* * *
Noah, Hayden, and Louisa haven’t been in the park long before a strange scent wafts in his direction. Standing from his squatting position, he tries to locate the owner of the intoxicating aroma. He takes another breath and allows it to permeate his lungs. A woman jogs by in a pair of running shorts and a hooded sweater jacket. Both are a pale pink and fit to the contours of her curves. He stands watching her toned legs work to carry her around the square. A throat clearing interrupts his ogling moment.
“Is there some reason you aren’t able to respond to my niece, Cousin?” Louisa asks him and he can hear the hint of humor in her tone.
“Sorry honey. What did you ask me?”
“Are you okay, Daddy? Your cheeks are all rosy red. I only wanted to know if we could go to Mrs. Dottie’s place. I’m hungry.”
Trying to hide the embarrassment of being caught watching some woman, Noah shakes himself and rubs his chilled hands together. A motion across the square causes him to look up. He sees the woman stretching and seeing the curve of her ass makes him react in an entirely different way.
“Daddy?”
“Damn,” Noah mutters under his breath and has to ask himself if that was in response to the woman’s ass or the fact that his daughter interrupted his action of memorizing every aspect of that curvature.
“Sure, Hay Belle. We can go to Dottie’s. We need to put ‘Puppy’ …”
“Colleen, not ‘Puppy.’ I want to name her Colleen,” Hayden corrects him and gives him a look that says that wasn’t the first time she’d told him the puppy’s name.
“Okay. Sorry. We need to put Colleen in her carrier, honey. Let’s go get something to eat.”
When he looks in the direction where the woman was previously stretching, he notices she is heading in the same direction. He secretly smiles to himself. When he looks at his cousin, he notices she is smirking at him and he shakes his head.
Maybe they shouldn’t head over to Dottie’s. Nothing good could come of this if his reactions continue to happen. Every soul in town, including himself, would be surprised to learn that a woman who resided in town got him to break one of his tried and true rules. He tends to steer clear of dating within Sapphire Falls. Too many busy bodies to offer up their two cents. Still, he dutifully makes his way to the one place that is considered gossip central.
4
Frenemies
Indigo
Dottie’s Diner hasn’t changed one bit. It is still just the same as it had been when she left this town eight years ago. How is it possible that the same guys that took up residence in a corner booth still sit there after all of these years? An excited squeal pulls Indigo out of her nostalgic moment. A woman with brown hair, glasses, a denim jacket and matching jeans rushes toward her.
“Oh my goodness, Saph, I can’t believe you’re here. I missed you so much. I also hate you for looking as you do in that get up.”
Hearing her voice jogs Indigo’s memory as she pointedly ignores the whispers that begin behind her. Maybe she should have gone to the grocery store and purchased something to stave off the hunger pains instead of opting to come to the one place that would cause her to have to face her past.
“Terri! Wow! Look at you. You look amazing. They tell me you’ve had four children. I believe they tell lies. This body is not one that gave birth to four babies.”
Indigo determines it would be better to focus on the one person that seems genuinely happy to see her besides her father versus the small town gossips behind her. After hugging one another, Terri pulls her to the other side of the trailer that was redesigned to become Dottie’s place. They take a seat at a booth where swatches of fabric and a laptop are waiting for Terri’s return.
“Well, believe it. I worked hard to keep this body in check.” Noticing where Indigo’s gaze goes, Terri explains the items on the table. “I’m helping with some interior decorating at the Burke house. Have you met them yet? If you haven’t, you have to meet them. They are wonderful people.”
“No, I haven’t had the pleasure yet. I haven’t been in town long. I just arrived a few hours ago actually.”
“That’s right. I heard you had to stop in at the vet’s place. I’m surprised you didn’t get to meet Dr. Burke. He runs that place now.”
“Oh. Does he? That must’ve been the male voice I heard when I was there. I was so focused on the puppy that I didn’t see anyone else.”
“Well, let me tell you, honey. If I weren’t happily married, I would give that man a run for his money. Gorgeous does not even begin to do that man justice. Six feet plus, sandy brown hair kept short beneath the periodic Stetson he wears, bulging arms, rock hard ass and a genuine smile that makes grown women stutter in his presence. Mmm.”
Indigo giggles in response as the front door chimes. Her focus moves to the tall, handsome, ass of a man that walks through it. She notices his smile falters when his eyes take her in as well. He groans, actually groans his displeasure upon seeing her. That groan lets her know that just as she recognizes him, he knows who she is. Well not exactly who she is, but he knows of her.
“Did you just hiss, Sapphire?”
Rolling her eyes, she harshly corrects Terri.
“I actually go by Indigo now. No one really calls me Sapphire any longer.” When she notices Terri’s affronted look, she quickly corrects her rude response. “I’m sorry, Terri. I did hiss. I see someone that I had a run-in with while I was in New York.”
“That’s all right, sugar. Who do you see?” Terri turns in her seat and notices the male. She quickly waves and turns back to face Indigo. “Dr. Burke? You had a run-in with Dr. Burke and that is your response to seeing him again. I must know what in the world would have you reacting to that wonderful specimen of a man in this manner.”
