Noah (The Mitchell/Healy Family #1)(19)
Author: Jennifer Foor

She bit down on her lips when I talked and I saw her glancing at my chest. The more she tried to act savvy and in control, the more I could tell that she was liking what she saw. “Yeah, you heard my uncle. Whatever. So what’s your first name?” She asked after finally looking back up at my face.

“Noah.”

“From the bible? What’s a man with that strong name doing in this town?”

“Apparently I was sent to save you from a flood of bad decisions.”

She shoved past me, muttering something I couldn’t make out. I grabbed my shirt off the bed and walked outside. The sunlight was bright, but it was still chilly. I watched as she tucked her hair through the hole in her hat and situated it. “I don’t have time for your sarcasm. If you don’t want to answer then don’t.”

“Does it even matter why I was there? I’m obviously not a murderer. I’m just someone passin’ through.” I climbed in the truck and started it up. “I’ll be out of here as soon as you tell me where I’m takin’ you.”

“I already told you to take me back to my car. Get your mind out of the gutter, Noah Mitchell.”

I looked right at her and smiled. “Darlin’, my mind ain’t in the gutter.”

“Sorry. I’m used to my ass**le boyfriend, or I guess ex boyfriend now.”

“If that was your boyfriend then I’d suggest you get your eyes checked. I only saw him from afar, but he wasn’t nothin’ to write home about. And that car… don’t even get me started on that piece of shit.”

“Not everyone can afford something like this,” she snapped.

“I saved up for this truck. There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears that went into payin’ for it. Maybe you shouldn’t judge people so quickly.”

“Whatever!” She kept her eyes focused out of the window. “You’ll be free of me in a few short minutes.”

Her phone started ringing and it must have startled her. She jumped before putting it up to her ear. “Hello? You can’t do that. Please. You did this, not me. Rex, don’t!” She put the phone back in her purse. “Do me a favor. Keep driving.”

Her sobs were loud, but since I was a stranger there was little I could do to comfort her. After driving for nearly thirty minutes I pulled over the truck at a gas station. After hopping out and filling the tank I got back into the vehicle. She’d calmed down a little. “I need to know where I’m takin’ you.”

“I’m sorry. I know you probably have somewhere else to be. It’s just that he said he’s taking my phone messages to the police and that they prove you’re a stranger. I left them last night before we took your truck. It’s enough to incriminate me in the theft. I don’t want to go to jail. What was I thinking?” She covered her face and sobbed harder.

“What do you want to do, Shalan? You got any friends you could call?”

“My friend was the girl who was naked in the back of Rex’s car last night.” My thoughts went right to Perry and how she was forever damaged after finding out that I’d slept with her sister. Though it was the other side of the equation, I understood what this girl was going through. “I think you should let me come with you. I need time to let Rex cool down. If I’m out of the picture he’ll move on and forget about what I did to his car. Besides, he’s got access to my money and all of my belongings. By now he’s taken everything and made sure I’ll never see it again.”

She started crying again, and I honestly felt bad for her. I didn’t know this girl’s whole story, but from what I’d already gathered, she’d had a terrible time, and nowhere to turn.

It was probably a huge mistake, and I’d get nothing out of it except aiding a potential criminal, “If I let you come with me then you’re goin’ to have to cut that shit out. I can’t stand to see a woman cry.”

She wiped the tears away and tried to smile. “So I can go? I promise I won’t get on your nerves. You won’t even know I’m here.”

“What if I decide that I don’t want to go back to Kentucky? Will you be able to find a way home?”

She shrugged. “I’ll figure something out.”

“Whatever. Just know, you ain’t gettin’ into my pants on this trip. I’m tryin’ to get focused and pu**y will just mess me up.”

“Did you really just say that?” She looked appalled.

“Yeah. I know how women look at me. Stop actin’ like you’re so shocked. It’s human nature. It’s like how you were given a beautiful voice. I was given this face. Don’t act like you haven’t noticed.” I was cocky. Some may say that I was being an ass**le. This trip was important to me, and I wasn’t about to ruin it on some chick I picked up at a bar. It wasn’t going to happen.

“You are sadly mistaken if you think I’d ever sleep with you, Noah. I’m in no shape to get involved with any man, especially one that I barely know. You keep that thing in your pants and I’ll keep mine on.”

I clenched my jaw, wondering if she meant those words. It wasn’t that I wanted her, it was the fact of knowing that I could have her. That last statement came across as if it could never happen, making me interested immediately. “Then I guess we can agree on somethin’.”

She looked at me as if I’d been the one to insult her. “I guess we can.”

Women were so unpredictable. I’d come to believe that I’d probably never understand them completely.

So there we were, two strangers on a road trip with no idea where we were headed. I was battling my own demons, facing the idea of living my life without the support of my family; something I wasn’t sure I could live without, since I’d never had to go about it before. I was scared, in a not knowing what was next sort of way. The idea of having some company was almost reassuring. Sure, she’d probably end up being a pain in my ass, but at least I’d have someone to sit with when I stopped for a meal. If it didn’t work out I’d drop her off at a bus station and send her on her way.

It would all work out, because I was determined to prove my dad wrong, no matter how hard things got.

Shalan fell asleep shortly after our talk. I knew she was tired, probably petrified to be in the same room as me the whole night. The fact that she’d asked to come with me told me that she was over the distrust. While she rested I thought about my life, and future.