by Delilah Hunt
Aleah rose from the flowerbed and stared at her as if she had grown two heads. “You really need to ask that?’
Yes, she did. Noelle stiffened. “I don’t need your help with my life and I didn’t ask any favors from you or your husband. So no, I don’t want to go out with any of his friends.” Maybe if she thought her sister was sincere in her endeavor instead of another way to lord it over her about their differences she would have actually considered. But, of course there was Cole, the only man she wanted to spend time with.
Aleah shrugged. “My mistake. I forgot who I was talking to. Would you change your mind if he got you a date with the officer janitor?”
Blood rushed through her veins, fueling her anger. She hadn’t expected her sister to make a jab at the ‘poorer’ type of guys she dated as a teen. “I would if I didn’t know you’d all pounce on me within a minute and remind me how low I’ve set my sights.”
“Well it’s the truth isn’t it? But you’ve never cared how hard mom and dad worked to gain respect in the business. No, Noelle just has to be different, instead of appreciating everything you had, you had to go whining with your selfish friends and getting into shit you had no business trying out. You learned the hard way didn’t you? Those dumbass friends of yours could shoot up in front of the cops and walk scotch free, but you… Well I’m not gonna go there because you already know how it is. You got caught and all of us had to suffer the consequences. And for the record yes, I’m still bitter about it after all these years. You’re not the only one who had a life in Denver.”
Vicious tears burned at the back of her lids. If she had known the day would turn out like this, a reminder of her mistakes, she would have hung up the damn phone on Aleah this morning.
Still, she wasn’t going to take the bait and get into an argument. What was the point? Her sister was right any way, the only difference was, no one wanted to acknowledge the woman she was today. The fact that day in and day out, she busted her ass for the company and had no life outside of whatever her parents needed to get done.
“Don’t you have a husband and child inside waiting for you?”
Aleah removed the gardening gloves. “As a matter of fact I do, Noelle. That’s the reason I was trying to help you. You’re my sister and regardless of what you think, I’ve never disliked you. Do I think you can be a selfish bitch? Yes, but I do love you. I know I haven’t said that to you in a long time, okay really long time. You’ve never said it to me either. I don’t have your looks, but I’m doing well for myself by treating people the way they should be treated. I know I’m younger than you, but I do want you to be happy. I want you to find your peace, someone to love and someone you can love in return. It’s not impossible if you find a decent man, set your sights a lot higher than the fools you ran around with back in the days.”
“Are you finished?” Noelle asked softly. She hadn’t expected to hear that from her sister, not when the woman had stopped talking to her after they made the move from Denver to Copper Mesa. It was just recently they started talking on the phone or seeing each other every couple of months although Aleah came by the house often.
“I don’t hate you and I’ve already apologized a dozen times over for how my actions affected you and everyone else. I get it, we were one of the few black families in our circle and I screwed it up by having everyone look down on us. I love you too and I’m sorry I haven’t shown it. It’s just hard to show emotions sometimes when I feel like I’m walking on eggshells all the time with mom and dad just waiting for me to screw up again.” Noelle lifted a shoulder. “Plus, I know they’re a step away from disinheriting me.” She didn’t care about money but it was the simple act of having solid proof she was no longer valued in their eyes that hurt.
Aleah nodded and looked away uncomfortably. It didn’t surprise Noelle; Aleah was privy to everything her parents did. “You’re exaggerating.”
Noelle decided to shut up. She wasn’t trying to seem like a whiner as her sister had described and it was evident Aleah didn’t want to discuss the issue further. Not that she could blame her for wanting to stay on the winning side.
As she said her goodbye, Noelle couldn’t help but think the same of Cole. She had been horrible to him and there was no way she’d be able to blame him either if he wanted to knock her down a peg and spread every detail about her on the ranch. He didn’t seem like the type to willfully hurt someone but she feared this time she had pushed him too far and her plea for his ‘silence’ might have incited him to humiliate her.
