by Joan Kilby
Before he left, he flung the fluffy quilt over the top of the bed. She walked him to the door. He hesitated, then dropped a light kiss on her temple. “Sleep well.”
“I will now. Thanks.”
Hayley closed the door and bowed her head against it. Adam had brought her into his home out of compassion and she’d come gratefully, little thinking of how his close proximity would affect her. How would she feel facing him across the breakfast table, meeting him in the hallway between their bedrooms, or sharing a cozy evening in front of the fire?
Adam, Summer, the beautiful big house... All of it too closely resembled the happy home she’d been longing for all her life. But it wasn’t hers.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE RADIO ALARM dragged Hayley out of a beautiful dream that evaporated upon waking but left her feeling good. Soft linen brushed her cheek as she stretched out in a big bed. For a moment she didn’t know where she was, but it felt delightful.
Then the night before flooded back. The watch. The anguish of learning Leif had had an affair with Adam’s wife. The shame, the sick sense of betrayal.
Ruthlessly she shut those emotions down. A new set rushed forward. Sharing midnight confidences with Adam, his arms around her, him kissing her forehead. The way her body had responded to his. She’d come so close to offering herself to him. After the emotional turmoil of the evening she’d wanted nothing more than to seek oblivion in his body.
Bad idea. Thank God she hadn’t given in. Even after simply thinking inappropriate thoughts she didn’t want to face him this morning.
She sprang out of bed and rushed through dressing, desperate to be out of the house before Adam got up. She felt awkward about all that had passed between them last night. Awkward and exposed.
She crept downstairs and out of the house. Shane fell into step at her heel as she strode through the wet grass toward the paddock. Asha whickered, and condensed breath streamed from her nostrils in the chilly morning air. Bo whisked his tail and plodded toward the rail. Sergeant and Major, cropping at the grass, lifted their heads and came forward, too—Major in front, as always, while Sergeant brought up the rear. Blaze was inside the barn in the single box stall.
“Hello, my beauties,” Hayley said, stroking velvety noses on the brown-and-gold heads stretched over the top railing. They crowded in, jostling hooves and bumping shoulders to get close to her. Asha kept apart as usual, trotting a few paces away, her silver tail lifted and gray neck arched.
Hayley went into the barn to get buckets of oats. Blaze was dozing in the stall, one back hoof cocked and resting in the straw underfoot. Her round belly gently expanded with each breath.
“Not long now, sweetie.” Hayley tipped a special mixture of chaff and mineral supplements into the manger. Then she added a flake of alfalfa and carried the rest of the bale outside to spread it over the ground for the other horses. While they ate, Hayley leaned on the fence. Dawn was breaking, and mist clung to the tall, straight mountain ash marching up the hillside.
Whatever Adam had intended with that chaste kiss—and it probably was nothing more than comfort—her response had been more complicated. Could she possibly be falling for a man she’d known barely a week? That brief touch of his lips to her forehead had been balm to her aching heart. But she wasn’t good at hiding her feelings, and now she was living in his house.
She didn’t want to feel anything for Adam. Not only was he leaving Hope Mountain, but their circumstances were vastly different and would make for an uneven relationship. Being poor and forced to accept his help put her at a distinct power disadvantage. Not a good foundation for a relationship, even supposing he was interested in her in that way. The sole reason she was here was to heal Summer so Adam could move away. She had to remember that.
But it was impossible not to like the man. He was a good father and had been incredibly generous to her. And he was honorable. In spite of the pain of knowing about Leif and Diane, she was glad Adam had told her. How much worse would she have felt if he’d known and kept it from her? He’d made the right call. It couldn’t have been easy for him, either.
As for Leif, there was no point being angry or hating or blaming him now. She’d lived with the knowledge of his infidelity for years—nothing had changed, really. So why were her hands clenched so tightly on the top rail of the fence that her knuckles were white? She needed to do something instead of stewing on her problems.
