Plain Pursuit (33 page)

“But Samuel . . . ,” she said, shaking her head. “We know how he feels. And what if Bishop Ebersol finds out?”

“Everyone is confused, Rebecca,” Lillian said. “Even Samuel went up against the bishop recently. What Noah did for David is an incredible thing. We should have been here for him more than we have been. That’s my opinion. Instead, we all relied on Carley, and she’s not even his family. Do you know that right now she is at his clinic trying to get it ready for him? He doesn’t even know about it.” She paused. “So don’t tell anyone. She wants to surprise him.”

“I won’t,” Rebecca said. “Do you think they’re courting, Noah and Carley?”

“I don’t think so—yet. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets to that.”

Rebecca smiled. “
Gut, wunderbaar gut.
I like Carley.”

Lillian suspected it would ease all their consciences if Noah found love and happiness.

Carley noticed right away that Dana’s demeanor was different, quieter. She was sure Noah had talked to her, and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl. But after a while, Dana opened up to her, sharing her dreams for the future, how she hoped to attend college someday. Carley even found herself talking about the accident.

They were about three hours into sorting boxes in the back of the clinic when they heard buggy wheels rolling into the parking area. Jenna’s ears perked up from where she was sitting on the floor coloring.

“Someone’s here.” Jenna headed toward the door.

“They must be Amish, whoever it is,” Dana added. She followed Carley down the hallway.

Before they reached the main door into the clinic, Carley stopped and peered through the large glass windows of the waiting room. Four Amish women stepped out of a gray buggy.

“What are they doing here?” Carley recognized the women as Sadie and Rebecca, along with teenagers Linda and Miriam.

She scooted past Dana and bolted out the door.
Maybe they have
news about Noah or David.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Is it Noah or David?”

The women looked from one to the other, but it was the spirited teenager who spoke up. “Nothing is wrong. Everything is
gut
. We are here to help,” Linda reported.

“I told a few people.” Rebecca shrugged apologetically. “But they won’t tell anyone,” she added. “Mary Ellen wanted to come, too, but she is carin’ for the
boppli
today, so I brought the girls and Sadie.”

Carley noticed the foursome peering over her shoulder, and she turned to see Dana and Jenna behind her.

“This is Dana and Jenna,” Carley told the group. “They’re friends of Noah’s.”

“Nice to meet you,” Sadie said while the other women nodded in Dana’s direction.

Jenna walked blankly past them all, homing in on the large horse in front of the buggy.

“Don’t get too close, Jenna,” Carley warned as Jenna continued toward the large animal.

Linda followed Jenna. “This is Whistle,” Linda said. “We call ’im that ’cause he sounds like he’s whistling sometimes when he snorts.” She looked down at Jenna. “Wanna pet ’im?”

“Yes,” Jenna cooed. But then she hesitated to move closer to the massive creature.

Linda scooped Jenna into her arms and instructed her where to scratch Whistle.

“Well, let’s be gettin’ started,” Sadie said. “Show us where to begin.”

Carley and Dana locked eyes and smiled.

They just might get this clinic ready in time after all.

When Carley walked into Noah’s hospital room later that afternoon, she hoped she didn’t look as exhausted as she felt. She still couldn’t get over the way the women had stepped up to help. They’d certainly made a huge dent in the project. All the boxes were unpacked and things sorted according to room. Even the medical equipment had been placed in each examining room. Carley was optimistic she and Dana could finish before Noah was released from the hospital in a few days.

“Hi, there,” she said to Noah. He was watching TV but quickly looked her way at the sound of her voice. She sat down in the chair next to the bed and crossed her legs.

“Busy day?” He almost sounded irritated.

Maybe he was hurt that she hadn’t called or been by to see him yet today. Or perhaps he was expecting a hello kiss or some offer of affection. But she knew she needed to pull back.

“Yes, it was,” she answered. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’m ready to get out of here. So I didn’t hear from you. Did you and Dana get the boxes carried inside the clinic yesterday?”

“Yes, everything is inside. The boxes weren’t as heavy as they looked.”

Noah shook his head. “I hate that you girls had to do that. Did Samuel help you?”

“No. Dana and I were able to do it.”

Noah reached for her hand and locked his fingers with hers. “Thank you for doing that, Carley,” he said sincerely. “I haven’t seen Dana or Jenna today either. Thank Dana if you see her.” He paused. “By the way, I talked to Dana last night about the girlfriend story. I guess it took me awhile to figure out why she said that, but clearly she wanted me all to
herself.” He smiled. “Anyway, I think things will be fine. How is she acting around you?”

“She seems okay. She’ll be here at the hospital later to see you.” Carley pulled her eyes from his gaze. When she looked back, his expression had intensified.

“Carley, is something wrong?” he asked.

“No, just tired. But I wanted to see you.”

He smiled slightly and shook his head.

