Without a word to Finn, she climbed from the truck and ran up the porch steps, only to find her grandmother sitting on the swing again.
"What are you doing out here, Grandma? It's freezing." Noelle went over to the swing and sat down, reaching for Grandma Beth's hand. "Your hand is like ice. Why haven't you gone inside?"
Beth just curved her lips and looked over her shoulder, her smile stretching even wider when she saw Finn climbing from his truck.
Noelle frowned. "Why is he getting out?"
"I invited him for dinner." Grandma Beth turned her eyes back to Noelle, and she swore she saw mischief brewing in their wise, gray depths.
Shaking her head vehemently, Noelle said, "No you did not, Grandma! Why would you do that?" But she knew very well that her grandmother still held out the hope that they would end up together. "Can you tell him you meant another night?" Or never?
But she knew better than that. Her grandmother was the epitome of a gracious host, and she would never turn away a guest. That didn't mean Noelle had to be happy about it. She stared daggers at Finn as he climbed the porch steps.
Deep down she knew Finn wasn't to blame for what happened with the ranch, whether he blamed himself or not. She could certainly imagine his reasons for not taking what her father offered. She’d basically done the same thing, hadn’t she? But that didn't stop her from displacing some of her anger and frustration about the situation on him. It was petty, but she couldn't help it.
Grandma Beth beckoned for Finn to come give her a hug, saying, "From the looks of it, you've told Noelle here about the ranch?"
Noelle watched as Finn hurriedly moved in to hug her. "Most of it," he replied. She could have sworn he whispered something to Beth.
"There's more?" Noelle demanded. This was getting to be too much. Had she really been thinking only last night that there was nowhere else she'd rather be? Because she could think of a lot of places she'd like to be right then, and none of them were Silver Acres.
But Beth only patted her hand. "Don't you worry about that right now, dear. Let's go in and have dinner. Your timing is perfect; the roast should be just about done."
There was so much Noelle wanted to ask her grandmother, first and foremost why she hadn't so much as breathed a word about the ranch's problems to her either. Beth wasn't involved in any aspect of running things—other than the main household, of which she ruled over mercilessly—but she apparently knew something about this situation. She was the trustee of the ranch, after all, at least until she decided to hand it over to the girls. None of whom had shown any interest in how things were going up to this point. It was looking like that had been a huge mistake.
As Grandma Beth got up from the swing and made her way in to the kitchen, Noelle placed her hand on Finn's shoulder before he could follow her inside. He stopped short and turned to her, an eyebrow lifted in question.
"Can we talk for a minute?"
"Sure," he said, his surprise evident.
Gesturing for him to join her on the swing, Noelle sat down and wrapped up in the blanket her grandmother had left outside, gathering her thoughts. Even though she was projecting her frustration with everything on him, she’d given it enough thought in the truck that she knew she had to let him know she wasn’t truly angry with him.
"Listen," she began, crossing her arms for extra warmth. "What you told me earlier came as a huge shock to me. I know I haven't always shown it, but the ranch does mean something to me."
He gave her a half-smile, his eyes still sad. "I know it does. I just hate that I've caused you more pain. I never should have refused your dad. This never would have happened."
She shook her head. "No, Finn. I'm not bringing this back up because I want to make you feel bad. I don't blame you." His forehead crinkled as he lifted his eyebrows in surprise, but she pressed on, staring into his eyes and urging him to believe her. "I mean it. You had every right to say no to him. That wasn't the life you had planned. For whatever reason, my dad thought you would be a good fit, but you can't blame yourself for what happened with that other guy. Especially with all you've done to make things right."
She regarding him curiously now, narrowing her eyes as a new thought hit her. "How did you manage to build that barn, anyway, if the ranch is so close to bankruptcy?"
He looked distinctly uncomfortable, but waved her question away. "It doesn't matter. The funds didn't come from Silver Acres accounts, so you don't need to worry about it."
That confused her even more and she wanted to press him about it, but he put the conversation back on track. "I appreciate you saying that, Noelle, but the fact remains that I could have prevented it all from happening in the first place."
"You can't think like that." This time she was the one to reach for his hand. It felt warm and familiar as he wrapped his fingers around her chilly ones. "If anyone is to blame, it's me. I took off and never looked back. Had I even once shown an interest in what was going on and spent more time here I probably could have prevented this."
Finn held her hand tighter, the intensity of his gaze mirrored in his grip. "That's not what you wanted, though." His laugh sounded forced. "Your life is in Denver. But I was here. I should have been more diligent in making sure your ranch was looked after."
She thought about his words, so similar to her thoughts last night. Her life was in Denver. It had been for the past six years. But suddenly, sitting here with Finn and talking about the ranch felt so natural that she knew no matter how far away she'd gone, this was home. Where she belonged. It always had been and always would be.
"Come on, let's go in. You're starting to shiver." Finn moved as if to help her from the swing, but she shook her head.
"Not quite yet. Look. It's starting to snow." She pointed out to the vast field in front of the house where snowflakes were already accumulating. She wanted to sit for a while and watch the first snow, even if the sun had dipped below the horizon and she was, in fact, shivering.