There was nothing embarrassing about being with Cole, if she was his woman she’d want to shout it from the rooftops. He was like a dream and it made her feel all the more despicable. She had used him for her pleasure and given nothing in return, all because of the fear of unraveling the tattered thread holding her to her family. On the other hand, if she chose to see where this thing with Cole was headed, the loss might be worth it. She would gain someone who accepted her fully. Noelle bit her lips. That wasn’t right either. Cole would be accepting only what he knew about her, since she hadn’t told him everything about herself. And that was terrifying if he chose not to accept her because of it.
Chapter Seven
“Find someone else to do it,” Cole signed.
“Can’t. Apart from me, you’re the only one Somerset trusts. I’m on delivery duty in town today, it’s out of the question for me.”
Cole reached for the ashen-shaded branding iron and applied the Somerset brand above the bull’s hindquarters. He smote out the wood fire as Beau pulled apart the ropes restraining the bull.
“Why can’t Williams drop it off?” He knew sooner or later he was going to have to face Noelle. He’d just hope it was later or never.
“He’s busy. Called and said to come over.” Beau gave him a pointed look. “He said his daughter will take care of it.”
Something burned inside him like the hot brand at his feet. Why did it seem as if Noelle was always the one taking care of things whenever her old man was too busy? Weren’t there other workers to do those things?
“Yeah, all right,” he signed, annoyed at the way his cock sprang to attention at the thought of seeing her again.
Minutes later, Cole parked his pickup on the side of the graveled road and made his way up the cobblestone driveway. He rang the doorbell. The house had to be at least three times the size of the main house on the Tumbling Y.
Another minute passed and he rang the bell again. Didn’t they have a helper to open the door for them? Then again, perhaps rich black people weren’t into the whole hired help thing. He really had no idea and hoped he’d never come off as ignorant to Noelle. Despite everything and his anger toward her, he still cared what she thought.
When the door opened, Cole was stunned to see Noelle’s father standing at the doorway, his thick jet-black mustache twitching to reflect his annoyance. Surprisingly, the man reached for his hand. “Sorry about that. I told my daughter to open the door but I guess she got lost somewhere around here.” The man chuckled to himself and gestured inside. All right, so far, Mr. Williams seemed reasonable. However, he didn’t like the way the man alluded to Noelle doing everything for him.
“I’ve already told your boss, Randy, that I had some things to do, so whatever you need Noelle will help you with it.”
Cole nodded and the man stared at him for a second, his brows creasing then relaxing like when someone resolved a puzzle.
“Ahh, so you’re that cowboy who doesn’t speak. I heard about Randy hiring a new hand a while back, didn’t realize it was you. Must be hard huh?”
What was hard about it? And if a while back meant almost two years and numerous other hires in between, then yes, but hard, simply because he couldn’t talk? Cole brushed it off. He wasn’t going to bother and write out something to the man.
Mr. Williams nodded as if he didn’t expect more from him. No surprise there. “Well, you sure look like you could handle the entire place by yourself.”
&nb
sp; Cole kept his face a mask of coldness. Mr. Williams coughed and clapped his hands together. “Have a seat and I’ll get Noelle on top of this.” He looked at Cole and asked. “She’s been the one handling all of my dealings over at the ranch. There haven’t been any issues with her has there?”
Cole clenched his jaw. What the fuck was the man getting at? He lifted his hand to tell the man exactly what he thought of his question then dropped it. Pointless. This was one of those times he felt helpless and had to wonder why he was born without a simple thing such as speech.
Mr. Williams waved his hand in an offhand manner. “Never mind. I’m sure everything is fine. Wait here and I’ll see where that girl is.”
Cole stood watching as the man pivoted around a corner. From his position he assumed Noelle had appeared because of the raised tones. Mr. Williams wasn’t trying to disguise his irritation with her or censor her in private.
