“I don’t know.” Her disappointment must have shown because Liam offered, “I can find out.”
Hadley waved off his concern. “Oh, please don’t bother. I was just...curious.”
“It’s no problem. Jack is a good friend.”
“Really, don’t trouble yourself. I’m sure she’s doing great.” A wave of nostalgia swept over Hadley. She wished she could say she hadn’t thought about Lolita for years, but that wasn’t at all the case.
Hadley didn’t realize she was still holding Liam’s phone until it began to ring. The image of a stunning brunette appeared on the screen. The name attached to the beautiful face: Andi. She handed Liam back his phone and rose.
“I’ll take Maggie upstairs.”
Andi looked like the sort of woman he’d want privacy to talk to. Hadley was halfway up the back stairs before she heard him say hello. She didn’t notice the disappointment dampening her mood until she reached the nursery and settled into the rocking chair that overlooked the enormous backyard. What did she have to be down about? Of course Liam had a girlfriend. He’d always had a girlfriend, or probably several girls that he kept on ice for when he found himself with a free night.
And yet he hadn’t gone out once since she’d moved into the house. He spent his evenings watching sports in the large den, laptop open, pedigrees scattered on the sofa beside him. Back when she’d been a teenager, she’d spent a fair amount of time poring over horse magazines and evaluating one stallion over another. Although it was a hobby, she liked to think her hours of study had been instrumental in how well she’d done in selecting Lolita.
Until coming to Wade Ranch, Hadley hadn’t realized how much she missed everything having to do with horses. The familiar scents of the barn that clung to the jacket that Liam hung up in the entry roused emotions she’d suppressed for a long time. She missed riding. Barrel racing was in turns exhilarating and terrifying. Competing in a Western pleasure class might not be an adrenaline rush, but it presented different challenges. And no matter the outcome, a clean ride was its own reward.
Tomorrow when she took Maggie to the barn to visit Liam, she needed to keep a handle on her emotions. Liam was a persuasive salesman. He would have her butt in a saddle before she knew what was happening. Hadley shook her head, bemused and unable to comprehend why he was so determined to revive her interest in horses.
Could it be that his own passion was so strong that he wanted everyone to share in what he enjoyed? Hadley made a mental note to feel Candace out on the subject tomorrow. That settled, she picked up the book she’d been reading and settled back into the story.
A half hour later, Liam appeared in the doorway. He’d donned a warm jacket and was holding his hat.
“I have to head back to the barn. One of the yearlings got cut up in the paddock today and I need to go check on him.” Liam’s bright green gaze swept over her before settling on Maggie snuggled in her arms. “You two going to be okay in the house by yourselves?”
Hadley had to smile at his earnest concern. “I think we’ll be fine.”
“It occurs to me that I’ve been taking advantage of you.” His words recalled their early morning encounter, and Hadley’s pulse accelerated.
“How so?” she replied, as calmly as her jittery nerves allowed.
“You haven’t had any time off since that first night, and I don’t think you were gone more than five hours today.”
“I don’t mind. Maggie isn’t a lot of trouble when she’s sleeping, and she does a lot of that. I’ve been catching up on my reading. I don’t have a lot of time for that when I’m in school. Although, I do have my last candle-making class at Priceless tomorrow. We’re working with molds. I’d like to make it to that.”
“Of course.”
Almost as soon as Liam left the old Victorian, Hadley wished him back. Swaddled tight in a blanket, Maggie slept contentedly while Hadley paced from parlor to den to library to kitchen and listened to the wind howl outside. The mournful wail made her shiver, but she was too restless to snuggle on the couch in the den and let the television drown out the forlorn sounds.
Although she hadn’t shared an apartment in five years, she never thought of herself as lonely. Something about living in town and knowing there was a coffee shop, library or restaurant within walking distance of her apartment was reassuring. Out here, half an hour from town, being on her own in this big old house wasn’t the least bit comfortable.
Or maybe she just wanted Liam to come back.
Five
Promptly at ten o’clock the next morning, Hadley parked her SUV in front of the barn’s grand entrance and shut off the engine. She’d presumed the Wade Ranch setup would be impressive, but she’d underestimated the cleverness of whoever had designed the entry. During warmer months, the grass on either side of the flagstone walkway would be a welcoming green. Large pots filled with Christmas boughs flanked the glass double doors. If Hadley hadn’t been told she was about to enter a barn, she would have mistaken her destination for a showcase mansion.