Finn chuckled, and Noelle turned her face to his, catching a glimpse of a smile. "You always did like watching the first snow." Then he did something that took her completely off guard. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close, warming her up with his own body heat as they sat together on the swing, something so familiar she couldn't help sighing in contentment.
"I'm staying, Finn," she said softly. "I'm going to help you get this ranch back on track."
He didn't say anything, and she almost thought he hadn't heard her, but when he squeezed her shoulder and rested his head on hers, she knew he had.
So much had changed in the course of a couple hours. The idea of staying in Willow Valley for as long as it took to help save the ranch should have alarmed her, but instead she felt at peace.
She only hoped she wasn't fooling herself. Being around Finn had a way of skewing her judgment. The only thing she could do was guard her heart from him. If that was even possible. She had a feeling it was easier said than done.
Chapter 4
I'm staying, Finn. Noelle's words replayed in his head all that night and all the next day while he worked. He didn't want to read too much into it. She didn't say forever. And she certainly didn't say she was interested in staying for him.
Though he hadn't missed the way she had snuggled up against him while they'd sat outside on the swing. He wanted to hope she was feeling the same way he was, but history told him not to bet on it.
She'd left Willow Valley and Silver Acres for a reason. It wasn't likely she would suddenly change her mind about living a simple life in the country.
Now that most of the outdoor chores were done, he'd worked all day making last minute checks to be sure the new dairy setup was ready to go. Noelle had been impressed that he was venturing into dairy farming, but it was a lot more work than he'd counted on. His expertise was in horse breeding. He needed to hire at least another ranch hand this winter, preferably one with dairy experience, but he didn't know if his investments would allow for it.
He had put most of his liquid assets from the breeding business into constructing the new barn. It was only a matter of time before Noelle figured it out. She'd come close last night. But he was afraid if she found out just how closely his own business was tied to the ranch now, she might start questioning his motives.
He needed more time. Time to prove to her that he still loved her—that he always had. But more than that, he needed her to know that he wasn't trying to trap her. He'd let her go once, thinking it was the best thing for her. If she stayed this time, it needed to be her choice. He hadn't been willing to trap her in a life she didn't want before, and he wasn't about to do it now.
Finn was startled to find Noelle sitting in his office as he made his way in from the main area of the barn to wrap things up for the day. She looked cute in her jeans and furry boots, an old hooded sweatshirt, and a ponytail on top of her head. It was exactly the way she used to dress, and while he'd thought he liked the stylish, grown-up version of Noelle, this familiar sight still made his blood pump a little harder.
"Don't you ever take a day off?" she asked.
He arched an eyebrow at her. "You don't look like you're taking advantage of a nice Saturday afternoon either." She was elbow deep in paperwork. "Made yourself at home in the file cabinet, I see."
"Is that a problem?" The challenge in her voice was unmistakable.
He shrugged easily. "Only if you don't put things back where they belong."
Her shoulders relaxed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be testy. I'm just trying to wrap my head around how someone could have screwed things up so royally in only eighteen months." She pushed back from the desk and stretched, rolling her head on her neck. "My shoulders are killing me."
Finn grimaced. "Tell me about it. Unfortunately, he wasn't alone. The banker in charge of the trust seems to have had a part in it. It's under investigation currently."
Grabbing some documents off the top of the stack, Noelle waved them in the air. "That's what I was just reading when you came in." She made a frustrated sound in her throat. "I don't think I can take many more surprises like this. Anything else you want to tell me so we can just get it all out now in one fell swoop?"
Not really, no. They were making progress. She was staying for now. They were working together. Dropping the one remaining bomb on her was likely to be a nail in his coffin.
Finn plucked the papers from her hand and spun her around in the chair, then started to work on the tight muscles in her shoulders and neck while he tried to figure out how he might get her to spend some more time with him tonight.
"You weren't kidding. Your shoulders are full of knots. Doesn't the fancy city girl get regular massages?"
Noelle snorted. "Ha ha. Even if I did, the last twenty-four hours have been enough to cause a migraine, so having a few tight muscles is probably getting off easy."
Still kneading her shoulders, Finn said, "I think we need to find something to get your mind off this. The problems aren't going anywhere. You don't have to tackle them all in one day."
"I know," she sighed. "But I'm a problem solver. I make plans, then I implement them. I at least need a plan in place so I can have something to work toward. And to make that plan, I have to familiarize myself with everything I've missed over the last...well, basically with everything ever. I'm not proud to say that I know practically nothing about my own ranch."
Finn could feel the tension building up in her neck as she continued to talk, so he spun her around to face him and gave her the sternest look he could muster.
"Tomorrow. It will all be here tomorrow. Until then, I've got an idea."
She looked at him with eyes full of suspicion. "That sounds like trouble."
He grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "Always." He'd thought of the perfect distraction from the ranch's problems. And it just might be an opportunity to show Noelle that not all that much had changed when it came to him.
"I can't believe you remembered this." Noelle laughed in delight.
Finn shot her a scathing look. "Give me some credit, will you? I've only been your best friend for, what? Twenty-three years?"
