Pierced by Love

by Laura L. Walker

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  CONTENTS

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Epilogue

  Discussion Questions

  About The Author

  To Rob

  who, by helping me flesh out the chapters to this story, also encouraged me to begin a new chapter in my own.

  I love you.

  And to my parents, Lynn and Lois,

  who have dedicated their lives to teaching

  both at home and in the classroom.

  Much appreciation to Brittany F., my first unofficial editor, who helped me prepare this manuscript for submission, and the Thankful Gals, my cheerleaders whose encouragement when they discovered I was writing a novel was nothing short of amazing.

  ONE

  NOELLE JENSEN COULD see her breath in the cool winter air as she and her boyfriend, Chase Dunlop, jogged their second loop around the south campus at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. Since she hadn’t had time for a morning run and would be tied up in a study session with her friend later, she’d invited Chase for a quick jaunt. Now, as he was slowing her down, she was regretting her impulsive decision. She’d have to settle for a little less than three miles instead of her regular four.

  Noelle glanced at her watch, noting that it was a quarter after six. She needed to step it up a notch if she was going to meet Jill by seven. Being late was not an option. The thematic unit they would be working on together for one of their classes in the elementary education program promised to be a lengthy process.

  “I’ll race you back to the car.” Without waiting for his response, she shouted, “On your mark, get set, go!” Noelle ran faster, exhilaration spurring her on. She squashed a momentary pang of guilt from knowing that her boyfriend was probably struggling to keep up. Why did she always feel so compelled to invite him? It wasn’t like Chase enjoyed this sort of thing. But he was improving nonetheless.

  “Are you crazy? That’s all uphill,” Chase huffed behind her, his outraged voice sounding farther away. “Noelle!”

  Exerting all her strength, she pushed on for another fifty yards or so before slowing to a walk, her lungs burning for oxygen. In spite of the steadily dropping temperature, sweat drenched the edge of her headband.

  “Awesome!” Noelle exclaimed after catching her breath. As Chase slowly climbed the hill to the Skydome, she held her hand up for a high five. “Good run.”

  His slick hand met hers before wrapping itself around her wrist. Holding it loosely and with a baleful look in his eyes, Chase returned, “That was a bit unfair, don’t you think?” He cocked one eyebrow at her.

  “Aw, come on.” Slugging him playfully on the shoulder, she answered mischievously, “It was just for fun. Besides, friendly competitions make life interesting.”

  Chase’s eyes narrowed darkly. “It wasn’t supposed to be a race. But since I can’t convince you otherwise, consider this fair warning. Next time, babe, you’ll be the one who’s left in the dust.” Then his muscles relaxed, and he chuckled.

  Noelle smiled back, her lips wobbling—whether from the coldness of his words or the night air, she didn’t know. A niggling of doubt scurried through her mind. Surely he’d only been joking about her love of running. However, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he was talking about something else.

  Chase drove Noelle back to her apartment off Butler Avenue. Upon walking through the door, they inhaled the rich aroma of beef stew simmering in the slow cooker. Even more tantalizing were the fresh homemade rolls that Noelle’s older sister, Melody, was pulling out of the oven. Taking her oven mitt off and tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, she greeted them with a smile. “Hi, Chase. Hey, Noelle. How was your run?” The heat from the oven had turned her fair skin rosy.

  “Fabulous,” Noelle answered cheerfully.

  “A killer.” Chase aimed a saucy grin at her sister. “Melody, your sister is a drill sergeant.” He winked at her.

  “What can I say? You’re in training.” Patting his abs, Noelle made a show of looking impressed. “You’re not as flabby as you used to be.”

  “Nope. Thanks to my slave-driving woman.”

  Just then, Melody set a steaming bowl of stew on the table a little too abruptly, causing the hot liquid to slosh dangerously close to the edge before settling. “Eat up, Noelle. You’ve got to keep up your strength, you know. You’re always going at a hundred miles an hour. You too, Chase.”

  Chase reached out and grabbed a hot roll with his bare hands, tossing it back and forth to let it cool.

  “Chase!” Melody cried. “You’ll burn your hands.”

  A few seconds later, Chase popped a bite into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “There you go again, Melody,” he teased. “Always mothering everybody.”

  “Don’t you mean, ‘smothering everybody’?” Noelle joked, watching her sister take over in a manner that was almost second nature for her. While Noelle had tolerated and even enjoyed the extra attention Melody bestowed on her as a child, she felt more than a little annoyed with it now. Not only was Melody forgetting that Noelle had taken care of herself just fine during the past two years, but she was also forgetting that Noelle could take care of her boyfriend too.

  When Melody only gave her a perplexed stare, however, Noelle laughed nervously to cover her blunder. “Sorry. I guess I’m still a little giddy over the fact that I beat Chase to the Skydome.”

  Chase’s lips tightened. His voice held a bit of an edge. “And I told you, it wasn’t a race.”

  Melody’s eyes darted to Chase’s at that moment. If Noelle hadn’t been reaching across the table for a napkin from the holder, she’d have missed Melody shaking her head in warning at Chase. He, in return, smoothed his features and smiled pleasantly. Confused by the sudden tension in the room, Noelle set the napkin down and announced, “I’m going to take a quick shower first. Go ahead and start without me.”

