Page 29 of A Montana Childhood Promise (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #3)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

It had been a week.

A full freaking week, and Jane hadn’t heard from Noah.

She’d half-expected him to try to talk to her after a few days, but with the way she’d sent him off, she couldn’t say she was surprised. She’d been really firm about her decision, not to mention the act of demanding space meant the ball would be in her court.

Jane hated that idea. Right about now, she almost wanted Noah to come storming into her office to tell her to listen to him and accept what he said was truth.

Then again, that would make the chatter start up again.

The people here at The Wounded Heroes Project had finally stopped talking about how crazy it was that a billionaire —not millionaire—lived in this small town.

They stopped gushing over the fact that he chose to spend millions of dollars helping veterans around the country who were down on their luck.

Jane had been tasked with a new project. It was a fundraiser that didn’t require black-tie attendees to be present in order to be successful, and it was actually turning out better than planned.

On more than one occasion, she had superiors and coworkers stop by to tell her how impressed they were with how much she’d managed to raise thus far.

It was strange to hear so much verbal feedback, and she had half a mind to call Noah and ask him if he was responsible for all of the positive affirmations.

Then she thought better of it.

Noah hadn’t shown up at that meeting after the big event. Someone had come in his stead. Then he hadn’t shown his face at her office or in town, either. Jane hadn’t seen Mack around after their little lunch date. Everything was quiet on that front.

He was really giving her space.

And it wasn’t nearly as nice as she’d thought it would be.

Her heart ached any time she thought about him. There were moments throughout the week that made her want to call him and vent. When something funny happened at the office, she had to hold herself back from texting him so he could get a laugh, too.

Bo had insisted that she could take time off, and she didn’t have to worry about losing her position, so that made it easier to avoid the ranch. Maybe it had been so quiet because Noah thought she’d broken things off officially.

Her heart lurched, and she prayed that wasn’t the case.

Jane paced her office, her pen to her lips as she thought over everything that had happened since she’d arrived in Rocky Ridge. Her whole life had revolved around her job and Sagebrush—only because Noah had been there.

Who was she kidding? Noah was as close to the center of her world as things could get. The fact that she was worried he thought they were over was proof enough that her feelings of betrayal weren’t affecting her as much as she’d originally thought. She wanted to forgive him despite it all.

There was only one thing standing in her way.

Her own stubbornness.

She huffed a frustrated breath and glanced around her office.

This had been an upgrade, too. After the success of that event, her supervisor had insisted on giving it to her officially, and Noah hadn’t been involved in that decision at all.

In fact, her supervisor was her biggest cheerleader, if she could call him that.

He had nothing but good things to say about her work ethic—it was almost getting ridiculous, and it made her wonder if he was worried that she’d end up leaving this location for something bigger.

And maybe that meant that Noah wasn’t the villain.

Jane moved to her window and stared down at the street below.

She’d grown to love the people in Rocky Ridge more than she had ever expected to.

She didn’t know all of them well, but she knew most of their names—it came naturally to her.

Due to her involvement in the community, she had lots of opportunities to interact with many of them.

She couldn’t see herself leaving this place any more than she could see herself holding a grudge against Noah for his actions.

He might have gone about it all wrong, but his heart had been in the right place when he’d meddled in her life.

He’d wanted to make sure she was recognized for her efforts.

She frowned at her own train of thinking.

There was still a small part of her that didn’t like the idea of making excuses for him.

Noah was an adult. He knew what he was doing when he’d deceived her, and he was only upset because he got caught. At what point would he have told her the truth? Their wedding night?

A blush crept along the back of her neck as she swiveled her chair from side to side. She definitely shouldn’t go there. They were close, and sure, she cared for him deeply. But marriage? That wasn’t something she’d ever thought she’d want in her life—not in the traditional sense.

She’d wanted to make her parents take notice of her accomplishments, and getting married didn’t seem like much of one.

But now?

She resumed chewing on her pen, the nervous habit coming back in full force as she considered her options. She could forgive Noah, and they could live happily ever after. She could push him away and insist they could only be friends.

Jane grimaced at that. There was too much chemistry between them for that option to be successful.

Or she could push him out of her life indefinitely. Her stomach knotted painfully, and emotion prickled at the backs of her eyes. She wasn’t sure she could do something like that—especially since he was a local, and she had no intention of leaving this place.

Groaning, she tossed her pen on the desk and got to her feet again to resume her pacing. She wasn’t getting much done right about now. She might as well head home and come back tomorrow with a clear head.

Maybe it would be a good time to stop by the ranch and work out some of her pent-up energy. It wasn’t like she’d be going to see Noah, right? Bo had said she could come back anytime she wanted.

Jane started to gather her things then shook her head with a sigh.

Who was she kidding? If she showed up at the ranch, she knew exactly what would happen.

She’d track him down, confront him, and ask him what the heck he was thinking when he’d inserted himself into her life.

He’d probably tell her he did it because he was in love with her, and as good as that sounded in her head, it still hurt that he couldn’t see the damage his actions had caused her heart.

Before she could get to the door, her cellphone rang. Jane paused, her heart ratcheting in her chest as she pulled her phone from her purse. Then it stalled when she read the caller ID.

Great. What was her mother doing calling her while she was at work?

Had she heard about Noah? Of course she had.

