A Question of Honor

by Mary Anne Wilson

  Horrible, tired and worried. But she didn’t say any of that. “I’m okay. The headache is gone.”

  “I can’t believe you could even run like that,” he said. “Especially in this miserable cold.”

  She told him the truth. “I went to the garage to check on my car. Dent said it’s not going to be ready for a bit.” She grimaced.

  “You’re safe. Dent’s good at what he does and he’s honest to a fault.”

  “And you know him, and he’s an old friend from back in the day?”

  “Good guess. Yes, he is, and his dad had the garage and gas station from the start, then passed it on to Dent five years ago when he retired.”

  They were at the inn, and Faith saw the huge motorcycle with the red, white and blue adornments sitting under its cover where her car had once sat. Willie G. must be back, and Adam was still talking.

  “Dent’s the best there is in town.”

  “Good to know,” she said and was shocked when her stomach growled. She pressed a hand to her middle and shrugged. “I guess I need to get some food.”

  “I was going to get something before heading back to the ranch. Want to share a table with me?”

  If this had been a normal time in her life, she would have loved to do that, but nothing was normal for her anymore. Especially the effect this man had on her, and it got more intense every time they met. She’d run from him, for Pete’s sake. How could she sit down to eat with a cop? “No, I don’t think so, but thanks.”

  “My treat,” he said quickly and she understood that he thought she was broke since her wallet went missing. Not that that particular scenario wasn’t uncomfortably close to her reality at the moment.

  “No, I couldn’t,” she said.

  He smiled and gently put the tip of his forefinger to her chin and tilted it up. “Come on. You need food, and I don’t need to eat alone,” he said as her gaze met his dark eyes. He urged her to agree. “You’d be doing me a favor. I hate eating by myself.” Right then, the smile touched his whole face, and she admitted that he wasn’t fighting fair, not when he had that dimple in his arsenal.

  She was hungry, and no one liked eating alone. After what he’d done for her, any way she looked at his offer, she owed him that much. And she was worn-out from going over and over what she’d done, losing her wallet with everything in it and trying to think where to go from here. She needed a break, any kind of a break. “I guess I could, if I can get back early. I’m still really tired.”

  “Thank you,” he said, then drew back. “Let’s get going.”

  She glanced at the inn, certain she should be going inside, up to her room and locking the door so she could sort out her future. But that was the last thing she actually wanted to do right then. She wanted to have dinner with Adam and forget for a few hours before she had to face the mess her life had become.

  “Just give me a few minutes to freshen up, then we can go.”

  “Go ahead and I’ll bring the truck over here.”

  “Okay,” she agreed.

  He took off down the street, and she watched him jog away until he disappeared into the crowd of holiday shoppers. She turned and hurried inside and up to her room, but this time she wasn’t locking the door and staying put. She changed her sweater for a yellow silk shirt, pushed some money into her pocket, then got her jacket and headed back downstairs.

  Willie G. appeared from the back area, saw her and smiled. “I heard you’ve been sick, pretty lady, but you look darn good to me.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “I’m fine. You visiting Mallory?”

  “Thought I was, but she got a better offer and I’m staying here to cover for her so she can get out for a bit.” As she got to the door, he asked, “You going out, too?”

  “For a bit,” she called back over her shoulder, darting outside.

  Adam was there, leaning against the front fender of his truck, arms folded across his chest, his Stetson low over his face. The sight of him came close to taking her breath away. It was ridiculous, she thought, that one person could affect her so intensely. But she kept watching him, a smile shadowing his lips.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded.

  “Okay, let’s go,” he said as he led the way around to the passenger door.

  He opened it for her, but stepped closer and said, “What’s that?” He was crouched down, hidden by the partially opened door. Then he rose slowly to his feet, staring at something he had in his hands.

  She followed the direction of his gaze and was stunned at what she saw. Her wallet. At first she didn’t believe her eyes, then in a flash, her worry fell away. She looked at Adam, joyful.

