Free Chill Out by Jana Richards Page B

immediately. He put his arm around her and kissed her hair. “It’s okay, honey.”
    Kendall shook her head. “It’s not. You’ve tried to hide it, but I know how much your falling out with Noah has hurt you.” She turned to Noah. “If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at me. I’m the one who made the first move.”
    “I’m not angry at anyone anymore. Really. I was at fault, too. I know now we probably should have gone our separate ways a lot sooner.”
    “Yes, I knew I couldn’t marry you, but I was too scared to tell you. I don’t even know why anymore.” She looked at Dylan. “I know what real love is now. I’ve never questioned Dylan’s love. I feel it every day.”
    Dylan smiled at her, and Noah could see how deeply they loved each other.
    “I’m truly happy for you. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I hope we can be a family again.”
    “I want that, too,” Dylan said.
    Kendall smiled, tears shining in her eyes. “Maybe we can start by sitting down and sharing a meal together. Lunch is ready. Why don’t we catch up with each other?”
    Noah followed them into the dining room. The three of them talked and laughed and ate. After being with his brother for a half hour it was as if they’d never been apart.
    “Are you planning to stay in Winnipeg, or will you be going overseas again?”
    “I think I’d like to stay.”
    A picture of Renata suddenly pushed its way into his mind’s eye. Her laughing eyes, her smiling, kissable mouth. She was everything he wanted to come home to every day.
    He wanted what Dylan and Kendall had. He wanted Renata in his life. Forever.
    But did she want him? She hadn’t said anything about seeing him again. Hell, he didn’t even have her phone number. But then, he hadn’t said anything, either.
    They finished lunch, and after hugs all around, Noah said goodbye, promising to call soon.
    All the way back to Falcon Lake he thought about Renata. She couldn’t have laughed with him, comforted him, made love with him the way she had if she didn’t feel something for him. Could she?
    He’d been wrong; it wasn’t easier to walk away. He couldn’t spend the rest of his life wondering. He needed to talk to her, really talk, and find out if she felt the same way he did. She was worth taking a risk for.
    As soon as he got back to the cottage and had looked after Spike, he called Caroline. The phone rang a couple of times before she picked up. “Caroline Montgomery here.”
    “Caroline, it’s Noah. I need your help. Can you give me Renata’s phone number and address?”
    “Why would I want to do that? She’s been moping around the office all afternoon. What did you do to her?”
    Noah never talked about his feelings, but for Renata he was willing to spill his guts.
    “It’s not what I did to her, it’s what she did to me. She made me fall in love with her.”
    Silence greeted his declaration. Eventually Caroline cleared her throat. “I see. Okay, I’ll tell you, but you’d better not break her heart. Understand?”
    “That’s the last thing I want to do.”
    ****
    Renata pulled another candy heart from the bag. True Love. She popped the candy into her mouth and ground it with her teeth. So much for the Oracle. It had obviously lost its powers of prediction. Over the course of the evening she’d pulled Amore, Love Me Tender, and You’re Mine. They all left a bitter taste in her mouth.
    Noah didn’t feel the same way about her, and she simply had to accept it and move on.
    Brave words, but difficult to do.
    Her cell phone rang, and when she checked the call display and saw Noah’s name, her heart nearly stopped.
    “Hello?”
    “Renata, it’s Noah. I was wondering…”
    “Yes?”
    “Could I see you again?”
    She tried not to cry. “Yes!”
    “How about now?”
    “What?”
    “I’m standing outside your door. I’m in love with you, Renata. If you feel the same way, even a little bit, open up. If you don’t, just hang up and I’ll never