A Baby and a Betrothal by Michelle Major

Author:Michelle Major
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2015-11-27T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

She humbled him with her bravery.

Noah turned off the motor as the boat drifted toward the small inlet near the cliffs on the western side of the reservoir. As they neared the bank, he tugged his T-shirt over his head and jumped into the water, his shoes squishing in the sandy bottom. He pulled the boat close to a fallen tree and tied the rope to one of the dead branches.

“You can stand here.”

Katie stared at him for a moment before her brows shot down over her eyes. “This was a terrible idea. I can’t get in the water with you looking like that...” She flicked her fingers at him. “And I look like a sausage.” She smoothed her hands over the black material, and not for the first time, Noah wished he was touching her.

“You’re the cutest sausage I’ve ever seen.”

She snorted in response, making him grin. “I feel ridiculous.” She stood, arms crossed over her chest. “It’s stupid to be afraid of getting in water that’s only as high as my knees.”

“Don’t say that. Nothing about you is stupid.” He leaned down, splashed some of the cold lake water onto his chest and arms. He was overheated, and not only because of the warming temperature and sun beating down. Katie had weathered so much rejection from her parents, but she kept moving forward. He never would have guessed the full truth of why she’d lived with her grandma, and it made him feel like even more of a failure as a friend.

He couldn’t imagine being deserted by his parents—because that would have never happened in his family. Noah was the one who’d separated himself during his father’s illness, pulling away by degrees when the pain of staying became too intense.

Katie thought he had no fear, but that was far from the truth. He was afraid of everything that made him feel. He’d tried to insulate himself from the pain of possibly losing someone else he cared about. The fact that she trusted him gave him hope that he could change, that it wasn’t too late. For either of them.

“You’re stalling.” He motioned her forward. “Get in the water.”

She squeezed shut her eyes for a second. “I’m stalling,” she admitted and inched closer to the port side of the boat. Flipping one leg over, she balanced on the ledge. Her knuckles turned white as she clenched the metal edge.

“It’s shallow. You’re safe.” He wanted her to believe him, and not just in this moment. He may have failed in lots of areas, but he was determined to keep her safe. Not many people took Noah seriously and with good reason. Sure, he was good at his job and had plenty of responsibility with the Forest Service, but in none of his relationships with coworkers, friends or his family did people trust him with anything deeply emotional. Katie had, and it went a long way to fill some of the emptiness inside him.

He had lost time to make up for with her.

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