Adam: Braddocks, Book Two (11 page)

Angelica left Faith at the livery because she needed to get to her saloon. Faith promised to come back and pay for her buggy rental tomorrow and then she headed back to the mercantile, lost in her thoughts. She was near tears as she finally stepped onto the boardwalk. She meant to hurry past the barbershop, but couldn’t stop from glancing in its direction.

And then she froze, heart pounding. CLOSED. FOR SALE. CONTACT DANIEL BRADDOCK.

She didn’t know how long she stood there before Daniel walked up beside her. His tone was grim when he said, “Adam rode out mid–afternoon.”

“He’s…he’s gone?” She could barely get the words out.

“Said he needed a fresh start. He wouldn’t even tell me exactly where he was headed. Like Seth.” Daniel heaved a regret–filled sigh. “Both of them, darn stubborn brothers.”

He gently touched her arm and she looked up at him through tears. “Are you going to be all right?”

“I’m leaving, too.” With that said, she walked toward the mercantile.

Chapter Seven

Adam got as far as Denver and hadn’t been able to get himself to go further west. He’d been there well over a week and hated it. He’d played poker and drank enough liquor that he couldn’t stand the thought of either of them. And he’d gotten in two brawls, even spent a night in jail after one of them. What the hell was he doing here? Why couldn’t he move on?

He stood at the window of his hotel room overlooking the busy main street. Arms braced on each side of the window he felt like butting his head over and over against the pane. He needed something to get him out of this depression, this moment of indecision. He should pack up his gear and head for California!

But he just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t go another mile away from…from Faith. Dammit, he missed that sassy redhead. He’d known leaving her behind would be hard, but he hadn’t imagined it would be crippling.

What would she be doing now? It was mid–morning on a Monday. She probably had a fair number of customers after the mercantile being closed the day before. The store’s business had more than doubled with the influx of women to Dryfork. By now there might even be a number of single men showing up in response to the mail–order groom ad Daniel had sent.

He cursed under his breath and paced his small room. Daniel was such a damn interfering man, well–meaning or not. He’d made Caleb’s life hell, making him hide from the horde of women chasing after him. When they’d started turning their attention to Adam, he too had started making himself scarce. Except for that morning when he’d flirted with Marinda Tamberline. Why the hell had he done that? Of course he knew the answer. He’d been alarmed about kissing Faith a couple of days before. Alarmed because he finally realized how much he wanted her, physically… and more than that. So he’d acted the idiot.

Disgusted with himself, he glanced around the sparsely furnished room. His gaze landed on the saddlebags tossed in one corner containing all he’d thrown together before riding out of town. He’d made a snap decision and left his life, his brothers, and Faith behind. He’d been sure if he got far enough away that he’d start letting go of his past. All he’d come to realize was that he’d been using what had happened with Meredith as an excuse. He’d not wanted to hurt again.

He put a hand to his chest. He’d been hurting more than ever, more than when he’d learned he’d lost the woman he hadn’t loved and the baby he’d not had a chance to love. He missed Faith…everything about her, especially her smile. Although she’d smiled less frequently around him over the last couple of months, because she’d finally started giving up on him. Why then? Why had she given up after chasing him for so long?

Because she got tired of hurting, too. Yes, he knew he’d hurt her by his constant refusals to court her. He could only imagine how much she hurt–how much she hated him–after he’d kissed her and then looked to be courting Marinda. What a stupid idiot he’d been!

So what was he going to do now?

He strode over to pick up the saddlebags. It was time to go face up to the biggest mistake he’d ever made. He’d get down on his knees if necessary and beg Faith’s forgiveness. And then he would ask her to marry him.

* * *

The mercantile was closed for business until Annabelle made her way back to Dryfork and reopened it. Faith stood on shaky legs in the back room and glanced around through tear–filled eyes. She’d changed so much since her decision to come help out at the store. She’d matured, learned to handle a job and then how to manage the store when Annabelle had left to visit her sister. It hadn’t been easy moving away from home, but she was glad she’d done it. She might have some bad moments ahead, but she knew she could face the next part of her life. She could leave here and start over. She had to.

