Page 1 of Evergreen Christmas

Chapter One

Black Friday in Noel, North Carolina, looked like any other in a small but bustling town: locals milled about Main Street, elbowing their way in and out of crowded stores, snagging the best deals. Couples, bundled up tight against the winter chill, strolled along sidewalks, walking their dogs, holding hands, and smiling. And children of all ages gathered at the front of Teddy’s Toy Store, plastering their noses against the cold glass for a better view of the hot new gadgets and gizmos that were arranged into a mesmerizing holiday display.

But four women, well into their seventies, sitting in the center of Noel’s town square, had stuck their noses into something quite different.

A stranger, whom the four women had been eagerly awaiting for well over two months, had just driven into the close-knit Appalachian community, parked her big white truck and trailer across the street and hopped out, smiling as though she owned every inch of America’s Christmas Tree Capital.

“I don’t like her.” Carol Belle Bennett, self-appointed leader of Noel’s Nanas (a title townsfolk had bestowed upon the four female friends), eased back in the comfy white rocking chair that sat beneath a green banner emblazoned with the words SIGN UP HERE FORNOEL’SANNUALCHRISTMASCOMPETITION. She crossed her arms over her ample bosom and huffed. “She smiles too much.”

The three women seated in rocking chairs to Carol Belle’s right remained silent.

Carol Belle scowled. “I said, I don’t like her.”

“We heard you the first time.” Kandy Lyons, who still mourned the grave misfortune of arriving late, which meant sitting in the chair next to Carol Belle, tucked a short curl behind her ear and smiled. “But there’s nothing wrong with smiling, Carol Belle. I do it quite often. It’s good for the soul, you know? Makes your body and mind feel good. As a matter of fact, I was looking in a magazine the other day while I was getting my hair colored at Patty’s salon and there was this whole article about things you can do to make yourself feel better physically. A doctor wrote it. One from way up north—you know, like in Michigan or something? Anyway, he had lots of letters listed behind his name. I have a habit of that, you know? Paying attention to people’s names. Like . . . a name can tell you so much about a person. His name was Dr. Kirk Belvedere.” She sighed wistfully. “Belvedere. Isn’t that a fabulous name? It’s the perfect name for a doctor, in my opinion. Strong, rich, sophistica—”

“Oh, please do hush up, Kandy!” Carol Belle narrowed her eyes at the other woman, and the wounded look on Kandy’s face made her think better of her harsh response. But then the mere sight of Kandy’s new hairdo made her temper flare again.

Why on earth a respectable seventy-three-year-old woman would feel the need to dye her hair hot pink, Carol Belle would never understand. Patty Dalton should’ve had the good sense to tell Kandynoand refuse to color her beautiful silver locks that garish shade. It looked absolutely ridiculous—especially at Christmastime!—and Kandy should’ve known better than to go and do such a thing right before their big sign-up day. For goodness’ sake, they had a reputation to uphold and a task of utmost holiday importance to undertake!

Carol Belle frowned. She should let loose and give Kandy an angry earful but she’d always had a soft spot for Kandy. The woman had kept her tender heart and generous—though somewhat naïve—disposition since childhood which, in a cynical world, Carol Belle knew was a difficult and rare feat.

Kandy had remained a close friend to Carol Belle since they were five years old. Kandy had been widowed in her thirties and she’d stood by Carol Belle through the loss of Carol Belle’s husband eleven years ago. That kind of treasured relationship was one a person shouldn’t take for granted.

“Please excuse me,” Carol Belle said, patting Kandy’s knee. “I didn’t mean to be harsh. I just want to be certain she’s suitable. It’d be disastrous if we made a misstep. What I meant is that the woman smiles very easily for a stranger who just stepped foot in a new town with unfamiliar people. It disconcerts me, is all.”

