A Noelle for Nathan: Andersen Brothers, #3

Readers’ Praise for Pat Simmons

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5 Stars. This was another great read by Pat Simmons....I also love how my spirit is always lifted and encouraged after reading her books. –Book Diva on The Confession

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5 Stars. "Wow, this book was so inspirational. It had so much to it but what I loved was learning about a Christian Christmas –A reader on A Christian Christmas (Book 1 Andersen Brothers)

5 Stars. How romantic for a man of God to be drawn to a woman because of her heart to God, to be turned on by her praise to God? David saw her, fell hard, and pursued his 'Hart' and won. I loved this story.—T. Baker on A Woman After David’s Heart (Book 2 Andersen Brothers)

5 Stars. Wow, I laughed and cried and that was hard because I was on Jury Duty and sitting in the front. Be careful where you read them because these books make you want to rejoice in the Lord when you least expect. –A reader on Christmas Greetings

5 Stars. Every character has their own interesting storyline. Simmons developed the characters so that I was drawn into their stories. I could feel every emotion. I laughed, cried, and wondered with each of them. It kept me glued to the pages. This was my first time reading Simmons’s work, but I look forward to others. –Donnica Copeland, APOOO BookClub, Sista Talk Book Club, Not Guilty of Love

CHAPTER ONE

Noelle Foster didn’t, couldn’t exhale while studying the strikingly handsome man outfitted in a gray trench coat and hat and a bright yellow scarf that boasted a fashion lesson for any man.

His backdrop was a light snow shower creating a surreal vision as she stared out the restaurant window. He had a commanding presence among pedestrians on the sidewalk. He slipped a bill into the Salvation Army’s red kettle without missing a stride.

Elle, Stephanie Moore, her friend, called, rejoining her at the table with their food tray.

Although she was starving after Stephanie dragged her on an impromptu shopping spree, Noelle couldn’t even blink—afraid he would fade from her view—even if the burger’s tempting aroma made her stomach growl.

A beggar with tattered clothes blocked the man’s pathway. She was curious about the man’s next move. Would his generosity be limited to the kettle? How would the scene play out? It was one thing to give anonymously, but coming face-to-face with poverty was another. She gnawed on her lips. Would he turn the beggar away? What was this fascination she had suddenly developed?

Girl, aren’t you hungry? Stephanie whined, crunching on a fry at the same time. What are you looking at? She cranked her neck, peering through the large window that overlooked Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis.

Him. Noelle pointed. Not only was she an underdog for the poor, she also believed in putting her money where her heart was. Some of her coworkers at President Elementary School where she taught gave faithfully to the United Way through payroll deductions and declared they had done enough. How far could ten or twenty dollars get a family of three or four? Anyway, that was her personal soapbox that few people shared.

Ooh, Stephanie said, sucking in her breath. I wonder what he looks like under that hat and coat. That jawline...the precision trim of the thin beard is enough to make any woman want to test the texture. She sighed. Hmm. There’s a new sheriff in town—no—he fits the description of an outlaw.

Will you stop salivating over that man and stick to your sandwich? Funny, Noelle hadn’t touched hers either. She was over what the guy was wearing. What he was saying to the beggar interested her now. Suddenly, both men laughed, and that made her chuckle as if she was privy to the joke. I wonder what they’re talking about.

Who cares? Stephanie had angled her body to stare while sipping on her soda. Ooh, they’re coming inside. I guess he’s going to buy him a meal, she whispered and shifted in her seat.

Taking a deep breath, Noelle relaxed. She unwrapped her turkey burger and mumbled, Now that’s a man after my own heart.

She thrived on acts of kindness, which were magnified during the Christmas season. After that, kindness seemed to fade into the sunset.

The two men walked into the deli. What a contrast. The man seemed unbothered by the company he was keeping as customers stepped back to give them space. They perused the menu before the benefactor ordered. All eyes were on the beggar while he scanned the dining room for a table, leaving a scent only a skunk could appreciate.

Despite her convictions, Noelle wasn’t immune, so she held her breath, but she refused to cast an evil eye at the hungry man. Soon the pair sat at a table on the other side of the room. Some people were so offended they gathered their food and stormed outside into the cold. But the beggar’s benefactor seemed unfazed as he removed his hat to expose a perfectly shaped shaved head. She shivered, experiencing the chill for him, or maybe he had that effect anyway on women.

