True Love at Silver Creek Ranch(96)
Then she muffled a cry as he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her up the stairs. The impact took her breath away, but she didn’t care. They threw a sheet on the bare mattress, rolling around on it in wild abandon as they made love.
When at last they were breathing hard and exhausted, Adam pulled a blanket over them, and they settled into each other’s arms.
“Now this is the way to celebrate a new apartment,” Brooke murmured, kissing the side of his neck, caressing his warm, damp chest. “I even have wine. Do you want some?”
Soon they were sitting up against the headboard, still naked except for the sheets and blankets gathered across their laps.
As they sipped their wine, Brooke hesitated, and said, “This is off topic, but did Tyler ever show up to Scott Huang’s house to work with you?”
“Not yet, but he asked me today if he could still come, and I invited his brother, too.”
“Really? That seems like a good sign.”
“I think so, too.” Adam stared into his glass of wine for a minute, looking unusually serious. “Coach McKee told me your family donated a house to the renovation project. That’s generous.”
“Now let’s be correct here. We bought it for them at a really reduced price since it needs a ton of work. I never mentioned it to you?”
He shook his head, still pensive, and she felt their mood begin to shift.
“You never want to talk about the military,” she said, “so I didn’t think you’d be interested. We were inspired by Challenge Aspen, a group that works with people with disabilities, running various events through the year. They host a big ski week with the Wounded Warrior Project.” She paused. “Why did you bring this up?”
“It’s stupid, but I think it made me remember darker times in my childhood.”
“Now I’m really confused.”
A rueful smile touched his mouth. “My father . . . much as he needed the work your dad offered him, he complained about it a lot.”
She put down her glass on the bed table, then took his hand. “We never did offer him full-time work, I think.”
“He wasn’t capable of it. I’m not talking about that. He always wanted me to believe your family considered themselves better than us.”
Brooke’s throat grew tight at the thought of a father making his son feel that way. “That’s terrible, Adam. I’m so sorry.”
“I think the donated house made me remember that because there was a part of me last month that thought you offered me a job out of pity, remember?”
“And I told you that wasn’t true.”
“I know at the worst it was a favor to my grandma, and it’s obvious you really did need a ranch hand. I’ve felt useful, even valuable, and it’s been a while since I felt that way. I’m letting go of the past.”
“I’m glad. So . . .” she began, trying to lighten the serious discussion, “now that we’ve broken in the bed, do you want to stay the night?”
He shook his head. “I still have nightmares, and I don’t want to wake you up. Or maybe I’d hurt you thrashing about.”
Her heart ached for all he’d suffered, still so much in silence. She leaned forward and kissed him. “Can I take my chances?”
They stared into each other’s eyes, and for a moment, she realized that only weeks ago, he would have refused.
But a smile played around his mouth, and his gaze dropped to her naked breasts. “I would, but you don’t think the first night you’re here, your family might wonder why I never came home?”
“Damn,” she whispered, briefly closing her eyes. “I leave home to find some independence, but you still live there!”
“You have no idea how much I regret it at this moment,” he said with mock solemnity.
“Then don’t go yet.” She took his glass away, set it beside her own, then pushed him back into the pillows.
Chapter Twenty-two
To Adam’s surprise, a lot of people showed up to work on the house being renovated for Scott Huang and his family. Brooke brought his grandma, who’d made pans of ziti to serve everyone dinner. In her wig she wore barrettes made of Italian flags for the Italian dinner. Adam liked his grandma’s eccentricities—she was never boring.
He watched her as she leaned on her cane and looked over everything for the meal to be served later. He kissed her brow when she finally stood still long enough.
Grandma Palmer arched a surprised look at him. “What was that for?”
He shrugged, and she smiled.
Tyler and Steph arrived next, and Steph ended up being the most proficient with tools, after spending much of her life helping her dad at both the ranch and the Sweetheart Inn. She and Tyler went into the basement to help build storage shelves.