Indigo shakes her head as Dr. Burke, the woman he is with, and a child make their way to a table on the other side of the diner. The girl’s hood is up on her jacket so she is unable to get a good look at her but the multi-color jacket tells her that a little girl is with them. Turning, she gives her old friend her undivided attention.
“I was rushing. My mind was scattered because I’d just received a phone call from Jojo. I was frantic and trying to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. Running from the building, I tried my best to dodge this guy who just wouldn’t get out of my way. It was like we were doing some weird dance on the steps and …” I pause to look at Terri as she smirks at me. “What?”
“Was the problem the fact that a guy took interest in you or the fact that you were actually attracted to the man? You had to take notice of the hottie that you were ‘dancing’ with.”
Indigo tries her best to look aghast at even the thought of being attracted to the guy who turned out to be a resident hottie from her hometown. The fact that Terri can surmise something like that after all of this time apart is a testament to the woman’s uncanny ability to read Indigo.
“Hottie?”
“Yes, hottie. You know he is beyond easy on the eyes. I’m quite sure he’s not easy in other places. I would love to find out even if it’s living vicariously through you.”
“No. Stop.” Indigo begins to laugh as Terri raises an eyebrow at her. “It’s not the point here. I’m here for my aunt’s dance studio and to lie low until all of the crazy back in New York is over with. Once all is said and done, I will be able to leave Sapphire Falls behind?”
“That’s what you want?”
“Yes, it’s what I want. I don’t have time for hotties or anything else. I especially don’t want to have any dealings with someone who calls me an uptight bitch because I won’t swoon at his advances.”
“Wait a second, Dr. Noah Burke hit on you and you turned him down? What is wrong with you woman? That’s perfection walking … more like he is perfection in motion. You are crazy. What in the heck happened to you in New York? That man over there is Russell Gunner to the tenth power.”
Indigo’s gaze moves to Terri’s eyes and she rememb
ers for the hundredth time since she walked in the doors of Dottie’s place why Terri was once her best friend in grade school. She cannot believe Terri was a casualty of her quick exit. Indigo’s grandfather would scream at her if he knew she hadn’t kept up with a Bennett relation.
Her parents and grandparents have lived in Sapphire Falls all of their lives. The Warrens and Bennetts have been old family friends for years. She knows they do business and work within each other’s circles but she purposely kept her nose out of the family business. It never piqued her interest. Just as none of them had an interest in her creative matters, She steered clear of their things. Had she not, she might have run screaming in the other direction when her path initially crossed with one, Russell Gunner.
When she takes in Indigo’s expression, Terri immediately begins to apologize. Indigo halts Terri’s words with a raising of her hand.
“It’s fine. I’m fine. It’s not a big deal and I’ve moved on. I have to disappoint you though. There’s no way Dr. Burke and I could ever work. I have a business to attend to and a career to return to once all of this is taken care of. I’m going to go grab the order I called in and head home. Please call me. I’m going to be at my Aunt Dinah’s, well my house, until everything settles. I want us to keep in touch this time.”
“All right. I’ll make sure we do.” Glancing around Indigo’s standing form, Terri smiles before standing herself and giving Indigo a hug. “I’m sure we’ll see a lot of each other in this small town. Plus, I want you to meet my family.”
“That sounds nice. We’ll catch up soon.”
Terri covers her mouth as if she is trying to hide a snicker or something before focusing on Indigo again.
“Definitely. I have a feeling your visit is going to be fairly interesting.”
Looking over her shoulder in Dr. Noah Burke’s direction, she sees that his focus is on the conversation he is having with the woman. The little girl is no longer with him. She must’ve gone to the restroom. Shaking her head, she heads to the counter, pays for her food, and with a final wave to Terri heads back to her new home.
Had she looked again, she would’ve caught Noah’s glaring look in her direction as she made her exit.
5
Tiny Dancer
Noah
Noah, why are you glaring daggers at Ms. Indigo?”
“You know who that woman is?”
“Of course, I do. That’s the woman who brought the puppy in to the clinic.”
“I’m surprised, given how wretched the woman was when I first ran into her in New York.”
“You’ve interacted with the object of your Petting Zoo obsession prior to today?”
“I was not obsessing over that woman.”
Louisa snorts before delivering her next slam, “Right. You weren’t obsessing over any of the many assets that woman has.”
“I will admit to admiring a beautiful woman. Nothing more.”
“You know you blushed when you were caught admiring said beautiful woman. What happened in New York that has her on your bad side now?”
“We ran into each other, literally, and had this kind of ‘which way are you going’ moment. I made a joke and asked her out or hinted at asking her out. She made some derogatory comment as I was asking her and I called her a bitch.”
“Whoa bucko. Are you serious? There has to be more to this story than that. You rarely lose control. What did she say exactly?”
“I believe her exact words were, ‘What are you some idiot hick that can’t tell when a woman is trying to move beyond you and not hitting on you?’ There was another colorful epitaph added to that, but I can’t repeat it because Hay Belle is returning from the bathroom.”