The beggar blessed his food with a sign of the cross before attacking his meal, as if knowing his presence was unwanted. His dining companion ate unrushed, making Noelle wonder if his olfactory system shut down.

Minutes later, when the beggar stood to leave, the gentleman handed him a card. The man nodded and waved his thanks before disappearing into his forgotten world, hidden in plain sight.

You ready? Stephanie gathered their bags filled with items for the homeless students on the school’s Christmas list.

Noelle got to her feet and bundled up. Instead of following Stephanie out the door, she detoured to the table where the benefactor remained seated. Even though the beggar was gone, his calling-card fragrance lingered. She tried not to gag. He was tapping on his smartphone. He glanced up and met her eyes. They were kind but intense, pulling her into a trance until she almost blushed, but she didn’t. Noelle wasn’t a flirt. She blinked, but he didn’t. Next, his eyes focused on her lips before she could speak.

Excuse me, she said softly. That was a nice thing you did.

Pay it forward. He paused as if he wanted to say more, but he didn’t.

Noelle nodded, smiled, and walked out the door to brace the wind. You have no idea. She was a fourth grade teacher with a master’s in reading who paid it forward with her students every day. That’s why years earlier, using funds from her own pocket, she began bringing healthy snacks for her students; some of them were always hungry. They could earn those snacks with classroom participation.

Stephanie was the school’s social worker and kept a stash of extra clothes and even toiletries. They had long ago tweaked the No Child Left Behind Act to No Child Will Do Without.

This year, the Christmas list for those in need had five more families than the seven from the previous year, which sparked this shopping spree.

Although most children asked for practical things like blankets, socks, and backpacks, one little girl requested a ballerina. Yes, Noelle was going to pay it forward big time, since she and Stephanie decided to pay for two girls to see The Nutcracker. Those tickets were fifty bucks a piece, plus tax.

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Money wasn’t everything to Nathan. That’s what his grandfather, Kaplan Andersen, the founder of the family business, Andersen Investors & Consultants, had drilled into his children’s heads. It worked, so his father Kenneth passed the torch to his three sons the moment they were potty-trained.

As the oldest, Nathan tried to lead by example growing up. He attended an Ivy League college—so did his brothers. Next, they created a subsidiary of the family business to nurture the path for minority inventors. His younger brothers fell in line behind him. He was the leader.

Despite all his successes, Nathan had failed when it came to his home life. He had none. Christian, the second oldest, became a full-time daddy to three girls and one boy the moment he said I do to the former Joy Knight. David, who met Valerie Hart after a chance encounter on Valentine’s Day, married a year later. Now, they were expecting their first child. Nathan was reluctantly the unattached Andersen son, because whoever the Lord had for him hadn’t shown herself.

He shook his head and positioned his hat on his head to leave the restaurant. How did he go from accepting a compliment for something he was expected to do as a Christian to reflecting on his bachelor status?

Blame it on the pretty girl with the sweetest voice and rich brown, unforgettable eyes, which were second to her tempting, unpolished lips. She had been a temporary distraction. Too bad she looked way too young for him, especially with that long single braid. If he had been twenty years younger and she was his girlfriend, Nathan wouldn’t let her out of his sight.

Bo Greene’s plight returned to the forefront of his mind, so he dismissed thoughts of the beauty. Bo needed more than a hot meal...and a shower. Nathan had barely recognized his former shift supervisor at one of three Andersen company warehouses when he approached him. Meeting him outside, his voice had sounded familiar, but his eyes seemed old and weary. It was hard to believe Bo was only a couple years older than him at thirty-eight.

Bo had turned in his resignation after being lured away four years earlier by a business that had promised better pay and benefits.

Man, it’s good to see you. He grinned and slapped him on the shoulder, meaning that. What can I do for you right now?

Nate, I could use a hot meal. I’m starving.

He fulfilled Bo’s request at the nearby restaurant without a second thought. While they ate, Bo brought him up to speed.

Those better benefits had an expiration date after I got injured on the job. When the disability and unemployment ran dry, I tried to find work, but the simplest tasks were too painful for me, and eventually I lost my apartment. He stared past Nathan, in a daze. After a few moments, he swallowed hard.