“What did you have to do that was so important you couldn’t open the door for the gentleman?”
Noelle gave him a furtive glance then averted her gaze. “I apologize to have kept you waiting.”
He felt embarrassed that she was forced to apologize to him in front of her father.
Hoping the man would take a hint and leave them alone to handle business, Cole glanced at his watch.
Mr. Williams gave him a wry grin as if he was embarrassed by Noelle. “I think Noelle sometimes forget that she’s just like any other employee, except she’s living under my roof.”
Cole stiffened upon hearing the man’s statement. His heart ached for the way Noelle’s eyes widened before she straightened her shoulders as if she hadn’t heard the slight. She did that a lot and he was starting to understand why.
The older man placed his arm around her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll be in my office. Make sure you give him everything Randy ordered.”
“Yes, sir.” Her eyes looked straight ahead.
Once Mr. Williams was out of the room, Cole stared at Noelle. She lifted her gaze to his, quickly looked away as if she had been stripped bare, more intimate than he’d seen her laid out naked on the grass beneath him.
“The supplies are this way.” She crossed a passageway and Cole followed determined to confront her. He wasn’t going to let her maintain the pretense that nothing happened between them, or her father hadn’t injured her heart and ego.
They entered a room, barren save for the bags of the feed on the floor and a scale mounted against the wall.
She kept her focus on the bags while speaking to him. “I’ll help you take these outside. We’ve added a new ingredient. I’m not sure if my father mentioned it to you or your boss, but it should help keep them healthier during the winter when they lose the most weight.
She wouldn’t look at him. Fed up, Cole jotted down a quick message to her. He didn’t dare assume she’d continued with the sign language lessons from her book and if by some miracle she cared enough to, he wouldn’t get her attention as long she spoke at him, not to him.
You know why. Noelle was scared and embarrassed. He heard it in the tremor of her voice. She was admitting defeat and he was partially to blame.
She reached for a bag, bending low to heft it onto the scale when Cole leaned forward and placed his hand above hers, stilling her movement. One, he didn’t want her lifting the heavy weight and two— they really needed to clear the air. She glanced up at him and Cole handed her the note.
Noelle. I didn’t tell anyone. You don’t have to worry.
Cole watched as her eyes scanned the words. She lifted her face, gazing at him in surprise. Her stunning ethnic features softened slowly. Noelle tilted her head, staring as if she’d never seen him before.
“I don’t understand. I’ve been horrible to you. This was your chance to punish me.”
She thought he wanted to punish her? And in the worst way possible, by revealing intimate details about her.
Cole knelt beside her and brushed the back of his hand along her soft cheek. His heart melted when she leaned her face into his hand, nuzzling against him like a kitten starved for affection.
Tipping her chin, he moved his hand in front of her. “Can you understand me?” He sent a quick prayer to anyone listening that Noelle had kept up with the lessons.
“I understand you.”
His chest felt lighter. Cole buried his face in the curve of her neck, holding it there and inhaling her delectable scent. He did mean something to her.
“I’m so sorry,” she said quietly.
He shook his head and pressed his mouth to hers, seizing her lips between his. They felt so damn smooth and tempting. His heart sped a mile a minute as Noelle parted her lips to deepen the kiss. Heaven in all its splendid glory. He wanted to spend the rest of his life tasting those lips.
Suddenly, she broke the spell. “Not here.” She glanced at the door while caressing his jaw. “I don’t want to kiss you in here where I feel like my every move is being watched.”
Cole helped her to rise. He highly doubted her father was concerned about the two of them being alone. The man viewed him as simple and it was apparent he thought Noelle’s heart and body was safe from the likes of him.
“Why do you think that?”
She gave him a rueful smile. “It’s the truth. I tried too hard to ignore it.”
Cole narrowed his brows. He always assumed Noelle was a prized jewel in her family. This was unexpected and it didn’t make any sense. She was perfection, how could her own father not see that? Maybe in time she would explain it to him after he got it through to her that he wanted no secrets between them.
