A tightness wound about Adam’s heart and he found it hard to speak. So he didn’t. He hugged her back instead.
After Shawna had returned to Mark’s bedside, Adam took a deep breath and went downstairs. Hearing voices in the kitchen, he headed that way. When he saw only Danielle and Leigh sitting at the table, he felt disappointed but also relieved. There was always an awkwardness with Jared that he didn’t know what to do with.
Apparently Danielle felt she had to explain. “Jared went out for a walk. This whole situation with Mark and with you has affected him deeply. He’s not a man who expresses his feelings easily and I think he’s just trying to get a handle on all of it. But I certainly don’t want you to think he’s not grateful because he is. Without you—” her voice caught “—I don’t know what we would have done.”
Taking a seat at the table, Adam hoped to learn more about this family. “Shawna said Chad’s been out with friends a lot. I was hoping to meet him.”
“You’ll meet him at Shawna’s birthday party on Saturday night if not before.”
“You’re still going to have it?” Adam asked.
“Absolutely. Mark will be in the hospital having tests run, and I’ll be with him as much as I can. But I have to be here for my daughter, too. After the chemo starts, I won’t be able to be by Mark’s side, but I’ll stay at the hospital anyway. They’ll limit his contact severely…even with us.”
“I understand there’ll be a few days of testing for him before that starts.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll check in on you whenever I can,” Leigh assured Danielle. “We’ll have specialized nurses for the transplant-conditioning process he’s going through, but I’ll make sure he knows I’m there, too.”
“Thank you,” Danielle murmured and ducked her head.
Adam could see her emotions were very close to the surface, and he wondered how his father dealt with that.
Abruptly Danielle raised her head, wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and smiled at them. “Enough about us. Adam, I want to know about you. I’m hoping Lissa will be home in time for Shawna’s party. Maybe you can meet her and Sullivan then.”
Maybe. Or maybe he could give his sister a call before then. “Where did she and—Sullivan is it?—go on their honeymoon?”
“Scotland. I think they’re coming back Thursday or Friday. I’m sure she can’t wait to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to call her.”
Adam wondered if his father knew what a gem he had in Danielle—she was such a positive woman.
“Mark has been telling me all about your software company and the programs you gave him,” she said now. “I even tried the one with dinosaurs. It was fun.”
As the discussion moved toward Adam’s life, how he and Dylan had started Novel Programs, Unlimited, in college, he glanced at Leigh. She’d been extremely quiet ever since they’d left her apartment. They’d have to talk about what had happened there. They couldn’t ignore it. Now that her liaison work was finished, they wouldn’t have to see each other if they didn’t want to. Adam knew that would probably be best.
As the hour grew later and Jared hadn’t returned, Adam and Leigh said their goodbyes.
In the car Leigh turned to Adam. “I think Mr. Cambry was overwhelmed by all of it. I don’t think he knew how to thank you.”
“Maybe. Maybe he’s not thinking about me at all. Mark’s the one he’s concerned about and he should be. I belong to a time in his life he probably wants to forget.”
Talking to Leigh here about what had happened at her apartment didn’t seem right somehow, so he waited. However, when they pulled into the apartment’s parking lot, she said, “Mom’s home.”
Adam switched off the ignition and shifted toward her. If they wouldn’t have privacy inside, they’d have to have it out here. Rain had begun falling, and it dripped down the windshield in slow rivulets. Adam knew he wasn’t great at tact. Dylan was the diplomat.
“I suppose your job as liaison is over now,” he commented.
“That depends on Dr. Chambers. He might want me to help keep the Cambrys informed during the transplant process. And then there’s your procedure.”
Adam shrugged dismissively. “I’ll get admitted one day, I’ll be out the next. No big deal.”
Under the parking lot’s lights, he saw Leigh studying him. “What?” he asked, wondering what she was thinking.
“You’re a lot like your father.”
“Jared?”
