Page 25

Adam trotted up beside her. “ The Little Su … Funny name for a river that could toss a moose like a rag doll.”

Claire smiled. “I agree. And I love the visual. Though, the moose probably wouldn’t like that.”

Adam laughed and clicked his tongue twice, taking lead on the trail.

Buttercup followed without Claire’s request, which was natural for her. She was a great trail horse.

Adam had always made Claire laugh, and she’d always defended him.

One of her earliest memories was watching Adam run to beat the school bell while other kids lulled around.

They’d called him stripes — not to his face, of course, since his older brother was much larger than the bullies.

Behind his back, though, they’d picked on the fact that he always wore striped shirts and because his parents shaved his head until he almost looked like Kojak.

It wasn’t until middle school that a few of the other girls started noticing him, when his brown hair had grown out with a bit of curl and a hint of bronze.

And he must have talked his parents out of the striped shirts because he started wearing solid button-downs and even a few long-sleeved T-shirts.

Claire had warned the girls back with a pointed glare.

Adam might not have seen her or other girls in junior high, but she’d seen him.

And she’d made it clear that Adam was hers.

Adam had been too busy helping his dad with the horses and taking school seriously to do much of anything else, one of the reasons his earlier statement had taken her off guard.

“Adam?” Claire called as they approached the next clearing.

“Whoa, Bolt,” Adam said.

Buttercup moved up beside him, then immediately started chomping on weeds. “I forgot you called him Bolt.”

Adam absently patted the side of Bolt’s neck. “Yeah, I can probably explain that away if I slip, though, since it’s not that unique given the lightning on his nose.”

“True.” Claire stared at the river again, lost in the scenery for a second.

“Speaking of nicknames…” Adam glanced over his shoulder. “Clara Mae and now Rusty, too, know my story. But if you call me Adam, it might raise questions around the others.”

“You’re right! I knew the moment I saw you, but I was so careful not to spill the beans.

Even when Lala asked about the new hand …

” She made air quotes with one hand, keeping hold of Buttercup’s reins.

“She actually said to me, ‘That’s Thomas. Didn’t you recognize him?

’ I had a good laugh, believe me when I said, No, I did not recognize the new hand as Thomas. ”

Buttercup crept forward, making her way to another set of weeds.

Adam jutted his chin forward. “You shouldn’t let her do that.”

Claire was confused. “You think I should have told Lala?”

Adam laughed harder than she’d ever heard. “Sorry,” he choked, wiping his eyes with the back of his shirt. “I meant Buttercup. You shouldn’t allow her to eat until you allow it. Bad habit.”

“Oh, right. I knew that.” She pulled up on Buttercup’s reins, and her horse rebelled, shaking her head. “Buttercup, no!” Claire reprimanded her, lightly pulling up again. “Yeah, she can definitely get stubborn, but she loves me. Besides, she knows there’s a treat up ahead. Save yourself, baby!”

Adam nudged Bolt forward, but stayed beside her and Buttercup. “Speaking of Lala… Is she… just mad? She’s not thinking… You know? Not after two years, right? Plus, you said she’s dating Roger. Clara Mae’s concerned.”

Claire did know what Lala was thinking, but that’s because she believed Adam was Thomas. The hussy had even insinuated that she didn’t want Roger if Thomas was back. But Thomas wasn’t back!

“Whoa…” Bolt stopped on Adam’s command. “Claire, you know I’m not interested in Lala, right?”

Pulled from her thoughts, Claire spoke the truth without thinking first. “You better not be interested in Lala.”

He laughed again. “I’m definitely not, but I started to say, Clara Mae’s concerned — for you. Not me.”

“Buttercup!” Claire pulled her back from the brush. “I guess she figures if we’re talking, it’s eating time.” She chuckled softly. “Why would Clara Mae worry about me?”

“Because of Lala,” Adam said as serious as she’d ever heard him.

“Buttercup! No!” Buttercup stilled, then knocked her head toward Bolt.

Bolt didn’t return the animosity, but he started backing up, making Adam control him.

“ Ohh ,” Claire said. “You’re feisty today, baby.

Come on.” She clucked twice, then squeezed her legs around Buttercup’s sides.

“We’ll talk up at the clearing,” she called over her shoulder.

“That way my hungry girl can eat. I don’t think Clara Mae’s feed is top quality. Buttercup hates it.”

Buttercup trotted forward, clearly happy to be moving. Her baby knew what was at the end of the trail.

“She’s right!” Adam shouted over the roar of the river.

At least, she assumed that’s what he’d said.

Claire didn’t ask who she was and what she was right about since it was too loud to hear an answer, and the trail was too narrow to walk side-by-side, especially with the mood Buttercup was in.

She must be hungrier than usual; it wasn’t like her to take swings at other horses.