There was a good hour before she had to be at the café, enough time to do some work with Asha. She got a bridle out of the tack room in the barn and went into the paddock. The gray mare was nibbling on the last bits of hay strewn over the grass. Hayley ran a hand down her neck over the ridges of scars and took hold of her halter, clipping on a lead rope. Asha immediately jerked her head up and pulled back, lifting her forelegs a few inches off the ground.
“Whoa, girl. It’s okay.” Hayley led the horse through the gate and over to the lunge ring, Asha sidestepping and pulling the whole way. She tied the quivering horse to the fence and wrangled a bridle over Asha’s tossing head. As Hayley threw the saddle blanket over her back, Asha put back her ears and tried to nip her on the butt.
“Hey! What is wrong with you, Ash?” Hayley gave a sharp jerk on the lead rope, then blew out a long breath. Getting mad wouldn’t do any good. But it was frustrating.
Asha used to have a calm, even temperament. Since the fires she had been skittish and unpredictable. Some days she would allow Hayley on her back; other days she bucked and reared, using all her tricks to throw her off. Today was one of those bad days. In fact, this was the worst she’d ever been.
Hayley attempted to straighten the blanket and Asha sidestepped abruptly, knocking it askew again. Hayley nudged her over to the fence so she couldn’t move sideways, but Asha lunged backward, pulling on the rope so hard Hayley worried she might break the fence or hurt herself.
It was no use. She wasn’t getting anywhere with the horse today. She untied Asha from the post and led her prancing and sidestepping back to the paddock. This had gone on too long. She needed to work with her using the slapping reins technique and become the horse’s leader again. Poor Asha clearly had more recovering to do.
Hayley went back into the house and ran upstairs as quietly as possible to change into clothes more suitable for the café: a peach-colored knit top and black pants. Then she brushed out her hair in front of the mirror and braided it. She was so not the type of woman Adam was used to—women like Diane, immaculately groomed and expensively dressed. No doubt she had nothing to worry about where he was concerned—except covering up her own feelings.
She still had a few minutes, so she sat at the small desk in her room and quickly sketched a rough plan of her old house on a piece of paper she’d found in the drawer. As she went back downstairs she heard Summer in the shower and down the hall the sound of a closet door shutting. Adam was up, too.
She placed the sketch and the photo of her and her sister in front of her grandparents’ house where Adam could see it. Then she grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and headed out to her truck. She didn’t want to get in the way during their morning routine. Her hasty escape had nothing to do with avoiding Adam—no, sir.
* * *
“SUMMER, HURRY UP or you’ll be late,” Adam called up the stairs before grabbing his keys from the occasional table. “I’ll be in the car.”
“Coming,” she yelled over the sound of the hair dryer.
He backed out of the garage and waited, keeping the motor idling. Hayley’s truck was gone—she’d left half an hour ago—but he’d seen her earlier from the upstairs hall window, moving between the barn and the stables, carrying flakes of hay and tossing them over the fence, scattering them so the horses could all feed at once.
She was so strong yet graceful, every movement of her long legs and arms economical and balanced. He hadn’t been able
to look away. And when the sun rose above the barn roof and a shaft of light turned her dark honey hair to a golden halo... Breathtaking.
Last night all that beautiful hair had been flowing loose around her shoulders in a hundred shades between cream and old gold. And when he’d held her, it was all he could do not to bury his face in the fragrant silky mass. He could still feel her in his arms, her slender frame strung tight as a bow. He’d have given anything for her to melt against him.
He’d barely slept last night, knowing she was just down the hall. He’d tortured himself imagining knocking quietly at her door, her soft voice inviting him in, then the both of them slipping beneath the covers.... Would it be so wrong for them to find comfort in each other’s arms?
The passenger door opened and Summer climbed in, dropping her backpack on the floor with a thud. “What’re you all moony-eyed about? Let’s go. I’m gonna be late.”
