Page 44 of Natalie's Nighthawk

She snorted. “I bet.”

He sighed, his arms tightening around her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She turned her head to kiss him. “I am now.”

After a mostly sleepless night, Graham had some work to do at the Nighthawk complex. Even though her body was achy and sore, Natalie went with him, which pleased him enormously. The separation the last few days had been more difficult than he’d thought. He’d missed holding her in his arms as they slept, her smile in the mornings was enough to chase away the darkest night.

He hurried through the work waiting in his office, hoping he and Natalie could find something fun to do for the rest of the day. He had a few ideas of the kind of fun he’d most enjoy, and none of them involved leaving the house. A sound from his phone alerted him of a text. He looked at the display to see David asking him to join him in the gym. He needed to discuss something.

Graham finished up what he was working on and left to search for Natalie. He found her in the reception area, reading through some of their advertising materials. Lauren sat behind her desk; lips tight as she watched Natalie.

“Everything good?” he asked, wondering what was annoying her.

“Hunky-dory,” she replied tersely, sending a glare across the room in Natalie’s direction. Did the two women have some sort of fight? There seemed to be animosity from Lauren toward Natalie. It would be a shame if the two couldn’t be friends. He’d have to ask Lauren what was going on the next time he was alone with her.

Natalie turned, spotting him, and smiled, her eyes shining. He crossed to her and kissed her lips briefly. He’d never get enough of kissing her. She tasted like pure light.

“David needs to talk to me at the gym. Wanna join me?”

“Sure, sounds good.” He took her hand to walk out of the office building.

“See ya, Phillips,” he threw over his shoulder as he went to the door.

“Bye, Lauren. It was nice chatting with you,” Natalie said, giving his receptionist a shy smile. At least Natalie didn’t look like she had a problem with the other woman.

Lauren grunted a response as he opened the door and ushered Natalie outside. The sun had done its job melting most of the snow that had fallen a week ago. Since it was a nice day, they opted to walk to the gym instead of riding one of the ATVs.

David was working his way up one of the more challenging routes on the climbing wall with Logan on belay. Natalie stared in awe. “Amazing. How does he make it look so easy?” she wondered.

“Years of practice,” Graham answered.

“Come on up, Natalie,” David called from the top. “The air up here is fine!”

“Really? Can I?”

“Absolutely!” Graham grabbed a harness and more ropes. Together with David’s help, he taught Natalie the basics while fitting her into the harness. After indicating she understood the concepts, David went back to the wall to act as a guide while Graham stayed on belay for her. David remained by her side and instructed her on grabbing each hold, be it a crimp, a jug, or a pinch. Natalie handled each one as they came with steady ease. She slipped only once, a squeal escaping her lips. She caught herself before he could tighten his hold on her ropes, and within no time, she had reached the top.

Graham smiled from ear to ear, and David dubbed her a natural. After he lowered her to the ground, David guided her back up using a slightly more challenging course, with more difficult holds, forcing her to reach higher and wider. He was impressed with her flexibility.

After reaching the top for a third time, she declared her arms to be jelly. Graham grounded her once more before grabbing her up in his arms in a big congratulatory hug. She was very pleased with her accomplishment, he could tell. And he was more than happy that she had shown such an interest in every aspect of his work.

“How are you feeling, Natalie,” Logan asked as they were putting the equipment away. The Nighthawks all knew what had happened to her and had been just as worried as he.

“I’m good. That climb worked wonders in loosening the achy muscles.”

“Do they have any idea who was behind the wheel yet?” asked David.

Graham shook his head. “There are no cameras in that area. Ian said he was going to check some of the doorbell cameras of the nearby houses. But he didn’t have much hope he’d find anything.”

He discussed his business with David, and they left the climbing gym with Natalie still flying high from her accomplishment. “Thought I nearly had you with that one hold,” David was teasing.

“Not a chance. I didn’t spend the last ten years practicing yoga not to balance properly on one leg. Easy peasy.”

“Listen to her,” David quipped. “Full of confidence! I’ll have to give you a more challenging route next time.”

“Bring it,” she challenged. The two of them chatted on, Logan adding his two cents occasionally, leaving Graham to tag along behind. He might have been a little put out at being ignored by the three of them, but he was beyond thrilled at how easily she fit in with his family, both blood and Nighthawk. The fact that she and David could joke and tease each other so easily made Graham extremely happy. He couldn’t wait for her to get reacquainted with his parents. He remembered that Natalie had spent lots of time at his house when they were young. She had loved helping his mother out in the kitchen. And his mother had loved her like a daughter. He had been convinced that she wouldn’t wait for Thanksgiving to visit after Graham had told her they had been reunited. She had been so thrilled for him that she shrieked, a sound he’d never heard from his mother before.

His thoughts turned to Natalie’s mother and the differences between the two women. The more he learned about Mrs. Ghannon, the more he wondered how Natalie had grown to be such a loving and caring woman. It was no wonder she had spent so much time over at his house when they were young. She was desperate to feel a mother’s love, even if it came from someone else’s mother.

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