Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
W hen Angie and her crew had invited Adam to the Raccoon for lunch, he’d hesitated, knowing Tracy and Mila would be there. But socializing with the Rowdy Ranch crew was fun and meals together usually inspired more cool ideas for the bookstore.
He'd driven over separately and parked by the courthouse. He’d explained that he and Tracy had an online call regarding the road project and he wouldn’t be coming back to the house until later. It wasn’t a total lie.
A Canadian lynx pair had been spotted near the mountain road in question, but they might be an anomaly. The populations being monitored lived in the northwest part of the state and were rare south of Missoula. Their status was listed as threatened but not endangered.
That said, it wasn’t in his nature to ignore the impact of road construction on wildlife. At three this afternoon he’d be on a call with the leadership of two of the environmental groups voicing concern.
Tracy and Mila left the Raccoon at twelve-thirty, each of them giving him and Angie’s crew a wave on the way out the door. He could tell from Mila’s expression she was itching to question him about this latest development.
He’d expected either her or Claudette to track him down yesterday, but they hadn’t. When his mom told him the Valentine’s Day adoption promo had eclipsed their wildest dreams, he’d understood why they were AWOL along with Luis.
“I forgot to tell Mila,” Angie said. “This morning I texted my mom about that digital adoption program. She’s putting a link to it in her monthly newsletter. Her readers will love the idea of choosing a wild horse to sponsor.”
“I love it, too,” Kendall said. “I’ve already adopted a bay named Rocky. He’s a handsome boy.” She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her emails. “Here he is.”
Adam studied the picture. “Nice. I’ve seen that horse several times. We just got him last year. Luis put him on a list of potential trainees.” He handed back the phone.
Jodi reached for it. “Wanna see, Mama.”
“Say please.”
“Please.”
“Hold it very carefully.”
When Jodi gave her a solemn nod, Kendall gave her the phone and turned back to Adam. “Then Rocky might be adoptable for real some day?”
“Possibly. Luis never knows for sure until he’s worked with them and then they need to pass Monty’s vet check.”
“I can wait. We don’t need four horses yet, but I’m sure we will eventually. Although between my work schedule and Cheyenne’s, we barely have time to make another kid.”
Angie laughed. “That’s what we get for marrying firefighters.” She reached for her phone and scrolled to a picture. “Here’s the horse I adopted because he has my husband’s name, Dallas. Jodi, here you go, sweetie.” She exchanged her phone for Kendall’s.
Kieran leaned over to take a peek and chuckled. “Looks just like the fella you married, Angie. Same gleam in his eye.” He pulled out his phone. “Fancied a mare, I did. Twinkle Toes. Givin’ her to my granny.” He showed everyone a picture of a dainty sorrel with a white blaze. “Then here’s Autumn. Fancied that one for Sara because of the reddish coat. Kinda goes with her hair, it does.” Then he turned over his phone to the little girl and Angie got hers back, all without incident.
“You guys are awesome.” And Jodi was the best behaved toddler he’d ever met. “Be sure and tell Mila and Claudette what you?—”
“Oh, they know already,” Kendall said. “They emailed almost immediately with a lovely, personalized thank you. Those women know customer service backwards and forwards.”
“They love what they do.”
“You can tell.” Angie signaled for the check. “And speaking of loving the work, we need to get cracking on ours. And you have that online meeting coming up.”
“I do.” He glanced at his phone. Ten minutes. His body reacted immediately with a rush of heat. “Thanks for lunch. This was great.”
“We love coming over here.” Kendall extracted Jodi from her highchair. “Don’t we, snookums?”
Jodi nodded. Then she looked straight at Adam and held out her chubby arms. “Hug.”
Astonished, he held out his arms and Kendall transferred the little girl to his keeping. While he held her close, she grabbed him around the neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. “’Bye.”
“See you soon, Jodi.”
She patted his cheek “Yep.” Then she turned toward her mother, task accomplished.
Kendall took her back. “She’s a hugger, but only after she figures out you’re part of her world.”
“I’m honored to have made the grade.” He hadn’t held a child in years. Taking Jodi in his arms had tapped into a part of him that had lain dormant.
Jodi continued to gaze at him over Kendall’s shoulder as he followed the crew filing out of the Raccoon. He’d assumed he’d be a dad someday but the image had been distant and out of focus.
