Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Evan’s truck pulled up the drive as the volunteer firefighters were putting away the last of the hoses.
The barn was a total loss, but they’d kept the flames from spreading to Adam’s cottage and the surrounding area.
Evan, Maddie, and Jenna hurried over to Adam and Sage, fear and worry written on their faces.
“Mommy!”
Sage bent at the waist as her frightened daughter leaped into her arms, and she hugged her tightly. “It’s okay, sweetheart. No one was hurt, and the horses are all safe.”
“Even Ruby Tuethday?” Jenna asked with a sniffle.
“Even Ruby. Adam saved her.”
The little girl looked at him with big, watery eyes. “You did?” When he nodded, she added, “Thank you, Adam.”
He ruffled her blonde hair. “You’re welcome, Little Bird. Why don’t you and Maddie go check on all of them in the front pen?”
When the two of them were out of earshot, Adam moved closer to Evan. “It was no accident.”
“What?” The older man was as stunned as Adam and Sage had been when the fire chief told them an accelerant seemed to have been sprayed on the back wall.
The chief had also pointed out there were several points of origin, indicating the fire had started in multiple spots.
He was currently filling in the sheriff, who’d pulled up moments before.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t see anybody. It was only by a stroke of luck that we were back in time to save the horses.
” Adam stared at Sage. She’d been awfully quiet after the chief had hit them with the news.
It was obvious she was trying to fight back tears and stay strong in front of everyone, but this was one more thing she didn’t need in her life.
Grabbing Evan’s elbow, Adam pulled him out of her hearing range as she stood silently, facing the gutted-out structure. “Do they do things like good old-fashioned barn raisings around here anymore, or is that a thing of the past?”
The older man wiped his brow and grinned.
“We sure do, son. I’ll get on the horn and have a posse here first thing in the morning.
We’ll have the rest of this knocked down and cleared out in no time.
” He scratched his chin. “We may have to put the lumber on credit, though. I’ll have to check with Sage about that.
I don’t think her insurance covered the barn, only the horses. ”
“You let me worry about that.” He had a few things up his sleeve that he didn’t want to advertise.
He’d contact Shane later to set things in motion.
“You just start on those phone calls and get as many people as you can to help. And why don’t you ask Maddie to order pizza or something simple tonight? ”
“Good idea.”
After Evan left to get things underway, Adam strode over to where Sage was talking to the sheriff.
The gray-haired man eyed him warily as he approached.
Sage halted whatever she’d been saying to introduce the two men.
“Adam, this is Sheriff Pete Cosgrove. Sheriff, this is my new ranch hand, Adam Westfield.”
The man hesitated before shaking Adam’s outstretched hand. His tone was dry and unimpressed. “So I’ve heard.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really? Guess word travels fast in small towns like Rosewood.”
“Uh-huh. I make it a practice to find out what I can about strangers who suddenly take up residence in my town. Imagine my surprise when I learned Ms. Hammond had hired an ex-con. Where were you when the fire started, Mr. Westfield?”
Beside him, Sage gasped. “Who the hell did you hear that from? I swear this town has more gossips than a zebra has stripes—it ticks me off.” She put one hand on her hip and shook a finger at the uniformed man.
“You have no right to accuse Adam of anything because of his past, Sheriff. He was with me, riding the horses along the ridge. And—”
Placing a steady hand on her shoulder, Adam interrupted, “It’s okay, Sage. Sheriff, if you have questions about my past, then ask them. But as for the fire, I think you might take your questions about that up the road.”
The man’s bushy eyebrows came together as he frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that Bart Sherman has been trying to buy this land for the past several years. Sage turned him down again the other day, and he didn’t seem happy about it. Makes me wonder what a man would resort to if he didn’t get what he wanted.”
“Now, wait a minute. Bart is a respected member of the community—”
“And I’m just an ex-con who served my time.
” He still wasn’t used to some people’s reactions when they learned he’d been in prison, but they were entitled to their opinions.
There was no point in trying to change someone’s mind if they’d already decided he was an evil person.
“Now, if you don’t have any more questions for Ms. Hammond or me, then excuse us. We have a lot of cleaning up to do.”
Tightening his hand on Sage’s shoulder, he steered her back toward the house.
