Placed in the middle between the two brothers, she’d kept her back ridged and her hands in her lap. The last thing she wanted was to lean on either of them. She didn’t want to start trouble between them if she showed too much favor to Cord, and she definitely didn’t want Cade to think she was trying to seduce him into staying. As far as she was concerned, if he didn’t want her, she wouldn’t beg him to stay. And all the tension that stretched between them had made for a very stiff and uncomfortable drive.
The whole evening had been that way, difficult and awkward to say the least. The only good part of it was that her new friends and neighbors, Dan and Helga, had invited them all to join their family in celebrating the holiday. Addie hadn’t felt like doing anything, and she was feeling far from thankful at the moment, but she’d always loved the holidays. Besides, she’d told herself, it would be better than sitting around alone again tonight. At least with company, there had been more distraction, though Helga had quickly picked up on the strain between Cade and Addie. She’d been kind enough not to bring it up at dinner, but as everyone helped clean up, she’d pulled Addie into their den and got straight to the point.
“What’s going on with you and that young man out there?” she’d asked, irritation and consternation in her eyes. “Something’s been wrong between you two since the night of the fire.”
Helga and Dan had been there that night. They’d arrived right behind the fire truck, ambulance, and sheriff’s vehicles. Cade had stomped off to check on Cord, who sat on the aid car’s bumper while an EMT examined the large knot on the back of his head. Soon, Cade had sat beside him, getting the burns on his arms and back treated, leaving her alone to stare at her sorry excuse for a barn as it went up in flames.
“Nothing’s wrong, Helga,” she’d said softly, avoiding her friend’s gaze.
“The hell it’s not. The two of you have barely said three words to each other. The last time we saw you, you could barely keep your eyes off each other.”
At Oktoberfest… Addie couldn’t help the sad grin that had pulled at her lips. Had that only been a few weeks ago? It seemed like years since Cade had held her in his arms.
She’d shaken her head and given Helga a soft smile. “We had a disagreement,” she told her friend, “but it’s all right. Nothing is wrong, everything’s as it should be.”
Helga had frowned at that, her lips pressed into a thin line, as she eyed Addie critically. “I know we don’t know you well yet, Addie, but I think it’s safe to say that you’re full of shit.”
Addie had chuckled softly, blinking back the tears that had burned her eyes. There was no point in talking about it. Cade didn’t want to stay and she’d had no reason to think or hope that he would.
Instead, she’d wrapped her arms around her friend for a quick hug. “It’s fine, really,” Addie had said as she stepped back. “I’m just worried about…well, everything. I’m sorry to be such a downer, I’m just not really in the holiday mood.”
“Well,” Helga had said as she pulled back, leaving her hands on Addie’s shoulders, “as long as you’re okay. Things may look bad now, but just remember, you’re not alone.” Helga had looked so earnest in that moment that Addie’s heart clenched.
“Yes, I know. Thank you.”
The problem was that she would be alone sooner or later, and somehow, this time—with Cade gone and all her new financial worries—it would be so much harder to bear.
“That young man cares about you,” Helga had said, dipping her head to catch Addie’s gaze. “Men can be block-headed and aggravating at times, but it’ll all work out. Just wait and see.”
Addie had nodded, but she no longer had any faith that things would work out the way she’d hoped.
The night of the fire, after Cord had left her to check on his brother, she’d refused to think about Cade or their argument. Instead, she’d thought about how much this new disaster was going to cost. All the money still left in her account would need to go into building a new barn and replacing all the tools she’d lost. Thankfully, the snow had protected the machine shed from more damage, but as it was, the building would still need some repairs, and she would have no funds left. Fear and loss had filled her, bringing new tears of sadness and frustration. She had stood alone and used her anger to burn out the hurt in her heart.
Cade had none of the tender feelings for her that she held for him. He hadn’t wanted her to die and had saved her, but the façade of the sweet man she’d known had disappeared. The angry, distant man he’d become since that night was no one she wanted to spend time with, and he’d made no attempt to change her mind since.
Cord, on the other hand, had spoken with her a lot. While Cade did everything he could to avoid her company over the last two days, Cord had sought her out and done his best to repair the damage—and tonight was no exception.
“I’m going to check on Dreamer and feed the animals,” Cade said as they rolled up to her house and he threw the truck into park. He hadn’t looked her way or asked either of them to accompany him. Still
