Page 17 of Cowboy Friend Zone for Christmas

“Ah.” She felt a little foolish for making such a big deal out of it.

“Relax.” He reached over to lightly punch her arm. “You’ve been working like crazy for months. I think you’ve more than earned a few days off.”

“Oh, yippee! A forced vacation!” She made a face at him, wanting to tell him just how wrong he was. Then again, he’d probably figure it out for himself after he finally met her parents.

He winked at her. “Why not? It’s a town that celebrates Christmas year round. I’m sure you can find something to do to pass the time.” He shrugged. “When you’re not cheering us on at Castellano’s, that is.”

“Oo,” she sighed. “I gained five pounds just thinking about all those one-of-a-kind, melt-in-your-mouth desserts they serve every evening.”

“Thanks for the heads up.” His expression warmed. “The next time I need you to accompany me on a trip, I’ll just flash a dessert menu at you.”

“Ha. Ha.” Though she pretended to be offended, she was secretly thrilled by the possibility of going on more trips with him.

They passed the city limit sign and entered Pinetop. Though it was early May, gold-tinseled ornaments were still affixed to every light post lining Main Street. The shop windows were twinkling with countless strands of tiny lights. Beyond the glass, she caught glimpses of fudge, holiday tea towels, and festive paintings of snowy scapes.

“That’s new!” She straightened and pointed at the old antique emporium. It had been vacant when she’d made her hasty flight out of town. That was no longer the case.

The old wooden sign that stretched across the top of the glassed-in display windows had been repainted Christmas red. Fat gold letters spelled out the words Santa’s Toy Factory. The curved brick front of the building stretched upward two additional stories.

To Noelle’s delight, life-sized wooden elves had been mounted to windowsills and balconies to make it look like they were hard at work painting and repairing the building. It was completely adorable.

Nash circled his truck and trailer around the building and pulled into the rear parking lot. “Brady’s sister, Shelly, and her husband, Chad, bought the place. When they heard we were coming to town, they offered to let us stay in a couple of the apartments they’re renovating upstairs.” He gave her another wink. “Thanks to you, they’re extending us the friend discount.”

“Oh, wow! That’s really sweet of them.” By friend discount, she was assuming he meant free of charge.

“All I had to do was agree to a celebrity endorsement of their all-new Air B&B.”

Noelle burst out laughing. “That sounds like something Shelly would do.”

“I don’t mind. Helping them spread the word about their new Air B&B feels like a win-win.” He grinned at her. “The horses will be boarded at Castellano’s, of course. We’ll drop them off at their lower-level stables just as soon as we get checked in here.”

She nodded, both nervous and excited about seeing Shelly again. Though they were good friends, they hadn’t texted much since Noelle’s rapid exodus from town. Shelly was probably going to demand a full explanation, plus some additional groveling. Since she was pregnant, Noelle intended to indulge her in whatever she asked for. On the flip side, she hoped that staying at Santa’s Toy Factory didn’t mean they’d be running into Brady too often. Or Adeline, for that matter.

Her hopes were instantly dashed to the ground by the sight of a red and green-painted rear entrance door. Shelly pushed it open and waddled out, looking so pregnant that she might burst. Brady was right behind her.

“Nice,” Noelle murmured beneath her breath.

Nash parked, and his brothers piled out of the backseat. He hurried around to open the door for her. “Chin up, partner,” he coaxed in a low voice. “I have your back. Always.”

They were soon trading hugs and handshakes with Shelly and Brady.

Making a petulant face at her, Shelly grabbed Noelle in a sideways hug. “This way,” she puffed. “It’s the only way I can reach you around my enormous belly.” She lowered her voice and moaned into Noelle’s ear. “It’s been stretched out so many times, I don’t think there’s a chance it’ll ever pop back into place. I’m ruined,” she concluded on a mournful note.

“Not even,” Noelle hissed in disbelief. She glanced around her friend in search of her other two children. “Where are Suzy and Gentry?”

“With the elves. Where else?” Shelly gave a dramatic sigh, reaching up to smooth back a stray lock of hair that had slid from her messy bun. “They would seriously move in and stay on the showroom floor permanently if we’d let them.”

“With the elves?” Noelle sensed there was more to the story.

“They call themselves the Merry Woodmakers,” Shelly explained, as she walked arm-in-arm with Noelle into the building. “It’s a whole family of certified furniture makers. A father, mother, and two daughters.” Her mouth turned down at the corners again. “Two young, beautiful chickadees who dress like elves and have guys falling all over themselves to buy toys for every kid they know.”

“Sounds good for business,” Noelle mused with a chuckle. They entered a long, black-and-white tiled hallway. The doors on either side of them were labeled as various offices.

“It’s good for everything but my self-confidence,” her friend grumbled. “I feel like a lumbering water buffalo in comparison.”

“Let me guess.” Noelle playfully pressed a finger to her cheek, hoping to cheer her up. “They’ve convinced your kids to become official toy testers.”

“Bingo. Excuse me. I’d better go pull Gentry off that bike before he knocks over a Christmas tree.”

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