Читать книгу Stallion Magic - Deborah Mello Fletcher - Страница 11

Chapter 2

The day had been a long one, and when Noah pulled up to his Arlington Drive home, he wasn’t expecting to see his brother’s Jaguar sitting in front of his garage door. Inside the house, the television was blaring Monday-night football on his big-screen television. Voices echoed from the kitchen, and the smell of freshly fried chicken permeated the air. Moving into the space, he saw his two brothers standing at the kitchen counter. The Stallion bloodline ran deep and there was no denying their kinship. They each had the same rugged good looks, their features chiseled and their eyes haunting. Their complexions were a warm caramel brown, each looking as if they belonged to each other.

“Howdy, big brother,” Nicholas Stallion greeted.

Nathaniel Stallion waved a hand in Noah’s direction.

“Hey, what are you two doing here?” he questioned. He dropped his keys, badge, and gun to the countertop.

The two men cut an eye at each other both shrugging their broad shoulders.

Noah looked from one to the other then shook his head. “And you’re cooking. It must be serious!”

“It’s not,” Nicholas chimed.

“It is,” Nathaniel quipped.

Noah shook his head. “Let me grab a shower and unwind before you two hit me with any bad news,” he said as he turned in the direction of his bedroom.

“Dinner should be ready in thirty,” Nicholas called out as he checked on the meat in the deep fryer.

As Noah made his exit, the two brothers started to bicker, their muffled voices echoing in the distance. He couldn’t help but smile. When the duo had been younger, he would always have to intervene and mediate their disagreements. Despite their respective ages, some things never changed.

Some minutes later Noah felt like a new man. Showered and refreshed he moved back to his family room. The kitchen table was set for three, and Nick was filling oversized mason jars with ice and lemonade.

“Hey, do you remember Catherine Moore from high school?” Noah asked, interrupting the conversation the two men were having. “She was a cheerleader.”

Both men paused, eyeing Noah then each other.

“She was the head cheerleader,” Nathaniel said. “And she was dating some college frat boy, wasn’t she?”

“She was a snob!” Nicholas interjected. “Her folks had money. Big money, and she wouldn’t look in our direction if I remember correctly.”

“You were a freshman. No one looked in your direction,” Noah wisecracked.

Nathaniel laughed. “Didn’t you have a crush on her? One of those hiding in the bushes, stalkerlike crushes?”

Noah rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Oh, yes, it was. She was popular and pretty and you had absolutely no game.”

“He still doesn’t,” Nicholas said with a deep laugh.

Noah reached for the platter of cornbread, not bothering to respond.

“So, why are you asking about Catherine Moore?” Nicholas questioned, filling his own plate with string beans.

Noah shrugged. “No reason. I just ran into her today at my interview. She owns the company.”

“That’s right!” Nathaniel exclaimed. “How’d that go?”

“They offered me the job with a nice six-figure salary.”

“Congratulations!” both brothers chimed in unison.

“Still not sure I’m going to take it, though.”

“Why not?” Nicholas questioned.

Noah paused. The day after high school graduation he’d enlisted in the US Army. There had been no money saved for him for college and he was determined to get a degree. Back then he saw the military as a means to an end. He’d given Uncle Sam twelve years then had earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Joining the Salt Lake City police department had been a natural progression and since then he’d risen nicely through the ranks. He was now the lead detective in the criminal investigations unit and despite the gravity of some of his cases, he liked what he did. He wasn’t sure he was ready to let it go.

He didn’t bother to answer his brother’s question, deciding to change the subject instead. “So, when are you two going to tell me why you’re here and not in Los Angeles?”

Nicholas sighed. “It’s really nothing.”

“No, it’s something,” Nathaniel said. He turned his gaze toward Noah. “Nicholas took a bad hit in the game the other week and he bruised his back again. He also damaged his knee.”

“The one he fractured before?”

Nathaniel nodded. “At this point he needs to think about his future. As his orthopedic specialist it’s my recommendation that he retire.”

Nicholas pounded a fist against the table. “I’m not retiring and I would appreciate it if you two didn’t talk about me like I wasn’t in the room.”

“If you continue to play football, you risk doing some major damage that you’re not going to be able to come back from. Another hit like last week and you may never walk again. That’s your reality and I don’t think you understand that,” Nathaniel snapped.

Nicholas shrugged.

Nathaniel threw up his hands in frustration. “You need to talk to him,” he said, turning his attention back to their older brother. “I can’t get through to him.”

Noah took a bite of his chicken and said nothing as his two younger siblings continued to squabble back and forth. He was almost finished with his meal when he finally offered a comment, quoting their late mother.

He shifted his gaze to look Nicholas in his eyes. “Live the ride,” Noah said. “It’s your life, and I can’t tell you how to live it, but I can tell you to live it to the fullest. You only get to do this once. But with that said, you do need to consider your doctor’s warning. Know the risks and heaven forbid if something happens, be willing to accept the consequences.”

He turned to look at Nathaniel, who was shaking his head in disagreement. “Hey, you’ve told him everything he needs to know to make his decision. There’s nothing else you can do except support him in whatever that is.”