  Ten minutes later, Noelle turned off the hot spray of her shower and toweled herself off before quickly dressing in a warm pair of jeans and a thick sweater. She emerged from the bathroom to find that Chase had finished eating and was now conversing with all three of her roommates, who included Hannah Parker, Jessie Rasmussen, and of course, Melody. “I left your bowl on the countertop next to the microwave, Noelle,” Melody called from the living room into the open kitchen area.

  “Yes, Mother,” Noelle whispered under her breath while reaching for a spoon.

  Even if Melody’s penchant for taking care of everyone else bordered on the extreme, Noelle couldn’t deny the fact that she was a really good cook. “Mmm. It smells delicious.” While the others conversed, Noelle sat at the table and scarfed down the stew, which had cooled considerably, and then she stood to rinse out her dish. She grabbed a few rolls to take with her. “Thanks again for dinner, Melody. You’re one terrif
ic sister.”

  Melody stopped talking midsentence to give her a long look. Noelle felt a strange curling in the pit of her stomach. What was that look for? Had she left a stray piece of carrot on her chin or something? “Everything okay?” she asked. Hmm. Noelle hadn’t noticed it before, but now Melody’s smile appeared tighter, her forehead wrinkled in worry.

  Suddenly, Melody smoothed her features and said, “Yes. Bye, Noelle. Good luck with your study session.”

  “Thanks. I’m going to need it.” Truthfully, Noelle was looking forward to spending this time with her former roommate. The two hadn’t really had a chance to talk much since Jill had gotten married last semester. Noelle picked up her backpack and keys and walked toward Chase, expecting him to stand and escort her out the door. When he just sat there, she inquired, “So you’re going to stay awhile?”

  He slowly stood. “No. I should be going.” He said his good-byes and followed her to the door. Noelle jerked it open to find Pierce Logan, a guy from next door, standing there with his arm raised, ready to knock.

  “Hi, Pierce,” she greeted, backing up and bumping into Chase. She almost fell when her feet collided with his, but Chase caught her by the shoulders just in time. Noelle’s cheeks burned at her clumsiness.

  Thankfully, if Pierce noticed it, he didn’t refer to it. But that was Pierce—always so courteous, at least to her. He’d been her home teacher a few years ago during her first year at NAU. The two had formed a friendship that had never blossomed into anything more, due in part to Noelle’s aversion to romantic relationships at the time. Having just been jilted by her fiancé, Mike, she hadn’t been ready for love.

  “Hey, Noelle. Life still treating you good?” Pierce’s laid-back smile put her at ease.

  “Yep. Can’t complain.”

  “That’s good.” Pierce’s gaze landed on Chase, his smile slipping a little. He gave a short nod in greeting. “How’s it going, Dunlop?”

  “Fine. And yourself?”

  Pierce answered, “I’m okay.” Seeing Jessie, he turned to her. “Except that I was wondering if I can borrow your textbook for physics again tomorrow. I’m still trying to figure out what happened to mine.”

  “Sure,” Jessie answered. “Didn’t you say that someone stole it?”

  Pierce shrugged. “That’s what I’m guessing. I could’ve sworn I put it in my backpack before leaving class but you never know. Someone probably turned it into to the bookstore for money. Wouldn’t it be lame if I ended up buying my own book back?”

  “Don’t you wish that people could be more honest?” Jessie asked, sliding her gaze over to Noelle. She flinched under Jessie’s scrutiny while her brain began running through possibilities of why Jessie would be upset with her. Nothing substantial came to mind.

  Pierce shrugged. “It happens. Unfortunately, we have to be really careful these days.”

  Chase jerked on her arm while stepping around her. “Come on, Noelle. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Just a sec, Chase.” Turning back to Pierce, she said sympathetically, “I agree.” She noticed Melody turn away and stare at the wall. Why was everyone suddenly acting so strangely?

  Jessie left the room and returned shortly to hand over the thick book. “I need it back by tomorrow night so I can study for my test the next day.”

  “Thanks. I’ll get it back to you,” he assured her. “I wouldn’t even be taking this class now if I had taken my classes more seriously during my freshman year. I’m still disappointed in myself for wasting so much time and money before my mission. I’m even more frustrated that I’m still here when I should have already graduated from the biomedical program.”

  “That’s too bad, man.” Chase tugged a little more forcefully on Noelle’s arm now. “Come on, Noelle. You’re going to be late for your study date with Jill.”

  Noelle stiffened at his abrupt manner. “Hold on, Chase.” Turning back to Pierce, she offered him an apologetic smile for her boyfriend’s rudeness. Taking a deep breath, Noelle continued, “Didn’t your grandfather set up a trust fund to help you pay for your degree?” She vaguely recalled him saying something to that effect a few years back.

  Pierce stopped frowning at Chase long enough to bring his watchful gaze back to hers. In response to her question, he nodded. “For my brothers as well. Education is almost as important to my grandparents as serving a mission. After serving mine, I can understand why they felt that way.”

