The kid swiped at his nose with his coat sleeve. His eyes, Noah noticed, were the same brilliant blue as Keri's, his hair a darker shade of blond, and just looking at him made him think of her. Made him think of how he'd spoken to her the night before. He wasn't sure she'd ever forgive him for it.
Aaron was still staring at him, waiting for an answer to his question, he supposed. Noah walked out of the stall and across the barn to the hay bales and bent to cut the string off the one on top. "Ever been on a horse before?" he asked, turning his head to keep Aaron in his line of sight.
"Lots of times," he said, grinning. "Only with my pa holding the reins, though, but that's the easy part. I want to learn how to saddle one up and ride clean to town all by myself if I had to. Then I could help out more. Well, if I had my own horse…."
Listening to Aaron talk brought his thoughts right back to Keri and the past three days started replaying in his mind again. It had been the closest thing to torture he could imagine pushing her away when she desperately tried to talk to him and it tore a piece of his heart out every time he walked away from her.
He'd hurt her last night with his harsh response to her questions. He'd been irritated and had taken it out on her, but his irritation had nothing to do with her. Not really. She was still in his every thought and the fact he hadn't been able to touch her, or taste her lips, was killing him. His need for her burned through his veins and he'd come so close to telling her so, but always pulled back at the last moment.
Aaron stepped into his line of sight and Noah blinked, chasing his thoughts away.
"Think the Averys will let me ride some of their ponies? Alex said they'd have a bunch of 'em come spring."
Something in Aaron's face made Noah really focus on the kid. He'd been dogging his every step since the sun came up and as he stood there staring up at him, he noticed a strange look in his eyes, one he hadn't seen before. He straightened to his full height and looked down at him. "Why are you out here pestering me, Aaron?"
He looked surprised, his eyes widening just a fraction. "No reason."
"You're lying."
Aaron looked toward his feet, scuffed the toe of his boot across the ground and sighed. "Are you getting tired of us?"
The question shocked him. "No. Why would you think that?"
He shrugged. "You ain't been talking to any of us much and my ma's all sad 'cause of it." Aaron glanced up at him and frowned. "I heard her crying last night after we all went to bed and I ain't heard her cry in a long time. She was trying to be real quiet about it but I could hear her."
Noah wasn't sure how he walked across the barn to dump the hay in the horses stall, each step he took was slow and agonizing. His chest ached until he couldn't breathe as his mind's eye flashed pictures of Keri inside his head, pictures of her crying because he'd been such a horse’s ass to her over the last several days.
All because of what he thought she may think of him.
He sighed and leaned against the stall wall and closed his eyes. What was he doing? Why was he pushing her away when he'd never needed her more? When he didn't even know if Morgan was going to arrest him for killing that drifter.
Aaron touched his arm. "Did we do something wrong?"
The look in Aaron's eyes nearly brought him to his knees. He'd never seen the kid look so vulnerable. "No, you didn't do anything wrong, Aaron. None of you did. I've just had a lot on my mind lately. That's all. Now stop worrying. You'll get wrinkles frowning so much."
He wasn't sure if Aaron believed him or not but the kid nodded his head, turned and left the barn at a dead run. Running to tell Keri he wasn't tired of them, he supposed, and Noah's chest ached knowing he should have been the one to tell her. That she shouldn't have felt like he was tired of them at all. None of them should have.
The horse nickered and stomped one foot. Noah stared at him as thoughts of Aaron asking him if he'd teach him how to take care of and ride a horse whispered inside his head. Of seeing that Sophie Ann's Christmas wish for a family came true.
Thoughts of making Keri his legal wife instead of just pretending she was.
He needed to talk to Morgan. He couldn't wait around to see what the marshal was going to do. Christmas was three days away. He couldn't wait any longer. His plans for the future depended on what Morgan would say and he couldn't keep pushing Keri away like he'd been doing.
