Could they have a future? Did he even still want a future with her?
Whatever they decided they had to be careful, for Finley’s sake.
Wrapped in her conflicted emotions, at some point she fell asleep and awoke to Pao shaking her shoulder. “Novah? Wake up. We’re here.”
Fluttering her eyes open, the first thing she said was, “Have you heard from Egan?” She rubbed her tired eyes.
“No. Not yet. Come out. I’m sure you need to stretch.” He closed the driver’s door.
Climbing out of the passenger side, she shut the door and walked around to where Pao was stretching his arms above his head. “Where are we?” She surveyed the white two-story house with a wraparound porch lined with white rockers and planters full of colorful flowers. There was a light on in the window.
“We’re about a hundred miles outside of Cheyenne.”
Novah opened her mouth to ask more questions when the door came open and a beautiful woman swept out. “Welcome,” she said in a cheerful voice. She descended the steps and the skirt of her maxi dress whipped around her ankles. She made her way down the cobblestone walkway to Pao and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You have some explaining to do,” the lovely woman brought her attention to Novah. “Bringing home a woman in the middle of the night makes me very curious.”
Novah took a step closer, suddenly worried what the woman was thinking. “Your husband helped me out of a sticky situation.”
In the next instant the mysterious woman and Pao broke out into laughter. “My husband? No, he’s not my husband. I’m Hannah and this buffoon here is my big brother. What’s wrong with you, Pao? You didn’t tell her?” She playfully punched his arm. “Like I tell all women. He’s nice to look at but he has the communication skills of a ten-year-old.”
“Thanks, sis. You make it sound like there’s been a lot of women traipsing around. I had a few other things on my mind,” Pao groaned, but the scowl was gone.
“I caught onto that by the vague message you left me.” She lifted a thin brow. “You interrupted my beauty sleep.”
Novah shifted. “I’m sorry it’s so late.”
Hannah winked and offered a kind smile. “No worries. I only like to tease him. When he texted and said he would be coming home I knew something was wrong. How about we go inside and I make you two some tea. You can fill me in on why you’re here.” She motioned for them to follow her.
The farmhouse was simply decorated and smelled of sugar cookies. The living room held a blue sofa adorned with an array of colorful throw pillows. A thick, rustic piece of wood was used as a coffee table, matching the wooden mantle above the stone fireplace. The remains of a fire banked low behind the screen. One of the two chairs that bracketed the cove was occupied by a black and white cat curled up and purring, oblivious to the fact that there was company. Laying on the rug was a large dog who cared enough to lift his head and quirk a floppy ear in attention, but nothing sparked his motivation enough to get him up from his perch.
Hannah switched on the lamp and Novah noticed the glass gun cabinet in the corner was full.
“Do you like cream and sweetener with your tea?” Hannah asked as she went into the adjoining kitchen that was quite modern with white cabinets, black granite countertops and a large island, compared to the rustic feel of the decorations in the living room.
“Yes, thank you.”
“Hannah, Novah, I’ll be back. I’m going over to the cottage and change.” Pao gave Novah a comforting smile, the first one she’d seen from him, then retraced his steps outside.
“It’s okay.” Hannah looked up from where she filled a rooster teakettle with water. “He’s not going far. He stays in the guest house in back. After Mom and Dad left us the farm five years ago we decided it only made sense that I stay in the main house and he take the cottage. We’d kill each other if we shared this house. I like my privacy and so does he. Not to mention, he never got along with my ex-husband, Jake, but that’s a story for another day.”
As Hannah was taking down cups the whistle blew on the electric kettle and Hannah set about pouring boiling water over tea bags that she’d placed in a pretty flowered carafe. She brought the tray of matching cups and canisters to the polished shaker table which held a lovely vase of fresh wildflowers. “Please. Have a seat and help yourself. I’ll grab some cookies. I have lemon and no bakes. I know better to have them in the house because I can’t stop myself from eating them.”
Hannah was a definite personality contrast with her brother.
Novah pulled out a chair and sat down, checking her phone although she knew Egan wouldn’t reach out to her on it. She poured herself some tea and added a good amount of honey.
“That serious, huh?” Hannah brought back a plate of the cookies and set them on the table, closer to Novah.
“This table is beautiful.” Novah admired the craftsmanship put into the table.
“I made this piece a few years ago.”
“You made this? You’re talented.”
“I wear my work on my hands.” Hannah laughed and held up her stained hands, waving her spirit fingers. “Wood stain doesn’t come off with soap and water. I keep telling myself that I’ll start wearing gloves, but I’d miss the feel of the wood as I’m staining it.”
“Thank you for opening your house up to me although admittedly I don’t know why I’m here yet.”
The screen door opened and Pao strolled
