Page 124 of Brim Over Boot
“Well that was…interesting,” Noah rumbles, stepping up beside me.
I let out a sigh. “You haven’t seen anything yet. Trust me.”
At that precise moment, Jackson passes in front of the doorway to the barn, a donkey at his heels that he’s grumbling to. I nearly bark a laugh, realizing we havetwoornery asses at the ranch now.
“Was that…the Darling Donkey?” Noah asks of the senile donkey who’s terrorized the town for years. The same one who, yes, spends much of his time now on our land, thanks to the dates Jackson feeds him in return for helping save Ash.
I let out a longer sigh this time, shoving Noah back toward the horses. “Come on. Let’s saddle up, and I’ll tell you the story. You see, once upon a time, there was this stubborn mountain of a man and the most sunshiny newcomer you’ve ever met.”
“More sunshiny than you?” he deadpans.
“Har har,” I say, shoving him again.
Noah laughs, and, frankly, it’s a sound I could get used to.
With a start, I realize I’ll have the chance to do exactly that.
WhenNoahandIget back to the house after a long day of riding, it’s already past dinnertime. With Clementine and Hazel safe in their stalls for the night, Noah calls Walter to check in, and I raid the fridge for provisions. I find what I want quickly and load everything onto a plate.
“He all right?” I ask once Noah is off the phone.
He nods, the two of us heading upstairs. “Yeah. I probably worry about him more than I need to. But I can’t really help it.”
I get that. I’m the same with my own family. I set the plate of food on my comforter as Noah shuts the bedroom door. “You won’t move away from him, will you?”
He looks surprised by my not-quite-question, but it quickly morphs to a sort of cautious concern. “I’m…not sure,” he finally says.
“It’s fine,” I tell him truthfully, taking a seat and motioning for Noah to do the same. I stuff a piece of salami in my mouth, following it with a cracker as he sits beside me. “I’m not asking you to move in, Noah. It’s just…it’s the sort of thing people think about in situations like ours, isn’t it?”
His lips slowly curve into a smile. “In situations like ours.”
“Yeah,” I say gruffly. “You know…boyfriendsor whatever.”
He looks downright amused at my sour expression. “Does it pain you to say that?”
“You know damn well it does. Number one, I’m thirty-fucking-seven, thank you. The word feels ridiculous. Number two…it’syou.”
“Mhm,” Noah hums, sliding our plate out of the way.
“My salami,” I mumble.
Noah presses me back onto the mattress, blanketing my body, and I forget all about the food.
“Did you know,” he says softly, “that your nose does this thing when you scowl at me. Right here. It crinkles.”
“Does not,” I mutter, Noah’s finger tracing the edge of my nose.
“And your eyes,” he goes on, his own blazing softly. Copper amidst earth. “They burn bright blue. But not the same way they once did.”
I swallow thickly.
“I used to hate that scowl,” he says, not sounding it one bit. “But now, I can just do this.”
He drops his face to my neck, brushing his lips over my skin before opening his mouth. The sucking bite is expected, but even so, my head falls lax against my pillow.
“Just like that,” he says in a satisfied whisper, eyes taking in my face. “Now you’re all pliant and mine.”
I want to deny it, but there’s no use.
