by A. M. Myers
Why is he even here?
I thought I was so damn careful; I thought I was hidden but apparently not well enough. And if he can find me…
Fuck.
My thoughts drift to how much money I’ve got stashed away in this house if I wanted to run and how far it could get me before I’d run out. At the very least, it could get me through until I made a new plan for myself.
He slows down as he gets closer to the house and I take my time to take him in as a memory from the last time I saw him flicks through my mind. I smile as my heart aches. God, we were so happy then. A more recent memory, a darker one, follows right behind it and it spurs me into action.
Shutting the water off, I turn and grab the shotgun from the table before turning back to the window. He is still inching closer to the front door so I turn toward the back door and cock the gun. The back door will deposit me on the side of the house so hopefully, I can get the jump on him and make him leave before his presence destroys everything I’ve built over the last six years.
With renewed determination, I creep out of the back door, careful not to let the screen slam before slinking along the side of the house. Sweat forms on my brow and my heart thunders in my chest as I inch along. Each breath I take rings in my ears and my belly does a little flip as I stop at the edge of the house. When I peek around the corner, I let out a breath. He’s turned away from me and it gives me the perfect opportunity to step out from behind the house and fire a shot off into the trees above him. He spins around and we both freeze as our eyes meet.
It’s like I’m eleven years old all over again. One look from him and my heart and body know exactly who they belong to, who they’ve always belonged to. He is and always will be my own personal siren call. He owns me just as much today as he did sixteen years ago. Only he’s not a boy anymore. No, he’s all man - tall, dark, and covered in tattoos but still just as sexy as he was the last time I saw him. As my gaze travels down his arm, I notice my name inked on his skin and I suck in a breath.
“Kady,” he breathes like he’s just found salvation and he takes a step toward me. I cock the gun again before leveling it at him even though it pains me. I have to end this, shut it down, and block out anything I might feel for him. I can’t afford to feel anything for him.
“Don’t come any closer.”
He holds his hands up in surrender. “Kady, baby, it’s me.”
“Don’t you “Kady, baby” me, Noah LeBlanc. I know who you are.”
His brows furrow, confusion written all over his face. “Then why the hell are you pointing a damn gun at me?”
“You need to leave,” I tell him, proud of how sure my voice sounds when on the inside all I want to do is run into his arms. God, if I closed my eyes right now, it would be so easy to remember how good it used to feel to be in his arms, how safe I felt surrounded by his scent.
I was so stupid.
I gesture toward the driveway with the gun before turning it back on him. “Go.”
“There’s not a chance in hell I’m doing that.”
“Don’t test me, Noah. I swear to God, I will shoot you.” Tears burn my eyes and I grit my teeth as I blink them away. I don’t want to but I will. He scowls, studying me as he takes another step toward me.
“What the hell is going on here? Where have you been for the last seven years?”
I shake my head. “Just let it go. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“The fuck it doesn’t,” he growls, taking another step. Shit, I know that look, the determination in his eyes. This isn’t something he’s willing to let go. And when Noah wants something, he’s a one man wrecking crew. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, will get in his way.
“Leave.”
He shakes his head. “Tell me what happened to you. Why haven’t I seen you since the day I got locked up?”
“Because I didn’t want to see you, Noah. We were a mistake.”
He reels back like I physically slapped him as his eyes widen. “What?”
“What did you expect?” I hiss, ignoring the growing ache in my chest. “That I’d just put my entire life on hold for you? That I’d sit back and be the good little wife while you did whatever the hell you wanted? I don’t think so.”
“I don’t believe you,” he growls, taking a couple steps toward me and my heart jumps into my throat.
Shit.
I need to do something to stop him.
“Noah!”
I point the gun at his feet, giving him one more chance to leave and when he takes another step, I fire into the dirt right in front of him. He jumps back, holding his hands up as he looks up at me with confusion in his eyes. An image from the night he proposed to me pops into my mind and it feels like my entire soul is weeping but on the outside, my expression remains stony.
“God damn it, tell me what the hell is going on, Kady! Nothing, from the moment I got locked up to now, makes any fucking sense.”
“I’ve said all I’m going to say,” I tell him, pointing the gun toward the driveway again. “Leave.”
He stands up a little taller, squaring his shoulders. “No.”
“Yes.” I cock the gun again and aim it at his chest as we stare each other down, so many things passing between us. The memories come in rapid fire succession and my heart aches for all the loss and pain I’ve endured over the last seven years. All because of him.
Finally, he sighs. “Fine. But I’m coming back, Kady, and I’m getting some damn answers. You hear me?”
I shake my head. “Don’t. Do us both a favor and stay far away from me, Noah.”
“That’s never going to happen,” he growls before turning and stomping back down the driveway, kicking up dust as he goes. When he gets to the end of the driveway, he stops and my heart skips a beat. He glances over his shoulder and our eyes meet. It’s a sweet torture that I can’t pull myself away from and just when I think he might turn around and stomp back over to me, he sighs, shakes his head, and walks away. As soon as he’s disappeared from sight, I release the breath I’d been holding as my chest aches. A single tear slips down my cheek. I wipe it away and glance around the yard as my skin prickles, the sensation of being watched overwhelming.
