Page 26 of The Way Back Home
“Why?”
Noah’s long arm reached across the table with a napkin, wiping up the splatter. “Why not?”
She scowled at him. “I neither need nor want your pity.”
He reared back, as if slapped. “Pity has nothing to do with it.”
“No?”
“No,” he said emphatically. “I was thinking that, since you don’t seem to be on a strict timetable, you could use the extra time to recover before you go do whatever it is you’re going to do.”
Her mouth opened to tell him she didn’t need more time, but the words died before they passed her lips. She was tired and sore, and despite her earlier convictions, slipping away didn’t seem like the smartest thing to do. Shecoulddo it, butshouldshe?
The idea of experiencing a real Christmaswastempting.
She shook her head, dispelling images she had no business conjuring. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“Because…” he prompted.
“It’s a family thing.”
“That’s the beauty of it. Big family, remember? There will be so many people around, you’ll blend right in. Near-total anonymity. That’s what you’re shootingfor, right?” He paused and sipped his coffee. “Did I mention, I have my own cabin, apart from the main house? It’s not as big as the one at Hopewell, but it’s more than adequate. You’ll be safe there.”
It sounded too good to be true. “What’s the catch?”
Noah hesitated. Long, skilled fingers tapped against his mug. “No catch. Not really. But in the interest of full disclosure, having you around will benefit me as well.”
“How so?”
He exhaled. “I haven’t been home much since I got out of the service. If you’re there, I’ll have a reasonable excuse to spend less time at the house, as well as minimize the probability of an intervention.” At her questioning look, he shrugged.
“My family worries about me.”
“Is there a reason they should be worried?”
“No.” His reply was immediate and firm, even as he averted his eyes.
She wasn’t fooled. On the outside, Noah said and did all the right things, but tortured souls tended to recognize each other. This quiet, capable, kind man had demons too.
Silence stretched for long moments until he blew out a breath and said, “You know what? I’m sorry. Forget I?—”
“Okay.”
His eyes snapped up to hers, then narrowed. “Okay, what?”
“Okay, I’ll spend the holidays with you. You’ve been there for me. The least I can do is be there foryou, though I’m not sure how my presence is going to help.”
The relief on his face was palpable, and his smile? It was genuine and did funny things to her insides. “It will. Trust me.”
Amazingly, she did.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
NOAH
Noah discreetly released the breath he’d been holding. Exactly why he felt so strongly about keeping Teagan close, he didn’t know, except that dropping her off somewhere and going their separate ways when she was in such bad shape felt wrong.
The doctor in him wanted to ensure her healing continued, and, yeah, his innate protector instinct wasn’t keen on the idea of leaving an injured woman to fend for herself. There was a selfish aspect too. With her around, he’d have an excuse not to deal with the concerns of his family. He hadn’t been kidding about the likelihood of an intervention.
