Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
CADE
Iwake up with Natalie in my arms and no nightmare clawing at my chest.
For a long moment, I just lie there. Taking inventory. The soft weight of her head on my shoulder. The warmth of her body pressed along my side. The way her hand has found its way under my shirt, palm flat against my stomach like she needed to feel my skin.
I can't remember the last time I slept through the night.
She stirs, making a small sound, and burrows closer. Her lips brush my collarbone, and my whole body tightens in response.
Down, boy.
I told her I wanted to do this right. Court her properly. That means keeping my hands to myself until she's had more time to heal, no matter how badly I want to map every inch of her with my mouth.
But God, she makes it difficult.
"You're thinking too loud." Her voice is sleep rough, muffled against my chest.
"Sorry."
She tilts her head back to look at me. Her hair is a mess, tangled from sleep, and there's a pillow crease on her cheek. She's beautiful.
"How'd you sleep?" I ask.
"Better than I have in months." She traces a pattern on my stomach with her fingertip. "You?"
"No nightmares."
Her hand stills. "Really?"
"Really."
She props herself up on her elbow, studying my face. "That's because of me?"
"Seems like it." I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're good for me, Natalie Pierce."
Her smile is soft and a little shy. "You're good for me too."
I want to kiss her. Want to roll her onto her back and show her exactly how good we could be together. But the morning light is streaming through the windows, and I can smell coffee from the pot I set to auto brew last night, and if I start kissing her now, I won't stop.
"Breakfast?" I ask instead.
"Mmm. In a minute." She settles back against my chest, her arm draping over my waist. "I'm not ready to move yet."
So we don't move. We lie there while the sun climbs higher and the coffee gets cold and Luna scratches at the bedroom door wanting to be let out. I ignore all of it because Natalie is warm and soft and she chose to be here in my bed, and I'm not about to cut that short for anything.
Eventually, reality intrudes. Her stomach growls. Luna's scratching becomes more insistent. I press a kiss to the top of her head and reluctantly untangle myself.
"Stay put. I'll bring you breakfast in bed."
"You don't have to do that."
"I know." I'm already pulling on jeans. "I want to."
Her smile follows me out of the room.
In the kitchen, I let Luna out and start on pancakes. It's Saturday, which means the weekend crowd will be at the Whisper Vale farmers’ market. I should take her. She's been cooped up here for almost a week, and Doc Morrison mentioned the market has a booth selling used books.
I'm flipping the third pancake when my phone buzzes with a text from Vivian.
Vivian
Bringing lasagna supplies for tomorrow. Also, I like her. Don't screw it up.
I snort.
Working on it.
Vivian
Work harder. She looks at you like you're safe. Don't make her wrong.
That hits somewhere deep. I set down the phone and finish cooking, piling two plates with pancakes and the maple syrup I traded Colt Reeves for last month.
Natalie is sitting up in bed when I return, wearing my t-shirt and what looks to be nothing else. The hem barely reaches mid thigh. I almost drop the plates.
"Pancakes." I clear my throat. "With real maple syrup."
"You're spoiling me."
"That's the plan."
We eat in bed like teenagers, trading bites and brushing syrup off each other's fingers.
She tells me about the children's book she's been working on, a story about a little girl who befriends a family of foxes.
I tell her about the time Wolfe found an orphaned fox kit and tried to raise it before Sadie convinced him to take it to a wildlife rescue.
"She convinced Wolfe to do something?" Natalie's eyes are wide. "I thought he was the scary silent one."
"Sadie has powers none of us understand." I steal a bite of pancake from her plate. "She just keeps talking until he agrees. I think it's a survival mechanism. Give her what she wants or drown in words."
Natalie laughs, and the sound settles into my bones.
"I want to take you somewhere today," I say. "If you're up for it."
"Where?"
"Farmers market in town. You've been stuck here all week. Might be good to get out, see some new faces." I watch her reaction carefully. "We don't have to if you're not ready. But I'll be right there with you the whole time."
She's quiet for a moment, processing.
"Okay." She nods, more to herself than me. "Okay, yes. I want to go."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Her chin lifts with determination. "I'm tired of hiding. I want to feel like a person again, not a ghost."
I lean over and kiss her. Soft, quick, just enough to let her know how proud I am. "Then let's make you feel like a person."
