Stardust Valley (Firefly Hollow Book 9)

by T. L. Haddix

  When they kissed again, it was with a reverence, a true joy unlike anything Eli had ever felt. It was the joy of knowing he’d found the right woman this time, of knowing that whatever they built together, it would be positive and loving and good. As that knowledge spread through him, he finally felt as though he’d been forgiven for all of the transgressions in his past.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Sophie was still laughing as Noah tugged her along the path to the barn. Digging in her heels, she jerked him to a stop then let herself stumble into him for the contact. “Slow down, please.”

  He lifted his hands to her hips to hold her against him and scowled at her, though his eyes were twinkling. “Slow down? There are helpless kittens in distress. We don’t have time to slow down. This isn’t a Sunday stroll.”

  She just couldn’t take him seriously, and she dissolved in laughter against his chest. “Oh, you sound so stern and somber, all infuriated over the injustice of it all. Do you always get so worked up over kittens?”

  “How dare you mock me? I will seek my revenge, madam.” He reached under the edge of her sweater to tickle her sides.

  When she tried to retaliate, he grabbed her hands and held them together behind her back. They were pressed together from chest to thighs, and Sophie wasn’t about to complain. Instead, she smiled at him, letting her body relax against his. The weather was warm even though it was late December. They’d left the house without their coats, but thanks to the bright sun, they didn’t need them.

  “You can’t honestly believe Ben would take those kittens to a shelter,” she said.

  Noah finally grinned. “Hell, no. Rescuing animals is what they do here at the farm. But since he’s apparently gone to some amount of trouble, I wasn’t about to ruin his fun. Plus, I get to spend some time alone with you,” he said softly. “Maybe I’ll even try to steal a kiss.”

  “A kiss would be nice,” she admitted. “And it should be fairly safe given our current distance from a private bed.”

  They’d not kissed yet even though they’d spent the past few days together. The temptation to take things to the next level was always too great, and neither of them was quite ready for that. With the memory of the sultry kiss from months earlier in mind, Sophie knew a single kiss was all it would take to push the temptation into the impossible-to-resist category.

  “Mm-hmmm, that’s what I was thinking.” He rubbed his cheek against hers then released her. “Come on. Let’s see what kind of setup Ben has going on.”

  But when they got to the barn and approached the stall, the sound of a wet sniffle met their ears. Sophie glanced at Noah, who was frowning, and they hurried to peer inside the stall. A quick look gave them the answers they needed.

  “Sadie, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Noah asked as he and Sophie eased inside.

  Amelia and Logan’s daughter was sitting on the floor, three of the four kittens playing around her. She was holding the fourth close as it purred and swatted at the ends of her hair.

  “I heard Uncle Ben say there were kittens out here, so I had to come look. We lost Mr. Shoestring last week, and I miss him. That’s all.” She swiped at her cheek.

  Noah sat beside her and pulled her in for a hug, looking at Sophie. “Mr. Shoestring was the family’s cat. I’m sorry, Sadie. I didn’t know.”

  Sophie perched on the edge of a bale of straw that was beside the door. When one of the kittens, a black-striped gray tabby with white socks, ran over and swatted at her toes, she scooped it up. “Hello, there. What’s your name?”

  Sadie sniffed. “That’s Buttons. He’s a boy, and so is this one. This is Butterscotch. Kind of a common name for a cat, but it fits.”

  Noah smiled at Sophie and winked. “And the other two?”

  “Bait and Barley. I named them.”

  Sophie shook her head at the names, chuckling. “I think Ben said they need homes.”

  The look Sadie gave her was surprisingly calculating. “He did, didn’t he? You know, we do have four kids in my family.”

  Noah cleared his throat and rubbed a hand over his mouth. “Don’t you think four kittens would be a bit much?”

  Sadie scowled at him. “You can’t mean to split them up! They’re a family.”

  They heard footsteps, and Sophie glanced over her shoulder to see Logan and Archer approaching. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” Archer said. “Thought we heard voices out here. What are you—kittens? Oh, man.” His eyes lit up, and he wasted no time getting into the stall. “Gimme.”

  “Of course there are kittens,” Logan said with a sigh. But when Sophie looked at him, he was shaking his head with an indulgent smile.

  “And they need homes,” Sophie told him. “You guys missed the conversation in the kitchen.”

  “That’s what we get for stretching our legs.” Archer was playing with one of the kittens. “I seem to remember a similar scenario from many, many years ago when Sydney found kittens in a barn. Huff and Puff. They were good cats. Looks like the tables are turned, Lo.” He grinned at his brother.

  With a grumble about paybacks, Logan came inside and sat beside Sophie. “Kittens. Do you know how much work kittens are?”

  Sophie handed him the one she was holding and noticed the careful way he handled the small cat and the way his eyes melted once he had it in his hands.

  “Especially four of them. Well, they are a family,” Sophie said when he narrowed his eyes at her. “Right, Sadie?”

  “Right.”

  Noah didn’t even bother hiding his amusement at Logan’s consternation, and neither did Archer.

