by Terri Osburn
Taking the risk, she repeated the words. “I’m in love with you, Noah. I don’t want anyone else. And you don’t have to say it back or worry that things will cha—”
Before Carrie could finish her sentence, Noah closed the distance between them to lift her off her feet. The kiss said everything she needed to hear, and when they finally came up for air, Carrie’s arms were wrapped around his neck, a delicate silver heel next to each of his ears while her feet dangled nearly a foot off the ground.
“There’s a good chance you’ll regret this someday,” he said.
She hushed him with a quick kiss. “You’ll never hurt me, Noah. Not if you can help it. We’ll deal with the rest together.”
He stole her breath with another kiss before setting her back on her feet. “What about the wedding?” he asked.
“We’d better get you cleaned up or we’re going to miss the whole thing.”
As she expected, he argued. “I’m not cut out for stuff like that.”
“You’re my man,” she said. “Let me show you off.” Seeing the doubt lingering in his eyes, she added, “We’ll sneak in the back, eat a few peanuts at the reception, and come back home. I promise to make it as painless as possible.”
Sweeping an arm beneath her legs, he cradled her against his chest and marched out of the barn. “I don’t have a fancy suit like your politician guy.”
Carrie laughed. “Dale works for the sheriff’s department. And you don’t need a suit. Jeans and a nice shirt will be fine.”
Setting her down on the back porch, Noah shot her a heart-stopping smile. “I can do that.”
“I still say it’s weird to be invited to your ex’s wedding,” Noah mumbled before reaching for his fourth cookie. “But these are the best damn cookies I’ve ever had.”
“You’ll get used to the weirdness,” Carrie replied. “The rest of us have. Mostly. And Lorelei makes those cookies. Amazing, aren’t they?”
“The one in white bakes?”
Carrie chuckled. “I know she doesn’t look like the domestic type, but she’s a whiz with a whisk. You want to go check out the cupcakes?”
Noah surveyed the dessert table on the other side of the room. “Too many people.” He’d been lucky that the cookie table occupied a remote corner where he could stand with his back to the wall. “I’m good here if you want to go talk to your friends.”
“I’m not leaving you,” she said. “We’ll wait until they come to us.”
Not wanting to keep her from the party, he said, “I’m a big boy. You don’t need to babysit me.”
She hooked her arm through his and looked up. “I like being with you, thank you very much.”
Leaning down to whisper in her ear, Noah said, “And I like being with you.”
“What are you doing here?”
Noah looked up to find the shelter board lady staring at him as if he’d rolled in a pile of shit before walking in.
“Carrie, tell me this isn’t what it looks like.”
“Good afternoon, Meredith,” his girl said, her smile never faltering. “If it looks like Noah is with me, then it’s definitely what it looks like. How are you today?”
The older woman’s lip actually curled in distaste. “Why are you wasting your time with this cretin?”
Carrie dropped the niceties. “If you can’t be civil, then feel free to mingle elsewhere, Meredith. Noah is my date, and I will not tolerate you insulting him.”
Pride filled his chest as the snooty witch moved along.
“And I thought seeing you naked was a turn-on.”
Carrie exhaled as she turned her back to the crowd. “I can’t believe I just did that. She’s going to rip me to pieces at the next board meeting.”
“You can hold your own,” he said, rubbing her back. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
“I didn’t used to be.”
“So you are here,” a slender blonde said, whisking Carrie into a quick hug. “We saved seats at the wedding but never saw you come in. When Dale walked in alone, I was afraid something had happened to Molly.” As if belatedly noticing him, she turned wide eyes on Noah. “Oh, this is making more sense now.”
Skipping over the Dale part, Carrie made the introductions. “Noah, this is Haleigh Mitchner and Cooper Ridgeway. Haleigh is the doctor who delivered Molly, and Cooper is the one I said you should talk to about your restoration business.”
“You restore cars?” the friendly giant asked. It wasn’t often Noah met a man who beat him in height.