She laughed again. "I know, but it's been a long time. Maybe I don't like real Christmas trees anymore. What if I prefer a plastic tree from a box?" Yeah right. But he didn't know that. Well, apparently he did, since he'd driven her out to the only tree farm in the county that was open before Thanksgiving.
"You haven't changed all that much, I'm sure. You grew up in a family that adores Christmas and has always had your tree up well in advance of Thanksgiving. In fact, I'm shocked it's not up already."
She smiled. It was true. Christmas had always been special in her family. The girls even had holiday-inspired names, for goodness sake. She and her sisters had always begged their father to let them put up the tree starting the day after Halloween. She still put hers up early in her apartment in Denver, even though it was just for her. And inevitably they’d always had to get another tree a week or so before Christmas because the other one had started to dry out too much and lose too many needles.
But decorating was such a huge part of the Christmas fun that she didn't mind doing it twice.
Finn gave her a wink before pushing open the door of his truck. "Well, come on then. Let's get out there and find your tree. Any one you want."
Noelle climbed from the truck as well and watched as Finn hauled a chainsaw from the back of the truck bed and slung it over his shoulder.
"You know that's going to get heavy, don't you?" she asked, indicating his chainsaw. "You really want to carry that around all afternoon?"
Luckily, Finn knew just how obsessive she was about the perfect tree. "That's why I brought this." He reached back into the truck and pulled out a sled. Then they headed into the snowy Christmas tree forest to find the most beautiful tree of all.
Her heart softened a little knowing that he was willing to endure what would inevitably be at least an hour-long search. She couldn't just settle for the first tree she came across, after all. It was an important process, finding the perfect tree, and she always made sure she saw every tree available before making her choice.
The snow had fallen all through the previous night and part of that morning, and there was a thick blanket of fluffy white powder that cast a magical glow to the afternoon light. Finn couldn't have picked a more perfect thing to do this afternoon. Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, Noelle was reminded of how thoughtful he'd always been. This was just one more instance of him being a truly good guy at heart.
He hadn't wanted her to be upset and spend her entire weekend stressed about the ranch, so he'd taken her to do something she loved. Just like he would have done in the old days.
Not for the first time, Noelle wondered how she had missed the mark so much with him. This was typical past-Finn behavior to do something thoughtful for her. She'd always been convinced that they were meant to be. Yet after she graduated college he had pushed her away. Made it clear they had no future.
Noelle forced the painful memories from her mind, not wanting to dwell on them when he had been so kind to bring her out here today. She opened her mouth to tell him just how much she appreciated the gesture, when she saw it.
The perfect tree.
It was just beyond a little clearing, and all thoughts of heartbreak in the past fled from her mind.
"Finn..." She clutched his arm excitedly, hopping on her toes. "There it is!"
He looked down at her, eyebrows practically reaching his hairline. "You're joking, right?"
She shook her head, then took off toward the tree.
"Noelle," he called after her. "We've been out here, what? Five minutes? There is no way that you are settling on one of the first trees you see. Since when do you take any less than an hour—hell, even two—to find your perfect tree?" The look on his face was nothing but pure disbelief. "And that one? Really?"
She glanced back at him. "Come on, slow poke, and get that chainsaw over here. Thi
s tree is mine."
Finn heaved a pained sigh as he caught up with her and looked at the tree that was at least twice her height, probably more. "Tell me you aren't serious. I don't know how I'll get that tree to fit in my truck, much less drag it back there. Don't you want to keep looking?"
She shook her head adamantly. "This is the one." And when she smiled at him, she saw a hint of amusement lurking behind his dubious expression. "You did say whatever tree I wanted," she reminded him.
"That I did. Though now I’m thinking I must have temporarily lost my mind to not remember you always want the biggest tree." He swept his gaze around them, taking in all the other considerably smaller trees.
Smiling sweetly, Noelle linked her arm through his. "Are you going to cut it down for me, or do I have to do the honors myself?"
He chuckled as he shook his head. "Step aside, fair maiden." He pulled out some rope she hadn't noticed earlier and started laying it out, and within a matter of minutes the tree was felled and they were binding it up.
"Now comes the fun part," he muttered, though Noelle thought he looked like he was having just as much fun as she was. After all, what was Christmas without the adventure of cutting down your own tree? It was tradition as far as she was concerned.
"That's why we've got this, thanks to your foresight," she said, grabbing onto one of the loops of rope he'd tied to the sled for them to drag it back through the snow.
"I remembered a thing or two. You’re not an easy one to forget." He shot her a quick grin before grabbing the other rope and starting to pull.
She felt a little jolt in her heart, not just at his smile, but at his words. Did he still think about her the way he used to? His kindness and concern for her certainly felt familiar. If she didn't know better, she could almost pretend like nothing had changed. That they were just two young people in love.
But that didn't explain why he'd rejected her six years ago. Shattered her heart to the point that she feared she'd never be able to love again. But if she were being honest with herself, that wasn't the exact truth. She knew she was still capable of love—because she'd felt it spreading through her from the moment she'd first laid eyes on Finn again. The real fear was that she'd never be able to love anyone else but him.
Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe: A Small Town Holiday Novella Collection Page 3
