Christmas Love (Love Collection)

by Natalie Ann

  Brick or modern clean lines was what he thought he’d see with her parents’ home. Not something out of a storybook. This house looked like it had been in the family for generations. It was charming and said a lot about Noelle. It reminded him that there was more to her than what people saw on the outside.

  More than assumptions. And most of those assumptions were way off base.

  Too bad he didn’t know much more himself at times.

  He parked his car in front of the large circle out front and before he could even get all of the dogs out of the back, the front door was opened by an elegant woman that could only be Noelle’s mom. There wasn’t a lot of resemblance he could see, but when her mother made her way down the steps, he noticed they walked the same. They carried their bodies the same. And he wondered if Noelle’s mother had been a model at one point too.

  “Mom,” Noelle said, rushing forward and giving her a hug. “This is Calvin.” Figures she’d introduce the dog first.

  “What a handsome young fellow you are. And messy,” her mother said when she pulled her hand back. But all she did was laugh—a sound that echoed Noelle’s so much—then wiped her hand on her pant leg.

  “Mom, this is my boyfriend, Chase. Those are his dogs, Bruno and Snacks. I’m sure you can figure out who is who. Chase, my mother, Elizabeth.” She’d said boyfriend for the first time, so some of the hurt was evaporating.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said, walking forward with his hand out.

  “Your boys are better behaved than Noelle’s.” Elizabeth reached down and scratched both Bruno’s and Snacks’s heads, ignoring Calvin jumping around her feet.

  “I’ve had more practice training them, plus they’re older.”

  “Mom,” Noelle said, smiling, “Calvin is calmer than he used to be. Thanks for letting us bring them.”

  “Not a problem. I’m just concerned your father is going to want a dog after this visit when I’ve spent years telling him all the reasons we shouldn’t have one.”

  “You don’t travel nearly as much as you used to now that I’m retired.”

  “You’re never fully retired and you know it, Noelle. But that is true. Come on in. Your father is out back trying to move the satellite dish and see why one of the channels isn’t coming in. He’s terrified he won’t be able to get the games tomorrow.”

  “Chase can help him. He’s good at that. I keep having issues with mine when the wind picks up or it’s really cloudy and he always fixes it.”

  Elizabeth turned to him. “That would be much appreciated so I don’t have to listen to any more whining.”

  “Dad doesn’t whine,” Noelle said, following her mother in the front door, leaving him there shaking his head. This was not what he was expecting. Then again, he didn’t know enough to have many expectations.

  ***

  Thanksgiving afternoon, Noelle watched her father and Chase bond over electronics, dogs, and football. She didn’t even know Chase liked football that much.

  Sure he watched the games on Sunday, but they didn’t spend every Sunday together for her to know it was a weekend thing for him as much as something to pass the time.

  She’d been nervous about her parents meeting Chase. She didn’t think they’d be judgmental of him. She knew they’d like him and they’d like that he had no connection to the fashion world at all.

  Her parents were the only ones that knew how badly things ended in her last relationship and how much it affected her.

  What she was really worried about was that her father would be grilling Chase left and right, but he wasn’t.

  The two of them talked like friends, they shared a few beers, and they let Noelle and her mother spend some much needed time together.

  “I’m telling you, your father better not get any ideas when you leave,” her mother said yet again.

  Noelle grinned at Snacks sitting on her father’s lap. It was a funny sight since Chase never had Snacks on his lap, even if they did sit next to each other on the couch.

  “He’s a great dog. I think he’d be perfect for Dad. Not too big, not too small, and still has that cranial mean look that is just the right amount of adorable.”

  “Not happening, Noelle, so don’t encourage him.”

  “He likes Calvin too,” she said.

  “Definitely not happening there. That dog is too wound up and I’m sick of wiping spit off of everything.”

  Noelle ran her hand down Calvin’s head since he was following her everywhere in the house. He was drooling more than normal today. Bruno and Snacks were more laid back, but Calvin was a bit more skittish.

  “He’s still a puppy. Once I run him and tire him out, he’s good.”

  “Not happening,” her mother said more firmly. “Let’s go join them in the living room so I can let your father know he better not get any ideas.”

  Noelle shook her head. She’d bet her father had a puppy pretty soon. He always got his way. Actually, both of them always got their way and Noelle realized how lucky she was to have experienced growing up with parents like hers.

  “I really could have cooked dinner today,” she said when her mother and her walked in.

  “It’s my favorite meal,” her father said. “And I wasn’t risking it being overcooked or raw. You’ve never been the best in the kitchen.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him. “I’ll have you know I’ve improved a lot since I was sixteen.”

  “Chase,” her father said. “Noelle has excelled at everything she’s ever wanted to do in life. Cooking wasn’t her thing. She begged her mother to let her cook Thanksgiving one year. We thought, sure, why not. No one got to eat it that year without a gallon of water to wash each bite down. Though she did make some great mashed potatoes.”

  “Mom made them that year,” Noelle said, narrowing her eyes.

