“Yes, ma’am.” He shook her hand and thanked her.
He left the restaurant and drove around, not ready to go back to the office yet. He had spent months living with his regret and guilt. When he got the news about Alana, he had literally been knocked on his ass. It had been an eye-opener. He had been terrified that she would die. In that moment he knew nothing but Alana mattered to him. His doubts, his fears seemed so silly and unfounded when faced with the possible loss of Alana Garcia.
Making up his mind not to wait to see Alana, he turned his car around and headed over to the Garcia house on Blossom Street. He reached the big white house in no time.
The street was a quiet one, with mostly older couples living there. He parked in the driveway and walked up the porch steps. He knocked on the door and just waited. Would Alana even answer? If she saw his police cruiser, would she just ignore the knock? She had been very angry with him. If they ran into each other in those rare moments, she would give him the evil eye and keep walking.
A few minutes later, the door opened. He had a ready smile pasted on his face. When he looked at her, he felt like someone knocked the breath out of him.
Chapter 4
Alana Garcia gasped when she opened the door and saw Noah Blake standing before her. Mrs. Williams from next door had been checking up on her around this time for the last few days.
She looked up at Noah and was mesmerized by his warm hazel eyes. She had forgotten how good it was to look into them. His sandy-brown hair was neat and short as always. He had a light beard, and she wanted to reach out and caress his face. His tan uniform ran snugly across his muscular chest and wide shoulders. Her pulse started racing wildly, and she had to close her eyes for a second.
He humiliated and hurt you, Alana. Who cares how good he looks in a uniform?
Then she remembered her appearance. She was wearing one of her brother’s old, baggy T-shirts and some sweatpants. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and probably hadn’t been brushed in days.
Her cheeks felt hot from embarrassment. She knew how awful she looked: dark circles under her eyes, bandages underneath her shirt.
“Um, Noah, I mean, Sheriff,” she said, pushing her bangs out of her face. She tried to sound polite but not interested. “I wasn’t expecting you. Ray said you interviewed him at the station. I haven’t felt well enough to go out yet.”
“Can I come in?” he asked.
Alana hesitated, but maybe it was better to get this interview out of the way. Then she would never have to speak to him again. She opened the door wider, and he stepped inside. The TV was on, but the volume was low. The room looked neat and clean. There was a pillow and blanket on the couch. A bottle of water sat on the coffee table. Alana sat down nervously.
She hadn’t talked to Noah in months, not since the night of their huge fight. She had been a fool to trust him. Many people tried to warn her, but she had stubbornly refused to believe Noah wasn’t an honorable man. When Cora had showed up at the restaurant and smugly told her in front of half the town that Noah had asked her out, she could not believe the pain that went through her. She could see the truth shining in the blonde woman’s eyes. Noah had made a date to cheat on Alana.
“He is tired of dating an uptight little girl like you. I am a real woman,” Cora had said with a superior look. “I can give him what he wants.”
“You mean an easy slut who sleeps with whoever asks!” Alana had yelled back. The pain of Cora’s words had been too much bear.
“Whatever, I won.” Cora had marched out with her nose up in the air.
Her brother had wanted to go after Noah, but she begged him to let it go. Noah hated commitments, and even though they had just started dating, she knew he would look for any excuse to prove he was right. Women were not to be trusted.
They argued bitterly, throwing insults at each other. When she had cried out in anguish that she loved him, he had brushed it off with a careless wave of his hand.
“You’re just a kid, Alana. You know nothing of love. We were having fun. I’m sorry you thought it was more than that,” he had calmly told her. It had shattered her heart and her self-esteem.
The next day she heard all over town he was dating Cora again. She had been devastated. She knew then it was hopeless between them. She hadn’t gotten over him, but she hid that fact from her family—and especially him.
“Would you like something to drink?” she asked politely, pushing away past memories. None of it mattered anymore. She would never trust this man again.
Noah shook his head no and sat down next to her on the couch. Their thighs touched, and she scooted over. She could feel the heat between them when their legs touched. It hadn’t faded. Her body still wanted this man. She had already humiliated herself once over the oldest Blake brother. Never again.
“I’m sorry about what happened to you, Alana. This has never happened in Red Hook before.” His voice sounded so businesslike, nothing like the teasing, gentle tone he always used when he was around her.
She had been dreaming about Noah for years before finally catching his attention. She had been thrilled when he asked her out on a date. All her dreams were finally coming true. Or so she had thought. Ray had been a little miffed because of their eight-year age difference, but he stayed out of it when she confessed she was in love with Noah Blake.
She swept her lashes down so he wouldn’t see the pain in her eyes. She swallowed her unshed tears. She folded her hands in her lap. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say. Her brain was a little fuzzy. She was exhausted from not sleeping. Every time she closed her eyes, she relived the attack. Her family was worried about her, but she felt stuck in a nightmare. She was afraid of every shadow and dark corner. She felt hollow and empty inside. She moved at a snail’s pace, and it was annoying.
He reached out to grab her hand, and she jumped in fright.
She hadn’t been expecting it. She didn’t want him touching her, not when she was so weak.
“Sorry,” he muttered awkwardly, putting his hands back in his lap.