  Without giving it a thought, she jumped at him, throwing her arms around his neck. His strong arms lifted her off her feet.

  “Thank you, thank you,” she said. She was hugging him right back. “Thank you!”

  She inhaled his unique male scene and reveled in his strength and support, and for a moment, with her face nuzzling his neck, she let herself absorb the relief and the joy. Then she realized how close she was to a man she had no right to be so close to. Much less being lifted up and off her feet by him. The relief and joy were evaporating as quickly as they’d come, but the emotions flooding in to replace them were even more intense and unsettling.

  * * *

  ADAM HELD FAITH to him for as long as she’d let him, but then her mood shifted, the excitement of the wallet find faded, yet she was still clinging to him. He closed his eyes for a long moment, then slowly eased her down.

  One look into her blue eyes told him that what was starting to stir in him wasn’t one-sided. Her dark lashes swept low, partially hiding surprise and desire in the depths of her gaze. No, he wasn’t alone in this at all.

  On an impulse, he moved closer and dipped down to meet her lips with his. He deepened the connection and her arms drew him tightly to her.

  He felt so tuned in to her at that moment, it stunned him, that and the undeniable fact that he could have stayed like that forever. Forever didn’t seem like overkill to him at all. But forever turned out to be only as long as it took her to break the kiss and lightly push away from him.

  He hesitated to let her go, not wanting whatever was happening to end. At the last moment, he framed her face with his hands and looked down into her eyes.

  Her breathing was quick, her cheeks rosy-red. He exhaled unsteadily and said, “If this is how you show gratitude, I need to do something like this for you as often as I can.” It was a feeble attempt at humor to try to cope with his feelings, but it didn’t work.

  There was no smile, no teasing between them, just Faith moving back to remove all contact with him. Her eyes darted to his hands, then past him. “My wallet?” she gasped.

  His hands were empty, and for a moment he couldn’t think what had happened to the wallet. Then he remembered tossing it onto the truck step when she’d all but leaped into his arms. Turning, he retrieved it and handed it to her, the worn leather damp from snow that was starting to fall again.

  He watched her take it, but she didn’t open it. She just stood there, and he thought for a moment that she was going to bail on dinner, but he wouldn’t let her. “Do you want to walk or ride?”

  His hunch proved right when she answered, “I don’t think I’m going. I’m so tired,” she said without meeting his gaze. “I’m sorry, so sorry.” She sprinted away and up the porch steps. He stopped her just as she stepped into the reception area, and almost ran into her back when she stopped abruptly.

  Mallory was there at the desk talking to Willie G., and both looked when the chime sounded. Mallory grinned at Faith and then at Adam behind her. “Hey, Adam, how’s your dad doing?”

  He closed the door behind him while Faith moved closer to the stairs. “When I left the hospital, my mother was with hi
m, and Moses is convinced that it was an anxiety attack, not a heart attack.”

  “Your father’s in the hospital?” Faith asked. “You never even mentioned it when we...when you took me there.”

  “It happened today. And my guess is he’ll be out fairly soon.”

  “Thank goodness,” Mallory said, and then she her spotted the wallet clutched in Faith’s hands. “Oh, my gosh, you found it!”

  Faith looked down at her wallet. “Yes, Adam found it in his truck.”

  “Well, good for you,” Mallory said to Adam. “Those special cop skills come in handy, don’t they?”

  “It fell out on my foot,” he said. “It was caught between the door and the seat, I guess.”

  “Now you really do have another reason to celebrate, don’t you?” she said to Faith.

  Faith looked at her blankly. “Excuse me?”

  “It’s your birthday. Time to celebrate it!”

  Adam saw Faith blanch at Mallory’s words. “How did you know?” she asked.