She drew in a steadying breath and moved to put the store’s ledgers in the small safe. It was the last time she would be doing it. Today would be filled with “last” moments. She’d already had her “last moment” with her parents the evening before. That had been difficult to get through, but, surprisingly, her mother had made it easier. When her father had started to demand that Faith give up the “foolish” idea of moving away, her mother had stepped in. It was the first time Faith could remember that her mother had taken a firm stand against her husband. Even more surprising, he’d grouched a bit and then backed down. In fact, he’d swept her into a rare hug, hugged so hard she’d wondered if he wouldn’t break some of her bones.

She closed the safe and sniffed back tears. She was going to miss her parents.

Another glance around the small room had her thinking about her first day here. How she’d insisted on wearing boy’s trousers and a shirt as she cleaned up the store. Adam had been outraged. Ladies don’t dress like that! That hadn’t been the first time they’d butted heads about her working at the store. But she’d honestly thought they had finally taken a turn in their relationship. Now that she was working and living next door to his shop, he had more trouble avoiding her. Actually, he’d stopped in every day at the start, annoyed he claimed for one reason or another. Yet she’d caught him watching her when he thought she wasn’t looking. She’d seen the way his eyes heated sometimes. He never gave up on fighting his attraction to her, though. Stubborn man.

Her trembling fingers reached up to touch her lips. He’d kissed her out on the boardwalk in front of anyone who might pass by. He’d kissed her with such passion that she’d have let him do anything with her after that. But all he’d done was walk away. Two days later he left town. A piece of her had died when she’d first seen the Closed sign on his shop.

She heard the anxious voices of her friends outside in the store and forced the painful memories aside. He’d moved on and so would she. She couldn’t bear living here another day, couldn’t stand crying herself to sleep missing him. Well, that might continue for a while even living somewhere else. It was time to stop hiding out in here and go say her good–byes to her friends before she would leave on the afternoon stage.

Forcing a smile, she walked into the main room, saw her teary–eyed friends Angelica and Jennie, noted the grim faces of Daniel, Ben, and Caleb. She almost turned around.

“I swear I’m going to find that sonofabitch and wring his neck,” Daniel grumbled with a determined scowl.

His brothers echoed comments of agreement. Their fierce loyalty to her made her heart swell with love for them. They’d become dear friends to her, almost like brothers. But Adam was their brother and he deserved their loyalty even more than she did. In her heart she knew Adam was hurting about something that he couldn’t get over. She’d really wanted to help him get through it. She’d wanted to love him.

She sighed and said firmly, “He’s a good man and you need to stand behind him. He can’t help how he feels.” But oh how his not loving her hurt.

Jennie and Angelica moved to her sides and seemed to be glaring at the Braddock brothers. Faith stepped away to turn and face the women. “Don’t hold Adam’s actions against his brothers.” She hesitated. “And you’ll need to forgive him if and when he comes back.”

“Have you forgiven him for running off?” Angelica demanded. “Running away like a coward.”

“Now, Angelica,” Ben protested, though weakly.

Angelica glowered at him. “He kissed Faith and then went chasing after Marinda Tamberline.” She huffed. “Then he skipped town.”

In a weak moment, Faith had admitted to Angelica that Adam had kissed her. Evidently she hadn’t kept that slip a secret. She could feel their pity. Now she felt even worse.

Daniel inched closer and Faith watched Jennie bristle. Still he said his piece. “The man’s a damn fool, we all know it. He loves you. Has for months.”

Faith struggled to not break into more tears. “Maybe he does, but he doesn’t want to act on it. He’s made that pretty clear.” She raised her chin and looked from person to person. “Can we not talk about Adam anymore? This is my last chance to be with you all. The stage will be arriving anytime now.”

Angelica and Jennie embraced each other, sobbing.

Faith swallowed down a painful lump in her throat. Do not cry! Do not! She was going to miss them terribly. They were the sisters she’d never had.

She looked at the brothers now standing speechless and looking chagrined. They were all so handsome, but none as handsome as Adam. She memorized their faces to remember them in the long days ahead. Adam’s face was already emblazoned in her mind. She would never forget him.

