Christmas In Icicle Creek: Home For The Holidays Page 8

  “How did you choose this pup, anyway?” Tristan asked.

  “Cory surprised me,” Noelle said. “I was feeling a bit lost after coming home from Hawaii, and he thought I could use some company.”

  “Yeah, since I have to go to school all day and do homework at night,” Cory chimed in.

  “Oh, that’s very wise,” Tristan said.

  Her brother gave Tristan a delighted look. “I thought so!”

  Noelle gave her little brother a push in the shoulder. “We all chip in to take care of him, though. He’s everybody’s dog. When I’m at work, Mom looks after him, and Dad takes care of him, too.”

  “Well, I can tell he’s well loved,” Tristan said.

  “Oh, the little dude isn’t hurting for a good home. That’s for sure,” Cory said.

  Sampson let out a puppy bark as he eyed a chipmunk sitting on a stump, eating from a pine cone.

  “Okay, that’s enough,” Cory said as he picked up the pup. “I don’t think that little chippie wants to share his meal with you, and he’s definitely not interested in playing a game of chase.”

  Sampson quit barking and settled easily into Cory’s arms, quite happy with the new arrangement of Cory carrying him. “You guys go on ahead,” Cory said. “He’s going to slow me down.”

  “Are you sure?” Noelle asked, while grateful for Cory’s rare sensitive moment.

  “I’m sure.” Cory rocked Sampson for a quick minute. “We’ll get along just fine. Won’t we, little dude?” He buried his nose in Sampson’s puppy fur.

  Sampson looked first at Noelle, then Tristan with a happy pant.

  Noelle gave her brother a teasing glance. “Sometimes I think you bought Sampson for yourself and used me to get past Mom and Dad.”

  Her brother grinned. “I guess you’ll never know if it was sibling love or puppy love.”

  Noelle let out a mock sigh and turned to Tristan. “See what I have to live with?”

  “I’m actually a little jealous,” Tristan said. “Since I don’t have any brothers or sisters, the two of you make me want to move right in.”

  “Please do!” Cory replied. “It would tip the scales in the favor of the males in the household. With the way things stand now, everything is a stalemate with two women and two men. Now, you two go on ahead. Me and Sampson will be fine.”

  Noelle turned toward Tristan and the two of them began walking ahead of Cory and Sampson. Noelle sighed. Finally, she and Tristan could be alone!

  Once they were out of earshot but could still be seen, Tristan looked at Noelle. “Is this how things are between the two of you?”

  “Me and Cory? Yeah. Most of the time, anyway,” Noelle answered. “I mean, we have our moments like all brothers and sisters, but we’re pretty close.” Noelle appreciated Tristan’s observations about her brother. Kendall had hardly noticed her little brother, and it hurt her heart to see her brother ignored by someone she loved. She bit her tongue. She had made the promise not to think of Kendall. She turned her focus back toward Tristan.

  “How did it get to be like that?” Tristan asked.

  “The closeness we share?” Noelle smiled. She loved telling this story, and she was happy to share it with Tristan. “Well, he’s younger than me by eight years, plus he’s a boy. So it’s not like he was always getting into my stuff or bothering me. To me, he was just as much my baby as my mom’s baby. She still talks about how I was such a big help when he was growing up.” She paused. “What about you and … your mom?”

  Tristan nodded. “Yeah, we’re tight. We’ve been through a lot together. When Dad died, she wasn’t sure whether or not to keep or sell the orchard. I was only seventeen, Cory’s age. But we made that decision together. She felt like it was my legacy and I should be on board for the process.”

  “She sounds like a strong lady.” Noelle’s heart dropped at the thought of Tristan’s loss. She couldn’t imagine losing her father.

  Tristan agreed. “She is.”

  “Were you and your dad very close?”

  Tristan’s face softened. “Yeah. We were. He had me out in the orchards with him from the time I was a little tyke. I know I must’ve been a pain back then, but he always made me feel as if I was helping him.”

  “Oh, Tris … can I call you Tris?” Inwardly, Noelle winced. Was she asking for closeness that Tristan didn’t feel?

