Both was the likely answer. She had gotten her nursing degree while he’d been off fighting a war. They had each matured, had developed a stronger sense of self, of their places in life. By itself that was not a bad thing. In their case, however, it had seemed to cause changes that she failed to fully understand. And until she did, there was little chance she could figure out how to return to the easy friendship they had once shared.
Sipping her coffee, she gazed out the kitchen window and spotted Adam. He was dressed for ranch work in boots, jeans, denim jacket and Western hat and had paused by a corral to stroke the nose of a tall roan horse.
Both Sara’s hands gripped the mug to steady herself while her heart leaped into an adrenaline high. The sight of him was dear as well as painful. He had rescued her, literally, and provided refuge, yet he was acting as if doing so was nothing more than an extension of his fire department job. Which it undoubtedly was.
She sighed, put down her coffee and buttered the hot toast. Kurt had prepared her a plate and was carrying it to the round oak table at one end of the kitchen, so she followed.
“Did Adam eat already?”
“Oh, yeah. Hours ago. He got antsy so I waited for you, instead.”
“Thanks. That was thoughtful.”
“Yeah, well, I imagine he’ll be on my case the rest of the day for making him do morning chores alone.”
“Sorry. You didn’t need to hang around and wait for me, you know. I could have muddled through breakfast by myself.”
Kurt’s smile was broad, his eyes twinkling. “That’s not what Adam said. He says you need your own Mrs. K. because your home-cooking is survivalist. If it doesn’t look like it might kill you, you eat it.”
Sara rolled her eyes. “Flattering.”
“True?”
“Maybe.” She had to smile at Kurt’s impish expression. “What else did Adam say about me?”
The reddening of his cheeks was evident despite the dusky shadow that proved he needed a shave. Sara put down her fork and scowled at him. “What?”
Kurt cleared his throat and gave her a sheepish look. “You mean other than telling me he wouldn’t be mad if I asked you out?”
It was several seconds before she realized her jaw had dropped. She snapped it shut. “What?”
“It was just a courtesy on my part, okay? I didn’t want him to think I was poaching in his territory.”
“His territory?” Shock was being replaced with comprehension followed quickly by righteous anger. “So, let me get this straight. You asked Adam for permission to date me as if he were my official guardian and he graciously gave my rights away?”
“Um, yeah, only it wasn’t exactly like that.”
No longer hungry, Sara pushed away from the table and stood, hands on her hips. There was one sure way to find out what had been meant as well as what had been said. She was going to find Adam and ask him to his face. If his story matched that of his brother, she intended to inform him that although she did appreciate his offer of a temporary place to stay, she had not ceded her individuality or anything else to him—or to his family.
It was bad enough that an unknown person or persons were making her life miserable. She didn’t need more consternation from her friends.
* * *
Adam had tied a bay mare’s lead rope to a hitching ring by the stable and was currying her glossy coat when he looked up and saw Sara approaching. A smile began to lift the corners of his mouth, then stopped. Judging by her stiff walk and serious expression, either something else had gone bad or she’d gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.
He straightened, running a palm over the horse’s flank to steady her and telegraph his movement. A nod to Sara followed. “Morning.”
“Morning.” She kept coming until she was within nibbling distance of the mischievous mare, then stepped back slightly to keep clear of her velvety-soft upper lip.
“Did you find the coffee and something to eat?”
“Yes. Your brother waited for me to come downstairs.”
“Good.” Adam stared, waiting, frowning. “Who put the burr under your saddle? Did Kurt get out of line? If he did, I’ll—”
“You’ll what? You gave him permission to make a pass at me, didn’t you?”
Adam was dumbfounded. “I what?”
“You heard me. He says you told him it was okay to date me.” Her fisted hands returned to her hips. “Don’t I get a say?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course you do.”
“Then what in the world made you grant him rights that weren’t yours to give? I feel like a puppy that was abandoned by the wayside because nobody wanted it.”
He raised a hand, almost touched her arm, then withdrew. Sara was angry and looking for explanations, not asking for physical comfort. They both needed answers, the least of which involved their personal relationship. However, unless and until they figured out who had been stalking and attacking her, they needed to stay focused on possible dangers, not be distracted by emotion.
Standing tall, Adam blew a sigh. This was a proud, intelligent woman who deserved better than she’d been getting since returning to Paradise. If she pulled away from him, from his protection, because of a misunderstanding, the fault would lie with him. Only the truth would do—at least part of it.
“Look,” he said, forcing a slight smile in the hopes it would soften his words, “it’s like this. Kurt and I were strong rivals when we were kids, and he didn’t want to step on my toes in case I thought of you as my girlfriend.”
“Terrific. Go on.”
“It’s simple, really. When he asked if I’d mind if he tried to date you, I told him it was okay with me. I wasn’t giving you away. We’ll always be good friends. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a life beyond our special friendship. Am I right?”
Observing her closely he wanted to be certain she understood before he dropped the subject. The relief he had expected to see looked more like sadness. When she finally nodded and said, “Yes,” her lower lip was trembling.
