Abby's Christmas

By the time the meeting broke up at almost eleven o’clock, a contest had been decided on. Individuals or groups could register to paint a Christmas-scene panel. The entry fees would add to the budget for the dance, Abby pointed out, and prizes would be awarded to each participant.

“Some can be gag gifts, like ‘Most Glitter.’” Abby grinned at Noah. “I love glitter.”

“‘Colored Inside the Lines,’” Noah suggested. “That’s the best some of us can hope for.” Abby and her friends burst out laughing, and he stared at them in surprise. His reputation did not include being funny.

Folks said good-night as Abby gathered up the dishes from the table and walked them into the kitchen. Before leaving, Dixon put a hand on Noah’s shoulder. “Speaking of basketball, we have a friendly game going on Saturday mornings about seven, over at the school. Pete usually plays with us, but he got hurt on the job a couple of weeks ago, so we’re short a man. Want to join us?”

More surprises. “I’m not sure—”

Dixon nodded. “Give me a call, let me know. Or just show up. Good to see you.”

“You, too.” He stared after the Bells for a minute, then followed Abby into the kitchen with the glasses and mugs from the table. “You don’t have to stay and wash up, do you? It’s late.”

“There’s a dishwasher.” She nodded toward the contraption in the back of the kitchen. “Load and run.”

Once she’d flipped the washer switch and locked the back door, Abby turned off the lights. With the only illumination coming from the dining room, the shadowed kitchen felt small. Intimate.

One-track mind. Noah leaned his hips back against the stainless-steel counter, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “I haven’t seen your dad. He still work here?”

“He does, but I make him go home for a couple of hours in the afternoon and for good about eight o’clock. He’s just not as young as he was.” She pulled the dark red coat he’d seen her in earlier out of the nearby closet, then turned to smile at him. “None of us are, I guess.”

“You work by yourself all the rest of the time?” He made a conscious decision not to help her with the coat, though she was struggling with the inside-out sleeves.

“I have help until about three in the afternoon. Billie Underwood comes in to cook up vegetables, pot roasts and stuff while I make the desserts. She goes home to take care of her grandkids after school, but still does a lot of baking and cooking for us then, too.” Still fighting with the coat, she blew a frustrated breath off her lower lip. “Would you please come over here and untangle this stupid cloth from my arm?”

Warily, Noah straightened up and stepped close enough to catch the collar of the coat and the end of the sleeve. “Why don’t you just stopping wiggling for a minute?”

Abby dropped her hands and was still. She’d gotten him where she wanted him, finally—alone in a dark room. This was the moment she’d been dreaming about for most of her life, at least since the first time she thought kissing a boy didn’t sound like the grossest idea on the planet.

But now she wasn’t sure what to do next. She’d never seduced a man before. As he dragged the coat off her shoulders and arm, she turned to face him, without stepping back.

He did, though, holding out the coat to the side and pulling the arms straight. “There.” He pushed the coat toward her. “Now you can put it on.”

Abby turned her back to him, extending her arms in a demand for help. After a pause, Noah sighed very loudly, slipped the sleeves over her hands and pulled the coat up. She didn’t take any responsibility for getting the collar up to her neck, and he huffed again as he settled the wool over her shoulders.

For a moment, nothing happened. Abby feared she’d lost.

Then she felt the lightest of touches in her hair. A slight tug told her he’d wrapped a strand around his finger. She could hear his breathing, rough in the dark. When she didn’t move away, he stroked his knuckles over her head, just above her ear, then his fingertips. His shaking fingertips.

Now she could turn, and did, setting her palms on his chest. She’d always wondered how far she would have to look up to see his face when they were this close. He was taller than she remembered. Taller than he looked. The perfect height for kissing, her head just level with his shoulder.

One of his hands had tangled in her hair. The other traveled down her arm to cup her elbow. His dark eyes were narrowed, suspicious. “What are you doing?”

“Welcoming you home,” she whispered back. Then she went up on tiptoe and pressed her mouth against Noah’s.

For a few miraculous seconds, he took everything. She offered comfort and he seized it all. Desire and his need flamed over them both. His mouth was firm, agile, demanding. Abby sank into the kiss, sank into Noah until his hands, his body were all that kept her upright. She would have given him whatever he wanted.

