Page 86 of A River of Crows

“They left before. Libby came to stay with us for the funeral.”

“Did she come back again? After that?” Noah asked.

“I don’t think so. Mom would talk on the phone with her for hours. Then, it just stopped. I assumed mom’s deteriorating mental health was to blame.”

Noah stared at the picture again. “You shouldn’t have told me this, Sloan. As an officer, I have a duty to report it.”

“But you’re not going to,” Sloan said. “Because I didn’t call Noah the cop over here. I called Noah, Ridge’s best friend.”

Noah stood and paced in front of the couch. “Your dad is in prison, Sloan.”

“And he’s getting out Thursday. I’m not asking you for justice for my father; I’m asking for support for me.” Sloan’s voice shook, and tears filled her eyes. “I want to get to the bottom of this, but I don’t want to push Ridge away, and I sure as hell don’t want to face it alone.”

Noah sat back down next to her but stared straight ahead. “You aren’t alone.”

Sloan sat still, letting the relief sink in. It filled her entire body, pushing the tears out of her eyes.

“Hey, don’t cry.” Noah put his hand on her knee, and Sloan’s own fingers tingled with the need to touch his skin. She placed her hand on top of his. “I want to see him.” Noah’s voice was barely audible. “I can’t believe he’s alive.”

Sloan turned her head towards him. “Maybe I can convince Ridge it’s safe to see you. If not, we can arrange an accidental meeting.”

Noah looked at her. “I’m sorry for what I said. About you not being worth it.”

“And I’m sorry for the crude text about Dylan. I was drunk.”

“So, you’re not having sex with him?”

“No,” Sloan said. “But we are dating.”

Noah pulled his hand off her knee and scratched his face. “Well, I’m sure he’s a nice guy. Sorry for assuming it was all about Eddie Daughtry.”

“And I’m sorry you had to lie to Vickie. I wish it didn’t have to be like that. I want us to be friends again.”

Noah’s eyes locked on hers. “Is that really all you want?”

Sloan closed her eyes. No, it wasn’t all she wanted. She wanted to sneak Noah into her bedroom like she had those nights a lifetime ago. She wanted to be held in his now considerably stronger arms. She wanted to feel like a teenager in love again, but with the experience of a grown woman. Just one time. At least one time.

But Noah was too sturdy to fall, too rooted. He would never. And even if he did, then what? He’d be so wracked with guilt he’d never look at her again. Yes, she missed the passion she shared with Noah, and she was still riding the high of his touch. But a deeper intimacy is what she really craved. She missed her best friend; she missed their talks and his complete understanding of what she’d been through. His complete understanding of her.

She opened her eyes to find he was still staring at her. “Yes,” she said. “That’s really all I want.”

“Good.” Noah stood and dug his keys out of his pocket. “That’s all I want too. Let’s not act like we have anything to hide. I’ll talk to Vickie about having you and Dylan over for dinner sometime.”

Sloan’s mouth went dry. “Um, yeah, sure, if she wants, but no pressure.” She stood and walked Noah to the door. “And you’ll look into what happened to the Turners after they left Mallowater?”

“Yeah, and you’ll ask Ridge about seeing me?” He held up a finger. “Seeing Noah, the friend, not Noah, the cop.”

“Absolutely.” Sloan held up three of her own fingers, a nod to her Girl Scout days. “Noah, the friend,” she said, making it a pledge to herself as well.

“Where’s Crawford?” Sloan rubbed her fingers along the bars of the empty cage behind the tent.

“Pretty sure he’s gone for good.” Ridge looked up to the sky. “Hasn’t returned in a few days.”

“So that means . . .”

Ridge picked a piece of lint from his sleeve. “Yeah, time for me to go, too.”

Sloan rocked slightly. “Well, you can’t leave before I show you the old albums I found.”