Noelle's Golden Christmas Page 15

  Her heart fell from her chest to the pit of her stomach.

  “Sure,” she answered, averting her eyes to hide the tears that sprang to them. I’m so ridiculous. First I fight his affections. Then I get my hopes up. She forced a quivery smile to her lips. “I’d love to have Christmas with you and Abby tomorrow.”

  “Good!” He planted another sweet kiss to the back of her hand. “And how about the next Christmas, and the next, and every Christmas after that, for the rest of our lives?”

  Noelle laughed, her heart leaping for joy once again. Bounding up, David seized her in a tight embrace, lifting her off her feet as Abby barked hysterically.

  Before she could bring herself to agree out loud, her fears came tumbling out from every direction.

  “Are you sure that’s what you want, David? I really don’t think I could handle another breakup. What if we find out we’re not compatible? What if I snore or squeeze the toothpaste in the middle? What if—”

  He put a finger over her lips. “Shhh… Love means commitment. Marriage means hard work. We can do this. With God’s help, we can do this.”

  She swallowed hard, nodding and exhaling slowly to calm herself.

  “Okay, it might work. But I’ve thought of another issue. You see, ever since we lost Mom on Christmas Eve, I’ve hated Christmas. Everything about it—the holidays and the trimmings—makes me crazy. So I was really hoping, if I ever got married, to get a less Christmas sounding name. Let’s face it, Noelle Christian isn’t much of an improvement over Noelle Holiday.”

  “I think I can solve that problem.” David pulled out the big guns—his dastardly dimples. “I plan to do everything in my power to make you enjoy the entire Christmas season, starting with this one.”

  He clapped his hands, squatting down. “Come here, Abby.”

  The eager Golden leapt against him with such exuberance she knocked him sprawling. Chuckling, he crawled to his knees, grabbing Abby’s collar and motioning for Noelle to join him. “Abby’s got something for you.”

  Noelle knelt beside them, spying a fist-sized red box, secured around Abby’s neck with a green ribbon. Noelle untied the box, tearing off the paper with trembling fingers.

  “I’d originally planned for you to discover this yourself,” David remarked, with the slightest shake in his usually confident voice, looking adorable with snowflakes sprinkled in his dark hair. “That’s why Abby was waiting for you when you came home. But that was before you tried to kill yourself, tumbling on the sidewalk. How did you survive all these years without me here to pick you up?” He gave her a lopsided grin.

  “I have no idea,” she said, prying the box open, to find it empty except for a handwritten note. She read the words aloud. “My master and I would like to invite you to come live at our house. I promise never to run away again, and I will only bark in case of emergencies. (Or anything else that gets me excited.)”

  “Well, what do you think? Will this make Christmas a little better for you?” David scooted over, sitting on his heels beside her.

  “I think it might help a lot.” She looked up and caught his gaze, gasping at its intensity.

  “What about this?” David extended his hand, palm-side up. In the middle lay a ring.

  With tears stinging her eyes, Noelle reached for the ring, holding it close to her face. Two rows of tiny red stones encircled a central round diamond, in a gold setting.

  Chewing his lip, David watched her inspection. “It was my grandmother’s ring. We can get another one if you don’t like it.”

  “No,” she choked, as tears rolled down her cheeks. “It’s perfect. I love it.”

  “Whew! I was worried there for a minute.” He exhaled heavily. Then he took the ring from her and slipped it onto her finger. “Will getting a ring at Christmas help you have good feelings about the holidays, so you won’t mind being Noelle Christian for the rest of your life?”

  “I don’t think I’ll mind at all. It sounds like a wonderful name, because it’s yours.”

  David stood, pulling Noelle to her feet and wrapping her once again in his warm embrace.

  “But you need to know…” He flashed her a wink. “I’m going to insist you squeeze the toothpaste from the end, preferably flattening it with something hard so none is wasted.”

  Noelle twisted her mouth sideways, feigning intense consideration. “I don’t know… that could be a deal-breaker.”

