love—it could just hit you over the head, like it did me. What then? You going to just ignore it?”
Adam let out a low laugh. He had plenty of connections in his life. He had Dell, Brady, Brady’s wife, Lilah, and Jade. He didn’t need more. “It’s not going to be a problem,” he said with confidence.
“Man, you totally just jinxed yourself.”
“Dell?”
“Yeah?”
“Go away. Far away.” And then he gingerly rolled over and fell asleep, ignoring Dell’s knowing laugh.
Five
A half hour later, Holly was slumped in her Jeep, one eye on the old
Friends
episode she had playing on her iPad, the other on Adam’s dark loft, when her cell rang.
“Just got your text,” Kate said. “You’re crazy if you’re serious about going after your dad tonight. There’s a storm coming.”
Holly sighed and adjusted the phone into the crook of her shoulder so she could shift her weight because her butt was numb. “I’m not crazy, just worried.” Really worried.
“You’re not going to be one of the stupid chicks in those crime shows you love and do this alone, right?”
Kate, definitely the cutest, sweetest person on earth, was also one of the sharpest. She taught at the elementary school in order to take care of her younger siblings, whom she’d had to raise on her own. If life hadn’t dealt her that blow, she’d be off chasing big dreams, making the most of the degrees she kept collecting online.
“Not alone,” Holly said. She hesitated. “I went to Adam.”
There was a beat of stunned silence. “Adam? The guy who broke your heart Adam?”
Holly grimaced. “I can’t believe I ever told you that story.”
“Yeah, well, we’d just suffered through Suzie Metzer’s very froufrou wedding, remember? We were drunk in the bar by eight p.m. Telling each other sob stories was a side effect. Now let me get this straight. You’re going into the mountains after your father, into a storm no less, with not only the hottest man in Sunshine but also the only man you ever really loved? Maybe I should come with you. Be your voice of reason.”
“I have lots of reason,” Holly said. “And you’ve got work.”
“True, but honey, honestly? It’s only been three days. Your dad’s often gone this long. Are you sure—”
“Yes. Something’s wrong, I know it.”
“So you and Adam…on the mountain. Alone.”
“It’s not like that.” And yet…
And yet he had a picture of her on his mantel…
“Text me,” Kate said. “Often.”
“I will.”
“And keep your heart zipped up tight. Your pants, too,” Kate added. “Oh, and don’t wear blue. Mosquitoes are twice as attracted to blue.”
Holly laughed. “I don’t think it’s mosquito season.”
“Okay, that’s probably true, but you still need to be careful. You’ve already experienced the dark, bad-boy sexiness that is Adam Connelly.”
“A
very
long time ago,” Holly reminded her.
“Yeah, but he’s improved with age, if that’s even possible.”
True.
“And we both know you’d have to be dead for it to not be a problem,” Kate said.
Also true. And she wasn’t dead. Not even close. Shedisconnected and went back to watching
Friends
. Half an hour later, she nearly came out of her skin at the soft rap on her window.
Dell looking so much like Adam it stopped her heart. She clutched her chest and powered down the window.
Dell smiled at her, sweet. Affable.
Not like Adam.
“Season five?” he asked, nodding to the iPad. “My favorite.”
Hers, too. She turned it off. “Let me guess. You’re here to chase me away.”
“Adam says you should go home.”
“And what do you say?”
“I say the same. Go home, Holly. Get some sleep.” He paused and flashed her a bone-melting grin. “Then be back by four a.m. Oh, and don’t bother watching his truck. It’s the ATV you should be worried about. Park your Jeep down the block, and then be in the ATV so he can’t sneak off without you.”
Holly jerked awake at the sound
Adam let out a low laugh. He had plenty of connections in his life. He had Dell, Brady, Brady’s wife, Lilah, and Jade. He didn’t need more. “It’s not going to be a problem,” he said with confidence.
“Man, you totally just jinxed yourself.”
“Dell?”
“Yeah?”
“Go away. Far away.” And then he gingerly rolled over and fell asleep, ignoring Dell’s knowing laugh.
Five
A half hour later, Holly was slumped in her Jeep, one eye on the old
Friends
episode she had playing on her iPad, the other on Adam’s dark loft, when her cell rang.
“Just got your text,” Kate said. “You’re crazy if you’re serious about going after your dad tonight. There’s a storm coming.”
Holly sighed and adjusted the phone into the crook of her shoulder so she could shift her weight because her butt was numb. “I’m not crazy, just worried.” Really worried.
“You’re not going to be one of the stupid chicks in those crime shows you love and do this alone, right?”
Kate, definitely the cutest, sweetest person on earth, was also one of the sharpest. She taught at the elementary school in order to take care of her younger siblings, whom she’d had to raise on her own. If life hadn’t dealt her that blow, she’d be off chasing big dreams, making the most of the degrees she kept collecting online.
“Not alone,” Holly said. She hesitated. “I went to Adam.”
There was a beat of stunned silence. “Adam? The guy who broke your heart Adam?”
Holly grimaced. “I can’t believe I ever told you that story.”
“Yeah, well, we’d just suffered through Suzie Metzer’s very froufrou wedding, remember? We were drunk in the bar by eight p.m. Telling each other sob stories was a side effect. Now let me get this straight. You’re going into the mountains after your father, into a storm no less, with not only the hottest man in Sunshine but also the only man you ever really loved? Maybe I should come with you. Be your voice of reason.”
“I have lots of reason,” Holly said. “And you’ve got work.”
“True, but honey, honestly? It’s only been three days. Your dad’s often gone this long. Are you sure—”
“Yes. Something’s wrong, I know it.”
“So you and Adam…on the mountain. Alone.”
“It’s not like that.” And yet…
And yet he had a picture of her on his mantel…
“Text me,” Kate said. “Often.”
“I will.”
“And keep your heart zipped up tight. Your pants, too,” Kate added. “Oh, and don’t wear blue. Mosquitoes are twice as attracted to blue.”
Holly laughed. “I don’t think it’s mosquito season.”
“Okay, that’s probably true, but you still need to be careful. You’ve already experienced the dark, bad-boy sexiness that is Adam Connelly.”
“A
very
long time ago,” Holly reminded her.
“Yeah, but he’s improved with age, if that’s even possible.”
True.
“And we both know you’d have to be dead for it to not be a problem,” Kate said.
Also true. And she wasn’t dead. Not even close. Shedisconnected and went back to watching
Friends
. Half an hour later, she nearly came out of her skin at the soft rap on her window.
Dell looking so much like Adam it stopped her heart. She clutched her chest and powered down the window.
Dell smiled at her, sweet. Affable.
Not like Adam.
“Season five?” he asked, nodding to the iPad. “My favorite.”
Hers, too. She turned it off. “Let me guess. You’re here to chase me away.”
“Adam says you should go home.”
“And what do you say?”
“I say the same. Go home, Holly. Get some sleep.” He paused and flashed her a bone-melting grin. “Then be back by four a.m. Oh, and don’t bother watching his truck. It’s the ATV you should be worried about. Park your Jeep down the block, and then be in the ATV so he can’t sneak off without you.”
Holly jerked awake at the sound
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