one of your girlfriends set you up.”
“I’ve asked. They’re looking.” She propped her elbows on the bar and dropped her head into her hands. “Everyone is looking. It’s a little embarrassing. People are coming out of the woodwork with men for me to date. I feel like a charity case.”
“It’s not that.” His hand curled around the back of her neck, massaging the tight muscles there. It shamed her how good even such an innocent touch felt. How it ignited the rest of her body. “Locals in Crimson love you, just like they loved your grandma when she ran the bakery. You help everyone, Bug. It’s time to let them return the favor.”
She started to correct his use of the nickname he’d given her so long ago when he added, “You deserve to be happy.”
Something in his tone made her head snap up. Through the haze of her slight buzz, she studied him. Fine lines bracketed his blue eyes, and although they were still brilliant, she realized now they also seemed tired. The shadow of stubble across his annoyingly chiseled jaw looked not careless but as if he’d been too busy or stressed to shave.
“What’s going on, Noah? Why are you in town?”
“I told you, to visit my mom.”
She’d seen that look in his eyes before. A decade ago, the year his father died of cancer. “Because...”
He crossed his arms over his chest, the soft cotton of his T-shirt stretching around his biceps. He was wound tight enough to break in half. “She has a brain tumor.” The words came out on a harsh breath, and she could tell how much it cost him to say them out loud. A muscle throbbed in his jaw.
“Oh, no. I’m sorry.” She closed her eyes for a moment then met his guarded gaze.
For all her mixed emotions toward Noah, she loved him. Not just romantically, but deep in her soul, and she hated to see him hurting. Katie knew better than most how difficult his dad’s illness had been, the toll it had taken on the entire Crawford family and Noah in particular. She reached out and wrapped her fingers around his wrists, tugging until she could take his hands in hers. Despite the beating her hands took in the bakery, they looked delicate holding his. “What can I do?”
“It’s okay.” He shook his head but didn’t pull away. “It’s called a meningioma. Based on the results of the MRI, it’s benign. Apparently she’d been having symptoms for a while and finally went to Denver for an MRI. She didn’t call Emily or me until she had the results so we wouldn’t worry.”
“That sounds like your mom.” Meg Crawford was one of the strongest women Katie had ever met. She’d seen her husband, Noah’s father, Jacob, through stage-four pancreatic cancer with grace and optimism. No matter how bad things got, Meg’s attitude had never wavered. “Is Emily back in town, too?” Noah’s younger sister lived on the East Coast with her attorney husband and young son.
“I picked up her and Davey in Denver earlier today.”
Katie had never met Emily’s four-year-old son. “How long will the two of you be here? What’s the treatment? Your mom’s prognosis?”
“Slow down there, Bug.” A hint of a smile crossed his face. “I mean Katie.”
“You get a free pass tonight. Call me whatever you want.” She squeezed his hand.
“I’ll take her to Denver early next week for a craniotomy. They’ll biopsy the tumor to confirm that it’s benign. She’ll have follow-up cognitive testing. The first couple of weeks are when she’ll need the most help, but it’ll be at least six until she’s back to normal. If all goes well, it’s just a matter of regular MRIs going forward.”
“She’ll recover completely? No long-term side effects?”
“That’s what her doctor is saying now, although there are a lot of variables. The brain is complex. But she’s... We’re hopeful.”
“She’s going to be fine, Noah. Your mom is strong.”
“So was my dad.”
“Do you two want another round?” The bartender spoke before Katie could answer.
“Not for me.” She drew her hands away from Noah’s, suddenly aware of how intimate they looked sitting together. She caught the jealous glare of the woman who’d dropped her drink earlier. That woman was Noah’s type, big bust and small waist—a girl who looked as if she knew how to party. Opposite of Katie in every way.
Noah followed her gaze and the woman smiled.
“Your next conquest?” Katie couldn’t help asking.
“Not tonight.” He stood and took his wallet from the back pocket of his faded jeans, tossing a few bills on the bar. “I’ll walk you home.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to.” He shrugged. “Sitting here drinking is doing me no good. I...I don’t want to be alone right now, you know?”
She nodded. “Want to watch a movie?”
“Elf?” he asked, his expression boyishly hopeful.
“It’s June, Noah,” she said with a laugh. The two of them shared a love for all things Will Ferrell.
“Never too early for some holiday cheer.”
“Elf it is, then.”
He flashed a grateful smile and chucked her on the shoulder. “What would I do without you, Bug?”
Katie ignored the butterflies that skittered across her stomach at his words. Noah was a friend, and no matter what her heart wanted, she knew he’d never be anything more.
As they walked along the street that led away from downtown, Noah couldn’t think of anyone he would have been happier to see tonight than Katie. His yellow Lab, Tater, clearly felt the same way. The dog stuck close to Katie, nudging her legs every few steps. He’d adopted Tater after some hikers found the tiny puppy sick and shivering near a trailhead outside of Boulder almost five years ago. Katie had been the one to name the dog when Noah had brought the pup to Crimson for Christmas that year, saying she looked like a golden tater tot. She was still his go-to dog sitter when he traveled to DC for meetings or conferences.
Now Katie laughed as Tater trotted in front of them, flipping the tennis ball she carried out of her mouth then rushing forward to catch it again. He was relieved the tension between them had disappeared. His work for the United States Forest Service kept him busy and normally he was in the Roosevelt National Forest, about two hours east of Crimson near Boulder. He tried to get back to his hometown on a regular basis to visit his mom, but Katie recently made excuses as to why she couldn’t hang out like they used to in high school and college.
Although he wasn’t in town often, he loved Crimson. Tonight the sky above the mountain was awash in shades of purple and pink, soft clouds drifting over the still-snowcapped peak. At least he’d be able to enjoy the view this summer. It had been too long since he’d spent any time in the forests in this part of the state, so he tried to focus on the only positive
