Page 44 of The Grave Between Us
“Thank you, Lilly.”
“I’ll take Katie to school on Monday. I’ll call her out of her morning classes. We’ll have breakfast, and then I’ll drive her in before lunch.”
“You sure? It’s a long drive.”
“I’ve got some briefs I need to dictate. I can do that on the drive back.” She squeezed Cole’s hand and then headed for her car. Katie was already asleep in the passenger seat, face mashed against the seat belt, her bun unraveling.
Cole jogged back to the SUV, grinning when Noah raised an eyebrow at him. “Good conversation with my ex-wife?” Noah asked as Cole climbed into the driver’s seat.
“It was.” Cole took his hand and kissed his knuckles. “She thinks you’ll be a great husband.”
Noah’s face screwed up so horrifically Cole couldn’t help but laugh. He backed out of the parking space and turned toward the road. “She said you and I are far happier than you and she ever were, and that youwantto be with me, which makes a world of difference.”
“She said that?”
“I’m paraphrasing, but that was the general idea.”
Noah was quiet. His jaw worked left and right, clenching, relaxing. “She’s right,” he grumbled as Cole turned back onto the interstate.
“Don’t like admitting that?”
Noah gave Cole a level glare over the top of his shades. Cole laughed again, and he took Noah’s hand, brought it to his lap, and squeezed.
A few minutes later, Noah spoke again. “There’s something I want to do with you today. Somewhere I want to go.”
Cole waited, stroking his thumb over the back of Noah’s hand.
Noah cleared his throat. “There’s a bed and breakfast outside Des Moines. Oak Haven Meadows. They’ve got a big property. Lots of fields and little decorative barns.”
“You want to get away for the weekend? We didn’t pack anything.”
“No, I don’t want to stay there. At least, not tonight.” He took a deep breath. “They mostly operate as an event venue, and they host a lot of outdoor weddings. Everything from giant events to small, intimate gatherings. I know it’s early in the season, and they don’t even start outdoor weddings until late spring. I mean, a lot of the fields are just mud right now, but they have some of the smaller oak groves open, and the barn is open for lunch, and wine tasting, and live music in the evenings—” Noah was babbling, but Cole kept his mouth shut. Kept his touch light on Noah’s hand. “And I thought we could go there for lunch, maybe look around? I liked some of the smaller venue options on their website. I want to show you the place. See what you think. Maybe we could talk to an event planner, if we both like what we see?” He inhaled sharply, then fell silent.
“You’ve been researching.”
“Yeah,” Noah said, blowing out a breath. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot this week.”
Warmth filled Cole, as brilliant as the sun. “I’d love to go.” He kissed Noah’s hand again. This was what was important. This was what mattered. Noah and him, together.
And keeping Noah alive, a voice in his mind whispered.Keeping him safe.
Hunting Ian. Finding him. Stopping him.
He inhaled Noah’s scent, closing his eyes for a split second before opening them back up to watch the road. No big rigs. Empty fields. Gray sky, as far as the eye could see. “I’m going to marry you, Noah Downing,” he breathed. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Noah smiled. “I can’t wait.”
* * *
It was turninginto the warmest day of winter, and he and Noah weren’t the only ones with the idea of going to Oak Haven Meadows for lunch or an afternoon of wine tasting. The parking lot, a gravel field dotted with potholes, was nearly full when Cole pulled in. He found a spot where Noah wouldn’t have to step out into the mud, then came around the side of the SUV, opening the door for Noah and holding out a hand to help him down.
Noah flushed, but he took Cole’s hand and held on. The main barn was giant and artfully whitewashed, something that would look more at home in a photo spread than on a working farm. Dormant rosebushes lined the sides, and oak trees dotted the rolling hills beyond, small vineyards and tilled fields separated by split rail fences and clusters of cottonwood and willow.
“Wow,” Cole murmured. Even with the sky overcast and the trees bare, the fields more dirt than anything else, the place was striking, and it was easy to imagine it all in full bloom under a summer sun.
“There’s an oak grove over there,” Noah said, pointing down a sloping hillside. “Next to a little creek. The website showed a picture of a wooden footbridge over it. You know, ridiculously picturesque.” Noah’s cheeks were flaming. “Some of the photos showed the grove done up with lights in the tree branches. Lanterns around the creek.”
“Sounds beautiful.”