“Motorcycles,” he corrected. “Or that’s the plan, anyway. I restored my ’96 Harley after some kid trashed it. I’ve gotten lucky and found a frame with the tank intact for a ’75 Ironhead, so that’s next.”
“I’ve got a buddy in Gallatin who found a ’79. She’s a beauty, but he paid a fortune for her.”
“While you boys talk shop,” Haleigh said, “I’m going to steal Carrie for just a minute.”
Before either man could argue, the women wandered off. Noah must have been obvious about trying to keep an eye on Carrie.
“She’ll be back. Hal is just pumping her for information.”
“About what?”
“You.” Cooper grinned. “Carrie seems to really like you.”
“Is that what you’ve heard?”
Instead of answering, the big guy said, “You know those divider things in limos? The window between the driver and the passengers?”
“I haven’t spent much time in limousines, but sure.”
Cooper shook his head. “Not soundproof.”
The weekend before flashed to mind. “That must have made for a long night for you.”
“My sister was in that car. My drunk, desperate-for-sex sister.”
Noah smacked him on the back. “I’m sorry, man.”
Laughing at his own suffering, Cooper said, “You interested in a beer?”
Feeling as if he’d made a new ally, Noah decided to peel himself off the wall. “Nope. But I could go for a soda. Lead the way.”
Chapter 15
“First of all,” Haleigh said, “what the heck did you say to Mom? She pulled me aside in a huff and claimed you’re jeopardizing your place on the board.”
Carrie simmered at the insinuation. “She can’t kick me off the board because she doesn’t like my boyfriend. This shelter was my idea, not hers.”
“Whoa. Did you say boyfriend? That explains Dale’s long face.”
“That makes two things I haven’t handled well today.” Carrie pulled Haleigh away from the crowd. “I knew that Noah would hate an event like this, and I didn’t want to hurt Dale’s feelings, so I kept my mouth shut hoping it would all work out. And then Noah saw me leaving with Dale, and he got mad—I thought for a minute it was going to get ugly—but I could see that he was also hurt and, well, I made Dale turn around and take me back.”
“The poor guy didn’t see it coming, did he?”
“Completely clueless. But I never did more than kiss him, and that was a peck on the lips.” Carrie spotted Noah and Cooper headed to the bar. “What man doesn’t get a clue from that?”
“Dale, I guess. What are you looking at?”
Carrie stepped out of the corner. “Noah just went with Cooper to the bar.”
Haleigh followed her gaze. “You say that like it’s a big deal.”
“Noah doesn’t like crowds. That’s why we were standing out of the way.” She craned her neck to see what was in his glass and realized the men were headed their way. “Here they come.”
“Quick. Tell me what you said to Mom,” Haleigh whispered.
“She called Noah a cretin, and I basically told her to buzz off. They had a run-in on the job site, but you know your mother. She walked in with guns blazing, demanding answers and a tour. Noah didn’t know who she was and basically told her the same thing I just did, only I’m guessing there was more profanity involved.”
“I’d have paid to see that.”
“And I’d have paid to avoid it.”
“What are you two whispering about back here?” asked Cooper, handing a soft drink to Haleigh.
“The usual,” she replied. “Discussing whose purse doesn’t match her shoes and taking bets on how long the newlyweds will stick around before making a break for it.”
Cooper searched the crowd, presumably for the happy couple. “If I know Spencer, he has the truck running and waiting at the back door.”
“She spent months planning this,” Carrie pointed out. “He has to let her enjoy it.”
With a raised brow, Noah said, “If I were the groom, I’d be more interested in enjoying something else.”
Carrie blushed, pretending she didn’t notice the knowing exchange between her friends.
“Have you met the bride and groom yet?” Cooper asked.
“We don’t have to do that today,” Carrie said.
Dark brows drew together as Noah sent her a questioning look.
“Sure you do.” Waving a hand over his head, Cooper flagged down the host and hostess.
