His door slammed shut and Addie’s tense nerves jumped at the sound. Her gloved hands tightened into fists in her lap and she fought the need to weep.
“Are you all right?” Cord’s soft voice startled her.
She turned to meet his concerned gaze and felt a pang in her chest. They were so different and so much alike, these two men, and seeing Cord’s handsome face only made her long for Cade even more.
She nodded and swallowed the knot of despair that had lodged in her throat, but her voice cracked when she said, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
He stared at her for a long few seconds not moving, his eyes impossibly blue under the black cowboy hat he wore.
Her mind dredged up an image of Cade’s beautiful eyes, staring down at her as they made love. She shook her head and shoved those memories away.
“How about you? Is your head doing okay?”
The EMTs had insisted he go to the hospital for X-rays two nights ago. Luckily, all they revealed was that he had a hard head—no concussion and no other issues other than a giant lump and a bad headache.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Yours?”
She touched the spot just above her hairline where a one-inch gash had opened above her temple when she’d fallen that same night. She could feel the two stitches it had taken to stop the bleeding, but she still couldn’t recall what had caused her to fall. “Yeah, it’s much better. I hardly even remember it’s there. Are your headaches doing better, too?”
He nodded, his gaze lingering on her face, still looking concerned.
“Are you going to get out?” she asked with raised brows. “It’s getting cold in here.” With the truck shut off and the heat of Cade’s body no longer beside her, she was definitely feeling the winter cold.
“Sure,” he muttered and slid out of the truck. As much of a gentleman as Cade had once been, he helped her down from the cab and walked her into the house.
Addie pulled off her layers and hung them on the hook by the door. Shivering, she dashed over to the thermostat and cranked up the heat.
“Would you like me to build a fire?” Cord asked as he hung his jacket beside the door.
“Yes, please,” she said. “I think I’d like some hot chocolate, too. Would you like a cup?”
Pausing in his task at the mantle, he smiled at her over his shoulder. “That’d be great.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Knowing Cade wouldn’t come in for at least an hour, Addie hadn’t bothered to make a third mug. Pushing down the pain that constricted her chest, she quickly heated the milk, added the chocolate, and picked up the mugs. She headed into the living room, where she found Cord lounging on the couch staring at the flames in the hearth.
He looked so forlorn and sad sitting there alone that she stopped to study him. She wondered what he was thinking to put that look on his face. Was there someone he was missing? Did he regret being here, dealing with her and his brother’s fall out?
The conversations she had with him since he’d arrived, and especially over the last few days, had given her a better understanding of Cord Brody and his relationship with Cade. The two of them were so similar, yet they were each their own man.
Still, it had been almost comical the way they’d finished each other’s sentences and had so sweetly thanked Dan and Helga for the meal and company tonight. It made her smile, even now.
The memory also brought the reminder that those pleasant moments would soon be over. Sighing softly, she straightened her back and stepped into the living room.
“Here you go,” she said with a smile as she handed the hot mug to Cord.
He took it with a grin and a word of thanks before she plopped down on the couch and pulled the blanket from its back over her legs. A comfortable silence fell over Addie as they sipped the chocolate, but Cord seemed edgy.
“Is something wrong, Cord?”
He glanced at her, a frown marring his brow. “You tell me.” He set the mug on the coffee table and clasped his hands together between his knees. His blue eyes were piercing when they turned toward her again.
“I…I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.”
She looked away, unable to meet his penetrating gaze. She’d already admitted how sorry she was for her argument with Cade, that she wanted things to be better again, but there was no point.
“Why are you bringing this up again?”
“Because,” he said gently, “you’re hurting and so is my brother. It’s killing me to see, and there’s no reason for it.”
She shook her head. “I know you don’t understand, Cord, but Cade made his plans very clear, and I won’t beg or manipulate him into staying.”
He sighed, clearly frustrated, and raked his fingers through his short brown hair. The movement so much like Cade’s frustrated actions, she smiled, but it quickly slipped away.
Cradling her mug between her hands, she dropped her eyes and sipped her drink.
“He doesn’t want to leave,” Cord said to the fire before turning to look at her again. “Not without you.”
“He told you that?”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “No, not in so many words, but I know my brother. He cares for you, Addie, and you’re good for him. He’d be a damn fool to let you go.” He turned to the fire. “And I’ve told him that…more than a few times.”
“He’s never implied any of that to me, and I can only go by what he’s told me.”
He stood suddenly
