Adam (16 page)

“What?” Her voice squeaked, and she blushed when a smile split his face.

“Really? He’s not an idiot? He lost enough mental capacity to assault you. That makes him crazy and an idiot.” Adam lifted her chin, bringing her eyes back up from the location they’d settled. Should she feel embarrassed at her lust-filled stare? Huh… nope.

Adam chuckled. “I guess your mind was occupied with other things. Otherwise you’d realize how silly that comment was.” He walked toward her and grabbed her hand on the way out the door. Adam opened the bathroom door and pulled her behind him. He stopped abruptly.

She bumped into his back and giggled. “Hey! I have enough bruising on my face. I don’t need to run into a wall of solid muscle too!” Keelee snorted and then laughed even harder as she sidestepped around him.

Frank Marshall stood in the middle of her bedroom. Arms crossed, feet spread, his attitude front and center, her father radiated anger. All levity fled the room. Hell, it fled the state. “Oh… hi Daddy… ahh… when did you get home?”

The muscle on the side of Frank Marshall’s jaw clenched. Repeatedly. Adam didn’t know what started the movement, the visible bruising on his daughter’s face and neck or the fact that they had been busted coming out of the shower. Together.
Damn. Nothing like being caught in a teenage situation. And for fuck’s sake, this was not how he wanted this talk with Mr. Marshall to start.

Frank gaped from his daughter to Adam. “Girl, get your ass into some clothes.” He cast Adam an icy glare that would freeze the burning minions of hell to the fire-stoked floors of Hades. Adam straightened and held his ground as Keelee slid behind him, hiding from her father. The old man had a shit-ton of grit, but Adam would be damned if he was going to apologize for making love to his daughter. Finally, Frank ground out, “You. Downstairs. Now.”

The cowboy pivoted on his boot heel and walked out of the bedroom, back ramrod straight and fists clenched. The bedroom door slammed shut with such force it shook the storm glass in the windows.

Keelee let out a breath and ran a hand down his bare back.

Shit. He didn’t even have a shirt on. Hair wet, dressed only in partially fastened jeans, and probably looking thoroughly debauched. Huh, her dad had actually showed a lot of restraint.

Adam turned and folded Keelee into his arms. “I think I better make tracks downstairs. For some reason, I feel like I’m about to be grounded.”

Her laughter lightened his mood instantly. “Honestly, he’s a teddy bear. He’s all cranky on the outside but sweet as sugar on the inside.” She lifted on her toes and kissed him. “I’ll get dressed and come downstairs to rescue you.”

Adam cupped her ass and pulled her in closer to him. “I think this is one I need to handle alone, no matter how pissed he is. You get some clothes on and I’ll meet you in the kitchen. No chores. The Wonder Twins volunteered to feed and make sure the watering holes are open. You, little lady, need to rest.”

Keelee wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him. When she did that, it made him feel twenty feet tall, fire retardant and bulletproof. He could get addicted to that feeling. Her bottom lip came out in that cute-as-fuck pout. He shook his head. So it was intentional after all and his girl was working it. Hard.

“I don’t care how adorable that pout is. No. Chores.” Adam gave her a quick kiss and released her. The last thing he wanted to do, but Frank was waiting. Damn.

It took no more than two minutes to gather and don his shirt, socks, and boots. Running his fingers through his hair, he realized he didn’t have his eye patch on. Turning towards the bathroom he damn near dropped his jaw to the bedroom floor. Keelee stood jaybird naked with his eye patch dangling from one finger.
Holy-fucking-shit. Breathe, man
. Deal with the dad and the woman is yours… forever. Shit, his cock didn’t need to be at attention now, but hello, buddy, there he was flying high and saluting proudly.

She smiled and winked as she extended her arm offering the eye path.

“Woman, you are going to pay for that tease,” he growled. Keelee puckered a kiss at him as she walked past to gather her clothes from the dresser. All he could focus on was her wet hair curling slightly at the top of her perfectly pert ass. Adam groaned and turned away as he pulled his eye patch on. The woman was going to kill him. A smile spread across his face. Damned if he wasn’t more than willing to die that way at least three or four times a day for the rest of his life.

Adam used the time it took to walk down the stairs and to the library to control his raging hard-on. Although, if the truth were told, he’d lost any remaining desire at the mere thought of having this conversation with her father. Shit, he could face enemy fire, fight hand-to-hand and patch up just about any battle-related injury in his sleep, but this conversation was making his palms sweat.
Great. Fucking incredible.
I’ve turned into an eighteen-year-old.