Abruptly, he shoved her away, with enough force that she stumbled backward and probably would have fallen if she hadn’t backed into the wall.

“I don’t know what kind of game this is. But I’m not playing.” His voice grated like sandpaper on her skin.

“No game.” She caught her breath, fought back tears. “I’m not a tease. I wanted to kiss you.”

“Why?”

She straightened up. “Because I care about you, of course.”

“Yeah, right.” He paced to the door of the kitchen, then came back. “What’s the problem, Abby? Are you tired of the good ol’ boys in town? Looking for something different? A little excitement?”

“That’s an obnoxious thing to say.”

“Or do you come on to every single guy who walks in the door?”

“I don’t know that you’re single.” She wiped her hand across her mouth. “I just offered a kiss.”

“You offered a hell of a lot more than that, and you know it. But I’m not taking.”

“Obviously.” Trying for dignity, she stalked past him without a glance, picked up her purse and keys off the counter and left the kitchen.

At the front of the diner, she turned off the lights for the dining room and took a great deal of pleasure in listening to Noah stumble against tables and chairs in the dark. Still swearing, he brushed through the door as she held it open, but the touch only chilled her. Or maybe it was the cold night wind.

He watched from his bike as she bolted the door. “You lock up by yourself like this every night?” His growl took her by surprise. “In the dark? With nobody around?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact.” She started toward her car and heard the bike rolling along behind her.

“Your dad lets you do that?”

“I’ve never had a problem.”

“Dumb luck. You should never be here alone. Especially at night.”

“Don’t lecture me on safety, Noah.” She didn’t look at him as she spoke. “You don’t know the first thing about this town or my life. You haven’t been here for fifteen years. So just…just put a sock in it.”

He was silent as she unlocked the Volvo and got in. But before she could close the door, he was looming over her.

“You probably think New Skye is a sweet little place where nothing bad ever happens. But I’m telling you, there are nasty people here, like everywhere else. And if you aren’t careful, one day you’re gonna find that out the hard way. Your friends and your family should take care of you.”

Abby stared up at him. “Yes, I guess they should, friend.” She pulled on the door with both hands and, when he stepped out of the way, slammed it shut. The engine started with a purr, thank goodness. Engine trouble would have been too mortifying. Needing to get away, Abby shifted gears and set her foot on the accelerator.

But then a thought struck and she rolled down the window. “Come get your dog,” she yelled.

Noah turned and stared at her. “I don’t want the damn dog.”

“Well, if you don’t come get him, I’ll send him to the shelter. My dad doesn’t want to keep him.”

“What’s your dad got to do with it?”

“I live in his house. He makes the rules.” She couldn’t believe they were shouting at each other across the parking lot in the middle of the night.

Noah wasn’t shouting now. He’d gone quiet, and stood still as he gazed at her. “You live with your dad?”

Abby nodded.

“Damn,” he said distinctly. He dropped his head back and stared up at the sky. “Damn, damn, damn.”

Then he got on the Harley, gunned the noisy engine, and roared off into the night.

CHAPTER THREE

NOAH MISSED BREAKFAST. After finally falling asleep as the sun came up, he stumbled into the kitchen at ten to find a pot of cold coffee and his mother’s note.

“Drs appt. Back sometime.”

“Love you, too,” he told her. He had no business feeling resentful, since he was the one who’d been gone for fifteen years. A warm welcome was the last thing he deserved.

Especially a welcome like the kind Abby had offered last night.

He groaned and rubbed the heels of his hands into his burning eyes. He’d put up with a lot of punishment in the last few years, but last night just hadn’t been fair. He shouldn’t have been required to turn down a generous, willing woman like Abby. He would have made sure she enjoyed the night as much as he did. They both could be feeling pretty good this morning.

Instead, he felt like hell. Nothing new there. He flicked the switch for the coffeemaker to warm up, then bent over to rest his folded arms on the counter and hide his face from the bright light coming through the window. A hangover would be bearable. This ache inside him was too much.

The phone’s ring interrupted his pity party and Noah straightened up, reaching automatically for the place on the wall where the phone hung. His hand met air, then wall. No phone.

