Читать книгу A Love Worth Waiting For - Jillian Hart - Страница 9

“Consider this fair warning.”

“Warning for what?” Noah bounced in the seat as his sister navigated her minivan along the stretch of dirt that passed for a driveway. “Maybe I should see that this road gets paved.”

Hope shot him a withering look. “Forget the driveway. It’s been newly graveled. I’m trying to look out for your best interests. Nanna has her agenda.”

“Believe me, I know. She hits me over the head with it every week when I call her.” Noah squared his shoulders. “Don’t worry, I can handle her. I’m bigger and stronger. I have a will of steel.”

“Hey, Superman, I give Nanna two minutes before she brings up the subject of marriage.”

“Marriage is like kryptonite to a man like me.” Noah winked at her. “One and a half minutes, I say. She’s gotten pushy since she’s become engaged. Wants to spread the torture around I guess.”

“Misery loves company.” Hope winked right back at him. “I can handle Nanna. She’s not going to marry me off.”

“We’ll see about that.” Hope brought the vehicle to a stop in the gravel driveway, beneath the shelter of a mighty oak. Rain sputtered from the sky, making the wipers skid on the windshield. “Did you want me to pick you up? Or are you taking Nanna to the party?”

“I have no idea. I’m just along for the ride.” He opened the door. The cool and damp air rushing over him was enough to make him shiver as he stepped onto Montana soil. “Go home to your husband and kids. Thanks for the ride.”

“Anytime.”

He grabbed his bags and briefcase. His sister drove away, leaving him standing in the noontime rain.

The windows of the old white farmhouse glowed like a promise of shelter from the storm. The front door swung wide, casting a generous swatch of light onto the old-fashioned porch. Noah’s chest warmed at the sight of the woman framed in the doorway.

“There you are.” Nanna opened her arms wide, and he stepped into them. “I should have known my Noah would be here right on time. Oh, it’s good to see my boy.”

He hadn’t been a boy in over twenty years, but he didn’t correct her. “You’re looking as lovely as ever. I guess being in love agrees with you.”

“And why shouldn’t it? Love is one of God’s greatest blessings and one day you’re going to discover it for yourself. I’ve been praying, so you’d better watch out, my boy.” She broke away and nudged him into the threshold. “Let me take a good look at you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Fine, my foot! Why, James Noah Ashton you look terrible. Simply terrible. What have you been doing to yourself?” Nanna shook her head, her mouth tight with disapproval. “I know what you’ve been up to, lying to me on the phone!”

“I wasn’t lying—” He was being selective. He didn’t know for sure if anything was wrong.

“Letting me think you’re better off than you are! I can take one look at you and see that you’ve been working day and night, not getting enough sleep. Not taking care of yourself. Eating restaurant food.”

“There’s nothing wrong with restaurant food.”

“Have you looked in a mirror lately? And why aren’t you wearing a coat? Come inside out of this cold.” She grabbed him by the arm and hauled him into her living room. “Now sit down and warm up in front of the fire.”

She had every right to scold, he figured. And as long as she went on about his lifestyle, she wasn’t bringing up the word marriage. He checked his watch. Two minutes and counting.

“It breaks my heart to see you alone,” Nanna called from the kitchen, not sounding heartbroken at all. Oh, no, she sounded like a four-star general on the eve of battle. “I had so hoped you would bring along a date. It’s not good for a man to be alone.”

“I’ve heard that before. Somewhere, I just can’t think where—” He strolled into the kitchen in time to see her wave her hand at him.

“Oh, you. Don’t blame a poor old woman for wanting to see her only grandson happy.”

“I am happy.” He kissed her cheek and stole the oven mitt from her. “Move aside and let the master work.”

“Master? You can’t cook, young man.” She chuckled, her laughter as sweet as a meadowlark’s song.

“That’s what you think. I bought this video series by some gourmet chef on how to cook. So you see, I can feed myself and I do know how to get stuff from the oven.”

