True Love at Silver Creek Ranch (25 page)

“I'm trying to believe that. And I'm better, I promise.”

“I'm glad to hear that. Does Brooke know?”

“Brooke?” he asked nonchalantly.

“I may be old, but I'm not blind.”

“Apparently you're not the only one,” he said, shaking his head with amusement. “Our secret relationship is getting not so secret.”

“That's your business, of course. But does she know about your past?”

“I told her, yeah. But we're not like that, Grandma. It's . . . casual.”

She pressed her lips together, obviously hiding a smile, saying, “Uh-huh,” as if she thought him silly. “So you won't be spendin' your first Christmas together?”

“I—first Christmas?” he echoed.

“It's in a few days, you know,” she said, speaking as slowly as if he were a kindergartener.

“She'll be with her family, and I'll be with you.”

“Well, I appreciate that, of course, but you can invite her over.”

“We haven't talked about it yet.” He wanted to see her Christmas Day, to share the holiday.
Patience,
he told himself again, although right now he felt anything but.

“So what are you buyin' her?”

“A sweater or something.”

“I see.” She raised both hands. “Far be it from me to tell you what to do, Adam Desantis. Now just sit there and let me fetch you some pie for dessert.”

“I can get it myself.” He stood up, then bent to kiss her soft cheek. “Thanks for worrying about me. I've caused you a lot of that over the years.”

She smiled up at him gently. “Without family to worry about, life would be empty, Adam. You remember that. I won't be here forever, and I want to know you have a family of your own. Just be open to the possibilities.”

Brooke appeared in his mind, a flash of different images—balancing on hay bales at his side, her grin full of knowledge and certainty; riding her horse at full speed around the barrels; the way her face lit with excitement when she worked with the kids; and lastly, when she lay beneath him in bed, soft and womanly and vulnerable.

He'd wondered if he was falling in love with her, but there was no lying to himself anymore. He did love her. Now to find the best way to tell her.

Chapter Twenty-three

B
rooke attended the preservation-fund-committee meeting held at the Sugar and Spice the next night. The widows had come up with a wacky idea of a protest for the town-council meeting two days before Christmas, and delegated her the job of keeping Adam away. Mrs. Palmer didn't want her grandson knowing she was more fit than she pretended. Brooke felt guilty admitting to herself that even she didn't want Adam to know the truth. She wanted to have him all to herself for a little longer.

She sat alone that night with the lights off except for the Christmas tree, and the lights of the candles in her window. She heard carolers singing their way down Main Street, and she watched the happiness of the holiday season below her window as people came out to enjoy the music.

She hummed a Christmas song, trying to cheer herself up, remembering that she and Adam were exclusive now, and maybe they could be more. But alone in the dark, her doubts suddenly swelled. How had her secret wild fling turned into a love that might not end as happily as she wanted?

T
wo days before Christmas, Adam still couldn't believe how cheerful Tyler was. Now that the kid knew his brother was trying to straighten out his life, the surliness and anger had loosened their hold on him. Tyler actually hummed while he worked, not a complaint in sight. He even confided in Adam that he hoped the Thalbergs would offer him a part-time job when his community service was done.

Adam did his Christmas shopping although it had been harder to buy for Brooke than he'd imagined. Nothing seemed right—clothes were too casual, and jewelry seemed too presumptuous. But he got her a little of each, feeling dissatisfied. He'd stared too long at engagement rings but figured Brooke didn't like surprises.

She had an errand in town, and had left him with a list of chores that had taken him well into the dinner hour. He was just closing up the barn when Mr. Thalberg came down from the house.

“You still workin', Adam?” he asked.

“Just finished up, sir.”

“Brooke or Josh around?”

“No, sir.”

Mr. Thalberg shook his head and rocked back on his heels. “All these ‘sirs' are hard to take. You can just call me Doug.”

“Thank you, sir—Doug.”

He chuckled. “It's a start. So my kids are gone, and I seem to have lost my wife. I think she might have gone to the town-council meetin'. You want to go into town with me and look for everyone? We could get a bite to eat.”

“Sounds good. Give me a minute to change.”

On the drive into town, Doug asked him, “So are you stayin' in Valentine after the holidays? You just got out—I know it takes time to make plans and decisions. I just wanted you to know you've got a job with us as long as you want.”

Adam glanced at him in surprise. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” But would Brooke want him to stay when he told her he was in love with her?