Adam put the car into gear. What was he thinking? He had no intention of starting something with Hayley. Since he and Diane had split up he’d dated a few women, but no one serious. He’d needed a rest from all that emotional turmoil. Now that he was finally feeling better about his life, he needed to focus on priorities—get Summer sorted out, sell the house and return to his real life in the city, building major developments.
It was a life Hayley would want no part of. She might have lost her husband, but she was still wedded to the bush. The proof, if he needed it, was in the floor plan and photo she’d left for him on the kitchen counter. She still had her dream of rebuilding on Hope Mountain, and it was stronger than ever.
He pressed a button to lower the roof.
“Da-a-ad,” Summer wailed. “My hair will fray.” Instead of her usual ponytail, she’d done her hair in a crooked French braid. Looked like someone else had a crush on a certain cowgirl.
He tossed her a cap from the backseat. “It’s the perfect morning to put the top down. I smell spring in the air.”
Summer smirked. “What you’re smelling is horse manure.”
“Ha, ha, very funny.” But his heart lifted that she’d actually joked with him. “Are you still feeling good about what happened with Major?”
“Sure,” Summer said, suddenly acting wary. “Why?”
“Just wondering.” Who was Steve? He let a beat go by as they slowly bumped down the potholed driveway. “What did you and Hayley talk about yesterday?”
“It’s confidential.” Summer swiveled in her seat. “She didn’t say anything, did she?”
“No.” It was frustrating not being in on the therapy. Didn’t a father have a right to know what was going on with his fourteen-year-old daughter? “Did you get all your homework done?”
She made a face. “Most of it. I had trouble with algebra.”
“Ask me for help next time. I’m pretty good at math.”
As they approached the road, a country fire authority truck rumbled past. Adam thought of Leif’s watch back in the drawer in his sideboard. What was he going to do with it? Hayley didn’t want it. Would it be crass for him to sell it for her and give her the money? It seemed ridiculous to throw away such an expensive watch.
“Dad, you just passed the bus stop.” Summer craned her neck to look back.
“That’s okay. I’ll take you to school.” At least she couldn’t leave the car, so there was more opportunity for conversation. “Hey, I’ve got a good one for you.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Two buffalo are at home on the range. A tourist walks up and says, ‘Those are the mangiest-looking buffalo I’ve ever seen!’ One buffalo turns to the other and says, ‘I think I just heard a discouraging word.’” He chuckled.
Summer groaned, but a small smile lurked as she said, “Don’t quit your day job.”
Adam fell silent as the thick forest transitioned into a burned area and they passed charred stumps of trees. Summer went past this twice daily on the bus to and from school. Did it make her think of Bailey?
As if she’d caught the direction of his thoughts, Summer said, “Hayley’s gonna let me ride Sergeant or Major whenever I want.” She sighed. “I wish I could ride Asha.”
“Even Hayley has trouble with that horse. Asha must’ve been very traumatized by the fires.”
“She almost died. She had fifty-eight stitches in her neck.” Summer’s mouth turned down. In an abrupt change of mood, she tugged her cap low and slumped in her seat.
Adam thought of Hayley huddling in the dam for hours, shivering and traumatized herself, emerging to find her horses dead or missing and her favorite badly wounded. She must be unbelievably resilient to have recovered so well.
He pulled up in front of the high school. “I’ll pick you up this afternoon and we can go for ice cream.”
“For cripe’s sake, Dad. The ice cream shop burned down! Where’s your head?”
“I didn’t know—”
“You don’t know anything.” She jerked open the door and grabbed her backpack. “Don’t bother coming. I’ll get the bus.”
He started to call her back but it was too late. She’d merged into the stream of students entering the front doors.
All the sunshine drained out of the day. He put the clutch back into first gear. Summer had a ways to go before she was back to her old self. Hayley had warned him so. With a sigh, he headed home. Twenty minutes later he pulled into the driveway at Timbertop.