“Just be careful. The pan is plumb full—”

“I won’t spill,” he told her gently, because he loved her. Noah lifted the heavy pan from the oven and set her culinary masterpiece on the trivet to cool. The delicious scents of Italian herbs made his mouth water. “Hey, I just thought of something. You could give me the recipe and maybe I can make it when I’m at home.”

“That I’d pay good money to see.” Nanna squeezed his arm. “The lasagna needs to cool. Come sit down and I’ll get you some of that lemonade you like. And no, I certainly will not give you my recipe. It has been a guarded secret in my family for generations.”

“Nanna, I am family.”

“When you have a wife and children of your own, then I’ll give you the recipe. How’s that?” Eyes twinkling, she led him to the round oak table near the windows.

“Maybe I’ll have to charm the recipe out of you because, face the truth, Nanna, I’m not getting married. Read my lips.”

“Oh, what you don’t know.” She tugged at his tie. “Sit down and relax. I’ve made up my mind to treat you so well, you’re never going to want to go back to the big city and the job that’s making you so unhappy.”

“I’m not unhappy,” he reminded her, and because he knew he could distract her, took her by the hand and pulled out a wooden chair. “My grandmother taught me to treat beautiful women with respect, so here, have a seat. I won’t take no for an answer.”

“There you go, charming me again. You’re trouble.”

“Don’t I know it. Now, sit.”

She slipped onto the cushioned seat with great resignation, but her eyes sparkled with pleasure. “It’s so good to have you here. Now my engagement party will be perfect.”

“It’s good to be here.” He found a pitcher of lemonade in the refrigerator. “Tell me more about this man you’re going to marry. When do I get to meet him?”

“Harold?” Nanna clasped her hands together. “Why, you’re going to love him!”

Noah snared two glasses from the cupboard. “He must be quite a man to win your heart.”

“He is! Oh, the plans we’ve been making. We’ve hired an architect and we’re going to build a new home, can you imagine? It’s a terrible big project, but oh, what fun I’ve been having. I’ve even decided on the house plan I want. It took a lot of looking, I tell you.”

A cold sensation settled in the pit of his stomach. “Will you be building here on your land?”

“Oh, no. Harold owns a large spread. A simply beautiful place. The mountain views he has are a sight to behold. I’ve got a place for the house picked out on a rise, so we’ll have views in four directions. There’s nice afternoon shade for a rose garden.”

Nanna’s eyes sparkled with pure happiness, lit from behind. Noah hated having to ask the next question, but it was for her benefit. Clearly she was so much in love, she might not see this Harold’s hidden agenda.

“So, what will you do with this place?” He said it casually as he set the glass of lemonade in front of her.

“Oh, I thought about renting, but you know how that is. I’d worry someone wouldn’t take care of this house I love so much. Your sister has her own home and I’m sure as can be you don’t want this land—” She stopped midsentence and squinted at him. “Do you?”

“You know I love New York.”

“I just knew you were going to say that. Well, you said it yourself, so I guess my only choice is to sell.”

“Sell?” Noah didn’t like the sound of that. “Is this your idea?”

“And whose would it be? It’s just common sense, young man.” She took a sip of lemonade. “Now, before you start, I realize there’d be taxes to pay, but that’s your job, handling my finances for me the way you do.”

“But you don’t want to sell?” he asked carefully.

“How could I want to sell? I have wonderful memories in this house, but it’s time to start something new for me. Maybe what this old place needs is a nice young family to fill these empty rooms. What do you think?”

“You’d make money off the place.” A few million, Noah didn’t add. “I suppose you and this Harold have talked about that.”

“No, we truly haven’t. We haven’t had the time. With the new house and our wedding plans, I’ve been a busy bee, I tell you.”

Just as he expected. Nanna didn’t suspect a thing. She didn’t even consider that the Harold she loved could be a fortune hunter.

“Would you be using the money from the sale to build the new house?”