As they crossed the bridge over Silver Creek, Adam could see the lit-up town hall pointing toward the sky, with the immense Christmas trees like sentinels on each side. “The town-council meeting must be another big one. There are lots of cars parked on the streets. I'm surprised Brooke didn't mentioned it,” he mused, remembering the meeting he'd attended a couple weeks before.

“Is that a crowd out front?” Doug asked. “I'm going to pull over here.”

The sidewalks were pretty clear of snow as they walked the final block past the Huang house and others. The crowd was getting thicker; Adam heard laughter and cheering, and when that briefly faded, the sound of raised voices in protest.

He and Doug exchanged concerned frowns.

They passed the local-history museum, and someone had a cart out front selling hot chocolate and giant pretzels.

“It's almost like a street fair in the dead of winter,” Adam said.

They pushed past a few loosely gathered clumps of people, all of whom were laughing and pointing. Then Doug and Adam came to a stop. Dozens of people were marching in a long circle in front of town hall. They were holding signs that read, “Don't Discriminate Against Women,” and “Women Need Pretty Panties.”

Adam could see everyone he knew, from the widows to Brooke and her best friends, even the Chess Club and its outcasts, Tyler and Steph. He realized they were marching around an aspen tree—with bras hanging from it.

Doug started to laugh.

“What the hell—?” Adam began.

“It's a bra tree,” Doug said. “Do you ski?”

Bewildered, Adam shook his head.

“Skiers pick a tree beneath a chairlift and people drop things on it through the season, like long beads—and bras. It's a holdover from the sixties. I'm thinkin' these bras are for Leather and Lace.”

As Adam watched, openmouthed, Monica used her red lace bra like a slingshot, and it wrapped around a branch with unerring accuracy. The crowd cheered. Then Tyler scrambled up into the tree, pulling a string of lights behind him.

Adam knew the moment Brooke saw him because her sign faltered, and she looked sheepish. Then, with a mutinous pout, she tossed her sign, pulled her arms inside her own coat, and with a wiggle that had the crowd laughing, she pulled out her polka-dotted bra and tossed it up into the tree.

Adam realized there was more than one sturdy old-lady bra up there, too. He saw his grandma next, holding up a sign with ease, no cane in sight. When their gazes met, she looked a bit guilty, but she only held her “I Wear Leather and Lace” sign higher and kept marching.

And then Adam started to laugh, so hard that tears eventually ran down his face. He saw Sandy Thalberg, holding a cane with one hand, and tossing a bra with the other. Mayor Galimi, arms folded across her chest where she stood at the top of the town-hall steps, was obviously trying not to laugh herself, even as her brother droned into her ear, gesturing at the demonstration wildly.

Brooke walked toward Doug and Adam, wearing a grin. “Hi, Dad!”

“Your mother should have told me the demonstration would be so exciting,” Doug said dryly. “I might have changed my mind about comin'.” He walked past them toward Sandy.

Brooke smiled up at Adam. “My part in this plot failed.”

He wiped tears from his eyes, still chuckling. “I don't know—your bra landed the highest.”

“No, I was supposed to assign you enough work to keep you away, on orders from your grandma.”

“Why?” he asked in disbelief.

She silently pointed. Grandma Palmer was practically doing a two-step in line, smiling and waving as people took pictures. Her coat sagged open, a bold red poinsettia pattern on her vivid green dress.

“So you knew about her robust health, too?” he asked, shaking his head.

She gaped at him. “You
knew
? I suspected almost from the beginning. I was afraid to tell you, afraid you'd leave if you knew she didn't need you. She
does
need you—you know that, right?”

He focused on her lovely face, the tension she didn't hide. The cheering crowd seemed to fade away until there was only the two of them. “What makes you think I'm leaving?” he asked softly.

“You came because you thought she was ill,” she said, her expression confused and wary. “Now that you know the truth—”

“I've been staying for you, too.”

He saw the way her eyes softened and shone with tears that glittered under Christmas lights. She caught her lip between her teeth.

“Really?” she whispered.

“I'm gonna kiss you right now.” They stepped toward each other, then he grimaced. “Let's go find your parents first.”

“But—”

He caught her hand and tugged her with him until they found Doug and Sandy standing together. Sandy leaned against her husband like he was all the support she'd ever need.

“Mr. Thalberg—I mean Doug,” Adam began. “I'd like to date your daughter.”

