Hometown Hearts

by Jillian Hart

  “I’ve met your brother. He’s a good man.”

  “Sure, but he used to be more than a little gruff. Maybe that’s why I have no trouble putting up with you.” She couldn’t resist a little humor. “I have practice with surly and distant men.”

  “I deserved that.” Humility looked good on him. “I appreciate your effort.”

  “You should. I’ve donated a lot of my time to your daughters’ causes.” It was easier to jest than to say what she really felt. Getting to know Adam and his girls had been her privilege.

  “I can see the writing on the wall. One day I’m not going to be able to stop the inevitable from happening.”

  “Which is?”

  “Adding a pet to this family.” One corner of his mouth curved into the most stunning grin ever. Dimples cut into his cheeks and manly crinkles etched the corners of his eyes.

  A shimmery sensation swept through her, as if those earlier soda pop fizzes had turned into sun-caught glitter. The back of her throat ached at the purity of the emotion.

  This had to be friendship, she thought stubbornly. She couldn’t let it be anything else.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Are you sure you can’t stay?” Julianna implored. “Please?”

  “Please?” Jenny added oomph to her sister’s plea.

  “I wish.” Cheyenne did her best to brace against the force of both girls with their pleading doe eyes. Not an easy thing to do and she failed miserably. “I have to go home and help with the haying. I promised my dad.”

  “Oh, bummer.” Julianna sighed dramatically.

  “Double bummer,” Jenny concurred. “Are you sure you have to go?”

  “I have to help out at home. It’s haying season.” She didn’t want to leave, not at all, and that stunned her. That could not be good. She squared her shoulders, searched through her pockets for her truck keys and headed for the front door.

  “It’s dinnertime.” Adam caught up to her in the living room. “Please stay. I’m grilling turkey burgers.”

  “Tempting, but time to escape, I mean, head out. The haying.”

  “Yes, I heard. Are you okay? You’re walking really fast.”

  Pay no attention to his dimples. She fingered through her keys for the right one, although she was nowhere near her truck. She wanted to make a fast escape before she followed her desire to stay. “Just in a hurry. Getting a little cardio in on the way to the truck.”

  “What you aren’t saying is that you didn’t have time to stop and help with the kitten.” Conversationally, he opened the door, probably unaware that she was having trouble breathing.

  “No.” The word came out garbled, hardly sounding like a legitimate word. Something seemed to be stuck beneath her rib cage and she couldn’t dislodge it. Embarrassing. “I mean, I had time.”

  “But not enough to stay?” He followed her out onto the tiny porch.

  “A storm is moving in.” She gripped the porch’s handrail for dear life as she staggered down the steps. Amber flecks of light threatened to charm her more thoroughly. Don’t look directly at them, or they will suck you in like the vortex of a black hole and there will be no chance of escape. “That’s life on a ranch. We’ve got to get hay cut, dried and baled while the sun shines.”

  “But there’s big clouds coming in.” Julianna tromped ahead into the gravel driveway, still damp from her journey into the irrigation ditch. “Is the hay going to get all wet?”

  “That’s why I’ve got a date with the baler and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

  “That’s my favorite,” Julianna spoke up.

  “One of mine, too.” Cheyenne smiled at the girl, drawing her close for a hug. She couldn’t resist the tender wave of emotion filling her to the brim. She held out her free arm and drew Jenny in before releasing them. More tenderness, but she denied that, too. When it came to denial, she reigned supreme. Adam had a dulling effect on her skill, so she would have to step up her game. “I’m so proud of both of you today helping Wiggles. Irrigation ditches are dangerous for kids, but you were very wise and careful.”

  “Jenny made sure I didn’t fall in. She held my hand so I could reach down and get Wiggles.”

  “We worked together,” Jenny said with a touch of maturity.

  “Excellent.” She had the truck key in hand.

  “It was a privilege to see the famed Dr. Granger at work.” Adam opened the truck door, his gaze like a lasso to her soul.

