Chapter 16 Maya #2
“Although,” he said, rubbing his chin, fake-serious, “it’s kinda like finding a needle in a haystack. And, well, we are quite literally in hay country.”
“Exactly why I was gonna do it alone,” I muttered.
He raised a brow. “Shouldn’t that mean you need me? I’m basically the hay whisperer.”
“I’m more efficient solo,” I said, straight-faced. There was no way he’d actually leave me alone, and that meant the necklace would stay exactly where it was. For now.
I dropped my gaze, leaning down to Reko for cover. “He’s got retriever in him, right? Maybe he could sniff something out.”
Noah chuckled. “Could be.” He gave a noncommittal shrug. “Let’s give him a shot.”
We started walking, with him casually scanning the grass as if we were really on a treasure hunt, and me throwing strategic glances at the tree. So close. Yet still guarded by one six-foot-two complication.
“How’s your side?” he asked.
“Better. Painkillers work.”
His lips twitched. “So you’re ready for a Reverse Corte?”
“You’re evil.”
He laughed, full and unbothered.
Reko, trotting happily ahead of us, had already begun his own search, snuffling through the grass. Noah’s hope clearly surged for half a second, until the dog barked once, his tail wagging furiously, and unearthed…someone’s leftover mac and cheese from last night’s dinner.
“Glad someone’s having a productive morning,” I muttered.
Noah smirked. “He’s thorough, I’ll give him that.”
We kept looking. Or pretending to, at least. My nerves buzzed. One wrong move and he’d figure out I wasn’t looking for jewelry—I was looking for an exit.
“So, you said you just moved here?” I asked to keep him talking, to keep him distracted.
“Yeah. From Salt Lake.”
“Ah. Your hockey days. Your pretend-physio days. And your media mogul era?”
“All of the above.”
I gave him a once-over. No suit today. Just boots, worn jeans, a T-shirt that had no business clinging that well. “You clean up nice for a cowboy.”
“I always belonged here, Blue.”
“But you wanted something bigger? Better?”
He paused. “Not really. It was just…complicated. Cliché, I know. Maybe worse.”
There was something in his face. Not just weariness. What he’d survived left its mark.
I reassured him, “You’re here now. That proves you belong.”
He nodded, his eyes still on the ground like we might actually find something. “I’ll show you my new place if you want. It’s Victorian and ready to be lived in.” He nudged a rock with his boot. “Deliveries came and went, but I’m still waiting on the bed. They just kept messing it up.”
Ah. So that’s what he meant earlier when he said the delivery hadn’t gone well.
“Can’t woo anyone without a decent bed,” I quipped.
That earned a laugh. “That was my thinking exactly.” Then, in a voice far too smooth, he added, “Not wooing you, though, Blue.”
God, the way he said it. Not just the nickname, but the ownership in it. Like I was already his. And I didn’t hate that. Not even a little.
Reko nosed between us again, licking a cheesy paw.
I looked away. This wasn’t supposed to be hard.
The necklace. The plan.
I was supposed to be halfway to the barn by now. But instead, I stood there like a girl who didn’t want to leave. Like a girl already gone.
Because if I were honest with myself, I wasn’t sure I’d ever find another man like Noah Lucas. And I wasn’t sure I’d survive letting him go.
We wandered. We took the long route, passed the tents, and circled the back pasture. We edged very close to the barn. The oak tree was right there. Close enough to tempt, far enough to taunt.
I almost growled.
Noah, meanwhile, kept scanning the ground like we were on some wholesome neighborhood treasure hunt. Sweet, really. If only we weren’t inches from a stash of diamonds I had no intention of unearthing in front of Mr. Storm Chaser himself.
I turned my gaze toward the field, where a few guys were taking down the last of the tents.
“Think you’ll host more weddings here?” I asked.
He shrugged. “That’s El’s call. I just show up and pretend I know what I’m doing.”
I smiled. “You weren’t a bad stand-in for a dance partner.”
“Because I had an excellent partner.”
We let it stretch for a moment.
Then I said, “It was a great wedding. And great for The Lazy Moose. At least Sheryn didn’t demand painted horse hooves or make the dogs wear floral tutus.”
He laughed. And damn it, I wanted to hear that sound again.
Maybe from his porch, maybe with his hand brushing mine.
But the sound didn’t just fade. It settled in my chest, curling in like a reminder.
Because I knew it wouldn’t last. This moment—his laugh, his ease, the dog sniffing the grass like he’d been born for it—would slip into memory soon enough.
We circled the clearing again, Reko pawing a patch of grass with great enthusiasm, but no luck. Not that we expected any. In the end, we didn’t find the imaginary earring. So we turned around, walking side by side through the grass, my heartbeat keeping a separate rhythm from my steps.
“I’m sorry about that, Blue,” he said, brushing his hand over the back of his neck. Then, lighter, like he was testing the current, he asked, “How about dinner tonight? Cheer you up?”
I stopped walking. My head snapped up like someone had just yanked a cord in the back of my neck.
Dinner?
Not now. Not like this. Not when I was teetering between disaster and desire.
“What?” I managed. “Are you asking me on a date?”
His grin went full rascal, damn him. “What do they say? Lunch is the friend zone, but dinner…that’s where the trouble begins.”
My mouth wanted to smile. My feet wanted to run. But my brain was already doing mental gymnastics. If I played this right, I could come back here in the dark after dinner, slip away, retrieve the necklace, and maybe even—God help me—sleep with him?
Shit. Focus, Maya.
Noah must have taken my hesitation as doubt because he kept talking, trying to sell the idea. “Think about it. You can take a nap, sleep off that hangover, and wake up fresh. Then, dinner.”
I felt my own smirk form. “Fine. I’d love that.”
His brows lifted, like he hadn’t expected me to give in so easily. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Blue Storm isn’t exactly in the mood to cook up a storm.”
As I turned to head to my car, he called after me, “Hey, do you ride?”
I glanced back, confused. “What?”
He made a comical hand-and-leg gesture that was supposed to resemble horseback riding.
I huffed. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Good. Come before sunset. Wear something comfortable.”
I nodded, ignoring the way my pulse kicked up a notch, both for the dinner and the impending retrieval of that necklace. It had got to be tonight, otherwise I’d be in real trouble.
And it was high time I started following Annamaria on socials. She wouldn’t exactly announce she’d lost something over a loudspeaker, but if there’d been even a hint of it, especially involving that Napoleon guy, I needed to know.