  “Separate toothpaste tubes?” he suggested.

  She pushed away from his warmth, holding her elbow and tapping a finger against her chin. “Hmmm… I don’t know...” Then, with a firm nod, she extended her hand. “Mr. Christian, you’ve got a deal.”

  He grasped her hand as if to shake it. But, in an instant, Noelle found herself tugged against his muscular chest, trapped by his strong arms. She held her breath as she stared, hypnotized, into his hooded eyes. With a wry grin, he clicked his disapproval.

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk. I think this deal requires more than a handshake. It should be sealed with a kiss.”

  And seal it, he did.

  From the Author

  Thank you for reading Noelle’s Golden Christmas. If you enjoyed the book, I hope you’ll take a moment to leave a review. Your words could help another person discover the book, and I treasure your feedback. Sign up for new release information, exclusive content, and giveaways on the website.

  Turn the page for a bonus… a special Christmas song composed by Tamie Dearen, followed by a sneak peek at the next book in the Holiday, Inc. Series.

  I Might Have Missed the Savior

  (Listen to the song at http://tamiedearen.com/christmas-song/)

  If I had been a shepherd

  In the fields that night,

  Would I have heard the angels singing,

  Filling up the sky?

  Or would I have been busy counting sheep

  And singing my own song?

  I might have missed the Savior,

  And I might have never known.

  If I had been a wise man

  Would I have missed the star?

  Would I have seen the light of David

  Shining from afar?

  Or would I have been busy reading words

  About the King to come?

  I might have missed the Savior,

  And I might have never known.

  I want to see the Holy Child at Christmas;

  Bring my myrrh and frankincense and gold.

  Sometimes my busy world

  Just might hide the Lord.

  I might have missed the Savior,

  And I might have never known.

  If I had been a Christian

  In the world today,

  Would I have seen the poor and needy,

  Every lonely face?

  Or would I have been busy wrapping gifts

  And singing Christmas songs?

  I might have missed the Savior,

  And I might have never known.

  Book Two of the Holiday, Inc. Series

  Sneak Peek

  “Dad! What were you thinking? You can’t put Avery Goodwin on my team.”

  Gerard Holiday didn’t even bother to look up from the computer behind the imposing carved wood desk. Like everything in his office, the desk was immaculate. It was no surprise. Every aspect of Gerard Holiday’s life was in perfect order. Gavin tried to remember if he’d ever seen a single hair out of place on his father’s head.

  “Gavin, I’m in the middle of something. We’ll discuss this later.”

  “Later? We can’t discuss it later? My new team meets at three thirty… that’s just over an hour from now.” Gavin nurtured his rage. Better to feel anger than to wish for something he could never have.

  Avery Goodwin had made it perfectly clear two years ago she wanted no part of him. And if her terse greeting in the hallway was any indication, nothing had changed. With a fury befitting her auburn curls, her eyes were squinted to small slits, hiding their color. But he knew those green ey
es as well as he knew his own. For months after she’d broken up with him, he’d been haunted by the image of those eyes, startling jade green with gold flecks, framed by thick curly lashes. He couldn’t close his own eyes without seeing hers in his mind. Even now, his chest ached, remembering when those eyes had once gifted him with adoration. At least, that’s what I thought she felt, but genuine love wouldn’t have vanished so quickly.

  So much water under the bridge. It had been a full year before he recovered enough from her rejection to date again. When that relationship ultimately resulted in failure, he knew the fault was his own. He simply didn’t have what it takes to make a woman happy. Having Avery around was a painful reminder of everything lacking in his life.

  “Look Dad, it’s bad enough you hired Avery to work at Holiday, Inc. in the first place. Why wasn’t I consulted?”

  Only the slight twitch of one eyebrow indicated his father was listening. “Avery graduated at the top of her class and passed every part of her CPA exam the first time she took the test. She’s quite intelligent, and—”

  “I don’t care if she’s smarter than Einstein!” She probably is. That’s it! She’s smarter than me, and she knows it. Maybe she resents me being in a position of authority over her. That’s why she looked at me like I hadn’t showered in a month. “We can’t work together. You know that.”