She nodded. “It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking and especially what he’s feeling. You’re like that, too. You always have been.”
Leigh had said it matter-of-factly, but it didn’t sound like a compliment. He knew he felt that Jared was shutting him out right now. Did Leigh feel he was shutting her out? Well, he was…with good reason.
“I only talk about what I feel is necessary to talk about,” he said in a low tone.
“Do you think it’s necessary to talk about what happened tonight?” she asked quietly.
He understood the conversation was all about them and had nothing to do with the Cambrys now. “Is that why you’ve been so quiet? You’re thinking about what happened?”
She seemed to take her time answering, as if she were weighing her words. “Mark’s situation is serious enough to make me quiet. But, yes, my silence has more to do with what happened with us.”
She stopped as if thinking about going on. But then she blurted out, “You acted as if nothing happened, just as you acted after you kissed me. I guess I’m wondering if that’s really true. I wondered why you came by tonight.”
After a few moments of thoughtful silence, he replied, “I came by because I felt I hadn’t been fair to you, and I wanted to tell you that. I didn’t intend for anything else to happen.”
Looking away from him then, she stared out into the black night. “But it did. Were you sorry about it?”
Even when they were teenagers, Leigh had pushed him to examine what he was feeling. Back then it didn’t feel quite as uncomfortable as it did now. “It was enjoyable, Leigh.”
“Enjoyable? Don’t you understand, Adam, that I don’t just do that with any man? I haven’t been intimate with another man since I was intimate with you.”
Bombshells had been dropping all around Adam for the past week and a half. He shouldn’t be surprised that another one had just smashed into his car. “Why not?”
She seemed totally exasperated that he’d asked the question. “Because you meant a lot to me and I never wanted to get involved with a man unless I felt that way again.”
His hand tightened on the steering wheel. “Is that the real reason? Or is it just that you’re so goal oriented that nothing else could get in the way of the career you want?”
As soon as the words were out, he saw the hurt on her face and he regretted any suspicions he’d had that she might be interested in him now because he was rich. Leigh had never been like that, and she still wasn’t after money. She was after success and respect and a career to give meaning to her life.
“I can’t dispute that’s the impression I’ve given you, but it was never that simple.” She turned away, stared through the windshield, then opened her door. “I’d better go in.”
He didn’t like the idea of her being hurt. “It’s pouring again.”
“I won’t melt.” She hopped out of the car before he could stop her.
Swearing, he decided he couldn’t let her go like this. They’d probably be seeing each other at the hospital. The whole situation was tough enough without icy tension between them.
Climbing out of the car, he strode after her and caught up with her at the apartment building’s door.
“Adam, there’s no reason for you to come in with me.” She’d put her hood up, but it had slipped down, and her hair was getting wet. She brushed it behind her ear.
He wanted to run his hands through her hair. He wanted to kiss her again. Time and place and circumstances were against them, just as they�
�d been long ago.
“It’s late, I’ll walk you up to your apartment.”
Seeing the purpose in his eyes, she gave up with a resigned sigh.
As they mounted the interior stairway, their footsteps echoed against the walls.
They’d just reached her apartment door when it opened and her mother came out carrying an umbrella. “Leigh? I was worried about you. I got your note that you were at the hospital, but your car’s still here. I tried to call your cell phone, but I could only get your voice mail.”
“The charge probably ran out. I had it on all day in case Dr. Chambers had to get hold of me.”
“Dr. Chambers? Is something wrong?”
Leigh looked to Adam and he knew she wouldn’t tell her mother anything unless he gave his permission. “Leigh’s been acting as liaison and has been on call for the past week or so. I was a potential donor for a transplant patient. We just found out tonight that I’m a match. I had to sign consent forms and then we went to tell the family.”
Her mother was looking from one of them to the other, trying to absorb what Adam had said. “I see. So you are going to be a donor?”
“It looks that way.”
“Were you matched up with the registry?”
