She inhaled, intending to call him on his bossy attitude, but that heartfelt “please” stopped her. Instead, her lips curled up and warmth suffused her insides. She liked that he worried about her—as long as he didn’t try to control her.
“I will,” she said, “but like I said, I think it was just a very vivid dream. We didn’t find anything outside. Right, Zack?”
“Right,” he replied around a mouthful of food, the only one of them who seemed to be eating.
“See?” Addie said, turning back to Cade. “Nothing to worry about.”
Cade stared at her and sighed, but he let the argument go.
“Well, good,” Zack said and took a swallow of his coffee. “Now that that’s settled… As much as I’d like to hang around, I gotta get going. I’ve got a ton of work and animals waiting on me at home.”
“Thanks for staying so long,” Addie said.
“I’m sure you’ll miss me,” Zack replied with an audacious wink.
“Yeah, thanks,” Cade grumbled, narrowing his eyes at his friend’s flirtatiousness.
Zack grinned. “No problem. I figured you’ll have plenty of help now with Jorje.”
Uninterested in more food, Addie set down her fork. “Yes, I’m glad he decided to return.”
“Yeah, and I think you may see more of your other friend, too.”
Addie frowned. “What other friend?”
“The little sister who’s always making eyes at Cade when you’re not looking.”
“Zack…” Cade’s low voice held a note of warning, but Addie wasn’t concerned about Cade and Lana.
She kept her gaze on Zack. “Why do you say that?”
“Because, the night of the fight, she was staring at Jorje.”
“Really?” She smiled at the thought of Lana’s interest in the quiet young man.
“Yep,” Zack replied, “and she seemed real interested, too.”
“Thank God,” Cade muttered with a roll of his eyes.
Zack laughed.
“I think they might be good for each other,” Addie said with a smile.
“Maybe…” Zack grinned as he pushed away from the table and stood. “But, I gotta get going. I expect y’all to come visit me really soon, though. I could use another hand with tagging and vaccinations in the spring.”
Addie grinned. “We’d love to come for a visit.”
But Cade shook his head. “I don’t know. We’ve got a lot going on here. Not sure we’ll be able to leave for that long.”
“I’m sure you can find a neighbor who’d feed for you for a few days.” Zack’s face turned serious as his eyes pleaded with Cade. “At least visit for a couple of days. I don’t want to lose touch with you again.” The poignant note in his friend’s voice tugged at Addie’s heart and by the softening of Cade’s expression, she knew it touched him, too.
“You won’t,” Cade told him as he also stood. “You’ve got my number. Call me any time.”
“Yeah, I do.” Zack patted his breast pocket where the lump of his cell phone pushed against the material. “And I do know how to use it.”
Addie chuckled as she followed the men outside, but her thoughts kept returning to what had happened the previous evening. Had she imagined the whole thing or had her mind just run wild with dreams of mysterious, stalking monsters?
Chapter 23
Cade slowly made his way to his room, being careful not to disturb Addie, who was hard at work on her new laptop in the dining room. She looked to be deep in thought, her fingers flying over the keys. He’d become used to seeing her there, writing or researching her next literary work. When she was slightly bent forward—as she was now—with the ticking of the keys sounding something like rain on a barn roof, she was in her own little world. Unless he spoke up or made some noise to pull her out of it, she’d stay that way for hours.
Just looking at her brought a smile to his face.
It had been a little over a week since Zack left and aside from a slight, recurring headache, Cade was well on the mend. Still, Addie had insisted—to his utter annoyance—that he take it easy for at least another week. Jorje had been a great help, taking on the more strenuous jobs, but Cade was feeling antsy and chaffing a bit at her mothering.
But he’d do what she wanted just to see that brilliant smile of hers. Even if it bored him to tears to do the less interesting jobs—like feeding the chickens or checking fences—he’d do it for another week to please her. He might slip in a few hay bale tosses or feed bag moves here and there, but he knew his limitations and that he could handle the strenuous chores now.
Watching her work, the familiar warmth of desire pumped through his system. He’d like nothing more than to walk up behind her and kiss the soft arc of her neck, right below her ear. With her lustrous hair fastened into a messy bun on top of her head, her satiny pale skin called to him, but he knew it would lead nowhere. She’d made that clear two days ago when he hinted at taking her to bed.
“No, Cade, not yet,” she’d told him, her eyes wide with concern. “You’re still healing, remember. ‘No strenuous activity,’ the doctor said. You shouldn’t even be doing the light chores around here, but you’re too stubborn to listen.”
“Addie, I’m fine. I know how much I can take, and I’m careful,” he’d replied. “You worry too much.”
“I have my reasons and the doctor’s directions.”
He’d rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t blame her. After what she’d told him about her long-dead fiancé and his recklessness, he couldn’t criticize overmuch.
Then she’d walked up to him, her eyes soft and sweet as she ran her hands up his chest and behind his neck. She’d leaned into him and, going up on her bare toes, she tugged him down for a gentle kiss.
When they parted, her chocolate eyes had been filled with so much emotion, so much love, that the last