“Noah, you and that finance mind of yours.” Nanna stood, and her chair scraped on the linoleum. Her hand settled on his arm. “I swear you’ve been working so hard and so long, you don’t know how to take it easy. ‘…all our busy rushing ends in nothing.’ My dear boy, stop trying to accomplish so much. When you’re in this house, you don’t need to prove anything to me. I love you just as you are. Perfect.”

She planted a kiss on his cheek.

His heart filled with tenderness for this spry, lively woman who loved him without condition. As he loved her.

“All right, I know you’re dying to tell me about bridesmaid dresses and colors of tablecloths or whatever it is you brides get to decide.” He took her hand and led her back to the table. “Are you happy now?”

“Overjoyed.” Nanna sparkled like a rare gem. “Sit and let me grab my books. I’ll show you the picture of the wedding dress I picked only yesterday.”

“I’d love to see it.”

For his grandmother, he’d do anything.

Noah took a sip of lemonade, wishing it was a double latte, and watched his grandmother hurry from the room in search of her wedding magazines. Alone in the kitchen, with the rain tapping at the windows, a rare peace swept over him. A comfort so strong, he was sure he was doing the right thing, watching out for his grandmother.

The pink and gold decorations were airy and romantic. The glitter streamers winked like stardust. Candles waited, ready to be lit, and the fresh flowers emitted a gentle, rose scent that made the room a dream.

Julie took a final look at their handiwork and satisfaction filled her. “This is like something out of a fairy tale. I couldn’t have done this without my friends.”

“Your grandfather is going to love it.” Susan put her arm around Julie and gave her a quick hug.

“Everyone is going to be wowed,” Misty added. “And speaking of impressing people, I’ve got to fly. If I want to impress the handsome, rich bachelor who’s going to be in this very room in just over two hours, I’ve got to beautify. I’m wearing that blue silk swirly dress I bought in Missoula. It’s the best thing I own.”

“Thank goodness I got my red shift dry-cleaned last week,” Susan enthused.

Julie couldn’t believe it. All this fuss over one man? “Just because he’s rich doesn’t mean he’s nice.”

“He could be nice. We don’t know that he isn’t,” Misty reasoned. “He might be a good dancer.”

“It’s an engagement party, not singles’ night.”

“It’s a Friday night. There’ll be a band. That means we’ll have to dance with him.”

“It’ll be tough, but someone’s got to do it.” Susan looked determined to suffer. “My theory is that you never know what God has in store for you. In my case, why not a billionaire?”

Julie laughed, she couldn’t help it. “Okay, believe Mr. Ashton is going to be your knight in shining armor. I’ll make sure to introduce you to the billionaire. Satisfied?”

“Absolutely.” Susan waggled her brows, looking full of trouble. “Maybe I’ll get my hair done, too. Since I’m getting dressed up, it wouldn’t hurt to dazzle him.”

“Why bother? I’m sure Mr. James Ashton has his pick of beautiful women,” Misty teased.

“You don’t think he’ll take a second look at me. Is that it?” Susan pretended to be offended.

“He could be looking at me instead.” Misty flicked her hair behind her shoulder. “Maybe the billionaire likes blondes.”

Susan and Misty laughed together, and Misty said goodbye. The outside door clicked shut as Julie snapped off the lights.

“I’ll be back in an hour to direct the caterers.” Susan grabbed her coat and purse from the dark corner. “Don’t you worry about a thing. You just make sure your grandfather is here on time.”

“You can count on that. Thanks, Susan.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Together they turned off the rest of the lights and closed the doors behind them. The fat raindrops became a downpour the minute they stepped into the parking lot.

“I hope this is just a temporary thing,” Julie called over a sudden gust of wind. “I’d hate to have to row people across the parking lot.”

“Joke all you want, but it’ll all work out.” Susan shouted to be heard over the drum of rain as she headed to her car. “Drive safely.”

“You, too!”

The sky let loose with a violent torrent of icy rain. Great. Just when she didn’t think it could get worse… She took off running. Gravel crunched at her feet and rain knifed through her thin jacket. She flung open her truck’s door and collapsed on the seat. With hands stiff from the cold, she found her keys and started the engine.