  “You go ahead and laugh now,” Logan warned Noah. “Your turn’s coming.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Noah said, picking up the nearest kitten and snuggling it close.

  “These are good cats. Anyone can see that.” Sadie looked at Logan expectantly. “Daddy, it makes sense. There are four of us, and there are four kittens. We could each have one.”

  “And what happens when Luke leaves for college next year?” Logan asked her gently. “Or if Colin finally moves out?”

  Her smile was pure Campbell. “Well, then I get his kitten and mine too.”

  “I’m really going to owe Ben for this one,” he said as everyone laughed. “I’ll have to think of something extra special to get him as payback. What in the heck are we going to do with four kittens?”

  “Uh-oh. Four kittens?” Eli asked as he and Haley walked in. They stood outside the stall and peered down at the human-kitten interactions. “Don’t tell me you’re taking them all?”

  “Why? Do you want some?”

  The hopeful desperation in Logan’s voice tickled Sophie’s funny bone, and she snorted with laughter.

  “Daddy! You can’t split them up,” Sadie protested.

  “Um, well, no?” Eli said, scratching behind his ear. “I guess Sadie has a point.”

  Something about Eli’s voice caught her attention, and Sophie turned, glancing from him to Haley.

  “Tell you later,” Haley murmured.

  “Okay.”

  “We’d better head back in,” Archer said, standing. “Rachel will be here soon, and we need to be ready.”

  Everyone followed suit with Sadie reluctantly agreeing to leave the kittens behind.

  “How’s Sawyer doing with keeping Lee calm?” Noah asked as they left the stall.

  Sawyer, Sydney’s husband, was Lee’s best friend.

  “He’s managing—barely. Poor guy’s a nervous wreck,” Archer said.

  “I can imagine,” Eli said. He gave Haley a secretive smile, and she smiled back.

  Realization dawned, and Sophie’s eyes widened. She looked at Haley’s hand, and sure enough, there was the ring Eli’d picked out a few weeks earlier. Befor
e she could say anything though, Eli cleared his throat. When Sophie glanced at him, he shook his head and put his finger over his mouth.

  Sophie sent him an exasperated look and made a face, but she kept quiet. She might have wanted to jump up and down and shriek like a little girl, but she’d keep her mouth shut until he gave her the go-ahead. Even if it killed her.

  As the group made its way back to the house, she thought about some of her past Christmases, and she realized that having this holiday with the Campbells was a gift of its own. Being made to feel a part of this warm, loving family, if only for a few hours, eased something inside her that had been sore and battered and bruised for years.

  Maybe if she hung around long enough, if they wanted her around long enough, the parts of her soul that had been ripped to pieces might have a real chance to heal.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  By two in the morning, the house was finally quiet. Noah knew that wouldn’t last, that by seven or eight at the latest, the younger kids would wake everyone up to open gifts. And his grandfather too, as Owen Campbell was the biggest kid in the house. Every year, no matter where the family celebrated Christmas, Owen made it his mission to be out of bed early, knocking on bedroom doors with a cheerful demand that people get up already, that time was wasting.

  “Those gifts won’t open themselves!” he’d call as he went along the corridors.

  But for now, Noah had the kitchen all to himself. He was tired, but he was still keyed up too, and he’d sneaked out of the bedroom he was sharing with Eli to try to recharge his batteries. With a plate of goodies and a mug of hot chocolate in hand, Noah started for the living room. He’d just reached the wide double doors when a creak sounded on the stairs behind him, and he turned to see Eli.

  “You okay?” Eli whispered.

  “Yeah. Just wanted a snack,” Noah answered just as quietly, walking over to the bottom of the steps. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “You didn’t. I couldn’t sleep.” Eli eyed the plate. “Mind some company?”

  “Nope. But you’re getting your own plate.”

  After a short trip back to the kitchen, they headed for the living room. The only illumination came from the two large trees Ainsley’d set up on either side of the fireplace, and they bathed the spacious room in a warm, cozy light that was bright enough to see by. Embers still glowed red in the fireplace, and Noah sat on the couch closest to the fire. He sighed with relief as he stretched his legs out in front of him, set his mug and plate on the end table, and selected a cookie.

  “Long day, huh?” Eli saluted Noah with his glass of cold apple cider, then he took a sip.

  “Noisy day. A good noise but still.” Noah watched his brother devour his snacks with a smile. “Hungry?”

  “Starving. Now that the proposal’s out of the way, I can eat again.”

  Noah grinned. “About that… congratulations. I knew she’d say yes.”

  They’d announced the engagement at dinner, after Rachel and Lee’s wedding.

  Eli ducked his head, a shy smile peeking out as he chased crumbs around the plate. “I still can’t believe she did. I’m torn between wanting to rush her to the altar and giving her time to pull together the wedding she wants.”

  Noah ruffled Eli’s hair. “You did good.”

  “I did.” Eli put his plate down and sat back, cider in hand. “So you and Sophie, huh?”

  “Apparently.” It was Noah’s turn to look away. “I’m terrified.”