  She had better find a stronger level of denial because if she didn’t, the consequences might be devastating. The trick was not to look directly at him. “Famed, me? Hardly. Notorious, maybe. A bit disreputable.”

  “More like illustrious.” The molasses rumble of his laughter was incredibly hard to resist. She set her chin, gripped her keys tightly and pointed her gaze at the truck’s empty seat where she should have been sitting. For some unexplained reason she couldn’t take those few steps to climb in. He leaned in so close she could see the beginnings of a five-o’clock shadow on his jaw. “Thanks for coming when my girls called you.”

  “Hey, they are tops on my list.” She wanted that to sound breezy and confident, instead of a desperate response from a woman plotting her escape. If she could just convince her right foot to inch forward, she could hop onto the running board but it was momentarily impossible because her denial skills sapped all her available energy.

  “That’s something else we have in common.” Adam’s rugged voice held a note of closeness. If she bridged the scant distance between them, her emotions would tumble in a free fall she would not be able to stop.

  Leave while you can, she thought, desperately praying her foot would finally obey her. She wasn’t sure if she’d regained control of her voluntary movement or not because Adam chose that moment to move in and wrap his fingers like a band around her arm. Lights danced in front of her eyes and her denial shattered, the only defense she had against him. Her shoe landed on the running board and she plopped onto the leather seat, staring at the steering wheel in confusion.

  Nothing felt the same. Not one thing. The sky was still blue, enormous white thunderheads continued to gather at the horizon and Adam’s caring gaze hadn’t altered as his fingers unwound from her arm. Although he no longer touched her, it felt as if he did. The connection she felt, the closeness of a bond she didn’t know how to describe lingered like the last notes of a hymn that would not fade.

  What did she do now?

  “Will you be putting the hay in bales tomorrow, too?” Julianna asked, up on tiptoe, her wide brown eyes full of an unspoken need Cheyenne tried not to interpret.

  “No. I’m on tractor duty early, early in the morning and seeing Cady in the afternoon.” She plugged her key into the ignition but didn’t turn it. The alarm chimed since the door was wide-open. “I’ll look for you in church in the morning. Wave if you see me.”

  “Since you couldn’t stay for dinner tonight, maybe you could come the day after tomorrow. You know, as a thank-you for helping us with Wiggles.” Jenny shared a secret look with her little sister before she edged up on Adam’s other side. “We really want to thank you. It’s important.”

  “Oh. Well.” Her forehead crinkled as she thought. “As long as it’s important, sure.”

  “I see I’m not the only one who has problems saying no to them.” He closed her door, unable to take his gaze from her. The softly slanting light adored her, making her ivory complexion luminous and emphasizing the dainty slope of her nose. “The girls are right, we owe you for coming when we called.”

  “I’m going to have to start billing you. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Her wink and her lighthearted shrug stole him completely. He could fight his feelings, he could try to keep from admitting the truth but it didn’t change the inevitable.

  “You know where to send the statement,” he quipped in return. “Although a word of warning. I may be a credit risk.”

  “You look like the type.” She buckled up, me
rriment so sweet the hold she had on him cinched up tight. The engine purred to life and she put the truck in gear. “See you all later. You girls text me so I know how you like the horse books.”

  “We will,” Jenny promised as Julianna bounced on her toes, waving. “Bye!”

  Goodbye was one word he didn’t want to say to Cheyenne. It seemed as if the sun stopped shining and the color faded from the day as she drove away.

  “Oh, I just love her.” Julianna sighed.

  I do, too, he almost said but caught himself in time. There was no fighting his feelings or changing them. They remained like the sky above, fathomless and forever.

  “Come, girls, let’s go inside.” He put an arm around them both, realizing he wasn’t the only one staring down the empty driveway already missing Cheyenne. His soul leaned after her, no longer complete.

  A knock rapped on her bedroom door before dawn. She startled awake in the middle of dreaming she was racing down the hall late for her final exam, her typical anxiety dream, the one that haunted her whenever she had too much on her mind. She tossed back the covers, the rustle loud in the quiet bedroom. Was it her imagination or had someone knocked on her door?