“Please, don’t tell me it’s going to be like this all afternoon.” She flicked the defroster on high, but only chilly air sputtered from the air vents.

Rain pinged on the roof and streamed down her windshield. She shivered and swiped a circle of fog from the glass. Tree branches swayed violently in the wind. Twin beams cut through the downpour as Susan’s car eased out of the parking lot and out of sight.

With her mind on the party, her grandfather and the billionaire showing up, Julie put her truck in gear and crept through the storm, keeping a close eye on the road.

“It was good to finally meet you, Mr. Renton.” Noah shook the older man’s hand. He hadn’t found any obvious reason not to trust the man.

There was an honest glint in Harold’s eye, that was for sure, as he grabbed his battered Stetson and headed for the door.

Harold may appear to be kind and decent, but Noah had learned the hard way that people were not often what they appeared.

“I’ll look forward to seeing you at the party, son.” Harold nodded in the way men from the country did, his drawl unassuming as he tugged open the door. “Looks like the storm isn’t about to let up. Hey, that’s Helen’s car in the driveway. She must have just pulled up.”

“Wonderful!” Nanna clasped her hands together, obviously overjoyed. “She’s going to help me fix my hair. You drive safe, Harold, my love. Guess I’ll be seeing you in a few hours.”

“I don’t see how you can get much prettier, but I’ll be lookin’ forward to it.” Blushing, head down, the older man cleared his throat.

Noah blushed, too, realizing Nanna and Harold were waiting for him to leave so they could be alone. Well, he could take a hint. He headed for the living room to give the couple privacy.

Okay, so he sort of liked Harold. He was a well-preserved man, who spent his retirement running his ranch and seemed to love doing it. And the way Harold looked at Nanna—well, it did look like true love.

Don’t jump to conclusions, Noah warned himself, pacing the room, listening to the fire pop low in the grate and the bushes scraping against the windows.

Trying not to listen to the murmur of his grandmother’s voice in the entry hall, Noah whipped out his handheld computer. The little electronic notebook was his life support, and somewhere in the files he’d begun a list of everything he had to remember for today—

There it was. He scrolled down the list. Flowers. He’d forgotten flowers for his grandmother.

There was plenty of time. He’d just take Nanna’s car and zip into town. It wasn’t that far away. Hadn’t Nanna shown him pictures of the bridal flowers she’d selected? This town, as small as it was, had a florist shop.

“Where are you going?” Nanna demanded when she caught up with him in the kitchen. “My friend Helen is here, and your sister will be by any second to help me get ready for the party. Are those my car keys?”

“If you let me borrow them, I’ll bring you home a surprise.”

“All right, then, fine. Take my car, but you be careful, young man. My Chevy is older than you are, so show her some respect. And absolutely no speeding.”

“I’m not a teenager, remember?” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll be good. I promise.”

He said hello to Nanna’s friend, pocketed the car keys and escaped out the back door while he had the chance.

The defroster in her pickup couldn’t keep up with the fog. Julie swiped at the windshield with the cuff of her jacket sleeve, watching the endless curtain of gray rain that obscured the road ahead. What was that up ahead? She squinted to make out the faintest red glow flashing in the thick gray mists. Taillights. Someone was in trouble.

Julie braked, easing to a stop in the road behind an old sedan. She hit her flasher as thunder cracked overhead. Her pulse kicked high and fast in fear, and she reached for her purse, feeling for her cell phone.

There was no sign of anyone anywhere. Maybe the driver was hurt. Maybe—

A movement in the shadows caught her attention. The tall, broad-shouldered form became a man, rain drenched and awesome, as the lightning cracked behind him, zagging like a crooked finger from the sky to the top of a nearby knoll.

What was he doing out there? Didn’t he know it was dangerous?