Early on, when he’d still thought he and Diane might share this house, he’d set up an office for himself with a drafting table and supplies. He grabbed himself a cup of coffee and settled in. Once he got a design that Hayley liked he could put it on the computer on AutoCAD.
It had been a long time since he’d designed a single-family residence, but knowing that Hayley would live in this home made the process unexpectedly appealing. He smoothed out the paper and studied her rough drawing. The house appeared to be a miner’s cottage with the addition of extra bedrooms, a storage room and an extended kitchen.
What the hell, why not add stables and a covered lunge ring for her horse therapy? It would be fun designing Hayley a dream home and equestrian center. Whether any of it would come to fruition he had no idea, but if he could, he’d love to give it all to her—if anyone deserved to realize their dreams it was Hayley.
He worked for several hours, breaking twice to field calls from his office about the Shanghai project and once when Mort arrived to take photos of the property so he could prepare a listing. The Realtor gave him a ballpark figure that was substantially less than Adam had paid for the house nearly two years earlier. He didn’t care. He’d drop the price further if he had to. Not only was Timbertop in a fire-prone area but he would never be able to forget that Diane had had an affair here. As far as he was concerned, the property was tainted.
Soon it was time to pick up Summer from school—before she could get on the bus. He really wanted to have as normal a life as possible with his daughter. Maybe if they acted like everything was okay, it would be. He didn’t believe for one second that she’d stopped liking ice cream. Or that there was no place in Hope Mountain to get it.
* * *
“HOW WAS THE lamb tagine?” Hayley asked Tony, the local veterinarian, as she cleared dishes off his table.
Tony’s light brown hair had a permanent hat crease, and his lanky frame sprawled as he sipped his coffee. “Worth leaving home for.” His hazel gaze followed her every movement. “How’s that pregnant mare of yours?”
“She’s looking fit to burst but otherwise just fine.” She totted up his bill and handed it to him. “Molly will take care of that at the cash register.”
“If you need any help with the birthing, give me a shout.” He moved his toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. “Are you going to the dance week after next?”
“You mean the fundraiser being held aft
er the memorial service? You bet I am. You?”
“Yep.” He rose and reached for his hat, shuffling his feet. “I could pick you up if you like. We could go together.”
“Gee, thanks, Tony, but...” Tony was nice but he didn’t float her boat, to borrow an expression from Molly.
“You can’t wear widow’s weeds forever.”
“I know, but I don’t think so,” she said gently. “I’ll save a dance for you, though.”
“All right. Can’t blame a guy for trying.” Tony adjusted his hat on his head. “I’ll hold you to that dance.”
Hayley cleared and wiped the table and carried the dishes behind the counter to the kitchen. Working at the café wasn’t so bad. She’d caught up with Tony and a few other folk she hadn’t seen in quite a while. But she missed her horses, and Tony’s reminder of Blaze set her to worrying what would happen if the mare started to foal while she wasn’t home.
She dished the last of the lamb casserole onto a plate, picked up the coffeepot and went over to Dave Green, her ex-client, who’d been nursing a mug in the corner all morning. Lunch had come and gone and he hadn’t eaten. Until now she’d been too busy to say more than hello.
She set the hot food in front of him, waving away his protest that he hadn’t ordered it. “Eat. Don’t argue.”
With trembling hands he picked up a fork and took a bite. She could almost feel his hunger and the fierce control as he forced himself to chew slowly. “This is real good. Thanks.”
She poured his coffee, studying him closely. He hadn’t shaved that day, possibly not yesterday either. His gray hair was lank, and stains dotted the blue business shirt he’d once worn beneath a jacket and tie. “How’s it going?”
“Not bad,” he said between mouthfuls. “Had a job interview yesterday.”
“Any luck?” If he’d gone in looking the way he did now, there was no way he’d have been successful.
“No, but something will turn up.” He took another bite. “I’ll pay you back for lunch, I promise—”