True Love at Silver Creek Ranch (10 page)

She'd been lucky that her parents had always been involved in her life. Before she knew it, she was telling her mom about the science fair years ago, when Adam's drunken mom had treated him so horribly.

Sandy put down the frosting she was using to keep the chocolate kiss and the cookie together. “That is just terrible. No wonder the poor boy thought so little of himself in those days.”

“Thought so little of himself? I think he had the opposite problem.”

“That's just what he showed the world, sweetie. He was proud even then.” She hesitated. “It's hard to forgive his parents. They were pregnant at seventeen, and instead of trying to make a better life for their son, they wallowed in their self-pity. I don't think either of them held a job down for long, and the way they used that boy to control Renee? Just terrible. Your father kept trying to help by giving Mr. Desantis work now and then, but . . . he had no discipline, could never last long. He'd either get too drunk to come to work, or lose his temper over something trifling. I wasn't surprised when Adam got into trouble himself. Who knows what would have happened if Coach McKee hadn't taken a chance on him. It's simply remarkable what Adam has accomplished.”

Brooke reached out and took her mother's hand. “I was so lucky to grow up with the two of you.”

Sandy blinked her suddenly wet eyes. “I know what you mean, sweetie. I feel very lucky, too.”

Brooke would never do anything to disappoint her mom—no restless need for a change was worth that.

B
rooke didn't want to be on the ranch when Adam moved in the next night—her family would help unload his pickup, giving her even more of a chance to look at him strangely or be caught alone with him. So she arranged a movie night with Emily and Monica.

That evening, she was walking across the lit porch when she saw Adam's truck arrive. He should have gone right to the bunkhouse, but instead he swung around in front of the porch, left the engine on even as he got out to look up at her with open admiration. He gave a low whistle, and she flushed with embarrassment and a secret thrill. Standing still, she let him look. She was wearing a dark sweater dress and leggings with knee-high boots. Her short wool coat was bright red, and her hair tumbled free around her shoulders. She always loved to dress up. She'd added more makeup than the mascara and lip gloss she normally wore to work.

“Damn, you clean up good,” he said in a husky voice. “Who'd have guessed?”

“I'd throw a snowball at you if I didn't mind getting my gloves wet,” she said, pretending to take offense.

“I like your hair down.” He came to the bottom of the steps and reached up a hand as if to help her so she wouldn't slip.

Her heels were high, so she accepted the help. She still had to look up at him once she reached level ground. Even that made her feel all weak inside. There weren't many men she had to look up to. She disengaged her hand.

“You've seen my hair down,” she said in disbelief. “I wore it to school that way . . . sometimes.” Hadn't she? As an adult, she always let down her hair when she went into town for an evening's entertainment. But she'd been far less of a “girl” in high school.

“You always had ranch chores or barrel racing after school,” he said. “Must have been easier for you to keep it up.”

She was surprised he remembered that about her.

“I played basketball, too, in the winter.” Now she was babbling. She should leave. But she felt . . . beautiful, the way he was looking at her. The moon was rising, and they were alone in the crisp, cold stillness, the light of the porch a beacon behind her.

“Another reason to keep your hair up,” he murmured.

Then he touched her hair with his bare hand, sliding it into the gentle waves and spreading them out across her shoulder. She hovered like a hummingbird, yearning. When he stepped back, the ache of regret surprised her.

She sighed. “Why did you accept my parents' offer to live in the bunkhouse?”

“For exactly the reasons I said. It's more convenient, and I like living on my own.”

“I've never done that,” she found herself admitting.

He gestured toward the house. “Why would you? Your family is here, and they're great. Your job is here. It just makes sense.”

Then why was she thinking about it so much?

“I only started living on my own when I left the Marines six months ago, so we aren't that different.” And then he grew serious. “I want you to know I didn't agree to the bunkhouse to annoy you. I gave it a lot of thought.”

“I know.” She gave him a tentative smile.

He nodded. “Have fun at the movies.”

“I will.”

