CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Reese woke up to a myriad of delicious smells—the smoky hickory scent of bacon, French roast coffee, and toasted sourdough bread.
She slowly rolled over with a sly smile and gradually opened just one eye, giving her mind time to clear itself to remember the night’s events. Her headache had faded and her cut wasn’t near as sensitive. All in all, she wasn’t doing too bad this morning. That didn’t mean she felt good enough for her daily run. Another day off wouldn’t kill all her hard work, but it smelled like the breakfast that was cooking in her kitchen might.
On second thought, that was a bad choice of words. She forgave herself as she inhaled those delightful scents once more.
The sun was shining in through the window and there was a morning dove who was doing his best to let her know that morning was slipping away. He’d gotten into the habit the day after she’d unpacked. At this point, she was debating on whether or not to buy a bird feeder and a hook to hang it on from Calvin Arlo’s store. It was possible that type of offering would keep the dove busy until a later hour.
“You going to sleep the day away in there? Aren’t teachers supposed to be early risers?”
Reese wasn’t the giggling type, but she couldn’t suppress them at Noah’s question. How in the world had he known she was awake?
“You made breakfast. Is this some kind of country tradition?” Reese made sure her voice carried into the kitchen. Her bedroom was located at the back of the house, making it easy to talk to someone in another room. She tossed her covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She quickly grabbed a change of clothes, making her way to the attached bathroom. “I might have to keep you around if you do this every morning.”
Reese had meant to be funny, but the double meaning wasn’t lost on her. Damn it. She closed the door and leaned up against the hard wood, waiting for him to reply. There was only silence.
Why had she said something so stupid?
“Hey, keep those butterfly stitches dry,” Noah said with a knock. Her clothes fell to the floor as she rested a hand over her heart. Was he trying to give her a heart attack? “I heard Julie say you should wait a couple days before getting them wet.”
“I’ll be careful,” Reece called out, unsure how she managed to keep her tone steady. She leaned down and hastily snatched up her clothes, stepping forward and setting them on the edge of the sink. “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Neither one of them referred to her earlier statement. Last night had been nice in many ways, but that didn’t mean he was interested in pursuing a relationship of any kind. Having someone to talk to while swinging on the porch swing had been nothing more than a moment in time. The benefit was knowing someone else was there in the event the man who attacked her yesterday tried to finish the job.
Reese really shouldn’t make more out of it than that. Noah was an upstanding man with the manners of a gentleman. He may have felt bound to protect her from her unknown assailant.
She listened carefully for the sounds of him walking away, but she didn’t hear the boards creak under his rock-solid frame. Holding her breath was only going to last so long.
Reese exhaled quietly and then turned on the water in the sink, which must have drowned out his departure. She took her time brushing her teeth and taking a bath instead of a shower so as to guarantee her cut wouldn’t get wet. She even carefully washed her hair without too many acrobatics. She didn’t want to seem in a hurry to join him, but then again she didn’t want him to think she didn’t appreciate him making her breakfast either.
These kinds of situations were always a delicate balance.
Reese walked into the kitchen twenty-five minutes later to find Noah pouring syrup over a stack of pancakes. The delectable sight had her mouth watering in anticipation. She was glad she didn’t take time to blow dry her hair. She’d untangled the wet strands and let them hang over her shoulder.
“I could have sworn I didn’t have any pancake mix in the cabinets.”
Reese took the proffered cup of coffee with a mumbled thank you, noting that it was just the right color with the added creamer. He spoke before she could ask how he knew that little bit of information. Was it wrong that it made her feel so special?
“You didn’t, but you have all the ingredients to make the batter.” Noah surprised her when he stepped forward, leaving not even an inch of space between them as he carefully studied her injury. He gently brushed his thumb underneath the cut as if it received his seal of approval. “It’s looking good. You’re a fast healer.”
Reese nodded, unable to collect her voice.
She should have looked away, but she didn’t.
Time stood still.
There was no doubt his intention was to kiss her. His blue eyes drifted down to her lips, which she parted involuntarily in anticipation. Her heart raced, and she had to tighten the grip on the mug in her hand to keep from dropping it. The warm fingers he’d used to caress her forehead now cupped her face.
This was it.
There was no turning back.
And she didn’t want to.
“Hello?” A knock sounded on the screen door, prompting both of them to instantly step back. The rush of adrenaline from almost tasting his lips made her lightheaded. “Ms. Woodward? Are you in there?”
“Yes,” Reese said loudly, after clearing her throat. She pasted a smile on her face as Calvin Arlo opened the screen door and walked into the house. He didn’t even blink at Noah’s presence. “Good morning. Did you make it through the night alright?”
