Running Home (Warm Springs Trilogy Book 2)

by Christina Kirby

  “Jen?”

  “Um-hmm.” When she looked up, she saw that James had set his fork to the side and was staring at her. She glanced around wondering what she’d missed. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, but I was thinking. I know when I mentioned to you before about taking a long weekend, you said you didn’t know if you could because of the wedding,” he waited for her nod of confirmation and then continued, “I understand. And, in truth, I’m going to be busy for the next several weeks, too, but I think after the wedding we need to get away.”

  Jenny shifted in her chair and then made herself stop. She should be happy he wanted to get away with her, not dreading it like she was about to get the firing squad. “You’re right. We should.”

  “Promise me, we’ll go.” His dark eyes were intense and a hint of desperation crept into his voice.

  Her heart ached at the reserve she felt at the thought of going away with James. “We’ll go after the wedding. I promise.”

  “Excellent.” He slapped a hand on the table and made her jump. “I think this is what we need right now. You know, after all this Hamilton business. Speaking of which,” he picked his fork back up and scooped up more rice. “How much longer is he going to be making you cater to his every need?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not catering to anyone,” Jenny tossed her hair over her shoulder, “but to answer your question, I’m hoping tomorrow will be our last day out looking. I’ve shown him every existing property in a ten mile radius and so far, none have been right.” She remembered the way Adam took in the house where she’d left him stranded. How his mouth had gone slack and his eyes glazed over. It was a beautiful house. She made a mental note to ask him what his drawbacks about the house were. There hadn’t exactly been time to ask when she’d been driving away.

  “Getting rid of Hamilton can’t happen fast enough.”

  Jenny laughed. “You make it sound like I’ll never see him again.”

  “Why would you?” James’ eyes drew together. There was no humor in his expression.

  “We live in a small town,” she spoke gently as if to a child. “I’m sure I’ll run into him from time to time.”

  James stood and carried his plate to the sink, his back rigid again. “Well, if I have anything to say about it, you won’t be here.”

  She wasn’t used to seeing James’ temper. But, something about Adam brought out a side of James she didn’t particularly like.

  She stood. “Why do you say that? Where else would I be?”

  “Not here.”

  “James—”

  He dropped his dish in the sink with a loud clank. “Let’s just drop it, okay? I’m tired of talking about him.”

  Adam remained quiet as he rode in Jenny’s car to the second and final property she had to show him. The first house was a no-go and to top the morning off, Jenny was back to being professional and prickly.

  His hands balled into fists where they were resting on his knees. “Okay, that’s it. What’s going on?”

  She glanced at him and then returned her attention to the road. It was mostly deserted, but occasionally a lone tractor could be found rolling along. Getting lost in Adam’s stare was a road hazard waiting to cause damage. “What?”

  “With you. What’s going on with you?” He turned in his seat. “One minute it’s like we’re almost friends and having a good time and the next, you’re treating me like a stranger and using this strained smile that makes it look like you’re auditioning for a toothpaste commercial.”

  She smirked. “A toothpaste commercial, really?”

  “Hey, don’t knock it. I dated a hand model once. Lots of soap and lotion ads. There are stranger things.”

  “Clearly.”

  The tense mood inside the car relaxed a notch, but the invisible canyon separating them remained. “Seriously, Jennifer, what’s up?”

  She didn’t answer him right away. After a few silent minutes passed, he wondered if she was going to at all, but then she parked in front of a large green house, turned toward him and sighed. “It’s complicated.”

  “I haven’t been hit in the head with too many balls. I think I can keep up, if you want to explain it to me.”

  She grinned and tucked her hair behind her ears. A gesture he’d watched her do a million times, and one he wanted to watch a million more.

  “I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but it all boils down to you. Every issue in my life right now has you at the root of the problem.”

  He rubbed a hand over his beard. “What did I do exactly?”

  “You came home.”

  His eyes opened wide as he stared. The weary look on her face cut him to shreds. She wasn’t mad. She just looked tired.

  A trickle of dread began to pool in his heart. He’d never meant to mess up her life. He just wanted to be a part of it. They held each other’s gazes across the span of the front seat, cut off from the world outside. Jenny glanced at the house, lost in thoughts he could no longer read.

  “These ‘issues’ in your life I’ve somehow brought on, what are they and what can I do to help you?”

  She laughed, but this time there was no humor in it. “Well, for starters, there’s James.”

  Adam did his best not to flinch. Her boyfriend was the last person he wanted to talk about.

  “He isn’t thrilled with how much time I’ve been spending with you. And you know what? I can’t even blame him. How would I feel if some beautiful woman he used to date showed up and started monopolizing all of his time?”

  “Does that make me the beautiful one in this scenario?”