And she did, even enjoying a late supper with the girls. By the time she got home, everyone was in bed, and she slipped into her own soon enough. Though she told herself not to, she turned her head and stared out the window. The moon hung bright in the sky, and she knew if she were outside, the stars would look like iridescent sand sprinkled across the blackness. And there across a small pasture was the log cabin where Adam lay. Snow blanketed the roof, and smoke puffed from the chimney. He'd started a fire, and the windows flickered with it. She imagined how cozy it must be.

She kept picturing herself lying in front of that fire with Adam. No matter how many times she told herself to cut it out, her crush on him just wasn't going away.

Chapter Nine

A
dam looked out his window up at the main house, and knew when Brooke was home by the lights going on in her window. Though she passed in front of it several times, the curtains were gauzy, and he couldn't see much.

He stood there for a while, holding his beer, enjoying the silence. Not that the boardinghouse had been rowdy, but there was something peaceful about the ranch. He was hoping it inspired dreamless sleep, but if not, at least he wouldn't disturb anyone if he had a nightmare. They'd been fading gradually over the six months since his discharge, but sometimes, in the half sleep just before wakefulness, he still felt like he was back there, on patrol, in danger, calling in the air strike that had been the biggest mistake of his life. He shook the memories away quickly.

To his surprise, Grandma Palmer hadn't even been upset about his moving out. And then he'd seen the glance that passed between her and Mrs. Thalberg. Those two widows were going to find
something
to meddle in.

Brooke's light went out, and the ranch house settled into darkness. And then he saw the other light he'd missed, the one in the barn. It was almost midnight—was a horse ill?

Shrugging into his coat and hat, he walked through the yard, his boots crunching on the frozen ground. He went into the dark barn with the horses crowded into each stall, but no one was working. Most of the small herd roamed on the horse pasture and never came inside. He heard several dogs whine a greeting, but none barked, now that they knew him. Ranger came bounding toward him, tongue hanging out of a dog-smiling mouth, and Adam rubbed between his ears. A door at the far end was open—one that was usually closed. He realized he'd never gone in there.

“Hello?” he called before approaching the doorway.

“Adam?”

It was Josh's voice, so he went inside and was surprised to find him at a workbench, a mallet and some kind of tiny chisel in his hand. He was bent over a shaped piece of dyed leather. Adam's gaze swept the rest of the room, obviously a workshop, with floor-to-ceiling shelves along the other walls.

“Can't sleep?” Josh asked, looking up with his usual smile.

“I saw your light. I had no idea you did this in your spare time. I'm not even sure what it is.”

“Leather tooling.”

Josh gestured over his shoulder at another bench where projects were laid out in various stages of completion. There were belts, wallets—and a lot of purses. All had been intricately carved and colored in various patterns: simple geometric shapes, swirling vines and flowers, soaring eagles.

“You're good,” Adam said, returning to the main workbench.

“Thanks. I've got orders to fill, so I'm usually in here most evenings. My work's on display at Monica's shop.”

“The ‘and Gifts' in Monica's Flowers and Gifts?”

Josh chuckled. “Right. Local artists and craftspeople sell there on consignment. Seems my purses are very popular with the ladies.” He wiggled his eyebrows, then bent back over the leather.

Adam laughed. “Mind if I watch for a bit?”

“Pull up a stool.”

Adam did so, studying how Josh used different tools to bring out a three-dimensional image of a daisy in the leather.

He worked in silence for a while, then spoke without lifting his head. “Sorry if my sister can be a pain.”

Adam tensed but spoke impassively. “What do you mean?”

“Give her some time. Her bossy ways will calm down. You're her subordinate, so I imagine you bear the brunt of it.” Josh looked up at him. “She seems to be going through something. She'll work it out—she always does.”

“I'll remember that, but honestly, I haven't seen any problems.”

“Then you must be used to strong women. Oh, wait, your grandma is one of the widows, too. That explains it.”

Adam smiled. The widows were a much better topic of discussion with Brooke's brother. “I hope lining themselves up with Leather and Lace doesn't cause them problems.”

“I've been hearing rumblings about that store in a few places. Nate says the guys who drink coffee at Hal's Hardware aren't too pleased. Seems Sylvester is lining people up to speak at the next town-council meeting.”