She wasn’t sure why Calvin would have reason to stop by. He’d never done so before, and his visit now had her questioning his motives. She didn’t believe that he was the one who attacked her in the restroom yesterday, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t the one behind it.
Was Calvin responsible for what happened to Emma Irwin? Was it somehow connected to Sophia and her disappearance?
“Rose caught me before I went fishing this morning.” Calvin adjusted his ball cap as he nodded his head in greeting toward Noah. “She wanted me to bring over an air conditioning unit for your bedroom window. I cut enough lumber to secure the bracket so no one can take the unit out from the outside. That way, you can secure the house at night and not worry about unwanted visitors. I also got this old pump 16-gauge scatter gun if you want it. It’d be enough to deter most folks. I got it topped off with a hot load of buckshot shells.”
Reese relaxed somewhat at his explanation, accepting that she’d let her mind run away from her there for a minute. She hadn’t realized she’d stepped closer to Noah until she sensed his left hand resting on her lower back.
“I’m glad to see you’re watching over her, Noah.” Calvin glanced at his watch that had seen better days. “I’ll get this installed and then out of y’all’s hair. You shouldn’t have to worry about any press coming back through here for a day or two. Pete Anderson arrived in town first thing this morning.”
“That ought to be a shitstorm.” Noah gestured that Reese should sit down and eat her breakfast while it was warm before joining Calvin. “Let me help you with the air unit. We can have you back on your boat within the hour.”
“And miss the show going on in town right now? Not on your life. If Pete Anderson is responsible for killing that sweet girl and stuffing her body into his wall, I want to be there when they take him away in cuffs.”
Reese had lost her appetite. She didn’t want Noah to think she didn’t appreciate his home cooked breakfast, though. She took a sip of her coffee—which was made to perfection with just the right amount of sugar and cream—and picked up her fork to force a few bites down.
It wasn’t that hard to hear Noah and Calvin’s conversation about what could have happened twelve years ago, especially considering the older man’s deep voice traveled easily.
Why would Pete Anderson come back to town if he were the guilty party? That made no sense, and honestly, Reese didn’t have it in her this morning to sort it out. The detectives would take care of that, and hopefully also find a link to Sophia.
It hit her then that maybe she should reach out to the lead detective. She couldn’t recall his name, but Noah had his number. She would bring it up to him later today.
“That should do it,” Calvin announced, walking back into the kitchen around thirty minutes later. She’d eaten what she could and had just finished rinsing off her plate. “It’s a simple unit, so you shouldn’t have any trouble using it. Just make sure the door is shut to keep the cool air inside your bedroom or the unit will freeze up and the compressor will overheat.”
“I appreciate it.” Reese smiled and crossed the kitchen to shake his hand. “I’ll call Rose and thank her as well.”
“We look after our own.” Calvin clapped Noah on the back before taking his leave. “I’m heading to the diner for some breakfast. You two enjoy your day. I left the shotgun in the corner behind the door in your bedroom.”
The house fell quiet as Calvin left the two of them alone.
The heat of Noah’s gaze on her was hotter than had she been standing outside in the blazing sun. It was as if the half hour apart hadn’t done a thing to dampen her attraction to him, but it did give her time to second guess herself.
She’d been so prepared to live a little wildly, but now it just seemed reckless.
She was only here for another month.
“I was thinking that maybe I should talk to that detective who was at your house the other day.” Reese turned back toward the sink and lifted the handle on the faucet, more to give herself something to do. She didn’t want to say something foolish she couldn’t take back. She really enjoyed his company and would like their friendship to continue, but getting involved would be a mistake. She was conflicted. It was nice to have someone to talk to about why she was here, but she would have to go home eventually. “I could explain why I think there’s a connection between Sophia and Emma’s disappearances.”
Noah didn’t reply right away. She waited while she looked out the window toward the edge of the tree line, not expecting the heat from his body to envelop her from behind. Her breath caught when he rested the palms of his hands on either side of her against the counter.
Was he trying to induce a heart attack with his body?
She couldn’t recall a time she’d ever been so physically attracted to a man, but even that thought fled as his warm breath caressed her ear. The rich tone of his voice evoked an arousal that could have set her clothes on fire.
“We have two choices here.” Reese found herself mesmerized as he reached out and slowly pushed the faucet down until the water stopped running over the dishes. He shouldn’t have done that. Her heartrate had tripled. “Look at me, sweetheart.”
He called her sweetheart.
There went any good intentions she might have had for the last few days.
