Page 14 of A Montana Childhood Promise (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #3)

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Here you are.”

“Mom,” Jane turned to her mother. “We can’t share?—”

A dismissive wave of her hand was all her mother offered. “We added a pull-out couch bed to the guest room. There are no other options. Your sister Ruth chose to stay, and her kids need space, too.” She turned to Noah and placed a hand on his bicep. “You don’t mind, sweetie, do you?”

Jane let out an exasperated sigh. “ Mom ?—”

“It’s fine,” Noah assured them both. “I can sleep on the couch. I don’t mind.”

“Noah, you don’t have?—”

He reached for her hand, weaving his fingers within hers before lifting it to his lips. “You worry too much, honey. Relax. It’s only one night.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and pressed her lips together firmly. This was his way of getting back at her. He was going to go along with anything and everything that her mother said just to toy with her.

“See? Noah’s fine with it. I’ll let the two of you get settled. We’ll have breakfast ready before you leave in the morning.”

As if to punctuate their decision to stay, the thunder rumbled outside the bedroom window.

Jane sighed. There was no other option that she could see before her.

She watched her mother head down the hallway and disappear before she spun to face Noah.

She gave him a little shove. “What are you doing?” She was smiling, and her voice was light, but she wasn’t messing around with him. He’d helped them get into this mess.

Noah effortlessly captured both of her wrists in his own. “I dunno. What are we doing? What was that back there?”

She tugged her arms from him, but his gentle grip remained firm. Heat seeped into her bones from his touch, and her heart skipped as she forced herself to meet his eyes. “Noah…”

His face moved closer, and he smirked at her. “From what I remember, you were the one who put a label on us.”

“I… She…” Jane closed her eyes and forced her erratic heart to slow.

She took in a few deep breaths then let out a sigh.

“I knew she’d go easy on me if I said that.

” Risking a look at him, she wasn’t surprised to discover his expression wasn’t readable.

He was hiding how he felt about what was happening.

His eyes darted from her eyes to her lips then back again. That stare, it was as if it was capable of delving deep inside her soul; capable of sniffing out any secret she held; capable of finding the truth about the attraction she’d started to have toward him.

Jane cleared her throat. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” He was still holding her wrists, and her voice was barely above a whisper. “I should have asked you first.”

He released her, and for some unknown reason, a part of her broke at their lack of contact.

Noah shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged.

A knowing smile stole across his face. He jerked his chin toward the room.

“I should have known better than to think you wouldn’t have some kind of plan.

That’s just the kind of person you are.” He leaned forward again, pressing his forehead to hers.

“And I wouldn’t change you for anything in the world. ”

The blush that filled her face probably made her look like a ripe fruit. Apparently, no one knew Jane as well as Noah did. And the weird thing was that he had made her feel seen for the first time in her life.

Jane lifted a hand and placed it against Noah’s chest. Her fingers trailed a line down the buttons of his shirt, and she nodded. “Let’s get ready for bed. It’s getting late.”

Sleep hadn’t come easy. Jane tossed and turned, unable to put Noah’s words out of her head. Then, when her lids started to flutter closed, she’d hear Noah’s soft snore, and she’d be wide awake again.

At one point, she sat up in her bed and stared across the dark room toward him. She wrapped her arms around her knees and let her thoughts run wild. What if she could let him in? Would it be so bad? What was keeping her from letting him get close to her?

Maybe it was the fact that she’d been alone for so long. It was hard to depend on someone to that extent. It seemed to come so easily to Noah. He hadn’t said it, but he did want something more with her.

Trust.

That was what held her back.

She’d been so independent for so long that she didn’t want to put her trust in another person. But Noah had the potential to be someone who could earn it.

A smile tugged at her lips, and she rubbed her face in her knees. It was late. She needed to get some sleep if she didn’t want to look like a complete zombie in the morning.

Lightning flashed outside, but it wasn’t as close. The thunder was only a slight rumbling now, and even the rain had subsided somewhat. She scooted beneath her covers and stared at the ceiling for a moment before closing her eyes and letting sleep take her.

“You two drive safe.”

“We will, Mrs. Ashley,” Noah assured her. “It’s not that bad of a drive, and the skies are clear.”

Jane nodded. “I’ll call you when I get home.” She’d be late to work today by several hours, but she’d be able to make up for it by staying late. Noah had already spoken to his cousin about when he’d get home.

They headed for the front door, and Noah pulled it open as he waited for Jane to give her mother a hug goodbye.

Jane held onto her tight then released her.

This Sunday dinner had been tolerable. Noah’s presence had helped, but the fact that Jane had said she was officially dating him had likely tipped the scales in her favor.

She was definitely going to owe him when they got home.

Maybe she’d bake him a cake or something.

She turned, catching his eye. He was staring at her that way again—the one that had her heart racing. Jane smiled then waved at her mother. “I’ll call.”

“Wait.” Her mother stepped forward.