She turned away. Adam reached for her. The impatient horse nudged him with her nose and pushed his arm to the side.
The jealous mare was right. Going after Sara would do nothing but complicate matters, but he did intend to have a talk with his outspoken brother. The less angst there was among the three of them, the easier it was going to be to keep Sara safe.
Speaking of which... Adam pulled out his cell phone and dialed the sheriff. Ballistics results on the various bullets would take a while since that information would come from Springfield or Jefferson City. Any fingerprints found in Sara’s vandalized apartment should have a quicker match, assuming they were in the national criminal database, AFIS.
And if they weren’t? He breathed deeply and released another sigh. If the prints had no match they’d be right back where they’d started. Sara would still be someone’s target.
* * *
She wanted to cry. She also wanted to pitch a screaming rant. Neither choice seemed sensible, so she merely returned to her temporary bedroom to think while she battled the tears that kept gathering behind her lashes every time she thought of what Adam had said. He’d meant well. She knew that. There was no reason for her to be upset by hearing the truth. Yet she was hurt. Deeply.
“It’s not his fault he can’t see me as more than his childhood buddy,” she told herself. “That’s a hard mold to break.”
Besides, if she ever did convince him to view her as a grown, appealing woman, it might spoil the dearest friendship she’d ever had with any man. That was the crux of the problem, wasn’t it? Adam was all man, with the honor of a brave marine, the attraction of his job as a firefighter and the ruggedness of a working cowboy. Looking at him was akin to seeing all those impressive figures rolled into one, making him very hard to resist. Not that she’d had any trouble fending off his ad
vances. On the contrary, his standoffishness was driving her crazy.
Images of throwing herself at him popped into her head and made her blush. That would be so wrong. And so much fun, assuming he didn’t push her away and give her another lecture about being sensible. Maybe she didn’t want to be so sensible. Maybe she wanted to take her chances and find out if there was any tiny spark between them before she so much as considered dating anyone else, particularly Kurt.
The biggest problem with doing that, as far as Sara was concerned, was the possibility of being thrust into close proximity with Adam in the future. His was a close family. No way was she going to allow herself to become a part of the Kane clan via marriage unless it was to Adam. Anything else would be too painful, especially if and when he found himself a bride.
Images of herself in a bridal gown, standing at the rear of the church sanctuary and looking toward the altar, immediately filled her mind. A tall, handsome groom awaited her. She couldn’t make out his face but her heart was clear about it. If the stalwart man in a Western-cut suit wasn’t Adam Kane, she was not marching down that aisle. Period.
* * *
The arrival of the sheriff himself brought Adam out of the barn and back to the ranch house at a jog. “Morning, Steve. Anything new on the Southerland case?”
“Depends.” He scanned the yard. “Where is she?”
“Inside as far as I know. Sara’s not in the best mood today.”
“Yeah, I imagine she isn’t.” Hooking his thumbs into his equipment belt he hitched it up before leaning against his patrol car. “We figured out what kind of boot made those prints in the red paint. Not that it helps much. It was a size eleven with a walking heel.”
“Cowboy boot, you mean?”
“Sure looks it. Well worn. The toe was curled up just enough to keep from touching the wall when the wearer kicked it, but the experts still say it had a more pointed toe than your normal shoe.”
“Great.” Adam raked his hands over his short haircut in frustration. “That eliminates nobody.”
Steve was shaking his head. “It helps a tad. We know it wasn’t a woman unless she had really big feet. It also wasn’t one of those fellas who like hiking boots or trainers with waffled soles.” He paused, canted his head to the side and added, “Like the victim your boys pulled out of the fire. His rubber soles melted.”
“I see. So you’re thinking whoever was with him was probably wearing the same kind of shoes.”
“I am. Doesn’t matter where they were from. Not every Texan dresses like a cowboy, you know.” He chuckled, making his belt jiggle. “We got more Stetsons and spurs around these parts than half of Texas.”
Adam agreed. “Okay, so now what? Do we start looking for worn-out boots with red paint on them?”
“If our vandal is dumber than dirt, we do. I gathered he ain’t, judging by the complete mess he made of Sara’s apartment. Which reminds me. I heard from Miz Weatherly. She’s still waitin’ on her insurance man to come look at the damage but she’s found Sara a new place right around the corner, a little house that sits behind the electric co-op.”
“No way. She’s staying right here until we figure out who’s been causing all the trouble.”
“‘We’?” The chubby lawman laughed raucously. “Where’d you get your badge, son? In a cereal box?”
“You know what I mean. She’s better off away from town.”
From behind him he heard a feminine voice say, “Suppose you let me be the judge of that.”
Adam wheeled and confronted her. Saw sparks of anger flashing in her gaze. “I thought you were in the house.”
“Obviously.” Smiling at the sheriff she approached. “Did I hear correctly? You have a place for me to stay while my old apartment is being redone?”
“Miz Cynthia does,” Steve replied. “That’s one of the reasons I stopped by. I wanted to tell you in person and see what you decided to do.”
