Page 88 of A Hard Habit to Break
“Oh, he reminded me of something I already knew.”
That was all she said. Noah decided against pressing the issue. Admittedly, he hated seeing Pete’s open animosity toward the woman who owned his heart.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
RACHEL SET HERupdated renderings on the entryway table, deciding her committee presentation could wait. The showdown with Pete had tainted the moment.Another time, she told herself. Noah waited for her at the bottom of the porch steps, hands tucked into the pockets of his faded jeans. His familiar crooked smile made her heart skip a beat. Even Pete couldn’t ruin the flutter in her stomach when Noah looked at her with desire in his eyes.
“What was that in your hand?
Rachel shrugged. “It can wait.”
“Ready for the walk back to my place?” Noah asked, voice low and husky. His gaze was intense on her face, but his tone held a note of uncertainty.
Rachel nodded, unable to form words as memories of their night flooded her mind. How many times had they made thistrek from her door onto Calvary land? Hundreds, probably. But never like this, never with the electric tension, the gravity of what it meant for their future, that now crackled between them.
As they set off down the overgrown path, gravel crunched under their boots as they strolled closer to tonight’s promise of pleasure. ClamClam fell into step beside them. The humid summer air clung to Rachel’s skin, making her jeans feel damp and heavy. In the distance, a cow lowed mournfully.
“Remember when we used to race to that big oak?” Noah said, pointing ahead.
Rachel laughed. “You never let me win.”
“You beat me”—he winked—“a few times.”
“I was a worthy opponent, wasn’t I?” she said, grinning.
“You always have been, Six.”
“Hopefully, my luck holds. Bethany asked me to join her in presenting at the council meeting tomorrow afternoon.”
“Did she? Sharing the spotlight with her soon-to-be stepdaughter, nice,” Noah chuckled, as if he saw it coming a mile in the distance. Had she been so anxious that she missed how she fit snugly in her old and newfound family?
“Yep, and stop grinning like the ClamClam who swallowed the canary.” Rachel smiled. “The clinic was… is Bethany’s brainchild. She deserves all the shine. If not for her, I wouldn’t be on the project. So, we’re going to make a strong case for the high school and mill conversions to be awarded a share of the grant money. That faceoff with Pete might work against the proposal.”
“Don’t worry about him,” Noah cut in, leaning over to drop a kiss on her cheek. “This town is small, but we have big dreams. I looked up that EPA website you mentioned. There are plenty of grants available that could help working people and save jobs. We’re doing a good thing, Six.”
Noah looked at her, those magnetic eyes pulling at all the ways they worked while repelling the points that proved too difficult to think about as they walked deeper into… everything. Rachel could feel her emotions melting like ice cream—sweet, with a sugary high on love—into a pool around his feet.
“We should celebrate afterward… drinks at the Bear?”
“It’s a date,” he said, this time kissing her lips.
It felt so natural, this easy banter, as if the years apart had never happened. As if Rachel hadn’t left their idyllic mountain town in the rearview mirror, chasing a safe haven for a redheaded Black woman who preferred hammers to hot curls. As if she hadn’t broken his heart, and he, hers.
She thought of Pete’s hostility. Noah trusted Pete to do the greater good. What he never realized—and Rachel hadn’t until she’d separated herself from the town—was that Noah was Pete’s better half. As long as the tag team existed, Noah cleaned up Pete’s image. Pete commanded, while Noah cajoled. Noah didn’t need Pete. But despite her better judgment, knowing Pete didn’t share well with others, Rachel found she’d fallen for Noah all over again.
A loud crow rang out in the distance. Rachel imagined Ricky, head high, wings down, had a female to impress. Likewise, as they walked, boundaries blurred as bare skin skimmed bare skin, eyes lingered, breathing slowed as pulses raced. Noah’s cabin came into view. Logs marked by the passage of time, yet golden light spilled through clear panes, providing an unobstructed view of the comfort awaiting her return. The river’s rush, along with Rachel’s heartbeat, grew louder with each step. Noah had given her a home… with him… in him.
“Be careful,” he murmured, steadying her with a hand on her lower back as they navigated a tangle of roots.
His touch sent shivers racing up her spine. Rachel stumbled slightly, and Noah’s arm encircled her waist.
“I’ve got you,” he said softly.
Great.
Tomorrow, she needed to be the picture of professional competence, yet tonight, she could barely walk in a straight line around this man. She looked up, meeting his intense gaze. “I know.”
For a breathless moment, the rest of the world faded away. There was only Noah—his woodsy scent, strong arms, and hazel eyes swirling with unspoken promises.
