Noah Page 11

  “Teagan.”

  Adam’s brows arched. “Unexpected turn in the conversation.”

  “Tell me about it.” Noah ran a hand over his face. “Look, you’ve known her for a while?”

  “Since she moved to Eagle’s Ridge. I’m not sure when. But she’s always been involved in the community. A bit outdoorsy.”

  “Did you know her ex?”

  “Yeah, sure. Spencer comes in town every now and then, stocks up on equipment sometimes.” Adam rolled his eyes. “The guy’s a”—he made air quotes—“treasure hunter, whatever that means.”

  “Is he…” Noah waved his wrist, at a loss for words. “Athletic?”

  “Um…” Adam pursed his lips. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at, buddy.”

  Yeah, where was anyone supposed to take that? He needed to be clear. “Do you think he smokes?”

  “Oh. Cigarettes?” Adam’s forehead bunched. “I have no clue.”

  Noah rubbed his chin, unsure why he was asking Adam instead of talking to Teagan—except for that whole stepping-across-the-line problem. Talking to Adam like this probably wasn’t going to help. “Never mind. I was just making generalizations. They won’t help me, anyway.”

  Adam looked no less confused than when Noah had first turned the conversation to the topic of Teagan. “Won’t help you with Teagan? Are you two…?”

  “Yes. No. Not like that. We have an agreement that…” Noah had no idea how to explain what he could barely understand himself at that moment. How they had agreed to mutual disinterest, for the sake of the kids. “We have an agreement.”

  “I see.”

  Noah was glad Adam did, because Noah was getting more confused by the minute. “If her ex-husband was bothering her, I’d have a problem. That’s all.”

  “Huh.” Adam wandered the small room then turned back to Noah. “I wish I had something to add, but I can’t say I’ve heard a word that’d be helpful. The guy is in and out of town—with BS tales of adventure—and only here long enough to wash clothes, restock accessories, and keep his licenses up to date.”

  All were good reasons for a water-dwelling guy to keep an old home base handy. “Makes sense.”

  “I wish I could help. Anything else?” Adam asked. “Or I can show you our new trail maps if you want to take anyone you’re not interested in out for a hike.”

  Color hit Noah’s cheeks. It was one thing to talk about Teagan in a protective manner. It was another to discuss date planning, especially since he didn’t know how much to hang with her. “How about Nuts and Bolts? I’m open for business, and nobody knows.”

  “Oh, come on.” Adam’s forehead furrowed. “You’ve been back for less than a month. It took a long time to pull together the youth camp.”

  “I have to pay bills and figure out how to generate income from a business that’s been shuttered.”

  “People will hear that Nuts and Bolts is open. By the time Halloween comes around, they’ll see it in the parade.”

  Halloween felt a lifetime away. Noah rubbed his temple. “You’re right.”

  Adam paced quietly around the backroom. “How about I help spread the word?”

  “That’d be huge.”

  “Great. If they can drive it, I’ll tell them to head your way.”

  Noah’s shoulders relaxed, and he hadn’t realized how tense they’d been. The burden of carrying for someone other than himself was weighing heavy on him. Not that he didn’t think he could do it, but he wanted to do more than just rely on what his family could provide. He wanted to be successful in his own right. “Let them know I can fix anything. ATVs, four wheelers.” He dropped his gaze pointedly. “Surfski trailers, I can service those too.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “Sweet.” This was a business deal. Maybe not a big one, but it’d been a small step of marketing his place. It was what he’d read about and needed to do more of, and the thought made cool prickles of sweat dampen the back of his polo shirt’s collar. It was a small victory, but he’d take it. Should he do more? Hell, Noah had no idea what to do. His heart rate picked up from nerves—adrenaline, maybe, but not from discomfort. Never in a hundred missions that would scare the hair off a man’s chest had he thought twice about what he’d just considered a win, and now he was filled with doubt.

  “If you want, I could tack on an A To Z discount,” Noah offered. “Just have them mention you sent them my way.”