  “Yes. Please do.”

  Relief filtered through her. “What a treasured memory of your father.”

  Tristan nodded. “I treasure each one.”

  “It would’ve been hard to sell the orchard under the conditions of such loss. How long has it been in your family?” Once again, she fought the desire to touch him, to pull him close and feel his solid warmth while offering him comfort.

  “I’m the third generation. That’s part of the reason we decided to keep it. In the end, we realized Mom and I both love the land, and even though I wasn’t planning to come home when I did, it worked out for the best.”

  “Did you come home to help your mom with the orchard?”

  Noelle noticed a beat of silence before Tristan answered. “Yeah.”

  “What was your major in school?”

  Another beat of silence. “Finance.”

  The haunted look returned to Tristan’s eyes, making Noelle curious. Some instinct pushed her to ask about his change in demeanor, but she didn’t want to pry. “Oh! That must be a great help to your mom,” Noelle replied. “With all the changes happening in agriculture and banking, it must be nice to have someone she can trust work with the books.”

  “Yes. It has helped ease her burden around the orchard.”

  Noelle glanced at Tristan to find the haunted look was gone and was replaced with a look of satisfaction. Maybe she was being too cautious.

  Tristan continued, “I hadn’t quite thought of it like that, but you’re right. It has helped my mom a lot.”

  Noelle smiled. She couldn’t wait any longer to be close to Tristan. She placed her arm through his. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she whispered.

  “Yes, it is,” Tristan said as he quietly turned to face her.

  She searched his eyes and was overcome by the strength of his gaze. “You can’t mean me.”

  “I do mean you,” Tristan replied. “You belong here with all this color and beauty.”

  Noelle smiled as her gaze lingered on him. Her tender feelings for him were growing. Could it be he was having the same experience? Standing on the banks of Icicle Creek, Noelle turned to watch the waters as the barriers of her past with Kendall begin to wash away as the water washed over rock. “Cory says I belong here.”

  Tristan grinned. “I wouldn’t want to get in the way of little brother’s wisdom.”

  Noelle laughed.

  Tristan pulled at her. “C’mon, let me show you one of my favorite vistas.” Rounding the corner, Tristan drew Noelle close to his side as he pointed to the snow-capped mountains towering above the trees. “It’s early, but I bet they’ll be covered in snow until at least May.”

  Noelle’s breathing shallowed and every part of her was drawn to Tristan’s touch and the feeling of his solidness against her. Nestling close, she breathed in his scent that mingled with mountain autumn, completely giving into the pleasure of his comforting touch.

  Joyful surprise flooded Noelle’s senses as Tristan gently took her hand and brought it to his mouth for a kiss. His lips were warm against the skin on the back of her hand, and she lingered in the luxury of his touch. As she nestled closer, Tristan placed his thumb and forefinger under her chin, tilting Noelle’s face toward him for another, more intimate kiss. Noelle closed her eyes to receive Tristan’s mouth on hers just before they were interrupted by her brother, who came up from behind.

  “You guys are super slow. Me and Sampson have been hanging back, sniffing every pine needle and cone we can find, and we’ve still caught up with you.”

  Noelle blinked, trying to remember where she was as she stepped away from Tristan.
His presence and the anticipation of his kiss had transported her. But now, she was looking at her little brother with an impatient glare as Sampson wiggled from Cory and ran to her, his leash trailing behind.

  Her brother shrugged. “He missed you.”

  Noelle moved completely away from Tristan’s embrace to pick up Sampson, who began licking Noelle’s face.

  Her little brother hurried to Noelle. “Here, I’ll take him, so the two of you can kiss now.”

  “Cory!”

  “What?! Me and the little dude won’t watch. Will we, Sampson?” Cory covered the puppy’s eyes with one hand while shutting his own.

  Any ideas for a romantic interlude were now diminished to the size of a pinhead. Noelle gave Tristan an apologetic look. “I know you’ve said how much you’d like to have a brother or a sister, but this is how things are.” She left Tristan’s side and moved toward Cory. “I think it’s probably time we get you home. I’m sure you’ve got some homework that needs to be done.”