“Do you think our grandmas will be cowed by a bunch of men?”

They shared a grin.

T
he next day after school, Brooke met Stephanie Sweet at the barn. The teenager had driven over, pulling her horse trailer, then led out her horse, already saddled.

Brooke went into the barn to saddle her own horse, and found Adam and Josh shoveling out stalls. Steph stepped inside, probably to do some ogling, so Brooke introduced her to Adam.

When Steph left the barn ahead of her, Adam said quietly, “So this is Emily's sister? The one who's causing all the wedding problems? Hard to believe.”

Brooke smiled. “I know. She's a nice girl—most of the time.”

“You going to interrogate her?”

“Of course not. My mom trusts me to handle her, so you should, too. Now get back to work,” she added with mock sternness.

Josh leaned on his shovel and eyed them. “Damn, but you're a taskmaster.”

She grinned and waved at her little brother, turning on her heel and sauntering outside.

She and Steph mounted and rode toward the corral, where she'd set up the barrels in their cloverleaf pattern. Steph had sworn last time that she was going to clock a faster time galloping around the barrels than Brooke in her record-setting days, and Brooke had to grudgingly admit that day might come soon.

“That Adam guy?” Steph said. “I'd heard about him being here, but didn't know how hot he was.”

Brooke grinned at her. “Is he? I guess so.”

Steph, her blond ponytail bobbing behind her, rolled her big blue eyes. “You guess? Come on, Brooke, he's a
Marine
!”

“Well, we went to school together, so I still think of him as that boy who used to annoy me.”

“I'm not twelve,” Steph said. “Most boys don't annoy me anymore.”

“Most? Is there one in particular you find least annoying?”

Steph shrugged and looked off into the distance, but Brooke thought she might have detected a blush. She went back to her own memories of the days when boys were a mystery she just couldn't figure out. She'd always been a tomboy in high school, and had only blossomed as an adult, when she realized how much better she could feel about herself when she wore pretty clothes and paid attention to her hair. Although heck, with Adam, she hadn't done any of that, and somehow she was—irresistible.

“I have a lot of different friends,” Steph said. “There's the Chess Club that meets at the community center. It's pretty fun.”

“You play chess?” Brooke asked in surprise.

Steph laughed. “No way. It's not really a chess club—it just
started
as a chess club. Then they threw some parties, and kids realized they could hang out and do other things together. But we kept the name. It's kinda funny.”

“What do you do there?”

“Some volunteer stuff around town—shoveling, raking, painting, stuff like that. We hold a dance a couple times a month, go hiking, and sometimes we go to Aspen or Glenwood Springs.”

“It does sound like fun.”

“We're supposed to let anyone in,” Steph continued, “but there are these idiots in school, led by Tyler Brissette.”

Brooke felt that the name seemed somehow familiar. “How are they idiots?”

“They get in trouble a lot, causing problems in class. They even got kicked out of the Rose Garden in town for hanging around too late.”

“Maybe they don't have enough to do, and the Chess Club would be good for them.”

Steph pulled a face. “I don't know about that.”

“They sound bored if they're hanging out in the Rose Garden with the tourists.”

That got a giggle out of her.

“I don't know,” Steph said at last. “Maybe Tyler's only going to get worse. His brother just got out of jail this week.”

That's
why the name had been familiar, Brooke thought. Cody Brissette had gone to jail for arson last year, and now he was out? She looked at the ruins of the old barn near the corral they'd be practicing in. The firemen had said it was an accident, and Cody hadn't been out of jail, yet . . . It made Brooke unsettled.

“So you think Cody will influence Tyler to be worse?” Brooke asked.

Steph shrugged. “I don't know. I saw Cody a day or two ago, and he seemed . . . really different. Kinda quiet, you know?”

“I'm sure jail can change a person. Bet Tyler's feeling bad about his brother.”

Steph stayed silent for a moment. “Yeah, maybe you're right. It's gotta be hard having your brother come home from jail, where he doesn't have a job and everyone knows what he's done.” She stared at the ruins of the barn with her own troubled expression.

Time to lighten things up.

