After the Fall: An Inspirational Western Romance (Gold Valley Romance Book 2)

by Liz Isaacson

  Javier shook his head. “Nah. She needs it. She never does what she wants to do—and it’s obvious she wants to go up to your cabin.” He stood too and waited for Sterling to step into the aisle. “She just doesn’t want to admit it.”

  Sterling followed Javier out into the lobby, where Norah helped the two younger boys put on their coats. She wouldn’t look at him, and he turned to Javier. “You drive?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Take Norah’s car and follow me, okay?”

  “I don’t think—”

  Sterling stepped away. “Hey, Norah. Javier said he’d drive Erik and Alex so you can come with me.”

  She squinted at him like she didn’t quite understand English. “Javier can’t drive up the mountain.”

  Frustration pooled with admiration in Sterling’s gut. He reached for his jacket, brushing a bit too close to Norah to do it. “He’s almost eighteen, Norah. He can drive anywhere he wants.”

  “You’re maddening.”

  “You like it.” He tossed her a grin, hoping she’d take his flirtation in stride. He moved away and put on his jacket. “Okay, I’m ready. Who’s ready?”

  The boys all looked at Norah, and Sterling realized her exhaustion could be partially self-inflicted. She nodded, and Alex, the youngest, cheered. “I’m ready, Sterling.” He stepped next to Sterling, his face as radiant as the sun.

  Norah passed the keys to Javier and said something under her breath. Javier responded in an equally quiet tone and herded the boys toward the door. Sterling wanted to draw Norah into a tight hug and kiss her until she melted into him the way she had before.

  “You ready?” he asked instead, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets.

  “You’re really maddening.” She glared at him as she stepped in her high heels toward the exit. “You think you can get whatever you want because you’re handsome, and charming, and rich.” She slammed her palm against the door to push it open.

  Sterling followed her into the near-noon sunshine. “You think I’m handsome and charming?”

  She rolled her eyes as she clicked down the steps. “You know you are.”

  Happiness soared through him at her words. Though she’d been kissing him for weeks, it was still nice to hear that she liked him. He held the door for her while she climbed into the truck and adjusted her skirt.

  “Norah,” he said, leaning into the truck, her face at the same level as his.

  “You can’t keep doing this.” She kept her attention straight out the windshield.

  “Doing what?”

  “Having us over all the time. Paying for everything. You’ll spoil them.”

  “Its just lunch.” He stepped away from her, sure she’d just implied that he’d spoil her brothers—and then leave town. He closed the door as she started to say something else and limped around the front of the vehicle.

  Be patient with her, he coached himself as he got in the driver’s seat.

  “Look, Norah.” He buckled his seatbelt. “I’m sorry, okay? Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed you to come to lunch. But I want to spend time with you. Is that so wrong?”

  She folded her arms. “I guess not.”

  “I’m not going to leave town, Norah.” He started the truck. “And it sort of hurts that you still think I am.”

  “I don’t think—”

  “Then what did you mean when you said I’m spoiling them? Why can’t I spoil them?”

  “Because it’s not their life,” she said. “And it’s not fair to make them think it is. Or that it could be. We’re not all Sterling Maughan.”

  Sterling clenched his teeth, searching for the right response. “Well, I am Sterling Maughan, and I—I really like spending time with you, and those boys are good kids. If I can give them an afternoon in the game room and a hamburger, I’m going to do it.” His fingers flexed on the steering wheel. “And you shouldn’t be so upset about it.”

  He couldn’t believe he’d almost told her he loved her. Words like that shouldn’t be tossed around, and he swallowed them down to the bottom of his stomach. He may feel flashes of love for Norah, but she wasn’t ready to hear that. He wasn’t ready to say it either.

  His phone rang as he turned onto the mountain road, and he flicked it on without looking at it. Norah hadn’t spoken on the drive across town, and the tension in the car wasn’t the kind Sterling wanted. He’d envisioned her sliding across the seat and cuddling into him the way country girlfriends did, the idea of being a cowboy boyfriend oddly alluring to Sterling.

