Stone Bridges

by Carla Neggers

  He headed across the grass to his spot next to Violet, near the window above the kitchen sink. Adrienne hoped she didn’t have a wild throw, but that was more likely to happen if she let herself get distracted by his broad shoulders, muscular forearms and sexy, easy manner. He moved smoothly, comfortable in his own skin, with being out here in the near-darkness with the hoot of an owl in the woods, the rustling sounds of squirrels and who-knew-what, the faint scent of herbs and evergreens. His throws were on target and at a challenging speed—respectful of her abilities. He wasn’t patronizing or showing off. She did better catching the ball than throwing it but improved even after a few minutes.

  They tossed the ball back and forth for about fifteen minutes before it became too dark. “We’ll have you pitching and hitting by spring,” Adam said as they started back to the house. “Assuming you’re still here then.”

  “I wouldn’t miss another winter of snow, ice and subzero temperatures.”

  “Only occasional subzero temperatures.”

  “Subfreezing, then. Days and days of subfreezing temperatures. Vic’s house will be warmer than it was last winter.”

  “A proper heating system helps.”

  “Definitely.” Adrienne tucked the glove under her arm. Adam carried the ball. “I look forward to cozy evenings in front of the fire here, on the nights we don’t have guests.”

  “Any interest in snowshoeing or cross-country skiing?”

  “Sure, why not? I’ve done both a few times. Something to do on a cold winter day.” She started toward the terrace, not surprised Adam and Violet walked with her. “I think about ice-skating on the rink on the common. Do you do winter sports?”

  “Snowshoeing and some backcountry skiing. No ice-skating.”

  “Ever?”

  “I played hockey as a kid. Not my thing.”

  “I had a lot to sort out last winter,” she said. “Maybe I still do.”

  Adam didn’t respond at once. He handed the ball to her when they came to the terrace. “This job’s a big change for you,” he said finally. “I get that. And Vic...”

  “He likes having you out at the lake.” She angled a look at him, only dim light from the house on his face. His eyes were navy blue in the near-darkness, the shadows on his face somehow adding to his air of calm, patience and control. “Anything to sort out in your life?” she asked him.

  He shrugged. “Where I’m going to live. Can’t stay in Vic’s guesthouse forever. Beyond that...” He paused, his gaze settling on her. “Can’t say there is.”

  “Your time in the military—were you in combat?”

  “Yes.”

  Adrienne pictured him in a Marine uniform. “Are you the only one in your family with military experience?”

  “Of my siblings.” He stepped up onto the terrace. “What about your family?”

  “My grandfather. My mother’s dad. He was in the navy in the Pacific during World War II. He died when I was in high school.”

  She heard how stiff and awkward she sounded. For what felt like the millionth time she reminded herself she usually had no trouble talking to people. It wasn’t that Adam was making her uncomfortable. She just wanted to get her words right. “It must have been good to get home,” she added, hoping it was enough, not too much.

  The slightest smile. “It was.”

  “You mentioned you apprenticed with a master stonemason during high school. Did you know you wanted to get back into that work?”

  “I knew I liked the work and was good at it. He died suddenly of a massive heart attack, and we needed someone to build a chimney on a site. That was my first solo project.”

  Adrienne reached down and patted Violet. “Rohan was abandoned out at the lake as a young puppy, but he was healthy. Were you ever worried Violet wouldn’t make it when you nursed her back to health?”

  “It was touch and go at first but she got there.”

  “That’s wonderful. Would I be correct in guessing a woman was involved in the reasons Eric let you know about Violet?” Adrienne regretted her question immediately. She’d been so careful and now an intrusive question had to pop out of her mouth, bypassing all her good intentions. “I’m sorry. I withdraw the question.”

  Adam pulled out a chair and sat in the near-darkness, the light from the house not reaching him now. “I was involved with a woman my last few months in the service. She decided to make a career in the military. I didn’t. That was that.”

  “No way to resist Violet once you saw her?”