“Adam, I’m so sorry. He had no right to accuse you.”
He leaned against the railing post next to the porch steps and crossed his arms. “It’s not your fault, and he’s just doing his job.”
“It’s still not right.”
Grinning, he brushed his thumb across her cheek, which was covered in soot.
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re adorable when you pout?
” Not waiting for an answer, he continued, “Listen. Why don’t you go shower?
I’ll check on the horses and make sure they have enough water.
They can stay there for the night, right?
And get by on the grass until we can replace the feed in the morning? ”
She sighed, then nodded. “Yeah, they should be fine. Benji will alert us if anything is wrong. Thanks for helping me save the horses.”
“No thanks necessary. I’m just glad we made it in time.”
A few hours later, after the lights in the main house had gone out, Adam leaned against the fence, watching the horses settle in for the night. Holding his cell phone to his ear, he gave Shane the number for the local lumberyard Evan had supplied him with.
Their foster parents had named both of their longtime charges as beneficiaries in their will, and as executor, Shane kept Adam’s inheritance in a separate account.
They’d arranged it that way because the church’s medical insurance for its priests and friars provided little in the way of long-term care.
If anything ever happened to Adam, Shane would have access to the money and could make sure he received the best treatment and doctors available.
Adam had never imagined he’d need the money for anything else. Now, he was glad he had access to it.
“So, besides the fire, how are things in Rosewood, Oklahoma?” Shane asked.
He took a deep breath and blurted, “I kissed her.”
“What? Who?” Shane sounded as shocked as Adam felt.
“I kissed Sage.”
There was an extended pause on the other end. “And?”
He chuckled, taking a moment to enjoy drawing out the suspense he knew was killing the other man. “And what?”
“Come on, Adam,” Shane huffed. “This isn’t the eighteenth century, and despite being a modern-day friar, it’s not the first time you’ve kissed a member of the opposite sex. Wait. That’s all it was, right? A kiss? Or more?”
“Just a kiss.” But damn, how he’d wanted more.
This time, the pause was even longer before Shane spoke again. “You’re not going to ask me for pointers here, are you? I mean, I love you, bro, but that would be just too weird.”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m not going there with you. I think I can remember the basics.”
“Well, just remember to use protection.”
“Yes, Harry.” He loved to tease Shane when he started sounding like their foster father.
“Ah, hell. The baby’s crying. I’ve got to get her before she wakes up Nicole—she was exhausted going to bed earlier. I’ll take care of that stuff first thing in the morning. Love ya, bro.”
“Love you, too. Kiss my pretty niece and the rest of the family for me.”
Shane was already making cooing noises to little Melanie before he disconnected the call, and Adam smiled.
His brother had offered to let him stay with them when he’d first gotten out of prison, but Adam couldn’t do that to them.
Shane and Nicole had two boys, ages four and six, and Melanie had arrived two months before his release.
He’d only stayed with them for a few nights before hitting the road, not wanting to intrude on them any more than necessary.
Strolling back to his cottage, his thoughts kept bouncing between the fire in the barn and the one Sage had ignited in him. He couldn’t stop thinking about kissing her—or how much he wanted to do it again.
Sage woke to the sounds of banging, men’s voices, and the beeping of a vehicle backing up. She glanced at the clock and was shocked to see it was ten minutes to nine.
Throwing off the covers, she hurried to the window and opened the blinds.
What she saw was controlled chaos, and she tried to wrap her still-slumbering brain around what was happening in her backyard.
More than two dozen men were clearing away the remains of the barn and loading the debris into huge dumpsters, while a backhoe handled the larger pieces.
Those not involved in the cleanup were on the far side of the wreckage, hammering together pieces of lumber into what she assumed would be the back wall of her new barn.
“Holy cow!”
Grabbing some clothes, she quickly took care of business in the bathroom before rushing to the kitchen, where she found Maddie, Ashley, and two other women, Sarah Pickler and Jess Donahue, cooking up a storm.
Ashley spotted her first. “Well, it’s about time you joined us.
How could you sleep with all this racket?
Oh, and don’t worry about the kids. Matthew is at my place with Toby.
Chris’s mom is watching them. And Jenna is over at Cara Albertson’s for the day.
She said to call her later and let her know if you want Jenna to sleep over. ”