A Baby and a Betrothal Read Online Free Page A
Author: Michelle Major
bed,â he answered. He stood, lifting her into his arms as he did, and carried her down the hall to her bedroom.
Chapter Three
K atie blinked awake, turning her head to look at the clock on her nightstand. 3:30 a.m. She woke up every morning at the same time, even on her day off. Her internal clock was so used to the extreme hours of a baker, they had become natural to her.
But today something was different. She wasnât alone in bed, she thought, shifting toward where Noah slept beside her. Except he wasnât there. The empty pillow was cool to the touch. It had been only a couple of hours since heâd made love to her a second time, then tucked her into his chest, where sheâd fallen asleep.
She sat up and thumped her hand against her forehead. That was exactly the kind of thinking that would get her into trouble. Noah hadnât made love to her. Theyâd had sex . An important distinction and one she needed to remember. She knew how he operated, had heard enough gossip around town and witnessed a few tearful outbursts by women heâd loved then left behind.
Still, she hadnât thought he would be quite so insensitive when it came to her. Love âem and leave âem was one thing, but they were supposed to be friends. She climbed out of bed, pulling on a robe as she padded across the hardwood floor. Her limbs felt heavy and a little sore. She found herself holding her breath as she made her way through the dark, quiet house. Maybe Noah hadnât been able to sleep and had come out to the kitchen. Maybe he hadnât rushed from her bed the moment he could make an easy escape.
The rest of her house was as empty as her bedroom. Heâd put the coffee table back and straightened the cushions on the couch. Without the aches from her body and the lingering scent of him on her, Katie wouldnât quite have believed this night had happened. Sheâd imagined being in his arms so many times, but nothing had prepared her for the real thing or the pit of disappointment lodged deep in her gut at how the morning after dawned.
She glanced at the glowing display on the microwave clock and turned back for her bedroom. There was no time for prolonged sadness or a free fall into self-pity. It was Friday morning and she had the ingredients for her cherry streusel coffee cake waiting at the bakery.
She had a life to live, and if Noah didnât want to be a part of it, she had to believe it was his loss. She only wished that knowledge could make her heart hurt a little less.
* * *
When Noah climbed out of his Jeep four days later, he was hot, sore and needed a shower.
It was a perfect early-summer day in Colorado, clear blue skies and a soft breeze. The weather had been great on the trail, too, and normally Noah would have relished the time in the forest. As heâd climbed the ranks of the United States Forest Service, more of his time was spent in meetings and conference rooms than outside. Since heâd be town-bound once his mom had her surgery and started treatment, heâd taken the opportunity to check out a trail restoration project on the far side of Crimson Pass. He didnât want to think about the other reasons he might have disappeared into the woods for a few daysâlike worry over his momâs health or what had happened between him and Katie the night before heâd left.
Because if heâd wanted to escape his thoughts, he should have known better than to try to do it with the silence of the pristine forest surrounding him. It was as if the rustling of the breeze through the tall fir trees amplified every thought and feeling he had. Most of them had been about Katie. The tilt of her head as she smiled at him, the way her lips parted when he was buried inside her, the soft sounds sheâd made. Heâd been consumed by visions of her, catching the sweet smell of vanilla beneath the pine-scented air around his tent.
He knew he should have talked to her
Chapter Three
K atie blinked awake, turning her head to look at the clock on her nightstand. 3:30 a.m. She woke up every morning at the same time, even on her day off. Her internal clock was so used to the extreme hours of a baker, they had become natural to her.
But today something was different. She wasnât alone in bed, she thought, shifting toward where Noah slept beside her. Except he wasnât there. The empty pillow was cool to the touch. It had been only a couple of hours since heâd made love to her a second time, then tucked her into his chest, where sheâd fallen asleep.
She sat up and thumped her hand against her forehead. That was exactly the kind of thinking that would get her into trouble. Noah hadnât made love to her. Theyâd had sex . An important distinction and one she needed to remember. She knew how he operated, had heard enough gossip around town and witnessed a few tearful outbursts by women heâd loved then left behind.
Still, she hadnât thought he would be quite so insensitive when it came to her. Love âem and leave âem was one thing, but they were supposed to be friends. She climbed out of bed, pulling on a robe as she padded across the hardwood floor. Her limbs felt heavy and a little sore. She found herself holding her breath as she made her way through the dark, quiet house. Maybe Noah hadnât been able to sleep and had come out to the kitchen. Maybe he hadnât rushed from her bed the moment he could make an easy escape.
The rest of her house was as empty as her bedroom. Heâd put the coffee table back and straightened the cushions on the couch. Without the aches from her body and the lingering scent of him on her, Katie wouldnât quite have believed this night had happened. Sheâd imagined being in his arms so many times, but nothing had prepared her for the real thing or the pit of disappointment lodged deep in her gut at how the morning after dawned.
She glanced at the glowing display on the microwave clock and turned back for her bedroom. There was no time for prolonged sadness or a free fall into self-pity. It was Friday morning and she had the ingredients for her cherry streusel coffee cake waiting at the bakery.
She had a life to live, and if Noah didnât want to be a part of it, she had to believe it was his loss. She only wished that knowledge could make her heart hurt a little less.
* * *
When Noah climbed out of his Jeep four days later, he was hot, sore and needed a shower.
It was a perfect early-summer day in Colorado, clear blue skies and a soft breeze. The weather had been great on the trail, too, and normally Noah would have relished the time in the forest. As heâd climbed the ranks of the United States Forest Service, more of his time was spent in meetings and conference rooms than outside. Since heâd be town-bound once his mom had her surgery and started treatment, heâd taken the opportunity to check out a trail restoration project on the far side of Crimson Pass. He didnât want to think about the other reasons he might have disappeared into the woods for a few daysâlike worry over his momâs health or what had happened between him and Katie the night before heâd left.
Because if heâd wanted to escape his thoughts, he should have known better than to try to do it with the silence of the pristine forest surrounding him. It was as if the rustling of the breeze through the tall fir trees amplified every thought and feeling he had. Most of them had been about Katie. The tilt of her head as she smiled at him, the way her lips parted when he was buried inside her, the soft sounds sheâd made. Heâd been consumed by visions of her, catching the sweet smell of vanilla beneath the pine-scented air around his tent.
He knew he should have talked to her
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