  “Cheyenne? Rise and shine, sweetheart.” Dad sounded chipper on the other side of that knock. “You up?”

  “Yes.” Not that she was prepared to move a muscle, but at least she opened her eyes. Predawn twilight filtered through the curtains. She felt as if she’d been dragged by a horse for three miles as she summoned her strength and climbed out of bed.

  Where did her first thoughts go? They rolled right back around to yesterday afternoon when Adam had helped her into the truck. Her head swam at the memory.

  Would falling for him really be that big of a disaster? The calm question whispered through her soul as she tugged on a pair of socks and stepped into a pair of jeans. Was there really some part of her that believed having feelings for Adam wouldn’t be doom? Or was that calm voice a heavenly one?

  “I hope not, Lord.” She truly appreciated God’s guidance but how could her feelings for Adam be a good thing? She yanked on a rumpled T-shirt and grabbed her hoody. Birds began to sing as she opened the door, ready for barn chores, stumbled into the bathroom she shared with Addy and grabbed her toothbrush.

  For starters, Adam was only in town for the summer. By the time the school year started, he and his daughters would be back in New York going about their regular lives. She squeezed mint striped toothpaste onto the bristles and started brushing. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, auburn hair tangled, bags under her eyes—she was clearly not at her best. If he saw her now, he would definitely take off for New York sooner rather than later.

  “Cheyenne! Breakfast.” The door into Addy’s room popped open, adorable with her fresh-faced cheer. “Dad’s making pancakes. Hurry.”

  “Coming.” She spit into the sink, rinsed out her mouth and dropped her toothbrush in the holder. Addy’s footsteps trotted ahead of hers as they followed the aroma of sizzling sausage links, cooking pancakes and fresh coffee.

  “There you are.” Dad glanced up from the griddle with a spatula in hand. “I was about to eat the whole stack myself.”

  “Morning, Dad.” Addy sailed around the breakfast counter and grabbed the coffee carafe with complete gratitude. “Caffeine. Just what I need. Oh, Mrs. G. remembered to get the coffee creamer I like. She’s a total keeper.”

  “Glad you think so since I just gave her another raise. Can’t let that woman get away.” Dad gave a pancake a neat flip. “Mornin’, Cheyenne. You don’t look ready to start this beautiful Sunday morning.”

  “After a vat of coffee I will be.” She stumbled over to the kitchen table and jumped at the face staring in the window at her. A renegade with white-tipped black ears, a long white face and a bovine smile gave the screen on the open window a lick with her broad pink tongue. “Buttercup? Dad, did you let the cows out in the yard again?”

  “Yep. Nature’s weed eaters. Saves me from having to get out the weed whacker.” Dad laughed easily these days. He flipped the last pancake and grabbed an oven mitt. “Don’t tear off that screen again, Buttercup.”

  The heifer stopped in midlick, blinked her long curly lashes and her puppy-dog expression of innocence could have put Julianna to shame.

  “So, Dad, any thoughts as to when you’re going to ask Cady the big question?” Addy sailed across the floor, two steaming cups in hand. “The wait is killing us.”

  “I’ll do it when I’m good and ready.” Dad moved the golden cakes from the griddle to the tall stack on the platter. “You girls don’t think she will say no, do you?”

  “She would be crazy to.” Addy took a noisy slurp from one cup and thrust the other across the table.

  “Don’t worry about it, Dad.” Cheyenne took the cup and breathed in the aroma before taking her first sip. A jiggling sound echoed through the kitchen—Jasmine trying to open the screen door with her teeth. “Cady cares for you the way you care for her. Are you nervous about asking her?”

  “Nervous. Nah. I’m not nervous.” Dad carried the platter to the table. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been this terrified. Only Autumn getting shot and Tucker trampled by that bronc were worse.”

  “It will be fine, Dad.” She laughed when a moo carried in on the breeze. Two chocolate-brown eyes looked in, watching them all curiously as Buttercup gave the screen another powerful lick. “See, even Buttercup agrees.”