  Still his father’s eyes tracked back and forth across his computer screen. What’s so important that he’s disregarding his own son? As Gavin moved to stand beside his father, the screen went blank.

  With an audible groan, his father leaned back in his executive chair, crossing his arms. His eyebrows knit in an exasperated scowl that probably mirrored Gavin’s. “Are you trying to tell me that just because you and Avery went out on a few dates several years ago, the two of you can’t operate on the same team?”

  “It was more than a couple of dates, Dad.” Gavin swallowed a huge lump as his throat constricted. “We were serious for a while.”

  “Yes, but that was over long before you started going out with Rachel. I never expected this to bother you.”

  “It’s not just me. Avery seemed pretty furious when I saw her a few minutes ago.”

  His father’s eyes grew wide, as he steepled his hands. “Avery didn’t seem to object when I gave her the assignment.”

  “She didn’t?” Maybe I misread her.

  “Are you sure it was the team assignment that had upset her?”

  “I’m fairly certain.” Gavin spoke the words, despite a niggling doubt.

  Cocking his head to one side, his dad’s mouth kicked up on one corner. “Avery’s female.”

  “I’m aware of that.” Though Gavin’s words dripped sarcasm, his dad continued, undaunted.

  “You have two sisters—you know how moody girls can be. Avery could have been irritated about almost anything. Did she actually say she didn’t want to work with you?”

  “No, but—”

  “Awesome! So it’s all settled, then.” His father rose and placed an arm on his shoulder, and Gavin found himself being ushered out of the office. “Thanks so much for coming by. You and Avery Goodwin are such consummate professionals I know there won’t be any problems. Trust me, you’ll be glad to have her on your team.”

  The last thing Gavin saw was his dad’s bright blue eyes crinkling in a wide smile before the office door shut in his face. What just happened?

  Gerard Holiday sagged against the door, blowing out a relieved breath. Glancing at his watch, he said a silent prayer that his next appointment wouldn’t come early. He obviously needed a bit more time to prepare.

  Hurrying back to his desk, he returned to his research. The newspaper article only gave sketchy details about the accident two years ago. He’d have to do more digging.

  His office phone buzzed, and he pressed a button to listen to his secretary.

  “Your two-thirty appointment is here.”

  Five minutes early… so much for my prayer. With a heavy sigh, Gerard saved the newspaper article to a computer folder and surrendered to the inevitable. “Thanks, Erin. You can send her in.”

  The door opened, and the woman entered the room, each long stride pounding her high-heeled pumps on the wood floor with a resounding clack. Stopping before his desk, she propped her hands on her slim hips, spearing him with a glare from her livid green eyes, surrounded by a mass of red curls.

  “Mr. Holiday! When you hired me, you neglected to mention the leader of my assigned team would be your son!”

  Sign up for new release information, exclusive content, and giveaways on Tamie Dearen’s website.

  About the Author

  Tamie Dearen lives with her very romantic husband of thirty-three years. She has two beautiful daughters, two amazing son-in-loves, and one awesome grandson. She plays piano, flute, harmonica, keyboards, and guitar and loves composing and art. And she hates housework. She has been a dentist in private practice for thirty years. Tamie stays busy playing keyboards on her church’s praise team and teaching graduate students each week. In her spare time, she writes books. Contact Tamie on her website (TamieDearen.com) for news of the latest releases and monthly prize drawings.

  Books by Tamie Dearen

  The Best Girls Series

  Sweet Romance

  The Best is Yet to Come (Free Prequel)

  Her Best Match

  Best Dating Rules

  Best Laid Plans

  Best Foot Forward

  Holiday, Inc. Series

  Christian Romance

  Noelle’s Golden Christmas

  The Alora Series

  YA/Fantasy

  Alora: The Wander-Jewel

  Alora: The Portal

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  Read A Rose in Bloom

  Free Serial Romance on Tamie Dearen’s blog

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