Brenda Novak

by Home to Whiskey Creek

  “She in bed now?” The thought of being unable to see her disappointed him but Milly shook her head.

  “No, she’s in my office, on the phone with Ed.”

  “Ed?” he repeated.

  “Hamilton. Over at the paper.”

  “Of course.”

  “He’s going to print her story. Maybe it’ll prompt anyone who saw anything to come forward.”

  “I hope it does.”

  “Me, too.” She stepped back even farther. “Come in. She’ll be off in a minute.”

  “I wouldn’t want to bother her if she’s too tired....”

  She scowled at his words. “Don’t be silly. You’re her knight in shining armor. I’m sure she’d love to say hello.”

  He doubted he could take Milly’s word for it, but he’d come this far....

  “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  “No, that’s okay.”

  “Why not? It won’t take me long to whip up a fresh pot.”

  “Well, if you don’t mind...”

  “Of course not.” The walker thunked and dragged, thunked and dragged as she left him sitting in the living room and made her way to the kitchen.

  After she was gone, if he listened carefully, he could hear Adelaide’s voice, drifting out of a room down the hall. She told Ed she had no idea who her assailant was, that he’d been wearing a mask and gloves and, again, she insisted she hadn’t been raped. She even downplayed the threats she’d received and the beating. But she couldn’t come up with any good reason a man would break into her bedroom just to hit her a few times and drag her off to the Jepson mine. She admitted nothing had been stolen. That led Noah to believe the culprit had to be someone who hated her and was hoping to punish her for something.

  His mind returned, once again, to her ex. She’d said it wasn’t him, but on those true-crime shows, it was always the husband.

  Noah decided to see if he could get the name of the restaurant where she’d worked. Davis was an hour and a half away, but it would be worth the drive if he could meet her ex. Maybe the guy had scraped knuckles or showed some other evidence of having been in a scuffle. That wouldn’t be conclusive, but it would give Noah some indication whether Chief Stacy and his officers were wasting their time looking for the culprit in Whiskey Creek. And it would solve the mystery of her behavior, which had him baffled.

  “Okay, Gran. I talked to Ed,” Addy called out after she hung up.

  “Good.” Milly answered from the kitchen. “Did you mention the knife?”

  “Didn’t have to. He’d already heard about it.”

  “From who?”

  “Who knows? I guess I’m the talk of the town.”

  “Probably from Chief Stacy. He’s excited to have found it, says it shouldn’t be hard to figure out who such a special knife belongs to.”

  Addy didn’t respond, but the floor creaked in the hall, suggesting she was on her way to the living room. Noah wished Milly would hurry and announce his presence.

  She did—but it was about two seconds after Addy had seen him.

  “Oh! Um, hello!” Eyes wide—even the one that was still swollen—she came to an abrupt stop. “I didn’t realize we had company.”

  Noah couldn’t help noticing how much more obvious her bruises had become, especially those on her face. “How are you today?”

  “Better. Fine.” She smoothed the T-shirt she wore with a pair of cutoff sweats. “Really, there’s no need for all the fuss. You shouldn’t have troubled yourself to come by. Everyone’s making too big a deal out of what happened.”

  Too big a deal? She could’ve been killed! “From what I’ve heard, the guy who assaulted you had a knife.”

  “A knife was found in the bushes, but...that doesn’t mean he would’ve used it. I’m not even sure it belonged to him.”

  “Putting you in the mine was bad enough, Addy. You know my brother died in there.”

  The color drained from her face, creating a starker contrast between those bruises and her regular coloring. “I—I know. I’m sorry. Truly. I wish...”

  He waited for her to finish.

  “I wish that had never happened,” she said softly.

  She seemed so sincere it was difficult to be annoyed with her, although he didn’t understand her obstinate refusal to deal with the man who’d attacked her. He bent his head to catch her eye, since she was no longer looking at him, and held out what he’d bought for her. “I thought some of this might come in handy while you recuperate.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “What is it?”

