around the house, I know.”
Trinity’s grey eyes cut to his for just a moment. “I guess I’ll probably start looking for a job,” she said, sighing. “I was waiting until we’d settled things more with the house, but apparently it will be a few days before I can get back to it. I don’t know. Maybe I’ll wait—”
She went still as he reached up, touched her cheek. The warmth of his hand on her skin sent shivers racing through her. “It’s going to be okay, you know,” he said softly. “I promise you, that light at the end of the tunnel is not a train.”
“I hope not.” The smile she plastered on her face felt fake and tight. “And if it is, maybe I’ll just stockpile some dynamite. That will derail a train, right?”
“It just might.”
Abruptly she realized it had gotten quiet. She looked up and saw that the yard was empty.
“Ali herded the wild ones inside just a couple of minutes ago. She’s got lots of practice at it.”
“Oh.” The exhaustion slammed into Trinity, and more than anything she wanted to find a horizontal surface and just collapse. For a million years. A gentle hand closed around her arm and she looked down, saw Noah’s fingers curled around the crook of her elbow.
“Come on,” he said softly. “Let’s go sit down.”
Sit down.…
Then she saw the porch swing. He left the suitcase by the door. Part of her wanted to disappear in the house. Being out here alone with him would only make it that much easier to lean against him, and that was exactly what she’d wanted to do ever since he’d pulled away long enough to boost her up out of that awful, dark hole.
His hands had been certain and steady and his voice had been the same way as he told her what he was doing. You need to get out of here. I’ll lift you up. Then you get my ladder off my truck. If it’s too heavy, just call nine-one-one. I’ll be fine.…
He’d jumped down there so she wouldn’t be alone.
He’d stayed with her, at her side, ever since.
The kindness was about to do her in.
As they sat down on the porch swing, she kept a careful distance between them, her hands knotted in her lap. Staring straight ahead, she let him set the swing into motion. The slow, easy rhythm lulled her and she was slumped back within a few seconds.
“Are you okay?” he asked a few minutes later.
“I’m fine,” she said automatically. The lie felt so false, it was a wonder her nose didn’t start growing. Fine … how in the hell am I ever going to be fine again? Images of that grotesque, malformed body she’d seen kept flashing in front of her eyes.
How long—
But before her mind could complete the question, she cut it off. She wasn’t going to let herself think about that. She couldn’t. She just couldn’t.
If she did, she was going to go mad.
Something moved out of the corner of her eye, and she froze, watching as Noah lifted a hand and brushed her hair back from her face, then rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “You’ve got a bruise,” he murmured. “Are you sure you didn’t hit something when you fell?”
“Oh, I hit something,” she said sourly. “My butt.” It had hurt like hell, too, and she still felt stiff and achy when she moved. Then she shrugged. “I ache some, but it’s nothing major, I don’t think.”
He nodded slowly. “If you’re sure. If something starts hurting, let me know. I’ll give you the names of a couple of doctors in town.”
She grimaced. Doctors. They ranked up on her list with dentists and lying ex-lovers—people she didn’t want to see. “I’ll be fine.” If she wasn’t, that was a problem she’d deal with later on. She had enough to think about just then.
Like the dead body that had been found … in her house.
The horror of it slammed into her, then, full force, and she turned away from Noah. Tears burned her eyes and a knot the size of Manhattan settled in her throat. Her hands started to shake and the breakdown that had been just waiting was
Trinity’s grey eyes cut to his for just a moment. “I guess I’ll probably start looking for a job,” she said, sighing. “I was waiting until we’d settled things more with the house, but apparently it will be a few days before I can get back to it. I don’t know. Maybe I’ll wait—”
She went still as he reached up, touched her cheek. The warmth of his hand on her skin sent shivers racing through her. “It’s going to be okay, you know,” he said softly. “I promise you, that light at the end of the tunnel is not a train.”
“I hope not.” The smile she plastered on her face felt fake and tight. “And if it is, maybe I’ll just stockpile some dynamite. That will derail a train, right?”
“It just might.”
Abruptly she realized it had gotten quiet. She looked up and saw that the yard was empty.
“Ali herded the wild ones inside just a couple of minutes ago. She’s got lots of practice at it.”
“Oh.” The exhaustion slammed into Trinity, and more than anything she wanted to find a horizontal surface and just collapse. For a million years. A gentle hand closed around her arm and she looked down, saw Noah’s fingers curled around the crook of her elbow.
“Come on,” he said softly. “Let’s go sit down.”
Sit down.…
Then she saw the porch swing. He left the suitcase by the door. Part of her wanted to disappear in the house. Being out here alone with him would only make it that much easier to lean against him, and that was exactly what she’d wanted to do ever since he’d pulled away long enough to boost her up out of that awful, dark hole.
His hands had been certain and steady and his voice had been the same way as he told her what he was doing. You need to get out of here. I’ll lift you up. Then you get my ladder off my truck. If it’s too heavy, just call nine-one-one. I’ll be fine.…
He’d jumped down there so she wouldn’t be alone.
He’d stayed with her, at her side, ever since.
The kindness was about to do her in.
As they sat down on the porch swing, she kept a careful distance between them, her hands knotted in her lap. Staring straight ahead, she let him set the swing into motion. The slow, easy rhythm lulled her and she was slumped back within a few seconds.
“Are you okay?” he asked a few minutes later.
“I’m fine,” she said automatically. The lie felt so false, it was a wonder her nose didn’t start growing. Fine … how in the hell am I ever going to be fine again? Images of that grotesque, malformed body she’d seen kept flashing in front of her eyes.
How long—
But before her mind could complete the question, she cut it off. She wasn’t going to let herself think about that. She couldn’t. She just couldn’t.
If she did, she was going to go mad.
Something moved out of the corner of her eye, and she froze, watching as Noah lifted a hand and brushed her hair back from her face, then rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “You’ve got a bruise,” he murmured. “Are you sure you didn’t hit something when you fell?”
“Oh, I hit something,” she said sourly. “My butt.” It had hurt like hell, too, and she still felt stiff and achy when she moved. Then she shrugged. “I ache some, but it’s nothing major, I don’t think.”
He nodded slowly. “If you’re sure. If something starts hurting, let me know. I’ll give you the names of a couple of doctors in town.”
She grimaced. Doctors. They ranked up on her list with dentists and lying ex-lovers—people she didn’t want to see. “I’ll be fine.” If she wasn’t, that was a problem she’d deal with later on. She had enough to think about just then.
Like the dead body that had been found … in her house.
The horror of it slammed into her, then, full force, and she turned away from Noah. Tears burned her eyes and a knot the size of Manhattan settled in her throat. Her hands started to shake and the breakdown that had been just waiting was
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