Free Finally Home by Dawn Michele Werner Page A

these years.”
     
    Amanda finally felt some clarity. Now she knew why Mr. Ellinger was so bitter. And why the ranch meant so much to him. He wanted to take the ranch away from the West family out of revenge. But Noah had to know this! So, why would he want to sell the ranch to Mr. Ellinger? Now she was even more confused.
    “ Maria, I’ll be back. I’m going to find Noah.” And when she did find him she would get some answers this time!

 
    CHAPTER ~ FIVE
     
     
    A figure moved in front of the large corner window of the warehouse. It was Noah. Amanda sat silently in her truck for a while and watched him stretch his arms above his head, then left the window. She felt a little nervous. How would he react when she demanded answers from him? She hated the thought of widening the gap between them. But she wanted the truth!
    And she was going to get it! It was for the good of the ranch. Her home now. She had to confront Noah. Who knows, maybe he would actually feel relieved to tell her everything...and then they could get on with their lives on the ranch...together. And maybe she could let go of her teenage heartache and grow to trust him again.
    With renewed courage, Amanda tossed her sunglasses on the passenger seat and flung open the truck door. Stuffing her cold hands into the pockets of her suede jacket, she marched across the small parking lot and approached the warehouse door. It wasn’t locked, but heavy when she pushed it open. And when it slammed shut behind her, she jumped.
    The scent of oak and varnish assaulted her nose as soon as she walked through the small entry. A few pieces of furniture lined the wall to her right. She stopped to examine them, sighing at the intricate designs. Noah’s workmanship was so beautiful; she couldn’t help but feel a proud swell in her heart.
    But when she was grabbed by the arm and twirled around, her heart shrunk in fright. Breathing rapidly, she jerked her head up to stare into Noah’s surprised face.
    “ I heard the door slam and thought you were a burglar!” he said. He released a silver baseball bat from his hand and it dropped to the concrete floor with a clunk. “If I hadn’t recognized you, I could’ve hurt you, Amanda.”
    Her eyes darted to the baseball bat and then lingered on Noah’s blazing stare. “I’m sorry for sneaking in--the door was unlocked.”
    His eyes softened and he let go of her arms. “Oh, I thought I’d locked it.”
    “ Look, I-I can talk to you later. It was probably a bad idea for me to drop by and disturb you--”
    He noticed her sudden embarrassment and decided to let her off the hook. “Amanda, you’re not disturbing me.”
    She gazed into his warm hazel eyes. “I stopped by the main house this morning--I wanted to talk to you about something--but Maria told me you had left early.”
    “ Uh-huh, I left pretty early. Didn’t sleep well last night after the fire.”
    “ Me neither.”
    “ Come on, I’ll show you the rest of my workshop.” He touched her elbow and guided her through a wide doorway to their left.
    “ Wow, this is huge,” Amanda said, “And all the windows must give you some good light.”
    His hand squeezed her elbow, hesitating to let go. “Um, yeah, I don’t have to use the overhead lighting very much... because of all the sunlight.”
    She tilted her head to the side and stared at his face. He looked relaxed. She hadn’t seen him this way since before his father died. And now they were talking about lighting? “Why are you in such a good mood?”
    He chuckled. “I’m not allowed to be?”
    “ Of course, you are. I just haven’t seen you this way for a long time...”
    “ Just follow me,” he moved his hand up her arm, resting it on her shoulder.
    She shivered from his touch. “Has something happened to put you in this mood?”
    Smiling, he took her hand and led her to the other side of the warehouse. “See this rocking chair?”
    Amanda gazed carefully over the rocking chair. She touched the