  He shrugged. “Just a few things to pass the time.”

  She seemed reluctant to accept his offering but eventually took the bag and peeked inside. “This is...nice of you, really, but...completely unnecessary.”

  He fended her off when she tried to give it back. “Consider it my apology.”

  “For...”

  “Being too self-absorbed in high school, I guess.” He grinned. “That’s what you hold against me, isn’t it? That I didn’t befriend you or—or remember you or something like that?”

  “No! I don’t hold anything against you. I’m sorry if I gave the impression that I do.”

  He clapped. “Great. Then we’re friends?”

  She toyed with a pendant bearing the word Courage hanging from her neck. “Um, sure. Of course. But...I won’t be staying in Whiskey Creek for long, so...I’m not someone you’d want to invest any time in.”

  This surprised him. “Milly’s agreed to sell?”

  She glanced over her shoulder to make sure her grandmother was still in the kitchen and lowered her voice. “Not yet, but...I can’t imagine she’ll refuse.”

  He scratched his head. “So you haven’t asked her yet?”

  “I will. Soon.”

  “Even if she says yes, it could take months to accomplish!” he said with an incredulous laugh.

  She shifted uncomfortably. “Noah, I...I guess what I’m trying to tell you is that I appreciate what you did for me, and I don’t want to be rude, but...I’m not anyone you’d...like.”

  What? He hadn’t even decided he was interested in her, not in that way. “Aren’t you assuming too much?”

  She flushed. “Maybe. I’m just saying...in case.”

  “In case I planned to ask you out.”

  “That’s right. I wanted to...to let you know up-front.”

  “Wow. You don’t even want me to ask. That’s shutting me down pretty hard.”

  “We wouldn’t be compatible.”

  “How can you tell? I’m cutting my hair shorter than it was in high school or...I don’t have my baby face anymore?”

  “This isn’t about looks.”

  “It’s about personality, then? I’ve already flunked the personality test?”

  “Don’t worry. There are a lot of other women in Whiskey Creek who’d be thrilled to—” she smoothed her shirt “—to gain your attention.”

  Other women. This was another first. Never had he had one woman refer him to others. “Just not you.”

  She blanched when he stated it so baldly but didn’t correct him. “Surely that can’t disappoint you. You didn’t know who I was until yesterday.”

  It shouldn’t have disappointed him, but somehow it did. He’d given her a sack of junk. How could that be considered coming on too strong? He’d been shooting for “thoughtful.” “Can you at least tell me what I’ve done wrong?”

  “Nothing.” Her lips curved into a sympathetic smile, but that only made it worse. “You’re just...not my type.”

  “Really? Because you don’t even know what type I am.” Suddenly suspicious, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Wait a second...”

  “What?”

  “Is this your idea of revenge? Are you trying to get back at me for...for how I made you feel in high school? Because I haven’t met many seniors who’d bother with a sophomore, no matter how smart or pretty she is.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “I’m n
ot after revenge!”

  “You were once interested in me.”

  She hesitated as if she couldn’t decide whether to admit it. “Maybe I had a slight crush—”

  “So slight that you came to every one of my baseball games and looked like you were about to hyperventilate the one time you dared to approach me?”

  “You remember—? Never mind.” She raised a hand. “Don’t answer. It was embarrassing enough the first time. So I had a big crush on you. Okay. I’ll give you that. But it’s irrelevant. I’m over it, er, you. That’s ancient history, a stupid schoolgirl fantasy.”

  “Maybe you think it was stupid now, but it tells me that you used to find me attractive.”

  She seemed to be getting flustered. “Everyone finds you attractive, Noah. They’d have to be blind not to! But I didn’t know you, so it’s not as if...as if...it was real.”

  “You still don’t know me. That’s my point. Is it that you’re embarrassed?”

  Her forehead rumpled in confusion. “That I was attacked?”

