Page 88 of Noel Secrets
Addie studied him, as if certain he was lying still. That dug even deeper. Finally she looked away and murmured, “All right.”
“Thank you.”
Price wished his future with Addie could have a different outcome, but now… there was no future at all.
Chapter Thirteen
Addie spent most of the flight on the luxurious jet trying to avoid looking at Price. He gave her space but kept checking on her and making sure she had water and food options and showed her how to lower her recliner into a bed, brushing her arm and hip with his arm in the process and making her tingle despite her anger at him.
Dang him. Why did he have to act like a nice, heroic guy when he was in reality a lying jerk? Okay, Price wasn’t a jerk, but he had gouged her deeply with his deception. She’d trusted him, and he’d been lying to her.
She couldn’t believe she’d let down her guard with the wrong man again. Price had felt right, perfect truly. The humiliation of acting like a twitterpated teenager when he was a secret bodyguard, a professional spending time with her because he’d been hired to, was almost too awful to comprehend.
She hadn’t let him fully explain about Daphne and whatever twisted plan her little sister had. She didn’t want to hear his excuses or shift the blame to Daphne. Her sister held plenty of blame, but Price had humiliated her. She would cling to her anger and damaged trust like a mother possum to her baby. It was her only defense from him prying his way into her heart withhis vows to protect her and those dark eyes begging her to listen to him.
They landed at a small airport at eight-ten a.m. according to her watch. The detectives had taken her phone so she couldn’t be traced.
She was exhausted, not being able to sleep at all as she was so stirred up with despair over losing her home, the lingering terror of almost dying, anger at Price and Daphne, and far too aware of every movement Price made. How long would she have to endure being around him? Would she miss Daphne’s wedding? What about Jamison’s trial? The police would probably get her back to the trial or postpone it if they felt it wasn’t safe to return, but they wouldn’t make her appearance at Daphne’s wedding a priority.
What about Christmas? She doubted this mess would be solved before then. Was she destined to spend the holidays stuck with Price in some windowless, dark, dusty cabin in the woods? She didn’t know about the windowless cabin, but all the snow-covered trees and sky-high mountains surrounding the valley they’d landed in said staying at a remote cabin was a high possibility.
What if it was a small, romantic cabin where she could snuggle in front of a real fire with Price?
No. Snuggling and romance were an absolute no.
Addie groaned inside. She’d have to forgive her sister, but Price? He’d chiseled out her heart. Whatever confusing feelings warred inside her, it couldn’t possibly be true love.
The plane taxied to a stop, and she stood and stretched.
Price nodded to her, standing himself. He shouldn’t look so appealing, but it was impossible not to notice his strong, tall frame in a T-shirt and golf pants and the smoldering intensity in those thick-lashed dark eyes. He looked at her as if one kind word from her and that smolder would erupt into a fire thatwould consume her. Her stomach flipped over, and she swore no kind words would escape.
The pilot exited the cockpit and smiled at them. The tall, lean man had introduced himself as Paul Braven earlier. Price already knew him as he was Aiden Porter’s ‘top pilot’.
“How was the flight?” Paul asked.
“Good,” she lied. “You’re an expert pilot.”
“Well, thank you, Addie. I try.” He grinned and winked. It was a nice, teasing older brother type of wink.
She glanced at Price. The way he looked at her wasn’t teasing. It was a broody, tortured hero type of look. He could give Heathcliff a run for his money.
Paul opened the door and they walked out into a very different type of cold than she was used to. It was dry air like her home in Arizona as opposed to the wet humidity of the east coast. This air wasn’t warm like it usually was in Arizona, though. This was a biting cold and there were mounds of snow on the ground. It was gorgeous and freezing. She zipped the borrowed North Face coat up, shoving her hands into her pockets. It wasn’t good to not have gloves.
She and Price had arrived at the airport early this morning with her in PJs and a too-big coat from his house that smelled too much like his sea salt and cedar scent. Thank heavens when they got on the plane there were clothes in a closet of the bathroom that Price said she was welcome to change into. She didn’t question whose clothes they were. Probably the famed Aiden Porter’s wife Chalisa. The clothes and running shoes she had borrowed were high end, warm, and they fit.
A cowboy leaned against a four-door white Chevy truck, almost as if he were posing for a cowboy billboard as he waited for them.
He straightened as they approached, giving her a teasing smile from beneath his two-gallon cowboy hat, a twinkle in hisblue eyes. He was tall, lean, and wore a long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans, cowboy boots, and a large belt buckle. Wasn’t he freezing?
“Welcome to Montana,” he said with a cowboy drawl, nodding to her and Price. He extended his hand. “Paul. Good to see you.”
“You as well, my friend.” Paul shook his hand and clapped the cowboy on the shoulder. “Miss Adeline Belle. Captain Price Sanderson. This is my friend Easton Coleville. Only believe half of what he says, especially if he’s bragging about his bull riding record.”
“Ha!” Easton smirked. “Only believe that I’m twice as good as I’d ever humbly admit to being.”
Addie couldn’t help but smile. He was obviously an overconfident cowboy, but he seemed kind and harmless.
Easton stepped forward and shook Price’s hand. “An honor, sir.” His sudden humility surprised her. Did everybody know about Price’s honorary service and big Navy award? Just another reason she’d trusted him implicitly. To her eternal chagrin.