He heard Brooke gasp, but he didn't let go of her hand.

“If you want me to get another job,” Adam continued, “I'd understand, her being my boss and all.”

“Don't worry about it.” Doug gave a loud sigh even as his wife laughed.

“I win!” she told her husband. “Now pay up.”

Brooke gaped at her parents. “You were betting on whether we were dating?”

“Hell no, we already guessed that,” Doug said in a grumpy voice, pulling out his wallet. “We were bettin' on when you'd finally admit it.”

“I guessed you'd tell the truth before Christmas,” Sandy said smugly. “I didn't think you'd be able to wait, what with all the gift-buying.”

Adam and Brooke stared at each other, and his relief changed over to a kind of excitement he hadn't felt in a long time, the excitement of new beginnings and hope—and even the spirit of family at Christmas.

Adam pulled Brooke into his arms and kissed her, right in front of everyone. He imagined the cheering might even be for them.

E
veryone converged on the Widows' Boardinghouse after the protest, and Brooke was grinning so much she felt like her cheeks would soon break. The town council had ruled that Leather and Lace wasn't pornography and could apply for a permit to do business.

In the living room, Grandma Palmer was already hard at work on her tablet computer coordinating the next phase of their attack.

“Nice iPad,” Adam said dryly.

Grandma Palmer gave him a saucy grin. “I hid it because I wanted you to think I was behind the times, as well as feeble.”

He rolled his eyes.

Brooke kept her hand in his, even as she asked his grandma, “So what's the preservation committee's plan?”

Grandma Thalberg and Mrs. Ludlow clinked beer mugs over the head of their roommate, who laughed.

Grandma Palmer said, “I think we'll be orderin' some Christmas gifts from Leather and Lace for the women on the town council, as well as the wives of the councilmen. They all deserve a nice thank-you.”

Josh raised a beer. “Here, here! The store better get its permit because I'm already working on orders for it.”

“Tell me details!” Brooke demanded.

Whitney Winslow appeared out of the crowd and tugged Josh away by the elbow. “That's proprietary information,” she called over her shoulder. “You'll just have to wait and see.”

Brooke winced. “Do I even want to know?”

“Of course you do,” Adam said, laughing. “But you're sneaking around on your own.”

Brooke pulled him closer and pointed. “Look, there's Steph—with Emily! Have you ever seen such an animated conversation? My brother is doing his best not to look bored, so it must be wedding details.”

“It's about time,” Adam said. “All this fuss because of a teenager.”

“I can't believe
you
have the nerve to say that! And I'd rather see Nate bored than giving us dirty looks, now that we're out in the open.”

Adam shrugged. “It wasn't too bad. He gave me the big-brother speech, but his handshake was firm enough, and I thought he was hiding a smile.”

“That's good,” Brooke said with relief.

Tyler appeared through the crowd. “Hey, Adam, I didn't get a chance to thank you for standing up for me with the Chess Club. They let me back in on probation. Maybe you can talk to Mr. Sweet about Steph . . . ?”

“Forget it,” Adam countered. “Only you can prove yourself to a woman's father.”

Tyler grumbled halfheartedly as he walked away.

Brooke felt all mushy inside as she smiled up at Adam. “You're pretty good with kids.”

He tugged her toward the front hall, where they had a little privacy. “So are you.”

“I know. I even talked to my dad about building an indoor riding arena,” she admitted. “I never thought I could be this happy, finding something for me and starting over.”

He smiled down at her, his eyes laughing in a way they never had before.

“You seem at peace with yourself,” Adam said. “No more uncertainty or doubts.”

“I could say the same about you.”

He shrugged and leaned against the wall in the front hall. “I won't forget the hurt because it will always be with me, but . . . I'm alive. How can I not do justice to that? I want to start over, to live life looking forward, not back.” And then his gaze searched her face. “I want that life to be with you.”

“You do?” she whispered breathlessly.

“I fell in love with you, Brooke. I think you worked some kind of magic on me.”

She laughed, even as she quickly wiped her eyes. “I love you, too, Adam.”

They looked at each other for a moment, full of wonder. She could sense a world of possibilities opening up before them.

“You felt you'd never have a real family,” she said. “But Christmas is almost here. Let me share my family with you.”

And there was even more to share, a tender kiss of promise. Brooke couldn't help overhearing her dad say, “They don't look like they're just startin' to date.”

Her mom shushed him.