Page 32 of Gatling
“Not a bad idea,” Noah mused. “I’ll come with you.”
I huffed a dry laugh. Of course he would say that.
“Look. We’ve been getting along pretty well so far. I think we should call it quits before that changes and we’re at each other’s throats.”
Noah twisted in his chair to glance at me.
“Why are you so eager to get home? Aren’t you enjoying some time off?”
I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
“I just…I want my life to go back to normal, Noah. This damn stalker has ruined everything and I’m tired of it. And if you don’t take me home, then I’ll start driving myself."
Noah put out a hand to stop me.
“Cool your jets, butterbean. You’re not getting anywhere near my Jeep until you have a barf bag on hand with the state you’re in. And for the record, I’m still uneasy about going home. So if I smell a whiff of trouble, we’re changing plans. No arguments. Got it?”
“Yep,” I said with a nod.
Smiling to myself, I wiggled deeper into the mattress. I couldn’t wait to see Ryker again.
By the time we made it back to Brightwater, September had passed and October had arrived in full color. The aspens were a brilliant golden yellow against the clear blue sky. Jack-o-lanterns began to appear on porches and in windows with their crooked grins. A chill hung in the air and the first frost left feather patterns on windows before the sun’s heat melted them away.
Noah insisted I had to stay with him at his house until we were absolutely sure that the threat of my stalker had passed.
So, I held my breath and waited.
One week faded into another. October slowly marched toward November.
Everything was quiet. Ordinary. No signs of my stalker.
The nausea I’d endured on the road trip dissipated and my appetite gradually began to return. Noah reluctantly agreed to return my phone to me, as long as I kept him updated throughout the day to make sure I was safe.
Slowly, I felt myself relaxing. Piece by piece, day by day, I was getting my life back.
Then one morning, just as I was getting ready to leave for work, I emerged from the guest room to see Noah pouring a cup of coffee for Ryker in the kitchen. I screeched to a stop at the sight of them, standing together, looking like night and day.
Noah had golden cherub curls and a smile that lit up his whole face. There was something magnetic about his personality, his charm. Despite his overbearing nature with me,he still radiated this warmth and friendliness that made people feel safe with him.
By comparison, Ryker looked like a knife prepared to slash. Where Noah was casual and relaxed, Ryker’s body was tense, poised to move, to hit back. His cold blue eyes flicked to me with an assessing look, but there was nothing in his gaze that suggested any of the familiarity we’d shared that night we spent together in his cabin.
It was the first time I’d seen Ryker in weeks. I’d envisioned this moment so many times while I was away. How he would smile at me with unmistakable affection in his eyes, and wrap me in a hug that lingered for too long because neither of us wanted it to end.
Instead, there was…nothing.
And ithurt.
I knew it had to be exactly like this.
But my eyes burned with tears and my jaw ached from clenching it so tight, preventing myself from crying.
“Hey, Kels,” Noah said. “Ryker stopped by to say hi. I’m trying to bully him into going to the Veteran’s Day Gala, but you know he hates stuff like that.”
Ryker wrenched his gaze away from me.
“How many times do I have to tell you? I can’t dance for shit.”
“It wouldn’t kill you to learn. Besides, the other soldiers don’t care if you have two left feet. They’re happy if you just show up and chat. Grab some food. Swap stories.”
