“I have one of those faces, I guess,” Noah said, and he excused himself to get another drink.
Of course, she knew why he was so jumpy. She knew exactly why he had freaked. Anyone here might recognize him if the media had dug up a photo of him from somewhere. Frannie had told her his disappearance had made the news. But she couldn’t tell him not to worry. She couldn’t tell him anything that would comfort him.
“Wanna dance?” She snuck up on him as he took the drink from the bartender and practically downed the whiskey in a single gulp.
His look went from wrecked to relieved in a moment. “Hey,” he said.
“Hey yourself.” She drew a finger along his muscular arm. “I figured I’d better ask you myself, or stand like a wallflower all afternoon on the sidelines. I don’t suspect you’re much into dancing.”
“Oh yeah? Is that what you think?”
“Am I wrong?”
“No way am I leaving you on the sidelines like any damned wallflower.” He drew the back of one knuckle down her cheek. “You’d no doubt get plucked up by some other guy, wiser than me—the guy who’d been foolish enough to let you go.”
“Well, then,” she said, channeling Meg Ryan in Top Gun, “take me on the dance floor or lose me forever!”
And he did. No one was more surprised than she was that he could dance. Not only could he spin her around the floor, but he could line dance with the best of them. She really had to try to keep up.
When they stopped, finally, she was laughing. “You are a closet dancer,” she accused. “How do you keep a thing like that secret?”
“In my day I was known to attend my share of bar mitzvahs where dancing was the thing and line dancing—the best line dancer—earned prizes.”
“So…you’re motivated by rewards, are you?”
“You might say that.” A song by Sam Hunt about stealing someone’s freedom started and he tugged her back against him. His hips moved against hers as they slow danced to the song. “Depends on the reward though.”
“Hmm. This is a pretty good one.”
“You’re right about that.” His smile was slow and filled with the memory of this morning.
Though she’d written a dozen drafts of her article about him, none of them captured him like this moment did, this silent reminder of the intimacy they’d shared last night. Dancing with him here in the middle of the magnificent prairie surrounding them and the mountains in the distance, they might as well have been in a parallel universe. That’s how close all of this felt to Seattle and the world she’d left behind. Maybe this was simply the rush of feelings she had around him. Like she was alive, when before she’d only been walking in place.
How had this happened so fast? Just when she’d given up on the idea of ever falling again, she’d fallen. But imagine if both of them were honest with each other? What then? Would this bubble burst like a wish sent up to the sky?
Listen to you. Waxing romantic when you’re such a cynic at heart. Where is that girl now? Where is your pragmatism and your ability to separate fact from fiction?
Trey and Holly danced close by and Holly leaned in. “Having fun, you two?”
They both agreed they were and congratulated the pair again. Gemma swooned over Holly’s dress. Twirling his new wife by her fingertips, Trey drew Holly back against him—as close as he could get, that is, with the baby between them. “We wanted this wedding to be a bit of a surprise,” Trey said. “Informal, since that suits both of us best. But Holly wanted a real dress.”
“It was a brilliant idea,” Gemma said, “having the wedding out here. So much cooler than what I—we—expected. And we got a ride in, to boot. Which was awesome by the way.”
“Except for my unexpected encounter with a branch,” Noah put in. The song ended and the four of them moved off the dance floor, laughing.
“We heard,” Holly said. “Then clearly, you need more practice. Which means, you’ll just have to leave the concrete jungle and come back soon to ride again.” Gemma wondered if she was the only one who noticed Noah’s expression fade at the prospect. “Oh, look,” Holly said under her breath, “Mick’s found Emma.”
Both couples turned their attention to where Mick was standing, talking to a pretty young woman with short blonde hair, who seemed to have little patience for whatever he was saying. She snatched a drink off a passing waiter’s tray and took a long sip.
“Ooooh,” Trey said. “That didn’t look good.”
“Damage control. That’s the best he’d hoped for tonight,” Holly murmured.
