CHAPTER 9
NOAH
I hammer another post into the ground with a little more force than is necessary and step back to admire my handiwork.
I’ve been out in the back pasture most of the morning installing the new fence to ready the space for the herd we’ll be moving up here in a few weeks.
My brows pinch as I scan the fifteen or so posts I’ve hammered in, annoyance flaring when I observe the different heights of each one.
That’s not right.
The faint sound of hooves hitting grass fills my ears and my shoulders tense when I spy Hunter approaching on Luna. I have absolutely no doubt that he’s going to chew my ass out when he sees how royally I’ve fucked up here.
His brows are dipped low beneath the brim of his cowboy hat as he brings Luna to a halt and completes the same scan I did just moments ago.
“What the fuck, Noah?” His voice is incredulous yet horrified.
I look back toward the posts and then back at my brother and scratch my head. “I don’t know what happened, man.”
“Well, it looks like you’ve hammered in a bunch of uneven fence posts to me.”
Thanks, Captain Obvious.
“Yes,” I say slowly. “But I don’t understand how they’ve all ended up uneven. I hammered every single one of them five times, just like I’ve always done,” I snap the words at him and instantly regret it when he trains his angry stare on me.
“Who pissed on your pancakes this morning?” Hunter snaps back, his arms folded across his chest.
If I weren’t so riled up, I’d have laughed at that question.
“No one,” I lie.
Isabella Ashby, that’s who.
I’ve been trying to speak to her since last night and she’s been ignoring every single one of my text messages and calls.
And I know she’s ignoring them because I can blatantly see that she has read them.
I’ve been replaying the smug look on Justin’s face as he watched my brothers practically carry me out of the bar last night.
Been consumed with the images of him going home to Bella.
Of him touching her, climbing into bed beside her and telling her that he loves her all while he has the residue of another woman on his little dick.
The thought makes me sick.
No, scratch that, it makes me boil with a rage like nothing I’ve ever felt.
“You’re still pissed about what we saw last night,” Hunter states, breaking through my dark thoughts and causing my eyes to snap up to his.
“Of course I’m fucking pissed about what we saw last night. How are you not pissed about it? Bella is like family to you.”
“She’s like family to you, too,” he responds and although Bella is anything but familial to me and just hearing him refer to her as such makes my insides cringe, I don’t correct him.
Hunter takes a step toward me, placing a hand on my shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
“Look, man. I know you care about her and seeing Justin publicly disrespect her like that makes you angry, but you can’t bring that shit to work.
Bella is like a little sister to me. She’s one of Savannah’s closest friends.
And I’m furious that that slimy little prick thinks he has the right to cheat on her, but it’s none of my business. ”
“So, we’re supposed to what? Just say nothing? To let her continue living with him and believing that he loves her when he’s fucking someone else before he goes home to her every night?” I spit, angry and utterly bewildered at how he can just carry on like everything is normal.
There is not a chance in hell I could go on living my life like I didn’t see what I saw.
I knew from day fucking one that there was something not right about that asshole.
“I’m not saying we do nothing, Noah. I’m just saying, it’s a sensitive subject. This type of thing needs to be handled with care. If you go to Bella all guns blazing and shouting from the rooftops that Justin is cheating on her, all you’re going to do is humiliate her and make her hate you.”
Yeah, well she already hates me so telling her won’t make that much of a difference.
I stay quiet while I silently fume, but Hunter continues. “I say we let one of the girls handle it. I could tell Savannah and she could be the one to tell Bella. It might sound better coming from her.”
“No,” I snap. “You think me telling her would humiliate her? No. Her friends being the one to tell her would humiliate her.”
Hunter shakes his head. “You’re wrong, man.”
“No. I’m not. I know Bella. She wouldn’t want her friends knowing this about her. She wouldn’t want the pity.”
He narrows his eyes at me, and I worry I might have said too much so I turn his attention back to the uneven posts. “So, what do you want me to do about this?”
With a long, heavy sigh he focuses back on the real reason he came out here. “Make them all the same height. We’ll have to deal with a shorter fence.”
***
My stomach growls as I pull up in front of Bella’s Café and park my truck in one of the parking bays.
I’ve been thinking about the club sandwich they make here all day so as soon as I finally levelled out all of the fence posts, I hopped straight in my truck and drove over here.
I’m also hoping that Bella is working today and I might finally get a chance to speak to her.
As much as I don’t want to give her the news of Justin’s infidelity while she’s at work, she can’t ignore me in person.
Two birds, one stone.
Grabbing my wallet and phone from the centre console, I hop out and lock the truck before trudging to the front door. The bell chimes above me as I push through it and my stomach sinks in disappointment when I’m greeted by a smiling face that does not belong to Bella behind the counter.
Since Liv is out on maternity leave, this must be her replacement.
“Hi. Welcome to Bella’s. What can I get for you?” The young girl, who is no older than college age, asks me as I approach.
“Can I get the chicken club to go, please,” I respond, trying my hardest to smile despite my disappointment.
“Sure thing. It’ll just be a few minutes.” She passes the order through to the kitchen and I say a quick thank you before paying and stepping to the side to let the person behind me place their order.
Leaning against the wall next to the front entrance, I pull my phone out of my pocket and scroll mindlessly through emails, deleting all the spam and responding to a few more important ones.
I’m hallway through typing yet another message to Bella when a flash of blonde grabs my attention and I lift my head, my eyes locking on a pair of grey ones.
My spine snaps straight and my stomach dips, my feet already carrying me across the seating area of the café.
Bella is wide-eyed, pale and looks downright terrified as I approach, ignoring the slight shake of the head she gives me. With a furrowed brow, I look at the person she’s sitting opposite and my blood boils in my veins, much like it has been since the last time I saw the prick.
I come to a stop beside their table and stare down at Justin. His face pales slightly as he looks up at me, but it’s quickly replaced with a red tint as he looks between Bella and me.
“It was him, wasn’t it? Of fucking course, it was.” He snarls her way, and just the tone in which he speaks to her infuriates me.
I look around the café, ensuring that no one’s attention is on us before I lean over, resting my hands on the table between them. I speak through gritting teeth, my voice low. “Watch your fucking tone when you speak to her.”
“Noah,” Bella says quietly, her soft voice breaking through the whoosh of blood rushing in my ears. It’s taking everything in me to not grab this prick by the lapels of his pathetic suit jacket and drag his ass out of here.
“Noah,” she says again, this time gripping my wrist and her touch makes me physically flinch, the warmth of her hand on my skin calming me.
I turn to look at her and swallow my anger when I see her eyes glistening with tears I know she won’t allow to fall. Everything inside me softens and breaks for her all at once.
“Are you okay?” I ask on a quiet breath so only she can hear and she dips her chin ever so slightly in a nod.
“I need to tell you something,” I tell her, praying that she can see the desperation in my eyes.
She shakes her head once. “Not now.”
“It’s important, Bells.” I plead.
“I know,” Bella says, her tone empty and devoid of emotion. It causes me to pause.
My eyes flit back and forth between hers before scanning the rest of her face and that’s when I see it.
The hollowness to her cheeks. The dark circles under her puffy eyes. The deep set to her shoulders.
I stand up straight, my eyes never leaving hers and in that one look, we have a silent conversation.
She knows.