  “Hey,” he said into the phone.

  “Sterling,” a man said, the voice instantly recognizable. “It’s Gordon.”

  His sports agent and snowboarding career manager. He cut a glance at Norah. “Hey, Gordon. Now’s not a great time.”

  “Okay, just one minute then.” His agent had a knack for saying what he wanted to say, regardless of extenuating circumstances. “I need you in Denver this week.”

  Every cell in Sterling’s body wanted to hang up, and hang up now. Norah seemed perched on her seat, though she hadn’t moved.

  “I can’t,” Sterling said. “I have a job here.”

  Gordon scoffed. “The rep from Burton wants to renew your sponsorship. She’s convinced you’ll be back on the slopes next winter. I’m not gonna tell her yes or no either way. She needs your signature so you can get paid.”

  Sterling almost pumped his fist. It knocked against the steering wheel instead, and he quickly released his fingers and re-centered them so he didn’t drive off the road. “That’s great, Gordon. Can’t you email me the docs? Or fax them over?”

  “Libby wants to meet with you.” He sighed. “I think she’s going to try to get an answer from you one way or the other. You need to sign first.”

  Sterling thought as fast as possible. “Okay, how about you fax me the pages to sign, and I’ll send them back tomorrow. Then I’ll come in on Saturday to meet her. So the paperwork will already be done before she gets to talk to me.”

  Gordon chuckled. “I really need you to be my protégé.” He’d offered to train Sterling in sports agenting before, but nothing about the job had appealed to Sterling.

  “Not gonna happen.” Sterling glanced at Norah. Especially now.

  His agent exhaled, like he wasn’t happy with Sterling’s answer, or that he wouldn’t come to Denver until Saturday. “I’ll see if I can get Nordica to renew too,” he said. “Several reps will be in town for the end of the season awards.”

  Jealousy jumped against the back of Sterling’s throat. “Sounds great, Gordon. Keep me in the loop.” He hung up, his hopes for the future higher than they’d been since he’d won gold.

  “Who was that?” Norah asked, her carefully masked interest in his conversation almost cute.

  Sterling grinned. “My agent.” He wanted to share everything with Norah, without worrying her.

  “You’re happy about whatever he said.”

  He tried to straighten his lips and couldn’t. He trusted Norah with his news. So he told her.

  13

  An invisible raincloud followed Norah around the cabin, though she pretended like she was having fun. Sterling did know how to make a mean hamburger, though the grill pan he put over two burners had surprised Norah.

  Alex and Erik loved the pinball machine in the game room, and Javier had stolen Sterling’s attention as they played game after game of pool. Norah escaped up to the third floor—to the bunk bed room—after catching Sterling’s eye and pointing to the ceiling.

  She lingered in the library, her fingertips brushing her lips lightly as if every part of her remembered the kiss that had happened here. The kiss that had changed her life.

  Feeling tired, and overwhelmed, and somewhat grouchy, she entered her favorite room in the cabin and selected the bed farthest from the door and closest to the window. She sat on the homemade quilt and pulled her knees to her chest, her gaze out the window. The view boasted snow-heavy pines, a sky the color of blue raspberry po
psicles, and a horizon for miles and miles.

  The raincloud lifted, leaving a sense of peace Norah craved. She’d never been able to find it at her house on the other side of the tracks. The closest she came was at Silver Creek, but even then, the pressure of being there for the money didn’t allow her to truly relax, to truly enjoy herself, think about her life.

  Here, with silence as her only companion, Norah felt whole. She always had, which was why cleaning Six Sons Cabin had never felt like a chore. Every week, she’d sit on this bed and look at this view and dream of a life outside the confines of Gold Valley.

  As they always did, her thoughts wandered to Mama. She hadn’t called or texted. She wouldn’t, because she never came out of her room on Sundays.

  Though she’d come grudgingly, Norah recognized the happiness flowing through her. She dipped her head and offered a prayer of thanksgiving for the blessings she enjoyed—including the addition of Sterling to her life.