“You will tell me the reason?” he asked, issuing her a pointed stare.
She appeared to mull it over. Ever so slowly, she lifted those long black lashes and nodded. “I’ll tell you one day. Let’s just get these bags out of here. I don’t want my father to hold anything against you.”
He rolled his eyes. Williams held no power over him. He didn’t give a rat’s ass what the man thought of him. But if it made Noelle feel better to leave the room, then so be it.
“Come outside with me.” He drew her up alongside him.
Noelle followed and Cole was pleasantly surprised by her adorable yet weak efforts to help him load the truck. He was glad no one was around to witness the fiasco of a man his stature being aided by a stubborn little female in high heels, who refused to listen to his pleas for no help. The entire episode pleased him beyond measure. She was now his stubborn female.
Chapter Eight
After Cole left two days ago and Noelle realized how forgiving he was, it made the decision to follow her heart even easier. The way her father spoke down to her in front of Cole had been a humiliating experience that unexpectedly became one of the best moments of her life.
Cole had all the reasons to let her simmer and drown in her own anguish, but instead he chose to give comfort, reassurance. Noelle sighed. Would she ever stop feeling this elated? She hoped not. If anything it would only get better today. She was halfway to the bungalows where Cole and the other cowboys resided on the ranch.
Miles above the landscape, the sun stretched over the horizon in a dusky copper and violet splendor. Beyond the meadow, she could see the three small houses, constructed side by side, which Mr. Somerset divided into apartments for the workers. Noelle slipped by two of the trees and hastened in the direction of the first house, shared by Cole and three other cowboys.
Noelle looked over her shoulder. A sliver of guilt slashed into her like a poisonous blade. Despite telling herself it didn’t matter if her parents found out about Cole, the fear remained nonetheless of their reaction to her choice of lover. They were going to view her relationship with Cole as a step backward. Dating the same type of men ‘without any future’.
Her fists tightened. She wanted to strangle anyone who thought of Cole in such a demeaning way. He was the only person to show her what kindness meant and it sickened her to think of anyone judging him based on his outward
appearance and job.
The sharp squeak of a well pump captured her attention. Noelle turned and her heartbeat sped. She loved the way there would never be any mistaking her man in a crowd. The thick muscles of his back bunched and corded with each downward stroke of the bronze handle. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, not even when he turned toward the tree she was leaned against and caught her gaze.
Blood rushed between her thighs into her pulsating clitoris. Cole was doing a number on her and the desire coursed rampant into her cunt.
In a similar fashion as he’d done at the river, he crooked his fingers to her. Noelle felt her feet move before realizing she had crossed more than half the distance to him. In that moment nothing else in the world mattered, existed, except her and the strapping cowboy headed toward her. Cole circled his thick arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground, her feet dangling over the emerald grass.
He dropped a kiss to her neck before placing her on the ground. “You’re early. I was going to meet you out by the road. Did anyone see you? Bother you?”
Noelle shook her head, deeply touched by his concern and the possessive glint flaring in his dark eyes.
“No one saw me.” She looked at her watch and realized Cole was right. She was about fifteen minutes early from the time he’d told her he would be finished tonight. At seven-thirty, it was at least three hours earlier than the usual hours he worked until each day. “I didn’t realize,” she began. “Do you want me to wait somewhere else if you have work to complete?”
He laughed and quickly shook his head. God, she loved that sound. It was just tiny whispers of breath, but unmistakable as laughter from the look of happiness on his face.
“No. I have you here. Don’t leave.”
“Afraid I might not come back?” she joked.
The smile on his face vanished. “I didn’t think you’d come.”
She hadn’t either to be honest. It had taken her a good ten minutes to come to terms with the fact that she was yearning inside her body and heart to see where this would lead. She needed to see him as much as she needed the clean mountain air.