“What?” she asked when he didn’t say anything.

“Guess we’re going to have to talk about it.”

“Talk about what?” Her fingers nervously twitched within his.

Noah brought her hand to his lips, kissing it tenderly. “I don’t want things getting weird between us. You’ve gone from being glued to my bedside to disappearing for almost twenty-four hours. Evidently I spooked you somehow.”

“No, no. I’m not spooked. We’re friends.” As much as she’d like to pursue more, what was the point?

“Friends?” He sounded disappointed, but quickly smiled and added, “Okay. Friends.”

She returned the smile, but his eyes darkened. “You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?”

His fingers were still interwoven with hers. “Actually, I extended my trip. I wanted to help Lillian for a while—and you.”

“Get me back on my feet and settled in? And then you’re going to leave?”

“Well, I do have a job and a life in Houston.” Lies. There was no life for her there anymore.

“You want to stay, Carley. I can see it in your eyes.” He arched his brows, almost daring her to argue. “This is a great place to live.”

“I’m going to stay. Until you and David are better.”

So many things need to be said
, Noah thought. But Carley was uncomfortable, and he didn’t want to push her too much. She might bolt out of the room, and he didn’t want that.

Nothing felt more unmanly than lying in a hospital bed. He would wait until he was back on his feet before he pursued this any further. Besides, knowing the nurse would enforce the visitation rules, he wanted to spend as much time with Carley as possible. And he didn’t want her to feel pressured. He just wanted to get to know her better.

“What are your plans for tomorrow?” He still had hold of her hand and gently entwined his fingers with hers, without much of a response.

She took a deep breath, raked her free hand through her hair, and avoided looking at him. “Lots to do tomorrow. So I probably won’t be back to see you until this time tomorrow.”

“Lots to do helping Lillian?”

“Uh-huh.”

She wasn’t telling the truth, and she looked like a woman on trial. “Carley, what’s going on with you? Why are you so nervous?”

“I’m not nervous.”

Why couldn’t she say what was on her mind? She was backtracking, which in turn made him think about retreating. He had always been able to keep his emotions at a manageable level when it came to women; perhaps he needed to remind himself of that.

But he knew why she was refusing to open up to him. She just wasn’t ready to talk about it.

Don’t push her.

“Tomorrow when I come back to the hospital, do you want me to bring you something to eat?” she asked out of the blue. “I know that hospital food can get old.”

She continued to avoid eye contact, and her hand felt like a limp noodle within his.

“Sure. That’d be great,” he answered, then deliberated for a moment.

He let go of her hand, cupped her cheek, and guided her face to his. She hesitated when his lips drew near, but then her eyes finally locked with his in the familiar way they had in the past. Gently he touched his lips to hers. There was no resistance, no attempt to pull away. Just him loving her, and her loving him. He could feel it.

“Carley,” he said softly. She pulled back slightly, but her eyes stayed with him. “I know you don’t want to leave here. I know you don’t want to leave me either.”

Noah watched her take another deep breath. But she didn’t say anything.

“Say it, Carley. Tell me there’s something more than friendship going on between us.” He knew he shouldn’t be pushing her, but he kept on. “Talk to me, Carley—the way you did when I was in the coma. I could hear bits and pieces, and—”

Carley pulled away from him and jumped out of the chair. “What?”
Oh no! This is terrible.

She was consumed by embarrassment, and her heart was pounding in her chest. How much had he heard while he was in the coma? Could people really hear when they weren’t fully conscious? Her mind was running amok and she was trying to recall her conversation with Lillian—the very personal moment when she’d told Lillian that she cared about Noah.

Oh no. What else did I say?
Closing her eyes, she tried to remember.

She could hear him saying her name, but her mind was still traveling back to her conversation with Lillian—when she was speaking freely, assuming Noah wasn’t listening.

“Carley, listen to me,” Noah said as he reached out his hand to her. She backed away, out of his reach.

What else did I say?

They had talked about God, about how she felt God had let her down. They had talked about the possibility of things developing past friendship between her and Noah. She cringed as she recalled crying to Lillian about how she couldn’t have children. It was all very personal. How much had he heard?

“Carley . . .” His eyes pleaded with her, but she was too embarrassed to talk about this right now. “Don’t run away. Everything is fine. Come here and sit down. Please, Carley. Sweetie, just come sit down.”

She backed up another step.

His gentle tone. The way he called her
sweetie
.
Oh, Noah, what’s
happening with us? I want to love you. I want you to love me.
And love might be enough in the short term, but Noah wanted a family. Had he not heard the part about her being unable to have children? Did he not understand that she was an incomplete woman?

“Don’t go, Carley. I just caught some of the things that were being said around me. I heard you say you cared about me. I’m sure of that. Tell me, Carley. Tell me you feel what I’m feeling.”

“You don’t know everything, Noah,” she cried. “You don’t know everything. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be telling me all this.”