  Man, he hated sales. It was the dirty word he hadn’t known existed. But if nothing else, the military had trained him to persevere.

  “Seriously.” Adam gave a confused double take. “You don’t have to offer a discount. Consider it done.”

  Noah blinked, recalibrating his next move. He thought of the business expert planning guides he’d pored over. They’d told him to always expect a phase two when discussing business, marketing, and sales, even in casual conversations. Take the customer’s objection and play to their needs. But Adam hadn’t objected, and nothing Noah had researched said an immediate acceptance of his business offer was a remote possibility, even from family and friends. “Okay, then.”

  “We covered business, life, and love today,” Adam cracked as he led them toward the reception area. “Was that it? Or did we miss any other major life moments?”

  “I’ll pay you back for the help with Nuts and Bolts. Somehow.” Noah’s loosened shoulders tensed again. “Make it worth your while.”

  Adam stopped and leaned against the wall that separated the reception area from the main entry. “You’ve been in DC too long, buddy. Take a day. Hit the trails, ride the rapids, get some fresh air. Do something.”

  Noah grumbled, never having considered himself a Washington insider. “Meaning?”

  “I don’t want anything in return. Zane won’t, either.”

  “Thanks, but—”

  “It’s a good deal to offer our customers someone we trust who’s close by, but that’s not why we’d do it.” His eyes narrowed. “We’re going to help you out. Everybody in Eagle’s Ridge will.”

  Noah let that churn then recalled the fire chief’s refusal to take a free service call for his team. They felt bad for him? Why? Because Lainey had died? Or because he’d left his SEAL team? It couldn’t have been because he had Bella now, because how could that be a bad thing. “I don’t want pity work, either.”

  Adam scoffed. “I know that wasn’t directed at me.”

  Noah shoved his shoulders up, tossing his hands in the air, clueless.

  “Maybe you forgot where you came from.”

  “Like hell.”

  “But there’s a reason this town was rooted in service and integrity. There’s a reason people come home. You came home.”

  “I couldn’t tell Lainey and Bella no.”

  “No kidding, Noah. Your integrity—and not pity—will be the reason customers stop by when they find out you’re open. I know you’ll do an excellent job, and they want to support local businesses.”

  “You’re like a freaking commercial,” he grumbled to keep from choking up.

  But he was right. Eagle’s Ridge was more than HALO pancakes and Founders’ Day memories. Their childhood had been peppered with facts about the town, like how Sentinel Bridge had four soldiers guard it, connecting the good and bad sides of town under the protective eye of warriors, or how No Man’s Land was more than just the perfect meeting space for families and friends because it was considered neutral ground.

  Every tale had a backstory that made it larger than life but always left a lesson. At least that was what his mother had told him—to ignore the gossip, focus on the takeaways, and remember that their town was founded on loyalty, the values that their great-grandfathers had instilled when they climbed to the top of a rock to scout out land parcels and spotted a Bald Eagle.

  Noah let the community’s history and Adam’s words settle over him. “I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

  The front door opened as Gambler nosed in, followed by Zane.
“Hey, Noah.”

  He dropped to his knees to give Gambler a scrub on his head. “What’s up, guys?”

  “How goes parental duty?” Zane watched Gambler lick Noah then come back to his side.

  “Not too bad.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, nodding toward Zane’s twin. “Adam just put life into perspective, so … room for improvement.”

  Zane slapped him on the back. “Showing off the surfski?”

  They cracked up, exciting Gambler, who jumped up and ran around Zane before he plopped down again.

  “Don’t underestimate that thing,” Zane continued. “But it’s a rush.”

  “Looks it.” Noah grinned. “Like I said to Adam, I’m a boss. So…” He shrugged. “It’ll be a snap.”

  “Sure.” Gambler stood up and nuzzled his head into Zane’s hand. “While you’re so busy crushing it, why don’t you tell me where you’re living. I heard you burned Lainey’s house down to the foundation.”

  “Hildie tell you that?” Noah shook his head.