“I’m going back to Paradise, of course,” Sara said, shooting a look at Adam that dared him to argue. “Is the new place ready now?”
“There’s a full crew sprucin’ it up for you this morning. You should be able to move in right quick.”
“Good. It’s not like I have a lot of personal stuff that wasn’t ruined by that paint.”
Adam just stared. She already thought he was trying to run her life but, truth to tell, somebody with good sense had better take charge because Sara wasn’t thinking clearly. “You’ll be a lot safer out here with us,” he said.
“And farther from work. And dependent upon the kindness of your family when I’m fully capable of taking care of myself,” she countered. She turned to the sheriff. “Do you suppose I could hitch a ride back to town with you? My flat tires should have been fixed by now and I don’t like being stranded without wheels.” She gave a nervous-sounding chuckle. “I can’t see myself saddling up and riding a horse to work.”
“I’d buy a ticket to see that,” the sheriff joked.
It only took Adam an instant after saying, “All right. I’ll take you,” for him to realize she wasn’t going to allow it. A hardening of her expression left no doubt. Neither did her reply.
“I prefer to ride with Sheriff Caruthers if it won’t take him out of his way. Otherwise, perhaps he can send Deputy Ott back for me.”
“It’d be my pleasure, ma’am,” the older man said. “Why don’t you go pack? I’ll wait right here for you.”
“Thank you, Sheriff.”
Adam held his tongue until Sara slammed the back door behind her. “You could have told her you were busy.”
“Why? So you can get yourself into more of a pickle? She’s dynamite, son. The more information I get back, the worse this whole thing sounds.”
“Explain.”
“For starters, that fella that got himself shot was a member of a gang. Been arrested before and spent several months in juvie. I only know that because I got a buddy workin’ down near the border with Mexico.”
“That doesn’t mean Sara is involved.”
“’Course not. But there is a fair chance the dead guy’s buddy is connected, too. And if he’s still around he can be dangerous. Plus, there may be more than the two strangers Miz Bessie saw.”
“All the more reason why Sara should stay out here.”
“I gotta disagree. You’re too far from town if something does go down. And this is a big county. I can’t assign any of my deputies to patrol out here on a regular basis. If she’s in town, the police department can keep an eye on her a lot easier.”
“I don’t like this,” Adam said flatly.
The sheriff snorted a chuckle. “We finally agree on something.” He gestured toward the ranch house. “If I were you, I’d go tell her goodbye and then stand back so you don’t get run over when she heads for the door. I got the feelin’ she’s gonna mow down any resistance, including you.”
“Especially me,” Adam said cynically. “She was upset before you ever showed up. If I did anything to try to stop her at this point she’d throw a fit.”
“So, no sweat. We let her have her way and work around her.”
“It’s not that simple,” Adam argued.
Steve chuckled again. “Son, she’s a woman. Nothing about them is ever simple, ’specially when a fella’s heart is involved.”
“Meaning mine? No way.”
That claim set off the sheriff as if Adam had just delivered the punch line to a hilarious joke. Shaking his head and laughing, Steve arched his eyebrows. “You may be able to lie to yourself, but you’ll never convince the rest of Paradise that you and Miz Sara aren’t an item. All a body has to do is see your faces when you look at each other to tell.”
Adam set his jaw, his lips pressed tightly together, before answering, “I’ve never gotten that impression from her and I’ve known her most of her life.”
&nb
sp; “Maybe that’s the problem. You know her too well.”
Could it be that simple? Was he seeing what he expected to see rather than studying her face as he would that of a woman with whom he was not so familiar? Adam rejected the idea. He knew Sara almost as well as he knew himself and she’d never shown romantic leanings toward him. He, on the other hand...
Warmth crept up Adam’s neck and infused his cheeks with more color. If Steve had noticed his undue interest in her then perhaps others had, too—although Kurt seemed oblivious, so it couldn’t be that evident. Besides, all he’d have to do is explain that he was concerned for her safety, which he was, and that would defuse most rumors.
He looked toward the kitchen door as it opened. Sara was toting a pillowcase that apparently contained Missy’s clothing. What she was going to do about scrubs when she needed to return to work was another unanswered question.
Instead of approaching closely she called, “Thanks for everything, Adam,” then went directly to the passenger side of the patrol car and climbed in as soon as the sheriff released the automatic locks.
Adam knew it was likely to anger her but he was going to follow them all the way to town. He simply had to. She might be as thorny as wild Ozark blackberry vines but he didn’t care. He’d be there for her whether she liked it or not.
NINE
Sara felt terrible about the way she’d treated Adam, and the farther away from the ranch she and the sheriff traveled, the worse her guilt became. What was it about Adam that got under her skin so badly? In retrospect, he hadn’t really done anything so terrible. She was just used to calling the shots, to organizing her own life and making decisions without anyone’s help. That was as normal and necessary as breathing. She wasn’t wrong to be self-determined. But she knew she should have expressed her independence with a little more kindness and understanding, particularly to an old friend.
Fatal Threat Page 7