  “Let’s not get carried away.” She shook her head and sent her earrings swinging. “Anyway, aside from James, there’s work. I’ve been spending all of my time on you, which is fine, but you don’t seem overly interested in any of the houses I’ve shown you,” she paused to suck in a breath. “Which means, that yet again, I’m going to lose my chance to win the Top Seller Award.” She flexed her fingers on the steering wheel. “I’m sorry, Adam. It isn’t fair of me to put all my personal stuff on you. It’s not like it’s your fault. And, who really cares about some stupid award?”

  “It would seem that you do.” Guilt blossomed in his chest until he was queasy. Wasn’t it his fault? He knew what he was doing dragging her out day after day to look at house after house. He’d used house hunting as a way to spend time with her. And at dinner, James had made his opinion of Adam’s return crystal clear. “Jenny, I don’t know what I can do to help here. It’s not like I’m going to call your boyfriend, who I don’t particularly care for, and try to explain myself.”

  “Please don’t,” she held up her hands. “I can handle my own relationship. I’ve already agreed to go away with him for a long weekend after Sam’s wedding. I just have to make it until then and it’ll all work out like it should.”

  Adam opened the door and climbed out. He needed air. Or, a drink. Something to erase what she’d just said. The thought of her off somewhere stretched out on a sandy beach with James was more than he could stomach.

  A car door opened and slammed shut. “Are you, okay?” Jenny rounded the front of the car.

  “I’m fine. It was stuffy in there.” He kicked at a weed starting to grow where the driveway met the yard. He guessed he was the unwelcome weed in Jenny’s life. “Explain this award to me. What’s it about?”

  “It’s given out each year to the realtor with the most sales at the end of the third quarter. It’s done by region, and this year it’s between me and another girl.”

  “And, if you sell me a house, will you win?”

  “Most likely.” Jenny’s shoes clicked against the concrete as she started to pace. “But, that’s not a reason for you to buy a house. We need to find one you like. A place where y
ou’ll be happy. Somewhere you can call home.”

  She stopped and wrung her hands. “I didn’t mean to complain, Adam. I’m more than happy to help you find a house. We can look for a year if we need to.”

  His mouth turned up at the corners thinking about living at the hotel for a year. If Betsy was in charge of his meals, he’d gain a hundred pounds. He hooked his thumbs through the belt loops on his jeans. “Do you get anything with the award? Some sort of bonus or something?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “It’s just the award.” She started to pace again. “It probably seems silly to you.”

  He studied her face and the way she couldn’t hold still. “Why’s it so important to you?”

  “Who says it is?”

  “I know you.” It was a simple truth she didn’t bother to deny. No matter how much time had passed, that part of their relationship hadn’t changed.

  Instead of blowing the question off like he thought she would, she stopped pacing and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve wanted it for years as proof I’ve done something with my life. Something that’s all my own.” Color rose in her cheeks. “I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted after you left. My dreams were so tangled up in yours, I didn’t remember what mine were or if I even had any that didn’t revolve around you.” Her eyes turned sad. “You tore my world apart, and I’m afraid you’re about to do it again.”

  He stared at her as though he’d been slapped, and his shoulders slumped under the weight of her words. He’d wanted so much for his dreams to be hers, to share everything with her. Putting the house and Jenny to his back, he started for the car. “Set up a closing.”

  A crease formed between her eyes. “What?”

  “I said, set up a closing. Pick the house you like the best out of the ones you’ve shown me and set it up.”

  “Adam, that’s crazy,” she said, eyes wide. “It’s your house.”

  He shrugged and closed the door. It was time he stopped playing games. Destroying her life had never been part of his plan. If he didn’t have her, which house he ended up in wouldn’t matter.

  Her door opened a moment later, the air filling with a combination of her fresh linen scent and the outdoors. “We didn’t even see this last one.”

  “You and I both know this isn’t the house for me.” He swallowed. “Jenny, I’d tell you that I never meant to disrupt your life, but that wouldn’t be true. That’s exactly what I wanted to do. Well, not exactly. I never intended to cause problems, just get your attention. I wanted to know you again.”

  “But, why? What is it you want, Adam?” Her voice grew earnest. “If it’s just a matter of gaining my forgiveness, you’ve got it. It’s in the past. Is that all you want from me?”

  It was his turn to look out the window. A lone bird hung suspended in the air as it floated on a breeze, making flying look simple. The same way Adam thought putting the life he wanted back together would be simple. He’d never been more wrong.

  Tearing his eyes away from the sky, he focused on Jenny. “Isn’t it obvious?” He waited for realization to dawn on her. “It’s you, Jenny. I came back for you.”

  “Adam . . .” Her voice was a whisper of disbelief.

  “If you were living somewhere else, I’d have gone there.”

  Different emotions played across her face: shock, sadness, disbelief.

  “I realize I was stupid to think you’d drop everything for me. I guess I just hoped, but you’ve made a good life for yourself and you seem happy so, like I said, set up a closing and I’ll be there. After our business is finished, I’ll do my best to leave you alone. It’s the least I can do after wreaking havoc. Twice.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Then don’t. Just drive.”

  Chapter 10

  “You look terrible.”

