Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
NOAH
Noah was about to head out and start tracking, but then the bathroom door opened slowly, and Teagan peeked out.
“He’s gone,” he reiterated, nearly sagging with relief.
“I heard. Thanks for covering for me.”
The door opened further, and she hobbled out. No wonder he’d thought she was a kid from a distance. Standing as she was, his flannel shirt fell to her knees, and she’d rolled the sleeves up several times.
At the time, he’d only been concerned with giving her something clean and warm. Seeing her wearing it now, however, made something deep inside him stir. Something he refused to consider. He hadn’t felt a flicker of interest in years, and it chose now to reappear? Talk about bad timing.
“What’s your name?”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Seems only fair. You know mine.”
She looked away and bit her lip. “Teagan.”
“Nice to meet you, Teagan. How are you feeling?”
“Better.” Her voice was stronger than it had been the night before. “Thank you. For everything.”
“No thanks necessary. It is kind of what I do.”
Her lips quirked at the corners. “You skulk around the woods at night and drag unconscious women back to your lair?”
He couldn’t help but return her smile with a closed-mouth curve of his own. “No. You’re the first.”
Her smile faded, and she nodded. “I’ll be out of your hair soon, I promise.”
Leave? No, she couldn’t leave. Not yet. Not until she had more time to rest and recover and the sheriff wasn’t sniffing around like a hound dog with a scent.
Instead of voicing the sudden and surprisingly vehement inner protest aloud, he shook his head. “Not a good idea.”
There was that defiant glint back in her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest, unable to completely hide the wince of pain. “Why not?”
Noah mimicked her stance, his legs shoulder-width apart, arms crossed, and he was a lot bigger. “Well, for one thing, you’re recovering from serious injuries. As your doctor, I suggest you remain here, under observation, for the day.”
Her chin lifted slightly. “Look, I appreciate everything you’ve done—I really do—but I am not your patient. Not voluntarily anyway. I’ll be okay.”
“Is that your medical opinion?”
“That’s life experience.”
She reached for her backpack, her lips pulling tight with the pain. “I hate to ask, but do you mind if I take a quick shower before I go?”
He wasn’t crazy about the idea. Those sutures he’d put in were supposed to remain clean and dry, as were the bindings around her ankle. And what if she got dizzy and lost her balance?
Yet he understood the simple bliss of standing under a hot shower with a bar of soap and a washcloth.
“Tell you what. Let me check those sutures. If everything looks good, I’ll cover them, and you can shower.”
She considered that for a moment, then nodded. “That’s fair.”
She limped across the floor on silent feet and sat on the edge of the bed. Unbuttoning the shirt only enough to pull her arm through, she held the material tight against her chest.
As if he hadn’t already seen everything.
“Looks good,” he said, careful to keep his touches light and professional. “Any dizziness? Tingling? Sharp pains?”
“No.”
“You won’t be doing either of us any favors if you slip and fall in the shower.”
“I’m fine.”
She wasn’t, and they both knew it. But maybe she needed to believe she was to get through whatever she was going through.
Noah made sure she had everything she needed, then retreated to the bedroom. Wanting to stay close, he began to strip the bed, but his mind was one hundred percent on the mysterious, intriguing woman in his bathroom.
She was stubborn. Prideful. Wary. But he did admire her spirit. She was a survivor.
Shortly after the shower came on, Noah’s cell began to vibrate, and Mona’s name appeared on the screen.
“Is she still there?” Mona asked by way of greeting, her voice uncharacteristically frantic.
“Relax,” Noah responded in his best calming voice. “She’s here; she’s safe.”
“She’s okay?”
Physically, she would recover. He couldn’t speak to the rest. “She’s up and moving.”
“Oh, thank goodness! I saw Bill driving down there this morning, and I wanted to warn you, but he left Carl here, eating all my cinnamon rolls. He just left.”
Noah smiled. Mona’s cinnamon rolls were legendary. “Save some for me, will you?”
“I’ll make a fresh batch if you promise to keep her safe.”
He wished he could, but it wasn’t going to be easy, not when Teagan was hell-bent on leaving sooner rather than later.
“Her name is Teagan.”
“She told you that?” Mona asked with surprise.
“She did,” he replied. “And she wants to leave.”
“She can’t! Not yet. You have to stop her.”
Clearly, Mona thought he was capable of influencing Teagan’s decision. “I’ve already explained why she’d be better off sticking around, at least for the day. She didn’t agree.”
“Yes,” Mona agreed. “She can be a tad stubborn.”
Noah snorted softly. Understatement of the year, that. “What’s going on, Mona?” he asked quietly. “What kind of trouble is she in?”
“I don’t know, but I know it’s worse than the petty theft Bill’s claiming. She doesn’t strike me as the type to get spooked easily, so whatever she’s running from, it’s bad. Uh-oh. Looks like Bill’s coming out of the woods and headed this way. He doesn’t look happy.”
“Mona—”
“Hush now. Do whatever you have to do but keep her there and out of sight until I can get rid of Bill. Shouldn’t take too long. I’ve hidden the baked goods.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“Thanks. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
The call disconnected, and Noah was left staring at his phone. He knew no more than he had before, but he was suddenly a hell of a lot more invested.