Page 21 of The Way Back Home
Noah made an X over his chest. “On my honor.”
She studied him for a long moment. “I have no reason to trust you.”
“You have no reason not to.”
She considered this, then gave a slow nod. “Fair enough. All right.”
He could see it in her eyes—the flicker of something behind the bravado. Not quite trust. Not quite relief. But something. It was a start.
“Until dark then.”
But even as he said it, he knew he wasn’t going to let her go so easily. As both a doctor and a man who’d been raised the way he had, he couldn’t, not in good conscience.
The day passed quietly. Noah kept busy while Teagan pretended to rest, watching him as he puttered around the cabin. At least she remained mostly stationary, keeping the swelling in her ankle to a minimum and giving her wounds a chance to start healing.
She even managed to eat something, which he took as a personal victory. Then again, Mona’s baked goods were hard to resist, and his grilling skills were exemplary.
She seemed to find his company tolerable, too, sitting down at the table to eat a meal with him. It was oddly comfortable.
Maybe too much so.
“This is nice,” Teagan said as they tucked into a hearty dinner of steaks and baked potatoes. “This cabin, I mean. It’s peaceful here. Quiet.”
“You’re welcome to hang out here if you’d like,” he offered. “You’d have the place to yourself.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh? Going somewhere?”
He nodded. “I’m heading north for a couple of weeks to see the family. Mona closes the ranch for the holidays, so I have no excuse not to.”
“You don’t want to go?”
“I didn’t say that.”
When he said nothing more, she nodded. “Got it. None of my business. When are you leaving?”
“Early tomorrow morning. In fact, I should pack.”
“Go on. I’ll clean up.”
“You’re supposed to be resting.”
“I rested all day. Besides, you cooked. It’s the least I can do.”
“Suit yourself.”
Noah left her to it and went into the bedroom, leaving the door open while he tossed some things into an overnight bag. Darkness had settled over an hour ago, and she was still around.
He wasn’t fooled. Despite his assurance that he wouldn’t stand in her way, she was waiting until after he fell asleep, thinking it was the best time to slip away, unnoticed.
It was what he would do. Less fuss. No awkward goodbyes.
What she didn’t know was, he’d be right there. Because for some reason, he couldn’t bear the thought of her facing her demons alone.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
TEAGAN
Just past midnight, Teagan slipped silently out of bed. It had been a while since Noah had gone silent, even longer since he’d peeked in to check on her.