“I’m afraid their ‘misunderstanding’ was all my fault,” Trey said. “It was a…white lie he told for me when Holly and I were first…dating…that got him into trouble with Emma. Everything worked out in the end for us but…” He tightened his arm around Holly. “But maybe I should explain to her what—”
“Don’t interfere, Commander. Mick’s a big boy. He can fix it,” Holly said.
Trey threw his hands up. “You’re right.” He grabbed the photographer as he walked by. “Hey, let’s get some photos of us all.” He threw his arm around Noah’s shoulders, drew Gemma closer and pulled Holly in to his side.
The photographer framed the shot. “Okay,” he said, “Now stop thinking about sex.” They all laughed. “See? I knew you were.” He snapped off a few shots.
Trey gave his wife a dramatic kiss. Noah leaned down to Gemma and whispered, “I know I was.”
Gemma stifled a giggle. She wished she could get a copy of that photo. The one where she’d been thinking that exact thing, too. With her cell locked up, she was camera-less.
These people. They’d been so generous, welcoming her into their party, their wedding. Photo or no, fat chance she’d ever forget this day. This week had been one of the best of her life. She could hardly bear to think about tomorrow and leaving all this behind.
The party continued with music and dancing until they served dinner on the exquisitely decorated long tables set up under strings of lights. Those didn’t come on until late afternoon as the sun sank behind the mountains and toasts were being given by some of Trey and Holly’s friends. Reed spoke affectionately, as did Megan, whose brother, Tommy, had been Holly’s first husband and one of the original Band of Brothers before his death in a climbing accident. But the best man’s toast, in particular, touched Gemma most.
“In all the years I’ve known you two, separately,” Mick said, holding a glass of champagne, “until last Christmas, I never would have put you together. That’s, of course, ’cause I had some notion about how things were and probably how things should be. But things don’t always work out as we expect them to. Here I’ll give a shout-out to Tommy who we all loved and put up with.” The boys laughed and Holly teared up and smiled. “But today is about Trey and about Holly, who both found love down a crooked road. Following that road wasn’t easy, as they’ll tell you. But I think…I know…that loving Holly didn’t take any effort for Trey and I know Holly would say the same about him.
“The thing is, the whole relationship could’ve gone another way if they’d let it, but they didn’t. They fought for this. Fought hard. And they found a road that was smooth and headed in the direction they wanted to go, together. They’ve been an example to all of us who love ’em. That’s right, I said it!” The Viking blushed mightily. “I love you, brother!” And he pointed to all the men who’d come through the war together with a silent acknowledgment. “And Holly, too. So, thanks, both of you, for making marriage look possible for all of us still on that other road. And for makin’ love look…well, easy. We should all be so lucky to find what you two have found.
“So, if ya’ll will lift a glass. Here’s to many years of happiness to you both and to that child on the way. Oh, and I’d better be that baby’s godfather. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
The guests laughed and all lifted their glasses in a toast to Holly and Trey, who stood up, next, to thank everyone for coming. Trey asked, “What do you think? Did we pull this thing off?�
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The crowd cheered, clapped and whistled from their seats. “Bravo Zulu, sir!” shouted Cowboy with a two-finger whistle. “Well done.”
The late afternoon breeze ruffled Trey’s dark hair and he nervously two-handed the microphone. “I’m not much of a speaker. So I’ll just say, you all showing up here for me and Holly…it’s hard to put into words what that means to us. Every one of you is here ’cause you’re special to us. Like it or not you’re family now. And to my older brother, Nio, his beautiful wife, Becca and my father, Juan Luis, thank you for leaving those sunny California beaches to drag yourselves all the way up here for this. To them and to the rest of you, our casa es su casa. For those of you who are out-of-towners, hurry back. We miss you.”
Gemma watched Noah’s reaction, his affectionate gaze taking in all the boys, Holly and Trey. She wondered if any of them knew his secret. She’d seen no hint that they knew. How hard that must be to sustain a pretense like that. The toll it must take on him, just as her lie had taken a toll on her. But hers lasted only for the week. His had gone on for years.
