Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
NOAH
The bedroom door closed behind Teagan with enough force to be clearly heard in the ensuing silence. It wasn’t a slam. More of a declaration of intent.
Mona took one step toward the door, as if to follow, but Noah placed himself in her path and put his hand up.
“Give her a minute.”
Mona frowned, hands on hips, frustration and worry etched in every well-earned line of her face.
“I’m not saying you’re wrong,” Noah continued. “Just that heavy-handed tactics—even well-intentioned ones—are more likely to backfire here. She’s used to running. Pushing her is only going to get her out the door faster.”
“That girl’s got a stubborn streak a mile wide.”
“Sounds like someone else I know,” Noah said with a faint smile. “Give her a chance to calm down. Let me talk to her.”
Mona exhaled, looking almost as tired as he felt. “All right. She’s more likely to listen to you.”
Noah didn’t know about that, but he could recognize another haunted soul, and he understood what it felt like to be pursued by personal demons. To Mona, he said, “She’s got to make her own choices.”
“I know. I just want her to make the right ones.” Mona patted Noah’s arm, then let herself out. “Keep me posted, okay?”
As the sound of her old pickup grew fainter and fainter, Noah ran a hand over the back of his neck and sat down at the table, where Teagan’s cinnamon roll remained untouched, her coffee mug still half full.
You can’t save everyone, Ziegler.
The words came unbidden, spoken by men wiser than him, men who had understood the importance of remaining clinically detached after that clusterfuck in Afghanistan.
The unit had come under attack during what was supposed to be a routine patrol.
Not everyone made it back, and of those who did, not all of them survived.
For some, it was supposed to be their last mission before they went home. Unfortunately, it was, but not in the way they’d thought.
That had been Noah’s last mission too.
So, yeah, he understood running away, just as he understood how much easier it was to insulate yourself from those who tried to help you. But this … it felt different.
Scrubbing his hand over his face, Noah rose and walked slowly to the bedroom, knocking once before pushing the door open. Teagan was beside the bed, adjusting the strap on her backpack. Getting her to listen to reason was going to require a different approach.
“It’s better if I go,” Teagan said without looking at him.
“I’m not going to stop you.”
She paused, surprised. “No?”
“No.”
“Well, okay then.”
“But as a doctor, I’m obligated to point out that doing so is not medically advisable.”
“Duly noted.”
“I get it, you know.”
“Do you?”
“Running away? Wanting to go it alone? Yeah, I do.”
Her lips curled in a faint smile. “What are you running away from, Doc?”
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
That elicited a light chuckle. “Tempting, but no.”
“Then how about this? Wait until dark, when it’s easier to disappear. Take the day to rest, refuel, and figure out your next move.”
She turned to him, a spark of interest in her eyes, along with a healthy dose of suspicion. “You won’t call the sheriff? Won’t try to stop me?”
Noah made an X over his chest. “On my honor.”
She studied him for a long moment. “I have no reason to trust you.”
“You have no reason not to.”
She considered this, then gave a slow nod. “Fair enough. All right.”
He could see it in her eyes—the flicker of something behind the bravado. Not quite trust. Not quite relief. But something. It was a start.
“Until dark then.”
But even as he said it, he knew he wasn’t going to let her go so easily. As both a doctor and a man who’d been raised the way he had, he couldn’t, not in good conscience.
The day passed quietly. Noah kept busy while Teagan pretended to rest, watching him as he puttered around the cabin. At least she remained mostly stationary, keeping the swelling in her ankle to a minimum and giving her wounds a chance to start healing.
She even managed to eat something, which he took as a personal victory. Then again, Mona’s baked goods were hard to resist, and his grilling skills were exemplary.
She seemed to find his company tolerable, too, sitting down at the table to eat a meal with him. It was oddly comfortable.
Maybe too much so.
“This is nice,” Teagan said as they tucked into a hearty dinner of steaks and baked potatoes. “This cabin, I mean. It’s peaceful here. Quiet.”
“You’re welcome to hang out here if you’d like,” he offered. “You’d have the place to yourself.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh? Going somewhere?”
He nodded. “I’m heading north for a couple of weeks to see the family. Mona closes the ranch for the holidays, so I have no excuse not to.”
“You don’t want to go?”
“I didn’t say that.”
When he said nothing more, she nodded. “Got it. None of my business. When are you leaving?”
“Early tomorrow morning. In fact, I should pack.”
“Go on. I’ll clean up.”
“You’re supposed to be resting.”
“I rested all day. Besides, you cooked. It’s the least I can do.”
“Suit yourself.”
Noah left her to it and went into the bedroom, leaving the door open while he tossed some things into an overnight bag. Darkness had settled over an hour ago, and she was still around.
He wasn’t fooled. Despite his assurance that he wouldn’t stand in her way, she was waiting until after he fell asleep, thinking it was the best time to slip away, unnoticed.
It was what he would do. Less fuss. No awkward goodbyes.
What she didn’t know was, he’d be right there. Because for some reason, he couldn’t bear the thought of her facing her demons alone.