Saddling his horse, he led him outside, secured the barn door and lifted himself up onto the beast’s back. He clicked his tongue, gave the reins a snap and raced out of the yard toward town.
Chapter Thirty Two
Duke's deep-toned bark drew Keri from her thoughts. The old hound rarely barked unless he had a reason to. He must have seen something. She hoped it was Noah coming back.
Watching him climb onto his horse and leave after spending the morning talking to Aaron had puzzled her. She'd questioned Aaron until he was near tears but neither of them could figure out why Noah left without saying a word to any of them. According to Aaron, he seemed fine when he left the barn.
She finally stood to go peek out the kitchen window when Duke didn't stop barking. She heard the squeak of wagon wheels in the distance, her heart racing as she looked out to see who it was.
The wagon looked like any other but it was too far away to tell who was driving it. A man on horseback rode beside the wagon and when they pulled off the main road and started down the drive to the cabin, fear caused her pulse to race. It wasn't Noah on that horse. She could tell by the man's slight build.
Which meant they were home alone while two strangers approached the house.
As the wagon and horseman drew near, she could see it was two men, the outline of their hats and the cut of their coats giving them away. She still couldn't tell who either of them were.
Visions of the last uninvited visitors flashed inside her head and she turned, running back into the main room to throw the latch on the door, securing it so no one could enter. Her heart was racing as she walked to the fireplace and reached up, grabbing Noah's gun and checking to see if it was loaded.
"Ma?"
Aaron stepped into her line of sight, his eyes wide. She nodded to the other side of the room with her head. "Take Sophie Ann and get behind the bed. Stay low to the floor and don't come out until I tell you to."
He didn't question her, just turned and grabbed Sophie Ann's hand and did as asked. She was probably overreacting but she'd learned first hand what letting your guard down got you.
A fist to the door caused her heart to leap into her throat. She lifted the gun and aimed the barrel at the door and prayed she wouldn't have to pull the trigger.
"Mrs. Lloyd? It's Percy Goins from over at the livery stable. You in there?"
"Percy?" Keri whispered the name, picturing Percy inside her mind's eye. She'd met him the night of the Christmas party in town. He was a small fellow with a kind smile. She breathed a sigh of relief. She knew him.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to calm her racing heart. Her knees were shaking so bad, she could barely stand. "Just a minute, Mr. Goins."
"No worries ma'am," he said, before laughing softly. "I'm in no hurry, but your brother looks ready to jump out of his skin. He dang near broke the wheels off his wagon racing out here."
Percy was still talking but Keri hadn't heard a word since he'd said, "your brother." She stared at the door, the gun still raised while her mind raced. Peter was here? Her heart skipped a beat. Is that who the other man was?
Tears filled her eyes as she placed the gun back on the hooks above the fireplace, then turned and ran across the room, throwing the latch and swinging the door open wide. Percy's smiling face greeted her. She looked past him, searching for Peter as she stepped out into the cold morning air.
A figure moved off to her left. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled as he shifted, putting the sun to his back and allowing her to finally see him after five years.
The moment she saw his face, her heart slamme
d against her ribcage so hard, it took her breath. She shouldn't have put the gun away. The man with Percy Goins wasn't Peter.
* * * *
He was stalling again. He'd taken his time riding into town, stopped twice to mull things over in his head and after not finding Morgan inside the jail, had spent a good ten minutes standing outside the building, thinking things through before venturing to the man’s house, only to be told he was at the saloon.
He'd taken even more time walking across town and stood on the sidewalk looking up at the wooden building for long minutes before finally deciding to go inside.
In the two years he'd lived in Willow Creek, Noah had never stepped foot inside the saloon. He'd lost himself in enough drink after the war to last him a lifetime and the need to numb his brain until nothing remained, thankfully, hadn't hit him in years.