“This wedding is a little unconventional,” Holly said, taking her turn, her hand on her belly. “The setting, the fact that we’re doing things a little backward. That’s just how we roll. I want to thank Eve Canaday for making this all possible.” Across the way, Eve blushed and raised her glass to them, standing beside her husband, Ben. “We’re so grateful,” Holly continued, “that all of you could be here for us today. For those of you who came from far away, we hope we’ve given you a taste of the Marietta that we’ve both fallen in love with, and we hope that you’ve enjoyed your time here. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. And we hope you enjoy the rest of your evening. Now everybody, get out there and dance!”
As the twinkly lights strung up above the tables and the dance floor began to sparkle, the band started up again and the guests filtered out onto the wooden dance floor. Noah walked out there with her and pulled her into his arms.
“Nice wedding,” he murmured against her ear as the band’s female singer sang a cover of “A Thousand Years.”
“Nice friends. I’ll miss them. Funny to admit that after such a short time.”
“Sometimes that’s all you need,” he said, his fingers threading through hers, “to realize you’ll miss someone.”
They danced in a slow circle, paying no attention to anyone else on the dance floor.
“Did I ever tell you about the crows who live near my house?” she said.
At the non sequitur, he gave her a quizzical look. “I don’t think so.”
“So there are these crows who live in this little forest near me. And every day, they fly across the valley in hordes. All of them together. Well, some bring up the rear. But they go and spend the day over there somewhere and as the sun sets, they come back in twos, fives, ten at a time and settle into the trees in this little forest near me. When the rain comes, they huddle under the pines and when the sun is out, they find the sun and bask. They mate for life—did you know that?”
Noah turned her with him on the dance floor, listening intently. “I didn’t. No.”
“They do. And I’ve learned to pick out a couple of them. We’ve gotten friendly even. And this one pair, she’s smaller than the others and she’s got this crooked foot. She’s not perfect, but he doesn’t seem to mind. I’ve seen him defending her from the other crows. I’ve seen others do that, too—defend her. And she’s done the same. They’re so feisty, those crows.”
“And you’re telling me about them because…?”
“They kind of remind me of this place. These people. All of them struggling with something, but all of them standing up for each other.” She glanced up at him through her lashes, feeling embarrassed she’d started this whole story. “I guess sometimes I envy that crow who doesn’t take any crap from anyone and is just…herself. Perfectly imperfect.”
He pressed a kiss on the top of her head. “You’re right. Maybe you should write that book about this place. The people here. Maybe you’ve got enough to fill it now.”
“Maybe I do. But you said you didn’t want to be in a book. And how could I write about this place without including you?”
“Did I say that? Guess it depends on what kind of character I’d be.”
“The good guy,” she said. “Definitely, the good guy.”
*
The party lasted into the evening and they spent a lot of time with his friends, sharing the small campfires Trey had lit to keep them all warm. Noah kept a mental tab on his conversations with all of them, committing them to memory. He even took photos with his phone. Some of the guys, some of Gemma. Cowboy took one of the two of them together and he thought of that photo when the phone was in his pocket and Gemma’s hand was in his. An almost overwhelming sense of loss threatened to overtake him and he drank more than he should have. But even that didn’t dull his regret over everything he’d kept from them and from her.
Maybe he would gather his courage after he left here and tell them all. And if they hated him for it, then so be it. As for Gemma, his truth would change everything. She would never look at him again the way she looked at him tonight. Without his crippled past lurking in her eyes. Or the lie he’d told.
When the moon had fully risen and the air took on a Montana chill, the evening wound down and the buses drove them back to their hotel. They’d all hugged each other good night. Goodbye. And he and Gemma walked into the Graff alongside Nio and Becca. Juan Luis had left earlier with Raphael and was staying at Trey’s tonight.
“So glad we got to meet,” Gemma said, hugging Becca. “I’d love to see your photography sometime.”