Eve Knight, seated on the other side of Kandy, scooted to the front of her chair, propped her elbows on her knees and tossed in her somber two cents . . . as usual. “There’s nothing wrong with smiling when you enter a new town. I’d worry more if she didn’t smile.”

Holly Wyld, who’d deliberately chosen the seat farthest from Carol Belle, grinned. “I agree with Eve and Kandy.” She shrugged. “A smile puts others at easeanddoes a body good. Just look at her.” She waved a slender arm in the direction of the stranger who still stood beside her white truck, surveying her surroundings. “She appears young, healthy, and energetic. And she’s moving to a new town, getting a new home at Christmas. She has every right to smile.”

“And she has a trailer.” Kandy perked up at the sound of hooves clanging on metal. “That sounds like a horse, stomping around in there. Do you think she brought a horse with her?”

“More than likely.” Carol Belle narrowed her eyes, taking a better look at the tall, slender stranger. “She bought that vacant farm, Chestnut Ridge, with the intention of breeding horses. Least that’s what Hal Sutton told me two months ago when he sold her the place. Did you know she bought that land from him over the internet? Paid for it in full without ever even stepping a toe in Noel? Hal said she wanted to snatch it up before anyone else had a chance to buy it but that she didn’t have the time to drive up here. She’s a barrel racer and has been—what do you call it?” Her brow furrowed. “Touring the circuit?”

Eve nodded.

“Well, supposedly she was too busy competing to make the drive and look the place over, which was a mistake, if you ask me.” Carol Belle’s frown deepened. “Hal said they completed the whole real estate transaction via phone, email, and . . . Doom.” She waved a hand in the air. “Or whatever you call that virtual thing people do from home nowadays.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” Holly fingered the soft tassels on her cashmere scarf as she eyed the stranger, an excited expression crossing her pretty face. “People buy all kinds of things online nowadays—groceries, furniture, cars, naughty negligees.”

Eve gasped. “Holly, please! A little decorum.”

Carol Belle clucked her tongue. Holly was in no way demure, and her mere presence always seemed to get under Eve’s skin. Eve had always been modest—even as a teen— and Holly’s brazen disposition shocked her on most occasions.

A transplant from Florida, Holly had moved to Noel twelve years ago, struck up a friendship with Kandy and joined the trio of lifelong friends two years after that. Holly came from old money, had decided in her twenties to never marry but enjoyed dating more than anyone Carol Belle had ever met.

Last year, Carol Belle, Kandy, and Eve had made a bet that Holly’s latest love interest, Don Jacobs, would manage to steal her heart and get a ring on her finger. After all, the handsome horse trainer had lasted months longer than any other man Holly had taken an interest in, but the moment Don had tried to persuade Holly into making a commitment, Holly had dropped him like a hot coal.

And Carol Belle had lost fifty bucks. She huffed. The memory still stung.

“A person can barely make it in today’s world without the internet,” Holly continued happily. “Or a cell phone, or Jackpot Millionaire.” She smiled wider. “Mm-mm, I do love the Jackpot Millionaire app! I played this morning on my tablet and won sixty-five dollars.” She waggled her fingers, her elegant French manicure impeccable. “That’s enough to change my nails if I take a notion. What do y’all think of Ruby Red? I think that shade would be perfect for the Christmas season.”

Carol Belle frowned as the stranger across the street walked to the trailer and reached between the slats to pet the horse inside. “She has red hair.”

Eve, surveying the stranger too, raised one eyebrow. “So?”

“Red hair means she probably has a temper,” Kandy piped in, smiling as she twirled one of her hot-pink curls around her finger. “Just like a name, hair can tell you a lot about a person, you know?”

Carol Belle glanced at Kandy’s pink locks and shuddered. “Kandy has a point. That gal has a ton o’ red hair, almost to her waist, I’d say. If she has a temper to match, she may be mighty hard to win over, and we just have to win her over. Otherwise, Nate Reed’ll get the drop on everyone for the tenth year in a row—a whole decade of domination! ”

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