“Are you sure you can’t stay until Annabelle gets back?” Jennie pleaded.

Both Jennie and Angelica had asked the same question every day since she’d heard back from Annabelle a week ago. She knew they were hoping that Adam would change his mind and come back. Her friends were hoping for a happily–ever–after moment for her, although they wouldn’t say it to her face. But she’d overheard them talking about it. Even Angelica, who had been the angriest when he’d left town, wanted things to work out for Faith and Adam. Faith had given up on the fantasy when she’d seen the Closed sign that remained even now on the barbershop.

“No. I can’t.” The words nearly didn’t make it out of her mouth. She was choked up, hurting all over.

Daniel went to his wife and put an arm around her, drew her close to him. “She’ll be all right, Jennie.” His gaze as he glanced at Faith was still worried.

“You better send a letter now and then,” Angelica stated, her voice shaky.

Ben, too, moved closer, trying to pull Angelica against him. She pushed him away. “Not now. At the moment I’m not real happy with any of you Braddocks.”

Ben stepped away, sadness in his eyes. Faith worried about them. Angelica had so many secrets, a lot of pain buried within her. Ben had seemed to love her from the moment she’d arrived in town, but he hadn’t asked her to marry him. Faith hoped they could work out whatever was keeping them apart. She would have liked to be here when they did, liked to have stood up for her friend when they finally married.

The sounds of jangling reins, heavy hooves pounding on the dirt road, and the snorting of exhausted horses announced the arrival of the stagecoach. Faith’s whole body stiffened. Her stomach tightened, even as she felt sick at the same time.

Without a word, the Braddock brothers each picked up one of her three satchels and headed for the door. She’d decided to have her furniture moved back to her parents’ home after she left. She’d given a lot of her clothes to Jennie and Angelica, planning to take as little as necessary with her. All of it was part of the life she was leaving behind.

Her friends rushed over and the three of them hugged each other fiercely, sobbing the entire time. Finally Faith broke away, dashed at her tears, and forced a reassuring smile. “I better get over to the stage. The driver gets pretty impatient. As soon as the horses get exchanged for fresh ones, he’ll be ready to leave.”

She moved to pick up her small reticule from the counter by the window. She was leaving. Now. It was all so final, so hard to believe. She almost couldn’t make her feet move again.

Angelica and Jennie walked to her sides and each took one of her arms. They walked together out of the store and stepped down into the road. Faith wouldn’t allow herself to look back. She wasn’t sure she could see that horrible Closed sign on Adam’s shop without breaking down.

* * *

Adam rode hard, feeling almost desperate to get back to Dryfork. Something was wrong. He felt it in his gut. But his horse nearly came up lame and he had to slow down, and then stop over night when he hadn’t planned on it. He didn’t sleep, though. Every time he closed his eyes, he thought about Faith. But he didn’t picture her in the mercantile or up in her apartment. No, he didn’t “see” her in any specific place. And that worried him.

By the time he rode into town three days later in the middle of the day, he felt an urgency that surprised him. He had to find Faith. He wouldn’t be able to breathe right again until he did.

Daniel strode out of his sheriff’s office and called out to him. “Adam, you need to get your sorry hide over here.”

Adam’s stomach knotted. His brother’s grim expression didn’t bode well. He guided his horse to the hitching rail in front of Daniel. “I’m in a hurry,” he said warily, looking across the street toward the mercantile. Everything in him tightened at the Closed sign in the store’s window. “Closed?” he asked numbly.

“Did you expect Faith to wait around for you to come to your senses?” Daniel sounded angry, hostile.

Yes, foolishly he had hoped just that. “She’s gone?”

“We all tried to change her mind, but she felt like she couldn’t stay here any longer. She left on the stage yesterday.” Daniel looked him over, his expression more concerned now. “You look terrible.”

Adam felt worse than terrible. He’d ridden almost solid since leaving Denver, slower than he would have liked, but solid. He hadn’t shaved or had a haircut since he’d left Dryfork, so he imagined how bad he looked. And he needed a bath, bad. Even he could smell himself. None of that seemed to matter now.