According to Abigail Avery, Morgan spent a good hour every Saturday over in the saloon leaning against the bar, swilling enough foul whiskey to make him think he didn't have a predetermined limit on the stuff while telling lies with the other men inside. If Morgan hadn't been in there, Noah wouldn't have even entertained the thought of entering the building but since he was, he crossed the sidewalk and walked through the swinging doors as if he'd done it hundreds of times.
A few curious gazes turned his way as he stepped inside. He ignored them and let the doors swing closed at his back.
Morgan spotted him before he made it across the room and waved him over, downing the whiskey in his glass and motioning for another. "Noah, you shock me more with every passing day."
"How so?" He leaned against the bar and shook his head when the bartender tried to slide a glass his way.
"Well, you took in Keri and her kids," Morgan said, his voice pitched low so no one else could hear him. "Then you start coming into town everyday to drop those little ones off at the school house, cut your hair, shaved off that beard, start attending social functions and now you're frequenting the local watering hole. I'm just surprised at how much you've changed over the past few weeks."
Noah didn't reply. There wasn't a need to. Morgan was right on all accounts. He had changed. And Keri was the reason. She was also the reason he'd tracked Morgan down and it wasn't to socialize over whiskey in the saloon.
He turned and glanced over his shoulder, looking at the men scattered across the room and realized this is where all his trouble had started. Where those two drifters had caused a fuss and started shooting up the town.
Noah turned back to Morgan, almost hating the fact he was about to bring it all up again. But regardless of what happened, he still didn't regret that old bastard was dead. "I know the day of the shooting things got a bit chaotic, and normally I wouldn't be so eager to seal my fate, but I can't wait any longer, Morgan. I need to know, if for no other reason than I have to see that Keri and the kids are taken care of." He inhaled a deep breath and blew it out, Keri, Aaron and Sophie Ann's faces appearing in his mind’s eye. "Are you going to arrest me or not?"
Morgan raised an eyebrow at him. "Arrest you? What for?"
"I killed a man three days ago right in front of you."
Morgan stared at him for so long, Noah wasn't sure he even heard what he said. The look on his face told him he did though. He finally turned and motioned for the bartender to pour him another drink and waited until the man had done so and walked away before saying, "There were so many of us out there that day, Noah, so much chaos, that I'm not sure anyone who rode out with me will remember the details in exactly the same way as the man who rode next to him does." He downed his drink and pushed the glass away. "From the way I remember it, you and Percy both had a time getting hold of that man and the minute he pulled a knife on you, anything you did from that point on was self-defense." He shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head a fraction to one side. "It could have easily been Percy who got a hold of him instead of you. Do you think Percy would have let himself get gutted or do you think he'd have fought that old coot off, just like you did, possibly killing him in the process?"
"It wasn't self-defense, Morgan. I'd do it again given the chance, only this time I'd make it hurt a hell of a lot worse."
Morgan nodded. "Understandable given the circumstance, but from what I saw, it was self-defense." He looked toward the door when someone came in. "Speak of the devil and he shows up," he said before smiling. "We were just talking about you, Percy."
"All good, I'm sure," he said, smiling as he walked to the bar.
Noah looked over at him and nodded a greeting. The man was panting for breath as he leaned against the bar. He accepted the glass the bartender gave him, slung it back and shivered after swallowing the bitter liquid. When he set the glass down, he motioned for another.
Percy watched the bartender pour him another drink, then said, "I knew my ears were burning for a reason. What was you saying about me, Marshal?"
Morgan grinned. "Nothing that wasn't true."
"Which would be?"
"Noah thinks I need to arrest him for killing the drifter you two tangled with the other day."
Percy grinned as the bartender poured him another shot. "A man who thinks you should arrest him. That's a new one." He downed his drink and glanced his way. "You gonna do it?"
"I should just because he asked for it." Morgan laughed and readjusted his hat. "But the jail's had enough visitors as of late." He looked at Noah. "I'm not going to arrest you. You've nothing to worry about."
