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Adam chuckled. Comments like those were part of the reason he knew she was different. “Why is this truck so important?”
“I already told you—”
“It was your mother’s. I know. But why would you go to so much trouble to keep it? Why not take some pictures of it and stick them in a photo album or something?”
Her brushing slowed as she contemplated his question. Or maybe she was trying to figure out a way to tell him to jump off a cliff in a nice way. Either way, waiting for her to respond managed to make him feel even more uncomfortable. He shouldn’t have pried. He didn’t know what it was like to lose someone, let alone a parent.
Faye finally placed the brush aside and faced him. “My earliest memory of my mother was in that truck.”
It took everything inside him not to react. He wasn’t entirely certain of her age when her mother had passed, but he couldn’t imagine that she’d been very old. She was the second-to-youngest in this family. She was probably around three or four at the time if his memory served him correctly.
“Every so often she would take us out… my sisters and me. She’d take us one at a time. I don’t recall all the times she did it. But my dad would tell me stories. My mom wanted to make sure each of us felt special and loved. I guess every time she put me in the truck, I wanted the same thing.”
Adam’s eyes started to get misty.
Faye nodded. “It’s silly. I get it. Why hold onto something so old and pay so much when all I have are bare snippets of memories that, for all I know, could be dreams.”
“It’s not silly.” He moved closer to her, closing the gap. The only thing between them was the stall wall that came up to his chest. “There are far more frivolous things, I assure you. That isn’t to say that this truck is asmartthing to invest in.” Adam chuckled. “But it’s not silly.”
She offered him a grateful smile. “Thanks. You don’t know how much I needed to hear that right now.”
“Sure. One more thing.”
“Yeah?”
“Will my body be in this much painallthe time?”
“No.” Faye snickered, that beautiful laugh that made his insides tingle and the ache dissipate, even if it was briefly.
Adam grinned. It was strange feeling this way—loving the fact that he could make her laugh. He didn’t care about making Bridget laugh—or anyone else besides Dahlia. Some small part of him felt connected to Faye. It was almost like he felt the need to protect her or be there for her in a way he didn’t feel he needed to for anyone else.
Maybe that was one of the reasons he accepted Bridget’s idea so easily. There were plenty of cowboys who came to the shop to get their equipment fixed, and not once had he considered a trade of services before.
But it wasn’t because helikedFaye. Not in that way, at least. No. It was something else.
HelikedDahlia. That was the whole reason he was doing any of this. The way he felt drawn to Faye was definitely different. It was a kinship of sorts, and it was just nice that he’d found a friend in the process.
5
Faye
Faye couldn’t remember a time when she’d had more fun teaching someone about the basics of riding. There was something about hanging out with Adam that made her feel good inside. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but that thought crossed her mind several times over the next week.
She found herself looking forward to seeing him again, which was completely crazy. She wasn’t interested in him romantically, and he definitely wasn’t interested in her that way either. He was interested in someone else. That’s what he came here for, to learn how to ride so he could impress a girl.
They couldn’t be considered friends, not when the only time they spent together was her teaching him how not to fall off a horse.
Faye let out a soft laugh under her breath as she sat at the kitchen table, garnering a curious look from her father. His gaze lingered and she shook her head, turning her attention back to her scrambled eggs.
Adam had messaged her yesterday that the parts he’d needed for her truck were in, so she’d be taking it to the shop. The way her heart fluttered ever so slightly at the thought did give her pause, though. There was nothing to be nervous about. Adam seemed like a good enough mechanic. Her truck was in good hands.
When she glanced up at her father again, she found his gaze on her. It was that discerning stare he always used when he was trying to figure something out without asking too many questions.
Faye pushed away from the table, and her sisters glanced in her direction before returning their focus to their meals. “What?”
Zeke’s brows lifted and he shook his head. “I didn’t say anything.”
Brielle didn’t even have to tear her focus from the phone in her hand. “You never have to say anything, Dad. We can tell just by the way you look at us that something’s on your mind.” Her dry voice broke through that awkward silence that hung between Faye and her father.