  “Gee thanks, Spencer.” Sarcasm hung in the air while Adam kept his eyes on the pitching machine about to launch the next ball. A clang interrupted the hum of the motor when a ball fell into place and flew toward him. It met his bat with a loud crack and hit the fence.

  Spencer whistled. “Sorry, didn’t realize you were blowing off steam.”

  Adam hit another ball and then glanced over where Spencer was hanging off the fence, his fingers bent through the metal. They’d stood that way before, years ago, Spencer or Jake against the fence in a baseball hat waiting their turn in the cage. Sometimes teasing each other or making plans for the upcoming weekend. It felt the same as it did back then except Spencer had gone from being rail thin and rowdy to laid back and filled out. But, he still wore his ever present baseball hat pulled low over his eyes.

  “Ignore me.” Adam gripped the bat in his hands; his callouses fitting against the handle with ingrained precision. “I’m just in a bad mood.”

  “It’s cool. I get it.”

  When he swung again with all his strength, he let out a yell as the bat made contact with the ball.

  “Do you, uh, want to talk about it?”

  Adam rubbed the back of his hand over his forehead. “Not really.”

  “Good. You know I’m no good at talking about feelings.”

  “Even now, Mr. Almost Married Man?”

  Spencer snorted and pushed off the fence, making the chain links rattle. “Yeah, well, you’re not exactly as good lookin’ as Sam.”

  “You’ve got me there.” Adam hit another ball and then another, until the machine ran out and his body ached. As he walked over to turn it off, he rolled his sore shoulder. The dull pain a constant reminder of the life he’d lost.

  He swung his bat up until it came to rest against his neck and walked over where Spencer waited. “I met Sam last week. She and Jenny were at the gym. Sam seems great. Definitely too good for you.”

  Spencer grinned like a fool, and Adam found himself trying not to feel envious. He hadn’t spoken to Jenny in almost a week and her absence was taking its toll, but he would be true to his word. He said he’d stay away and that’s what he was doing. He was avoiding the gym, most restaurants, and anywhere else he thought she might be.

  “What’re you doing up here?” Adam asked.

  “I was driving by and saw your truck. Thought I’d invite you to come out and play ball with a group of us tonight. Jake will be there and a few of the other guys from the old high school team.” Spencer stepped back as Adam exited the batting cage and sat on the metal bench. “It might help take your mind off whatever it is that’s bugging you. Or, whoever it is.”

  “I thought we weren’t talking about it?”

  “I’m not. We’re not.” Spencer held up his hands and backed away. “Look, just come out tonight. Seven at the rec fields.”

  Adam waved and took a sip of his water. It wasn’t a bad idea. Playing ball with the guys might be just what he needed to stop thinking about Jenny. For at least a little while anyway. Wiping his face with a towel, he tossed his bag into the back of his truck and started the engine.

  As he drove with the windows down, the breeze brought with it the smell of freshly cut hay. He turned onto a back road, using the detour through the country to help him relax. Dragonflies darted in front of his truck in jerking movements as the sun reflected off of their shiny wings. Small orange butterflies fluttered over tall grass. Grasshoppers launched into the air as he passed. After a few miles of deserted road and rolling hills, he settled into his seat and starting thinking about what it would be like to have land of his own.

  Did he want cattle or horses? Would he use his land to plant corn or cotton, maybe hay of his own? Having options was both exciting and sad. Where most of his friends were knee deep in their careers, he was in his thirties and starting over. He leaned his head back and sighed. He wasn’t exactly offering Jenny the world. Why would she want to walk away from a man who had a steady job
for a man who was floundering?

  Adam tapped the wheel with his thumb. Self-doubt was new to him and not a feeling he particularly liked. Regardless of his lack of vocation, Jenny should be with him because he loved her. It was plain and simple. But knowing Jenny, stepping back was the only way. She wasn’t someone who liked to be pushed. She knew her own mind. Hell, it was one of the things he liked and respected most about her.

  In the distance, he could see huge bales of hay sporadically placed across pasture after pasture. The dotted landscape stretching as far as the eye could see. Some cows near a fence watched him with droopy eyes as he passed, giving him little more than a light swish of their tails. Adam rested his elbow on the door and tapped the roof of his truck as one of his favorite songs came on the radio, carrying him away to another place in time.

  He sang along, off-key and loud. By the time the song finished, he was parking at the hotel and some of the bad temper he’d been battling had faded away.

  “Are you going to sit in that truck all night or what?” called a familiar voice.

  Adam’s head snapped up. Standing at the top of the stairs in front of the hotel door was his sister, Avery. Her brown hair was cut short and her T-shirt was too big, one side hanging off her shoulder, but there was something else. He stared at her another minute which earned him an exasperated foot tap. Then it hit him. She looked older; no longer the tomboy chasing after him and his friends. Even with the short hair and baggy clothes, she looked like a woman instead of a little girl. The thought struck him as odd. Obviously, he’d known she would grow up, but he wasn’t sure he was ready.

  “I was thinking about it.”