The relief Noah felt nearly buckled his knees. He held on to the bar and listened to the two men talk while trying to get strength enough to walk back out and climb on his horse.
All the plans he'd made for Keri and those kids weren't just a dream anymore. He could make them happen. All he had to do was ask Keri to marry him and make it all legal.
He started to make an excuse to leave when Morgan mentioned Laurel's name. He'd almost forgotten about the school teacher. He'd been too caught up in his own problems to think of her. Noah looked his way, then asked, "Is she going to be all right?"
Morgan nodded. "Well, I guess that depends on if Holden will stop coddling her long enough for her to actually recover. She's doing fine, although, Holden will probably keep her in bed for the next seven months." Noah raised an eyebrow and Morgan's smile widened. "She's pregnant. Add in the fact she was shot and Holden's damn near smothering her. I think she's ready to come back to town and sleep in Evan's office just to get a break from his constant attention."
Noah smiled. "I can't say I blame him." He'd probably have reacted the same way had Keri been the one to take that bullet. He understood completely what Holden must be feeling. Just thinking of Keri being the one that bullet found made him eager to see her, to make sure she was all right. He pushed away from the bar. "I need to get back to the house. I left Keri and the kids alone out there and I shouldn't have." He turned and started for the door, but stopped when Percy said, "I was just out there. They're fine."
He turned and faced the man. "You were out at my place?"
"Yep. Everything seemed all right when I left." He motioned the bartender for another drink before looking back over at him. "I didn't know your wife had a brother."
Noah straightened as his pulse started to race. What was Percy doing out at his place? "She does," he said, eyeing the man as questions started firing off inside his head. "Lives out in California."
"Yeah, that's what he said." Percy tilted his glass and downed his shot. "They don't look nothing alike. Their coloring is all different."
Look alike? How did Percy know what Peter looked like? Alarm caused his whole body to jolt. Had Percy seen Keri's brother? Was he here in Willow Creek? Everything he felt must have shown on his face for Percy raised an eyebrow at him before glancing briefly at Morgan. "Why are you two looking at me like that?"
Noah saw Morgan move out of the corner of his eye before he asked, "How do you know what Keri's brother looks like, Percy?"
"I showed him how to get out to Noah's place." Percy eyed
them both, looking from one to the other. "I ran across him on my way in to town. He was sitting out on the road like he was lost so I stopped to talk to him, told him how close he was to Willow Creek, and that I was headed this way and he could follow me if he wanted." He leaned back against the bar and propped his elbows up. "He wasn't much interested in town though but asked if I'd ever heard of Keri and her kids." He scratched the side of his neck, and narrowed his eyes. "He said her last name was Hilam, not Lloyd, so I assumed he didn't know she married you, Noah, so I set him straight."
Keri's brother was here? Noah barely heard what Percy was saying his heart was pounding so hard. How? Why? He closed his eyes and blew out a breath.
Why now? Why, when he finally had the courage to ask her to marry him did her brother have to show up? His timing couldn't have been worse.
Keri had been waiting for her brother, had risked everything by taking off in the middle of the night to find him, and now after months of waiting and searching, he'd found her. Morgan's contact must have come through. He almost wished he wouldn’t have.
Percy's voice was a soft hum in the background. He could see the man's mouth moving but nothing he said registered. All he could think of was the fact he'd wasted three days with Keri by distancing himself and now he wouldn't even get a chance to tell her why.
Would she wait to tell him she was leaving or would she be gone by the time he got back home? The way he'd been acting, he wouldn't blame her if she took off without a word.
He looked at Percy and Morgan and nodded his head to both of them. "I've got to go." He turned and pushed through the swinging doors. He was halfway across the wooden sidewalk when he realized he might already be too late. Keri and the kids may already be gone.
Chapter Thirty Three
Watching Robert tear through Noah's things as if he had a right to do so left Keri in a state of shock and scalded the back of her eyes with tears.
Willow Creek Christmas Page 24
