Page 19 of Cowboy Friend Zone for Christmas

Nash effortlessly caught the keys and studied them in bemusement. “My grandfather had a set of these for an old hunting cabin years ago.”

“I seriously doubt it.” Shelly pressed her hand against her side and winced. Noelle could only assume that the baby was kicking. “These have an embedded electronic chip. All you do is scan them on the security pad outside the door and voila! You’re in. No twisting and turning necessary.”

“You’re kidding!” He lifted them to examine them more closely. “You and Chad really went all out on the details.” He glanced around them. Like the rest of Santa’s Toy Factory, the elevator was drenched in festive decor. An upside-down Christmas tree was suspended from the ceiling, and the mirrored walls were encased in candy cane striped wood paneling.

“The keys were Adeline’s idea, actually.” Shelly’s announcement was accompanied by a curiously searching glance between Noelle and Nash. “We wouldn’t have gotten this far this quickly on the renovations without her and Brady’s input. Or their investment,” she added in a grateful voice.

Noelle felt a stab of envy. “Another family venture, huh?”

“It didn’t start out that way. But yes.” Shelly drenched her with a happy smile. “I suspect there was a secret family meeting behind my back, during which everyone decided I’m too delicate in my current condition to do all the designing and decorating alone.” She didn’t sound the least bit offended by her family’s outpouring of love and support.

“Are you still managing the office at the ranch, too?” Noelle couldn’t imagine juggling so many balls at the same time while being a wife and a mother. A pregnant one at that.

“For now.” The elevator beeped to announce their arrival, interrupting whatever else Shelly was going to say. The door rolled open. “This way.” She stepped out ahead of them and led them down the hallway to their left.

It had a Christmas lodge feel, from the cedar flooring to the exposed beam ceiling. A glittering Christmas tree was tucked into a windowed alcove at the far end of the hallway.

They stopped in the middle of it and faced a pair of solid wood doors. A gold plate designated the first one as The Music Box. A second gold plate on the adjacent door read Jack Frost.

Thoroughly enchanted by the suite names, Noelle watched as Shelly waved her set of keys at the scanner beside the door leading into The Music Box. She shot Nash a wide-eyed look. “I guess this is where we part ways, cowboy.”

“And miss seeing another one of Shelly and Adeline’s magical spaces?” He waggled his eyebrows playfully at her. “Not on your life, Miss Ward.”

Looking pleased, Shelly pushed open the door and ushered them inside. “Welcome to The Music Box,” she said simply.

Noelle’s hands flew to her mouth. It felt like stepping into a life-sized music box. The entire wall facing them was filled with hand-carved figurines and filigrees. The gilded headboard of the guest bed in front of it was an extension of the lovely feat of architecture.

“Watch this.” Shelly waddled across the room to turn a large circular lever. Her movements caused a set of exposed gears in the wall to turn. The tinkling, bell-like notes to the classic carol, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, filled the room.

“This is unbelievable!” Noelle spun in a slow circle to absorb the full panorama. The wall on the hallway side boasted carousel horses artfully arranged around a tall, slender Christmas tree. “This room should be featured in a magazine.”

“Maybe someday.” Shelly gave her a hopeful look. “Your celebrity endorsement might speed things along there.”

“Don’t look at me.” Noelle sniffed dismissively. “I’m just the Carsons’ lowly horse trainer.”

“Ha!” Shelly didn’t look the least bit convinced of that. “Try telling that to all of the raving fans who witnessed your almost-kiss on nearly every major television network. The entire country knows you’re so much more than that.”

Noelle’s lips parted in blushing astonishment. “It was a hug, not a kiss!” She couldn’t believe Shelly was putting her on the spot like this in front of Nash. She must have been madder than Noelle had originally supposed about her fateful flight out of town on Nash’s medical evacuation helicopter.

“Right,” Shelly scoffed. “A hug that had your hand on his cheek and his lips pressed to the top of your head.”

Only because what had happened in the minutes leading up to their embrace had been so earth-shattering. Noelle shot Nash a beseeching look, inwardly begging him to back her up. “It was just a hug,” she repeated in a voice barely above a whisper.

His gaze burned into hers. “Guess we got caught up in the moment. It was a big night.”

“It was,” Noelle agreed in a thready voice. “It’s kind of the whole reason we’re back in Pinetop.” She waved a hand nervously. “Invitations started pouring in right after Nash’s record-breaking ride.”

An awkward lull in the conversation ensued. Shelly shattered it by moving toward the door. “Nash, since you got the grand tour of Noelle’s suite, it’s only fair that she gets a peek at Jack Frost next door.”

The winter wonderland next door had Noelle gasping in astonishment all over again. The walls were a translucent blue glass, glowing from recessed lighting. Snowflakes drifted slowly down behind them.

“It feels like we’re standing inside a snow globe.” Noelle was enchanted by the creativity that had gone into the room’s design. It felt more like a suite at a theme park than a hotel.

“For all intents and purposes, we are.” Shelly happily pointed out the various sleeping arrangements, fully stocked coffee and hot chocolate bar, as well as the trays of candy cane scented toiletries on a shelf outside the bathroom.

While she was fluffing pillows and folding a bath towel into a snowman, Nash pulled Noelle aside to mutter, “My brothers are going to laugh their backsides off when they see this.”

“Nash!” She hissed his name in warning.

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