“You’re interested though, aren’t you? Whatever that initial spark was, you still have it, don’t you?”
“I’m going to pretend you aren’t talking right now. There is a little person coming back to our table that doesn’t need to hear any adult conversation. Is that all right with you?”
“That’s just great, Noah. Just know that we’re not done with this.”
Groaning to himself, he silently wishes for something to come up that would keep his cousin occupied enough so he didn’t have to delve any deeper than necessary with this situation.
The food they ordered is delivered as Hayden returns. They finish their meal and thankfully Louisa is called away to help Noah’s mother with some “pressing need.” He didn’t need to dwell any more on Indigo than what was absolutely necessary. Instead, he takes his little girl home.
Noah spends the rest of the evening and weekend enjoying time with his daughter. He was Louisa free the entire time. Sunday evening, he was also Hayden free since she was spending the night with his parents. He spent that night in the next county over, but couldn’t follow through with his mission because of a certain woman with golden blonde hair and a tight ass that kept flitting across his mind.
By Monday afternoon, he feels as if he is going to lose his mind. Noah’s thoughts are so consumed with that woman. His mind won’t focus on the work that he has to do. The center of his attention is rooted on that woman, even as his daughter announces her return from school.
“Daddy?” Noah hears his little girl call out from the front of the house. He’d just taken a much-needed break from looking at the multiple spreadsheets that aided him in running both of his businesses. “Daddy? Are you in the kitchen?”
Noah can tell she is growing frustrated. She’s one of the few kids he knows who hates playing hide-and-seek because she doesn’t have the patience for it.
“Yes, Hay Belle, that’s where I am. I needed to stuff the old gullet.”
Rounding the corner, she stops in her tracks as she takes in the spread before him.
“Daddy, that’s not just stuffing your gullet. It looks like you’re pulling up to the trough that we have set aside for the horses upstate. Did you eat at all today while I was at school? This amount of food sitting in front of you isn’t normal.”
Noah smiles as he finishes the creation of the ham, turkey, bacon, and cheese on rye sandwich. After he takes a bite, he notices the longing look that Hayden gives him and hands over the miniature version of the sandwich he made for himself. Smiling, she pulls up a chair on the corner of the kitchen island. After taking a massive bite, she waits for him. It takes him a moment to remember that she’d asked him a question.
“Unimportant, little lady. You sounded like you had news you wanted to share. Feel free to share. You have my somewhat undivided attention.”
She giggles that cute little girl laugh that always makes him smile and warms his heart. It means that he did right by her and she feels happy in the space that she’s in. That laugh is his reassurance that he isn’t a complete idiot. His little lady is doing all right. At Noah’s raised, expectant eyebrow, Hayden pauses her stretching reach for one of the homemade cupcakes they’d made the day before. She’d already snagged a snack pack of chips and some of the fruit salad that he’d made.
“Oh. Right. I was walking home today ...”
“An everyday occurrence, so there’s nothing special there.”
“Daddy.” Hayden drew out the second syllable of his title to allow the annoyance she felt at being interrupted to be known.
“Sorry. Continue.”
He makes a sign as if he is locking up his mouth before she continues.
“I was walking home with Katie, Lidia, and Emma, like normal. We were walking by the dance studio and guess what?”
Hayden doesn’t need to qualify what studio because there is only one in the area. Small town living means there usually is only one of pretty much everything. The woman that previously owned and operated the studio had recently passed away. They’d closed the doors to mourn her loss and determine what the next step would be for the business.
He may not be in the middle of all of the dealings of Sapphire Falls, but he has heard several conversations about the dance studio and the owner’s other properties. Ap
parently, she has a home in the area as well as one in New York. Some say there is a long lost niece that is being contacted because she is to inherit it all. It made him wonder if the Indigo woman is the niece that is supposed to take ownership of everything. A faint tapping pulls him out of his thoughts and has him focusing on his Hayden.
Clearing his throat, he focuses on his daughter. “What? What did you want to tell me?”
Shaking her head, she tilts her head at him and smiles. “The studio is opening on Wednesday and they are going to have open enrollment for all of the girls who want to learn to dance.”
“That’s great?” Noah didn’t understand why Hayden is suddenly so excited. She hasn’t stated dance is something she would be interested in on any prior occasion. “I’m glad they were able to find someone to open the doors of the place again.”
“Yes. They did. Daddy, I want to sign up. I’ve been practicing with my friends and it’s been so much fun. Will you take me to sign up?”
“Noah? Hay Belle?”
Louisa’s voice calls from the front of the house. Noah knows he has only a few moments before she will be standing before them. His hope is that she won’t bring that woman up again. He is doing that enough all on his own. This smells fishy. He has a sinking suspicion he is about to be ambushed. Louisa’s first question answers his mental inquiry.
“Did you ask your daddy, Hay Belle?”
“I did. I’m just waiting for him to say yes.”
“You just know I’m going to give you my permission, do you?”
Sapphire Falls: Going After Indigo (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 3
