Love Unspoken (8 page)

Aleah shrugged. “My mistake. I forgot who I was talking to. Would
you change your mind if he got you a date with the officer janitor?”

Blood rushed through her veins, fueling her anger. She hadn’t
expected her sister to make a jab at the ‘poorer’ type of guys she dated as a
teen. “I would if I didn’t know you’d all pounce on me within a minute and remind
me how low I’ve set my sights.”

“Well it’s the truth isn’t it? But you’ve never cared how hard
mom and dad worked to gain respect in the business. No, Noelle just has to be
different, instead of appreciating everything you had, you had to go whining with
your selfish friends and getting into shit you had no business trying out. You
learned the hard way didn’t you? Those dumbass friends of yours could shoot up
in front of the cops and walk scotch free, but you… Well I’m not gonna go there
because you already know how it is. You got caught and all of us had to suffer
the consequences. And for the record yes, I’m still bitter about it after all
these years. You’re not the only one who had a life in Denver.”

Vicious tears burned at the back of her lids. If she had known
the day would turn out like this, a reminder of her mistakes, she would have
hung up the damn phone on Aleah this morning.

Still, she wasn’t going to take the bait and get into an
argument. What was the point? Her sister was right any way, the only difference
was, no one wanted to acknowledge the woman she was today. The fact that day in
and day out, she busted her ass for the company and had no life outside of
whatever her parents needed to get done.

“Don’t you have a husband and child inside waiting for you?”

Aleah removed the gardening gloves. “As a matter of fact I do,
Noelle. That’s the reason I was trying to help you. You’re my sister and
regardless of what you think, I’ve never disliked you. Do I think you can be a
selfish bitch? Yes, but I do love you. I know I haven’t said that to you in a
long time, okay really long time. You’ve never said it to me either. I don’t
have your looks, but I’m doing well for myself by treating people the way they
should be treated. I know I’m younger than you, but I do want you to be happy.
I want you to find your peace, someone to love and someone you can love in
return. It’s not impossible if you find a decent man, set your sights a lot
higher than the fools you ran around with back in the days.”

“Are you finished?” Noelle asked softly. She hadn’t expected to
hear that from her sister, not when the woman had stopped talking to her after
they made the move from Denver to Copper Mesa. It was just recently they started
talking on the phone or seeing each other every couple of months although Aleah
came by the house often.

“I don’t hate you and I’ve already apologized a dozen times over
for how my actions affected you and everyone else. I get it, we were one of the
few black families in our circle and I screwed it up by having everyone look
down on us. I love you too and I’m sorry I haven’t shown it. It’s just hard to
show emotions sometimes when I feel like I’m walking on eggshells all the time
with mom and dad just waiting for me to screw up again.” Noelle lifted a
shoulder. “Plus, I know they’re a step away from disinheriting me.” She didn’t
care about money but it was the simple act of having solid proof she was no
longer valued in their eyes that hurt.

Aleah nodded and looked away uncomfortably. It didn’t surprise
Noelle; Aleah was privy to everything her parents did. “You’re exaggerating.”

Noelle decided to shut up. She wasn’t trying to seem like a
whiner as her sister had described and it was evident Aleah didn’t want to
discuss the issue further. Not that she could blame her for wanting to stay on
the winning side.

As she said her goodbye, Noelle couldn’t help but think the same
of Cole. She had been horrible to him and there was no way she’d be able to
blame him either if he wanted to knock her down a peg and spread every detail
about her on the ranch. He didn’t seem like the type to willfully hurt someone
but she feared this time she had pushed him too far and her plea for his
‘silence’ might have incited him to humiliate her.

There was nothing embarrassing about being with Cole, if she was
his woman she’d want to shout it from the rooftops. He was like a dream and it
made her feel all the more despicable. She had used him for her pleasure and
given nothing in return, all because of the fear of unraveling the tattered
thread holding her to her family. On the other hand, if she chose to see where
this thing with Cole was headed, the loss might be worth it. She would gain
someone who accepted her fully. Noelle bit her lips. That wasn’t right either.
Cole would be accepting only what he knew about her, since she hadn’t told him
everything about herself. And that was terrifying if he chose not to accept her
because of it.

