I’l go out in the hal way so I won’t wake the other guys.” Reagan heard several men moan or swear in the background. When times were good, Noah had a room to himself, but when times were bad in the rodeo game he’d sometimes bunk on the floor in someone else’s room.
“I’m listening,” he said after a minute. “Shoot.” She wanted to hear his voice more than talk, but that would sound strange, so she told him about her dream and how frightened she’d been.
“I wish I were there to hug you, Rea. We could cuddle up. You could tel me everything while I slept.”
“I wish you were too.” Neither one said anything for a few breaths, and then she whispered, “I miss you so much sometimes.” They’d probably never be as close as they’d been in high school. He was a different man and she’d changed as wel , but she stil missed the Noah who was half kid, half man.
“What are you wearing?” he whispered, and for a moment she swore she could hear him smiling.
“Shut up.”
He laughed. “Just asking. Who knows, one night I might get lucky and you’d be just out of the shower.”
“You never give up trying to make me blush.” Her bad mood had vanished.
“Come on, Rea, give me a break. I’ve been wondering what you look like naked for years. If I ever get too old to wonder, I hope you just shoot me.”
“Go to bed, Noah.”
“Good night, Rea. Maybe when you go back to dreaming, you’l dream of me.”
“Not likely.” She closed the phone, thinking how he always had enough magic in his pocket to change her mood even if he didn’t have enough to change his dreams.
Chapter 8
SATURDAY
FEBRUARY 20
DALLAS, TEXAS
DENVER SIMS CHECKED INTO THE HYATT AT THE
DALLAS–Fort Worth airport. The desk clerk on duty cal ed him by name before he looked at the card. “One night or two this time, Mr. Sims?”
“Only one,” he answered, fighting not to let his disappointment show. He was an air marshal who flew al over the world. He should be living a grand life, but for the past two years, every time he got a few days off, he’d been building a house on land a friend sold him just outside Harmony. Denver thought the place would somehow ground him, make him feel like he belonged somewhere, but it hadn’t. It didn’t seem to matter how many square feet he had, he stil felt like no place was home.
Shoving the second key in an envelope, he passed it back to the desk clerk. “For Claire,” he said, feeling the slow smile that always crossed his face when he said her name.
“I remember, sir. I’l keep an eye out for your lady.” Denver turned away, wanting to tel the man that Claire wasn’t his lady. Maybe she never would be. He took the elevator and thought about how he used to love this life on the road. Always having his laundry delivered to his hotel room, eating out, meeting new people constantly, making love to a woman while knowing he’d never see her after a night or two.
Lately he felt the need to settle, maybe put down roots, maybe have a family, but the one woman he wanted only had time for a one-night stand. If he added up al the nights they’d spent together, it wouldn’t total a month. Once in a while he had the feeling she was his hel . Payback for al the affairs he’d had and walked away.
If he had to watch her walk away the same number of times he’d left women, Denver figured he had a few more years of torture to come.
He opened the door to his room and noticed that the flowers he always ordered when Claire joined him were already by the bed. A meal would be delivered at nine. Her favorites. He’d learned what she preferred from every menu in every hotel where they’d stayed.
Only the details didn’t hide the fact that they were in a hotel room again. He was close enough to her to walk from his house to hers in Harmony, but she would meet him only in hotel rooms. He could understand why he’d never been asked to stay at her place; Claire Matheson lived in a
“I’m listening,” he said after a minute. “Shoot.” She wanted to hear his voice more than talk, but that would sound strange, so she told him about her dream and how frightened she’d been.
“I wish I were there to hug you, Rea. We could cuddle up. You could tel me everything while I slept.”
“I wish you were too.” Neither one said anything for a few breaths, and then she whispered, “I miss you so much sometimes.” They’d probably never be as close as they’d been in high school. He was a different man and she’d changed as wel , but she stil missed the Noah who was half kid, half man.
“What are you wearing?” he whispered, and for a moment she swore she could hear him smiling.
“Shut up.”
He laughed. “Just asking. Who knows, one night I might get lucky and you’d be just out of the shower.”
“You never give up trying to make me blush.” Her bad mood had vanished.
“Come on, Rea, give me a break. I’ve been wondering what you look like naked for years. If I ever get too old to wonder, I hope you just shoot me.”
“Go to bed, Noah.”
“Good night, Rea. Maybe when you go back to dreaming, you’l dream of me.”
“Not likely.” She closed the phone, thinking how he always had enough magic in his pocket to change her mood even if he didn’t have enough to change his dreams.
Chapter 8
SATURDAY
FEBRUARY 20
DALLAS, TEXAS
DENVER SIMS CHECKED INTO THE HYATT AT THE
DALLAS–Fort Worth airport. The desk clerk on duty cal ed him by name before he looked at the card. “One night or two this time, Mr. Sims?”
“Only one,” he answered, fighting not to let his disappointment show. He was an air marshal who flew al over the world. He should be living a grand life, but for the past two years, every time he got a few days off, he’d been building a house on land a friend sold him just outside Harmony. Denver thought the place would somehow ground him, make him feel like he belonged somewhere, but it hadn’t. It didn’t seem to matter how many square feet he had, he stil felt like no place was home.
Shoving the second key in an envelope, he passed it back to the desk clerk. “For Claire,” he said, feeling the slow smile that always crossed his face when he said her name.
“I remember, sir. I’l keep an eye out for your lady.” Denver turned away, wanting to tel the man that Claire wasn’t his lady. Maybe she never would be. He took the elevator and thought about how he used to love this life on the road. Always having his laundry delivered to his hotel room, eating out, meeting new people constantly, making love to a woman while knowing he’d never see her after a night or two.
Lately he felt the need to settle, maybe put down roots, maybe have a family, but the one woman he wanted only had time for a one-night stand. If he added up al the nights they’d spent together, it wouldn’t total a month. Once in a while he had the feeling she was his hel . Payback for al the affairs he’d had and walked away.
If he had to watch her walk away the same number of times he’d left women, Denver figured he had a few more years of torture to come.
He opened the door to his room and noticed that the flowers he always ordered when Claire joined him were already by the bed. A meal would be delivered at nine. Her favorites. He’d learned what she preferred from every menu in every hotel where they’d stayed.
Only the details didn’t hide the fact that they were in a hotel room again. He was close enough to her to walk from his house to hers in Harmony, but she would meet him only in hotel rooms. He could understand why he’d never been asked to stay at her place; Claire Matheson lived in a
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