“Me too,” she shyly admitted before she could stop herself. Embarrassed, she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
“You sure I can’t walk you to your door?”
She licked her bottom lip and did her best not to stare at his. “Good night, Adrian.”
There would be no door-walking. That meant another hug, and she was suddenly sure if she ever got that close to him again, she wouldn’t be able to let go.
***
Adrian’s mind was a tornado of thought and emotion. He was lost in its swirl until he managed to tromp past the barn, past Chase and Kimmy’s house to his mom’s and through to his room. Well, the room wasn’t actually his; the room he’d grown up in happened to be the same space Goldie was occupying, though he’d decided not to say as much.
With the door closed, he rested his back against it, tipping his head up and running his hands through his hair. He wasn’t sure what to do about this churning inside of him. He was still reeling from Goldie’s hug. She was so soft, so perfect with him.
This was madness. He’d never expected anything like this. She was right to speak sense about her staying with him like this, but every time she hinted at leaving, the thought struck him like dismemberment. He didn’t want her to leave.
He’d tried telling himself it was because she needed help. He’d tried to convince himself she was just a girl in an unfamiliar town who was trying to find her aunt. But when he’d held her, when she’d nestled in and hadn’t pulled away, a dormant part of him had awoken.
He’d been weak for so long. From the distance between him and his father, from his father’s death. He hadn’t realized how much he’d been breathing, doing, acting, because it was just his default setting. Being around Goldie was making his life intentional again, and he wanted to do something for her. To let her know she was wanted and not in the way.
An impulse took over him. He dialed Rita’s number.
“Hello?” Rita’s voice was groggy.
Guilt struck him. It was already past ten o’clock here, which meant it was nearing midnight in Illinois.
“Sorry for calling so late.”
“Mr. Bear?”
“Yeah, it’s Adrian. Can you look into someone for me?”
“I’m not a secret agent,” she said dryly, shuffling as if reaching for the notepad he knew she kept near her bed.
He laughed. “I know, but can you?”
A long pause. “Ten more bonuses, boss.”
“Ten more lollipops,” he said in agreement. “Her name is Bethany Harold…”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
DREAMS OF ADRIAN MADE SLEEPING on the too-cushy mattress more like a restful daze. His arms around her, the sound of his voice, the way he made her stomach flutter. Everything was that much more amplified in her dreams. He was leaning in to kiss her just before her eyes popped open.
She awoke with splashes of both yearning and disappointment. Maybe she should have taken his invitation last night. Been brave and bold, the way she’d always imagined love to be. She should have hooked her hand around his neck and reeled him to her.
As it was, the contact they’d shared had been pretty amazing just the same. She dressed eagerly, her step lighter, her outlook downright dizzy at the possibility of seeing him again today. Maybe it was good she hadn’t been able to get ahold of Aunt Bethany yet. If she had, none of this would have happened. Adrian would just be a guy who’d helped her into town instead of one who was beginning to shake up her dreams.
People Goldie hadn’t yet met were serving breakfast at the tables below. New faces were seated at tables, families with small children, women and men sitting alone. One couple was captured in conversation with Chase, who was bent to their table and pointing to things in a pamphlet he was displaying. On its cover was an image of a horse.
“Morning, Goldie,” Chase greeted as she took a seat at a nearby table. A woman wearing a white chef’s apron over her jeans and t-shirt approached.
“Eggs and pancakes, please,” Goldie ordered. She longed to get back in a kitchen. It’d been too long since she’d baked anything. If she didn’t hear back from her aunt by this afternoon, she would ask Adrian about baking for his mom. Food always seemed like a good way to cool the air between people, and she did want to show her thanks.
Goldie was enjoying her pancakes when Adrian entered, flanked by Kimmy in a yellow sundress and her two young girls. What caught her off-guard more than anything else though, was the sight of him in a cowboy hat.
“Adri, Adri!” the youngest one called, offering her tiny hands. He scooped her up and carried her to where Goldie sat.
“Good morning,” she said. “You look like you’ve been busy.”
“I have,” he said. “I took these rascals for a horse ride.” The little girl threw her arms around his neck and gave him a squeeze that somehow squeezed Goldie’s heart at the same time. Adrian set her down, and she scampered to join her mom and dad.
Adrian took the empty chair across from her, rapping his fingers on the table. “Would you like to see the horses this morning?”
Like Montana itself, Goldie had never seen horses, aside from those she’d driven past or in movies. The idea filled her with excitement. “I’d love to.” She began stacking her empty cup and utensils on her plate, searching for a cart or something else to set them on.
“Sandy will get that,” Adrian said, waving away her effort. “Come on.”
Goldie felt strange leaving a mess for someone else to clean, but she glanced at the other tables and saw a young girl wearing a black apron busing tables and clearing away dishes. It appeared to be her job, and that made things a little easier.
“Funny, that you have all boys in your family, and now your brother has all