  He smiled, rubbing his foot on Violet’s back as she lay down. “I didn’t stand a chance.”

  “You and Violet were good for each other, then.”

  “Yeah. You could say that.”

  Adrienne realized she’d remained standing. “Why did you tell me that story?”

  He angled her a look. “You asked. You’d find out. Someone would tell you. Vic knows. My brothers know. Heather. I had too much to drink one night before Violet and spilled it at a Sloan family bonfire on Echo Lake.”

  “That’s how Vic found out?”

  “Uh-huh.” Adam looked up at the sky, a quarter moon high above the endless woods that bordered the backyard. “My brothers and sister would have dragged it out of me if I hadn’t told them on my own. I’d written from Afghanistan that I was coming home with someone.”

  “Ah,” Adrienne said. “You jumped the gun.”

  “Big-time.”

  “I’ve had my share of failed relationships, most recently with the guy in New York I mentioned. Owns a wine shop. Total snob.” She shuddered. “Bullet dodged. Sorry. I shouldn’t use that kind of metaphor.”

  “But it’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about this guy?”

  “Meaning we weren’t a good match.” She set the ball and glove on the terrace table. “I didn’t have my head screwed on straight, either. I needed this past year-plus.”

  “To get over him?”

  “To figure out myself. Finding out about Vic didn’t help, and I was on the go a lot. I wasn’t ready for a relationship. We broke it off.”

  Adam picked up the baseball glove and worked the soft leather with his strong fingers. “That’s when you got in touch with Vic about house-sitting.”

  She nodded. “I’m glad I did, but I really do wish I’d been more up-front with him—with everyone.”

  “It wasn’t an easy situation. You were sure Vic didn’t know about you?”

  “I was sure my mother hadn’t told him.”

  “Not quite the same,” Adam said.

  “No. But he didn’t know. He didn’t have a clue. I wish I’d made things easier for him.”

  “You made a choice. It wasn’t like there was a right choice and a wrong choice. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Everyone in town knows, right?”

  “I’d make that an operating assumption.”

  “I have,” she said.

  He placed the glove back on the table. “There are secrets in Knights Bridge, but it takes some effort to keep them.”

  “I hope my blurting out about a past relationship didn’t open old wounds for you.”

  “Nope,” he said, getting to his feet.

  “Vic says your stonemason mentor was a loner.”

  “He was.” Adam moved close to her, taking a few strands of her hair and tucking them behind her ear. “Good night, Adrienne. I’m glad this weekend went well. Any issues with the chimney, let me know. But there won’t be any.”

  She expected him to walk through the mudroom and kitchen, but he walked through the side yard, around to the front, where he’d parked. She listened in the darkness until she heard his truck. Then she listened to an owl, saw the silhouette of something flapping around out by the shed—a bat, no doubt—and went inside to heat up leftover soup with pesto for a quick bit
e, and to pour more wine.

  She returned to the fire. It was dying down, but she didn’t revive it. Instead she got out her laptop and distracted herself from thinking about Adam by connecting with friends online, checking her wine blog archives and otherwise reminding herself she’d never intended or imagined becoming a small-town New England innkeeper.

  Thirteen

  Adam got started early the next morning on another section of Vic’s driveway stone wall, one that hadn’t been hit by the delivery truck but still needed attention. It was a simple job that could easily turn into a big, time-consuming expensive job if not taken care of as soon as possible. He had company financial work to tackle later, and he was organizing his masonry projects for the next few months, a mix of ones he could complete on his own and others for which he’d need a crew. It was warm enough today he figured he’d take his laptop onto the deck at the guesthouse.

  With a little luck, he’d stay away from Carriage Hill Road and let Adrienne work in peace, without having to deal with the sexual tension between them. It had become impossible to ignore.

  He didn’t want to ignore it. Last night, he’d wanted to pick her up and carry her into her suite with its nice new bed.

  He’d thought maybe his attraction to her would ease once he’d kissed her, but it hadn’t.

