Abby's Christmas

Then he remembered the welcome he’d received last night at the meeting, from Dixon and Adam and Pete. So, okay, Abby wasn’t trying to treat him like the stray dog she’d taken home and now wanted him to retrieve.

With a groan, Noah slammed the phone back in its cradle and headed for the shower. Kate had given him an assignment—measure the damn gym floor. There were other chores ahead of him, too, like checking in with his parole officer and his new boss.

Life hadn’t been this complex in a long time. Until three years ago, he’d done what he wanted, when he wanted, without consulting anybody else. In prison, he’d had no choices, so no complications. Now he was trying to do the right thing, not sure what the right thing really was.

If he’d expected coming back to be so tricky, he might have chosen to serve out his sentence. In jail, at least, he knew what he was in for.

Since he’d come “home,” he didn’t have a clue.

KATE SHUT OFF HER CELL PHONE and looked across the table. “I have never sounded like such an airhead in my life.”

Mary Rose grinned. “And I loved every second.”

“Oh, hush.” Kate pretended to frown at her sister. “I hate to strong-arm anybody, but I do think we owe Noah the opportunity to be part of the community. He didn’t get a fair break in high school—from the kids or the teachers, certainly not from Principal Floyd and the police. Dixon and I want to let him know we trust him.”

Beside Kate, Jacquie Lewellyn pushed her breakfast plate away. “I could tell last night—he expected pretty much the same treatment he got back then. Why are kids so cruel?” She sighed, then shook her head. “I hope I can count on Erin to behave better. In the meantime, we’ll just work on making Noah part of the gang. He won’t know what hit him until it’s too late, and by then he won’t be able to leave.”

“And won’t want to,” Mary Rose added. “That’s more important.”

Abby caught part of their comments as she brought fresh coffee and hot water for tea. “What schemes are y’all hatching this morning? Who’s leaving where?”

“Oh…I—I’m planning a surprise for Rhys,” Jacquie said. “A Christmas present.”

“What kind of present?” Abby rubbed her eyes with the back of her wrist as she poured more coffee into Kate’s mug. “And what’s it got to do with hitting?”

“Oh, no. No,” Jacquie said, blushing. “I was talking about boxing. Boxing lessons for when he gets tense and hard to live with.”

“I’m sure you’re not referring to me.” Rhys Lewellyn walked up to the table. Wearing riding breeches, tall boots and a blue sweater that matched his eyes, he was definitely the best-looking man in the diner at that moment. “Because there’s no one easier to get along with than I am.”

“Oh, of course.” Jacquie reached up to hold her husband’s hand. “There’s never been a cross word at our house—not even when Andrew decided to try out pierced ears.”

“I only said what I thought,” Rhys said, smiling.

“Along the lines of grounding him until the age of twenty-one.”

“A reasonable reaction, in my opinion, to earrings on my son.”

Abby smiled. “Spoken like a father. Charlie would have skinned me alive for doing something like that without permission. As a matter of fact, I never did get my ears pierced.” Her dad had been furious to find the dog on his sunporch last night, and he’d been prepared to rant about the problem for a good long time after Abby came home.

But she’d been so worn out, so sad, that she hadn’t added fuel to the fire. She’d drifted to her room and Charlie’s rage had leaked away.

“I remember last year when Erin dyed her hair red.” Jacquie shook her head as she slid out of the booth. “I have never been so pleased to see a haircut as when the last of that red hit the floor.”

Mary Rose and Kate got up, too, and soon said their goodbyes. Abby loved her friends, but she was very glad to see them leave this morning. They tended to understand without needing an explanation. Today, Abby had too much to hide.

Although nothing had actually happened between her and Noah. Really, it had just been a kiss. She had been kissed before, many times. After all, she was thirty-three years old.

But Noah’s kiss had been more than she’d ever known with any other man. More than she’d dreamed. And over so fast, she felt as if he’d slapped her.

She moved through the rest of the breakfast shift in a kind of daze, half smiling at the customers she knew, half conscious of their orders and the flow of business in the diner. The crowd gradually thinned, until she was actually alone in the place. Pouring herself a glass of iced tea, Abby slid into a booth where the sun warmed the green vinyl seat and propped her head on one hand to stare out the side window. A little caffeine and a few minutes off her feet seemed like heaven.

But it wasn’t to be. The doorbell jingled, announcing someone who wanted a late breakfast. Dredging up a smile, she looked across the dining room into Noah’s distant gaze.

He cleared his throat. “Hi.”

She didn’t have the first idea of what to say, so she just stared.

He looked away, and then back at her face. “Could I get a cup of coffee?”

Abby felt too weary to stand up, but she pressed her palms into the tabletop to push herself to her feet. “Of course.”

At that moment, Charlie came out of the kitchen. He leaned back against the service counter with his arms crossed over his big chest, the marine tattoo on his hand clearly visible.

“What can I do for you?”

Noah held the gaze of the man across the room, but it took more will than he wanted to admit. Despite a bum leg earned while tangling with a land mine in Vietnam, Charlie Brannon was not a guy to mess with. Back in high school, Noah had known better than to come within sighting distance of Charlie if he had something to hide.

Just like he should have known better today. “Good morning, Mr. Brannon. I thought I’d get a cup of coffee.”

Charlie looked him up and down but didn’t budge. “What are you doing back in town?”

“I came to see my mother, that’s all.”

“You waited long enough.”

Not having an answer for that one, Noah shrugged.

“And when you do show up, you palm off a mongrel that kept me up all night whining. God only knows where that dog’s been. But now he’s in my house.”

“I…” He glanced at Abby for some help. She was staring at him with her chin up, her eyes defensive, her fists clenched.

In the second that their eyes stayed connected, hers melted. She closed her eyes and shook her head, then got to her feet.

“I told you, Dad, that I wanted the dog. Noah didn’t impose anything on you. Or me.”

Which was an outright lie. Noah remembered those minutes in the kitchen last night. He’d imposed a hell of a lot on Abby and would have been glad to extend the damage.

Charlie snorted, as if he knew the truth. Maybe Abby had told him?

Noah waited, prepared to die.

But Abby’s dad just turned to the coffeepot. “I’m not happy having you in here. But, hell, your dollar’s as good as the next guy’s.” He set a filled mug down on the counter. “Drink up.” With a shrug, Charlie returned to the kitchen.

Thanks didn’t seem necessary. Charlie wouldn’t care if he was polite. As Noah went toward the counter, Abby moved in the same direction. They ended up facing each other across the long, stainless-steel surface.

“How is your mom this morning?”

“She went to the doctor. I haven’t seen her yet.” He sipped at the strong, hot coffee, digging up words. “Did the dog really whine all night?”