The Whisper Vale farmers market takes over Main Street every Saturday morning. Local vendors selling produce, crafts, baked goods. Mountain honey and handmade soaps and jars of preserves. It's small-town America at its finest, and I've been coming here once a month since I moved to the mountains.
Natalie's hand finds mine as we walk from the truck. Her fingers are cold despite the warm September day, and I squeeze gently.
"I've got you."
She squeezes back. "I know."
The first few minutes are tense. She's hyperaware of everyone around us, scanning faces.
But nobody here is a threat. Just Martha from the bakery, who waves and offers us a sample of her apple fritter.
Just Old Pete selling vegetables from his farm.
Just the usual crowd of locals enjoying a Saturday morning.
By the time we reach the book booth, Natalie's grip has loosened. She's actually looking at the displays instead of the people, her eyes lighting up at a table covered in vintage children's books.
"Oh my God." She picks up a worn copy of The Secret Garden. "This was my favorite when I was little. I must have read it a hundred times."
"Then you should have it."
"Cade, I can't just buy things. I need to save what money I have."
I take the book from her hands and carry it to the woman running the booth. "How much?"
"Three dollars, hon."
I hand over a five and tell her to keep the change. When I turn back, Natalie is staring at me with an expression I can't read.
"What?"
"You just... bought me a book."
"It's three dollars."
"It's not about the money." She takes the book when I offer it, holding it against her chest. "Kevin never bought me anything unless it served him.
Jewelry to show off to his friends. Clothes he picked out to dress me the way he wanted.
He never just... saw something I loved and got it for me because it would make me happy. "
"Get used to it," I tell her. "I plan on buying you a lot of things that make you happy."
Her eyes are bright. "You're too good to be real."
"I'm extremely real." I take her free hand and pull her toward the produce section. "Come on. I need tomatoes for the week, and Vivian requested fresh basil for tomorrow's lasagna."
We spend the next hour wandering the market.
I introduce her to people I know, keep my hand on the small of her back, watch her slowly unfurl.
She laughs at Martha's jokes. She asks Old Pete about his prize-winning squash.
She samples three different kinds of honey before declaring the wildflower her favorite.
She looks happy. Actually happy.
"Cade Marshall, as I live and breathe."
I turn to find Sheriff Tom Parker approaching with his wife Kelsie. Tom's in civilian clothes for once, his arm around Kelsie's waist.
"Sheriff. Kelsie." I nod to both of them. "This is Natalie. She's staying with me for a while."
Tom's sharp eyes take in her healing bruises, the way she steps slightly behind me. He's too smart not to read the situation.
"Pleasure to meet you, Natalie." His voice is gentle. "You need anything while you're in Whisper Vale, you come see me. My door's always open."
"Thank you." Natalie's voice is small but steady.
"We should have coffee sometime," Kelsie adds. "I run the B&B in town. Lots of women pass through who've had hard times. I've got a good listening ear if you ever need one."
"I'd like that," Natalie says. "Thank you."
We chat for a few more minutes before Tom and Kelsie move on. Natalie is quiet as we finish our shopping.
"Everyone here is so nice," she finally says as we load bags into the truck.
"Small town."
"It's not just that." She leans against the passenger door, looking at me over the truck bed. "They're nice to me specifically. Like they know something's wrong and they're trying to help without making me feel broken."
"That's because they do know." I close the tailgate and walk around to her side. "Tom's a smart cop. He saw your bruises and put it together. And Whisper Vale protects its own."
"I'm not one of their own. I'm a stranger who showed up a week ago."
"You're with me." I cup her face in my hands, tilting it up so she has to meet my eyes. "That makes you one of us. For as long as you want to be."
Her hands come up to grip my wrists. She rises on her toes and kisses me.
It's different from last night. Last night was questions and testing. This kiss is an answer. A declaration.
She pulls back and rests her forehead against my chin. "Take me home, Cade."
Home. Not back to your cabin. Not to your place.
Home.
I help her into the truck without another word.
The drive back feels longer than usual. Charged. Her hand rests on my thigh, warm through my jeans, and I'm hyperaware of every shift of her fingers. The silence between us isn't uncomfortable. It's anticipation.
We barely make it through the front door.
I set the grocery bags on the counter and turn to find her right behind me. She grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me down, and this kiss has none of the gentleness of the others.
This kiss is hunger.