Page 38 of Landon

Her gaze dropped to his mouth. “And from the smile on your face, I take it that it was the right career move.”

His chest moved up and down as he chuckled. “Hell yeah. I finally found where I fit. Best boss and the best people to work with. And the cases are ones I can sink my teeth into. Some are more boring than others. But all are different, allowing me to learn, grow, and do what I was born to do.” As she cocked her head to the side again, he said, “Protect.”

Her face lit and he was struck with the full force of her smile. Everything about her was beautiful—pale complexion with a smattering of freckles across her nose, and her eyes appeared large as her now dry hair waved about her shoulders.

“And your family?”

He jumped slightly, dragging his focus back to the topic. “My parents moved from Pennsylvania to South Carolina when Dad retired. My brother lives in California. He’s got a degree in some tech field. We’re not real close since he’s almost eight years younger than me. But he’s got a good job, and we see each other for the holidays.”

They settled into a comfortable silence, one that wrapped around Landon like a worn, familiar blanket. It had been a long time since he’d felt this kind of ease with a woman. His years with the Bureau had left little room for personal connections. Dating within the agency was a complication he’d avoided, knowing the messy entanglements that could follow. Outside the job, his relationships had been fleeting, often limited to short-lived encounters during the tourist season in Montana—no strings, no expectations. Just a nice dinner, some conversation, and a mutual physical release that ended with no lingering attachments.

But Noel was different.

He glanced over at her, taking in the way she leaned back, her eyes gently closed, her features softened in the dim light. She had been a surprise from the start—insightful, dedicated, and fiercely caring. She wasn’t afraid to step into danger, even when it meant chasing him in a storm with nothing but sheer will and a gun she’d barely handled.Impulsive, sure.But he couldn’t deny her bravery, her determination.

And she was beautiful. Not just in the way her features were arranged, but in the way she moved, the way she cared for the kids, the way she stood her ground. Something about her got under his skin in a way he hadn’t expected, hadn’t wanted, but now couldn’t shake.

He’d requested her background from LSIMT the moment he knew she’d be joining the mission. He’d learned the essentials—born and raised in Billings, a younger sister named Joy, parents still alive and evidently enthusiastic about family holidays. It made him realize how little he knew her beyond the dossier facts and how much more he wanted to know.

The thought of her surrounded by family, laughter, and love painted a picture so different from his own solitary life. His family was loving, but they didn’t see each other often. Shedidn’t stir, and her breathing was even, though he could tell she wasn’t asleep. A serenity about her drew him in, and without thinking, he spoke softly. “Are you asleep?”

Her eyes fluttered open, locking onto his. A soft smile curved her lips. “No, just resting. I’m tired, but I don’t think I can sleep right now.” She tilted her head slightly, her gaze steady. “Did you need something?”

Landon hesitated for a moment, his fingers twitching with the urge to reach out. “I was just wondering about you. I’ve done all the talking but realize I don’t know much about you.”

Her eyes lit up, a spark of warmth that seemed to glow from within. His chest tightened at the sight, a strange mix of anticipation and something deeper, something he wasn’t ready to name. But as she held his gaze, he felt an unspoken understanding pass between them.

“I’m an open book,” she said softly, her smile widening. And at that moment, Landon knew he wanted nothing more than to read every chapter of her story.

“Compared to your life, mine is very simple, Landon. I suppose we have a lot in common. My family is very close. My parents are still living together, which is becoming rarer in this day and age. You have a younger brother, and I have a younger sister.” She laughed, then clapped her hand over her mouth and glanced toward Tad and Penny. Turning her attention back to Landon, she continued to whisper. “My sister is three years younger, and her name is Joy. My parents met in college at a Christmas dance. They began to date, and two years later, my dad asked her to marry him on Christmas Eve. They were married a year later.”

“Christmas Day?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, but they did get married on Christmas Eve.”

A smile stayed on her face as she continued. “My dad is the kind of man who not only went out to cut down a Christmas tree for us but would go to the local tree farm and pay for ten other trees to be given to families who couldn’t afford them. The tree farmer always worked with various churches and social services to find out who might need help.”

She smiled at the memory. “My mom had been an office assistant in a medical group. When the doctor retired, she learned about an opening at our local Department of Social Services. She worked for them for fifteen years before retiring. My parents didn’t just talk about helping others—they lived that kind of life. We weren’t wealthy, but we had money. I never had to worry about clothes, food, or housing. But my parents ensured that my sister and I understood that many people didn’t have those basic necessities. When I was in high school, I started a community service project where anyone in the school who wanted to adopt a family for the holidays could do so. Their names were kept private, but the wishes of the kids, their ages, and sizes were given out, and we helped seventy-three children have the most amazing Christmases.”

“That’s amazing,” he said. “I’m incredibly impressed, Noel.”

She shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. “I just had the idea, and Mom helped me develop the plans. But it was all the people in the school who worked together to make that happen.”

He thought back to the women the Keepers in California had ended up with—all wonderful, accomplished women with big hearts. He hadn’t met anyone like that until now. The more he learned about Noel, the more he wanted to know.

“So you carried that kind of concern into your career.”

Nodding, she said, “My mom had the opportunity to work for several social workers, and one summer after my freshman year of college, I did an internship with them. From that moment on,I felt like everything I’d been planning for my whole life came to a pinpoint, and it helped me discover that was my calling. And working with children just came naturally for me.”

“It’s a difficult job,” he said. “And one that I can imagine takes a toll on you.”

“The first time I was called to the hospital to work with a child who’d been abused,” Noel said, her voice soft yet steady, “I walked in, smiled at the little girl, and then immediately turned around and walked back into the hall. I started crying. I couldn’t help it. The weight of it all just hit me.”

Landon’s eyes never left her, sensing the vulnerability in her words.

“There was this kind nurse,” Noel continued, her gaze distant as if she were back there. “She saw me falling apart and gently guided me to the break room. She didn’t say much at first, just let me cry. Then she told me something I’ve never forgotten. She said, ‘If you ever get to the point where you don’t cry when you see an abused child, that’s when it’s time to quit.’ Her words… they saved me that day. I was questioning everything, wondering if I was even cut out for this.”

“Jesus, Noel,” Landon whispered, the raw emotion in her story slicing through him.

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