he’d left like a coward because he wanted to prove to both of them that, despite his best intentions, he couldn’t change who he was. She wasn’t a one-night stand, although that was how he’d treated her. Regret had been his faithful companion during his time on the mountain. Katie had always seen more in him than most people, and the worry of ruining their friendship weighed heavily. He owed her an explanation, and that was the first thing on his agenda this morning. After getting cleaned up.
“Do you smell as bad as you look?” a voice called from behind him.
He turned to see his friend Logan Travers coming down the back steps of the house he shared with his wife, Olivia. It was midmorning, and Logan held a stainless-steel coffee mug and a roll of paper—no doubt construction plans for one of his current renovation projects.
“Probably.” Noah hefted his backpack from the Jeep’s cargo area. Tater jumped out and trotted over to Logan, rolling onto her back so that Logan could access her soft belly.
Shifting the plans under his arm, Logan bent and scratched. “You made someone very happy taking off like that.”
Noah’s gaze snapped to Logan before realizing that his friend was talking about the dog. “She loves being out on the trail.”
“A perfect match for you.”
Noah didn’t like the idea that the only female he could make happy was of the canine variety. “Thanks for letting me use the garage apartment.” He took the rest of his supplies from the backseat and set them near the Jeep’s rear tire. He’d need to air everything out once he got to his mom’s house. “I’m going to pack up later and head out to the farm. Emily will want to skin me alive for showing up at the last minute.”
Logan straightened, ignoring the thump of Tater’s tail against his ankle. “The surgery is tomorrow.”
Noah gave a curt nod in response.
“I’ve cleared my schedule so if you need company in the waiting room I can be there.”
“No need.” Noah tried to make his tone light, to ignore the emotions that roared through him when he thought of his mother’s scheduled five-hour surgery. “There won’t be much to do except...”
“Wait?” Logan offered.
“Right.” He slung the backpack onto one shoulder. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m sure you have better things to do than hang out at the hospital all day.”
“We’re friends, Noah. Josh and Jake feel the same way,” he said, including his two brothers. “Not just when it’s time to watch the game or grab a beer. If you need anything, we’re here for you.”
“Got it.” Noah turned away, then back again. It was difficult enough to think about being there, let alone with his friends, who knew him as the laid-back, fun-loving forest ranger, an identity he’d cultivated to keep people in his life at a safe distance. A place where they couldn’t hurt him and he wouldn’t disappoint anyone. But he was quickly realizing that being alone wasn’t all it was cracked up to be when life got complicated. “I’ll call tomorrow and update you on her condition. If you want to swing by at some point, that would be great.”
Logan reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “Will do, man.”
He waited for his friend to offer some platitude about how everything would be okay, the clichéd phrases of support he’d grown to resent during his dad’s illness. But Logan only bent to pet Tater behind her ears before turning for his big truck parked in the garage.
Noah headed for the steps leading up to the garage apartment, letting out a shaky breath as he did. He’d like to run back to the forest, to hide out and avoid everything that was coming. But his mom needed him. He owed it to her, and he’d made a promise to his father over ten years ago to take care of the family. He hadn’t been called on to do much more than change an occasional lightbulb or fix a faucet drain until now. This summer would change that, and during his few days away he’d realized who he wanted by his side as he managed through all of it.
* * *
He walked into Life is Sweet forty-five minutes later and inhaled the rich scent of pastries and coffee. The morning crowd was gone, but the café tables arranged on one side of the bakery were still half-full with couples and families.
Crimson was the quirky, down-home cousin to nearby Aspen and benefited from its proximity to the glitzy resort town when it came to tourism. That and the fact that the town was nestled in one of the most picturesque valleys in the state. He knew the bakery was popular not only with locals, but also with people visiting the area thanks to great reviews on Yelp.
His gaze snagged on Katie, bent over a display of individually wrapped cookies and brownies near the front counter. Today she wore a denim skirt that just grazed her knees, turquoise clogs that gave her an extra inch of height and a soft white cotton T-shirt with a floral apron tied around her waist. He wanted nothing more than to run his hand up the soft skin of her thighs but didn’t think she’d appreciate that in the middle of her shop or after how he’d left her.
Her hair was tied back in a messy knot, a few loose tendrils escaping. The scent of her shampoo reached him as he approached, making him want her all the more.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he whispered, trailing one finger down her neck.
“What the—” She whipped around and grabbed his finger, pinning it back at an angle that made him wince.
“It’s me, Bug,” he said through a grimace.
“I know who it is,” she said, lessening the pressure on his hand only slightly. “Your free pass is over, Noah. Don’t call me Bug. Or gorgeous.” She leaned closer. “I’m not interested in your bogus lines. What you did was lousy. We were friends and now...” Her voice broke on the last word and she dropped his hand, turning back to the cookies. “Lelia’s taking orders today.” She nodded her head toward the young woman at the register. “If you want something, talk to her.”
“What I want is to talk to you.” He reached out, but she moved away, stepping behind the counter, her arms now crossed over her chest. He knew he’d messed up leaving the way he had but didn’t think Katie would be this angry. There was nothing of the sweetness he usually saw in her. The woman in front of him was all temper, and 100 percent of it was directed at him. “Let me explain.”
“I know you, Noah. Better than anyone. You don’t have to explain anything to me. I should have seen it coming.” She waved a hand in front of her face, bright spots of color flaming her cheeks. “Lesson learned.”
“It wasn’t like that.” He moved closer, crowding her, ignoring the stares of the two other women working behind the counter and the sidelong glances from familiar customers. “Being with you—”
“Stop,” she said on a hiss of breath. “I’m not doing this here.”
“I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”
* * *
Katie huffed out a breath but grabbed his arm and pulled him, none too gently, through the swinging door that led to the bakery’s industrial kitchen. She’d prepared herself for this conversation for the past four days. Actually, she’d wondered if Noah would even try to talk to her or if he’d just pretend nothing had happened between them. Maybe that would have been better because prepared in theory was one thing, but having him in front of her was another.
Her heart and pride might be bruised by the way he’d walked away, but her body tingled all over, sparks zinging across her stomach at the way he’d touched her—at least until she’d almost broken his finger. She had to keep this short, or else she’d be back to melting on the floor in front of him.
Once the door swung shut again, she released him and moved to the far side of the stainless-steel work counter that dominated the center of the room.
Suddenly Noah looked nervous. Which didn’t seem possible because he was