Page 67 of Tangled Threats on the Nomad Highway
Marian had tried talking to him, the mostrecent time this morning when she arrived to find no customersinside the store. As before, he’d shut her down patiently andsweetly, but still relentlessly. From the expression on Monday’sface lately, she guessed she wasn’t the only one Noah was closingout.
Hands on her hips, she surveyed theworkroom, satisfied with what she saw. All orders that had come inthis morning were already filled, just waiting to be picked up ordelivered. She dusted off a few stray pieces of greenery from herclothes and walked through to the front of the shop.
Noah stood near the window, a dusting rag inhis hand that seemed to be forgotten. He was still and quiet, gazepointed outside. Marian groaned, already knowing what had capturedhis attention.
Okay, maybe somethinghadchanged.
Stepping up beside him, she sighed. Noahwrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged until she leanedagainst his side. “Your date’s here.”
Einstein was still in town, not havingridden out yet.He will, though. Given enough time, he’llleave.As he always had.
“That’s his new usual.”
A bike was parked across the street, afamiliar form still astride the seat.
“You need to let the man in, Marian.” Shesnorted, and Noah shook her lightly. “I’m serious. I don’t knowwhat he did to anger you, but that man has more love and loyalty inhis little finger than most people get to experience in a lifetime.At least talk to him.”
“I do talk to him. He’s just not interestedin what I have to say.”
Since their argument the day after thekidnapping and subsequent rescue, an amalgamation of things Marianhad dubbedThe Eventin her head, Einstein had beendifferent. Initially Marian had been shocked at herself, at theoutburst aimed at him, every sentence something her father wouldhave dubbed back talk, a smack-worthy offense.
She’d gone downstairs and found Gunny,staying as close to him as possible. Even when Einstein had traileddown the stairs a few minutes later. The floaty feeling had beenback, and Marian hadn’t tried to join any conversations, not likinghow things wavered around the edges.
Having successfully avoided Einstein allday, she’d gone to bed early and, when she woke the followingmorning feeling completely normal, realized she must have stillbeen feeling the effects of the drug.
Staying in the same house with him had beenhard. But the alternative was unacceptable. Last week when she’doverheard him suggesting a move to Truck’s house instead, Marianhad stormed around the corner and stalked right up to him. Fingerpoking into his chest, she’d let him know in no uncertain termsthat he wasn’t going anywhere. Turning on her heel, she’d run inher retreat, moving fast, but not fast enough to miss Bane’slaughing response. “There’s your answer, brother. You’re stayin’here.”
“Then show him how you feel without words.”Noah’s arm tightened when she would have moved away. “Marian, ablind man can see how much the two of you love each other. Itbreaks my heart that you’d let my stepbrother—” His voice broke,and he had to clear his throat before continuing. “That you’d letthose assholes destroy something so beautiful. Don’t let them win,darling. Take your own life back.”
Watching Einstein as he guarded the shop,and by extension her, it occurred to her that Noah had a tiny bitof truth in his statement.
Before Scar had shown his hand and forced areaction, she and Einstein had already been moving towards eachother. Their relationship—and she didn’t try to deceive herselfthey weren’t in one—wasn’t built on lies, not at all. He had longbeen her best friend, someone she trusted with all her heart. MaybeThe Eventhad pushed things onto a faster trajectory, butwhere they’d ended was the direction they’d been going allalong.
She just needed to rewind them to where thepain between them wasn’t as prickly. They needed to regain the easeand friendship they’d shared.
“He’s my date.” Fingers playing with herbottom lip, Marian considered her options.
“That’s what I said.” Noah pushed her awayplayfully. “Go get your man, girlfriend.”
“Maybe I will,” she sassed back, a smilebreaking across her face, what felt like the first in weeks. “Ineed the afternoon off.”
Whirling on her heel, she ran to theworkroom and grabbed a couple of things from her purse beforestashing it under her normal station. She called out, “I won’t havemy keys, so I can’t open in the morning.” Dashing off a quick textto Myrtle, she stopped in place, running her quickly devised planback through her head. “I love him.” That last was a whisper, areminder to herself of what was at stake. Softer, she repeated aversion of Noah’s words, “Take my own life back.”
She gave Noah a wave as she moved throughthe shop and out the front door, the sweet tinkle of bellsannouncing her departure. Glancing left and right to ensure trafficremained nonexistent, she continued moving straight across thestreet. Einstein was seated on the bike, and the instant heappeared to realize her destination, his bootheels dropped from thehighway bar mounted to the frame. They hit the ground at the sametime she stopped directly next to him.
“Hi.”
“Hey, baby.” Over the past weeks, each timehe’d slipped and used a sweet nickname for her, he’d lookedhesitant and regretful. So this time, Marian’s eyes dipped closedto hide his expression, and she let the affection in his tone washover her, bringing confidence and a resolve that this was what theyneeded.
She leaned towards him until his hand landedon her arm, steadying her. Blinking against the sunshine, sheopened her eyes to find his gaze fixed on her mouth.Good.As she pressed closer, it was clear he didn’t realize her intentionuntil her mouth touched his, the startled expression quicklymorphing into that heated desire she wanted to see again andagain.
Hand cupping her cheek, he murmured againsther lips, “What are you doing, Marian?”
“We’re going on a date.” Choosing her wordsdeliberately, she pulled back and moved to the saddlebag. Openingit, she brought out the helmet still stored there.For me.He’d turned to watch her, so she gave him a tiny smile as herfingers worked the clasp underneath her chin. “If you don’t haveanything else to do?” She already knew he didn’t, because if shehadn’t approached him, he would have stayed here until closing timeand then followed her home. That had been their routine for thepast twenty-two days.
Mouth quirking to one side, he shook hishead. “Not a damn thing worth doing. Where you wanna go?”
Darting from one side of the bike to theother, she used a gentle push with the toe of her shoe to lower thefoot pegs. Back beside him, she refastened the latch on thesaddlebag before climbing on. In stark contrast to their firstride, and many of the ones between then and now, she slipped extraclose, spreading her knees wide to fit alongside his hips andthighs.