  “Your driver’s license.” Mallory motioned to the old-fashioned ledger on the desk where guests signed in. “I put down the number when you registered, and I saw your birth date on it.” She tapped her head. “I have a photographic memory,” she told them and then went on to reel off an address in Illinois. She looked at Faith inquiringly when she finished. “Did I get your address right?”

  “Yes,” Faith said, but Adam saw how she pressed a hand to her stomach during the exchange.

  He didn’t have a photographic memory, but he could certainly retain an address for a few hours. He’d remember it until he got back to the truck to write it down. He felt as if he were betraying her in some way, by checking on her, yet she didn’t trust him. A kiss was born out of happiness, a spontaneous action. But trust was earned. He wished she’d trust him enough to tell him what was going on, but he honestly didn’t think that he had enough time before she left town to earn her trust.

  “Listen, I was going out, but that’s just been canceled, and Willie G. came over to help and now he doesn’t need to, so I ordered dinner from Casa Rosado Restaurant, and there is plenty coming. Why don’t you both join us, and we can sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Faith?”

  Adam could see Faith figuring out how to get out of it, but he wouldn’t let her. “She’s hungry,” he said without looking at her as he spoke. “She needs some food, and that would be perfect, not having to go out tonight when she’s been so sick. Besides, it’s snowing again.”

  Mallory clasped her hands together. “Wonderful.” She looked right at Adam. “Plenty for you, too,” she said. “And it’s closer to the hospital than the ranch, just in case you’re needed there.”

  He didn’t hesitate. “Thanks. I’d like that.” He looked at Faith, keeping his expression as unreadable as possible. “Casa Rosado has the best Mexican food in the area.”

  She still looked a little like a trapped animal, but she finally agreed, “It sounds good.”

  The front door opened and a kid came inside carrying a large cardboard box. Mallory came around the desk to go to the boy. “That was fast, Miguel.” She inhaled exaggeratedly. “And it smells wonderful.”

  Adam moved over to the two of them and took the box out of the boy’s hands while Mallory paid for the food. Willie G. motioned to him to follow him through the swinging doors and into the private area. Ten minutes later, the four of them were sitting around a large, well-used wooden table set by a bay window that overlooked the garden shrouded in snow.

  The food was laid out, and there was little talk until the plates were full and the first tastes of the food were out of the way. Adam was across from Faith, watching her test the enchiladas and rice, then start to eat with a purpose. He smiled a bit, bent to eat, but not before he caught Mallory watching him. She lifted an eyebrow, smiled knowingly at him, then concentrated on her own plate.

  Willie G. was silent for a long time, just eating methodically, and eventually he sat back. “I have to put this stuff on our menu,” he muttered. Then he shook his head, making his white braid bounce a little. “Nah, I’m no good at exotic foods.”

  Adam laughed. “Since when are enchiladas and rice exotic?”

  The chime sounded, and Willie G. jumped up without answering Adam. “I’ll get it. I came all this distance—I may as well do something besides eat.”

  He went out, and was back, followed by Moses. The doctor stopped when he saw who was at the table, then crossed to Mallory. “I’m sorry about tonight. I thought I’d come by and see if we could get out for a quick bite, before I head back.” He motioned to the feast set out on the table. “Seems I’m late.”

  Mallory got up and found another chair. Faith moved her chair and Moses took a seat at the table. “We have tons of ‘exotic’ food,” Mallory said, glancing at Willie G., who was digging into his meal again. “Please, have some with us. Besides, this is Faith’s birthday.”

  Moses settled, took the plate Mallory passed to him and began to help himself to the food. “Your birthday?” he asked Faith.

  “Yes, they tend to come once a year whether you want them to or not.”

  Adam laughed with the others, and he felt something settle in him. This had turned out better than he’d thought when he’d asked her to eat with him this evening. This was easier, less pressure, and Faith actually seemed to be relaxing as she ate.

  Mallory apologized for her lack of drinks, offering milk, ice water, orange juice or lemon-lime soda. But Willie mixed the orange juice with the soda and made a drink that went well with the spicy food. They toasted to Faith’s birthday.