“Guess we're lucky with our brothers, huh?” Brooke asked.

Steph relaxed and grinned back. “They're okay.”

“You're lucky to have a sister. I'd give anything to have one.”

Steph's smile faded, and Brooke thought,
Uh-oh.
But she had to find a way to bring Em up. She wanted to be a bridge between the two sisters.

Brooke held up a hand. “I know, I know, we haven't known her that long. But she's become like a sister to me.”

“Well, she's marrying your brother,” Steph reminded Brooke with faint sarcasm.

“You're right. And you and I are going to be bridesmaids together. Has she told you the color for the gowns?”

Steph shook her head.

“Me neither. I asked her if it was a secret, and she said she just couldn't decide. Guess we'll have to help her. Speaking of Em and your Chess Club—”

Steph gave her a look that said
How are you gonna connect that?

“—maybe you could go to the bakery and get some snacks for your meetings. I'm pretty sure your sister would give you a discount. Heck, she might offer a box for free.”

Steph looked away. They'd arrived at the empty corral, so she mumbled, “I'm not gonna bother her. She's got enough to think about with the
wedding.
”

As Brooke leaned over to open the gate, she winced at the sarcastic emphasis on “wedding.” Okay, enough of that. Hopefully, she'd planted some seeds. Once they'd gone through, and she closed the gate behind Steph, she gave the girl a challenging look. “We've got a little thaw today, so the ground will be muddy. After a warm-up, let's see how fast you can go.”

Steph brightened immediately and trotted her horse over to take the starting position.

After the lesson and Steph's departure, Brooke was oating Sugar before letting her loose in the pasture with the other horses when Nate approached her.

He glanced out in the yard, where they could just see the taillights of Steph's horse trailer disappear down the road into dusk.

“So . . . how'd it go?” he asked, leaning oh so casually against a stall.

She eyed him with amusement. “Steph is going to be a champion someday, if I have anything to say about it.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I thought you didn't want me talking to her?” Brooke asked innocently. “You know, I might goof things up worse.”

“I didn't say that. And I know you can't keep your mouth shut. So how'd it go?”

She smiled. “Okay, I guess. She didn't want to talk about Em or the wedding much. I just brought up the gowns we might wear as an ‘us bridesmaids' kind of thing. I suggested the Chess Club go to the bakery for their snacks.”

Nate's brows lifted. “Chess Club?”

Laughing, she explained the misleading name.

“That was a good idea,” he admitted.

“Don't look so surprised,” she said lightly. “I do have them now and again.”

He reached around and tugged her braid. “I know.”

She swatted at his arm, and he just grinned. When he walked away, Brooke couldn't help staring after him and shaking her head. It was rather amusing how desperate her playboy brother was to get married.

A
fter helping a couple tourists park in the right spot for the sleigh ride, Adam almost walked into the barn when he caught sight of Nate and Brooke talking. He backed out again before they saw him. Nate had assigned him some mechanic work in the truck shed, and he wasn't quite done.

When he saw Nate leave the barn, he went in and found Brooke hanging up her tack.

She glanced at him and shook her head. “Surely you're not interested in how my talk with Steph went.”

“Not really. I don't have too many fond memories of the teenager I was.”

“I think you're being too hard on yourself. You straightened out . . . some.”

He shrugged. “And your brother may want to get married in a hurry, but it's not like he's spending his nights alone.”

Brooke laughed. “No, but they don't live together. He loves her and wants to be with her.” She tapped his chest as she walked past him out of the tack room. “Don't tell me you're complaining about spending your nights alone.”

“Not me. It's peaceful.”

“Then why are you bothering me?” she asked in a lighthearted tone. “Tomorrow's Thanksgiving, and I have lots to do.” She moved to the barn door and paused. “Did my mom invite you to Thanksgiving supper tomorrow night?”

“You don't want me to be there,” he said, knowing it was for the best.

She didn't deny it, only met his gaze then, and as usual, he couldn't look away. He could get lost there, forget where he was—forget what she wanted. He wasn't sure he knew anymore what
he
wanted from Brooke.

“But I don't want you alone on the holiday,” she admitted at last.