Jane froze at Noah’s side. They were both staring at Jane’s mother like she was about to drop some news they weren’t ready for. Had she figured out that Jane had lied about their relationship? How could she? No one knew that Jane wasn’t interested in Noah that way.

Okay, that might be a lie based on the way her pulse jumped when he met her eyes.

“What, Mom?” Jane finally demanded.

Her mother pointed a finger upward, and as one, Jane and Noah both lifted their faces to the ceiling.

“Is that…?”

“Mistletoe,” her mother crooned. “You two have to kiss.”

Fire spread through Jane’s bloodstream, filling her face with a heat she hadn’t experienced since she was a child. “Mom,” she muttered. “It’s the end of June.”

Her mother didn’t seem to care. She clapped her hands together and stared at them knowingly. Dang, maybe she did know that they weren’t dating. “Well?”

“ Mom ,” Jane protested again, but her mother wasn’t letting up.

Noah stood stiffly at her side. Neither one of them were prepared for this request.

The longer they stood there, the more obvious it became that they weren’t going to leave without at least demonstrating some affection for one another besides holding hands.

Jane groaned. There was no way out of this, and Noah would have yet another thing to hold against her. She turned sharply, grasped Noah’s face in both of her hands, and pressed a firm kiss to his lips.

She’d meant for it to be a quick peck. It was supposed to be one of those kisses she could give a family member—only not on the lips. But something happened. The spark between them ignited into something tangible. Noah’s arm surged around her waist, and he pulled her into him.

Jane didn’t have the mental capacity to know what was happening until it was too late. Noah tasted sweet and sinful. His mouth roved over hers, stealing her breath and stirring feelings she had no right experiencing.

Kisses like this one weren’t supposed to be real. A kiss was a kiss.

But this?

This was so much more than that.

It probably only lasted a few seconds, but in Jane’s head, it lasted much longer. Noah withdrew with a smirk tossed her mother’s direction. “We should probably get going.” His arm was still firmly at her back as he helped to guide her out the door.

He didn’t utter a single thing as they moved down the sidewalk toward the truck he’d parked on the street. He didn’t make a sound as he opened the truck door and ushered her inside. She watched his face for any sign that she’d offended him, but his face was a mask of unreadability.

Shoot!

He was upset.

Gone was the teasing expression. Absent was that easygoing demeanor. Something was wrong.

Jane swallowed hard as her eyes followed him around the truck until he opened his door and climbed inside. He didn’t even glance her direction. All he did was shove his key into the ignition and start the truck.

They were on the road for at least ten minutes before she had the courage to say something. “Noah?” she murmured.

He grunted.

She glanced at him, noting the way he sat back in his seat with one hand on the top of the steering wheel and the other resting on the gear shift. Still, he didn’t grace her with a look.

“I’m sorry.”

His eyes flicked toward her. “About what?”

She moistened her lips and shifted in her seat. This had been a mistake. She should have never let him come with her. First, she’d lied about their relationship. Then she’d kissed him.

She’d actually kissed him!

And yet the heat swirling in her stomach seemed to insist she accept just how much she’d enjoyed the feel of his lips on hers.

Jane cleared her throat and fidgeted again.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you. I felt trapped.

You know how my mother is. And what you saw was like ten percent of the crazy she can be.

I swear I wasn’t planning on it, but I know it’s all my fault.

I shouldn’t have told her that we were dating. That’s probably why she?—”

“Hey.” His hand landed on hers, lightning fast.

She gasped as her eyes dropped to where he touched her. His thumb trailed along the back of her hand. Back and forth, teasing the hairs on her arms into an upright position. When he didn’t say anything, she forced herself to look at him.

Noah remained facing forward, but his eyes darted to her and back to the road a couple times as he murmured, “What are friends for?”

His words were like cold stones dropping to the bowels of the ocean. The weight settled in the bottom of her stomach, and those happy flutters flickered out of existence.

Friends .

Why did she hate that word so much?

She blinked at him, her mouth agape. Of course he’d say they were friends. She’d told him that she was sorry for practically calling him her boyfriend. Noah wasn’t capable of reading her mind. He wouldn’t have been able to see that something had changed after their kiss.

Wait a minute.

Had something changed for him, too? Had Noah realized that he wasn’t interested in her?

What if the spark she’d felt had been one-sided?

She closed her eyes as a wave of dizziness accosted her, and she leaned back against the seat. “You’re such a good friend, Noah.”

Slowly, he pulled his hand from hers.

“You’re probably my best friend.” Her voice sounded weak, even to herself. She didn’t want to put that label on them anymore. There was a part of her that really wanted to explore the sensations that Noah had started within her. She’d been kissed before, but nothing had ever been that good.

And she might have blown the whole opportunity to smithereens because she’d been too scared to let him become part of her life.

Jane turned her head to the side and stared out the window. Noah turned up the radio, and the two of them drove the rest of the way home in silence.