As they approached, Carrie tugged on Noah’s arm until he bent to her level. “Be nice. I don’t know what Spencer is going to say.”
With no time to respond, Noah straightened and accepted the offered handshake as Cooper introduced him. “Congratulations on your big day,” he offered.
“Thanks,” the groom replied. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
Carrie shot Lorelei a make him behave look.
“What Spencer means to say is that we’re glad you could make it, Noah. Carrie has told us a lot about you.”
Addressing his ex, Spencer said, “I thought you were coming with Dale.”
“Change of plans,” she replied with a nervous laugh. “Lorelei, Noah loves your cookies.” Yeah. That didn’t sound weird at all. “You guys must be leaving soon. Gotta get a head start on that drive to Gatlinburg.”
Staring holes through Noah, Spencer said, “We have time.”
“My dad has nothing but good things to say about you,” the bride tried again, digging an elbow into her new husband’s side.
“Your dad?” Noah asked. They’d crept into the wedding somewhere in the middle, which meant Noah never saw who escorted Lorelei down the aisle.
“Mike is Lorelei’s father,” Carrie explained. “We should probably find him and say hello.”
Before she could push Noah out of the line of fire, Spencer cut them off. “Carrie has a lot of friends around here. Friends who wouldn’t think twice about stepping in if someone hurts her.”
Every muscle in Carrie’s body froze as tension crackled in the air. This was it. Either Noah would walk away because she wasn’t worth this hassle, or her ex-husband was going to die on his wedding day.
But instead of throwing a punch, Noah slid his hand into Carrie’s and pulled her close. “I’m grateful for what you’ve done for her, but so long as I’ve got breath in my body, no one will ever hurt her again.”
“See?” Lorelei said, flashing Noah a satisfied grin. “I told you. Now can we end this pissing match and get back to celebrating our marriage?”
Spencer sized up his opponent for several more seconds before wrapping an arm around his wife. “It’s time for a toast from the best man anyway,” he said, once again offering a hand to Noah. “Welcome back, Winchester.”
Carrie let out the breath she’d been holding as Noah accepted the truce, saying, “Thanks. It’s good to be home.”
One hysterical speech from the best man, followed by a more poignant one from the maid of honor, seemed to signal the end of the party. Noah and Carrie let the mass of bodies file out first, and then they skirted the crowd to find a spot near the front and watched Spencer kiss his bride like a man unconcerned with offending the more prudish in attendance. Noah ducked his head when handfuls of birdseed flew through the air.
As the shaving cream–covered Dodge pickup disappeared in the distance, Carrie looked down the front of her dress. “My bra could double as a bird feeder.”
Leaning forward to assess the situation, Noah said, “I can help you clean that out.”
Cutting off the show, she failed to hide the interest in her eyes. “Always willing to help a girl out, aren’t you?”
“Not any girl,” he murmured, holding her close. “Just my girl.”
Ice-blue eyes went soft as she tracked two fingers up his chest. “Thank you for what you did earlier.”
“What did I do?” Noah asked, too distracted by her touch to think straight.
“Made peace with Spencer. He was a jerk and you could have been a jerk back, but you weren’t.”
If the encounter had happened somewhere else, or even before Carrie had said she loved him, Noah might have handled the situation differently. But today appeared to be Spencer Boyd’s lucky day in more ways than one.
Leading Carrie to the parking lot, he said, “I can’t blame the guy for looking out for you.”
“I can,” she said, tucking her arm through his. “You and Cooper seemed to hit it off.”
“The guy’s been through a lot,” Noah said, growing serious. “I felt bad for him.”
Stopping, she said, “What are you talking about? Cooper’s the happiest guy I know, other than Spencer.”
Pressing his lips beside her ear, he whispered, “That little window inside your limo wasn’t soundproof.”
Carrie gasped. “No.”
“Oh yes.” He tugged to get her moving again. “The poor guy might be scarred for life.”
“His sister . . .”
“From what I can tell, that was the worst part.” They reached his truck, and an idea struck as Noah opened the passenger door. “Is that babysitter expecting you home right away?”