  With positive emotions parading out the negative, she slipped under the quilt and closed her eyes. She never enjoyed a Sunday afternoon nap, and as she drifted into unconsciousness, she realized the gift Sterling had given her.

  Monday morning dictated that Norah arrive early to be ready to welcome her new girls to the center. Counselors lined the sidewalk along the circle drive, and she caught Sterling’s eyes as he waited at the very end. The at-risk boys always arrived last. Dr. Richards and his key staff took the twelve-passenger vans to the airport on Sunday evening so they could be ready for the early-morning flights, leaving Lori—the most senior counselor on-staff—in charge.

  She walked the line, handing a clipboard to each counselor. When Norah got hers, she glanced at the eight names that represented the girls she’d be meeting in half an hour. She didn’t expect to recognize any of them, and she didn’t. She never read the individual sheets until the end of the first week, wanting a chance to get to know the girls outside of what had brought them to the treatment center. Another tactic she’d learned from Kathy, the counselor who’d felt more like a mother to Norah.

  The first van arrived, and their counselor stepped forward to help her girls with their luggage. As one vehicle pulled away, another turned in. Dr. Richards had perfected the system so that each group had their moment, a chance to get settled without having to be overwhelmed by the size of the grounds or the number of people on-site.

  When it was Norah’s turn, she turned on her smile and opened the van doors. The first girl she saw sported ginger hair and the most beautiful freckles Norah had ever seen. “Welcome to Silver Creek. Take your bag and line up along the curb.” She reached for the bag nearest the door.

  “Don’t touch it,” a girl in the back row growled. Half of her head had been shaved, and she glared with all the fury of a caged wolf.

  Norah pulled her hand back. “Larger suitcases will be delivered to your rooms this afternoon. I’m Norah Watson and I’m your scheduling counselor while you’re here at Silver Creek. That means I’ll take you to your activities, your appointments, your meals. I am not a doctor, but you can talk to me, and I’ll listen.”

  The freckled girl gave her a timid grin, reached for her bag, and stepped out of the van. By the time the girl in the back got out, Norah knew her name. “Welcome to Silver Creek, Paige.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Save it, Norah.”

  But Norah wouldn’t save it. Even if Paige didn’t want to be here, Norah would make sure she had the best experience possible. After all, she hadn’t wanted to enroll at Silver Creek, but it had changed her life.

  She led the girls down the sidewalk, talking about the meal schedule and pointing out where the cafeteria bulged out the side of the front office building. The construction and remodeling wouldn’t happen today as Dr. Richards had made sure everything was as peaceful and easy as it could be. Norah indicated the barns and spoke about the horses.

  “Will we ride today?” one of her girls, Harriett, asked.

  “Not today,” Norah answered. “But our team is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.”

  She spent the morning outlining the center’s rules and policies, which the girls had already received through the mail but if they were anything like her, they hadn’t read them. She monitored their lunch and returned them to their shared dorm rooms to unpack that afternoon. Even though she didn’t do much physically, by the time she got the girls to dinner, where the night staff would then combine all the groups for an evening activity before lights out at nine p.m., Norah felt ready to drop.

  She hadn’t seen Sterling once, not that she expected to. The at-risk boys had a separate residence tucked behind the stables, as they worked with the horses, and they didn’t mix with the rest of the residents until the second week.

  Feeling hungry and a bit lost, Norah sat in her car. She and Sterling had gone out every Monday night for weeks. But they hadn’t talked about tonight, nor did she know when he’d finish with his boys. She’d never really paid much attention to what the male counselors did.

  Her phone buzzed and Javier’s message made her spirits lift. I texted Sterling to tell him thanks for the sandwiches. Have fun tonight.

  They’d never talked about where Norah went on Monday nights, but Javier had obviously put two and two together. Norah hoped he was the only one, and that he wouldn’t say anything to anyone else. Certainly not anyone that could mention it to Dr. Richards.

  Deciding to wait until Sterling got in touch with her, Norah reclined her seat and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure how long she dozed, but the ringing of her cell woke her. The tone cut off, spiking her heartbeat. A moment later, as she fumbled for the phone in her purse, the sound started again.

