Christmas on 4th Street. Susan Mallery

She paused, as if trying to remember how long it had been. “I guess I’ve seen him in town but we haven’t spoken.”

      Now Gabriel was confused. “You’re not Felicia?”

      The woman scrambled to her feet. She was a tall blonde—too skinny for his taste, but pretty enough. She wore black jeans and a ridiculous sweater decorated with tiny Santa heads. Like he’d said before—the suburbs sucked.

      “No, I’m Noelle,” she said. “Who are you?”

      “Gabriel.”

      He was going to say more but her blue eyes widened. “Gideon’s brother?”

      He nodded, unable to figure out why someone he’d never heard of was chasing people with an umbrella in his brother’s house. Not that there was an appropriate place for that sort of thing.

      She smiled. Whatever else he was going to grumble about faded as her mouth curved. Because the second she smiled, he felt a whole lot better about nearly everything. His hand hurt less, he wasn’t as tired and the avalanche of regret he felt at showing up in Fool’s Gold reduced itself to a small rock-slide.

      Talk about a trick.

      The smile widened. “Oh, wow. I didn’t know you were coming for sure. You’re the doctor, right? Felicia mentioned she’d asked you to stay for the holidays, but I thought you’d said you couldn’t make it. I’m Noelle Perkins. Felicia and I are friends. I have a store in town and I know Gideon, of course. And Carter.”

      The son his brother hadn’t known he had, Gabriel thought. There was a situation.

      “Gideon and Carter are shopping in Sacramento. Felicia got stuck in town and asked me to come and let Webster out.” Her smile faded. “Oh, no. I attacked you. I’m really sorry.”

      “It’s okay,” he told her. Mostly because it was and partially because he wanted to see the smile again.

      “I couldn’t figure out why the door was open and the spare key wasn’t where she’d said.”

      “Gideon told me about the key, too, and I used it.”

      “Of course.”

      The smile returned and his breathing relaxed.

      She bent down and collected the umbrella. “I took a self-defense course a few weeks ago. Just a Saturday afternoon of basic stuff. My instructor would so kill me if she knew what I’d done, so if you could not say anything I’d appreciate it.”

      “Not a problem.”

      She glanced quickly at the bandage, then away. “Um, what happened to your palm?”

      “I was an idiot.”

      “It happens to all of us.”

      “I should know better.”

      She flashed the smile again. “And the rest of us shouldn’t?”

      “Fair point,” he told her.

      She waved the umbrella. “I’ll put this back.” She started down the hall. “Do you want some coffee?”

      “Sure.”

      She went into the kitchen and pulled out mugs and two small pods filled with coffee as if she knew her way around the place.

      He was still having trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that his brother was engaged and had a son. Not that the two events were related. Carter’s mother had died a couple of years ago. As for Felicia... Gabriel frowned as he realized he didn’t know how she and his brother had met. The fact that he hadn’t spoken to anyone in his family in over a year might have something to do with that.

      Webster followed Noelle and looked hopeful as she collected spoons and started the coffeemaker. She eyed him.

      “I’m pretty sure you’ve already been fed,” she told the dog.

      He wagged his tail.

      She sighed. “You’re so demanding. Fine. I’ll give you a cookie.”

      Webster woofed at the word and followed her to the pantry, where a plastic container of bone-shaped treats sat on a shelf.

      “But just one,” she told him, waiting until he sat to give it to him.

      He took it gently and bolted from the room.

      Gabriel watched him go. “He’s not much of a guard dog. He let me in without a growl.”

      “He’s a puppy,” Noelle said. “Felicia wants him to be friendly rather than aggressive. He’s supposed to be Carter’s dog, but she’s the one who takes care of him. He’s been to a few obedience classes but they don’t seem to be taking.”

      She motioned to the large table, and he moved forward to take a seat. Noelle added the first pod and pushed the button, making sure the mug was positioned underneath.

      She leaned against the counter. “So, you’re here for the holidays. To be with your family. That’s nice.”

      “I haven’t seen them in a while,” he admitted, trying to remember the last time he’d joined his parents and brother for Christmas. More than a decade, he thought. Fifteen years? Longer than that? Maybe it had been before he’d left for college. “Feel free to fill me in on what I’ve missed.”

      “I’ve never met your parents,” she said cheerfully. “I know Gideon, of course. He moved here before me. It was last year. I just got here in the spring.” She wrinkled her nose. “It was before the whole snow thing. I’m going to have to take some lessons or something. It’s a lot more slippery than I realized. I know there’s an ice element, but I didn’t think it was, you know...ice.” She made air quotes as she spoke the last word.

      He chuckled. “You have a lot to look forward to.”

      “You mean aside from warmer weather?” She turned back to the coffeemaker and pulled out the mug. “How do you like it?” she asked, already moving to the refrigerator.

      “Black is fine.”

      “That’s such a guy thing.”

      She pulled out a container of flavored coffee creamer, then handed him his mug and returned to the counter. She obviously knew her way around the kitchen. Because of Felicia, he told himself. Women who were friends hung out a lot doing stuff like having coffee. He supposed it wasn’t that different from going out and having a drink.

      She stuck in a second pod, put a mug in place and hit the button.

      “You know Gideon bought a couple of radio stations,” she said.

      He nodded.

      “He does an oldies show every night. Lots of songs I’ve never heard of but most of them are good. Felicia runs the festivals in town. She’s very organized. Carter’s in school, of course.” She glanced at Webster, who sat with his tail wagging. “What about you, young man? Any career plans?”

      The puppy barked.

      “Impressive.” She glanced up at Gabriel. “Sorry. I talk to everything.”

      “It happens.”

      She got her own coffee and poured in the flavored creamer then set the container back in the refrigerator. She took a seat across from him and tilted her head.

      “What else can I tell you?” she asked. “I have guilt about trying to attack you.”

      “With an umbrella.”

      She laughed. “I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse.”

      He liked how amusement danced in her blue eyes and the flash of teeth when she smiled. He wanted to keep her talking because the sound of her voice soothed him. A ridiculous claim, but there it was. What he couldn’t figure out was why. Why her? He was around women all the time. Other doctors, some of the nurses and