  “Was it something I said?” Cory asked.

  “It’s always something you say,” Noelle said, while humor and irritation toward her brother jostled in her heart. Holding Sampson with one arm, she turned to look at Tristan, who just grinned. Delight overrode her irritation, and thankfulness for Tristan’s ability to see the humor in her little brother’s behavior. Kendall would have never been amused at the events that just took place.

  Then with mock consternation, Tristan said, “Your sister’s right, Cory. It probably is time we get you home.”

  Cory let out a mock sigh as the threesome began the trek back to the car in the lengthening afternoon.

  Once Tristan was parked in front of Noelle’s home, Cory said a quick goodbye as he hopped out of the back seat of Tristan’s truck with Sampson on his heels. He hurried into the house.

  Noelle turned to Tristan with a resigned sigh. “I’m sorry. He can be such a goofball sometimes.”

  Tristan laughed. “Not any more than any other seventeen-year-old. I just hope we can plan another hike,” he said as he helped Noelle from the truck and they walked to the door together.

  Noelle held Tristan’s fingers, loving the feel of his roughened palm against her own soft skin. She tried not to think about the disappointment of missing Tristan’s offered kiss and instead focused on his offer for another hike. “That’d be great. Maybe we can plan something a little more rigorous next time.”

  Tristan rubbed Noelle’s hands in between his own fingers. “How would you feel if we went on more than one hike?” he asked. “I’d love to bring Cory and Sampson on some of them, but maybe … maybe the two of us could go alone some time.”

  Warm bliss blanketed Noelle’s earlier irritation. “I’m surprised you’d want to go anywhere with any of us ever again,” she laughed.

  “Oh, I’m not that easily put off,” Tristan murmured as he pulled Noelle close.

  “I’m glad to hear it.” Noelle pulled Tristan toward her. “More than one hike, huh? I love that idea, but I have some bad news.”

  Tristan gave her a concern look. “What is it?”

  A twinkle came into Noelle’s eyes as she pulled away but took Tristan’s hands in her own. “You’re the one who’s going to have to break the news to Cory and Sampson. You can see how much this all means to them.”

  Tristan laughed. “We’ll work something out between us, man to man.”

  Noelle joined in Tristan’s laughter. “Good luck!”

  “If all else fails, I’ll bribe him,” Tristan replied.

  Noelle was pleased with the banter she was sharing with Tristan. She and Kendall had never talked like this. Did it come with the little history she and Tristan shared, or were they creating something new? She squeezed his hands and soaked in the rough warmth of Tristan’s skin. There was no awkwardness in his affection. “Bribe him with what?”

  “Well, Sampson is easy. Cory, on the other hand …” Tristan thought. “I’m not sure, but when it comes to teenage boys, I know that food always works.”

  Noelle grinned. “Kind of like puppies, I guess.”

  Tristan laughed.

  Noelle placed her hand on the door. She turned back to Tristan, her eyes still aglow with teasing amusement. “I’ll spare you the kiss. Since Sampson got there first, I’m sure I’ve got his slobber all over me.”

  Tristan laughed again. “Well, maybe I’ll beat him to it next time.”

  Noelle’s smile widened. “I hope so,” she said. “In fact, I’ll plan on it.” Pushing open the door, she gave Tristan’s fingers one last squeeze before moving into the house.

  Chapter 11

  The next morning, Tristan’s phone beeped as he and his mother spoke to Fernando and Rosina about the final orchard cleanup in the chill of the fall air. The November cold was closing in, but Tristan felt none of it as thoughts of Noelle and their almost kiss warmed him with both humor over the moment and keen anticipation for the future.

  His phone beeped again. Tristan pulled out his phone and expected to see a text from Noelle or perhaps Courtney with one last push for him to go with her to Hawaii, but the number staring back at him from the screen was unfamiliar. Opening the text, he found a picture of James, standing in gray and white prison stripes against a cinder brick wall. It was an obvious selfie.

  Hey, bro, the message read. Guess what I got?

