Hurt filled the crystal blue depths of his eyes. She saw the internal battle play out there. Finally, he said, “Will you, at least…think about it?”
No promises, no profession of love, or anything else. Just his request that she give up everything she’d worked for to follow him. If he’d given her more—said he loved her, that he wanted to take care of her, and didn’t want to be without her—she would have agreed. After all, that’s what she wanted to do for him, what she wanted from him. If she had his love, they could’ve made their home anywhere. But none of those things left his lips and her heart had shrunk as disappointment crushed her into the mattress. Her arms and legs had turned to lead weights, but she couldn’t be angry with him. He’d never made a secret about his plans to leave. She had just built up this image in her head of them together on her farm.
Now, as she watched Cade and his brother swipe the last of the snow from the windshield and then climb into her truck, it became clear how fragile that fantasy had been. She couldn’t compete with his home, his brother, or the memories both held for Cade. She couldn’t give up on her own dreams either, at least not without something more concrete from him. That left her with only one option.
Let him go.
* * *
Cade chuckled as he stripped out of his wet clothes and tossed them into the washer. Addie had met him at the front door with a towel and the garage door opener. She’d clicked the button to start the metal door opening and shoved the towel at him.
“Not this way,” she’d said sternly. “Your brother already dripped all over my floor. Use the mudroom to strip off before heading for the shower.”
“But Addie…” he’d whined, shivering on the doorstep. He should’ve gone in with Cord rather than running to the barn to feed the horse and check on the chickens first.
She shook her head. “I know you’re cold, but you should’ve thought of that before rolling around in the snow. I’ve just mopped up Cord’s mess, and I’m sure my truck’s going to need a cleaning, too. You and your brother will take care of that, after you get warmed up.” She pointed toward the garage. “Mudroom. Now.”
He’d grinned at her, unable to be upset, especially if Cord had already dragged the mud and snow he’d been covered in into the house. Cade wasn’t much better off.
Darkness had fallen by the time he and Cord had finished feeding the cattle, and they’d been on their way back to the truck to head home when Cord had thrown the first snowball. It had splattered against the back of Cade’s head with a cold, wet slap, knocking his hat askew and raining bits of icy snow down his collar.
“Hey!” he’d shouted as he turned to berate his brother, but Cord had been waiting and two more snowballs hit Cade in the chest.
He’d looked down at the wet spots on his farm jacket, then slowly lifted his head. Cord had a fourth snowball in hand and a challenging grin on his face while he waited for Cade’s response. It had been another opening, another chance to heal what had broken between them, and Cade eagerly took it.
“So, it’s like that, is it?” Cade had said, pretending exasperation.
“You know it is,” Cordell replied, grinning like a madman and daring him to do something about it.
Adrenaline had shot through his limbs as he’d stared at Cordell while his mind rapidly formed a plan of attack. Some of the snowdrifts over the open fields had reached six feet or more, but not near where he’d stood. His only cover had been the truck, unless he wanted to drop into the snow and quickly form a fort.
Cade had stared at his brother, remembering all the other times they’d done this very same thing back home on their Montana ranch. Every winter growing up they’d had at least one massive snowball fight that left them both soaking wet and freezing, but laughing all the same.
Uncertainty and insecurity had crossed Cordell’s face as they’d stood facing each other in Addie’s field, and Cade knew he’d been staring too long.
“Last man standing wins,” he’d said as he reached for a handful of snow, even as he ducked behind the truck bed.
Cord’s next strike caught Cade in the thigh and the one he’d launched in reply had splashed over Cordell’s shoulder. Back and forth they went, slipping and falling in the icy mud of the field, while leaping out of the way of each other’s volleys, getting wetter and dirtier as the battle raged. Cade finally tackled his brother several minutes later, and they’d both fallen onto the cold, frozen earth. They’d wrestled around, both laughing as they tried to dampen each other more.
By the time they’d climbed into the cab of Addie’s truck, they were soaked through and muddy to boot.
They’d all been stuck at the house for three days, only venturing out to feed the animals. Cade had feared that the fragile truce he’d established with Cordell would break under the strain of the forced confinement, but that hadn’t been the case. If anything, they’d grown closer again, become like the brothers they once were. He was thankful for that, which was fitting considering the season—Thanksgiving was only two days away.
Throwing the remainder of his wet clothes into the washer, along with what he assumed were his brother’s soaked things and others that needed cleaning, Cade started the wash. Then he rubbed the dry towel Addie had given him over his cold-prickled flesh before he wrapped it around his hips and headed into the cozy warmth of the house.
He heard the guest shower shut off as he walked through the dark kitchen, but Addie
