’t let one go before the next trotted on its heels. But one question was as incessant as a drumbeat. If Tristan was truly innocent, why didn’t he tell her? A new encompassing agony flooded up from deep within her belly, drowning everything else out and making it hard to breathe. Placing her hand to her chest, she doubled over while fighting the tears. She wanted to believe the claims Tristan made to the television reporter, but what were the benefits of keeping this a secret if he didn’t have anything to hide?

  Noelle swallowed hard and took a deep breath, trying to slow her thinking, but it refused to be corralled. She didn’t want her little brother involved with someone like this, and she certainly didn’t want him looking up to Tristan. And what about her parents? Noelle didn’t have the kind of money Tristan would want, but her parents certainly did. According to the articles and newsreels, one couple had taken a second mortgage out on their home while another invested the whole of their retirement based on the returns James was promising. These unsuspecting people were financi
ally devastated. One retired couple had to return to work, their dreams of a quiet life with children and grandchildren shattered, while their friend, an elderly widow who had invested at their urging, had lost her home and was now renting a room and working at the local flower shop.

  James had taken their money to pay early investors, and the rest was used to finance his lavish lifestyle. There was no house-flipping business after the first two homes. Lives were laid waste and relationships shattered.

  As James’s best friend, Tristan reaped the spoils. Hadn’t he mentioned something about staying at hotels like the Four Seasons? That must’ve been on James’s dime—or the dime of all those people James conned. Was Tristan part of that sales job? He had sold her on investing in him. Was he using her, setting up her family through her? Noelle didn’t want to believe any of it, but if Courtney was right, there wasn’t any way Noelle could erase Tristan’s continued contact with James.

  Noelle closed her eyes and tried to mediate the panic that was swelling in her chest, leaving little room for air. She closed her laptop and took a deep breath, hoping to slow her mind as she recalled every moment she and Tristan spent together. Slowly, she began to understand that haunted look that would come into his eyes or the beat of silence that would punctuate their conversation before he answered.

  Taking her first deep breath, Noelle considered that upcoming evening. Her earlier excitement over sharing her first shift alone with Tristan evaporated like powder snow in dry air and was replaced with dread. She couldn’t back out of her shift. George and Sian hadn’t been away from the inn as a couple in the nine months that Noelle had known them. A new thought punctured her mind. Did George and Sian know about Tristan’s past? The responsibility of her newly discovered knowledge crushed her, and she desperately hoped Sian and George were safe. Did she need to tell them about Tristan’s brush with the law?

  Noelle considered George and Sian’s relationship with Tristan’s family, and fresh anguish rushed through her. If Noelle told Sian what she knew, she would be risking one of Carolyn’s few friends, and she and Tristan leaned on George and Sian for support through devastating loss.

  Tears came to Noelle’s eyes as the conflict laid bare the calamity and distress of others and mixed with her sense of loyalty. She resented how Tristan’s past and this man James could have such a far-reaching grasp as to affect her own life. She loved all of these people, but George and Sian had a right to know.

  The panic lessened in her chest as she mapped out her plan. She would go into work early for a conversation with Sian. Then, she and Tristan would work together tonight, and after their shift, she would ask him about these things. He deserved to be heard, and she deserved some answers.

  Sitting back in her chair, Noelle closed her eyes and willed herself to breathe. Maybe Tristan had a decent explanation, and maybe what they shared could still be saved.

  Chapter 17

  Noelle tried to swallow as she sat across from Sian, but her mouth was as dry as cotton.

  “Noelle, my flower, what is it?” Sian asked.

  Noelle fiddled with her hands in her lap as she looked down. Now that she sat in front of Sian, she didn’t want to tell her the awful truth she just discovered. “It’s Tristan,” she said.

  A look of concern came into Sian’s eyes. “Is he all right?”

  “Yeah. Or—at least physically—I think he’s fine.”

  “The two of you have become quite close,” Sian offered.

  Noelle nodded as tears threatened.

  “George and I are so happy to see it, and we’re even happier to think we had a hand in bringing the two of you together.”

  Noelle gave Sian a wan smile. She had not expected this to be so difficult. When she was sitting at home and reading all of the many articles, her decision was clear. She needed to keep George and Sian safe from any predatory efforts. But now, sitting in front of Sian, she doubted her ability to make wise decisions, and there was so much that rested with her choice to speak or stay silent. The idea of wiping out Sian and George’s trust along with destroying a deeply bonded friendship stopped her words, causing her own hurt to delve even deeper within her own soul. But protecting Sian and George was her first priority.

  “What is it?” Sian placed a hand on Noelle’s knee.

  “Tristan isn’t everything he pretends to be.” The words came out in a rush. “He was a suspect in a fraud case down in Arizona about two years ago. His best friend—according to the papers, anyway—is serving time in federal prison for a Ponzi scheme.”