  “Hey,” she said, wiping her eyes. “Where are you?”

  “Just finishing up. I sent sandwiches to the boys, and I thought we’d eat in tonight.”

  “Oh, yeah? Grilling again?”

  He laughed, the sound absolutely infectious and causing a smile to form on Norah’s face. “No,” he said. “I hope you like turkey on sourdough.”

  “I actually do.”

  “So, you want to follow me up?”

  “Sure, you already on your way?” The sun didn’t set quite as early as it used to, and Norah found herself looking forward to the warmer weather.

  She started the car as he said, “Just pulling out.”

  “See you in a few.” A quick prick of guilt hit Norah behind the eyes as she checked the parking lot for Dr. Richards’ car before she turned right toward the exclusive cabin community instead of turning left and heading to her house.

  She needed to deal with the co-worker issue, and soon. She added it to the list of things she needed to address sooner rather than later, including talking to Sterling about his return to Denver and her own struggle with a dangerous substance.

  He’d been tender and kind since her confession about her mother and her string of boyfriends. His behavior hadn’t exactly changed, but it was a load she didn’t have to carry alone anymore, and that alone meant the world to her.

  At the cabin, she found him on the main floor, sitting at the kitchen counter, a spread of sandwiches, fruit, and potato chips in front of him. “I got those sour cream and cheddar ones you like.” He picked up the bag an inch or two and let it fall back to the counter.

  Her mouth watered at the same time her stomach tightened. She stepped next to him, trying to bury her nerves, and kissed him. The warmth of his hand along her waist and the strength and softness of his mouth knocked her down another rung. She pulled back and selected the middle piece of the sandwich and put it on a paper plate.

  She hadn’t pushed him about Denver yesterday, though he’d seemed to talk and talk until he ran out of words to say. But she wanted more. “So you’re flying out Friday night?”

  “Late,” he confirmed. “I didn’t want to leave work early the first week.” He took a bite of his sandwich, seemingly at ease as he chewed and swallowed. “I won’t be back until Sunday evening. Think you’ll survi
ve church without me?”

  “Oh, please.” She opened her favorite chips. “It’s Javier that’ll need shock treatment.”

  “He’s a great guy,” Sterling said.

  “He thinks the world of you.” Norah settled next to him and started eating, starting to feel more at ease though that irrational fear that he’d jet off to Denver and stay remained.

  They ate, and he talked about his first day alone with his boys, and she worked up the courage to voice her fears. “What time will you be back on Sunday?”

  Sterling surely heard the undercurrent of emotion in her voice. She couldn’t have concealed it if she’d tried. “Look, I’ll be honest. I’m worried you’ll get back to Denver, and like it there, and not want to come back here.”

  And that wasn’t even the tip of what she worried about. His fancy apartment, the call of other pro snowboarders in town, meeting with his agent. Norah didn’t know what else could pull on him, get him to stay.

  “Norah.” Her name in his voice said so much, but it didn’t quite reassure her the way she wanted it to. “I’m coming back. I have a job here. I wouldn’t let those boys down.”

  She nodded. “I know. You’re right.” She reached for his hand, laced her fingers between his, and gave him a closed-mouth smile. Though she was glad he wouldn’t let the at-risk boys down, she wanted him to say he’d come back for her.

  “My flight gets in at six-forty-two,” he said. “Flight 6445.” He leaned over and kissed her, driving her concerns to the back of her mind. “I’ll call you when I’m boarding.”

  “Sure, okay.” Norah put on her happy face, mostly reassured. She’d been praying to learn to trust Sterling, and she offered the same lines again. She didn’t want to lose him because she couldn’t figure out how to trust him—and she knew he wouldn’t give her forever to figure things out.

  But hopefully a little longer.

  Friday, Sterling’s leg ached with a ferocity he hadn’t endured for weeks. He popped three ibuprofen after he parked at Silver Creek, his gaze fixed on the cabin where his boys lived. Harvey, a tall, skinny kid of fifteen, stood on the porch, sweeping under the watchful eye of the night counselor, Wade.