Font Size:  

Noah didn’t know what Sussex’s end game was with regards to Sophie. Was he waiting for her to fall for someone, then swoop in to try to win her back? Did he love her so much that he just needed to make sure she was safe and sound? Or was he testing the waters so he could develop a strategy? It was a head-scratcher.

Noah’s instincts were now on high alert. He still felt as if there was something his client wasn’t telling him. Had he been so eager for the big payout that he’d missed a few red flags?

He set a pan down on the stove with a slight bang. Why was he fretting so much about this assignment? He couldn’t allow himself to get emotionally involved. Sure, Sophie had made a great first impression on him, but he suspected it was all smoke and mirrors. She had been way too much of a sweetheart. In other words, too good to be true. In his experience, people weren’t that good-hearted.

Do the job, then take the money and run! It was the smartest way to handle things, considering what he stood to lose if this assignment went off the rails. Just the thought of having to shutter the doors of his company made him feel sick inside. It was the only thing in this world he had ever built for himself out of his own ingenuity and savvy. He couldn’t lose it! And getting tied up in knots about Sussex’s agenda and the inconsistences about Sophie could only muddy the waters.

“Good morning, Noah.” The chirpy voice could belong to no one else but her. There was something about her upbeat tone that brought to mind rainbows and sunshine and puppy dogs.

“Morning,” he said, not raising his eyes from the stove to meet her gaze. No way did he want to look into those expressive eyes when his thoughts were as scrambled as the eggs he had just cooked for Cameron.

Sophie’s image had danced under his eyelids last night as he’d tossed and turned. If he didn’t get it together, things were going to get mighty complicated rather quickly. And Noah didn’t like complicated. He liked orderly and straightforward. He hated curveballs. Sophie Miller was rapidly becoming a problem in his uncomplicated world.

“Did you get settled in last night?” she asked. Her voice was infused with so much cheer and a lightness he desperately needed to hear at the moment.

Unable to stop himself, he swung his gaze up. Even in the dullest of brown shirts, Sophie looked resplendent. Her long titian hair hung down in loose waves. Without a trace of makeup on her face she still shimmered. Her full lips were a perfect shade of pink. Her green eyes—the color of Irish moss—sparkled. She had a pleasant expression on her face, one that caused a slight uptick in the beating of his heart.

He frowned. She wasn’t making things easy for him. Another wave of sympathy for Sussex roared through him.

“Pretty much,” he said curtly. He didn’t want to encourage too much conversation with her, at least not until he could get a handle on how best to deal with her. Noah needed to figure out how to get close to Sophie without things becoming too personal. There needed to be an invisible line drawn in the sand, one he couldn’t step across. Establishing boundaries was a good idea.

“How are you liking Cameron’s place?” Sophie asked. “I always thought it had such fantastic views of the bay. At night you can really catch a glimpse of the constellations.”

“It’s nice,” he said, reaching up for an order slip. He pretended to study it so he wouldn’t have to look in Sophie’s direction again.

“And it’s fairly close to everything in town, so it will be really convenient for you. Not to mention you don’t have much of a commute to work,” she continued. “That will be a lifesaver when it’s storming outside or the roads are icy. Or even if you want to pick up something at the post office.”

“I imagine so,” he muttered. Although he sensed Sophie meant well, her friendly demeanor was making his assignment exponentially more cumbersome.

She continued to chatter away. “Just wait till you meet Emma, Cameron’s little girl. She’s a charmer if there ever was one. And Cameron’s wife, Paige, is wonderful.” Sophie shook her head and her mane of red hair rippled across her shoulders. “Matter of fact, everyone here in Love is pretty amazing. You’ll see what I’m talking about once you start m

eeting folks.”

“I’m kind of busy here, Sophie,” he snapped.

He instantly saw the hurt flash in her eyes. She resembled a wounded deer. A piercing sensation stabbed him in the gut. He hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but pushing her away had felt like throwing himself a life preserver. It was difficult to establish boundaries between them when Sophie was treating him like her new best friend.

It took her a moment to recover. “Okay, then,” she said in a crisp tone. “I won’t waste another second of your time.” She turned on her heel and disappeared from the kitchen as if her feet were on fire.

Once she’d gone, Noah let out a tortured groan. He wanted to follow after her and apologize, but he knew the words would just stick in his throat. He’d never been good at smoothing things over.

Well, he’d just managed to solve his problem regarding Sophie’s close proximity to him. He had just proved to her without a shadow of a doubt that he was a total jerk. Noah couldn’t imagine that she’d want anything further to do with him. And that thought left him feeling way more shattered than he could have ever imagined.

* * *

Sophie blinked away the tears that had pooled in her eyes. She wasn’t sure whether she was furious or embarrassed. Who did Noah Callahan think he was, anyway? He was a newbie in town, and since she had been in that position herself, she’d wanted to show him grace and kindness and fellowship. Everyone in Love had treated her with compassion when she had arrived here. She had just been trying to pay it forward with Noah!

Clearly, that had been a major mistake.

Noah had been all kinds of wonderful yesterday when he’d rescued her from a long walk to the Black Bear Cabins. What had happened to alter his mood so drastically? Sophie thought he’d been as sweet as peaches and cream yesterday. She’d been looking forward to getting to know him better. Last night she’d thought of him before she closed her eyes to go to sleep. He had been so kind, and she respected the way he had come to Love for a steady job and a regular paycheck. That took gumption!

Of course, the fact that he was very easy on the eyes didn’t hurt. A sigh slipped past her lips. His looks were scrumptious. She couldn’t deny it. There was something about Noah that she found very appealing.

Not that his good looks mattered at the moment. There was nothing more of a turnoff than a cutting tongue and incivility. Rudeness was not attractive! It totally went against Sophie’s philosophy about greeting the world with a warm smile and encouraging words. Every single day she put her best foot forward and stepped out on a limb of faith. It was her goal to treat people with kindness. Maybe he was one of those men who knew he was good-looking and tended to act as if he was God’s gift to the universe.

Humph. It would be a hot winter’s day in Alaska before she put herself out there again with Noah Callahan! Perhaps the ladies in his life put up with his snotty ways, but she wasn’t about to put up with his churlishness.

With her head held high, she moved toward the table where her next customer sat awaiting service. “Morning, Dwight. Can I start you off with some coffee before I take your order?”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
Articles you may like