  “That I’ve seen your ass!”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I thought it was a nice ass, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  She almost smiled in spite of herself. “Quit trying to charm me.”

  Apparently oblivious to their argument, Milly called out from the kitchen. “Coffee’s ready. But save me the trouble of bringing it out and come in here, will you?”

  “I’m sorry,” Addy whispered. “I know you’re used to getting what you want, but...I—I’d appreciate it if you’d leave me alone from now on.”

  He felt himself gape at her. He’d only stopped by to see if she was okay! “You don’t even want to be friends.”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “No one rejects friendship,” he said. “It makes you look bad.”

  She squared her shoulders. “Well, I just did so I’ll live with however it makes me look.”

  “Addy, Noah, are you coming?”

  Noah wanted to beg off and get the hell out of there. But he’d put Milly to the effort of making coffee and felt he had to drink it.

  “Fine. If that’s how you’re going to act, I don’t want to be friends with you, either.” He realized how juvenile that sounded, but he felt younger than he had in a while, and certainly more vulnerable. Circumventing Addy, he strode to the kitchen. “Smells delicious.”

  If his voice was too curt, Milly didn’t seem to notice. Fortunately, she was hard of hearing. Smiling brightly, she handed him a cup and all but shouted, “It’s nothing fancy like those fresh-roasted blends, but...”

  “Thank you.”

  “Addy?” she called. “You coming?”

  Adelaide appeared in the doorway, looking miserable. “I’m here but...none for me, Gran.”

  Milly made shooing motions. “You two have a seat and relax. The night is young. Let’s enjoy it. Before Noah leaves, I want him to get out his phone and check his calendar—that’s how you young people do it these days, isn’t it?—so we can pick a date to have him over for dinner.”

  Noah glanced up to catch Addy’s reaction, and saw her stiffen.

  “Noah was just telling me that...that he’s swamped, Gran,” she said. “We wouldn’t want him to feel obligated to take time out of his busy schedule.”

  “Oh, phooey! A man’s got to eat, doesn’t he?” Milly handed him cream and sugar. “You can make time for us, can’t you, Noah?”

  Obviously expecting him to follow her lead, Addy tilted her head.

  Any sane man would decline Milly’s invitation, to protect his ego, if for no other reason. He’d already been flatly rejected—in advance. Even his offer of friendship had been thrown back in his face.

  But her reaction to him didn’t make any sense, especially considering how she’d once felt. She couldn’t even tell him why she didn’t want to see him again.

  “I’ll make time,” he said. Then he saluted Adelaide with his cup. “When would you like to do it?”

  9

  A week from Saturday. That was the date they’d settled on. November 2. Then Noah would come to the house again, this time for dinner.

  Adelaide couldn’t believe he’d had the nerve to accept Gran’s invitation, knowing she didn’t want him there. For once in her life, she’d tried to be firm, even if it came across as harsh. But her rejection shocked him more than anything else—shocked him enough that he became determined to win her over.

  She shouldn’t have created a challenge. A man like Noah couldn’t resist a challenge. He was a professional athlete, after all, someone conditioned to attack the difficult, to prevail. She should’ve been all dewy-eyed and swooned over him, as if she hoped to drag him to the altar. Then he would’ve run away as fast as his muscular legs could carry him.

  It was a stupid miscalculation on her part. And now she had to face the prospect of spending an entire evening with him and acting polite because Gran would be there.

  She couldn’t sit across the dinner table looking at him all evening. Her emotions were too scrambled. She’d spent two whole years fantasizing about him. She’d all but stalked him at school, loitering at strategic places in the halls simply because he had to go by there to get to class. And not only did she have the residual pangs of that to deal with, she had to cope with the fact that he reminded her so much of the man who’d changed her life forever.