“No. My biological father came looking for me. His son’s sick and apparently I can help.” It was amazing how something so big could be summed up in so few words.
“I see,” Claire said again, opening the door to the apartment wider. “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?”
Adam didn’t have to look at Leigh to know that wouldn’t be advisable. Maybe this was the way it had to end. Maybe this was easier than hashing it all out, repeating what had already been said. “No. No thank you. It’s time I get back to the ranch.” He couldn’t keep his gaze from holding Leigh’s. “I imagine I’ll be seeing you at the hospital.”
She nodded. “Will you keep in touch with the Cambrys about what’s happening with Mark, or do you want me to fill you in?”
“I’ll be keeping in touch with them. I’m sure Shawna will keep me informed if Jared doesn’t.”
Then with a last look at the first girl he’d ever considered making vows to, he said good-night and headed for the parking lot.
After Leigh was inside the apartment, she took one look at her mother and knew they were going to have a discussion. She didn’t feel like it. She’d just handed her heart to Adam and he had handed it back. No surprise there. Always guarded, he wasn’t about to tell her he felt anything when she would be leaving again.
Her mother opened the closet door and put the umbrella inside. After she closed it, she shrugged out of her raincoat and hung it on a peg. “I guess that’s why you didn’t go into detail in your note. Confidentiality?”
Leigh hung her jacket beside her mother’s raincoat. “Yes.” Maybe if she kept her answers short her mother would drop the whole thing.
“It’s a nice thing Adam’s doing,” Claire remarked offhandedly.
Going to the mug tree on the counter, Leigh took one of them and filled it with water.
“So you’ll be seeing him at the hospital?” her mother prompted.
In turmoil about everything that had happened tonight, Leigh held on to her patience and set the mug inside the microwave, pressing the timer. “Yes, in conjunction with Mark’s transplant.”
“That’s all?”
“What would you like to know, Mom?” she asked gently, deciding they might as well have this discussion now.
Her mother came around the table. “I guess I want to know if you’re falling for him again.”
The microwave beeped and Leigh accepted the inevitable. “I don’t think I ever got over him.” That had been obvious the moment she’d set eyes on him at the hospital.
“Maybe you were younger when you knew him before, but nothing’s really changed. You have years of schooling ahead of you—”
“I know what I have ahead of me, Mom.” She doubted if any relationship could withstand the grueling hours she’d be keeping.
“So you’re not going to get involved?”
“I doubt it. But I honestly don’t know.”
When her mother looked troubled, Leigh couldn’t reassure her, because this time the decision wasn’t her mother’s. It was her own. Did she want an affair with Adam for a few months? Would that be enough? Or after this evening would he shut down whatever feelings were between them?
Tonight she didn’t have the answers.
When Adam returned to Cedar Run Ranch, he parked in his garage and didn’t even bother changing clothes. Instead he went straight to the barn. Thunder was in his stall, although the back door that led out into the corral was open. Sometimes the big horse didn’t come in but stood out in the rain or found shelter under the trees.
Adam changed into the spare clothes he kept in the tack room, then he mucked out Thunder’s stall, fed the horse and left him to his meal. Picking up his clothes and shoes, Adam jogged to the house through the now sparse raindrops and let himself inside. It was quiet as it always was, but tonight it seemed too damn quiet.
Going into his home office, he dropped the clothes and shoes on a chair, then checked his e-mail. Nothing from Mark. He must still be sleeping. But the light was blinking on his answering machine and he hit Play, surprised when he heard his mother’s voice.
“Adam, it’s your mom. Please call me when you get in. It’s important.”
Important. That covered a lot of territory—from an increase in salary for the farm manager, to an illness of one of the cows, to a house problem for his mom herself. She was fifty-six now and slowing down. Life on the farm with Owen Bartlett had been tough. Then again, maybe Rena was coming home from Australia. Still…he couldn’t see a family reunion in the offing. After Delia had died, it was as if his connection to the farm and the Bartletts had faded away. Owen, his mom, Sharon and Rena had become even tighter.
