Chapter 18
18
Noel blinked her eyes open, her senses slowly coming to life. Something had woken her, though she couldn’t immediately pinpoint what. The unfamiliar weight beneath her head wasn’t her usual pillow, and the air around her was eerily still. She strained to listen but was met with… nothing. Nothing?
Then the realization hit her like a wave. The storm had passed. The once relentless wind and rain were gone, leaving an almost suffocating silence in their wake.
A slight movement behind her tugged at her attention. Her mind processed the sensations slowly—a warm body pressed against her back, an arm wrapped snugly around her waist, and a leg tangled with hers. Tad and Penny were on the other tarp…
Her breath caught as clarity struck, and her eyes snapped wide open. There was only one possible explanation. Landon.
Before she could react, the arm around her waist tightened briefly, a possessive yet gentle squeeze, before loosening. “Morning,” said a sleep-rough, distinctly male voice, warm and low against her ear.
The deep timbre sent a shiver down her spine as he shifted, pulling away. The loss of his warmth left her feeling oddly bereft as well as chilled.
“G… good morning,” she managed, her voice unsteady as she pushed herself up to sit. She glanced down, taking in their tangled sleeping arrangement. She had spent the night wrapped in Landon’s arms, the man who had swooped in like a hero to rescue the kids and, quite possibly, her heart.
And waking up in his arms felt good. Really good. The kind of good that made her wish they’d slept in the same position in other circumstances. Such as a big bed after a night of hot, sweaty sex. She closed her eyes at the thought, not wanting to look at him in case his X-ray vision could see the images racing through her mind.
Her heart pounded, and she could only hope he didn’t notice the heat creeping up her neck. This mission was complicated enough without adding her traitorous desires into the mix.
Tad stirred, groaning as he sat up and looked down at Penny, still curled on her side, although her eyes were now open.
The two kids looked adorably rumpled, and if she didn’t know better, she could almost imagine they hadn’t been through the kidnapping yesterday. Tad scrubbed his hand over his head, making his hair stand up.
But as Penny sat up, her sleep-eased expression morphed into fear. “Is the storm over? Can we go home today? I want to go home!” Her voice rose with each word, panic on her face.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Noel comforted, pushing to a stand before crouching in front of Penny. “You’re fine, honey. We’re all fine. We’ve got a gourmet meal of more protein bars and water. We slept in this five-star accommodations?—”
Penny giggled, a sweet, melodic sound that cut through the tension lingering in the air. Tad snorted, his expression softening, and Noel felt a wave of relief wash over her. She considered that a win. “Let’s get moving. How about you and I visit the ladies' room, otherwise known as a tree with lots of leaves around?”
Penny giggled again before her eyes turned to Tad. “You okay?”
“Sure, Sis. You go on with Noel.”
Noel glanced toward Landon, seeking his silent approval before stepping outside. His intense gaze was locked onto her, and her heart skipped a beat, her breath catching in her throat. Blinking rapidly, she murmured, "Is it safe for us to go out?"
Nodding, Landon said, “Let me take a look first.” His gaze dragged from her over to Tad. “Stay here and keep an eye on them while I check out there, and then we can go out after them.”
She swung her head around in time to see Tad's look of pride. Landon had given him a sense of responsibility, a role to play amid the chaos. It wasn’t about gender or strength—it was about giving Tad something solid to cling to in a world that had spiraled out of control.
Landon stood, stretching his arms high above his head. The motion was fluid, unhurried, and Noel couldn’t help but notice the way his muscles shifted beneath his shirt. She swallowed hard, her gaze trailing after him as he strode toward the door, the memory of his warmth still vivid against her skin. And the memory of their kiss yesterday. Fast, hard, and full of unspoken promise. It had left her reeling, her heart pounding in a way she hadn’t felt in years.
He came back in and nodded. “It’s good for you to head outside. It's wet, and the ground is slippery, so don’t go too far.”
Nodding, she scrambled up and offered a hand to Penny. “Let’s go powder our noses, shall we?” she asked in an overly exaggerated haughty tone.
Penny laughed, and the two walked outside. They walked down the path a little way. She wasn’t surprised the area was soaked from the storm, but it certainly made it harder to find a place to squat.
“Boys have it easy,” Penny grumbled.
Noel chuckled in her agreement. She shoved a tissue from her purse into Penny’s hand. “Okay, a spot behind that tree is about as dry as you’ll get. I’ll go on this side of the path.” They separated, and a moment later, after their bladders were relieved, they met on the path again. Penny’s color had returned, and so had her shy smile.
“Feel better?” Noel asked.
“Yes, and thank you, Noel.”
Noel wrapped her arm around the young girl’s shoulders. “How are you doing this morning?”
