“I’m maybe twenty yards from the top.”
“Of course you are,” he says. “Looks like I’m going for a hike. I’ll be there in less than thirty minutes. Can you stay there?”
“I’ll wait,” I confirm, and he hangs up. “Well, looks like help’s coming. Don’t worry, they’ll get you all fixed up.”
I’m talking to an eagle.
I sit on a stump and don’t take my eyes off the bird. He’s watching me as well.
“I’m friendly,” I say. “And I won’t hurt you. How long have you been here?”
He squaks, making me smile.
“Maybe you don’t speak English. I’ll be quiet. But I’m here with you.”
I take two long, deep breaths, trying to calm my heart. If I’m upset, the bird will be upset. I don’t know how I know that, I just do.
It’s like when you’re trying to calm an upset baby.
Not that I’ve ever had a baby.
“Now I’m being ridiculous,” I mutter.
It feels like three hours later when I hear someone hurrying up the trail.
“Fallon?”
“Over here,” I call and stand, waving my hands. “We’re over here.”
A man appears, carrying a huge animal carrier. He’s hardly winded, and I know he had to practically run up this mountain to get here so quickly.
“I’m Noah,” he says. “Where is it?”
I point to the pushes, where the eagle had finally calmed down.
“He’s there. One of his wings isn’t moving.”
Noah approaches the bird, and before I know it, he’s secured something over its eyes and managed to put it in the carrier.
“Wow, you’ve done that a time or two.”
“Or fifty,” he says with a smile. “I’ll get him down to the sanctuary and have a look. Thanks for calling it in.”
“Of course,” I reply and watch as he walks away, hurrying down the trail. “Bye.”
I look around, not sure what to do next. So I finish my hike to the overlook and watch the boats, take in the sounds of the woods around me, and then start back down to the Jeep.
What a weird day.
***
“You totally saved an eagle’s life,” Nina says before taking a bite of her pancake.
“No, I called Noah, and he saved it.”
“He wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t called. Noah’s a nice guy.”
“Do you know him?” I ask, trying to sound casual. “I’d never met him.”
“Sure, he’s good friends with Max Hull, and the rest of the Hull family, I guess. I’ve met him a few times.” She stops chewing and grins at me. “He’s hot, isn’t he?”
“Is he?” I sip my tea. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Uh huh. Sure. And I’m a coal miner’s daughter.” She leans in. “He’s single.”
“How nice for him.”
She smirks. “And you’re interested.”
“How did we get on this subject?”
“You should go see him,” she continues. “And check in on your eagle.”
I blink at her, thinking about it. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you’re an attractive, single woman, and Noah’s single and you should go flirt with him. What will it hurt?”
I frown. “I never said I wanted to flirt with him.”
“Fallon, we may not know each other well, but I know the look of a woman who’s interested in a man. And when you said Noah’s name, you got that look.”
“Okay, so he’s attractive,” I reply. Yeah, try smoking hot in all fifty states. “That doesn’t mean I need to go flirt with him.”
“Are you dating someone else?”
“No.”
A slow smile spreads over her lips and I feel myself start to give in.
“Fine. I’ll go check on the eagle. But only because I’m concerned.”
“Sure. That works. Okay, now that I’ve solved your love life issues—”
“I don’t have love life issues.”
“—let’s talk about something else just as fun. I’m starting a business in town, and I’d like to talk to you about some opportunities.”
“I have a full time gig between the Lodge and the studio downtown.”
“Well, just hear me out, and then you can give it some thought.”
I nod, and Nina continues, telling me all about the business she’s start with two of her friends from California. A business to help busy women.
“Basically, there may be times that I would call to book an in-home yoga session. We could work around your schedule, of course.”
“Interesting,” I reply with a nod. “It’s something to think about, for sure.”
“That’s what I was hoping you’d say. Saffron and Lindsey will be here in a couple of weeks, and we’re hoping to have things up and going next month.”
“Thank you for thinking of me,” I reply.
“You’re the best in town,” Nina says with a wink. “And we want the best. So think it over, and we can get together any time to fine tune things.”
“Thank you.”
Once I leave Nina, I make my way over to Drips & Sips for my favorite tea. I have my own lemon oil with me to flavor it, ignoring the looks I get from the women tourists waiting for their lattes, and then I climb in my Jeep and drive out to the Wild Wings bird Sanctuary.
I looked up directions this morning, before my breakfast with Nina.
Something just told me I should go say hello.
And I usually listen to that something.
The sanctuary is out of town, in the middle of nowhere. Which makes sense because the animals are wild, and they need plenty of space.
There’s a farmhouse across the pasture from the industrial buildings. And the sign over the driveway says Spread Your Wings.
