After cleaning up, we cuddle with my head on his chest and an arm around his waist while his arm holds me close. I find my favorite spot and drift off to the best sleep I’ve had in five days.
26
Noah
The following morning, I wake spooning with Tamryn and the sun shining through the windows overlooking the lake. Since I woke her up two more times during the night to make love, I decide to let her sleep. I pick up my jeans and make my way to the kitchen to see if she has coffee and food for breakfast when I remember we’re supposed to have a breakfast meeting at the inn, but I don’t think we need that anymore.
Walking around in a strange house butt naked feels odd, but I need to find my phone and text Bash. Once I locate it in the living room, I slip on my jeans and walk outside to my truck while I send the text:
Stayed with Tamryn. Please handle my check-out at the inn.
Bash: Figured that. Unless you need anything else, I’m heading back to Atlanta. We can settle up later this week.
Noah: Send your invoice to my office when you’re ready. Thank you.
Bash: Let me know if you ever need me again. Just remember, if it doesn’t work out, we’ve got her inside that house with another man.
Noah: Sorry, Bash. Nothing happened between them that night, but I wouldn’t do that to her anyway. Have a safe trip home.
I grab my bag from behind the seat of my truck and start inside when I hear a loud truck behind me. I turn to see a silver pickup pulling into the driveway so I walk toward it.
“May I help you?” I call to the driver.
“No, I’ve got my answer.”
“You’re Colt, right?”
“Yeah. I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’m leaving. Would you do me a favor?”
“If I can.”
“Would you tell her thanks for making a cowboy’s dream come true?”
I cock a brow. “You need to explain that comment before I haul your ass out of that truck.”
Colt shakes his head. “Nothing happened, man. And not because I didn’t want it to. The day she filed for divorce was a green light for me, final or not, but it wasn’t for her.” Colt opens his truck door and jumps out. “I’ve looked at your picture behind the bar for thirteen years. Did you see it last night?”
“No.”
Colt massages his forehead. “It’s from the night you won the rodeo. Anyway, the three of us are in that picture. I’ve looked at her every day and dreamed of just one dance with her, one date.” Colt holds up both hands. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but she’s starred in my fantasies since I was twenty years old. I guess you’re used to men saying that about her by now, huh?”
I furrow my brows. “You’re only the second man who’s had balls enough to tell me to my face that they dream about my wife, and one of them is one of my best friends who was politely letting me know what men think of her, so no, I’ve never gotten used to it and I don’t suspect I ever will. I’m just glad that you and the rest of the men in the world only have a dream when I have the real thing.”
Colt nods. “You’re one lucky son-of-a-bitch, if you don’t mind me saying so.”
“That I am.” I run my hand down my face because what’s about to come out of my mouth is a hard pill to swallow. “I guess I do owe you a thank you for not letting anything happen to her, especially the night she decided to try tequila.”
“You mean the night she filed for divorce.”
“Yeah, but do not for one-minute think I appreciate your staying in the same house as my wife.”
“Wouldn’t suspect you would.” Colt kicks the tire on his truck. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t let her go again because the next time, I may not be a gentleman.”
Anger flashes in my eyes. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Colt shrugs and looks at me. “If I ever get a second chance, I won’t waste it.”
Complete reflexes take over and my fist makes contact with Colt’s jaw. “There won’t be a next time, asshole.”
“Noah?” Tamryn’s voice catches me with Colt’s shirt bunched in my fist.
I don’t take my eyes off Colt but smile. “I’m coming, baby.” I wiggle my eyebrows. “I think it’s time you leave, Mr. Montgomery.”
Colt narrows his eyes. “I think I’d like her to tell me that.” He removes my hand from his shirt and tries to step around me.
“I don’t think so.”
Before I say anything else, Colt’s head turns and eyes widen. When I turn around, there Tamryn stands in nothing but my T-shirt from last night. It’s big enough and long enough that all significant parts are covered, but in the cool morning air, everyone can see she isn’t wearing a bra underneath. Colt’s gaze drops to her chest then rake back up to her face, and my fists clench again.
Her hand moves to cover her chest. “Oh, Colt, what are you doing here?”
“I came to see if you sent him packing, and from the looks of things you didn’t. But, I wanted to hear that from you.” His finger waves up and down her body. “And I just did.”
He turns toward his truck and climbs in. I move in front of Tamryn to block Colt’s view of her. She’s been photographed and plastered on magazine covers in much less with her nipples hard, but not with just-fucked hair and dressed in my shirt. This image is for my eyes only. This is a side of Tamryn that no one else gets.
I turn back around and cup her face. “I love you, Tams.”
“Why was he here?”
I shrug. “Don’t know. I came out to get my bag and he drove up. When I spoke, he said he had his answer. I thought I should thank him for looking out for you until I found you.”
Tamryn’s hand comes to her mouth. “Noah…”
“Don’t Tams. He let me know what his intentions were had you been willing.”
“Oh, God…”
“That’s when I hit him.” I flex my fist.
“Noah!” Her gaze flies to my hand then back to mine with water pooling in her eyes. “Let’s put some ice on that.”
