[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.“Are you hungry yet?”“Yes.” Ty lowered his head and nibbled her ear.She wriggled away.“I meant for food.We can have an early dinner in the dining hall and then…” She ended the sentence with an inviting smile.“Or we could ‘then’ first, and have a late dinner.”He’d been joking—sort of.Adele surprised and delighted him by agreeing.After stopping briefly to check on Hamm, they sneaked off to her apartment.Or tried to.Every few minutes they ran into someone glad to see Ty and wanting to chat.A half hour later they were finally alone, secluded in Adele’s bedroom and tearing off each other’s clothes.When Adele would have hurried, Ty restrained her, determined to prolong the enjoyment.Afterward, they lay with their limbs entwined in her antique brass bed, her lavender sheets strewn across their bodies, the last rays of sunlight streaming through the parted curtains of her window.“I talked to Garth yesterday,” he said, his lips brushing the soft tendrils at her temple.“Mmm?”“His parents and Reese are flying out to the Steamboat Springs Rodeo this weekend.They’ve invited you to come along.”She shook her head.“I can’t.”The conversation sounded a lot like their previous one.Regardless, Ty continued.“Why not? You’d only be gone three days.”“Pop’s having his surgery.”“Next Thursday.You’ll be back in plenty of time.”Adele shifted.Only a little, but the two inches felt like two feet.“There are tests he has to have.Blood work, X-rays, consultations with the doctors.The medical center’s a two-hour round trip.He can’t drive it alone.”“Stick could go with him.”“But he can’t help Pop with all the paperwork.And believe me, between the doctor, hospital and insurance company, there’s a mountain of it.On top of that, I have to meet with the barn manager and the head wrangler.Make sure Pop’s work is covered while he recuperates.”Ty felt overwhelmed just listening to her, and wished there was more he could do for her.“I’m sorry.” He pulled her against him, not satisfied until those two inches separating them were reduced to a hair’s width.“I’m pressuring you, and that’s not my intention.”“I really wish I could come.”“Maybe I’ll skip Steamboat Springs.Spend a few extra days here.”She immediately sat up and said sternly, “You’ll do no such thing.”“I don’t have to compete in every rodeo between now and Nationals.”“Have you qualified yet?”“No, but—”“Paid back your parents?”“Not everything.”“Seriously, Ty.” She groaned with exasperation.“You know better than anyone that things happen.Unexpected things.You’ve come too far and worked too hard to risk not qualifying.”She was right, though a part of him wished she wasn’t.“I guess we’ll just have to make the most of this visit.” He reached under the sheet, seeking and finding the smooth curve of her hip.Her sigh of contentment turned into a moan of pleasure when he parted her legs.The ring of her cell phone couldn’t have come at a worse time.“Don’t answer it,” he murmured, lowering his mouth to her breast.“That’s Pop’s ring tone.If I don’t pick up, he’ll come looking for us.”Ty would have preferred weighing their options.Not Adele.She swung her legs over the side of the bed and rummaged around on the floor for her jeans.“Yeah, Pop.” She listened a moment, then held the phone away from her mouth.“Cook’s putting together a little celebration dinner for you.”“Sounds like I can’t say no.”“Wise man.”He lay in bed, both pillows stuffed under his head, watching her dress.“Come on,” she urged.“We’re going to be late.”“I’d rather stay here with you.”She tugged on his arm.“It’s only temporary.”Was it? He and Adele hadn’t spoken about the future, not specifically and not beyond Nationals this winter.He suspected that, like him, she was thinking long term.She’d better be thinking long term, Ty amended as he finally rolled out of bed and reached for his clothes.Because he had zero intentions of letting her go.Now or ever.“THIS WAY.” Adele took two steps.When she heard nothing, she stopped and glanced anxiously over her shoulder.“Easy now.”“I’m all right,” Pop snapped.He’d caught one front wheel of his walker on the threshold leading from the garage to the kitchen.She resisted hurrying to his aid.He was too stubborn to accept her help even if she did.Besides, Stick stood right behind him.The teenager might be skinny, but he was strong, and more than capable of catching her grandfather if he teetered.The wheel finally gave, hopping over the threshold, and he maneuvered the shiny red walker into the kitchen.His steps were hesitant, measured and stiff, burdened by the compression stockings he was required to wear.Adele hurt just looking at him.The doctor, nurses and physical therapist, however, had praised Pop’s progress, stating repeatedly that he was doing well for a man his age.A man his age!Adele had begun to view her grandfather through different eyes and didn’t like what she saw.Though in good health, he was getting older and slowing down.More of the responsibility of running the ranch and Cowboy College would fall to her, and not just during his recovery.She prayed the next few weeks would go easier than this last one had.Talks with Pop’s doctor prior to the surgery hadn’t prepared her for the sight of him lying in the hospital bed surrounded by tubes and monitors, a bulky dressing on his hip and his complexion the color of paste.Her emotions, riding so close to the surface of late, had overwhelmed her, causing tears to fall at the least little provocation.Oddly enough, it had been her mother who was there for Adele the day of the surgery, sitting with her in the family waiting area.Lani also found time to make the long drive and visit Pop twice during his hospital stay, though she remained only briefly because of her work schedule.It was Ty, however, who had provided the most support for Adele during and after Pop’s surgery.He volunteered to fly in for a day or two, but she’d have none of it, insisting he stay and continue to ride his winning streak.She’d have felt differently if Pop’s surgery had been life threatening.Ty’s phone calls, three a day at least, were enough for now.They gave her a break from the many nerve-racking demands placed on her, and reassured her that what they had together was special and important to him.That didn’t stop her from occasionally wondering if they’d be able to endure the continued long separations.When Ty mentioned her traveling with him on the circuit, or returning to Santa Fe to visit his parents, she allowed herself to get swept up in his excitement.Then she would look at her grandfather and accept the reality that she’d probably never travel any farther than the medical center in Cody.Not for a while, anyway.Would Ty wait for her?She hadn’t yet found the courage to ask him.All at once, a wave of nausea struck her.She sucked in a harsh breath and pressed a hand to her stomach.Just as quickly, the feeling subsided, and she exhaled with relief.The stress was getting to her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]