No point wondering about it. He made the call.
Peggy Bartlett picked up on the first ring. “Hello?”
“It’s Adam. I hope it’s not too late. I just got your message.”
“No, it’s not too late. Thank you for calling.”
His mother had always been polite with him, if not warm.
“You said it was important.”
“I think it is. John thinks it is. I need your help with Sharon.”
Sharon was thirty-two now and still lived at home. She worked for an insurance firm in Portland but Adam didn’t know much about her life. Sharon had always been the most distant from him, the most resentful that he’d been brought into the family. “What’s the problem?”
“Well, uh, it isn’t just Sharon. I had some news for you but it’s created a problem and—”
Adam waited, letting his mother figure out what it was she wanted to tell him.
“John and I are going to get married.” She said it in a rush as if she couldn’t wait to get it out.
At first Adam was startled. John Pavlichek, the manager he’d hired, was in his late forties, at least seven years younger than his mother. On the other hand, he’d been living on the property for the past four years. Adam knew since Owen had died, his mother had depended heavily on John. Maybe this was a practical move on both their parts.
“Adam?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Don’t you approve, either?”
“It’s not up to me to approve or not approve. It’s your life. I don’t have a say in it.”
“But you’re funding John’s salary. If you don’t approve…”
Was she afraid he’d cut off that salary if he didn’t approve? Adam paced his office and ran his hand through his hair. “That won’t change, unless John has a hidden fortune and he doesn’t need my salary anymore.”
“He doesn’t have much of his own, you know that.”
Yes, Adam did know that because he’d done a complete background check on the man before he’d hired him. Pavlichek had worked as a foreman in a t
extile factory for twenty years. When the factory closed, he’d had trouble finding another job. He’d been working at a fast-food joint when he’d applied for the job as manager of the Bartlett farm. Adam had seen right away that John was intelligent, hardworking and just down on his luck.
“Tell John he doesn’t have to worry about being out of work again.”
“Thank you, Adam.” There was relief in his mother’s voice and he was glad to hear that at least.
“I guess congratulations are in order. When are you getting married?”
“We’re not sure yet. We’re just going to go to a justice of the peace and maybe out to dinner afterward. That’s why I called. Sharon won’t go. She insists she doesn’t want anything to do with the wedding. In fact, she doesn’t want John moving into the house with me. I can’t make her see reason. I thought maybe you could.”
“Why do you think I’ll be able to make her see reason?”
“Because she respects what you’ve become even though she’s never said it. I don’t have anyone else to turn to, Adam. John’s going to move in here whether she likes it or not. But I want…I want her blessing.”
Sharon had been one of the beloved daughters. Yes, her blessing would be important. Maybe he was still trying to earn Owen Bartlett’s approval after all these years, but he couldn’t turn down his mother’s request. “All right, I’ll see what I can do. I have meetings all day tomorrow into the evening, but I can drive up on Friday. Will she be there around suppertime?”
“She should be. I’m not going to tell her you’re coming. It will probably be better that way.”
A surprise attack would definitely be better. If Sharon knew he was coming, she might decide not to be there. “Play it however you think you should. I’ll be there Friday around five.”
“We’ll see you then, Adam.”
He heard gratitude again in his mother’s voice. He was satisfied with that.
As he went to the kitchen to finally make himself something to eat, it wasn’t the visit to the farm Friday that was on his mind. For the moment it wasn’t even the thought of the transplant and the procedure he’d have to go through to help Mark. Rather, Leigh was on his mind. Whenever he remembered kissing her, undressing her, his blood heated all over again. Most of all he remembered the hurt look on her face in the car. He remembered her saying, “I haven’t been intimate with another man since I was intimate with you.”
Take A Chance On Me (Logan's Legacy) Page 10