  “Oh yeah. She did take care of the vegetables and desserts. Well, we didn’t starve.”

  “Noelle is a great cook,” Chase said. “She cooks a lot for us and I’ve never noticed anything dry.”

  “See, Dad. Chase says I’m a good cook.”

  “A man will say anything to the woman who warms his sheets if he wants to keep his feet toasted.”

  Noelle’s jaw dropped. She’d never expected her father to say anything like that. Least of all to her boyfriend. “Is that true, Chase?”

  “Don’t get me in the middle of this,” he said, laughing. “I like your cooking just fine,” he said.

  “You don’t lie very well either,” her father said.

  “Ben. Leave Chase alone,” her mother said. “Not everyone says what they think someone wants to hear. Some people speak from the heart.”

  Noelle looked over at Chase and saw him laughing. “Really, I do like your cooking.”

  Then she looked over at her father, who was smirking. He found a way to get his point across after all. Chase might not have realized it, but she and her mother did, and it was enough for Noelle to know that all the reasons she was holding back were starting to seem frivolous.

  Chase was honest. Chase was real. Chase was the person she was falling in love with.

  Became a Fool

  A week later, Noelle and he were getting the shelter ready for the big article that was going to be written. He wanted everything in tiptop shape. This could be huge for all those abandoned puppies and if he could have a bigger reach into the city a few hours away, even better.

  He wasn’t looking at it from a financial perspective. All he wanted to be able to do was place loveable dogs in caring homes. If word got out that his shelter was one of the better ones around, that’d go a long way.

  “Are you nervous for some reason?” he asked Noelle.

  She’d been awfully quiet the past few days and he wasn’t sure why. He’d thought the few days spent with her parents couldn’t have gone any better. Even when they returned last weekend, everything was fine.

  “Not really. There’s no reason to be.”

&n
bsp; “Not really means you are. Are you wishing that you didn’t agree to this? You didn’t need to. Or you don’t need to be here for it.”

  “I know. It will be good for the shelter and I wanted to help. I want to see it grow and this is a simple thing I can do as my part,” she said.

  “But it’s not simple if it makes you uncomfortable.”

  “I’m not uncomfortable,” she said, but he didn’t believe her.

  “Is it me? Is it that you don’t want anyone to know about our relationship?”

  “Chase! That is ridiculous. Why would you say that? Of course it’s not that. I don’t care who knows or what anyone thinks. My best friend knows, my parents know, they all love you and that is all I care about, but I know how much the shelter means to you and I don’t want anything to jeopardize it.”

  He’d met Emma on the last day in Long Island. Talk about feeling like a fish out of water. He was used to Noelle for the most part and just thought of her as his girlfriend more than “Noelle the supermodel.”

  He even accepted that her parents were pretty down to earth when he was worried sick they’d think he wasn’t good enough.

  And her father, Ben, could kick his ass from here to Japan if he wanted to, but Chase never got the feeling that would happen.

  But meeting Emma—someone who still actively modeled—that had been hard to get his head around. He didn’t need to worry though. Even though she looked like the Victoria Secret model she was, she was also just as down to earth as Noelle.

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “I don’t want them to start asking me questions. I don’t want them to use this article on the shelter as a way to get an interview with me.”

  That hadn’t occurred to him at all. “Do you think that would happen?”

  “It might. When I retired from modeling there were a lot of people trying to reach me for an interview that I refused to give. There were a lot of questions on why I left. I declined any interview and never answered questions. I’ve always kept a fairly private life. The press just couldn’t accept that I didn’t want to do it anymore.”

  “Is that all there was? That was the only reason you left?” This was really the first time it had come up, her reason for leaving.

  “It’s reason enough. I didn’t want that life anymore. I didn’t want it as long as I had it, but I got greedy. I’ll never get greedy again.”

  He was going to ask her what she meant by that, but Brianna walked into the shelter and he had to end the conversation for now.

  ***

  The last thing Noelle wanted to do was tell Chase that she stayed longer because of the money. The one thing she’d said she wouldn’t do.

  She shouldn’t have pushed her luck, but by pushing her luck, she got lazy. She got sloppy. And she was looking for a way to have a normal life and model at the same time. That was stupid on her part.

  She knew it couldn’t happen and didn’t know why she bothered to try.

  She was ready to settle down. She was ready to not be on the go so much.

  She was ready for a family.

  Modeling was no life for a family or a relationship. She knew that all along, but let herself believe it was possible. By doing that, she became a fool.

  She was tired of being the fool...or being played the fool. She was tired of lying to everyone back then when she really wanted to say what happened. When she really wanted to say she was used.

  She wouldn’t do that though. Too many people threw others under the bus and she saw how quickly it could come back to haunt them with bad press that would never go away. She was going to have a family someday and she was determined for them not to get caught up in something from her past that may or may not be true. For them to be judged by her history or mistakes.

  Take the higher road, her parents had told her. She did. She tried. She finished that last year and she walked away.

