Chapter 23 Noah
NOAH
I woke up early, the sky outside still carrying the hush of dawn. Beside me, Maya stirred, half-awake, her fingers twitching toward me like she thought she should get up too.
“Go back to sleep,” I murmured, brushing a kiss on her forehead. She needed the rest more than I did.
She mumbled something incoherent but didn’t fight me when I tugged the blanket higher around her shoulders. A second later, she was out again, her breathing settling into something deep and steady. I lingered for just a moment, watching her, then slipped out of bed and made my way to the kitchen.
Elia was already up, coffee in hand. He looked like he’d been awake for hours. Claire and Baby Dylan were probably still out cold.
He glanced up as I walked in, giving me a look that said he already knew and didn’t even need the words.
But instead of calling me out, he went with, “Your dog showed up this morning. I gave him some eggs.”
“Thanks, El.”
He wiped his hands on a dish towel, then added, “Also, Reko tried to dominate Koda. Poor guy looked deeply betrayed.”
That pulled a laugh out of me. “He’s still figuring out how to coexist with others. He hasn’t quite settled into the whole home and hearth thing.”
Reko was still a wanderer. He slept where he liked and followed his instincts.
Elia went back to fussing over the counter like he wasn’t baiting me.
I finally said, “Maya’s here.”
I braced for it—the jab, the deadpan sarcasm, and some well-aimed brotherly roast.
But Elia just nodded. “Took you long enough.”
“No roasting?” I asked, only half-joking.
He smirked. “Not today.”
That was new. A peace offering, maybe. Or maybe he just saw something in my face. Something serious enough to skip the wisecracks.
He didn’t say it, but I could tell. He was glad. Not because it was easy, but because he wanted this for me. He wanted me to have something that felt like a future.
He set the table like he always did, an omelet waiting. I dropped into the seat across from him.
“Before you hear it from someone else,” I said, “Maya came straight to Buffaloberry Hill from prison.”
Elia raised a brow in shock, but there was no judgment. “Okay. And?”
“She told me everything last night. And I believe her.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
I exhaled. “But…she sort of reoffended.”
That got a groan, and he dragged a hand down his face. “Noah, I’m not here to wag a finger. Claire and I sure as hell weren’t easy. You love who you love. Just be clear with yourself. Know what you’re walking into and what you’re willing to put on the line.”
“I’m taking her to The Sundown. If anything blows up, I don’t want you and Claire near the fallout.”
“That wasn’t what I meant. I just want you to protect yourself. Love may turn out how you hope, but it also might not.”
“Still, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
I still remember how close I’d been to losing him when he was beaten black and blue, defending his dignity…and his love.
“We’re family, Noah. Your mess is my mess.”
“Not this one,” I said.
He gave a small shrug. “Take her to The Sundown. You’ll need the space anyway,” he said, that smirk coming back. “But you’re not flying solo.”
“Thanks, brother,” I acknowledged, before adding, “The trouble sounds small. A necklace that had changed hands within her family. But it’s turning into something bigger. Corrupt cops and feuding relatives who don’t mind getting dirty. She went to prison for it, but she reclaimed it.”
“Wow.” His tone wasn’t judgmental, just more impressed than anything. “So the necklace is hers?”
“Her mother’s.”
“Huh. Where’s her mother now?”
“I don’t know. They stopped speaking after the arrest. Maya stole the necklace back so she could sell the diamonds and pay for a girl’s liver transplant. She didn’t even know the girl.”
Elia’s gaze turned gentle. “Oh man. Bless her.”
“Yeah.”
“Keep her close, Noah. A woman like that doesn’t come around twice.”
Didn’t I already know it.
“One more thing,” I said. “The guy coming today to check out the venue…who is he?”
“I wouldn’t’ve remembered his name if Claire hadn’t flagged him as a little too meticulous and eccentric, with a weird name.”
“Napoleon?”
His head tilted. “You know him?”
“He’s Maya’s cousin’s wedding planner.”
Elia’s eyes narrowed. “So the bride’s from the side that hates her?”
“Yeah. And let’s just say she wasn’t thrilled about losing the necklace.”
“I’ll let Claire know.”
“They might throw stupid money at you to book this place.”
“Let ’em try. We’re doing just fine without them. I’m feeling good about this season.”
I tossed him a side smile. “You? An optimist?”