“Damn.” He tracked the noise into the living room and pounced on a cordless model set up by his mother’s chair. “Hello? Hello?”

“Good morning, Noah. It’s Kate Bell. How are you today?”

Best to settle for a polite answer. “I’m good, Kate. How are you?”

“Just fine. But I have a little problem you could help me with, if you would.”

He dropped into the chair. “I’ll do what I can.”

“Thanks so much. After your brilliant idea last night, Dixon volunteered to take some measurements in the gym to determine how large the painted panels should be. But when he volunteered, he forgot that he’s flying to Nashville this afternoon on business. Since he can’t be here, he wondered if you would take those measurements for him. We want to give people plenty of time to sign up and complete their paintings.”

“Nashville?”

“He writes songs—rock, country. You’ve probably heard them on the radio. Every so often, the folks in Nashville want to see him up there, and this is the week.”

“I’m impressed. You’ll have to give me a list of his songs. But—”

“He also wanted me to remind you that you’re expected at the basketball game Saturday morning. Seven o’clock.”

“I appreciate the offer. But—”

“I know Rob Warren will want to see you—y’all spent time together in high school, didn’t you? Rob’s just married a really lovely woman with two children. He was married to Leah Rodes—do you remember her?—but she died having their baby, Ginny. So it’s great that he’s found somebody to share his life again.”

“Sounds really nice, but—”

“Then I’ll tell Dixon to expect you on Saturday. And if you don’t mind, get those measurements to me as soon as possible. I’ve got a flyer ready to print and send out, as soon as I figure out the size of the panel.”

“I’ll get that done today, Kate. But—”

“Thanks so much. I really appreciate your help. I’ll give you a call soon and have you over for dinner. I’d love you to meet my children, Trace and Kelsey. Till later, then. Bye.”

She clicked off before he could say another word, but Noah continued to stare at the phone.

What had just happened? People like Kate Bowdrey and her sister had barely given him the time of day in high school—now all at once they wanted him to help out with their dance? Maybe Abby was behind this sudden friendliness, trying to make him fit in somehow.

He clenched his back teeth at the idea of being anybody’s charity project, especially Abby Brannon’s.

Then he remembered the welcome he’d received last night at the meeting, from Dixon and Adam and Pete. So, okay, Abby wasn’t trying to treat him like the stray dog she’d taken home and now wanted him to retrieve.

With a groan, Noah slammed the phone back in its cradle and headed for the shower. Kate had given him an assignment—measure the damn gym floor. There were other chores ahead of him, too, like checking in with his parole officer and his new boss.

Life hadn’t been this complex in a long time. Until three years ago, he’d done what he wanted, when he wanted, without consulting anybody else. In prison, he’d had no choices, so no complications. Now he was trying to do the right thing, not sure what the right thing really was.

If he’d expected coming back to be so tricky, he might have chosen to serve out his sentence. In jail, at least, he knew what he was in for.

Since he’d come “home,” he didn’t have a clue.

KATE SHUT OFF HER CELL PHONE and looked across the table. “I have never sounded like such an airhead in my life.”

Mary Rose grinned. “And I loved every second.”

“Oh, hush.” Kate pretended to frown at her sister. “I hate to strong-arm anybody, but I do think we owe Noah the opportunity to be part of the community. He didn’t get a fair break in high school—from the kids or the teachers, certainly not from Principal Floyd and the police. Dixon and I want to let him know we trust him.”

Beside Kate, Jacquie Lewellyn pushed her breakfast plate away. “I could tell last night—he expected pretty much the same treatment he got back then. Why are kids so cruel?” She sighed, then shook her head. “I hope I can count on Erin to behave better. In the meantime, we’ll just work on making Noah part of the gang. He won’t know what hit him until it’s too late, and by then he won’t be able to leave.”

“And won’t want to,” Mary Rose added. “That’s more important.”

Abby caught part of their comments as she brought fresh coffee and hot water for tea. “What schemes are y’all hatching this morning? Who’s leaving where?”

“Oh…I—I’m planning a surprise for Rhys,” Jacquie said. “A Christmas present.”

“What kind of present?” Abby rubbed her eyes with the back of her wrist as she poured more coffee into Kate’s mug. “And what’s it got to do with hitting?”