Chapter
Seven

“Find someone else to do it,”
Cole signed.

“Can’t. Apart from me, you’re the only one Somerset trusts. I’m
on delivery duty in town today, it’s out of the question for me.”

Cole reached for the ashen-shaded branding iron and applied the Somerset brand above the bull’s hindquarters. He smote out the wood fire as Beau pulled apart
the ropes restraining the bull.

“Why can’t Williams drop it off?”
He knew sooner or later
he was going to have to face Noelle. He’d just hope it was later or never.

“He’s busy. Called and said to come over.” Beau gave him a
pointed look. “He said his daughter will take care of it.”

Something burned inside him like the hot brand at his feet. Why
did it seem as if Noelle was always the one taking care of things whenever her
old man was too busy? Weren’t there other workers to do those things?

“Yeah, all right,”
he signed, annoyed at the way his cock
sprang to attention at the thought of seeing her again.

Minutes later, Cole parked his pickup on the side of the graveled
road and made his way up the cobblestone driveway. He rang the doorbell. The
house had to be at least three times the size of the main house on the Tumbling
Y.

Another minute passed and he rang the bell again. Didn’t they
have a helper to open the door for them? Then again, perhaps rich black people
weren’t into the whole hired help thing. He really had no idea and hoped he’d
never come off as ignorant to Noelle. Despite everything and his anger toward
her, he still cared what she thought.

When the door opened, Cole was stunned to see Noelle’s father
standing at the doorway, his thick jet-black mustache twitching to reflect his
annoyance. Surprisingly, the man reached for his hand. “Sorry about that. I
told my daughter to open the door but I guess she got lost somewhere around
here.” The man chuckled to himself and gestured inside. All right, so far, Mr.
Williams seemed reasonable. However, he didn’t like the way the man alluded to
Noelle doing everything for him.

“I’ve already told your boss, Randy, that I had some things to
do, so whatever you need Noelle will help you with it.”

Cole nodded and the man stared at him for a second, his brows
creasing then relaxing like when someone resolved a puzzle.

“Ahh, so you’re that cowboy who doesn’t speak. I heard about
Randy hiring a new hand a while back, didn’t realize it was you. Must be hard huh?”

What was hard about it? And if a while back meant almost two
years and numerous other hires in between, then yes, but hard, simply because
he couldn’t talk? Cole brushed it off. He wasn’t going to bother and write out
something to the man.

Mr. Williams nodded as if he didn’t expect more from him. No
surprise there. “Well, you sure look like you could handle the entire place by
yourself.”

Cole kept his face a mask of coldness. Mr. Williams coughed and
clapped his hands together. “Have a seat and I’ll get Noelle on top of this.”
He looked at Cole and asked. “She’s been the one handling all of my dealings
over at the ranch. There haven’t been any issues with her has there?”

Cole clenched his jaw. What the fuck was the man getting at? He
lifted his hand to tell the man exactly what he thought of his question then
dropped it. Pointless. This was one of those times he felt helpless and had to
wonder why he was born without a simple thing such as speech.

Mr. Williams waved his hand in an offhand manner. “Never mind.
I’m sure everything is fine. Wait here and I’ll see where that girl is.”

Cole stood watching as the man pivoted around a corner. From his
position he assumed Noelle had appeared because of the raised tones. Mr.
Williams wasn’t trying to disguise his irritation with her or censor her in
private.

“What did you have to do that was so important you couldn’t open
the door for the gentleman?”

Noelle gave him a furtive glance then averted her gaze. “I
apologize to have kept you waiting.”

He felt embarrassed that she was forced to apologize to him in
front of her father.

Hoping the man would take a hint and leave them alone to handle
business, Cole glanced at his watch.

Mr. Williams gave him a wry grin as if
he
was embarrassed
by Noelle. “I think Noelle sometimes forget that she’s just like any other
employee, except she’s living under my roof.”

