That night, Camille tossed and turned. Unable to fall into a restful sleep, she dreamed about Colorado. The scenery and the memories kept flooding her mind.Their high school graduating class would be taking a trip to Boulder, Colorado in late summer, but Nathan had refused to allow Camille to go. Her studies were too important, and she needed to be focused and ready for college. She would start college in Portland in less than a month.Camille wanted to go to the resort with her classmates so much that it invaded every moment of her thoughts, but knowing Noah wasn’t going either made it more tolerable. Though, she suspected he wasn’t going because she wasn’t going.Flashes of pleas and angry words with Nathan crowded her mind. Hurt and anger lingered in her heart, but the dream only revealed a glimpse of the altercation.Then Noah was there asking her if she wanted to go anyway. They could drive to Boulder for the weekend. He knew some friends who said there was at least one spot in
NOAHNoah usually liked working with Aaron. His steadfast brother was more interested in staying the course and getting the work finished. He needed to get back to the main house where their mom watched Levi while whey worked. Aaron wasn’t one to chat about the weather or complain about the slow calving season. He kept his head down and finished the work.Today, Aaron kept cutting glances his way. To be fair, it might have had something to do with the force Noah had chucked the bales as they loaded the hay pens.“Anything you wanna get off your chest?” Aaron finally asked.Noah jumped from the bed of the truck and removed his gloves before cutting the ties on a square bale. “It’s Camille.”“I figured as much, but I don’t have anything for you when it comes to women.” Aaron had been raising his son alone since his ex left two and a half years ago without looking back. She hadn’t been one to be tied down to a ranch.“What’s the holdup?” Aaron asked. “Things seem to be goin’ okay. Just g
Camille stepped from the truck and studied the scene around her. The warm June air brushed the skin of her arms in the breeze, and the water was bubbling quietly in the deep blue creek.“I do remember this place. It’s Bluestone Creek.”Noah rounded the truck and halted. “You remembered the name?” Noah asked.“Yeah, sometimes I can associate a name with a person or place. I don’t think there’s a rhyme or reason to the names that I remember.” She shrugged.They made their way to the bank and she dipped to her knees. Raking her fingers through the brisk water, she had the urge to jump in.“Did we swim here?” she asked.“Once, accidentally. The water stays cool.”“But we did?”“We did.”“What else did we do around here?”He moved close and squatted beside her. “Back then, you were interested in anything outdoors. You tried to name the cows, but there were too many. You’d get frustrated when we had to move the herds and you’d lose track of the ones you’d befriended.”She laughed. “What abo
NOAHIt was the second day of his shift with the fire department, and Noah was lounging in the rec room, while the other men in his crew lazily chatted around him. His eyes were drifting closed, but he wasn’t contributing anything groundbreaking to the conversation anyway. He doubted anyone would notice if he fell asleep.Lucas plopped down in the other reclining chair in the sectional sofa and made an exaggerated huff. “Dude, what are you doing?”“What does it look like,” Noah said. “I’m watching the back of my eyelids.”Lucas shoved Noah’s shoulder. “Come on. I need someone to watch Live PD with me. It’s not as fun if I’m the only one in the peanut gallery.”Noah pried his eyes open and sat up. “How do you function on so little sleep?”“I just don’t need that much of a reboot. I’m hardwired for fun.”The call sounded, and everyone in the room groaned. The entire crew was reaching their limit.Lucas stood and stalked to the kitchen area. “I didn’t even get to eat my sandwich.” He thr
Camille smiled when she heard the bell above the door ring. She knew it would be Noah when she scooted her chair back from the desk in her office. It was the day he volunteered, and she hadn’t seen him since he’d taken her to Bluestone Creek, though they’d talked on the phone daily.Noah was already approaching the checkout counter as she stepped from her office. His hair was damp from a shower, and his white T-shirt hugged his shoulders just right. How did he always look so good? She narrowed her eyes at him as he approached with too much swagger. It was too early for her stomach to be doing flips over a good lookin’ man.He smiled and locked his arms to lean on the counter. “What’s got you in a huff?”She just looked at him, daring him to be more handsome than he already was.When she didn’t answer, he continued.“You’re cute when you’re mad.”“You’re too cute for your own good.” If he wasn’t so handsome and charming, she might have been over him years ago. “It’s frustrating that I
Camille held Noah’s hand as they walked into Barn Sour, or just “The Barn” as most people called it. The rustic restaurant and bar was popular with the country locals, and the place was already packed on a Friday night. She’d taken Jenny’s suggestion and opted for a lightweight dress with cap sleeves. Noah looked handsome in a navy and gray pearl snap shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.The band on the stage tweaked their equipment as Noah leaned in close to her ear to be heard above the noise. When his breath tickled her ear, she giggled.“Let’s sit there.” He pointed to an empty booth in the back of the main room.She nodded and followed him, holding his hand as they wound their way through the milling patrons.They leaned in close over the table to hear each other above the sound of the band while they waited for their food. She ordered the tater totchos at Noah’s recommendation, and she found herself impressed when they arrived.“You’re right. This is delicious. I coul
NOAHWhen the fog cleared from his mind, Noah remembered the anger and the red he’d seen when that guy had pushed Camille. Her voice had caught hold of him and pulled him out of his stampede. In that moment, he hadn’t been in control of his own body. But then Camille called to him, and he’d bent to her command.It didn’t bother him. He’d needed to be called out of that cloud of anger. Sometimes, she had to be the level-headed one.The Barn was one place he could take Camille out in public without the fear of Nathan or someone he knew spotting them and getting word back to her stepdad. The company Nathan kept wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like Barn Sour, but starting a fight in a public place might draw undesired attention from the locals. The last thing he wanted right now was for his name to be connected to Camille’s in gossip circles.“Where do you wanna go?” he asked as he opened the passenger door of his truck for her to step in.“Can we go to the ranch for a bit? I know it’s
Camille’s phone rang on the nightstand beside her bed, startling her from a sound sleep. She lifted her head and squinted into the dark bedroom. The phone continued to ring, but her tired brain hadn’t processed anything beyond the intrusion.Propping up onto her elbow, she leaned over to look at the glowing phone. It was midnight on the dot, and the caller ID read Noah over a photo of him she’d secretly snapped at Blackwater Restoration. He was wearing a sweaty T-shirt and facing away from her with his hands propped on his hips during a break. She hadn’t been able to resist the shameless photo of his backside, and he’d rolled his eyes when she’d shown him later that day.A knock sounded on her window, and her heart stood at attention. What was outside?Camille snatched the phone up and answered before it stopped ringing. “Hey.”“Hey, yourself. Come to the window.”Why was he whispering?She kicked the blankets and sheets from her legs and plodded across the cool floor to her bedroom w