Grandma clapped her hands together. “I’m sorry for the interruption, girls.” She turned to Adam. “You go on and eat lunch, my dear boy. The ladies and I still have some ‘mystical nonsense’ to attend to. If you have any more questions about Leather and Lace, you can always ask Brooke.”
“Brooke?” He gazed at her in surprise, noticing that the other two ladies’ eyes sharpened with interest. He had a sudden flash of memory, Brooke’s arms entwined about him, their hungry mouths joined.
“She knows all about the store,” Grandma was saying. “The owner first tried to buy Emily’s buildin’, but she decided to keep it and open the bakery. Speakin’ of which, I brought some brownies home after I worked this mornin’.”
“You went out in this?” he asked. He couldn’t help remembering the sixties convertible she used to drive, not caring what it did to her hair. He didn’t often see her drive through the trailer park because his mother would have a fit, but Grandma always made sure to look for him when he wandered the town. She let him jump right over the door to get in, which made him feel like a TV star. She’d buy him a snack and listen to him rattle on. He’d once been able to tell her anything—but not anymore. He couldn’t hurt her like that.
“I’ve lived here my whole life, Adam,” she said, smiling. “Rosemary drove the old station wagon, and we were very careful. But thanks for carin’. Now, are you sure you don’t want to stay and have your cards read?” she asked hopefully.
“No, thanks, Grandma,” he said a bit too quickly.
They all chuckled as he left. He didn’t bother to tell her he’d already eaten. She might assign him a new chore, and he wasn’t feeling in the mood. But as he returned to his room off the kitchen after helping himself to another brownie, he thought again about Sylvester Galimi’s threats and hoped the man’s behavior didn’t encourage the widows to do something crazy.
The next day, Saturday, dawned with a perfect sky as blue as a robin’s egg, but there were no days off when hungry cattle had to be fed. Adam wasn’t surprised when he spent the morning balancing on hay bales on the back of the retriever alongside Josh rather than Brooke. She obviously hadn’t been anxious to see him after their kiss, and he felt a little relieved.
And disappointed, too.
Lunch was uneventful, and Brooke puttered around the kitchen helping her mom with spaghetti and meatballs rather than sit at the big table anywhere near Adam. At one point, Nate gave her a confused frown, but Adam dug into his meal and ignored whatever her reaction had been.
Once again, he rode fence for the afternoon, glad to feel the peacefulness of a solitary ride with an amiable horse, Dusty, beneath him. On each side of the valley, mountains towered above him, looking as old as God and just as peaceful. He needed the view after a tired morning spent trying to get over his lack of sleep. For the first time since he’d come back to Valentine, the old nightmares of the war had invaded his dreams. At one point, he thought he came awake with a shout and could only hope he hadn’t disturbed Grandma Palmer, who needed her rest. But no one had come to see what was the matter, and he was able to sink back into a sleep, where the enemy continued to hunt him.
In broad daylight, the dreams seemed distant and unreal, almost like the fleeting glimpse he had of Lou Webster driving the old-fashioned sleigh. It was something from another time and place.
He inhaled the cold, crisp air, smiled as Dusty tried to pick his way delicately through snowdrifts. Even one of the barn dogs had followed them, trailing along behind and exploring. Adam wasn’t sure why the brindle-colored mutt, Ranger, seemed so interested in him, but he was.
And then suddenly a loud bang echoed between the mountains, and the sound made him flinch like he was still in the Afghani mountains. It took all his willpower not to fling himself from the saddle for cover. He shielded his eyes against the sun, and in the distance, he saw someone riding an ATV across the pasture rather than the road. The rider seemed to head right toward several dozen head of cattle that were minding their own business, snuffling through the snow. Adam stiffened, knowing none of the Thalbergs would have done such a stupid thing. He urged his horse faster along the fence, looking for a gate inside.
The motor cut out suddenly with another bang, and Adam realized that the rider had run into a fence post, tilting the ATV to an awkward angle. He could hear the guy attempting to restart the engine, even as Adam found a gate, pulling it open and closed without needing to dismount. He urged his horse into a gallop across the pasture, and at last the guy looked up.