  “Did she just knock off the screen? What did I tell you, girl?” Dad chuckled as the happy cow caught her prize between her teeth and waved it in the air in victory.

  “Not again!” Addy laughed over her cup rim. “Girl, you drop that right now.”

  Buttercup gave the lightweight metal screen a final wave before abandoning it for the greater fun of sticking her head through the window. She looked around the inside of the house eagerly, her tongue reaching out as if wishing for the chance to grab at all the fascinating stuff.

  Dad sighed. “My plan to get rid of the weeds isn’t going as well as I thought.”

  “It never does, Dad,” Addy consoled him with a grin.

  A faint electronic chime rang from the mudroom. Curious, Jasmine stopped mouthing the door and Lily shouldered close with her teeth clenched around a cushion from one of the porch chairs.

  “That sounds like mine.” She took a final swallow of coffee, felt the caffeine kick through her system and jogged across the floor. Jasmine blinked, fascinated, and Lily shook her head, waving the cushion like a small square flag. Cheyenne dug her phone out of her purse, glanced at the screen and caught the call before it went to voice mail. “What’s up, Nate?”

  “Can you make it out to the county highway west of town pronto?” Her boss sounded breathless, like he was running full-out. A door slammed, an engine roared to life and a seat belt warning bell dinged and dinged. “We have a single vehicle wreck. Just got the sheriff’s call for help. The truck was towing a horse trailer. It’s bad, Cheyenne. Hurry.”

  “I’m on my way.” She tossed her phone in her bag, grabbed the travel mug Addy had transferred her coffee to, waved to her dad and pushed her way out the door. She hated to think of an animal suffering. She prayed whoever had been driving the wrecked truck wasn’t suffering, either.

  The volunteer firemen were on the scene. Cheyenne couldn’t see much with the town’s ambulance parked askew on the two-lane highway. The back doors were open and inside Chip Baker, who’d taken an emergency medics course, patched up a bleeding woman.

  “You have to sit still, Lisa,” Chip soothed.

  “How is Ron? I have to see him. We were going to go riding at the state park and watch the sunrise. He just keeled over. It happened so fast.” Lisa Parnell and her husband owned the ranch next door. She’d known them her entire life. “Was it a heart attack?”

  “They’re doing all that can be done for Ron. The county helicopter is on the way.”

  The helicopter? Cheyenne missed a step. It w
as a life-or-death situation. When she circled around the ambulance and the fire truck parked behind it, she saw the damage. A truck had rolled into the ditch, dragging a horse trailer with it. Both vehicles were alarmingly crushed.

  In the center of the westbound lane lay a motionless Mr. Parnell. Ford, the sheriff, knelt to administer oxygen. Another man crouched with his back to her, giving CPR. She would recognize the thick fall of dark brown hair and mile-wide shoulders anywhere. Adam.

  “Cheyenne!” Nate’s call stirred her from the horror of the scene. Her boss rose out of the irrigation ditch and clomped up onto the road. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. I need a hand.”

  “Just one? I’ve got two.” She set her medical kit on the edge of the road because she was shaking. So much pain and injury to people she knew rattled her. She drew in a steadying breath, found her professional calm and followed Nate down the embankment. The back of her neck tingled and she wondered if Adam watched her as she climbed out of sight. Nate charged ahead, tromping through the deep wet ditch and onto the grass where the horse trailer lay on its side, the top torn away, a horse sprawled motionless in the field and another inside the broken trailer.

  “One was dead on arrival. There was nothing I could do.” He raked one hand through his dark hair and the gray predawn light could not hide the grief and failure on his face. “I’ve got Clark sedated, but he has internal injuries. I need to get him to the clinic. He needs scans and X-rays.”

  “Then let’s get to work.” Cheyenne glanced at the animal in the field, so still, and gave a quick prayer for Ebony. He’d been a nice horse. She ducked to followed Nate into the crumpled trailer where the beautiful bay with cuts and abrasions needed more than a few stitches. She knelt by the gelding’s head and stroked his velvet coat. “Hi, boy. Everything is going to be all right.”

  At least she prayed it would be.