Nathaniel blew a heavy breath of air past his full lips. He shook his head.

Nicholas nodded then turned his attention to the television. A few minutes later he nodded his head at his brother. “So, you still want them season passes?”

Nathaniel met the look Nicholas was giving him. He hesitated only briefly before answering. “Hell, yeah!”

Noah smiled as a blanket of silence dropped over the trio. Across the big-screen television, New England was using Oakland to wipe the football field.

* * *

Hours later, Noah lay awake, his body sprawled atop his king-size mattress. Both his brothers had retired to guest rooms in his spacious home.

He was grateful for the bond they all shared. His family meant everything to him. Things had been slightly off when their baby sister, Natalie, had gone off to Europe, distancing herself from them, but all was well again. Natalie was back to being the prickly pain in his side that he adored.

He blew a heavy sigh, rolling onto his side as thoughts of Catherine Moore flashed through his mind. She was a beautiful woman, curvaceous with an incredible caramel-toned complexion. She also had a sharp wit and astute business acumen. He imagined some men were intimidated by her polished persona but there was no denying that her vivacious personality commanded attention the moment she entered a room. Noah had often imagined himself partnered with a woman like that. Building his career with the police department had put any inkling of a romantic relationship on the back burner. But Noah had always wanted his future to include a wife and children.

He suddenly wondered if a woman like Catherine ever thought about children. He reasoned that building a corporate empire had probably stalled any thoughts she might have had about a family. Something he remembered about her reminded him she might not be the kind of woman who wanted nannies and babysitters raising her children.

It had been one of those senior year parties, and everyone had gathered at Lindsey Gardens for a wiener roast and bonfire. One of the players from the basketball team had been stuck with his two younger siblings tagging along, and Catherine had stepped in to lend a helping hand. He’d eyed her most of that night, enamored with her gentle handling of the little boy and girl. It suddenly surprised him that he remembered that moment and he couldn’t help but wonder why. Sleep came upon him suddenly as he fell into a deep slumber. His rest was sweet as thoughts of Catherine continued to trip through his dreams.

* * *

It was well after midnight, and Catherine was determined to be finished with the contract and financial documents that had held her attention since the day had started. She was preparing for a meeting with her executive team, planning to announce her intentions to take her company public. It was a decision that had been years in the making. Since the acquisition of her first luxury aircraft, Catherine debated whether or not to remain a private entity. With the shift in political climate and the state of the economy, she had known the day might come when the expansion of her business might mean offering the public stock in her company. Currently, the business was doing exceptionally well, Fly High an industry leader on top of their game. Her decision to go public was based more on being prepared for the future and not needing an infusion of cash to do what she wanted to do.

With the last document signed, she poured herself a glass of wine. As she took the first sip she remembered that it had been a minute since she’d last eaten. Her yogurt and granola breakfast had been her last meal. She finished off her glass of merlot before rising from her cushioned seat and moving to the kitchen pantry and then the refrigerator. With a box of table water crackers and a block of pepper jack cheese in hand she returned to her seat and poured herself a second glass of wine.

Her Manhattan penthouse was quiet. Nothing stirred. The only sounds echoing around the space were her heavy breathing and a ripple of paper as she flipped through one document after another.

Being alone had never bothered Catherine. She had always enjoyed solitude, no one else’s noise intruding on her quiet. Alone had never been synonymous with lonely. She swallowed the last bit of her snack and followed it with another swig of the wine.

Business had always come first and being alone had been the consequence of that. She could barely recall her last official date let alone any relationship she’d been involved in. A coy smile suddenly pulled at her thin lips. She stared down to the lined paper she’d been jotting notes on. In three separate spots she’d written down Noah Stallion’s name. She’d been intrigued seeing him again. He was no longer the scrawny kid she barely remembered. The man had presence, his stance strong and magnanimous. He was the sweetest eye candy, intelligent and good-looking. In their very brief encounter he had grabbed her attention and held it. Noah Stallion was the kind of man women longed for in their lives. Catherine was no exception.

She had breathed a sigh of relief when her friend Crystal had assured her no one in their circle of friends had dated the man.

“He didn’t date anyone at Bountiful,” Crystal had proclaimed. “Not one soul.”

“I know he had to have dated someone in high school,” Catherine had persisted.

“Nope. He worked part-time after school. He had brothers and sisters to help take care of. From what I remember about him he didn’t have time to date. Hey, do you remember...”

Catherine had gotten lost in the reflections as the two women caught up on old times. Crystal’s last question had brought her back to reality.

“So, do you plan to hire him or seduce him? Because I don’t think you can do both.”

With a deep sigh, she rose from her seat and headed to her bedroom. As she disrobed, slipping into a red silk nightie, she couldn’t help but think about her life and the many difficult choices she’d made. Crystal was right. She couldn’t do both. She couldn’t become romantically involved with any employee of Fly High. She had signed Noah’s formal offer of employment just hours earlier. With luck, Catherine thought, maybe he wouldn’t take the job.