  She wished he’d leave her alone. She needed space. After that graduation party fifteen years ago, she’d spent the summer on pins and needles, trying to appear “normal” while everyone else mourned the loss of Cody and she pretended to do the same. No one had ever confronted her with questions about that night, not even to ask if he was alive when she’d last seen him. Maybe it was too unbelievable that the most popular boy in school would waste his time on a lowly sophomore, because even the people who’d seen her in his company hadn’t mentioned her. That included Kevin, Tom, Derek and Stephen, who’d dragged her into a different part of the mine before raping her. They were gone when Cody came back—everyone else was gone—but must have guessed she was the reason he’d returned.

  If so, they probably assumed she wouldn’t be powerful enough to overcome him. Or they’d decided to keep their mouths shut to preserve their own secret. That was all she could figure.

  Regardless, as that summer wore on, people stopped talking about the tragedy and, finally, most of those who’d been present at the party went off to college. Then Addy’s life got a little easier. She ran into Cody and Noah’s parents occasionally. But she didn’t have to live, on a daily basis, with the constant reminder that Noah posed.

  She’d been so grateful for the reprieve, so relieved when he left, that she hadn’t really missed him. She’d scarcely thought of the girlish desires he’d evoked, even though they’d once consumed her. She’d felt only anxiety, fear and regret when he came to mind.

  But now that he’d walked back into her life—or, rather, she’d walked back into his—everything seemed to have reversed itself again. Cody wasn’t Noah and, despite the family connection and their similarities, she was quite clear on that. Noah hadn’t attended the graduation party that had ended so tragically. He’d been with his best friend, Baxter North, at a different party, one that included midnight street hockey instead of alcohol.

  “Where are you going?” Gran asked, obviously surprised when Addy scooped up her keys.

  “For a drive.”

  Gran lowered the volume on the TV, which had been blaring to compensate for her lack of hearing. “You feel well enough to do that?”

  Addy zipped up the sweatshirt she’d pulled on with a pair of jeans. “I’ve been cooped up all day and I need to get out of the house.”

  “But I’m not sure it’s safe, not until Chief Stacy catches the person who abducted you,” she argued.

  “No one will bother me while I’m in my car, Gran. If the man who cut my screen door thinks I’m anywhere, he’s going to assume it’s here.”

  H
er grandmother didn’t like her leaving. Addy could tell by the disapproval on her face. But Gran didn’t try to stop her. She was probably afraid to push too hard for fear she’d get the kind of backlash she’d always gotten from Adelaide’s high-strung mother. “Don’t be gone long, okay? It’s almost ten-thirty.”

  Addy welcomed the late hour. It brought darkness and solitude and a chance to enjoy the crisp fall air. Halloween, one of her favorite holidays, was only a week away. She had so many fond memories of the hayrides and trick-or-treating in this town. She wanted to savor all the good things she associated with Whiskey Creek. She also needed a respite, needed to feel inconspicuous and anonymous and in control of her life, even though her love for Gran was forcing her to give up everything that had insulated her from the past. She’d thought that when she returned, she and Noah would have little or no interaction.

  Her Toyota 4-Runner started immediately, but it wasn’t running smoothly. Over the past several months, she’d had it in and out of the shop. It was getting old and should be replaced—but she couldn’t afford another vehicle right now.

  Feeling the engine’s rough idle, she wondered if she should venture out. But she couldn’t make herself go back inside. She had her heart set on seeing if she could find what they’d hit when she grabbed the steering wheel of her abductor’s truck. Whatever it was, they’d smashed into it hard enough to do some damage.

  That meant there should also have been an exchange of paint.

  Although she’d been pretty disoriented at the time, she knew which way he’d turned out of Gran’s drive because she knew where he’d been planning to take her. Anyone heading to the mine from Gran’s would go left. Only one road went in that direction—the main road that snaked through town—and they hadn’t been in the vehicle long before she caused the accident.

  From what she could remember, it was something like...an eighth of a mile.

  Addy crept along, studying every obstacle on the right-hand side. When she’d grabbed the wheel, she’d jerked it toward her, simply because that was the only way she could use her body weight, and they’d veered into a slight gully before slamming against—