“I didn’t give her a time when I’d be home, but she’ll know the wedding wouldn’t last into the night.”
Noah didn’t need that long to accomplish his plan. “Can you give her a call and see if she’ll give us another hour?”
Suspicious, she said, “What do you have in mind?”
“I want to show you something.” He lifted her into the passenger seat. “I’ll have you home by sundown. Promise.”
“Now you have me curious.” Reaching into her purse, she said, “Let me call and see what she says.”
By the time Noah climbed behind the wheel, Carrie had gotten the sitter on the phone.
“We’re going to make another stop. Do you mind staying a little longer?” He waited out the response until Carrie said, “I know I didn’t handle that well.” Another pause. “Mya, he doesn’t have to be alone. If you’d—Okay, I’ll butt out. But give us an hour, and then you can buy him a six-pack and tell him all the reasons I was wrong for him anyway.” A second later Carrie gave him a thumbs-up. “Thanks, Mya. I really appreciate this.”
As she tucked the phone back into her purse, Noah said, “Did I hear that right? Your babysitter has a thing for the goody-two-shoes guy?”
“It’s complicated,” she said, locking her seat belt. “Now where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” After checking behind his seat for the old blanket he kept for emergencies, Noah snapped his own belt into place.
“Is it far?” Carrie asked.
“Not far at all,” he answered.
For several miles, Carrie had been certain that Noah was playing a joke on her since they were headed straight for the farm. But then he made a left onto a dirt road she’d never noticed before. A rusty metal gate blocked the entrance, forcing Noah to stop the truck.
“I’ll be right back,” he said.
“Noah, this looks like private property.”
“It is,” he said. “It’s mine.”
Closing his door before she could ask more questions, he unchained the gate and swung it open. When he returned, she said, “I don’t understand.”
“Two minutes, hon. Hold on for two more minutes.”
Holding on became a literal requirement as the truck swayed from side t
o side, navigating the narrow, crater-lined path that led into a thick copse of trees. An hour ago, she’d trusted Noah unconditionally. Now she wasn’t so sure. If there was ever a spot to hide a body, this was it.
“Have you brought anyone back here before?” she asked, horror-movie plots circling through her mind.
“No one but Zeke. We came back here a lot when we were kids.”
Since Zeke had lived to see adulthood, Carrie felt a little better. Until they hit a pothole the size of the Grand Canyon and Carrie stopped worrying about being killed to focus all her energy on not tossing Lorelei’s delicious cookies onto Noah’s dashboard. Breathing deeply, in through her nose and out through her mouth, she gasped when the gnarled trees opened to reveal a beautiful field of swaying reeds dotted by the tallest pussy willows she’d ever seen.
The land appeared untouched while the lane finally leveled out and Noah pulled through to the edge of a motionless pond. He spun the truck around to back up as close to the water as he could get, then tugged a blanket from behind the seat. “This is it. The prettiest spot in Tennessee and the best fishing this side of the Mississippi. At least it used to be.”
Carrie undid her seat belt and twisted to look out the back window. In the distance she spotted a giant willow tree that looked familiar, as if she’d seen it before. A silly thought. All trees looked alike, and she’d definitely never been anywhere near this one.
“Stay in the truck until I come around,” he ordered. “The snakes are probably pretty thick right now.”
Noah’s secret place dropped several levels on the pretty meter. Carrie did not do snakes. In the year she’d lived in the trailer, she’d encountered two, and both times had called Spencer in a panic to come get rid of them. He’d teased her mercilessly about her phobia, but Carrie didn’t care so long as the nasty creatures disappeared.
By the time Noah opened her door, she’d tucked her feet under her butt as if something might slither over her toes inside the truck.
“Ready?” he said.
Carrie shook her head. “I don’t like snakes.”
“Honey, that was just a warning.” He kicked at the high grass around his legs. “There’s nothing out here right now. Come here and I’ll lift you into the back.”
