Harlequin Special Edition March 2016, Box Set 2 of 2 by Karen Rose Smith

Author:Karen Rose Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781460395264
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Noah drummed his thumbs against the steering wheel, glancing every mile marker at Katie’s profile.

It was a great day for swimming, unseasonably warm for late June with the sun shining from a sky so blue it looked like the backdrop on one of Sara’s movie sets. He’d borrowed a small fishing boat from Crimson Ranch so he could take Katie to the far side of the reservoir where the water might be a degree or two warmer than near the mouth of the mountain stream that fed it.

The day was perfect, other than the fact that Katie had barely said two words since he’d picked her up an hour ago.

“We’re almost there,” he said and adjusted the radio to a satellite station with better reception this far into the mountains.

Hidden Valley Reservoir lay on the far side of the pass past Aspen. The dirt road that wound into the hills above the valley was maintained but still rutted in places.

“Okay” was her only response.

“You nervous?” He placed one hand on her leg, squeezing softly in the place above her knee where he knew she was ticklish. Immediately she flinched away from him and he pulled his arm away from her.

“A little.” She continued to look out the window for a few minutes, then added, “I’m tired. Sorry I’m bad company.”

“You’re never bad company, Bug.”

“Noah,” she said, her tone harsh.

“Sorry. It’s a habit. I won’t call you that.” He focused more closely on the road as they passed an SUV coming from the other direction. “I mean it in a good way, you know? I always have.”

“I don’t like it,” she snapped.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” He wasn’t sure what was going on, but if swimming took her off her game this much, was it really worth it?

“If you want to turn around, go ahead.” She pressed her fingers to her temples. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with my mood today, but I understand if you don’t want to be with me.”

As he came to the opening in the trees that signaled the entrance to the state park where the reservoir was located, he pulled off onto the shoulder of the gravel road. “Listen to me,” he said, moving his seat belt aside so he could face her. “I don’t give a damn about your mood. Happy, sad, pissy for no reason. It happens and I’ll take them all. We’re friends, Katie. You’ve seen me at my worst. The more I think about it, I’ve never seen you anything but kind, generous and ready to please whoever you’re with. I can take one afternoon of a bad mood without turning tail. Give me a little credit.”

She looked at him as if she wanted to argue, then shocked him when she asked, “Do you think you would have been happy married to Tori?”

He felt his mouth drop open, clamped it shut again. “Where the hell did that question come from?”

“It’s weird seeing her back in town for an extended period of time.

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