Free Noah by Kelli Ann Morgan Page B

to strangle him.” He looked up at the man who now
leaned against the edge of the wagon inspecting his fingernails.
    If Kate was taken in by someone like Gregory
Stiles, then she wasn’t the kind of woman Noah believed her to be, nor someone
he wanted to settle down with. Somehow, he knew that riches and glamour were
not high on her list of priorities. She was nothing like his mother who had run
off on her husband and four small children to pursue an opportunity to sing on
some big, fancy stage.
    As he headed back for the wagon, a splash of
color caught his eye in the dense cluster of trees jutting out from the side of
the mountain. He searched between the branches and locked eyes with Kate,
watching them from above.
    “We’ve got company,” Noah said aloud, pointing
up with his chin.
    Levi’s hand shot to his hip.
    “Come on down, Kate!” Noah bellowed loud enough
she would be able to hear him.
    Mr. Stiles snapped his head toward the spot and
immediately adjusted his black colonel tie. After a moment of quiet, the trees
rustled and he could hear the horse’s hooves as they headed away from them—Noah
guessed there was a back trail that would lead her down to them.
    It took several minutes, but Kate finally came
into view from the east as she rounded the bend by the small watering hole.
    He wondered how she had been able to get
herself up onto the horse and smiled at her ingenuity. When she’d lamented
being cooped up in the house, Noah had gone out to the large white willow and
found a broken branch, thick enough not to snap under her weight, but slender
enough she could hold it in her hand. He’d sanded it smooth, carved her
initials into it, and given it to her to help her get around the homestead.
    From what Levi had told him, she was still a
little wary on a horse, but by what he could see, she’d learned pretty quickly.
    “What ya doing?” he asked in an exaggerated
drawl.
    She stared at him for a good while before
answering.
    “I wanted to watch y’all work and didn’t think
you’d let me come along—that you might think I’d just be in the way.”
    Honest. He liked that too.
    “It’s your ranch, Miss Callahan. You’re welcome
to go where you please.”
    Kate sat up straighter in the saddle. The smile
she offered him filled his soul with fresh air.
    “Hmhmmm.” Mr. Stiles stepped toward her, bowed in
half, holding his hat, and reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips.
    “You are looking very lovely this morning, my
dear. What a bright spot you’ve made on this ghastly day.”
    “Why, thank you, Mr. Stiles.”
    “I think he’s full of ‘ghas,’” Levi leaned in
and whispered over his shoulder, imitating the man’s slight accent.
    Noah chuckled as he bent down and picked up
several pieces of the broken fence panel.
    “We’re about finished here.” He looked up at
her and their eyes locked, nearly knocking the breath from him.
    Stop it!
    He glanced away as he tossed the wood into the
back of the wagon to be used as fuel for the fire. “We’ll just have to spread
out the rest of this hay for the cattle and then we could accompany you back to
the house. If you’re willing to wait for a few minutes.”
    “That would be lovely.” Kate dipped her head.
    Mr. Stiles finally slid his hands into the
gloves Noah had given him back at the house, his nose upturned, and walked over
to pick up the last piece of the splintered fence, pinching it by the end with
his thumb and forefinger. He raised it up, his lips curled into a grimace, and
dropped it into the back of the buckboard, dusting his hands together as if
he’d been slaving away all morning.
    Noah rolled his eyes. He couldn’t help it. The
man was useless for any real ranch work.
    “Come on.”
    Noah looked up to see Levi extending his arms up
to help Kate down from the saddle.
    “You’ve become quite a good rider, Katie. Your
father would be proud. But, my guess is that your ankle is still sore enough,
that you ought to ride