  Tristan’s mouth went dry. He hadn’t heard from James in over three weeks, and Tristan didn’t miss him. Now, James had a cell phone. How did that happen? Tristan stood in the cold and cloudy autumn breeze that suddenly chilled him to the bone, staring at the picture. James had gained at least thirty pounds and was the color of paste. Maybe it was the fluorescent lighting. A twinge of some unnamed guilt passed through Tristan.

  Hey, bro, are you there? The text became insistent.

  Tristan closed his eyes. He didn’t want to answer. But regret and pity throbbed with every beat of Tristan’s heart. Just because James had made some bad choices didn’t mean Tristan should turn his back on him. After all, he’d barely escaped doing time himself. Didn’t he owe James some compassion?

  How did you get a cell phone? Tristan replied. Isn’t that contraband?

  Sure is, James replied. As much as I hate jail, I can usually get anything I want. Well, almost everything I want. But at least now, I can get pictures of that.

  Tristan’s stomach turned at the implication. There was always that seamy side of James that Tristan had simply put up with while they were friends. But in prison, things were definitely heading downhill. Contraband was just a bad idea, and what James was choosing to do with it was dangerous and degrading.

  Another text beeped. Want me to send you some shots?

  Tristan texted quickly. No! I’ve got to run, James.

  Right, James texted back. Those apples won’t wait. Don’t forget about me, bro. Someday, I’m getting out of here for good behavior. Haha.

  Tristan deleted the messages, his heart slamming against his ribs. What was James implying? A prickly heat climbed up Tristan’s back between his shoulder blades and made the hair on his neck stand on end. He swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. James wasn’t a bad guy. He’d just made some bad decisions.

  Sitting in the Arizona Country Club, Tristan sipped a beer while James swirled his coke and rum on ice. “I still can’t believe you turned down the opportunity to become a member of this place,” James said. “When Bill Martin, one of the major partners, said he’d be willing to sponsor us, I was even more surprised when you turned him down. He’s the boss of all bosses.” James rolled the ice cubes in glass.

  Tristan shrugged. “These kinds of posh places are nice once in a while,” Tristan said. “But it’s not how I want to spend my money.”

  James gave a little chuckle. “Why spend your money when you can show up on my dime?”

  Heat rose in Tristan’s belly. “You invited me here, but I brought my own car. I can leave any time.”

  James laug
hed. “Relax! I’m just making noise.” He shifted in his seat as he downed the rest of his drink and signaled the waiter for another.

  “Don’t you think you’ve had enough of that?” Tristan asked.

  James laughed again. “Always my conscious, aren’t you, Tristan?”

  Tristan just sighed. Lately, James had changed. For the last two years, they’d been working for Davis and Martin and bringing in a lot of clients and their money. But over the last three months, James had become restless, and since receiving the invitation to join the country club, he turned belligerent with other brokers. He was beginning to treat staff with disdain, except for the pretty women. They got ample attention, and in spite of James’s good looks, most of the women on staff at Davis and Martin didn’t want him around.

  The waiter brought James his second drink. He swirled the glass, the ice clinking. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his foot over his knee.

  Tristan ignored the drink in James’s hand. His friend was about to talk about something serious.

  “I’ve got a plan that can make some money,” James said as he placed both feet on the floor and leaned forward. “I haven’t told anyone about it, but I thought I’d run it by you to see what you think.”

  Tristan moved close, his forearms on the table. “Go on.”

  “I’m going to start flipping houses.”

  Tristan gave James an incredulous look. “You’re what?”

  James laughed. “You heard me.”

  “You’ve never swung a hammer in your life. How is it you’re going to flip houses?”

  “I don’t need to know how to swing a hammer. I just need to know the right guys.”

  “And who might that be?” Tristan leaned back as the prickly sense of suspicion crept up his spine.

  “Just some guys I’ve met.”

  “And how are you going to pay these guys you’ve met?”

  “I’ll get investors,” James said casually.

  A thorn of concern pushed into Tristan, and he sat up. “Where are you going to find these investors?”