“Oh, no. No,” Jacquie said, blushing. “I was talking about boxing. Boxing lessons for when he gets tense and hard to live with.”

“I’m sure you’re not referring to me.” Rhys Lewellyn walked up to the table. Wearing riding breeches, tall boots and a blue sweater that matched his eyes, he was definitely the best-looking man in the diner at that moment. “Because there’s no one easier to get along with than I am.”

“Oh, of course.” Jacquie reached up to hold her husband’s hand. “There’s never been a cross word at our house—not even when Andrew decided to try out pierced ears.”

“I only said what I thought,” Rhys said, smiling.

“Along the lines of grounding him until the age of twenty-one.”

“A reasonable reaction, in my opinion, to earrings on my son.”

Abby smiled. “Spoken like a father. Charlie would have skinned me alive for doing something like that without permission. As a matter of fact, I never did get my ears pierced.” Her dad had been furious to find the dog on his sunporch last night, and he’d been prepared to rant about the problem for a good long time after Abby came home.

But she’d been so worn out, so sad, that she hadn’t added fuel to the fire. She’d drifted to her room and Charlie’s rage had leaked away.

“I remember last year when Erin dyed her hair red.” Jacquie shook her head as she slid out of the booth. “I have never been so pleased to see a haircut as when the last of that red hit the floor.”

Mary Rose and Kate got up, too, and soon said their goodbyes. Abby loved her friends, but she was very glad to see them leave this morning. They tended to understand without needing an explanation. Today, Abby had too much to hide.

Although nothing had actually happened between her and Noah. Really, it had just been a kiss. She had been kissed before, many times. After all, she was thirty-three years old.

But Noah’s kiss had been more than she’d ever known with any other man. More than she’d dreamed. And over so fast, she felt as if he’d slapped her.

She moved through the rest of the breakfast shift in a kind of daze, half smiling at the customers she knew, half conscious of their orders and the flow of business in the diner. The crowd gradually thinned, until she was actually alone in the place. Pouring herself a glass of iced tea, Abby slid into a booth where the sun warmed the green vinyl seat and propped her head on one hand to stare out the side window. A little caffeine and a few minutes off her feet seemed like heaven.

But it wasn’t to be. The doorbell jingled, announcing someone who wanted a late breakfast. Dredging up a smile, she looked across the dining room into Noah’s distant gaze.

He cleared his throat. “Hi.”

She didn’t have the first idea of what to say, so she just stared.

He looked away, and then back at her face. “Could I get a cup of coffee?”

Abby felt too weary to stand up, but she pressed her palms into the tabletop to push herself to her feet. “Of course.”

At that moment, Charlie came out of the kitchen. He leaned back against the service counter with his arms crossed over his big chest, the marine tattoo on his hand clearly visible.

“What can I do for you?”

Noah held the gaze of the man across the room, but it took more will than he wanted to admit. Despite a bum leg earned while tangling with a land mine in Vietnam, Charlie Brannon was not a guy to mess with. Back in high school, Noah had known better than to come within sighting distance of Charlie if he had something to hide.

Just like he should have known better today. “Good morning, Mr. Brannon. I thought I’d get a cup of coffee.”

Charlie looked him up and down but didn’t budge. “What are you doing back in town?”

“I came to see my mother, that’s all.”

“You waited long enough.”

Not having an answer for that one, Noah shrugged.

“And when you do show up, you palm off a mongrel that kept me up all night whining. God only knows where that dog’s been. But now he’s in my house.”

“I…” He glanced at Abby for some help. She was staring at him with her chin up, her eyes defensive, her fists clenched.

In the second that their eyes stayed connected, hers melted. She closed her eyes and shook her head, then got to her feet.

“I told you, Dad, that I wanted the dog. Noah didn’t impose anything on you. Or me.”

Which was an outright lie. Noah remembered those minutes in the kitchen last night. He’d imposed a hell of a lot on Abby and would have been glad to extend the damage.

Charlie snorted, as if he knew the truth. Maybe Abby had told him?

Noah waited, prepared to die.