  “Are you going to eat that food?”

  Appetite mostly gone, Noah passed the plate over without speaking.

  “Thanks. The two of you look good together,” Eli said quietly. “And I don’t just mean you’re pretty people. You bring something out in each other that I’ve never seen anyone else do, not for either of you. Something good. Of course, I’ve not been around you much in recent years,” he said, tongue-in-cheek.

  Noah studied him. “It doesn’t bother you?”

  “That you’re together? And you are together, right?” When Noah nodded, Eli visibly relaxed. “No. Not in the least. I’m tickled to death. You both deserve to be happy, and you both deserve to be loved.”

  “It might not come to anything,” Noah warned, shifting a bit. Despite how close he and Eli had become, such an intimate conversation about his and Sophie’s budding romance made him uncomfortable.

  “I think it will. I hope it will. I think you’re made for each other. You always have been, but life got in the way.”

  “We’ll see.” Noah hoped Eli was right. Now that he’d let himself entertain the idea of being with Sophie again, he wanted to be with her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life. At the same time, that uncertain hope and need was as scary as hell.

  They fell silent for a bit. As he sat beside his brother in companionable quiet, Noah was struck by the realization that for the first time in years, his entire family was happy and healthy and under one roof—well, with the exception of Rachel and Lee. They were spending the night in the nearby cottage of a family friend who was out of town.

  “The family’s whole again,” Noah said, breaking the silence. “I can hardly believe it. After all these years, I think I’d given up hope that we’d ever be able to forgive and forget. Not like we have.”

  Eli put a hand on Noah’s shoulder and squeezed. “I had too.”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Noah told him. “And I’m glad Sophie’s here. I really never expected that. It’s the biggest gift… she seems to be enjoying herself. You know, she almost didn’t come down.”

  Eli’s hand tightened, then he let it fall. “I’m not surprised. She was hurt so badly by what her mother did. As glad as I am that we’ve mended what was broken between us”—he gestured between them—“I’m almost more glad that she’s starting to believe she has a family she can rely on. She’s had nobody she could depend on for so long, and that’s not right.”

  “She had you,” Noah said firmly. “You never turned your back on her. Don’t you dare discount how much that means.”

  “Yeah, well.” Eli cleared his throat. “I think I’ll head back up. Tomorrow’s going to be another crazy day.”

  Noah laughed. “Yeah, Mr. Elf. Crazier for some than others.”

  Eli scowled and flipped him off, but he laughed too. “I’m actually looking forward to playing the elf tomorrow. This family is something else, you know that?”

  “I do. And I wouldn’t change a thing. I might stay here for a while, throw another log on.”

  “You need some space?” Eli asked.

  “Maybe a little.”

  That his brother took that in stride, didn’t take it personally, and didn’t push Noah to change his mind made Noah appreciate their rebuilt relationship that much more.

  “Okay. Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas,” Noah said, watching him go. Eli’d taken to walking with the prosthesis so naturally that unless a person caught him in an awkward move, they’d never know he had it. That was another reason to give thanks.

  Noah put another log on and stoked the embers, then he watched the seasoned oak catch. Once it was cheerily burning, he stretched out on the couch and pulled the knitted blanket from its back to cover up with. As he drifted off to sleep, he felt a tingle run down his face. Opening his eyes briefly, he saw Molly Dean standing by his side, smiling at him.

  “That’s my boy,” she said then faded away.

  “This family really is something else,” he murmured. He wouldn’t have changed a single thing about today or tonight with the exception of Sophie. He’d have given his eyeteeth to be sharing her bed, to be able to hold her as they spent their first Christmas together. “Maybe next year.”

  With any luck at all, they’d spend all their Christmases together from now on.
He was getting ahead of himself, but he could hardly wait.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  By the time he and Sophie got in the car to head back to Hazard midafternoon on Christmas Day, Noah felt drained. It wasn’t that the holiday had been bad—far from it. But being introverted and a medium meant that, at least for him, spending long periods of time around a large group of people sapped his energy. He’d need a couple of days to recharge, and he was looking forward to the quiet of home.

  “That was a madhouse,” he said as he pulled out of the driveway. “What a crowd.”

  Sophie smiled softly from the passenger seat. “It was nice. Thanks for pushing me to come.”

  He laid his hand on the console, palm up, and felt himself start to relax when she slid her fingers through his. “I’m glad you had a good time.”

  As far as he knew, she’d not heard from any of her family, something he couldn’t imagine enduring. Knowing she’d spent much of her life fighting that battle alone was devastating.

  The trip from Dragonfly Creek Farm to Hazard normally took just over two hours, and today was no exception. By the time they hit Jackson, the small town thirty minutes away from Hazard, Sophie was shifting restlessly in her seat.

  “Do you need to stop?” he asked.

  She sighed. “If any place is open, yes.”

  Luckily, one of the large gas stations was open, and he pulled into the parking lot. “I’ll wait here.” He glanced in the rearview mirror. “Looks like someone else needed a pit stop.”