It’s exactly why Noah and I can never be together again.
* * * *
“How’s it looking, Kady?” Dr. Hebert asks as he walks into the room with several patient files in his hands. I look up from the floor and grip the broom handle tightly as I look around the room and nod.
“Good, Sir.”
He shoots me a look that I know all too well after working here at the animal clinic for the past six years. “Come on, Kady. How many times do I have to ask you to call me Dr. Hebert? Or Patrick?”
“Probably a couple times more, at least.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that before,” he jokes as his gaze travels around the room. “It looks good in here, though.”
I nod, pride welling up inside me. “Thank you.”
“I also have this for you.” He holds out an envelope of cash and I take it from him before thumbing through the bills inside. I sigh.
“This is more than we agreed upon.”
He shrugs. “You deserve it.”
“I don’t want any charity.”
“Kady…” he sighs. “I know, as your boss, that it isn’t my place to say anything but when Hannah came to me and asked me to hire you but pay you under the table, I got the impression that you were in a bad spot and based on the fact that I’m still giving you envelopes of cash every week, I assume that hasn’t changed.”
“That doesn’t mean…”
He holds his hand up, cutting me off. “You’ve become a part of this little family in the last six years and I have the means to help you out so I’m going to continue to do so and I don’t want to hear anymore about it. Do we understand each other?”
“Reluctantly,” I mutter, scowling at the envelope in my hand before folding it up and tucking it into the back pocket of my je
ans. As much as I don’t want any charity, I honestly don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for Hannah asking Dr. Hebert for his help and his willingness to step up without any questions. He took a huge chance on me and saved me when I was at the lowest point in my life.
“Well, that’s something, I suppose,” he replies, chuckling as he shakes his head and sets the files on the metal table next to him. “Any big plans for the weekend?”
“Oh, yeah,” I answer, leaning the broom against the wall. “I have a wild weekend of reading planned in between stopping by to give our two new patients a little TLC.”
I point to the two kittens that were brought in today and he nods.
“Sounds good. Sheila and I are headed up to the lake this weekend but I’ll have my phone on me so give me a call and let me know how they’re doing, will you?”
I nod. “Of course. Have a good weekend, Sir.”
“You, too, Kady,” he calls, shaking his head as he grabs his files and heads back to his office. When he disappears, I turn back to the kennels and slowly approach the two tiny kittens in the top cage.
“Hi, babies,” I coo and one of the kittens, a little orange one with a white stripe on her nose, lifts her head as she softly mews back at me. The other one, a gray and white little girl, watches me carefully but makes no move to approach the front of the cage. We appraise each other carefully and I decide to leave her be as I scoop her sister up and cuddle her against my chest. She purrs and nudges my hand for more attention as I laugh.
“Well, isn’t this adorable,” a voice says from behind me and I roll my eyes as I spin to face Hannah, my best friend.
“Listen, woman, I don’t need your sass today.”
She laughs as she pulls a chair out and sits down. “You’d be lost without my sass and you know it, babe.”
“I plead the fifth.”
“Typical,” she fires back with a laugh before turning serious. “By the way, did you get my voice mail? About you know who being back in town?”
“Yeah,” I sigh, setting the kitten back in its cage. “I got it. And you don’t have to avoid using his name like he’s Voldemort or something.”
She shrugs as I close the cage and walk across the room before sinking into the chair next to her. “I don’t know the protocol for when your best friend’s soul mate suddenly shows up out of the blue after seven years.”
“He didn’t show up out of the blue; he was released from jail and don’t call him that.”
“What?” she asks, arching a brow. “Your soul mate? What the hell else would I call him?”
I shake my head. “How about nothing at all?”
“Oh, come on, Kady.”
Pushing out of my seat, I walk back to the kennels and pet one of the dogs through the bars. “You know he and I can never go back to the way things were.”
“If you say so but that doesn’t mean…”
“Yes, it does, Han. Noah and I are ancient history and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”
She sighs. “Are you sure? I mean, I saw him the other day and boy is still stupid hot. Like even better than he was seven years ago. Plus, he’s still got it bad for you.”
“I know,” I mutter, dying to ask her how she knows that. “He showed up at the cabin.”
“What?” she screeches, lurching out of her chair as her eyes widen. “And you’re just telling me now? What the hell?”
“It doesn’t matter, Han. Nothing has changed, no matter how good he looks.” I glance over my shoulder and meet her gaze. She studies me for a moment before sighing and sinking back into her chair.
“I get it, Kady, I really do but what you and Noah had… It was epic, the kind of love we always dreamed of. I really hate to see you throw that away.”
“I’m not throwing it away, Hannah. It was taken.”
She opens her mouth but before she can say anything else, my phone starts ringing and she sighs as I pull it out of my pocket. Mason’s name flashes on the screen and I show her.
“I need to get this.”