  * * *

  FAITH SIPPED THE REFRESHING DRINK and glanced out the window at the garden, the same view she had from her room. She watched the snow falling steadily. She had wanted to go to dinner with Adam, and then after the kiss knew she couldn’t. There was no way she could be in that truck again, not after her reaction to Adam kissing her. She’d liked it too much. She couldn’t even look at him without reliving that moment. But being here in Mallory’s kitchen with these folks was, for lack of a better description, nice and safe.

  She wasn’t alone in her room, and she wasn’t alone with Adam. But he was there, grinning at the jokes Willie G. kept coming up with, looking relieved when Moses told him his father could go home tomorrow. Adam kept glancing at her with those dark eyes, sparking a heat in her that made her look away from him and concentrate on the others.

  She hadn’t expected this birthday to be anything but ignored, and here she was eating Mexican food, actually laughing and having the best time she’d experienced in months. She looked down at her plate as she put her glass back and was a bit surprised to see the food was almost gone. She’d been starving. She noted Moses and Mallory, not missing the constant contact between the two of them. A touch on the arm, a soft slap on the shoulder when Moses told the worst joke ever and the looks they gave each other.

  “The most snow we’ve had around this time of year, more than all the snow that’s fallen in the past five years together.” Willie G. was shaking his head. “Darnedest thing I’ve ever seen around here.” He looked over at Faith. “I guess coming from Illinois, you’re used to a lot more snow than this.”

  Faith nodded. “There was one year that I actually went out a second-story window and slid down to the backyard terrace.” She knew she was talking too much, but the memory had always made her smile, especially the part when she landed in the deepest snowdrift she’d ever seen. “I finally figured out that sliding into a new snow drift wasn’t a good idea.”

  She glanced at Adam, who was watching her intently. “Did you get in it and have to swim out?” he asked.

  How could he know that? “Yes, and I thought I was a goner, but my dad grabbed me and pulled me out.” That made her throat tighten, and she pushed her plate away. “That was wonderful. Thanks so mu
ch, Mallory.”

  “We aren’t finished.” The woman got up and went into a smaller room that looked as if it was lined with shelves of canned goods and bottles, probably a pantry. “I will be right there,” her voice called out. “I just have to see if... Found it!” She sounded excited. “Now,” she said as she appeared in the doorway with a small plate in her hand, “I just need something to light the candle.”

  Faith saw a cupcake on the plate as Mallory got closer, and the tightness in her throat translated to the threat of tears behind her eyes. She quickly took a breath and watched Mallory set a single chocolate cupcake in front of her. An oversize white candle stuck out of the thick chocolate frosting. Willie got up, leaned over the table and flipped open a cigarette lighter to touch it to the wick in the candle.

  “Willie!” Mallory admonished, but he just stood back and flipped the lighter closed. “I gave up smoking going on fourteen years, but I never gave up carrying this thing.” He held up the lighter fashioned in an intricate silver pattern with a single turquoise stone on one side. “The Council gave this to me, and it ain’t going nowhere.” He dropped it back into his shirt pocket and nodded at Faith. “Okay, young lady, make a wish, but just be careful about what you wish for, because any candle lit by my lighter guarantees that the wish will come true.”

  Faith looked at the dancing flame as Mallory led a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You,” and when they finished, a wish popped into her head. She wanted this to be her reality, in this place with these people. But even as she blew the candle out, she knew that this would be the one wish that Willie G.’s lighter could not make come true.

  The meal was over, and Faith knew it was time for reality to intrude. “I’m getting tired,” she admitted. “Is it okay to take this up with me?”

  “Of course it is,” Mallory said.

  Adam was staring at her, his eyes narrowed, but she couldn’t look at him when he spoke. “I’m just sorry I didn’t know it was your birthday, or you would have had some gifts.”