Circle on Home (Lost in a Boom Town Book 5) (17 page)

She opened her mouth to say something else, but instead she opened her car door, and rested her hand on the top of it. She looked at him, and the defensiveness returned. Damn, he'd hurt her, and he hadn’t wanted to. But maybe it was best, put that wall back up between them, where it should have been all along.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Miranda. I appreciate your help,” Ben said the words Noah should have said but didn’t.
 

She gave him a smile and slipped into her car. Noah watched her as she drove off.

Then he followed Ben into the house.

“You could have been nicer,” Ben said.

“You want to tell me what happened last night?”

“Got drunk, got mad, got in a fight.”

Of course his brother would be defensive. Noah gritted his teeth. “Damn it, I know what you did. What I want to know is why. Who was that guy, and why did you break his arm?”

“He was a cowboy, and he just kept making these comments as we were playing pool, and making these innuendos, and I finally had enough and smashed my fist into his face. It was what he wanted, see, and he tore into me just as much as I tore into him.”

“Making innuendos? What are you talking about? About you?”

Ben set his jaw and looked away. “No, I was playing with some other people.”

“Who? Who were you playing with?” Noah got the feeling he wasn't getting the whole story.
 

“Someone, all right? Don't worry about it.”

“You might call some of those people to be witnesses to the fight.”

“I’d rather keep her out of it.”

Her. Of course a woman was involved. His brother was a handsome man. The ladies liked him, and he liked them—for a day or two. “Who? Why do you want to keep her out of it? Is she married? Christ, Ben, are you screwing around with a married woman?”

His brother turned on him with a snarl.

“Jesus, you too? I guess I shouldn't be surprised.”

Noah rubbed his hands down his face and blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I just want to know what's going on, and I don't want to be blindsided by whatever else is going on.”

Ben blew out a long breath. “It’s Allison.”

Holy hell. Of course it was. “Miranda’s sister? Does Miranda know?” Was that why she was helping? Protecting her sister the way he protected his? “What were you doing with her? Jesus, Ben.”

“I told you. We were just having fun. And I want to keep her out of this, if I can.”

“I bet. Jesus, Ben, you’re going to rain all kinds of hell down on yourself. Because you were playing with her in a public bar and someone saw you together. Is she the reason you got in a fight? Showing off for her?”

“He said something about her.”
 

Ah, Christ. And how could he get mad at his brother for defending the honor of a woman? “We’ll do what we can to keep her out of it.” As for Miranda’s reaction, well, hell.

Ben relaxed, slightly. “Thank you.”
 

Noah nodded and turned away. He had work to do in the barn, and would think better as he worked.
 

“It was nice of Miranda to come down. She brought the judge with her. He said he didn't usually come in for drunks but he came in because she asked. It was nice of her to ask.”

Noah thought Ben would be more upset that Noah had left him to dry out in the jail cell, and maybe he was. Maybe he would be. But right now they were allies.
 

And right now he needed to apologize to Miranda.

*****

Miranda slammed her purse down on the bottom step and cursed the lack of furniture in the house that allowed for a satisfactory tossing of her purse and keys.
 

“Of all the ungrateful…” she muttered, stomping up the stairs.
 

Belatedly, she remembered that Jolie was probably still sleeping after her late shift, and she reached down to slip her shoes off. Probably too late, but she stopped herself from slamming her door in frustration too.

She had gotten dressed up, gone to church and encountered Judge Olivares after the service. She’d told him about Ben and watched his frown deepen. Even thought she knew she was going to have to face this man across the bench in the coming months and years, she’d pursued the conversation, until he agreed to meet her at the sheriff’s office and release Ben on the condition he return for a hearing in the morning.
 

She was putting a lot of faith in Ben. But she had enough in Noah to make sure he got there.
 

Boy, she was putting a lot on the line. And did Noah appreciate it? She’d thought he was going to throw her off his land.

She changed out of the suit she probably would never wear again, too formal for Evansville, and into jeans and a t-shirt. Maybe she’d go to the office and see what she could get done. But what she could actually do until her books came in….

The knock on the door reverberated through the house, scaring the bejeezus out of her. It was a firm, commanding knock, and she had no idea who would be stopping by on a Sunday afternoon.

Crap, and Jolie was sleeping and Riley wasn't here. She hurried down the stairs—minding her steps so she wouldn't make too much noise on the stairs, and opened the door just as the knocks started again.
 

Noah stood on her porch, hand raised to knock again. His jaw tensed when he looked down at her.
 

“Jolie’s sleeping,” she said, the sharpness in her scold stolen by her breathlessness from rushing.

He frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn't mean to disturb anyone. I just—I was rude and I came to apologize.”

“You were,” she agreed, leaning on the door, debating whether she wanted to let him in.

He let out a sigh, as if removing the weight from those strong shoulders was too much effort. “I guess I’ve been in charge of the family so long, I don’t know what to do when someone else tries to help.”

“I didn't try to help. I did help. And I know you didn't ask for it, but I’m not sorry I butted in.”

