the sting of all the eyes in the salon, humiliation burning through her.
“Take it easy,” Holden urged Meredith in a low tone. “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill.” Noelle was still pressing the towel to Holden’s ear. “I’ve got it,” he said, as he held a hand over the towel. A second later, he removed the towel and shifted in the chair, turning his ear toward the mirror so he could examine it. “See, it’s just a scratch.”
Noelle was relieved to see that his ear was indeed okay. It was red from being nicked, but the bleeding had stopped. Good grief! She hadn’t nicked an ear since cosmetology school.
Meredith pinned Noelle with a scathing glare. “My mother will hear about this.” She lifted a sculpted eyebrow as she homed in on Holden. “I go to find you at the school and one of your assistant coaches tells me that you’re here, getting a haircut.” Her voice took on a petulantly wounded note. “I always cut your hair. Why didn’t you wait until I was here?”
A brittle amusement circled Noelle’s insides as she looked at Holden, awaiting his answer. Was he really going to let Meredith Sims lead him around by the nose? If so, then he wasn’t the man Noelle remembered. The Holden she knew wouldn’t put up with Meredith’s crap.
“I needed a haircut, so I came in,” Holden answered simply, the edge in his voice making it clear that the topic wasn’t up for discussion.
Noelle felt a swift ping of vindication. Yep, that was the Holden she knew—always kind and respectful, but he stood his ground.
Meredith’s face turned tomato red. “I wish you would’ve waited,” she blustered. “At least then, you wouldn’t have gotten cut.” She made a point of looking at Noelle.
“I don’t mind taking a few nicks here and there,” Holden drawled, “if it means sharing good company.” He caught Noelle’s gaze. Something in his expression spoke of their long history together, the tenderness and passion of their relationship. “Thanks for the haircut, Noe.” He winked. “See ya around.” He rose from the seat, removed the cape, and draped it over the chair.
Meredith’s beautiful face was twisted with fury, an arsenal of fiery arrows pointed straight at Noelle. If Holden noticed Meredith’s rage, he chose to ignore it. “I’ll just pay for this up front,” he said pleasantly.
“This one’s on me,” Noelle quickly inserted. “It’s the least I can do.” Noelle’s eyes locked with Holden’s. She felt strangely possessive of him now that Meredith was here. While Noelle knew that it wouldn’t be smart for her to get involved with Holden, she wanted him to end up with someone decent.
“I guess I’ll owe you then,” Holden said meaningfully.
“I’ll put it on your tab,” Noelle grinned, feeling a gush of connection that flowed through her like a rushing river current. She couldn’t deny or ignore the impact Holden had on her. Whatever happened in the future, the two of them had shared too much to pretend that it hadn’t happened.
“Sounds like a winner to me.” Holden strode through the salon in fluid, confident steps, his posture erect. Noelle traced the outline of his impressive physique, taking note of the muscles in his back that moved like a well-oiled machine. His waist was tapered and tight, not an ounce of flab on it. His long legs were encased in faded jeans. She grinned at the Converse tennis shoes. So Holden! No wonder Meredith was acting so territorial. Guys like Holden Hunt were few and far between. Noelle knew that from sad experience.
“Howdy.” Holden smiled and nodded to the various women watching him with curious eyes. This was a side of Holden that was new—his diplomatic, handle-the-crowd persona. Noelle had seen it last night at the grocery store when he was talking to the manager. Holden had gotten good at being in the public eye. That was something Noelle hadn’t mastered. The year she’d reigned as Miss Georgia Royal had been torture. She was relieved that she hadn’t won the Miss America Royal title. She learned quickly that she preferred to be behind the scenes rather than in the limelight.
“This isn’t over,” Meredith hissed, getting up in Noelle’s face—so close that Noelle felt a puff of Meredith’s hot breath on her face. The hair on the back of Noelle’s neck bristled. She didn’t know how much more of Meredith Sims she could take before losing all reason and pummeling the woman. Meredith glanced toward the front of the