Cole stiffened upon hearing the man’s statement. His heart ached
for the way Noelle’s eyes widened before she straightened her shoulders as if
she hadn’t heard the slight. She did that a lot and he was starting to
understand why.

The older man placed his arm around her shoulder and gave it a
squeeze. “I’ll be in my office. Make sure you give him everything Randy
ordered.”

“Yes, sir.” Her eyes looked straight ahead.

Once Mr. Williams was out of the room, Cole stared at Noelle. She
lifted her gaze to his, quickly looked away as if she had been stripped bare,
more intimate than he’d seen her laid out naked on the grass beneath him.

“The supplies are this way.” She crossed a passageway and Cole
followed determined to confront her. He wasn’t going to let her maintain the
pretense that nothing happened between them, or her father hadn’t injured her
heart and ego.

They entered a room, barren save for the bags of the feed on the
floor and a scale mounted against the wall.

She kept her focus on the bags while speaking to him. “I’ll help
you take these outside. We’ve added a new ingredient. I’m not sure if my father
mentioned it to you or your boss, but it should help keep them healthier during
the winter when they lose the most weight.

She wouldn’t look at him. Fed up, Cole jotted down a quick
message to her. He didn’t dare assume she’d continued with the sign language
lessons from her book and if by some miracle she cared enough to, he wouldn’t
get her attention as long she spoke at him, not to him.

You know why.
Noelle was scared and embarrassed. He heard
it in the tremor of her voice. She was admitting defeat and he was partially to
blame.

She reached for a bag, bending low to heft it onto the scale when
Cole leaned forward and placed his hand above hers, stilling her movement. One,
he didn’t want her lifting the heavy weight and two— they
really
needed
to clear the air. She glanced up at him and Cole handed her the note.

Noelle. I didn’t tell anyone. You don’t have to worry.

Cole watched as her eyes scanned the words. She lifted her face,
gazing at him in surprise. Her stunning ethnic features softened slowly. Noelle
tilted her head, staring as if she’d never seen him before.

“I don’t understand. I’ve been horrible to you. This was your
chance to punish me.”

She thought he wanted to punish her? And in the worst way
possible, by revealing intimate details about her.

Cole knelt beside her and brushed the back of his hand along her
soft cheek. His heart melted when she leaned her face into his hand, nuzzling
against him like a kitten starved for affection.

Tipping her chin, he moved his hand in front of her.
“Can you
understand me?”
He sent a quick prayer to anyone listening that Noelle had
kept up with the lessons.

“I understand you.”

His chest felt lighter. Cole buried his face in the curve of her
neck, holding it there and inhaling her delectable scent. He did mean something
to her.

“I’m so sorry,” she said quietly.

He shook his head and pressed his mouth to hers, seizing her lips
between his. They felt so damn smooth and tempting. His heart sped a mile a
minute as Noelle parted her lips to deepen the kiss. Heaven in all its splendid
glory. He wanted to spend the rest of his life tasting those lips.

Suddenly, she broke the spell. “Not here.” She glanced at the
door while caressing his jaw. “I don’t want to kiss you in here where I feel
like my every move is being watched.”

Cole helped her to rise. He highly doubted her father was
concerned about the two of them being alone. The man viewed him as simple and
it was apparent he thought Noelle’s heart and body was safe from the likes of
him.

“Why do you think that?”

She gave him a rueful smile. “It’s the truth. I tried too hard to
ignore it.”

Cole narrowed his brows. He always assumed Noelle was a prized
jewel in her family. This was unexpected and it didn’t make any sense. She was
perfection, how could her own father not see that? Maybe in time she would
explain it to him after he got it through to her that he wanted no secrets
between them.

“You will tell me the reason?”
he asked, issuing her a
pointed stare.

She appeared to mull it over. Ever so slowly, she lifted those
long black lashes and nodded. “I’ll tell you one day. Let’s just get these bags
out of here. I don’t want my father to hold anything against you.”

He rolled his eyes. Williams held no power over him. He didn’t
give a rat’s ass what the man thought of him. But if it made Noelle feel better
to leave the room, then so be it.