Adrianna sat up and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for him to finish. “It’s not that funny,” she muttered.
After a few long moments, he hooked his arm around her waist and tugged her so that she was stretched out on top of him. “I can’t believe you thought he left me the ranch.”
Fighting embarrassment and fatigue, she simply shrugged.
He caught her bottom lip between his teeth before feathering kisses on her face. “Darlin’, he loved you so much, I can’t believe you thought that.”
Before she could stop herself, a few tears escaped so she pushed off him and turned on her side.
“Shit, don’t cry, Adrianna.” She could feel him moving behind her but didn’t turn around.
Her throat seized, stopping any response. She swatted away the remaining tears and leaned into him. Relief washed over her that she’d been wrong but she couldn’t find the words to express herself. He seemed to understand though. Wordlessly he shifted her and pulled her back tight against his chest. Normally she liked her space when she slept but she found herself breaking all her bedroom rules where Sam was concerned.
* * * * *
Adrianna’s world shook beneath her. “What the hell?” She opened her eyes to find Sam standing above her, fully dressed and gripping her by the shoulder.
“Good, you’re awake. I swear you could sleep through a tornado,” he muttered as he shrugged into his leather jacket.
“What’s going on?” She wiped at her eyes and sat up.
“There’s a problem with some of the cattle. I’ve got to help Malcolm and the men round them up.”
“Is everything okay?” She shook her head in an attempt to clear the cobwebs from her brain.
Sam bent down and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Everything’s fine. I don’t get cell service out in the fields but I should be back by dusk.”
Groaning, she fell back against the pillow. “What time is it?”
“It’s a little before dawn sweetheart. Go back to sleep. I’ll see you tonight.”
Her eyelids refused to open but she felt him kiss her again before she heard the door shut behind him.
Hours later, Adrianna forced herself to get out of bed. Sleeping until lunch wasn’t something she’d ever done before and she was a couple hours away from doing just that.
After showering and fixing a pot of coffee, she decided to unpack the rest of her clothes. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be staying but considering she didn’t have a job to go back to and a hot man was intent on staying in her bed, the decision to stay a while longer was a no-brainer. Once she’d emptied her suitcase, she shoved the monstrous thing under her bed.
It was a little after ten on a Monday morning. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept in on a weekday. Sure she needed to review the ranch’s books, but considering her father’s funeral had been yesterday, she figured Sam would cut her some slack. She dug her phone out of her purse and cursed when she realized it had died.
Suddenly guilt flooded her veins. She hadn’t even called Lindsay to let her know what had happened to her father. Everything had happened so quickly, calling her friend had been the last thing on her mind. Adrianna plugged her phone into the charger then turned it on. Ten new voicemails. The message blinked on her screen. Damn!
As she listened to the first message, her stomach dropped. “You don’t know me but my name is Randall and I work with Lindsay. She’s been in a car accident. You’re the person listed as her emergency contact…” The message was dated yesterday.
She quickly flew through the rest of the messages. One was from her jerk ex-boss, one was some guy she’d gone on a date with eons ago but the rest were from the hospital and Lindsay’s coworkers. Shit! Her heart beat a rapid tattoo against her chest.
She slipped on her boots, grabbed a small bag and repacked some of the clothes she’d just unpacked. Next she grabbed all her toiletries and haphazardly threw them in the bag.
As she zipped up her bag, she grabbed her purse and unplugged her phone. She had a charger in her car so she’d call Sam from there. Just in case he didn’t get her message, she scrawled a note telling him she’d gone home but would be available on her cell.
* * * * *
Adrianna eased open the door to Lindsay’s hospital room with her hip as she balanced coffee and candy bars in both hands.
“You’re a goddess! The freaking nurses are worse than the Gestapo.” Lindsay shifted against the sheets as Adrianna held out her offering of chocolate and caffeine.
She chuckled. “And I’m sure you’re not giving them a hard time at all.”
“I seriously owe you, Adrianna. I still can’t believe you drove all this way just because I broke my leg, especially since… God, I’m so sorry about your dad.”
“Stop it. Besides, from the messages Randall left me I thought you were in ICU or something.”
Lindsay’s cheeks reddened at the sound of his name. “What do you think of him anyway?”
Lindsay’s coworker had stepped out to make a call. “He’s cute and it’s obvious he’s into you.”
“You think?” Lindsay chewed on her bottom lip.
“Uh, he’s been by your bedside for the past day and a half and you guys only work together? Yeah, I’d say so.” Adrianna took a sip of her coffee and repressed a grin. Anytime Lindsay moved, her coworker jumped like a jack-in-the-box, ready to serve her every need.
“Listen, I know you drove all this way but I swear I’m fine. Don’t feel like you have to come back tomorrow morning.”
Adrianna rolled her eyes as she stood. Visiting hours had been up for half an hour so she knew it was time to clear out, especially since she guessed that Randall wanted some alone time with Lindsay before he left. “Whatever, girl. You’d better believe I’ll be here bright and early. If you’re lucky, I’ll bring pastries. The chocolate kind.”