Adam knocked on the library door. It opened immediately. He couldn’t hide his surprise or the smile that followed it. “Miss Amanda?”

Amanda King’s eyes lit up and she pulled Adam into a warm hug. “Oh, my sweet boy! Jared told me you regained your memory. I’m so happy for you.”

Adam relaxed into her hug. Amanda King was the mother he’d never had. She’d taken each member of Alpha Team under her wing and treated them like her sons. Adam finally pulled away and smiled down at the woman. “I have. I’m sorry I didn’t stick around in Aruba, but I had to get back. I had to see Keelee.”

Amanda cupped his cheek with her hand and nodded. “I know sweetie, and from all accounts, it’s a damn good thing you came back when you did.”

A snort from the other side of the room drew their attention toward Frank. Amanda chuckled and patted Adam on the arm. “He’s really just an old softie. Where’s Keelee?”

Adam’s eyebrow lifted in suspicion.
Softie, yeah right
. “She’s going to meet me in the kitchen, we slept in and missed breakfast.”

Frank’s mumbled, “No shit,” sent Amanda into a small fit of giggles.

“Oh Adam, son, you really need to talk with Frank. I’ve made us some breakfast and there is more than enough for you and Keelee.” She pushed Adam into the room as she spoke. “Now go. Go talk. I’ll keep Keelee company.” The door shut quietly behind her.

Adam turned and met Frank’s stare.
Damn
. Yep, he felt like a teenager who’d been caught with his pants down. He chuckled. That’s just about what happened, wasn’t it?

“You find something amusing here, son?”

“Ah, actually yes, sir, I do.” Adam wasn’t about to start imitating a wilting violet.

“And what, exactly, do you find so funny?” The cowboy stood with his hands on his hips waiting for a reply.

“That two consenting adults who happen to love each other got caught in a compromising situation. Honestly, I feel like I’m a fourteen-year-old juvenile delinquent, not a thirty-five-year-old adult, and an established doctor with a great career, I might add.”

Frank grunted and rubbed the stubble on his chin. It was the first time Adam hadn’t seen the man clean shaven. Frank motioned toward two large leather chairs. “Sit down, son. We need to have a talk.”

Adam took his seat and waited. Frank grabbed his coffee mug off the desk and sat down opposite him.

“Tell me what happened on the mountain. From the beginning.”

Okay, well, that was a surprise. Not what he thought the man wanted to talk about, but alright, he’d lead off with that.

“I got here about five. Betty was fit to be tied. Keelee had taken a snowmobile up to an old homestead because Clint told her he’d seen a family up there. Blizzard hit while she was out.”

“Was there a family up there?” Frank leaned forward on his forearms waiting for a reply.

“No, sir. I did a search of the house when I was looking for her. Nobody had been in that place in eons.”

Frank nodded and waited expectantly, so Adam continued. “I found her. She’d fallen through the roof of an old root cellar. The plunge banged her up a bit. She’d hit her head, twisted her ankle and was damn near frozen, but she had a small fire and was protected from the wind. She could have survived a while longer if I hadn’t gone and found her.”

“That the truth?”

Adam pushed a hand through his hair and admitted, “Hell, you know, sir—probably not. It was too damn cold. She’d have suffered severe hyperthermia, probably fallen asleep and died before morning.” Adam rolled his shoulders at the thought of losing her. “But I got to her, got her back to the line shack and took care of her.”

“When did Koehler show?”

“Sometime the next day. The next morning, I left her alone at the line shack, went back to the homestead and retrieved her snowmobile.” He stared straight at the older man and swore. “I would have never left her if I had any indication Clint was going to show up or that he would hurt her. I had no idea he was violent or disturbed.”

Frank grunted. “Disturbed. Fancy way to say the boy finally lost it. That fucking father of his pushed the boy over the deep end. Gerald’s pure poison. I keep those boys working here to try to protect them.” The older man shook his head before he continued. “Christian okay?”

Adam nodded and leaned forward in his chair again. “Jason and I brought him here. We’ll set him up at a good college and pay his way as long as he gets good grades and is a responsible citizen. We’ve agreed to split his costs. We’ll explain that to him. We’re wrapping it up as a Christmas gift. It’ll make it harder for him to refuse. But you need to know the real reason why he is here.”

