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Tension threatened, but when he saw she was alone, he relaxed He wasn’t ready to go another round with his father, he thought
She looked different than she had when they’d first arrived Happier She held shopping bags in each hand
“You’ve been busy,” he said, taking the bags from her
“Mostly gifts,” she said, giving hiifts”
“Who’s pregnant? Felicia?”
“Not that I know of, but she’sahead” Her blue eyes softened “She’s going to be a wonderful mother I’m just so happy for them both”
He had a feeling tears would be next He glanced at Noelle and held up both bags She nodded, understanding he was going to take them to his mother’s car
They walked toward the front door
“This ti,” his mother continued, then looked at him out of the corner of her eye “What about you? Any babies in your future?”
He swore silently “No”
“Noelle seems nice”
“She’s ”
“Oh I thought you two had a connection”
They did, but he wasn’t about to discuss the fact that he found Noelle incredibly sexy with his mother
“Is there someone special?” she asked
“Not right now”
An evasive answer, but it beat dealing with the truth
“I orried about Gideon,” she ad lot and she pointed to where she’d left the Explorer “After what happened to hi held captive?”
“Not really I know the broad strokes”
“He hasn’t said a word to me Your father says I shouldn’t push That I couldn’t understand what he went through I suppose that’s true, but I want to be there for him”
“You should talk to Felicia,” he said “She knows Gideon better than anyone She’ll have an idea of the best way to deal with his past”
His mother nodded She opened the back of the Explorer, and he put the packages inside She touched his arm
“You know I love you, don’t you?” she asked, her gaze intense
“I know, Mom”
“I let your father have things his way I’ve always regretted that I knoas difficult It’s just” She paused “He’s an honorable man”
Norman Boylan’s honor wasn’t in question It was how he’d chosen to deal with his sons that Gabriel had a problem with And that his mother had let her husband determine all the rules
“I don’t want to lose you,” hisher eyes “Please tell me I haven’t”
He drew her into his arms “I love you, Mom You haven’t lost me”
It was the truth He would always love her, but he’d found that love existed best from a safe distance
“Are you going to stay in the army?” she asked
“I don’t know”
“For what it’s worth, I’d like you to get out Settle down somewhere Fall in love Get married”
“Give you randchildren?” he teased, mostly to distract her
“Exactly” Some of the sadness left her eyes “I’m proud of you, Gabriel You work so hard and you save so rateful But now it’s time to do what you want”
“I like being a doctor”
“We both knohy you became one”
He shrugged “It was a long tio It’s what I know And, as you said, I help”
“I worry you would have been happier doing so else,” she admitted
“I don’t”
He’d chosen his path and there was no going back
She rested her head on his shoulder for aenough You need to get back to work I’d hate to be the reason Noelle fired you”
He chuckled “I don’t see that happening, but okay I’ll see you later, Mom”
She nodded and kissed his cheek While she got into her SUV, he turned and headed back for the store On his way, an older woman waved him down
“Young es?”
She had a couple of bags and a box He eyed the slowly
“Happy to help, ma’am”
He picked up everything and walked with her to her car But as he lowered the items into the trunk, he was careful to keep his butt faced away froined what had happened yesterday, but he’d learned that in a place like Fool’s Gold, a guy didn’t want to take any chances
Chapter 7
Once the sun went down, the temperature dropped quickly Noelle burrowed deeper into her thick coat, grateful for the scarf she’d grabbed at the last minute The sky see down on the town She uess there was snow in the forecast
She’d closed The Christe into jeans and winter boots She’d barely finished tying the laces, when Gabriel knocked on her front door When he’d oing, he’d offered to pick her up at six-thirty
Not a date, she told herself fir Thinking a guy was hot and wondering if she should sleep with hi
Now, as they walked toward the center of town, she tried to figure out why the cere to him
“You don’t striketype,” she said as they waited at the corner for the light
“I heard it wasn’t to be reat”