  Now she was wondering if by agreeing to this interview, that something could make what she finally found vanish too.

  If her happiness could be ripped away by lies and ugliness.

  Only one way to find out. Time to face it again like she’d told herself for years. She wasn’t a coward and the only way to know was to do this. Was to see if someone was interested in Chase’s story, or hers.

  The next day, Noelle and Chase were waiting for Kelly Sanders to show up for the interview. Noelle was ready for it. So was Chase. Even the puppies were ready.

  They’d been dropped off the day before, all checked over by Chase and the interview was going to happen before the doors opened. Then there’d be pictures of people picking out their pets and interviews with them too.

  Nothing should go wrong...she hoped.

  “That was awesome,” Chase said hours later. “Everyone was wonderful. Even Kelly. She was completely focused on the puppies and the families. She never even made a comment about your modeling career or your photography.”

  “No, she didn’t. It was great. I’m thrilled. Guess I was worried over nothing.”

  “Were you really worried?” he asked, reaching for her hand and threading their fingers together.

  “Sort of. I just didn’t want to take away from all the great things you’ve done here. You deserve the recognition. I just wanted you to be the center of attention.”

  “I’d rather not be. You’re used to it, I’m not. I’m fine with it with the animals, but people, not so much.”

  He’d never said that before. “Would it bother you if we went somewhere and someone noticed me and wanted an autograph?” Why hadn’t she ever thought of that before?

  “I don’t know that it’d bother me as much as feel odd. I know you’re a celebrity, but you don’t seem it to me. You’re beautiful, stunning. You emit model when a stranger looks at you, even dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. It’s this air about you. But actually having someone come up and ask for an autograph...yeah, it might take me a minute to adjust to that.”

  “It’s not a big deal. It hasn’t happened much in the past year.” She’d never encountered a man that would be bothered by that.

  “That’s because you’re here and here you’re just another pretty face. Don’t get me wrong. You’re my pretty face.”

  Okay, first off, she thought she’d be insulted when he lumped her in with the general public but was actually pleased that she fit in so well here. That no one looked at her as anything other than another resident of Bennington.

  Second of all, her heart had never fluttered so fast when he said she was his pretty face.

  “You’ve got a pretty nice face on you too. I think Kelly was smitten. I heard her ask if you were taken?”

  She held her smirk back when he blushed. “I just ignored her. I hope that was okay. I wasn’t trying to hide the fact we’re dating. I mean Brianna knows. My other staff know. It’s not a big deal. I just figured with as nervous as you were about it all, I didn’t want to draw attention to anything personal.”

  “I appreciate it. Like I said, I wanted this to be about you. “

  “It was about the puppies. I could see that. The goal is to not have them in the shelter for more than a few days. Anything to get them good homes, I’m game for.”

  “What else are you game for?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in to give him a kiss.

  “I’m always game for you. Let’s go home to our boys and get them settled for the night.”

  Home. Their boys. Yeah. It had a nice sound to it. The normal life she’d been craving.

  Bigger and Better

  Chase was looking at Noelle as she slept peacefully next to him. They’d come back to his place, fed the dogs and played with them, then once they were settled in for the night, he and Noelle made their way to his room.

  He’d never been one to take his time and cherish a woman. Never wanted to. Never knew what to even do had he wanted to do it.

  Sure, he’d always said he liked to take it slow when she wanted to rush. In his
mind, savoring sex was different than cherishing.

  He wanted her to feel what he couldn’t voice out loud. That he was falling in love with her. That he was terrified he was going to do something so stupid and she’d walk away.

  Or worse yet, that she’d realize there was something bigger and better for her in the world than what she had here.

  Part of him was holding back for that very reason. That he knew she’d experienced so much in the world that most couldn’t imagine, let alone dream of...himself included.

  What could she possibly want with a small town veterinarian who devoted his life to animals because people just didn’t make that much sense to him? Because his parents’ relationship and every one he’d had was nothing short of shitty.

  Or more like, people often let him down.

  For some insane reason, she wanted to be with him, and he wanted to show her—rather than tell her—the same.

  He’d picked her up in his arms that first night they’d been together. But that was different than what he’d done tonight.

  They had been sitting on the couch just watching TV, her legs over his lap. He loved when she did that. When she wanted to be so close to him, even if they were just relaxing. Like if he moved out of her grasp he might escape. Sure, it was fanciful thinking on his part, but it worked for him.

  He’d reached over for her foot, ran his finger down her arch and made her jump. She even had beautiful feet. It should be illegal for someone to not have one flaw on her body. Not one unsightly mark.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, eying him cautiously.

  “I’m going to give you a foot rub.”

  “Oh yeah,” she said, her eyes lighting up slowly like the streetlights at dusk. “You’re the perfect boyfriend. Go right at it.” She’d scooted back and put both her feet on his lap. “Don’t be lazy either, they both need it.”

  “Perfect boyfriend?” he asked, lifting his eyebrow. “I doubt that. I’m sure you’ve been lavished with all sorts of attention over the years.”