  Sian was silent for a moment before reaching for Noelle’s hands and squeezing her fingers. “I know, dear. George and I both know.”

  Noelle blinked as her mouth fell open in disbelief.

  “It’s part of why we hired him.”

  “What?!”

  Sian let out a long breath. “I can tell he hasn’t mentioned any of this to you.”

  A flash of anger pulsed through Noelle. “No. No he hasn’t.”

  “He should’ve told you.”

  “Yes. He should’ve,” Noelle replied in a clipped tone. “It seems as if everyone but me and my family know. I got a call from his ex-girlfriend today. That’s how I found out.”

  Sian patted Noelle’s hands. “I think you know that George and I are good friends with Tristan’s mom, Carolyn.”

  Noelle nodded as confusion and misery mingled together.

  “We’ve known the whole family for years. Carolyn’s been very worried about Tristan. Since he came home from Arizona, he’s been consumed with anxiety around what his home community knows about all of this. So, he mostly keeps to himself and stays quiet about his past. He doesn’t go out unless he needs to get something for the orchard. And in the winter, he turns into a hermit. As she and I were talking, we thought it would be a good idea for him to work somewhere in town, where he could interact with people, and the Fox Hollow is the perfect place. So, we brought him on part-time. George is getting older and needs some help around here, and with Tristan working, we felt it’d be nice if the two of us could take some time away from the inn every now and again.” She paused. “We had no idea the two of you would become so close. That was not on our radar, but it should’ve been. I’m sorry he didn’t inform you of his past himself, though. He needed to do that.”

  “Aren’t you concerned about him?” Noelle asked. “Don’t you worry about the business?”

  Sian shook her head. “We’ve known Tristan since he was a child. We knew his father, and he was the best of men. Tristan is just like him in every way. As far as what happened in Arizona, George and I believe that Tristan got in a little over his head. He was young, thoughtless, and truly had no idea where James’s money was coming from.”

  Noelle shook her head as her disbelief grew. “I’m not so sure I buy that, Sian. He was a finance major, for heaven’s sake. If anyone should’ve had this James character figured out, it was Tristan.”

  “Yes. I can see your point, but Tristan is loyal to a fault, and we think his allegiance toward his friend would’ve overruled anything else he may have suspected.”

  Noelle pulled in her bottom lip as her mind raced. Some part of her relaxed. At least she wouldn’t be responsible for tearing apart of a precious friendship between Tristan’s family and George and Sian.

  She studied Sian, not at all surprised by her loyalty. In fact, she loved her for it. It was the exact thing Sian would do if Noelle was the one in trouble. But it wasn’t something that could be transferred. Noelle could not buy into Sian’s belief system around Tristan.

  Sian squeezed Noelle’s hands again. “He should’ve told you all of this himself, and I’m sorry he didn’t. But I hope you’ll let him explain this, and that you’ll be gentle with the feelings you both share around all of it. He’s a good man, Noelle, and the two of you could make a wonderful couple.” She sat back. “Now, that’s all I’m going to say. In the end, it’s your decision, and George and I will respect whatever you choose t
o do. We all have to come to our own conclusions around the people we let into our lives.”

  Noelle nodded as a sense of both relief and defeat ebbed through her. “Thanks for telling me all of this,” she said. “Would you mind if I took a few days off after tonight?”

  “Will you be all right working alone tonight with Tristan?”

  Noelle looked down at her hands as the fresh wound of Tristan’s silence throbbed with every heartbeat. “I’ll be fine. But …”

  “It hurts,” Sian said as she leaned forward once again, taking Noelle’s hands in hers.

  Noelle held on to Sian’s hands as tears formed in her eyes. “Yeah. It hurts,” she whispered.

  “I understand, my flower,” Sian said quietly. “You can take all the time you need. George and I know you’ll stay in touch, and we’re here for you, just as we’ve been here for Tristan.”

  Noelle let out a quiet sob as Sian embraced her. The smell of sandalwood and lavender soothed Noelle.

  Hanging on to Sian, Noelle tried not to think of the difficult conversations that lay ahead. She would have to inform her family of what she’d learned, and she dreaded that telling. Her little brother would be so disappointed, and Noelle hated to see him hurt.

  She pulled away from Sian and wiped her eyes as she set her mind back to the task of how to handle this latest news. Her next discussion needed to be with Tristan. She needed to learn his story from his perspective. But some corner of her mind was set. She could not continue to be involved with a man who had not told her such a hard truth. She wasn’t sure what his silence meant, but she was beginning to see the cost of it.

  Chapter 18

  Noelle stood behind the front desk as anxiety poured through her like a waterfall, with a deep pool of questions as its destination. But she pushed them all aside. It was two o’clock, and check-in wasn’t for another hour. She kept herself busy by filing left over invoices and looking through the guest roster. All sixteen rooms were full. Folks would start checking in soon. There were always a few early arrivals, and Noelle looked forward to them today.