  That got Chase’s attention. At the mention of the word mission, Chase stopped in his tracks and began in a superior tone, “One thing is sure, missions separate the boys from the men. Once when my companion and I . . .”

  Noelle stifled a groan. Chase often repeated the same stories from his mission over and over. Once he got started, there’d be no end to his recitation. Noelle blurted the first thing that came to her mind. “So, Pierce, who’s your hot date this weekend?”

  One side of his mouth quirked at her blatant attempt to forestall her boyfriend. “What makes you think I have one?”

  Hannah, her long red hair draped dramatically over one shoulder, replied coyly, “You’re the coolest guy on campus, Pierce. You always have something fun planned. No offense, Chase.” Coming closer to Pierce, she wheedled, “Come on. You can tell us. Who is it this week and what do you have planned?”

  “Why should I tell you?” Noelle’s heart tugged at Pierce’s obvious discomfort. His dates were legendary around here. The girls on campus liked to date him because he took them on fun outings. But Pierce never stayed with one girl for long.

  At a recent get-together between the girls and Pierce’s roommates when Hannah had hounded him unmercifully about his “flavor of the week” dates, much like she was doing now, Pierce had admitted that he dated simply as a diversion from his studies and that he figured he’d get serious about settling down someday. He’d even hinted of something in his past making him gun-shy. Since Noelle could definitely relate to that, she had changed the subject then to take the pressure off him.

  “Because I saw you driving off with Kasey Hamilton last Saturday,” Hannah insisted. “Are you going out with her again?”

  Pierce’s eyes narrowed to slits. Instinctively, Noelle knew that Hannah had hit upon a sore spot. “I don’t think so.”

  “Hmm,” Melody piped up for the first time. “When I talked to Kasey yesterday, she said that she was looking forward to another date with you.”

  “Then she’s delusional,” Pierce answered in a clipped tone.

  Sensing that, once again, Pierce needed rescuing from this line of questioning, Noelle tugged on Chase’s hand. “We really need to get going. We’ll see you all later. Bye.”

  Once outside, Noelle turned to give Chase a good-night kiss. But when she leaned closer and saw the stormy look in his eyes, she asked uncertainly, “Is something wrong?”

  Chase opened his mouth to speak before apparently changing his mind. He shook his head abruptly. “No. I’ll see you later.”

  “Wait. What time are you picking me up for the Valentine’s Day party tomorrow?” She’d been looking forward to this institute activity for awhile. It sounded like a lot of fun.

  Chase jiggled the car keys in his pocket before responding, “Actually, I was thinking of taking you to a movie instead.”

  Noelle stared at him in surprise. “You were?”

  “Yeah. We could go to dinner and see a movie afterward.”

  Ooh, he must have something special planned if he wanted to skip the activity to spend some quiet time with her. “Okay.” She playfully reached up with her gloved fingers to muss his hair, hoping to coax a smile from him, but all she managed to do was make him flinch. Okay, that was weird. What was going on? “You sure you’re all right?”

  “Fine,” he answered tersely, stepping back away from her. “Listen, you need to get going. And I’m tired and sweaty. I’ll see you later. Tell Jill hello for me.”

  “Okay. I will. Love you.”

  What should have been an
“I love you” in return came out sounding garbled. As Chase stumbled away, Noelle wondered if he was coming down with something. Maybe she should ask Melody to make him some chicken soup. That would fix him right up. Heaven knew that Noelle was no good at that sort of thing.

  A few hours later, after Noelle and Jill had hammered out the major details of their project, Noelle drove back to the apartment and parked her car, rubbing a tired hand over her face. Once her eyesight came into focus again, she saw her apartment door open and Chase slip out, zipping his navy jacket up. How could that be? He’d left with her a few hours ago. Odd.

  There must be a plausible reason for him being here. Maybe it had something to do with the special Valentine’s Day surprise he was planning for her. Perhaps a sparkly ring? With a shiver of excitement, she grabbed her backpack and headed inside.

  TWO

  ALMOST TWO WEEKS later, Noelle again pulled her car into the parking lot of her apartment complex with a sense that something was not right. Otherwise, why would Melody have called and asked her to come home early from studying at Cline Library? Already feeling downhearted from Valentine’s Day coming and going with no ring—as if dinner and a movie could compare!—she had driven with caution on these slushy roads. Finding a relatively snow-free parking space, Noelle parked and locked her car. She distractedly noticed Chase’s red Honda Civic in the parking lot. Maybe he was here to apologize for his rude behavior of late. And she needed to apologize for the fact that she hadn’t handled not being given a ring very well, either.

  Noelle had been patient. She really had. They’d been dating for almost a year now. Chase had no right to date her much longer if he didn’t intend to marry her. Still, she didn’t want to break up with him. When she’d impatiently explained this after having to sit through a stupid comedy on the big screen, he hadn’t responded kindly, accusing her of acting snarky. The date hadn’t ended well. When he brought her home, Noelle had slammed his car door and stormed inside.

  Expecting Melody to baby her if she even saw one tear, Noelle had managed to hold her emotions in check until after Melody had gone to bed. The argument had been on Noelle’s mind today. She’d finally made the decision to quit pressuring Chase for an engagement when he clearly wasn’t ready.