Page 59 of The Way Back Home
“No sign of Graner?”
“No, but it won’t take long for word to get around once people realize she’s back. Hang tight. I’m on it.”
Easier said than done, Noah thought as Alex ended the call. Noah wanted to be the one watching out for Teagan. But if he couldn’t do it, there was no one he’d rather have looking out for her than Alex.
Even before his special ops training, Alex had always been the shadow twin, more comfortable in the darkness than the light. He knew how to be a ghost.
Noah didn’t like deceiving her. But there was no way in hell he was going to leave her vulnerable—not once he’d figured out what she’d come home to do.He’d kept his promise to take her into town and let her go. The topic of involving someone else never came up.
Was he toeing a line of trust? Perhaps. Did he care? Not if it meant keeping Teagan safe.
Noah parked the truck behind the barn, killed the engine, and sat for a long moment, staring out across the fields. Snow shimmered on the ground, catching the weak morning light. He pictured her smile. The way her hair had captured the sunlight. Felt the inexplicable connection they’d formed, a bond neither of them had wanted.
He closed his eyes. Watching her walk away had been harder than expected.
This time, instead of calling, he thumbed a message to Alex, then hovered over the Send button before deleting the whole thing. If something happened, Alex would let him know.
Noah stepped out of the truck, boots crunching against the packed snow. He didn’t go straight into the house. Instead, his feet carried him toward the cabin. The one that, just that morning, he’d woken up in, his back and neck stiff from falling asleep on the floor at Teagan’s feet.
He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The fire had burned down to embers. The blanket Teagan had wrapped around herself last night was folded neatly on the back of the couch. The coffee she hadn’t touched sat beside the armchair.
Noah stopped, unwilling to go farther. The placethat had seemed so cozy that morning now seemed cold.
With a frustrated exhale, he turned and walked out, letting the door swing shut behind him.
He headed along the well-worn path to the stables. The wind was crisp, tinged with wood smoke and pine. Halfway there, he spotted his father emerging from the side barn, wiping his hands on a faded red rag. Martin Ziegler, gray-bearded and sharp-eyed, lifted a brow at the sight of him.
“Didn’t expect you back so soon,” Martin said, voice low and even. “Everything okay?”
Noah nodded, but it wasn’t convincing. “Dropped her off in town.”
Martin studied him for a beat, then fell in step beside him. “Why?”
Noah let out a dry breath. “Because that’s what she wanted.”
They reached the fence line, and Martin leaned his forearms across the top rail, watching the horses as they roamed the paddock. A moment passed in silence.
“Wanted? No, I don’t think so. Needed maybe. She had that look,” Martin said quietly. “Like someone who’s seen a lot of evil in this world.”
“She’s had a rough time of it,” Noah agreed.
“Understatement of the decade, that.”
Noah turned, surprised. “You know?”
Martin gave him a look. “Not everything, no. But I don’t need the whole story to see when someone’s in pain, son.”
Noah dropped his gaze, aware that they weren’t just talking about Teagan anymore.
“She’s strong.”
“Not the kind to ask for help.”
“No,” Noah agreed.
“Didn’t stop you before though, did it?”
