Chapter 16 #2
Sage, Adam, Jenna, and Matthew had also become celebrities of sorts.
News agencies from around the country—print, online, and television—had come calling for interviews about the treasure trove.
Of course, the attention had also brought scam artists and opportunists asking the family to fund one ridiculous project after another.
They’d eventually hired a private security company until they became old news and people stopped showing up at the ranch at all hours begging for money.
Sage and Adam had no problem helping those truly in need, but most requests were driven by plain old greed.
Glancing across the yard, Adam spotted his new wife talking with Anna and Trent Boone, their neighbors to the east. The older couple had approached them a few weeks ago with a proposal.
They decided to sell their eighty-acre ranch and retire to Florida, where their daughter and her family lived.
Knowing Sage was now financially secure, the Boones wanted to give her the first opportunity to buy the property and offered it at a reasonable price, since they’d known the Hammond family for years.
After talking it over, Adam and Sage agreed it was perfect. They planned to expand not only the horse-breeding operation but also the llama and sheep herds. That meant hiring more ranch hands besides the two who had worked for them last month.
“Here. This is for you.” Shane handed Adam a thick, white envelope.
“What’s this?”
His foster brother took a swig of his beer. “Open it, you twit.”
He snorted and put down his beer before opening the envelope.
Sage and Nicole, who was carrying her daughter, Melanie, climbed the porch steps and walked toward the two men.
Adam's new wife was beautiful in the simple ivory lace sundress she’d picked out for the wedding, along with ivory cowgirl boots.
His groom attire was an ivory Western-style dress shirt with a bolo tie, paired with black pants and boots.
Pulling the papers from the envelope, he unfolded them as Sage sidled up and wrapped an arm around his waist. “What’s this?”
“Adam’s share of Harry and Barbara’s estate,” Shane replied as he took his daughter from his wife. “I figured it was time for him to take over his own accounts.”
Dumbfounded, he shuffled through the papers. “Um… what the heck? Shane… there are a lot more zeroes here than there should be. There’s no way Harry and Barbara left me this much money.”
Sage gasped when she spotted the total value of the investment accounts at the bottom of the page.
His brother grinned. “Oh, there was a lot less than that before my wife developed a nose for investing. There would’ve been more, but in the beginning, we gambled with our own money before adding yours to the mix. Needless to say, you’re now a very rich man—and not because you married into it.”
“Believe it or not,” Nicole said, “it started with my book club. One of the women brought in her daughter, who’s a stockbroker, to teach us about investing. We started small, learned how to research companies and analyze the market, and did pretty darn well for ourselves.”
“Holy cow!” Sage was impressed. “You’ll have to tell me what to invest some of our money in.”
“I’d be happy to. Not everything we’ve picked has paid off, and a few tanked horribly, but most have done really well.”
Sage looked up at Adam. “I have a suggestion. Since we’re no longer in desperate need of money, why don’t you do something special with that? I mean, if you want.”
“Like what?” He still gaped at the paperwork.
“Like opening a youth center—kind of like a YMCA or something.”
Shane bounced Melanie on his hip. “You could teach boxing and self-defense.”
“You could teach anything the kids want to learn,” Nicole added. “Things they might not get a chance to experience in school but could use in everyday life.”
A smile spread across Adam’s face as he pictured it. A place where kids could go after school. Somewhere they could try new things, make friends, stay out of trouble, or simply find an adult willing to listen when they needed one.
Someone like Harry had always been for him.
“I think that’s an awesome idea.” He paused as a name came to him. “How does the Harry and Barbara Brooks Youth Center sound?”
Shane’s eyes grew suspiciously bright. “I think they’d be honored, bro. It’s the perfect name.”
Both women quickly agreed.
Turning to Sage, Adam pulled her into his arms. “Will you volunteer to teach horse breeding? Because we both know basic culinary skills are way out of your league.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Absolutely. We can do anything you want.”
“Mommy! Adam!” Matthew came running toward them with Jenna on his heels. “Is it time?”
“Is it what time?” Adam made room for the two children to join the hug.
Jenna rolled her eyes in exasperation. “To tell us what the surprise is?”
“Surprise? Did we mention a surprise?” They’d been teasing the kids for the past few days about a big surprise that wouldn’t be revealed until after the wedding.
“AAAAdaaammm!”
The adults laughed at her tone as he squatted down to their level. “Oh, yeah. Your mom and I mentioned a surprise, didn't we? How would you like to go on our honeymoon with us? It just so happens we have two extra tickets to Disney World.”
“Yay!” Both kids jumped up and down. “We’re going to Disney World!”
As they raced off to tell their friends and cousins, Adam stood and pulled his wife close again. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
She brushed her lips against his. “You tell me every time you look at me.”
The other couple wandered away, giving them some privacy, but Adam hardly noticed.
For the first time in years, his life felt exactly as it should.
Somehow, someway, God had forgiven him and led him to this beautiful woman and two wonderful children who had opened their hearts and made him part of their family.
He glanced across Heaven’s Pastures at the people celebrating around them, then back at the woman in his arms. He didn’t know what waited for them down the road, and for once, he didn’t need to know.
Whatever came next, they would face it together.
I hope you enjoyed Sage and Adam’s story. Reviews are greatly appreciated on any book or retail site.
If you haven’t read the Whisper Softly series, now’s your chance. Start with Seaside Strangers.
Two strangers. One shared refuge.
Navy SEAL KC thought his four-week leave would be peaceful—just him, his uncle’s beach house, and some much-needed R&R. Instead, he walks into his temporary sanctuary to find a beautiful, desperate woman who clearly has nowhere else to go.
Moriah has been running for her life, bouncing from town to town, always one step ahead of the people searching for her. When KC finds her, she spins a story about fleeing an abusive ex-boyfriend—anything to keep him from digging deeper into the truth she’s desperate to hide.
As the two become reluctant housemates, KC offers to help Moriah learn how to defend herself. But when her past finally catches up with her, will KC be able to accept the truth behind her lies? And will Moriah be able to trust him with her life?
To stay means risking everything.
To run means losing the only man who’s ever made her feel safe.