When she heard the door open, she glanced over her shoulder to find Randall hovering. She turned and winked at Lindsay whose face only turned a brighter shade of red. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Adrianna. Thanks again.”
“Bye, hon.” She gave her friend a light peck on the cheek and said a quick goodbye to Lindsay’s other “friend” who barely glanced in her direction as she left.
For the past four hours she’d been hanging out at the hospital with Lindsay but now that she knew her friend was okay, she didn’t feel too bad that she’d missed the call. A broken leg sucked but according to her doctors, it could have been a lot worse.
Exiting the hospital, she turned on her phone as she walked through the parking lot. She frowned when she checked her messages. No new voicemail. It was getting dark so she assumed Sam would have called by now. She’d written a note and left a message so there was no reason for him not to have contacted her.
She bit back her disappointment then immediately chastised herself. It had only been a day and she was missing his voice. Pathetic.
The drive to her place was short but she was looking forward to taking the time to go over her options and figure out what her next move was. As she unlocked her front door she began her mental pro-con list of why she should move to the ranch and why she shouldn’t.
Sighing, she dropped her bag on the foyer floor and sagged against the door. Her brain was threatening to overload. After slipping off her boots, she tossed them by her bag and headed toward her kitchen. Maybe wine would help clear her muddled brain. She shook her head and chuckled at the thought of alcohol clearing anything up.
“Something funny?” A deep male voice from the direction of her living room caused her to spin to her left.
A scream died on her lips when she spotted Sam laying on one of her microfiber couches, cowboy hat pulled low on his head. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? How the hell did you get in here? And what are you even doing here?” Out of sheer nervousness, questions flew from her lips like machine-gun fire. Her heart beat wildly against her rib cage as she tr
ied to catch her breath.
Sam pushed up from his lounging position. His legs unfurled and when he stalked toward her, she suddenly felt like he was the hunter and she was his prey. “I used your father’s key and I’m here to collect what’s mine,” he growled.
“Didn’t you get my message?”
As he came to stand toe-to-toe with her, she resisted the urge to step back. What was the matter with him? Why was he acting so edgy?
He held up a crumpled piece of paper. “What the hell is this? ‘I’ve gone home but I’ll be available on my cell’?” He repeated her letter to her as if she were a child.
Adrianna frowned at his heated tone, trying to understand why he was so upset. “Did you check your voicemail?”
His intense expression faltered. “What?”
“Your voicemail?” Now it was her turn to speak slowly.
“No.”
“So you drove all this way because…”
“I told you. I’m collecting what’s mine.”
He still hadn’t touched her but they were so close she could feel his body heat emanating off him. “And that would be…”
His jaw clenched as he reached for her, clamping his hands around her hips so that their bodies were flush against each other. “You.”
She shifted against his erection and smiled. “You thought I left, like for good?”
When he didn’t answer she wrapped her arms around his neck. “If you’d checked your voicemail you would have known that my friend was in an accident. That’s why I left.”
He frowned as if he didn’t quite believe her. “All your stuff from the bathroom is gone.”
“You mean like my makeup and other stuff I use every day?” She inwardly smiled. She couldn’t believe he’d driven all this way.
“Your clothes were gone too.” Now his voice was accusing.
She glanced toward the door where her small bag lay, then back at him as she tried to bite back a smile. “Most of my stuff is still back at the ranch. My suitcase is under my bed.”
“When I saw the note and your stuff gone, I thought you’d left.” The words were strangled and hoarse.
Suddenly she saw a side to Sam she’d never imagined possible. No longer was he the confident man she’d fallen for long ago. Real fear was visible in his eyes as he bared his soul to her. Her stomach clenched as reality hit her. “I wouldn’t leave for good without telling you in person.”
“So you’re coming back?”
“For a while anyway. There’s a lot of stuff I need to take care of at the ranch and—”
“No. Not for a while, forever.” It wasn’t a question.
“Oh really?” She sucked in a breath at the heated look he raked over her face.
“I was serious when I said you were mine.”
She bit her bottom lip as she stared at him, unsure how to voice her next question.
He took the words right out of her mouth. “I meant what I said last night. I love you, Adrianna. I have for longer than I care to admit.” He leaned forward so their foreheads touched.
“Me too,” she whispered.
“Say it.”
“I love you, Sam.”
He let out a growl as reached under her sweater and bra and squeezed a breast.
She let out a yelp as he started pulling her clothes off. “What are you doing?”
Without breaking stride, he answered, “We’re christening every room in this place, darlin’. Starting right here.”
About the Author
Savannah Stuart has been reading romance for as long as she can remember. When she discovered erotic romance, she knew she’d found her niche. Most of her stories have a touch of intrigue or suspense, but the one thing she always includes is a Happily Ever After. In addition to writing (and reading, of course!), she loves traveling with her husband.
The author welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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