“She’s good. Really good,” Nio said. “She’s having a show next month at the Laguna Art Museum of her sunrise/sunset and ocean photos.”
“Now, Nio, don’t embarrass me,” Becca teased. “He’s my biggest fan.”
“As he should be,” Nio said, giving her a kiss.
“Oh, Ms. Wade!” called the desk clerk as they passed the front desk. “Ms. Wade, I have an urgent message for you.”
Noah turned toward the woman waving a paper at Gemma. Wade? He thought her last name was Wayne. He must have heard her wrong… He turned a confused look on Gemma.
Her lips parted and the color fled her cheeks as she stared at the woman waving her down.
“A Ms.…Samuels? Frannie Samuels, called the desk a few times this afternoon and asked me specifically to give you this when you walked in,” said the woman whose nametag read ‘Cathi.’ “I promised her I would. Here you go.”
Gemma’s hand was shaking as she reached for the note, swallowing hard. Nio and Becca hesitated at the look on Noah’s face. But before he could say more, a man unfolded himself from a wing chair in the lobby and walked toward them, his phone camera clicking away. The moment Gemma saw him, she gasped.
“Ashton!” She stared at him for a long disbelieving heartbeat before she jerked a look at Noah.
“Hello, Gemma. And you must be Eamon,” Ashton said directly to him. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Connelly. You’ve had quite a few people looking for you. Apparently Gemma found you first.”
Chapter Nine
A buzz started up in Noah’s brain, drowning out all other sound. All he seemed capable of doing was shaking his head nonsensically at Gemma, in hopes that she’d deny she’d played him for a fool. But just as quickly he realized that his real name came as no surprise to her. Instead, a guilty look of horror crossed her expression.
“Gemma?” he said, shaking his head.
“Oh, no.” She wrenched her hand away from her mouth and reached out to him, but he could only back away. “No, no, no. Wait—Noah—”
He bumped into Nio and Becca, who were—like him—staring at this woman he’d only moments ago trusted. His brain tilted. She knew? She knew who he was? How long? Why would she keep that from him? And what did her ex have to do with it? And worse: how could he not have known?
“Noah, please
let me explain,” she begged, but the black curtain that had just dropped over him, thick and weighty, made that impossible. “It’s not—I’m sorry,” she pleaded. “Please—I’m so sorry.”
And there it was. Sorry. Had she been lying from day one? Was last night just another lie? Tonight? His heartbeat rushed in his ears, pounding against his fractured thoughts. Dammit. Of course she was.
“I work for the Seattle Tribune, Mr. Connelly,” Ashton was saying, holding an open phone recorder in his direction. “As does Ms. Wade here.”
A reporter. Of course she was. Their eyes met over the sound of this asshat’s voice.
“She’s done the basic groundwork for me—” Ash began. “As only she can.”
She warned him, “Don’t say another word!”
“Though her methods are somewhat questionable… It appears you’re here under a false name, so I’d like to ask you a couple of questions about that and about your sudden disappearance from New York City and the negotiations for the—”
Without contemplating the wisdom of doing so, Noah ripped Ashton’s cell out of his hand and heaved it against the elegant marble floor, where it shattered in pieces. Then he grabbed Ashton by the collar and dragged him close. “Not another word,” he warned.
Ashton’s eyes went wide and he shut the hell up.
Noah sent a furious look at Gemma, which had no defense against the pain of betrayal swimming to the surface. Gemma could only stare at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
Tears that made everything he’d just done feel justified.
Nio dragged Gemma out of Noah’s path as he stalked toward the front door.
“You’ll pay for that phone!” Ashton shouted after him.
Without a word, Noah shoved his way out the door. Dimly, he heard Nio call after him, telling him to wait. But nothing short of a bullet in the back could have stopped him from leaving. The one he’d just taken to the heart had already hollowed out what was left of him.
*
In the lobby, Gemma reeled on Ashton, tears streaming down her cheeks. With a guttural cry, she lunged for him, but Nio stopped her with a hand on her arm and pulled her up short.
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