Rusty hugged her. “Thanks, Mom! I promise. I’ll take care of both!”
Adam’s brain stalled.Mom?Baby girl.What the hell?
“Don’t go thinking I’m dying just yet. I’m going back with you. We’re gonna turn that ranch around. Right after we teach Adam here how to run this place.”
Rusty turned. “Adam? I thought his name was Thomas.”
Clara Mae smacked the table like a judge delivering a final verdict. “And he didn’t know you ran off and married my daughter. We’re all enigmas, aren’t we? Okay, boys, I trust y’all to keep each other’s secrets. Right now, let’s figure out how to get Brett, Frank, and the Landrum family out of here without bringing down the entire ranch.”
“Clara Mae?” Adam said softly. He considered bringing up the joint he’d found in the barn but decided it was overkill. Besides, there was something more pressing. “Thank you for the opportunity… I was wondering —”
“Are you gonna question my orders? We ain’t up and leaving you tomorrow. Rusty’s gonna teach you.” She leaned on the chairback. “Your father claimed you got brains and boots to spare, said you were a born-and-bred Midnight Son. You ready to grow a pair, son?”
“I am! I was just going to ask… Do you have an alarm clock I can borrow until I can get to the store? And maybe I can buy back the Winchester my brother sold you?”
13
Claire stood inside the stall, waiting. She’d already strapped on Buttercup’s saddle and tightened the girth. Now, her girl was ready to run.
“Shhh, baby,” she whispered. “We’ll go in a few minutes. Here…” She picked up the brush. Buttercup enjoyed a full-body brush down almost as much as she loved to take Claire riding — or more accurately, to nibble the bounty of fresh greens waiting at the end of the trail.
The riding path snaked along the river, where the melting snow and glacial silt from the Talkeetna Mountains created moist, fertile soil. And the long sunny days during spring and summer in the Mat-Su Valley encouraged a variety of tender green shoots, wild grasses, and Buttercup’s favorite, red and white clover.
Technically, she wasn’t supposed to be in the barn without supervision — according to Clara Mae’s rules. Since she came every day before school, though, Rusty had started letting it slide. The other ranch hands and Clara Mae rarely showed up before she left. If they did, she pretended she’d just come to visit Buttercup.
Lala acted like an absent parent with Starlight, allowing the hands to take care of her horse, and then showering her with flatteries when she visited — at best, weekly, and only if the weather was nice but not too nice. No surprise, really. That’s how Lala’s parents treated her, especially her father, whom she saw maybe once or twice a year, if that.
The barn doors squealed open, and soft humming filtered inside, sending the barn swallows into chirps and twitters.
Claire waited, listened, making sure it was Adam before she revealed herself.
“More than a woman…” he sang.
She smiled but didn’t move. Hearing him hum the song they’d slow danced to the night before made her heart flutter all over again. That was the moment she decided to hold onto — the way he’d danced with her, and then that solo on the back of the old Ford.
From the moment she’d driven off the ranch, and while lying awake half the night, she wondered why he hadn’t kissed her during their dance. Then he missed the chance she’d all but handed him in the truck. And finally, when she rolled down the window, she’d all but invited him to kiss her. She’d nearly turned the Blazer around, ready to demand an answer. But then she remembered — Adam didn’t rush anything. He was careful about every decision he made.
“Good morning, Mac the Knight,” Adam said.
Claire covered her mouth. He was just too sweet for words.Adam,not the horse, she thought with a giggle. The horse, she knew all too well. While he was sharp as a tack, he was also a cheeky and clever gelding with an attitude. He carried himself like a stallion. Then again, so did Adam. Even if some people took him for something less — like her father.
“Morning, Gypsy Joe,” Adam called as his boots crunched over the wood chips. “Tango. Tilly. Red Dog.”
Claire realized Adam was calling out the horses as he passed them, learning their names.
His footsteps paused. “Good morning, Starlight. I got something for you, girl.Tchk-tchk.Tchk-Tchk,” he clicked. “Yeah, you’re shy, aren’t you? Lala doesn’t show you the affection you deserve, does she?” A snort answered him. “I understand. I really do. She must have some good in her, or my brother wouldn’t have gone out with her. Hang in there, gorgeous. I’ll take you out if she doesn’t show today.” Starlight snuffled, and the sound of her hooves shuffling forward brought tears to Claire’s eyes. “Atta girl. Here ya go.”
Adam moved on again, humming as he passed the stalls, calling out more names. “I got something for you, too, Buttercup.” He stopped. “What the — I unsaddled you, girl. Am I losing my mind?”
Claire peeked around her horse, careful not to startle Adam. “Hey…”
“Claire! Thank God! I honestly thought I was going insane for a second. What are you doing here so early?”
She laughed. “Sounds like someone got some sleep last night. No backlash with Clara Mae, I hope. I expected her to be waiting with her snake gun, as she calls the .22 strapped to her side.”
“Actually…” Adam absently stroked Buttercup’s snout. “She was waiting with both barrels of that 12-gauge loaded, but Rusty intervened.” He glanced over his shoulder. “We’ll talk later… somewhere else. Wanna go for a ride? We’ve got about an hour before the other hands show up.”
“Yep! Saddled and ready,” Claire said, her cheeks warming with a smile she couldn’t contain.