  Hell of a dumb thought that had been.

  Violet settled next to him in the dew-soaked grass by the driveway. Bright red and orange leaves on some of the trees along the stone wall and in the yard indicated fall foliage season was already upon them.

  Vic walked down from the house. Adam assumed he was checking on the wall, but he had a tight look that suggested he had something else on his mind. “I need to go out of town again,” he said abruptly. “It’ll be at least a week but it could be longer. Can you keep an eye on the place?”

  “Not a problem. That’s part of the deal.”

  “I didn’t know I’d be heading out again so soon. Adrienne has her hands full at Carriage Hill. I’ll ask her to pick up the mail, not that I get much.”

  “I can look after your mail, Vic. What about Rohan?”

  “Elly’s taking him. She considers us having shared custody but allows he is my dog.” Vic eyed Adam. “Aren’t you curious where I’m going?”

  “Sure, but I figure you’ll tell me if you can and if you need me to know.”

  “Washington.” He bit off the word as if it was a bad health diagnosis. “As in DC.”

  “They say diplomats never truly retire,” Adam said, keeping his tone neutral.

  “I didn’t say the trip was for professional reasons.”

  “Visiting the Smithsonian? Lady friend in town?”

  “Ha. Right.” A spark of humor, anyway. “A car’s picking me up in twenty minutes, so don’t think I’m being kidnapped.”

  Adam smiled. “Okay, good to know.”

  “Not that Violet would go wild and chase the car,” Vic added.

  “She was never into chasing cars.” Adam waited, but Vic didn’t start back to the house, instead shifting from one foot to the other as if he was a twelve-year-old who hadn’t turned in his homework and knew he had to fess up. “What else is on your mind, Vic?”

  He made a pained face. “Adrienne’s in Knights Bridge because of me.”

  Here it is. Adam chose a trowel from several he’d brought with him. “You’re worried she’ll feel rejected if you let yourself get lured out of retirement and take a new position.”

  “I didn’t say that,” Vic snapped, although it was clear Adam had hit the proverbial nail on the head. “Adrienne feels rejected and abandoned as it is. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t know she was my daughter. It’s a gut thing. Deep emotion. I wasn’t there when she was growing up. She comes here now to start a new career, and I take off just as she’s settling in herself.”

  “She wants to spend time with you,” Adam said.

  “I know. And I want to spend time with her.”

  Violet rolled onto her back and yawned. Adam watched her a moment before shifting back to Vic. He knew he’d already said too much. “You two will work it out.”

  “Not stepping in that one, are you? I don’t blame you. But we will work it out. I know we will.” Vic bit his lower lip and glanced down at the lake. “Right now I need to take the right next step for me, and that’s getting in that car in a few minutes.”

  “Adrienne doesn’t plan to stay in Knights Bridge, either.”

  Vic frowned, shifting back to Adam. “Either?”

  “I’m reading between the lines,” Adam said. “I have experience dealing with you career diplomat types. You’re about to be called back into service, aren’t you, Vic? I know you can’t answer, but the signs are there. I imagine you know where a lot of bodies are buried and have a lot of contacts after forty years.”

  “More contacts than bodies, one would hope.”

  Adam didn’t let Vic distract him. “Maybe being retired gives you a certain perspective. Who knows, maybe the US needs an ambassador to Mars, and you’re it.”

  “I’m always open to new adventures and service—but it wouldn’t be to Mars.”

  “Where, then?”

  “Nice try, Adam. I can’t say what’s going on.”

  “We’ll go with Mars, then.”

  But Vic couldn’t quite roll with Adam’s sense of humor. “It might not happen. I might say no. I have a good life here. I’m investing in Elly’s goat’s milk business and getting into wine now that I have a proper wine cellar, thanks to Adrienne.”

  “New hobbies are great, but I don’t see you milking goats and mucking out stalls.”