The whole country knew who the secret head of the charity was, now.

There was no hiding it, and since that news revolved around Jane’s job, her mother more than likely wanted to ask about it.

Jane just couldn’t figure out what had taken her so long to call. Had she not found out until now? Or had she been biding her time?

The incessant buzzing pulled Jane to the present, and she tossed her purse on the desk as she brought the phone to her ear.

“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”

“Oh, good, I caught you.”

Jane frowned. That didn’t sound like the response of a woman who wanted to discuss her daughter’s boyfriend. “What’s going on? Everything okay?”

“Of course, dear. I was calling to invite you over for Sunday dinner. Noah can come, too, if he’d like.”

Jane’s heart lurched. She couldn’t invite Noah while everything was up in the air. And she definitely wouldn’t be asking him to lie about their relationship anymore. Stomach twisting in knots, Jane slumped into the chair behind her desk. “I have to tell you something, Mom.”

“Oh? Please tell me that you and Noah are okay. Still going strong?”

Jane winced. “Not exactly. And that’s not what I was going to tell you.” She bit down on her lower lip as she tried to come up with the best way to confess what she’d done. “I wasn’t being honest with you.”

The silence on the other end of the line was deafening. Jane’s palms went clammy, and all she could think about was how grateful she was to not have this conversation in person. She didn’t think she could handle the look of disappointment on her mother’s face right about now.

“That first dinner when you met Noah… we lied.”

“You… lied?”

Jane swallowed the bulge in her throat that didn’t want to be released. “Yeah,” she murmured hoarsely. “Noah wasn’t my boyfriend. We were just friends, and he came to help me out.”

“Help you out? I don’t understand.”

Shutting her eyes tight, she forced herself to explain. “I was so tired of feeling inadequate when sitting beside Ruth and Serenity. All you talk about is how happy you are that they found husbands, and they’re giving you grandchildren and I’m not?—”

“Honey,” her mother interrupted, “I had no idea you were feeling that way.”

Jane felt the first tear spill down her cheek, and she brushed it away with the heel of her hand.

Her mother continued after a beat of silence.

“I want you to know… I am proud of you—of your accomplishments.” Her voice grew emotional.

“I’m so sorry that I fixated on those things.

I…” She took in a deep breath and exhaled.

“I can see where you’re coming from. And I hope you know how sorry I am.

I don’t know much about your work. It’s not an excuse, but I never really know what to talk about with you.

You’ve always been more independent than your sisters. ”

That explanation made more sense than Jane cared to admit. She nodded mutely, even though her mother couldn’t see her reaction.

“I just wanted you to find someone who could support you in the way you needed. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Really?” Jane asked, swiping at another tear. “It’s not that you think I should be giving you grandchildren and settling down?”

Her mother laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t say no to some adorable little munchkins I can brag about to my friends. But no. I’ve only ever wanted to make sure that you’re taken care of. And Noah…” Her voice trailed off. “Well, I had thought he made you happy. I saw it the last time you were here.”

Jane grimaced. “Yeah, well… by that point, we’d sorta figured out that we cared about each other more than we realized.”

“See? Then no harm done.”

Jane frowned, and the tears started to fall again. “That’s not exactly true. Have you been keeping up on the news?”

“No, why? What’s going on? Is he okay?”

Jane sucked in a shuddering breath. “He lied to me about who he was.” Okay, he didn’t lie, but he’d kept a significant detail of his life a secret from her when they were supposed to be open with one another.

And maybe she gave him reason to be cautious but in this emotional moment, she couldn’t acknowledge that.

“What happened?”

“Noah is the head of The Wounded Heroes Project. He’s not my direct boss, but he’s the guy who runs the whole thing.”

There was a beat of silence before Jane’s mother spoke up again. “Okay? And what’s the problem?”

The frustration deep inside of Jane was ripped to the surface. “He didn’t tell me. He kept it a secret, and he went about his merry life laughing at me.”

“Oh, dear, you can’t really believe that, can you?”

“Of course I can. He pulled some strings to get me a promotion, and he volunteered at the offices…” The more she listed the things he did while keeping said secret, the more Jane could see just how ridiculous she sounded.

And her mother’s silence only confirmed it.

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate what he was trying to do,” Jane insisted.

“It’s just that I know I can take care of myself. ”

“I know,” her mother murmured, and even through the phone line, it sounded as though she was telling the truth. “You’ve always been a strong-willed girl who insisted on doing things herself. You’ve always had that drive to push you to do great things.”

A tingle of warmth spread through Jane’s chest. “You really think so?”

Her mother laughed. “Of course I do. I might not have been good at showing how proud I am of you, but I am. Everything you have, you’ve earned, and don’t for one second let yourself believe that you couldn’t have gotten there without help.

Just try to remember that sometimes help is nice.

” That last part was said quieter, and yet it was the thing that resonated within Jane more than anything else.

“Thanks, Mom.” Jane breathed out a sigh. She was right. It wasn’t like Jane had asked for Noah’s help. His reasons were his own. And for heaven’s sake, Jane had worked hard to get to where she was.

Another sigh escaped her as she got to her feet. Maybe it was time to go with her gut and hear Noah out. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she got the feeling he’d be able to convince her to forgive him. At least caving wouldn’t be as bad as how she’d felt while she missed him.