AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Adam glanced up at her. “I know, but I hoped that since Brian was here, we would skip it tonight.”
“What’s wrong with broccoli?” Brian said. “I love it. Not much of a cauliflower fan, but broccoli is good for you.”
Proving action to words, he reached out and plucked a cheesy bit out of the bowl, tossing it in his mouth. Sage grinned, watching Adam. He scowled, like his hero had just done something terrible. He shook his head sadly and went back to his book.
Sage shared a look with Brian, and he winked at her. And for the first time in a long time, she felt like part of a team.
8
Brian was torn about the dinner. The longer he was with the two of them, the more he enjoyed them.
Sage was a wonderful mother, and he could see the challenges she’d probably faced in bringing Adam up alone. From the way they talked, there had been no one since Adam’s father had left four years ago.
That fact was astounding to him, because she seemed like such a fantastic woman. Or maybe he had lost his objectivity since all he could think about was repeating that kiss from Cheyenne.
Several times he found himself just staring at her, wondering how soft her skin was, or what she bathed in, because the scent was bedeviling him. It had been a long time since he’d been with a woman, so maybe he was just hard up.
No, he wasn’t going to disregard what he felt that easily. He enjoyed her, specifically.
Adam inhaled his food like every other growing kid he’d seen and started reading his book under the edge of the table. He would listen to their conversation, though, and pepper in the occasional wry comment. The kid had a fantastic sense of humor and Brian knew it had to be because of Sage.
“I’m stuffed,” he said eventually, and he truly was. The steak had been phenomenal, and he wanted more of the potatoes, though he had no room for them. “You have more than paid me back.”
Sage grinned. “Good! And I’m glad you enjoyed everything. I do have dessert, too. We can wait a bit for that.”
Brian groaned, hand on his gut. “I don’t know if I can do it.”
“Oh, you’ll make room for this,” Adam warned, looking up and pushing his glasses up his nose. “Why do you think I got done so quick?”
Sage snorted and stood from the table to retrieve something from the fridge. She grabbed a stack of little decorative glass dishes and carried everything to the table. Then she dipped out a scoop of something chocolate.
“This is Mom’s famous mousse. She only makes it about once a year, so consider yourself lucky.”
Brian’s brows raised at the words, and he looked at the cup she set before him. He dipped a spoon into the mixture and took a bite. “Oh, wow…” he moaned.
Adam nodded. “Yup. Told ya.”
“I’m not normally rabid for chocolate,” he admitted, “but this is amazing.”
“Thank you,” Sage said primly.
“So, where are you guys from originally?” he asked as he scraped the little cup clean. “I know I met you in Wyoming, but is that where you’re from?”
Sage nodded. “That was my aunt I was helping at the wedding. She owns a small catering company, and she needed help because of the size of the event. I told her I could pitch in. My parents live about fifty miles away from there. Lifetime ranchers. What about your family?”
“Michigan. They own a small bed and breakfast in the UP. They bought it after my father retired. He’d been a tugboat captain for many years.”
“I would love to go up there,” Adam said suddenly, lifting his head from the book. “There’ve been like 25000 shipwrecks up there, and most of them have never been found.”
Brian nodded. “Yes. My mother was very happy that Dad retired. He had a couple of close calls, but he’s happy he ‘landed’, he says.”
Adam snorted and dropped his head to his book again.
“And you were in Vail before?” Sage asked, setting her own empty cup on her plate.
“Yes,” Brian confirmed. “For several years. Lost and Found has been around for about ten years, now, and I’ve been with them about eight. Nine.”
“I love Vail in the autumn,” Sage mused. “The ex took me there one year, and I loved it.”