Before we lost Tessa, he had been. He’d been the one with the confidence, the sure steps, the leadership. I’d been the little brother, nipping at his heels, wanting to be just like him. But grief had a way of changing a man.
“It’ll be fine,” he said, resolute. “We’ll be fine.”
Claire padded into the kitchen, sleep still on her face. “Morning, gents.”
Elia greeted her with a kiss and eased her into a chair. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Napoleon,” he said, glancing my way.
Claire sighed. “Canceled. Said he saw some bad reviews about The Lazy Moose and backed out. That couple from Missoula, they bailed too.”
She pulled up her phone and showed us a review from someone named Andrew.
The view was the only thing worth remembering. The décor felt thrown together, like someone raided a craft store clearance bin the night before. As for the hosts…hard to say who was actually in charge, and some of them were downright rude.
“And this one too,” she said, swiping to the next.
It was from a user called WeddingWatcher.
A hidden gem? Sure, it’s a gem. But I sure hope it stays hidden. Plenty of other venues in Montana give you more for less.
Elia wrapped an arm around her. “I’m sorry, Chilli.”
She let out a breath. “Maybe it’s a blessing. I’m so damn tired. But that—” She jabbed at the phone screen. “That still stings.”
We all knew how hard she’d worked. Her flower arrangements. The lights. The hours.
Elia caressed her arm. “You know this isn’t on you.”
She gave a small nod. “I’ll be fine, baby.”
My morning brain slowly put things together. Goddammit. Napoleon hadn’t been put off by the review. He’d orchestrated the damn thing.
I sighed loudly, catching Elia’s and Claire’s attention.
“I think this one’s on me,” I confessed. “I’d bet real money that ‘Andrew’ is fake. And ‘WeddingWatcher’? Same deal. I’ll have the posts taken down.”
Claire shook her head. “Don’t. You know those sites push back hard before they’ll take anything down.”
“Not if it’s fake,” I said. “I’m pretty sure I know exactly who’s behind it.”
She rubbed her face with both hands. “Please, Noah. I know you probably could handle it. But I’m too beat to deal with the backlash.”
I hadn’t seen her look this done before. “Okay. But if it spirals, let me know.”
She tried for a smile. “So what’s this got to do with you anyway? No one’s complained about your dancing.”
I chuckled, but she knew I wasn’t joking around.
“Napoleon is behind this,” I said. “Maya ran into him a few days ago while he was scouting venues. Up by the trail fork, on the way to the falls.”
“Shit,” Elia muttered. “The Powder Keg?”
Claire gave him a look.
“It’s what Dad used to call it,” Elia explained. “Pretty place, but the earth’s looser than it looks. It shifts easily if you step wrong.”
I nodded. “He started taking photos of her without asking, so she chucked his phone into the ravine. And he blew up.”
Claire’s eyebrows shot up.
“There was a landslide,” I said. “She saved him, but she fell doing it. And he just left her there.”
Claire winced. “That’s awful!”
“Please, keep this just between us,” I said. “Napoleon’s the wedding planner for Maya’s cousin, Annamaria. And Maya and Annamaria have a complicated past.” I glanced at Elia.
“I’ll fill you in,” he told Claire.
“I promised Maya we wouldn’t report the incident. Let us handle it.”
Elia nodded without hesitation. “You have my word.” Claire gave a quiet nod too.
“Thank you,” I said. “And again, I’m so sorry.”
Claire touched my arm. “You don’t need to apologize. We’re family.”
Then she turned to Elia, rubbing her eyes. “I think I’ll go back to bed.”
“Okay, sweetheart,” he said softly. “I’ll be there soon.”
I dragged a hand down my face. “Geez, El. I feel like crap.”
He shook his head. “We’ve been through worse. Claire’s tough. No need to tell Maya about those reviews. She’d just feel bad.”
Bless my brother. But I said, “I will. I don’t want to keep things from her.”
He smiled. “That’s a Lucas.” Then he gave me that classic big-brother shrug. “All right, I’ll leave you to handle what needs handling.”
With a nod, I patted his shoulder while he pushed himself upright.
He paused, just for a second. This wasn’t about Napoleon or those fake reviews.
It was about me leaving the Lazy Moose. Moving next door shouldn’t have felt like a goodbye, but somehow, it did.
And in that brief hesitation, I felt a different kind of homecoming, even though it was time for me to step away.
“Hey,” I called over my shoulder. “Whiskey & Barrel sometime? My shout.”
He kept it cool, almost. “’Course.”