Penny looked up at her and pressed her lips together. “It seems like a bad dream. I mean… all of this.” She sighed. “Mom is doing her typical selfish stuff, always trying to get one over on Dad. Then those men—” She sucked in a shallow breath.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Noel said, turning to face Penny, then bending slightly so she was directly in front of her. “We are not going to pretend that yesterday didn’t happen. We’re going to talk about it. Face it. We’ll get you home with your dad and grandparents and make sure you have a good counselor to talk about it. And keep in mind that you and your brother are survivors.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t do anything…”
“That’s not true. When I arrived, you were on Landon’s back as he scaled down the wall like Spider-Man.”
Penny chuckled, and her eyes lit. “It was kind of crazy, wasn’t it?”
“Honey, it was beyond crazy. But you did what he asked. You didn’t fall apart. You followed directions. You helped save yourself, even if that was just helping the person sent to save you.”
Penny held her gaze. “You’re good at this.”
Cocking her head, Noel waited.
“You know… good at making me feel better.”
Smiling, Noel brushed her hand over Penny’s hair and cupped her cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart. Just keep remembering that you’re safe.” She moved closer to the door. “Now, let’s go have that gourmet breakfast.”
As soon as they entered, she found Landon’s gaze on her again. Even more intense than before. Tad walked past her to go outside, and as Landon followed, he stopped next to her. Bending, he whispered, “You are good at this. I’m glad you forced yourself on me.”
She blinked as she stared up at him. “Forced myself on you?” She suddenly wondered what she had done in the middle of the night when they were curled around each other.
His lips curved in a slow grin. “Yeah. Forced yourself to accompany me on this part of the trip.”
“Oh. Oh… yeah… right.” Her face heated, and her eyes narrowed as his grin widened. Playfully slapping him on the arm, she said, “Go on. Get out of here.”
He dipped his chin, then turned and followed Tad out the door. She let out a long, slow breath, gave a moment for her cheeks to cool, then slapped on a smile and turned around. Penny was staring at her but didn’t say anything, for which Noel was glad. If the young girl had wondered what was happening, Noel would have had no idea how to explain it when she didn’t understand it herself.
She found the stash of protein bars and handed one to Penny and another bottle of water. “You’ll need to share the water with Tad when he returns.” Penny nodded and leaned against the side wall as Noel picked up the tarps and began to fold them.
Near the back, she heard voices. She hadn’t planned on listening, but her ears perked up.
“I was scared,” Tad said.
“Nothing wrong with that,” Landon replied. “I would have thought something was wrong with you if you hadn’t been scared.”
There were a few seconds of silence before Tad admitted, “I was afraid of what they might do to Penny. I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I had to stay between them and her. But I keep thinking, what if?—”
“Don’t,” Landon ordered. “Don’t torture yourself with what-ifs . Just think of what you said—you knew you had to stay between them and her. You put yourself out there to protect your sister. At your age? That’s fucking huge, Tad. That means that at only twelve, you’ve learned about being a man besides just enjoying being a kid. You’ve got the heart of a protector. You hold on to that. You nourish and nurture that part of you.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
“Thanks, Landon. Coming from you, that means a lot.”
Noel barely breathed as she leaned closer to the back wall. No more sounds were heard until footsteps neared the door, and she jerked around to find Penny still staring at her. She had a feeling they had both witnessed Tad’s fears and insecurities as well as Landon’s words of praise. Her chest swelled with an emotion she couldn’t define, but as Landon walked through the door, she had to force her legs to stay in place so she wouldn’t run and throw herself at him.
Tad moved over to take the water from Penny’s outstretched hand while Landon stopped and stared at Noel. She knew a goofy smile must be on her face as his gaze wandered over her, and his lips twitched. “Here,” she said, handing protein bars to Tad and Landon. Then before she embarrassed herself more, she bent to fold the last tarp, shoving it into the pack.
Landon knelt next to her and placed his hand over hers. “I’ve got it,” he said, his voice still growly, but now the sound oozed through her like melted chocolate—gooey and delicious.
Clearing her throat, she asked, “So, what’s the plan?”
“Storm is passed. We need to walk down the road and past the mudslide. My people have just flown in and will get a vehicle up here to meet us.”
“And then?” Penny asked.
Landon stood, offered his hand to assist Noel, and turned to face Penny. “Then we’ll go back to your mom’s place. You need food, a shower, and a chance to get your things.”
“Oh my goodness,” Noel said, her eyes wide. “We forgot to tell you that your dad sent Mike Westerly to come with us. He’s a familiar face to make you feel better.”
“Big Mike is here?” the kids shouted with broad smiles on their faces.
“Yes. He’s with your mom, and you’ll see him soon. Then we’ll fly back to Montana.”
Tad and Penny nodded, the news seeming to give them energy. As Landon swung his pack over his shoulders, Tad leaned down to grab the lighter bag. They filed out of the small shack, and Noel glanced back. Hard dirt floor. Cinder block and wood walls. Rudimentary and crude. Yet the small building would stay in her memory as a shelter. A respite. And a place where she got to know more about the man who’d captured her attention.