But Abby’s dad just turned to the coffeepot. “I’m not happy having you in here. But, hell, your dollar’s as good as the next guy’s.” He set a filled mug down on the counter. “Drink up.” With a shrug, Charlie returned to the kitchen.

Thanks didn’t seem necessary. Charlie wouldn’t care if he was polite. As Noah went toward the counter, Abby moved in the same direction. They ended up facing each other across the long, stainless-steel surface.

“How is your mom this morning?”

“She went to the doctor. I haven’t seen her yet.” He sipped at the strong, hot coffee, digging up words. “Did the dog really whine all night?”

Abby nodded. She sure looked like she hadn’t slept much—her face was pale, her eyes tired. Under the white button-down shirt, her shoulders weren’t as straight as they’d been yesterday.

The dog might be part of her problem. But after a sleepless night himself, he suspected she’d had other reasons to lie awake.

“I’m sorry about last night.” Meeting Abby’s gaze took even more courage than confronting Charlie.

“The dog, you mean?”

“And…other things.” He wasn’t about to go into details with Charlie in the building.

She looked in every direction but his. “No apologies necessary. It wasn’t your fault. Just come get the dog, and everything will be okay.”

“I can’t take the dog.” He seized the chance to argue about something practical. “You saw my mother yesterday. She won’t have a dog anywhere near the house.” Noah couldn’t help grinning. “And when it comes to a knockdown, drag-out fight, I’m betting on my mother over your dad.”

Abby’s full lips twitched in an almost-smile. “No way.”

“Oh, yeah.”

He took another draw of coffee while she wiped the counter down and then adjusted the drape of red beads on the fake Christmas tree at the far end. For a few minutes, there was actually peace in the air.

Until she glanced at him from the other end of the counter. “So when will you come get the dog?”

“What am I gonna do with the dog if I get it?”

“What did you think you were going to do with it when you brought it with you?”

An uncomfortable question. “I didn’t think,” Noah admitted. “I only knew I wouldn’t let a gang of kids kill him just because they could.” He waited a beat. “Why can’t you take care of him?”

“What makes you think I want the dog?”

“Don’t you?”

She blew out a breath. “Whether I do or not doesn’t matter. It’s Charlie’s house. He makes the rules and he wants the dog gone.”

“Well, what the hell are you doing still living with your dad, anyway?” That question had been one of many bothering him last night. “You’re an adult—you should be out on your own.”

Abby froze in the act of refilling a napkin canister and stared at the man across the counter. He looked fierce, formidable. She was suddenly very aware of the strength in his hands and arms, the tension in his every move that spoke of experiences she didn’t know, couldn’t imagine.

“You don’t have the right to ask me that question.” She fought to keep her voice steady. “You don’t know anything about me. You never did, never wanted to.” Slamming the napkin holder onto the counter, she crumpled the empty napkin wrapper in her hands. “Leave a dollar by the register when you go.”

“Abby—” Noah stretched out a hand.

But she’d had all she could take for the morning. Ignoring the gesture and the tenderness in his voice, she stomped into the kitchen and back to the office behind it, slamming the door for good measure. Then she plopped down in the desk chair and clutched her hands in her hair, pulling until tears burned her eyes.

He might have been gone a long, long time, but as far as she could tell, Noah Blake was just as hard to handle as he had been fifteen years ago. Why in the world had she spent even one moment hoping for anything else?

WALKING INTO NEW SKYE HIGH was a lot like walking into a Georgia correctional institution for the first time. Noah took a deep breath, but there didn’t seem to be enough air to fill his lungs. He glanced behind him, just to be sure there were no chains on the door, no bars on the windows.

In the front office, he introduced himself to the young woman at the desk, someone he didn’t know.

“That’s right,” she said with a flirtatious smile. “Dixon Bell called just a few minutes ago to say you’d be coming in his place. Since he’d already spoken to Mr. Floyd about visiting the gym, I don’t think there’s any problem with you going on down there.” She nodded toward the closed door on her right, with its Principal Floyd sign. “He’s in conference with parents and a student. If you’d like to wait—”

“No, that’s okay.” Noah hid his appalled reaction to the idea of meeting the principal. “I’ll just walk down, do my job, then clear out.” He gave her the smile she wanted. “Thanks for your help.”