CHAPTER TWO

      IT WOULD HAVE been nice, Amber thought, to ride into town with Noel. If she had her way, they’d be spending a lot more time together.

      Unfortunately, he could get called out if the station needed him, and she couldn’t stay late, not when she had to open the bookstore early tomorrow morning. So far their romance, what there was of it, had been pieced together in the name of convenience.

      Convenience had certainly worked for her. But what if that was all it was?

      No, Noel cared more than that, she was sure of it. Tonight, she’d nail him down and get some answers. She had the drive to think about what exactly to say, but also to anticipate every possible response he might make, from the unthinkable to the expected.

      Her dad and Uncle Sawyer lived further from town with joined property on the lake. Uncle Jordan and Georgia lived out a ways too, but not on the lake. Uncle Gabe and Elizabeth were in town, and Casey and Emma lived on the opposite side of the lake. Just about anywhere she went in Buckhorn, she was likely to run into eagle-eyed family.

      Given the circumstances, an intrusion might have been welcome, a way to delay the inevitable. Of course this was one of the few times she didn’t see anyone familiar and by the time they’d reached the small house Noel had recently purchased, she’d worked herself into a frenzy.

      She was a woman who faced issues head-on, and she wanted this particular issue resolved...to her satisfaction.

      Now that she’d made up her mind to force Noel to confront, and admit to, his feelings, only the tiniest doubt worried through her brain.

      Tiny doubts, she realized, were not her forte.

      He parked before her, then got out and came around to open her door.

      Neighbors waved to them, a dog barked in the fenced yard next door and kids ran past in a game of tag.

      Watching her closely, those velvety brown eyes of his alert, Amber wondered if he sensed her determination.

      Likely. From the beginning, Noel had always been highly attuned to her.

      He took her hand in his, reminding her of his size, how much larger and stronger he was—and how much it thrilled her. Going through the garage entrance, he led her into the kitchen.

      She’d helped him choose this house, and in her mind she’d seen it as a starter home for a family.

      Their family.

      Three small bedrooms, a respectably sized kitchen and breakfast nook, and the open great room, large enough for a group of ten or more to gather together.

      She’d pictured dinners with her family visiting, maybe another dog or two...and kids.

      Turning her at the island that separated the kitchen from the great room, Noel caught her hips and put his forehead to hers.

      She waited for his kiss, but instead he said, “I still smell like smoke. Want to join me in another shower?”

      Yes. But she hesitated. Once they got in the shower, she’d give up her promise to her dad and nothing would get settled. So instead she pushed him back a few inches and said, “Let’s talk first and shower after.”

      His gaze narrowed, then he stepped back, putting some space between them.

      It wasn’t only physical, Amber knew. She felt the emotional chasm as well and she didn’t like it. “Don’t look so glum, Noel. I’m not going to propose.”

      His eyes narrowed more. “I’m not glum.”

      “Baloney. You’re braced like you think I plan to attack.”

      He shrugged. “I know your moods, Amber. You’re definitely in attack mode. Given the day we’ve had and how your family came after me, I expect to be jumped any minute now.”

      Not liking that distance between them, she again caught the front waistband of his shorts and drew him back to her. She loved being held against his hard body, the heat of him, the smell of his skin. “I thought you liked it when I jumped you.”

      “Yeah,” he said, his voice going husky with suggestion. “How about you get naked first, though?”