One minute, Sabrina had both feet out the door, and then the next—well, he still wasn’t sure what had truly happened, not before or after she’d taken his hand.
All he knew was that she had. She’d stayed in that hotel room in Moab, and somehow, they’d managed to do exactly as he’d suggested: move on. Sort of.
Everything was fine as far as she knew. On his side, he had no idea what he was doing.
At least his premature declaration hadn’t ruined everything. There’d been a moment when he’d been one hundred percent convinced it would go the other way. Okay, several moments. Worst conversation of his life.
And the best. Because she’d stayed.
It changed everything and nothing at all. She was still Sabrina—fierce and commanding and as unpredictable as a flash flood through Dark Canyon Wilderness. But now he got it. They weren’t at the same place. Not for the reasons Jacob had tried to warn him about though. This wasn’t a case of a Noah hanging his heart out to dry for a woman who was just passing through.
This was a love match in progress. Or would be as soon as she got over whatever was holding her back. He just had to hang on until she realized he wasn’t going anywhere. Until she understood that he meant what he said and said what he meant. She could trust him.
Except she didn’t quite yet. Okay. He could live with that. He was used to jumping in with both feet and dealing with the splash damage later.
He skidded into a turn out off 191 and headed south from Dark Canyon, just shy of the Navajo Nation border. He didn’t venture this direction often, as this part of the state didn’t have a whole lot of anything but a bunch of flatlands. They called this area White Mesa for a reason. You could see for miles.
Sabrina had opted to meet him here, citing a “work thing” for why he couldn’t pick her up—which may or may not be legit—but as long as she came, he’d take her whatever way got him into her orbit.
Dancer’s head appeared between the seats, his cold nose bumping Noah’s ear. “Yeah, yeah. I know. She’ll be here. I’m not worried.”
Jacob’s cryptic text messages about suspicious activity in this sector would get her here if anything would. His brother wouldn’t send him a breadcrumb about the Annie Ross case without good reason. Had Noah shamelessly forwarded the text to Sabrina in hopes she’d want to join him? Yes. Had Noah shamelessly suggested using it as a training vehicle for Ripley? Also yes.
Maybe Noah by himself might have been enough to tempt Sabrina into hanging out with him. But today wasn’t a day he felt like testing that. And fortunately, he didn’t have to.
Sabrina’s USFS vehicle pulled in just as Noah grabbed his gear. He hadn’t realized how tight his shoulders were until they relaxed—slightly—as she hopped from the driver’s seat. They were supposed to be figuring it out, but mostly that had consisted of not talking about it and dodging the slight strain that hovered around the edges of everything.
Which he needed to fix. Immediately.
“Bet Nathan Bradley doesn’t combine training sessions with fun stuff like chasing leads in a murder case,” he called, keeping it light until he could figure out how to get through this wrinkle between them.
“Nathan Bradley wouldn’t know fun if it bit him in the—” She cut off as Ripley bounded over to greet Dancer. “Let’s just say his teaching style made me appreciate yours more.”
“My methods are unconventional but effective.” He jammed his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for her, which was difficult. But he did it. “Speaking of unconventional. Jacob wouldn’t give me any information about his tip. This could all be for nothing.”
Her eyes lit with that spark that he’d missed. “Would he do that? Give us a tip that wasn’t legit?”
“And take an opportunity to be a pain in my rear? Absolutely.”
“You guys don’t fool me. I can tell you care about each other.” Suddenly, she gave him a pointed look. “Why are you way over there? Do I not warrant a proper hello these days?”
Noah blinked and got his wits in order a second later, eating up the space between them, then scooping her up in his arms.
They locked gazes. Instantly, the weird tension dissolved.
She snuggled up in his embrace where she fit like she’d been made for this spot, settling his nerves and his heart in one shot.
“Hey,” he murmured as he nuzzled her cheek. “How’s it going?”
She laughed and it rumbled against his chest. “Fine. And you?”
“I missed you.”
“It’s been like two days since you saw me. And you saw a lot of me then,” she reminded him as if he needed reminding of the good parts of that trip to Moab.
Never one to shy away from laying it all out there, he pulled back and searched her impossibly blue eyes. “I can never see enough of you. But I didn’t want to crowd you.”
Sabrina’s gaze grew sober. “Which I appreciate. It’s important to me that you realize I’m the one figuring stuff out, not you. But you don’t have to stop being you. I’m pretty partial to you.”
