True Love at Silver Creek Ranch(90)
To her surprise, the lights were still on at Sugar and Spice, splashing a welcome beam out across the snowy sidewalk and street.
Brooke felt a hint of cheer and hurried to open the door, only to find the place deserted. “Hello?”
Emily rushed out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel, wearing a flour-stained Christmas apron. “I forgot to lock the door. But you’re a good surprise.”
Brooke sat down in a chair and stretched her long legs out.
“Want a cookie before you spill your problems?” Emily offered.
“No, I need the hard stuff. Cheesecake. With as much chocolate or caramel as you’ve got.”
“Turtle cheesecake.”
Brooke gave her an appreciative nod. When she ate her first bite, she sighed. “That almost makes me feel better.”
Emily’s smile faded. “Maybe you feel bad because you’re keeping Adam a secret.”
“So I’m dishonorable,” she said, then helped herself to a big forkful of the cheesecake.
“You’re not dishonorable—you’re just confused.”
“I’m very confused. Maybe if I move upstairs, I can get some distance from Adam instead of seeing his cabin right out my window every night.”
“Maybe. If you can’t see the forbidden fruit . . .”
“Then I’ll just think about him all the time.”
“Do you?” Emily asked in a quiet voice.
Brooke nodded. “This isn’t good for me. It’s going to end. Maybe I need to end it.”
“Do you want to?”
She shook her head and met Emily’s gaze earnestly. “I told myself this was a temporary fling. My emotions weren’t supposed to get involved. But Emily, I really like him.”
The door banged open, its bell jingling wildly. Both women turned with a start to find Steph running across the room and throwing herself to her knees to hug Emily.
Emily closed her arms around her sister, but gaped over her head at Brooke. “Steph, honey, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Tyler got into a fight at the Chess Club, and he got kicked out.” Her voice came out in a shuddery sob. “I—I was so mad that I—I quit, too!”
Several strands of Steph’s blond hair were stuck to the tears on her face, and Emily smoothed them out of the way. “If he was fighting—”
“But it was all Matthew’s fault! He’s just jealous that I’m interested in Tyler, so he told everyone that Tyler sets fires like his brother does, that Tyler burned down the barn at the Silver Creek Ranch.” Steph turned her blotched, wet face toward Brooke. “You know it isn’t true!”
“Of course not, it’s been officially declared an accident,” Brooke agreed.
“I told Tyler to ignore it, but—but, he’s so sensitive about his brother, and Matthew just kept on . . . kept on . . . Oh, it’s all my fault!” she added in a wail, burying her face against Emily’s shoulder again. “How could I stay there after that? I used to date Matthew, but I never thought he could . . . could be so cruel!”
“Has Matthew been kicked out, too?” Emily asked.
“No, he claimed he was only defending himself after Tyler threw the first punch.” Steph sagged back on her heels. “And that’s true. Oh, this is going to be the worst Christmas ever!”
When she wiped her face with her forearm, Brooke handed her a napkin. “Where’s Tyler now?”
“I don’t know. He ran out. I was supposed to give him a ride home tonight, so I drove around, but I couldn’t find him. And then I saw your lights, Em.” She blew her nose hard, still trembling.
“He doesn’t live far,” Emily said in a soothing voice. “He’ll get home all right.”
“What if I talk to your chaperones?” Brooke asked.
“They won’t care.” Steph sniffed. “The rule is one fight, and you’re out. And they’ve already given him a second chance, after the ATV thing with my dad. I tried so hard to help him, and I made everything worse.”
“Tyler’ll be back to work Monday,” Brooke said. “Maybe Adam can reach him.”
By Monday, Adam had heard about Tyler’s fight from Brooke, but the kid still showed up for his community service. He was surly and uncommunicative, doing as he was told without any enthusiasm.
When Brooke got a phone call on her cell, Adam eyed the kid as they stood just inside the barn, out of the wind.
“So this is how it’s going to be?” Adam asked dryly. “You make a mistake, and you sulk?”
Tyler turned blazing eyes on him. “What do you know about my problems?”