As thunder clapped, Julie bolted into the storm, ignoring the cut of ice through her jacket and the sting of rain on her face. “Hey! Get back in your car—”

Lightning splintered the sky the same second the man turned. The earth began to shake like a hundred earthquakes beneath her feet. As the thunder boomed like cannon fire, Julie saw it all in an instant. The bright streak of light overhead, the man leaping toward her and the spark of fire as a tree beside the road flashed with flames.

All she could feel was the steel-hard impact of his shoulder, the dizzying spin of rain as it knifed from the sky and the drum of cattle racing by. She hit the muddy earth with a breath-stealing thud.

Pain rocketed through her body and her head smacked on the rocky earth. The man’s hand curled around the back of her head, cushioning the shock. Fighting for air, she was only dimly aware of the lightning and thunder, the cold and wet. The man’s face was a blur as he crouched over her. A tree limb crashed to the ground at her side. Fire licked at the leaves, even as the rain made the flames smoke and die.

“Are you all right?” he asked in a voice as deep as night, as powerful as the storm.

She gasped for air but couldn’t draw it into her lungs. Fighting panic, she knew she wasn’t hurt seriously. All she had to do was relax—

“You’ve had the wind knocked out of you. You’re going to be fine.” The rumble of his voice was comforting as he lifted her from the ground and leaned her against his chest.

What a strong chest it was, too. Sitting up, Julie felt a little better. Cold air rushed in as her lungs began to relax.

Thankful, she breathed in and out. She felt nauseated, but she wasn’t going to be sick. Icy rain stung her face, the wind buffeted her and thunder hurt her ears.

“We’d better get you inside your truck.” He took her hand, helping her to her feet. “You’ll be warm there. I don’t want you to drive, just sit and get your bearings, okay?”

Her toe caught the edge of pavement and she stumbled. His iron-strong hand curled around her elbow, catching her before she could fall. “I can make it.”

“Good. I’d help you, but I think someone is in trouble. That’s why I got out of my car.” He let go of her hand. “You’ll be all right?”

“Who’s in trouble? What did you see?”

“All I know is that there’s a horse with an empty saddle in that field. I was going to take a look when you pulled up.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Lightning flashed the same moment thunder pealed. “It’s dangerous. I want you safe in your truck so I can go help who’s in trouble.”

“Safe? Well, you’d be safer if you stayed in your car, too.”

“I’m a risk taker,” he told her. “A dangerous sort of guy. I don’t need safety.”

Thunder rattled the ground beneath her feet and seemed to shake her very bones, but it didn’t distract her from the man’s dazzling grin.

Dangerous? Oh, yes. He was handsome and confident and a complete stranger. There would be time later to ask who he was and where he was from. Right now someone might be in trouble. She scanned the field. “Where did you see the horse?”

“There.” He gestured toward the far rise as lightning singed the air around them.

Julie could barely make out the bay pony in the downpour. “I know that horse. That horse wouldn’t run off and leave his rider.”

She took off at a run as the rain turned to hard balls of hail. Ice struck her like boxer’s gloves as she raced across the field and over a knoll to the creek below rapidly swelling with runoff. The bay wheeled with fear as lightning and thunder resounded across the sky.

“Hailey!” Julie called, snaring hold of the gelding’s reins. She couldn’t make out anything in the gray and white storm.

“There.” He spotted the child first, a small dark shadow on the other side of the creek. “That water’s rising fast.”

“We can cross it.” Julie saw the gelding was in good shape and uninjured, but too panicked to ride through the fast-moving current. She tied him quickly to a willow branch, so he wouldn’t injure himself further. He’d be safe, for now.

“Be careful,” she shouted. “The water’s rising and it’s more dangerous than it looks.”

The stranger was already at the steep bank. “Stay here where it’s safe. I’m going in.”

“No, wait!” Julie called, running full out, but the effects of her earlier fall held her back. She wasn’t up to one hundred percent. “The current’s fast—”

As if he didn’t hear her or understand the danger, he plunged off the bank and disappeared beneath the muddy water coursing dark and deep.