Reese slowly turned, though Noah remained just as close as he had before. With his hands resting on the counter, he’d made sure he was at eye level. She’d always loved the color blue.
“I want you.” Noah’s penetrating gaze remained steady on hers, not leaving any doubt as to which way he wanted this conversation to end. “I know you have a life in Springfield to get back to, and that you’re here just for the summer. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what time we have together.”
Reese couldn’t find her voice. The men she’d dated in the past didn’t possess an ounce of Noah’s magnetism. She was, quite honestly, afraid she’d lose herself in this so-called vacation and never want to return to her life in Springfield.
“Or we can maintain this budding friendship and ignore what we both truly want.”
He was waiting for her to decide. The lightheadedness she’d experienced earlier came back with a vengeance. The decision was in her hands, and they were coated with perspiration.
She answered by leaning forward a half-inch, lightly pressing her lips to his.
She was a goner.
Lightning didn’t literally strike her dead, but it was damn close.
His response to her offer was immediate. He lifted his hands and slipped his fingers into her still-damp strands, holding her still so that he could taste her properly.
He did more than that.
There was kissing, and then there was…being taken.
It was all-consuming.
He was all-consuming.
He continued to kiss her as if the sun would never set. The strokes of his tongue were sensual, his lips caressed hers, and all she could do was respond in kind.
Noah leaned into her so that there was no space between their bodies, giving her the ability to wrap her arms around his neck. There was no pulling him closer, but that didn’t mean she didn’t try.
She couldn’t get enough of the slight mint taste of his tongue that had become most addictive. Never in a million years had she thought coffee could be replaced, but she’d just been proven wrong.
Her body vibrated in places that had previously ached, reminding her that they could do so much more lying down in the cool air circulating around in her bedroom. She slipped her right hand into his dark hair, signaling that she was ready to move this into the other room. The pulsations she’d sensed only became stronger.
Reese tore her lips from his, using the momentary break to catch her breath.
“Is that your phone?”
“Yes,” Noah answered regrettably, pulling his cell from the front pocket of his jeans. “It’s Detective Kendrick.”
Noah swiped his screen and took the call, though he didn’t step away from her. It was obvious he was listening intently to what the detective had to say, but that didn’t stop him from playing with her drying hair. He wrapped one lock around his finger over and over again while the simple, unconscious act caused her to want him even more.
“Really? That’s great news.”
Reese closed her eyes in response to Noah’s lips against the sensitive part of her neck. She rested her forehead against his chest, trying to listen to what he was saying while experiencing jolts of arousal travel through her body at the simplest of gestures.
“Yes, I can do that.”
Noah paused long enough to catch her earlobe between his teeth, nipping ever so lightly.
“I appreciate the call, but I do have someone here who would like to discuss something with you.”
The turn of the tables Noah just executed had Reese biting her tongue to prevent her from saying something scathing. Yes, she wanted to talk to the detective about Sophia. Yes, it was the reason she was in Blyth Lake.
But that didn’t mean it had to be done now, when every nerve in her body had been awakened after a long slumber.
Noah didn’t have much luck hiding his grin as she grabbed the phone from his hand and stepped to the side. Unlike him, she couldn’t be in such a compromising position while talking with an officer of the law.
“Detective Kendrick? This is Reese Woodward. I was hoping to discuss something that I believe might be connected to Emma Irwin’s disappearance.”
Reese listened as the detective cautioned that they didn’t have conclusive evidence that the remains belonged to Emma, but he was willing to meet with her to discuss her concerns. The timing worked out well, considering he wanted to speak with Pete Anderson while the man was in town.
“I’ll meet you for lunch at Annie’s Diner around noon, if that’s alright.”
“Yes, that would perfect.” Reese wasn’t the only one who heard the rumble of an engine. It sounded familiar, but Noah was the one to see who had come calling this early in the morning. It wasn’t lost on her that he let his hand stroke her back on his way by to the screen door. “I’ll see you then.”
“Looks like you have another visitor, Reese,” Noah said, interest lacing his tone with something else she couldn’t put her finger on. “You’re a popular woman this morning.”
Reese closed the distance between them, standing shoulder to shoulder with Noah. Who had caught his interest, and why had he become so tense?
“Oh,” Reese said in surprise. “Wait. Isn’t he one of the medics who treated me yesterday?”
“Yes. And I highly doubt he’s here to see how you’re doing,”
Noah opened the screen door and stepped outside. He waited for her to join him. For some reason, she got the idea that he didn’t want Billy Stanton inside the house.
“Noah, is there something you need to tell me about Billy?”