“That’s not the only thing we need to do.” I fling my arm over her shoulders as we head toward the front door. Her arm wraps around my back and her thumb slips under the waist band of my jeans.
“What else do we need to do?”
“Talk.”
27
Tamryn
“Talk? I thought we were good. That all was forgiven? Was I hoping for too much?”
“Tams, there’s more that we need to discuss. Things you don’t know about and things I need to know.”
“Oh.”
“We were supposed to be meeting at the inn this morning. Do we still need to do that or is that settled for you? Are you sure you’re in this with me for the long haul?”
As soon as we step foot inside the house, I turn on him with my wild hair flying in all directions. “Noah, I’m in this with you for as long as we both shall live. I let people and articles into our marriage that don’t belong. I was missing you and let someone plant a thought into my head that I know doesn’t define you and me. All I need is you, but I didn’t feel the same from you. This is all my fault.”
Noah places his finger over my lips. “No, Tams, it’s my fault too. If you didn’t feel my love for you, then I was doing something wrong. How long do you have this place?”
“I rented it for a month.”
“Hmmm. I can’t stay for a month, and baby, there’s no way in hell I’m letting you stay here that long without me, not after that conversation with Colt.” He’s pulling me close before he finishes the sentence.
“I want to be with you, Noah. Here or Atlanta, I don’t care.”
“Who did you borrow the Jeep from?”
“I bought it, but I did it with the intention of giving it to someone when I decided to leave.” Noah raises an eyebrow. “Let’s sit down.”
“Can we get coffee first?”
I laugh. “Yes.”
He follows me to the kitchen, and I point to the cabinet whe
re the dishes are while I start the coffee and breakfast. Noah gathers the items and sets the table. Pieces of toast pop up when I pull the oversized omelet from the heat on the stove. I snag the toast on the way to the table while Noah pours the coffee.
He takes a bite of his food, and I sip my coffee. “Noah, I met a really nice couple here. They actually own the Crossroads Bar and Grill where we were last night.”
Noah turns toward me. “I’m glad you met someone and weren’t completely alone, Tams.”
“You don’t understand, Noah. This house belongs to Becky’s aunt. She let me have it for half price since I rented if for a month. This is how her aunt earns her income. I think Becky gets part of it, but I don’t know for sure, so I’m okay with letting them keep the money when we go back to Atlanta.”
“Okay, baby, whatever you want.”
“And the car. I want to give it to Becky. They’re trying to get pregnant, and their car is old. I didn’t think she was going to make it out here and back to the restaurant before it fell apart. I paid six thousand dollars for it, but I want her to have it.” I catch the tear in the corner of my eye because I realize that Dale and Becky gave me just what I needed. “They knew who I was but didn’t make a big deal about it. They treated me like someone they’d known all their lives, Noah. I want to do this for them.”
Noah takes my hand and kisses the back of it. “Baby, if that makes you happy, then do it. I didn’t meet them, but I’d like to before we leave. Plus, I hear there’s a picture of us over the bar, and I’d like to see it.”
“Oh, Noah, we were so young.” A giggle slips out. “I vaguely remember the picture being taken.” My eyes glaze over when I look into his. “Your face was turned toward the trophy, but your eyes were on me. When I saw that picture, the look on your face made me feel like I was the most important thing in your world.”
“Tamryn, you are the most important thing, then and now.” He cups my face and kisses me. “So, those are the easy things. What about Mr. Lee?”
My eyes widen, and I jump out of my seat. “Mr. Lee! I was supposed to call him this morning.”
“What are you going to tell him?”
“To stop the divorce. However much of his retainer he needs to keep is fine.” I walk back to him with my phone poised to call Mr. Lee. “I love you, Noah. I was being impetuous and didn’t think things through. I just didn’t see you to talk to you, and then I got angry because of it.”
“Baby, I understand. I didn’t make it easy on you, and I won’t make that mistake again.” He rubs his thumbs across my cheeks. “I want to take you away. Let’s go on vacation. I know we see more of the world than our own bedroom, but rarely together, and if we stay in Atlanta, I really won’t get away from work. Neither of us have been to Paris in a long time, so let’s go make a baby in Paris, what do you say?”
My eyes brighten as I smile. “I’d like that. It’d be fun to be there on a lazy trip and not working. We can actually go to the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. I never have time to go when I’m working.”
“Then let’s go home and plan the trip. I’ve got something I promised Dad I’d do for him, but I’m hoping it won’t be necessary.”
“Is your dad all right?”
Noah nods. “Yeah, I think so.” His gaze bounces back and forth between mine. “Can we walk down to the lake? I’d like to run something past you.”
“Sure. Let me brush my hair and slip on some pants. Do you want your shirt back?” I wiggle my brows up and down.
“No, I like my clothes on you. I’ve got another one in my bag.”
I quickly kiss him then hurry toward the bedroom. When I walk back out, Noah has cleaned the dishes. This is the man I married. This is the marriage I know.
This is what I miss.
28
Noah
We walk toward the lake arm in arm. “Dad told me the other day that he’s ready to retire. He wants me to help him sell the ranch.”