  “Not much changes.” Zane ruffled Gambler’s head. “Except this guy didn’t like Hildie’s sweater, so I couldn’t stick around for the part where you had to be rescued. Carried out, was it?”

  They laughed at the exaggeration, and Noah finally added, “It keeps getting legs. Next thing you know, someone’s going to ask me if Eagle’s Ridge still exists.”

  Adam snorted. “All because you tried to cook Bailey’s casserole.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Teagan glanced up from the papers strewn across her desk. The office secretary, Alexis, hovered by the doorjamb as though she had far more in mind than teacher-lounge gossip or carpool chitchat. With a small checkmark on her to-do list and a sticky note where she was leaving off in her pile of work, Teagan eased back in her chair.

  “So…” Alexis slinked around the open door and leaned back, her arms crossed to make her long, brilliantly colored sweater cocoon around her.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” Teagan twirled a pen between her fingers.

  Alexis fanned herself. “So…”

  The pen froze mid-bobble. “Yes?”

  “There is a very thick, very rugged man sitting in the waiting room and making a few teachers thirsty.”

  Teagan blushed but offered nothing more than an “Oh” at what had to be Noah’s unexpected visit.

  “He’s asked to see you.”

  This was going to make Hildie’s afternoon gossip report if Teagan didn’t stop blushing. “Did he mention who his child—”

  “He said nothing about a student and referenced a personal matter.” Alexis wriggled her eyebrows. “You’re not even asking who he is. I’m going to need the details.”

  Well played, Alexis. “We’ll talk later, and I’ll be out in a minute.” Teagan reached for her purse in the bottom drawer. It didn’t take long to throw on a fresh application of pale lipstick, run a brush through her hair, and tuck the bag away before she stood to nervously smooth her shirt and her skirt over her hips.

  Freshening her face was silly. The butterflies somersaulting in her stomach were equally as ridiculous. Still, with every step forward, her anticipation grew. By the time she was ready to head around the corner to the waiting area, the easy walk made her feel breathless.

  Noah sat on a bench in the main office, where Teagan had met thousands of parents before. A thousand fathers before. This was the first time her steps slowed when the man looked up.

  Noah stood, and his greeting was warm yet reserved. His tense shoulders remained stiff as his jawline. “Sorry to drop in on you. I called, but you didn’t answer.”

  Teagan flipped her hand nervously. “Sorry, I only check my phone on breaks and lunch. Is everything okay?” Alexis would have notified her if a parent had requested an emergency meeting.

  “Can we…?” He glanced about the open area where anyone could walk through.

  “Sure. Come back to my office, and we’ll chat.” She retraced her steps with Noah following, and the excited bundle of nerves she felt on the way out had been replaced with unease. Had she been wrong to reach out to him, hoping that it was Noah in her backyard?

  She could see why that might feel like a needy attempt for attention. Embarrassed warmth hit her cheeks at the thought that he might suspect a professional woman in her thirties of playing silly games. “This is my office.”

  He followed her in and took a seat as she rounded the desk. A grim cast came over his handsome features, and she knew this conversation would be uncomfortable. He had come from work to make sure she understood where their boundaries were. It was definitely one of her more humiliating moments.

  “About the call last night,” she started. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

  “Yes, you should.” Noah inched forward in his chair. “I want that to be clear before we say anything else.”

  Teagan swallowed over the knot in her throat. “Of course.”

  He repositioned and straightened, as though he didn’t want to be there any more than she wanted to hear him call her out for an overactive imagination. “About last night…”

  She couldn’t handle the thought that he might believe she’d placed that call because she couldn’t stay away from him or needed his attention. Embarrassed, she clasped her hands under her desk. “I know you think that I called you as though you were my knight in shining armor, but those noises were real, and I was worried—”

  “Stop.”

  She blinked rapidly, choking on her words.

  “Teagan, I know.” Noah pulled his chair closer to the desk. “But after what I’m going to tell you, I don’t know if you’ll ever call me again.”

