5

Lucy pulled the casserole out of the oven as the doorbell rang. Her traitorous heart beat faster at the sound.

“Come in, Noah,” Isabel called from the kitchen table.

A moment later, Noah’s frame filled the kitchen doorway. “Good evening, ladies.” He set a white paper bag on the counter. “For dessert. So, Miss Isabel. How’s the hip?”

Isabel eyed the bag. “Terrible, but I can handle it.”

Lucy set the casserole on the table. “She’s been scooting around the house on her own.”

Noah rubbed his hands together. “Excellent. Does that mean I might be able to steal Lucy away for a walk tomorrow?”

Isabel nodded. “I think that can be arranged. I don’t need a constant babysitter. True, it’s a long road, and I’ll be in therapy for weeks, but I can manage for a while on my own.”

Lucy laid a hand on Isabel’s shoulder on her way around the table, pouring glasses of water. “You won’t be driving for a long time. I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

After dinner, Noah retrieved the bag from the counter and opened it, revealing several golden triangles.

“What are those?” Lucy asked.

“Sopapillas.”

“I’ve never heard of them.”

“You’re in for a treat,” Noah said. “No one should leave Arizona without trying them. They’re fried dough with cinnamon sugar. Simple, but delicious.”

“Well, I was told today I should try something new.” Lucy smiled, her mind going back to the sermon. Noah handed her the bag. The scent of cinnamon sugar teased her nostrils. She reached in and grabbed a treat. She took a bite and sighed. “Mmmm. That’s good.” She glanced up to find Noah grinning at her. She passed the bag to Isabel, who took one and downed it in three bites, then licked the cinnamon sugar from her fingers.

“Yum. Thank you, Noah. You’ve turned out to be awfully handy. Speaking of which, would you be a dear and help us with the Christmas decorations?” Isabel asked. “The boxes are stacked in the garage. I’m sure Lucy can handle them, but since you’re here…”

Noah stood. “I’d be honored. Where do you want the tree? By the front window?”

Isabel nodded her agreement. “Perfect.”

Lucy loaded the dishwasher while Noah set up the artificial tree. She headed into the living room in time to find Noah winding lights around it. Her breath caught. At that moment, he reminded her so much of Ethan. It was crazy. They didn’t resemble each other physically, but the sight of a man setting up the Christmas tree tugged at her heart. How she missed having someone to share this with. When he finished with the lights, she and Noah, under Isabel’s direction, hung the ornaments. The more time she spent with this man, the less she wanted to leave.

The next morning, after breakfast, Lucy and Isabel sat, mugs of tea in hand. Isabel studied the tree. “I thought we put on all the ornaments last night.”

“We did. We hung everything.” Lucy’s gaze shot to the tree. “That’s strange. It’s bare towards the bottom. I know we hung ornaments there.” She moved across the living room for a closer inspection. “Where could they be?”

Lucy moved back toward the hallway where the bedrooms were situated. Flick and Roscoe lay curled up together in the front bedroom. There, not three feet from them, behind the door, lay a pile of ornaments. Lucy laughed out loud.

“What is it?” Isabel called from the kitchen table.

“I think there’s a thief in the house.” Lucy gathered up the ornaments and hung them back on the tree. Flick followed behind, her tail swishing back and forth. Roscoe trotted along after her.

Lucy walked back to Isabel. “It must be Flick. Roscoe never paid attention to our Christmas tree in all the years we’ve had him.”

Sure enough, a moment later, Flick swatted at one of the balls and it crashed to the floor, shattering. She darted out of the room and out of sight.

Lucy frowned. “I suppose I should rearrange the ornaments to put the fragile ones out of reach. Where is your dustpan?”

“Under the sink.”

By the time Lucy had swept the broken pieces, the doorbell rang. Noah popped his head inside. “Is now a good time for a walk?”

Lucy laced up her walking shoes, her pulse hammering in her ears. She should not be this excited to go for a walk. She clipped Roscoe’s leash to his collar. They walked to the door, and Flick followed.

Isabel laughed. “Flick, I don’t think you’re invited. You stay here with me. Besides, you’re in trouble for messing with my tree. No walk for you.”

Lucy opened the coat closet to get her jacket. Noah raised his eyebrows. “I don’t think you’ll need that. It’s close to seventy degrees.”

“Really?”

Noah laughed. “You’re in the desert, my dear.”

They strolled along the sidewalk, allowing Roscoe to sniff the unfamiliar territory. Lucy’s gaze darted everywhere, taking in the scenery. “I can’t get over these orange trees, growing everywhere in people’s yards. We certainly don’t have those in Pennsylvania. And all the cacti. They’re amazing. And so many kinds. I had no idea.”

Noah threw her a warm smile. “There’s a reason many people retire out here. Sure, it gets hot in the summer, but it’s gorgeous here. I personally don’t enjoy the cold, so a warm winter suits me fine.”

“I must admit, walking around in December without a coat is a new thing for me.” They were quiet for a few minutes, enjoying one another’s company. A thought came to mind. “You were going to tell me what you did before becoming the ice cream man. I forgot to ask you last night because I was caught up in decorating the tree. Christmas was always such a big deal in our house. It will certainly be different this year.”

