Noah’s eyebrows rose. “It was entirely unintentional. Not quite the publicity we want for our city.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Beverly beamed at them both. “A mystery, a heroic mayor, romance! They even included a picture of the angel with a sidebar about her history. Tourism will boom.”
Noah scowled at his visitors. “Shall I park myself on the sidewalk every day so the tourists can snap pictures of me?”
Earl snorted. “Not looking the way you do.”
“Actually, you look better than I expected,” Kevin remarked.
“I’m told I should be able to go home by Tuesday.”
Beverly expressed her delight. Noah suggested he should be back in the office by Thursday or Friday. Cait controlled her instinctive protest.
They all looked at her.
“I know I’ve missed quite a bit of work, too,” she said.
Earl frowned at her. “You had a shock, young lady. Of course you needed to recover.”
There was an uncomfortable silence.
“I suppose George has been burning up the phone lines,” Noah said irritably.
Cait stared at him in disbelief. He couldn’t wait until the battle came to them? Oh, who was she kidding? Of course he couldn’t. She’d let herself forget how blunt and aggressive he was.
And—maybe he was even right. Why should they be embarrassed?
Beverly sniffed. “George doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body.”
“Not that romance is suitable in the workplace.” To Cait’s dismay, that was Kevin.
Earl studied them with narrowed eyes. “Miller seemed to think you were just shacking up.”
Even without touching him, Cait could feel the way Noah’s big body tightened.
“We’re engaged to be married,” he said flatly.
Earl was built like a fireplug, stocky and strong. She couldn’t imagine he’d ever been a handsome man. She’d had the occasional, uncharitable thought that his face made her think of a frog’s. With his lips thinned, that was even more so.
“You planning to stay on at city hall?” he asked her.
She lifted her chin. “Yes, unless politics makes it impossible.”
Earl looked at Noah. “You?”
He stared right back. “I was elected, wasn’t I?”
“Well, then,” Beverly murmured.
Everyone ignored her.
“Don’t see a problem with it,” Earl rumbled. “George is just sulking because he isn’t getting his way. I can tell you he doesn’t speak for any of the rest of us.”
“That’s true.” Kevin smiled. “You might call us a delegation, sent to assure you that you have the council’s support.”
“You know I’m not always happy with every decision you make,” Earl contributed, “but at least you’re aboveboard. A businessman.” He gave a sharp nod. “And you, Ms. McAllister, have finally lit a fire under some butts. Last thing I want is to see you go.”
She couldn’t think of anything to say but a pleased “Thank you.”
“Thank you all for coming,” Noah said. “You’ll all be getting invitations to the wedding.”
Beverly beamed again. “Oh, what fun!”
“Best be soon,” Earl said sourly.
Kevin cleared his throat. Cait thought he was disguising a chuckle.
The three of them departed. Listening as their footsteps receded down the hall, Cait finally let herself look at Noah.
“I hate to sound like Beverly, but…oh, my.”
Noah grinned. “What’d I tell you?”
“I thought I’d have a heart attack when you said that about George.”
“You know the saying about taking the bull by the horns.”
“The bull being Earl?”
“Who else?” He frowned. “Although, squat as he is, I’ve always thought he looked more like…”
Cait began to giggle, Noah to laugh.
“Damn. Earl Greig approves of me. As my mother used to say, will wonders never cease.”
Melting inside, Cait moved from the chair to the bed so she could very carefully lay her head on his broad shoulder. “I hope they never do,” she whispered.
His arms closed around her, the one trailing the IV line. “Never,” he said in a low, almost harsh voice. “Never.”