He could still feel the lingering warmth of Jodi against his chest and cool air on the spot where she’d left her slightly slobbery kiss. He could have wiped it off with his bandana, but that would be like refusing a gift.
After walking the crew to Angie’s truck, he bid them all goodbye and continued on toward Tracy’s office, still stuck on the kid issue. Kendall had struck a nerve with her comment about wanting to make another one. He didn’t have any.
Until now, he’d been okay with that. He’d felt no sense of immediacy. Considering what would be happening during the next hour, it made sense that an image of Tracy holding a red-headed baby had become lodged in his brain.
They wouldn’t be working toward that goal, obviously. The condoms in his coat pocket were designed to prevent such an outcome. But what would it be like if they were making love and hoping for a pregnancy?
That got to him, arousing him in a way that he’d never experienced before. Quickening his step, he approached her door and took out his phone to check the time. Four minutes. Close enough.
Oh, yeah, he hadn’t remembered to carry a briefcase to this so-called meeting. Oh, well.
She’d put up her Back Soon sign with the clock hands set at two. The bell she’d hung on the inside of the door jingled when he opened it.
Stepping in, he turned and locked the door as she called his name from upstairs.
“Yes, ma’am. It’s me.”
“Lock the door.”
“Already did.” He started to take off his jacket and hat. Hesitated. “Does anyone have a key?”
“Just my cleaning service.”
“Okay.” He hung up his jacket and hat on the coat tree by the door. Might as well toe off his boots while he was at it.
“What are you doing?”
“Boots.”
“Oh.”
Setting them next to the coat tree, he bounded up the stairs. Uh-oh, the condoms. He went back down, slipped and had to grab the railing to keep from going down.
“What the hell, Adam?”
“Forgot something.”
“If you brought me flowers?—”
“Should I have?”
“No! You can’t walk over to my office carrying a bouquet of flowers!”
“Right.” He grabbed the two condoms from his jacket pocket and charged up the stairs again. She’d left the door to her apartment open.
He dashed through it and glanced around the empty space, living room on the left and kitchen on the right. “Where are you?”
“In my bedroom. Where else would I be?”
“I wasn’t sure.” He headed toward it. “I’ve never done anything like this be—” He came to an abrupt halt, his socks skidding on the polished wood floor.
Tracy sat propped up in bed, the covers shoved to the foot of it. The winter sun had begun to peek into her west-facing bedroom window, bathing the area in a shimmering glow.
He dragged in air. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
“Wow. Thanks.” She flushed, the pink tinge touching her face, her breasts, even her thighs. “I just… I figured you’d be in a hurry.”
“I am. Or I should be.” He shoved the condoms in his jeans pocket and fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. “But you’re… perfect. I don’t want to forget how you look right now.”
“You’ve seen me naked before. You should be getting used to it.”
“Maybe I will.” He sucked in air. “But I haven’t yet.” Unfastening his cuffs, he left his shirt partly buttoned and pulled it over his head. “And last time it was firelight. Now you’re in sun. Totally different.” He looked around the room for a place to put his shirt.
“Just drop it.”
“No, ma’am.” He laid it over the back of a rocker in the corner.
“You don’t have to be neat.”
“Tell the truth, Tracy Lorraine. You don’t like slobs.” Grabbing the arm of the rocker, he yanked off both socks and left them on the seat, too.
“You’re not a slob. But we don’t have much time, so?—”
“A leopard can’t change his spots.” He shucked off his jeans and briefs. “I’m not throwing my clothes on your floor.” Taking both condoms out of a front pocket, he draped the jeans over the rocker. “And you wouldn’t like it if I did.”
“It’s not important.” Her eyes darkened as he approached. “I’ll gladly put up with clothes on the floor if that means I’ll be making love with you.”
Tossing the condoms on the bedside table, he ripped one open. “Don’t start compromising, Trace.” Sheathing himself, he paused, drinking in the glorious sight of her body quivering with eagerness. “You’re incredible. Don’t settle for anything but the best.”
“I won’t.” Sliding down, she took a deep breath. “And neither should you.”
“I know.” He stopped short of promising. As he moved over her, as he sank gratefully into her warmth, he accepted the truth. She was the best. And he’d already made a promise to let her go.