Noah led the way down the sidewalk toward a small park. “Different doesn’t mean bad. Sometimes different can be better. I’ve had to make changes in my life, but right now, I believe I’m where God wants me to be.”

“I used to feel that way, but now I’ve lost much of my identity. I used to be a nurse, a wife, a mother…”

“You’ll always be a mother.”

“True, but my girls don’t need me anymore. They’re mothers or soon to be mothers of their own. I guess I’m not sure what God’s plan is for me anymore.”

“There’s a lot of life left in you, Lucy. Keep an open mind, and God will show you the path.” They walked in silence for a few moments. “I was a violinist.”

“What?”

“Before I drove the ice cream truck, I was a world-renowned violinist. I traveled, doing performances all over the world. I loved making music, and I loved the acclaim and the excitement of traveling, of seeing new places, and having adventures.”

Lucy stopped behind Roscoe, who was fascinated by the bottom of a lamppost. She stared at Noah. This man was full of surprises. “I love music. In fact, that’s one of the things I’ll miss the most. Our choir puts together a wonderful cantata. I especially adore Christmas music. Why did you stop?”

Noah’s eyes clouded. “A story for another day.” He pointed across the street. “Check out that one.”

Lucy followed his finger to a huge cactus in the yard across from them. “That’s the kind of cactus you see in movies.”

“That’s a saguaro,” Noah said. “It’s probably over one hundred years old. They don’t grow an arm until they’re fifty to seventy years old.”

“I guess you’ve spent enough time in Arizona to learn a thing or two about cacti.”

“And sopapillas,” Noah added. “That makes me an Arizona expert. Plus, I make a mean taco.”

Lucy laughed, and Noah joined in. His rich, deep laughter warmed her soul. She could get used to that sound. Much too soon, their walk was over, and Noah was off to peddle his frozen products.

The next few days Lucy kept busy visiting with Isabel and driving her to physical therapy, but each day, Noah stopped by, usually with a small gift, telling Lucy she “simply had to try” the things he brought. One day it was fry bread, another was prickly pear jelly, and still another was a package of Medjool dates. He seemed to enjoy watching her reaction to each new item. By the end of the week when Noah stopped by, Isabel was in better spirits.

Lucy exited the kitchen to find Isabel and Noah whispering together.

“What’s happening?”

Isabel grinned. “It seems our friend wants to take my baby sister out on a date and has asked my permission.”

Lucy stared at the two of them, her mouth wide open. “I, uh…”

Noah’s face colored. “It wasn’t quite like that. I asked if Isabel could make do without you for a few hours tomorrow evening. I want to share something special with you.”

A shiver of excitement ran down Lucy’s spine. She’d love nothing more than to spend as much time with Noah as possible, but was it setting her up for a broken heart? How would she deal with it when she had to move back home? And he was divorced. In God’s eyes, he still belonged to another woman.

Noah seemed to sense her indecision. “Remember, God wants you to try new things. I promise, you’ll like this.”

“That’s not fair, using the sermon against me,” Lucy protested.

Isabel wagged her finger at Lucy. “You should join him. He has something special planned, and knowing you, you’ll love it.”

“Why do I sense the decision has been made?” Everything in Lucy wanted to say yes, but was it wise? Then again, it was only a night out. She was only enjoying his company while she was in town. There was nothing wrong with going out with a friend. She’d better convince her heart of the ‘friendship-only’ status. “Yes, I’d love to go with you.”

Noah beamed at her. “Perfect. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 5:30. We’ll eat dinner out. Nothing too fancy. Oh, and wear comfortable walking shoes.”

Lucy raised her eyebrows, but Noah said nothing more. He lifted Lucy’s hand to his lips and walked out. Roscoe and Flick followed him to the door.

Lucy turned to Isabel. “Don’t say a word.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, my dear.”

“I think I’ll call Ava Kathryn and see how she is.” Maybe that would get her mind off what a simple kiss to her hand had done to her insides.

“Sure. Put her on speaker.”

Moments later, Lucy was chatting with her youngest daughter.

“How are you and Aunt Isabel getting along?”

Isabel raised her voice. “We’re doing fine. Your mom is feeding me and driving me around and I’m driving her nuts.”

“No, you’re not.” Lucy moved the phone closer to Isabel. “We’re doing well together. Honestly, better than I thought.”

“How long will you be there, Mom?” Ava asked. “Will you go home for Christmas?”

“No. I’m spending Christmas here with Isabel. Audrey Christine and her family are spending Christmas with her mother-in-law.”

“You’ll still be here for a while?” Ava asked. “Can we come visit?”

Lucy blinked. “I thought you weren’t allowed to travel.”

“I’m not allowed to fly. Phoenix is only two hours from us. We can drive out next weekend.”

Excitement mounted. “We can spend Christmas together after all!”

“Well, when you said you weren’t coming out, we made plans with Henry’s parents. They’re flying out here for Christmas. But we can still spend a few days with you, if it’s OK with Aunt Isabel.”

The corners of Isabel’s mouth lifted. “Fine with me, honey. The more the merrier!”

Warmth traveled through Lucy. She’d get to see Ava Kathryn. And maybe she’d stay here long enough to visit her in Tucson when the baby came. Somehow rushing back to Pennsylvania didn’t seem so pressing anymore.