  “That’s correct. Elly’s hired help. She wants to be free to travel. My interest is more in the goat’s milk products themselves. She’s working with Olivia and Maggie. I’m a sounding board for ideas.”

  “You could be a sounding board from Mars,” Adam said.

  “So I could.”

  “What do you know about goats and goat’s milk?”

  “I’m learning. I like to learn new things. I don’t know why I sit around playing Scrabble on my iPad. I know quality bath and spa products.”

  Adam grinned at him. “You know spas?”

  “A spa visit wouldn’t hurt you, Adam. You’ve got enough scar tissue to keep a masseuse busy for hours.” Vic stepped back onto the driveway, his shoes wet with the morning dew. “You have my cell phone number. Call or text if you need me for anything.”

  “Have you told Adrienne you’ll be away?”

  Vic cleared his throat. “I thought you could do that.”

  Adam grinned. “Chicken.”

  “I just...” Vic looked awkward, uncomfortable. “I’ve never had to consider anyone else in making my choices.”

  And he wasn’t sure he liked it? Wasn’t sure he liked having Adrienne in Knights Bridge? Adam wasn’t going there. “Your call,” he said.

  “Yeah. Okay. I’ll get a backbone and let her know.”

  “I’ll look after the place,” Adam said.

  “But not my daughter, huh?”

  “She’s an adult, Vic.”

  “So she is.” He waved vaguely toward his lake house. “I’ll grab my bag and turn off my iPad before my car gets here.”

  * * *

  Adrienne was taking the day off and lingering at the kitchen table in her leggings and an oversize shirt when a sleek black car eased to a stop in front of the inn. She glanced at the stove clock. Almost nine. She wasn’t expecting guests. Maggie and Olivia had warned her she might get the occasional drop-in who didn’t realize it was a destination inn, but what kind of drop-in would try to check in this early?

  She felt a stab of panic. Had something happened to Vic? Her mother? Her dad? If it resulted in a car being sent for her, it had to be bad news.

  But she knew she was le
aping way ahead, and then she saw Vic get out of the back of the car. He held up a hand to the driver as if to say “one minute” and headed up the stone walk to the kitchen door.

  Adrienne was on her feet and had the door open before he could knock. “Good morning, Vic. You didn’t hire a car to drop by for coffee, did you?”

  He glanced back at the car, as if it could tell him something, provide him some necessary insight. Finally he turned to her again. He was smartly dressed in a sport coat, lightweight sweater and dark trousers, not his typical attire out at the lake when he was playing Scrabble and pretending to write his memoirs.

  “I’m heading out of town,” he blurted. “I have meetings in Washington. I tried to get Adam to tell you because I didn’t want it to be a thing. He balked. He was right. I needed to tell you myself.”

  “I see. Do you want to come in?”

  “I can’t stay.”

  “When did this come up?”

  “Last night. I wasn’t positive until 5:00 a.m. I didn’t say anything to Adam until thirty minutes ago. He’ll look after the place.” Vic hesitated. “I didn’t ask for this to happen, Adrienne, but I didn’t feel I could say no.”

  “Was it an option?”

  He nodded, straightforward. “Just not one I felt I could exercise.”

  “And live with yourself?”

  “Something like that. I wish I could tell you more, and I wish the timing was better since you just got here.”

  “We’re not sewn into each other’s pockets, Vic,” Adrienne said, meaning it. “I’ve got plenty here to keep me busy. I hope everything goes well for you. Be careful, okay?”

  “Always. I could be back on my porch fighting with voice-activation software before you know it.”

  But she heard the doubt in his voice. She said nothing as he glanced around, as if seeing the country kitchen for the first time. “This really is quite a place. Do you like living here?”

  “So far, yes. It’ll take some getting used to being here at the same time as guests, but the innkeeper’s suite is spacious and lovely.”

  “Yeah. That helps.”

  “Don’t worry about me, okay? I have plenty to do. The inn’s booked solid the next few weekends to take advantage of foliage season.”