Claire passed the large clearing with a hitching post, the sign that they were at the trail’s end. And even though it was clear this was the end, the many times she and Buttercup had wandered onward were evident by the many broken saplings and trampled weeds.

Buttercup had been the first to venture farther the first time. Maybe she’d smelled the fresh clover.

When their self-made trail opened up, Claire hopped down from her horse, but didn’t bother tying her up.

The last thing she wanted was for Buttercup not to be able to flee in the event a predator showed up.

Besides, no way would she leave the area — not when there was plenty of clover and fresh greens to mow.

Adam followed behind her. “Nice! This should keep them happy, and hopefully fatten them up.”

“Yeah, Buttercup’s the one who found this spot. Probably one of the reasons she’s always anxious to take me riding in the morning.”

“She’s a good girl, even if a bit sassy.”

Claire turned to him. “Do you not like sassy girls?”

“I do. But just one sassy girl. Well, two if I count Buttercup.” He lifted her hand but didn’t pull her into his arms, despite how often she’d dreamed of that moment.

Was Adam such a gentleman that she would have to demand a kiss?

Adam looked up through the clearing, at the meandering clouds above them. “It’s going to be another beautiful day, but it’s getting late.” He cocked his head at the horses. “She’ll be all right if we walk to the river?”

“Sure! Even a bear would have trouble catching her attention when she has a smorgasbord of greens.”

He offered her hand a soft squeeze. “Let’s go check it out.”

“Okay,” she said softly. Inside, though, she screamed: It’s really happening . Adam’s truly here , holding my hand , leading me to the river .

They passed the hitching post, then walked up on the deck Clara Mae had built on the riverbank.

“Nice!” Adam said. “Can you imagine having a place like this… to yourself? Where you could just lounge all day. No worries of anyone showing up?”

“I can.”

“That’s right. Your family owns a house on the Big Su in Talkeetna.”

Claire leaned on the railing and looked down. “I wasn’t talking about my parents’ house. Besides, Grams sold it. I was talking about your land. It backs up to the creek.”

Adam sighed and leaned next to her. “It does. It’d take a lot of clearing to build a deck back there, though.”

Beneath them, the Little Su shimmered nearby, its glacier-fed current a swirling ribbon of blue-gray, as if the river carried crushed gemstones instead of silt. Even the sunlight seemed to pause, catching on the surface like it wasn’t sure whether to dance or bow.

Claire nudged Adam with her shoulder. “I was thinking…”

Adam nudged her back. “That’s nothing new. If I remember correctly, you were always thinking deeply about something, challenging the teachers every chance you got.”

Claire stuck out her bottom lip — pouting seemed to work for Lala — then pushed back from the railing.

Adam followed suit, then narrowed his eyes. “Are you upset about something?”

“No…” She pulled her lip in. Pouting definitely didn’t suit her. She was a take-action kind of girl. “I was thinking on the ride home last night… What if ?”

Adam cocked his head. “What if what ?”

“What if I got in an accident, and —”

Adam grabbed her hands. “Don’t say that, Claire. I don’t know what I’d do —”

“Don’t get upset, Adam. What I meant… What I was trying to say…

” Claire shook her head. She’d chosen the wrong what-if scenario, considering both their parents died in auto accidents.

But it felt like so long ago for her. For Adam, with the recent loss of his brother, losing his parents probably came roaring back.

“Those were the wrong words. Please forgive me. What I meant to say was … What if I never got to kiss you?”

Adam blinked, then licked his lips. “I-I was kind of thinking the same thing. After Clara Mae nearly shot my head off, of course. While I was lying in bed, I thought: Why didn’t you kiss Claire ?”

“Why didn’t you kiss Claire?” she pressed.

“Because I’ve never kissed anyone, and I wasn’t sure —”

Claire stood on tiptoes and leaned into him, her lips a breath away from his. She didn’t move. She just held her lips slightly parted, waiting for him.

Then it happened.

Adam’s arms moved around her, gathering her as close as their bodies would allow.

Without thinking, her mouth fell open.

His lips touched hers moving slowly, testing.

Claire’s lips came alive with his gentle guide, moving faster.

All at once, she felt desperate to convey how much she’d missed him. How much she’d longed for this moment. While it had probably only been the last four or five years, somehow, even as a child, she knew she’d someday kiss Adam Belgarde.

Adam’s hands moved up her back, his fingers threading through her hair.

Without warning, he pulled back. “Oh, Claire.” His eyes glistened, and she felt her eyes water in response.

“Do you know how long I’ve…” He gulped. “It’s been so long, I don’t even know when I first fell in love with you.

But I know this, Claire Harper — I will never let anything happen to you.

I will love you always, until the day I die, probably longer. ”