  ###

  Here went nothing. Noah pictured the best way to explain how he’d overstepped the bounds of a normal friendship last night. Nothing came to mind as his gaze drifted over her shoulder to a pennant from the homecoming football game.

  That was an example he could work with. Maybe. “Have you ever taken the ball and…” Noah gripped an imaginary football, staring at his empty hands, then tucked it to his chest.

  Teagan obviously had not. He put one arm out, as if he was blocking and shielding, twisting and flexing the arm-carrying ball for emphasis. “And run with it?”

  “Is that a football?” She gestured to the empty space under his armpit.

  “Aren’t counselors trained to use their imagination?” He dropped his arm and let the football disappear from his thoughts.

  With a gentle tilt of her head, Teagan cast a sideways glance through her eyelashes. “I’m ninety-five percent sure that you didn’t come here to discuss football.”

  He snickered despite what he had to tell her. “You’re giving me a five percent chance of cutting work and interrupting your day to talk about sports?”

  “I think so, yes.”

  He leaned back. “Do I come off as a sports guy?”

  A flirtatious eyebrow lift teased him. “Noah, you come off as a do-whatever-you-want kind of guy.”

  “Well…” He angled his head, losing his focus on why he was there.

  “If sports were on your mind, and you wanted to discuss them.” She nodded. “Yes, I think we’d have that discussion.”

  Wouldn’t be the first time his dominant nature had gotten him in a situation. “But not in a barbaric, caveman, ruin-your-job and interrupt-your-day kind of way,” he said. He wasn’t a Neanderthal, though he had shown up to discuss overstepping what some might call boundaries and was dropping football references. “Maybe you’re on to something.”

  “I don’t doubt your best intentions,” she said. “But why won’t I call you again?”

  Well, hell. Again, here went nothing. “When you called me last night, I wasn’t comfortable with how you sounded.”

  Teagan’s sweet smile quickly sobered. “I called because I wasn’t comfortable.”

  “I called my buddy, Wyatt. He knows people around town and connected with local PD.”

  Teagan’s eyes went wide
. “You did what?”

  Despite the shock on her face, Noah kept plowing. “I asked Wyatt to swing over to my place.”

  “Last night?” Teagan blinked rapidly, stammering. “Why?”

  “Wyatt knows Bella, and if Bella woke up, he could easily explain that I had to run out.”

  “Run out?” Her eyes stopped the rapid-fire blinks and froze. “Where did you run out to?”

  Noah stifled an uncertain groan, staring at a crack in the ceiling. He might have overreacted, but he would do it over and over again, faced with the same situation. He faced her head-on. “Your place.”

  “Mine?”

  “I wanted to check it out.” Noah squared his shoulders and would stand by every action he’d taken. “I know that sounds crazy. Overprotective. Overbearing. Even saying it aloud, it’s… a lot. But at the time, the way your voice shook, Teagan, you sounded scared.”

  Her lips parted before she closed them again. Not the best reaction, though it was better than her standing and screaming “stalker.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered quietly. “I wanted to ask you to come over. But… Bella.” Her eyes went to her desk. “There was no one else I trusted enough, but I just turned the lights out.”

  “I should’ve told you I was coming.” She would’ve felt better.

  With a quick flick of her wrist, Teagan downplayed the situation for his benefit. “Nothing came of it, so…”

  “Damn it, I should’ve told you.”

  “Noah, really. That means a lot to me.”

  He ran a hand over his chin. He didn’t have the best of news to follow up with. “I didn’t see anyone back there, but there was another issue.”

  Teagan crossed her arms, and worry marred her forehead. “What kind of issue?”

  “I saw a pile of cigarette butts that struck me as out of place.”

  “Really?”

  “I mentioned it to Wyatt, he mentioned it to his friend at the police department, and they dropped by your place today while you were at school.”

  Her eyes widened. “And?”

  “I think we were all hoping your lawn guy ditched his cigarette butts in the same corner every week or something.” Noah shook his head. “The detective took a close look at them in the daylight, and they look smoked about the same time frame.”