“Yeah? And why is that?”

Adam nodded. “I’m making assumptions, and for that matter so is Jason, but we think there is more at play here than the boy is letting on. He’s terrified, and if I was a betting man I’d say he’s afraid because he’s… well, I think he has been abused by his family because he’s gay. Is that going to be a problem?”

Frank’s mouth pulled down and a deep furrow planted itself deep in between the man’s eyes. “Why the hell would it be? Son, I got no right to cast any stones. I know that boy. He is the gentle kind. Christian wouldn’t hurt a thing unless he was forced into it and that asshole Gerald forced him into it… regularly.” Frank turned his attention from Adam to the window. “If I could’ve moved those boys here I would have. Can’t help but think I didn’t do enough.” He sighed and glanced back at Adam. “What about Gregg? He here too?”

Adam quirked his eyebrow up. “Who’s Gregg?”

Frank snorted. “The middle brother. I’ll take a trip to the Koehlers’ today. Offer Gregg a full-time position here.”

“Frank, there’s more. Christian was beaten by his brothers or his father. He’s not saying which, but someone took out some serious aggression on that boy. Broke his arm. I was worried about his zygomatic bone, but it wasn’t compromised.”

“His zygo-what?”

“Zygomatic bone—cheekbone. From what Christian said, Clint’s gone. Guardian is watching for him, and Jared is working with the state police and the local law enforcement officers to ensure all the bases are covered. Clint dumped his truck in Rapid City, but there is no trace of him.”

“Holy hell. The first time I spend more than a long weekend away from the ranch in two years and all this shit breaks loose.” Frank rubbed his face with both hands and fell back into the plush leather chair.

“Alright, now that I got a handle on that, I need some answers. First, is Keelee alright physically? Those bruises are the extent of her injuries, right?”

Adam nodded. “She also sustained a concussion, but she’s going to be fine.”

Frank released a long breath and nodded. “Second, Christian is safe and you’ll be making sure he stays out of Gerald’s reach. Just so Gerald don’t get any ideas, make sure Christian stays in the ranch house, not in the bunk house. Understood?”

“Yeah, the Wonder Twins hooked him up with a room down the hall from them.”

Frank closed his eyes and nodded. “I’ll take care of Gregg, but I need to get one other matter settled first.” Drawing a lungful of air, Frank let it out, sounding a little bit like a pressure cooker that was about to explode. “Son, what exactly are your intentions toward my daughter?”

Adam gulped and swallowed.
This
was the start he’d pictured. “I love her. I’m going to marry her if you give me your blessings.” Adam ran his hands through his hair again and stood up. “I don’t know who in the hell I’m trying to fool. I’m marrying her even if you don’t give your blessings. Life has taken two years from us. I’ll be damned if I’m waiting much longer to make her my wife.”

“That so?” Frank’s response was more a grunt than a comment.

“Yes.”

“What did she say about that? Can’t imagine she’d let you run that show.”

Adam smiled. “Haven’t asked her yet. I wanted to do this right. I wanted to ask you, but like I said…”

“Yeah son, I got it. And you got it. My blessing, that is. When you plan on asking her?” Frank stood and stretched.

“Christmas Eve. Figured a ring would be my present to her. Which I still need to buy. Crap, I need to get Jason to fly me someplace with a decent jeweler. I don’t even know her ring size. How the hell do I find that out?” Adam’s face flushed. He hated when he did that.

“Huh. Well, if you’re open for a suggestion, maybe you could get her mom’s engagement ring reset. Kinda sentimental and such. Put your own stones with it. Make it yours, but give her a piece of her mom too. Her mom’s ring fits her hand. Seen her admiring it one day. Size six.”

Adam cleared his throat and nodded. “I’d be honored, sir. Thank you.”

Frank’s voice stopped him before he opened the door. “Oh and Adam?”

He stopped and turned to meet Frank’s gaze. “Sir?”

“In case there was any doubt, you hurt that girl again and there won’t be a place you can hide from me. You got that, boy?”

Adam swallowed hard. The man in front of him left little doubt he’d carry out the threat. And what Frank just said—it was a threat.

“I love her, sir. I admit I’ve screwed up. If I hadn’t lost my memory, I would have been back here the day after the mission begging her to forgive me and asking for a second chance. We took the long way to this point, but there isn’t a force on this earth that will separate us again.”