“I came to thank you. I had thought I’d leave him in jail another night so he could learn a lesson, but all that did was cause more trouble between us. You were right, I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

She nodded her acceptance of his apology and stepped back. “You want to come in for some tea, or something?”

She thought he’d refuse, run away, but instead he stepped inside. She closed the door behind him and he followed her into the kitchen.
 

“Maybe some coffee,” he said. “That front is starting to blow through.”

“We need it after how humid it was at the festival.”

Was she seriously talking weather to Noah in her kitchen after this morning’s drama? She retrieved the coffee cups she’d bought from the boutique in town and set about making the coffee.
 

“You ladies going to be warm enough in this drafty old place? You have someone come out and check the furnace for you?”

“Not yet.”

He grimaced. “I’m not a pro, but let me make sure the pilot is lit. You really should have someone come and clean the ductwork and everything. You’re renting, right? The landlord maybe has someone to take care of those things.”

“I’ll check with Riley when she gets home.”

“Show me where the furnace is, and I’ll have a look.”

Leaving the coffee brewing, she led the way down the hall to the closet that housed the furnace. He leaned into the closet, and she was distracted by the way his shirt rode up in the back, revealing a strip of tanned, muscular skin. Tanned…did he walk around without a shirt on while he was practicing medicine? She really wished that she had a horse or something so she could test that theory. He’d always made her crazy when they were teenagers—the forbidden aspect of their relationship outstripped by the very real connection between them.

She had to step back quickly when he straightened and looked down at her. “Everything looks good. You want to flick it on and we’ll make sure?”

The house wasn't cold yet, but she turned the thermostat to heat and heard the ignition of the heater. The house filled with the smell of burning dust in the ducts and vents, but she’d always liked that smell. Noah frowned, waiting, but nothing burst into flames, so he was happy, and had her turn off the switch once the smell was gone.
 

“I think you’ll be okay. I’d get someone out here since you’re paying rent anyway, though.”

“Thanks for worrying about it.” She wouldn't admit that she hadn't even considered the issue, hadn't known the weather was going to change. At this time of year in Texas, that was near-blasphemy.
 

“No problem.” He followed her back to the kitchen where the coffee was ready.
 

“I guess I never imagined, back when we were in high school, sitting around drinking coffee together. That seemed like such a grown-up thing, you know?”

He chuckled. “We had no trouble drinking beer out at the reservoir. We thought we were grown up enough then.”

“Right, but we felt like we were getting away with something then.”

“Don’t kid yourself. Most of the parents knew what we were up to. A lot of them had done the same thing and felt like they couldn't say anything because of that. I’m pretty sure teenagers today are doing the same thing, but I think the sheriff is cracking down because he doesn't want them driving.”

She sipped her coffee, remembering those nights out at the reservoir, listening to music with her friends, dancing in the glow of the headlights, drinking beer they’d bought the next town over. Usually Noah and Trace were the ones who bought the beer, because they looked older, but sometimes she and Mandy, Trace’s girlfriend and future ex-wife, had to use their feminine wiles to convince the clerk to sell to them. They had had so much fun. She and Noah wouldn't have been a couple if not for those nights. Her mother had disapproved of him, his drunk mechanic father, his shabby house. It was one of the few times he’d been able to let go of the troubles he had at home, just let loose. She remembered the look in his eyes, reflected from one of the bonfires they’d built, as he talked about going away to school, becoming a veterinarian. There’d been such hope, such joy in his eyes, his voice. She didn't see that in the man before her now, and it made her sad.

“Do you wish you’d started your practice somewhere else?” she asked.

He turned to her, startled. “What makes you say that?”

“You said you’re glad to be a vet, but I think maybe you would have been happier away from Evansville.”

“This is home,” he said.

“Is it?” She thought about the house she’d driven up to this morning, sadly in need of TLC. He either didn't have the time or the desire to be home in order to fix it.
 

His shoulders tightened, and she got the feeling he was used to being on the defensive a lot. Who did he feel like he had to defend himself against?

“Where else would I go? I’m a large animal vet, and we have no shortage of large animals around here. Plus, we don't have another vet in town, so it makes sense that I stay.”

“But are you happy about it? That’s one thing I’ve been asking myself a lot lately, and that’s why I came home. Sure, I couldn't wait to get away, but I realized being in the big city, traveling, wasn't all that I wanted.”

“What is it you want?”

She gave him a wan smile, unwilling to tell him what she wanted was a home and family, and that was not something she’d get from Damian, but something she might want from a man here in town.

A man like Noah. At least, the man Noah used to be. She wished she could find some joy in him, some happiness. She wondered if she could bring it out, if there was any left inside him.

She should have stayed beside him. He hadn't had anyone left by his side, no one just thinking about him. If she had been there, could she have helped trap some of the joy she’d known inside him? Would he have emerged from that trial a different man? A gentler man?

She wished she knew more about the woman he’d been involved with, if he’d had any joy with her. She leaned forward and touched his arm. She was going to find a way to bring happiness back in his life.