“Are you really going to keep seeing this guy now that Noah’s back in town?”
Ignoring her, I turn away and press the phone to my ear. “Hey, Mason.”
“Hey, gorgeous. We still on for dinner tonight?”
“Absolutely. I just need an hour to finish up here at work and get changed. Do you want to meet up at the restaurant?”
“Not a chance, babe. I’ll pick you up at the cabin.”
I shake my head. “You really don’t have to do that. It’s a long drive.”
“My mother would skin me alive if she ever got word that I didn’t pick a lady up like a proper gentleman so I’ll see you in an hour.”
I laugh before agreeing and saying good-bye. As I hang up the phone, another sigh catches my attention from behind me.
“Yes, Hannah?”
“Nothing. I just love you.”
My heart aches as I smile at my best friend. She’s been by my side since the moment we met twenty-four years ago and I have no idea what I would do without her in my life. I never had parents or siblings, no aunts, uncles, or grandparents that loved me but I’ve always had Hannah.
“Love you, too.”
She stands up from her chair and pulls me into a hug. “Have a good night and call me tomorrow. We’ll grab lunch or something.”
“Sounds good, babe.”
After she releases me, she goes back to the front desk and I finish up cleaning the back room before grabbing my things and heading out to my truck. The feeling of being watched overwhelms me again but I shake it off as I slip behind the wheel, choosing to focus on my plans for the evening instead. There’s nothing I can do about Noah coming back into my life or all the baggage he brings with him but I won’t let him destroy everything I’ve managed to build in the last six years.
The cabin is peaceful as I pull into the driveway and I scan the tree line before turning off the truck and hopping out. Jack lets out a warning growl as I unlock the door but as soon as he sees me, he hops up, his tail wagging like crazy.
“Hi, Jackie. You have a good day?”
His butt wiggles back and forth as he runs across the room to see me and I laugh as he stops himself just before he crashes into my legs. As I run my hand over his head, he sits and looks up at me with his big, brown eyes full of devotion.
“Were you a good boy today?” I ask, scanning the room. Most days, I have nothing to worry about when it comes to Jack but every once in a while, he gets a wild hair and I’ll come home to toilet paper all over the cabin or the fridge wide open and all its contents all over the floor. When I’m convinced that everything is as I left it, I shut the front door behind me and dump my bag on the desk in the corner with a sigh. I’m exhausted after working at the animal clinic all day and I’d love nothing more than to light a fire and read all night but I know I need to get out of the house. After Noah’s reappearance in my life, I haven’t been able to stop looking over my shoulder and being out here, all alone, will only drive me crazy.
Jack barks and I whip toward the door as the motion detector starts going off. I order Jack to his bed.
“Who is it, Jack?” I whisper, creeping toward the window and peeking out of the curtains. Mason, in all his good old southern boy charm, flashes me a grin from his spot in the driveway and I shake my head. The large bouquet of flowers in his hand is complete overkill but I’m not having that argument again. Stepping away from the window, I let the curtains fall back into place. Jack jumps up from the bed and follows at my side as I approach the door and swing it open.
“I thought you said an hour?” I call to Mason and he chuckles before shaking his head as he walks up the front walk.
“Well, I did but you know how impatient I can be.” He stops in front of me and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me close. “Besides, you look so damn cute in your scrubs.”
I smirk. “Pretty sure I’m covered in pee and poop.”
“It just adds t
o your charm.” He leans in, placing a kiss on my cheek and I laugh, slapping my hand on his chest as I wiggle out of his hold.
“Be that as it may, I need to get changed so we can grab dinner.”
He nods, holding up the flowers. “I’ll just put these in some water while you get changed.”
As he heads off into the kitchen, I walk into the bedroom and strip my shirt over my head before tossing it into the hamper.
“Uh, baby?”
I poke my head out of the bedroom. “Yeah?”
“Why do you have a shotgun laying on your table?”
Sighing, I grab a shirt and walk into the living room. He meets my gaze with an arched brow.
“I had an unexpected visitor yesterday.”
His brows creep higher. “Meaning?”
“Meaning that my ex is back in town.”
“I see,” he murmurs, staring at the floor for a second before glancing up at me. “Are you in danger?”
“Not from him.”
He nods. “Do I have anything to worry about?”
“No,” I answer as I pull the shirt over my head and cross the room to him. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close. “Noah and my relationship was and is complicated but I’ll tell you the same thing I told Hannah earlier today. He and I are ancient history and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”
“Okay,” he says after studying me for a moment. Grinning, he leans in and presses a couple quick kisses to my lips. “Now, how about we grab some dinner?”
“Perfect. I’m starving.”
Chapter Five
Kady
Woof!
Woof!
Groaning, I roll over in bed and throw my arm over the edge as the click of Jack’s nails against the hardwood floors follow me.
Woof!
“Jack,” I moan, pulling the covers up over my head and when I drop my hand over the edge of the bed again, he starts licking it. “Seriously, puppy? You can’t wait for breakfast? You have to wake me up at the crack of dawn on my day off and demand food?”