This is the place.
I park and walk into an office area that’s currently deserted.
“I wonder if I should have called ahead,” I mutter out loud.
“Nah, there’s always someone bustling about.” I startle at the voice and turn to find Noah standing behind me with a grin. “Fallon, right?”
“Yeah.” I reach out to shake his hand, and feel the warmth climb all the way up to my shoulder. His hand is calloused and large, engulfing my small one. “And you’re Noah.”
“Guilty,” he says. “Did you come to check on your eagle?”
And to check you out.
“I did,” I say. “I know it probably seems weird, but—”
“Not weird at all. Follow me.”
We walk outside and down a long, paved sidewalk that meanders through several buildings.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be this big,” I say.
“That’s what she said,” he replies with a grin, and I can’t help but laugh out loud. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. We’ve grown a lot in the past few years.”
He leads me into a big building and down a row of cages, then stops and gestures.
“Well, hi there,” I croon. “How is he?”
“He has a broken wing,” Noah says with a sigh. “We can’t tell what caused it. But I think that with about six weeks of healing time, he should be good to be released back into the wild.”
“Really? That’s amazing. What if he can’t live in the wild again?”
“He’ll stay here, with us, and we’ll use him for education. He’ll have a cushy life here, but I suspect he’ll be leaving us. He’s a healthy guy.”
We’re quiet as I watch the bird. He’s looking at me, as if he recognizes me. There’s a splint on his wing.
“I’m so glad I found you,” I murmur.
“Me too,” Noah says, and smiles when I look over at him. “The bird, not me.”
“How long have you been doing this?”
“Most of my life, but I started the sanctuary eight years ago. I have a masters in zoology from Colorado State.”
“Wow. And you came back to Cunningham Falls?”
He grins, and I feel it in my gut. Goodness, Noah King has a great smile.
“I have roots here,” he says. “It’s home.”
I nod and look back at the eagle. “He’s gorgeous.”
“You can visit him anytime you like.”
I start to decline, but reconsider. “You know, I might just do that.”
“Good.” He clears his throat. “I hate to do this in front of our feathered friend, because I’ll be embarrassed if this goes badly, but can I interest you in dinner?”
“Tonight?”
“Anytime you like,” he replies with that easy smile. “Tonight. Tomorrow. Right now.”
“It’s not even noon.”
“It’s five o’clock somewhere.”
I laugh and look down at my feet, then shrug. “Sure. A girl has to eat, right?”
“Exactly. May I see your phone?”
I hand it over, and he punches in some numbers.
“I just texted myself. If you text me with your address, I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“It’s a deal.”
I say goodbye to the eagle, and Noah escorts me back to my Jeep.
“I’ll see you tonight, Fallon.”
“See you.”
I drive away, Noah’s voice tickling my mind. The way he says my name is like a promise. Like he likes the sound of it on his tongue.
Fallon.
It’s not like me to accept a date invitation, but there’s something about Noah King that I like very much. What will one dinner hurt?
Get your copy here.
About Kristen Proby
Kristen was born and raised in a small resort town in her beloved Montana. In her mid-twenties, she decided to stretch her wings and move to the Pacific Northwest, where she made her home for more than a dozen years.
During that time, Kristen wrote many romance novels and joined organizations such as RWA and other small writing groups. She spent countless hours in workshops, and more mornings than she can count up before the dawn so she could write before going to work. She submitted many manuscripts to agents and editors alike, but was always told no. In the summer of 2012, the self-publishing scene was new and thriving, and Kristen had one goal: to publish just one book. It was something she longed to cross off of her bucket list.
Not only did she publish one book, she’s since published more than thirty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion and Romancing Manhattan Series.
Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their adorable pug and two cats.
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Other Books by Kristen Proby
The Big Sky Series
Charming Hannah
Kissing Jenna
Waiting for Willa
The Fusion Series
Listen To Me
Close To You
Blush For Me
The Beauty of Us
Savor You
The Boudreaux Series
Easy Love
Easy Charm
Easy Melody
Easy Kisses
Easy Magic
Easy Fortune
Easy Nights
The With Me In Seattle Series
Come Away With Me
Under the Mistletoe With Me
Fight With Me
Play With Me
Rock With Me
Safe With Me
Tied With Me
Breathe With Me
Forever With Me
Stay With Me
Indulge With Me
Love With Me
The Love Under the Big Sky Series
Loving Cara
Seducing Lauren
Falling For Jillian
Saving Grace
From 1001 Dark Nights
Easy With You
Easy For Keeps
No Reservations
Wonder With Me - Coming Soon
The Romancing Manhattan Series
All the Way
All it Takes
Waiting for Willa Page 21