Tamryn tilts her head toward me. “Wow, how do you feel about that?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I couldn’t think about it because I was worried sick about you, about us. All I knew was I had to fix this first, then I could deal with that.” She wants her cowboy back, and the small town. She misses this life, so maybe she’ll be open to it. “Tams, I need to ask you something and I want you to be completely honest.”
“Okay.”
“Do you like our life in Atlanta? Is that where you want to raise our family?”
“Do I like our life?” She stares out over the lake. “At times. I like the convenience of the airport, but the rat race gets old. I think mentally that’s where I am. I’m tired of that lifestyle.” When she turns to face me, I hold her hips and stare into her eyes. “I’d like our children to grow up with the same freedoms we did, and I don’t think they would have that in Atlanta.”
I smile because I know they wouldn’t, especially if we have a girl. “So what if I start backing away from things at the office. Maybe transition a few clients with me to Aiken, and we take over the ranch operations from Dad?”
Tamryn’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree. She bounces on the balls of her feet, and I haven’t seen a smile that bright on her face since I slipped her wedding band on her finger.
“Really? You want that?”
“Hear me out. You could be the spokesperson for the ranch, so you wouldn’t be completely free from work. Like we talked about last night, you’d do short shoots over weekends so I could go with you if you still want to model. Both sets of grandparents would be there to keep our children, and Dad could help with the ranch when we’re out of town. I think everyone would come out winners.”
“Everyone but you. Nowhere in that plan did I hear what you want.”
“You’re what I want, Tams. I’m tired of the distance between us. The hustle and bustle trap is so easy to fall into, and we lose sight of what’s important.” I rub a hand over my head. “Can you tell me the last time we saw our parents?”
Tamryn shakes her head. “No.”
“Christmas before last. I realized that yesterday when Dad brought my truck to the airport.” I pull her close. “He looked so old, Tams. If any of my clients need to see me, then they’ll have to come to the ranch or we’ll have a teleconference. No more jet-setting to the other offices. Almost everything can be handled via email anyway. What do you think?”
“Oh, Noah, I think it’s a terrific idea. Have you told your dad?”
“Not yet. I wanted to discuss it with you first.”
Tamryn pulls back. “I’d love it.”
“I’ll discuss the business aspect with the partners when we get back to Atlanta.” I caress her back as I rest my jaw against her head. “When do you want to go back?”
She bows her head and clears her throat. “I didn’t book a return flight.”
“I see... You didn’t see us working this out?”
“I didn’t think you’d want to because I thought you had a mistress.”
I close my eyes and for the first time really think about how our lifestyle almost cost me the most important person in my life. She’s always yielded to me to show her the way. I’m the one who let us drift apart no matter what she says. I know my role in her life and I didn’t fulfill it.
“I didn’t know how long it’d take me to find you and convince you to come home with me, so I didn’t book a return flight either. We can leave here and drive to Aiken to see our parents. I can talk to Dad, and we can leave from there in a day or two. How does that sound?”
“I love that plan.”
We walk back inside and get ready to leave the cottage. With everything clean and our bags packed, we drive to our first stop—The Crossroads Bar and Grill. It’s almost noon when we walk in, and there are a few customers spread around. As we approach the bar a man yells, “Becky,” but he doesn’t take his eyes off Tamryn. He looks at me and his eyes widen in recognition. “You’re Noah Carmichael.” It’s more of a statement than
a question.
I nod and stick out my hand. “And you are?”
“I’m Dale. I own this place with my wife, Becky. We met Tammy when she first came to town.”
I look at Tamryn and cock a brow. “Tammy?”
She looks affectionately at the man and the woman hurrying toward her. “Tammy, I was worried about you last night when I saw Colt herrr…” The woman looks from Tamryn to me and back to Tamryn. “Is this your husband?” She asks in a stage whisper, and Tamryn giggles.
Tamryn smiles and pulls me toward the woman. “Noah Carmichael, I’d like you to meet Dale and Becky Sharpe. They’ve been good friends to me since I got here.” Looking between Dale and Becky, a bright smile spreads across her face. “Thank you both for not outing me and letting me just be a part of your lives.” She gives Becky a tight hug. “I needed time away to just be me, and you helped me do that. I can never thank you enough.”
Becky looks warily at me. “I thought you filed for divorce.”
Tamryn’s face turns bright red. “I did, and it was the biggest mistake of my life. I was an idiot to think I could live without this man.” With watery eyes she looks at me. “I’ve loved him since before we were freshmen in high school, and I’ll love him until the day I die.”
I reach out a hand, and Tamryn intertwines our fingers before I pull her to me.
Becky look at us then toward her husband. “Does Colt know?”
I narrow my eyes. “Believe me, he knows.” I turn my attention to Dale. “I hear there’s a picture of me on a wall around here. Can I see it?”
“Actually, there’s a couple. Walk down here.”
I lead Tamryn down the bar as Dale points out the pictures. “Good Lord, I was young.” Dale points out the first rodeo picture, and I take it in before I look at Tamryn with a big grin on my face. “That’s the night we first met.”
Crossroads of the Heart Page 12
