True Love at Silver Creek Ranch - By Emma Cane Page 0,95
the Huang house on First Street this side of town hall. You’ll see lots of trucks there every day.”
Tyler frowned. “I don’t know how to do anything like that.”
“You can swing a hammer. We can teach you the rest. You can clean, too—I’ve seen you do that,” he teased.
Tyler looked past him. “Miss Thalberg, he’s trying to recruit me for even more work.”
Adam turned and realized that Brooke had ended her call and was looking at him all soft-eyed, like his girlfriend rather than his boss.
“I already got enough to do,” Tyler said, stalking outside with his shovel.
“So that’s where you’ve been going,” Brooke said in a quiet voice.
“Sorry I’ve been gone when you had an itch,” he murmured.
“Stop being a wise-ass.” But she wore a sweet smile.
“It’s not a big deal, Brooke. I’ll never be able to repay soldiers everything they did for me.” He cleared his throat. “Now what do you need done?”
“There’s an escaped cow on the road down by Cooper’s Mine.”
“I’m on it.” He went to call for Dusty in the horse pasture, leaving Brooke behind.
Late that afternoon, Adam went to the Huang house, knowing Tyler wouldn’t come, but hoping. Coach was there, and they worked side by side, sealing the walls of the basement.
“I’m surprised I don’t see you much in town,” was the first thing Coach said that had nothing to do with painting.
Adam shrugged. “I’m busy working, busy doing this.”
“You’ve only been out of the Marines how long?”
“Six months.”
“Not long at all. I bet you’re feeling like it’s hard to have fun when some of your friends have died.”
Adam used the roller carefully, then glanced at the other man. “I had some problems, yeah.”
Coach’s sympathetic eyes watched him. “You can’t feel guilty you’re alive, and they’re not, son. That’s an easy path to follow, and one that’ll only give you pain.”
Quietly, Adam said, “I used to feel like the guilt was eating away at me. But . . . it’s been better lately. I talked to someone about it, and that’s helped.”
“Your grandma?”
“No, not yet. I think there’s still a part of me that never wants to disappoint her.”
“You wouldn’t be doing that, son. She’d appreciate your honesty.”
Adam nodded, then decided to change the subject. “I have another question for you. You hear anything about Tyler Brissette?”
Coach frowned. “I used to know all the boys when I was still with the school district. But nope.”
Adam explained Tyler’s past, his work at the ranch, his recent fight. “I’m worried he’s giving up, Coach. Maybe you can tell me what to say to him since you did such a great job helping me.”
Coach put the roller in the long pan of paint and shook his head with regret. “There aren’t magic words, son. I can’t even tell you what I said to you. I just expected your best work, and your respect. And I was there if you needed to talk. If I remember correctly, you didn’t want any lectures from me.”
Adam reluctantly smiled. “What a surprise.”
“Sounds like the young man knows he’s made mistakes and regrets them. That’s a good start. Just be there for him.”
Chapter Twenty-one
The sun was already behind the mountains when Brooke saw Adam’s truck come slowly down the road toward the ranch. She leaned on the handle of her snow shovel and watched him until he disappeared around the far side of his cabin. Snow was softly falling, making it seem lighter outside in the growing dark. She wanted to go to him, to ask if Tyler had come to the Huang house so she could reassure Emily and Steph.
But she let it go and turned back to keep shoveling.
A few minutes later, he called out, “Are you standing on the pond?”
She turned her head, pulling her cap back over her ears against the wind. “Yep.” His winter coat gave his shoulders even more breadth, made his hips look lean in his faded jeans. Her heart gave a dangerous tug just looking at him, and she forced herself to turn away.
“And you’re shoveling the pond?” he asked in a tone of disbelief.
“I need to see how bumpy it is. If it’s smooth, the kids can use it to skate, like I used to.”
“You mean the Chess Club Steph and Tyler no longer belong to?”
She listened to his boots crunch through the snow as he approached. “They can bring their friends. It doesn’t have to be formal. And I’m almost done.”
The patch of ice glittered beneath the rising moon. The world