Finding His Sun

Chapter Nine

Adam went out of the room and let out a sigh of relief when he made it downstairs. His heart was pounding. He was nervous, but why? He needed to get to work, that would help. He looked over and saw Ben and Sam giving him knowing eyes. 

“Boy she’s got your tiger by the tail, don’t she?” Ben remarked while shaking his head. 

Adam laughed it off and went to work, all though he knew there was truthfulness in Ben’s statement. He couldn’t shake Erin’s presence, and never wanted too. 

Erin ate her breakfast slowly but licked her plate clean. She hadn’t had a meal this good in years and she wanted to savor it. She was taken aback at how generous all these strangers were, but what did they want? For whatever reason she didn’t let it worry her long, she felt safe here, even if she wasn’t.

 She didn’t have her phone, but she imagined it had some colorful texts from Mason and no doubt Ryan, if he was even awake. Once she finished her food, she decided to bite the bullet and look into the mirror. Her own reflection took her breath away. It had never been this bad. She knew she held fault in this, but she couldn’t help but blame Mason. He claimed to love her… but turned her into a monster she didn’t recognize. She knew she was being thoughtless by staying here with people she just met, but she wanted to take the risk. She wanted to decide for herself. 

She gathered her breath after looking over her injuries. They looked worse than they felt. Her neck and head were the only injuries that captivated an immense amount of pain, and her stomach was filled with red strikes along the side. She didn’t have any makeup to cover up her bad decisions, so she had to accept them. It actually felt somewhat freeing to let herself display her faults instead of hiding them with guilt. 

She found the clothes Adam had laid out; they were beautiful colors. The top was a muted maroon flowy shirt, boot cut jeans, and a thick blue jean jacket with fur inside. She looked out the window and was happy she had the jacket when she saw frost all along the ground. This was the first look she had of the place she woke up in, she was amazed. She knew Adam’s family had a large ranch, but this was unbelievable. Everywhere she looked it was another piece of breathtakingly beautiful landscape. On both sides of the ranch two large mountains with snow caps engulfed the view, and everywhere else was rolling pastures and hillside valleys, it was a dream. She got dressed carefully, not to start a gush of pain anywhere on her body, then looked in the mirror. She liked what she saw this time. Her hair in her usual messy ponytail so her crazy long curls could cascade around her neck and hide some of her bruises. The clothes were form fitting, a strange site from her usual baggy shirts and legging, she liked the feeling. She felt like… a lady? As she said it, Adam’s voice rang in her ears and she became warm all over. What was he doing to her? Whatever it was, she liked the feeling. 

She gathered the dirty clothes Adam had given her and she put them in the empty laundry basket. She made a reminder to herself to wash those later, when she actually knew where the laundry room was. She made the bed and gave herself another quick look in the mirror and headed down the stairs with her dishes. The huge house felt like one maze after another until she heard dishes clatter. She walked into the kitchen where a small plump woman with a messy bun on the top of her head, maybe in her fifties, was washing dishes. She caught a glimpse of Erin and greeted her with the biggest smile. 

“You must be Miss Erin! I’m Delilah the housekeeper I guess you could call it”, she said with a thick southern accent. I’ve been working for Graves now for thirty years now, after I left Texas, so you can call me family. I do just about everything around here, picking up after those rowdy men twenty-four- seven isn’t easy. But I love ‘em like my own. Oh, listen to me just blabbering away! Did you eat, I can cook you something?”.

Erin had to catch her breath just listening to Delilah. She had a very sweet and comforting feel about her that Erin liked. 

“Yes, ma’am I ate. Thank you though. I was looking for Adam” Erin said timidly while Delilah took Erin’s dishes away. “Oh, I can help you with those”.

“No dear, don't you worry bout a thing! You’re a guest here so make yourself comfortable. The men went to the south field to get some hay, they should be back any second”.

“How many cattle do they have on this ranch?” Erin asked, completely taken back still by the vast amount of land out of the huge kitchen windows. 

“Well right now Mr. Graves has about 2,500 head of cattle, but he just sold about 500 just the other day so he’s on the low side right now” Delilah said as if the number was not substantial at all.

Erin had known of the surrounding ranches in their small valley town and knew the Graves had the biggest. His ranch was the talk of any conversation with land and money, but she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, and she was shocked. It was a whole world she knew nothing about. She hadn’t even ridden a horse in easily ten years. Once her dad died and her mother left, all the simple country lifestyle Erin grew up with faded into the background. Then all of a sudden, she was dating Mason Mallard and his world was strewn with glamor and money. She never fit in but hoped she could become a person that could. Hopeful she could be confident in a ballgown and be accepted into his life, but she somehow always fell short. She wanted a home. She wanted a life that could be her own. She wanted a family that wanted her and made her feel warm. 

“Is there anything I can do for you dear? I know you must be hurting, not much I can do but I’m an open ear whenever you feel like talking or need a good cup of tea”.

Erin liked Delilah and her nonstop talking strangely comforted her, but she wasn’t ready to talk. She didn’t even know how she got here. She hadn’t had time to think about it and honestly, she didn’t want to. 

“Thank you, Delilah. I think I’m okay right now. Can I help you with anything?” Erin asked nervously, wanting something to do. She was sore and exhausted, but she was restless. 

“Oh no dear! I’m just about done here, and it looks like the boys are back already. Go enjoy the view with them, I’m sure Adam is waiting for ya”. She eyed the men coming up the hill on horses out the window. 

Erin looked over and it was like her heart dropped. She saw Adam in his jeans, boots and cowboy hat and she was feeling things she never had before. Something pulled her towards him, and she just wanted to run into his arms and let him heal all of her brokenness. She shook the thought out of her head. She knew that was crazy… she was with Mason, if he still wanted her after last night. And Adam… he deserved better than what she could give him. He had this dream life of peace and she would just bring pain. The pain she accumulated over the years is something that can’t be healed and shouldn’t be spread. 

Adam caught a glimpse of Erin looking at him through the kitchen window. He couldn’t help but smile, she made him smile. He nodded at her to come outside as he got off his horse. The front door of the ranch house opened, and her presence was angelic, even the rest of the guys quieted and stared. Her steps were a little unsteady, but her will wasn’t. She walked with an elegance Adam didn’t think was possible for a person to possess. Her bruises and sadness covered her body, but Adam could see her soul was light. It was buried underneath her pain, but he could see it. Her body slowly made its way to him, and when she got to him he realized he wasn’t breathing. Breathe i***t. Her light brown hair curled around her face and shone in the autumn sunlight. His denim jacket was too big for her, but it looked like she belonged in it. 

Erin felt all the guys eyes on her and wasn’t sure how to react. She just kept striding towards Adam for comfort. When she reached him, she realized how big he actually was. He was a whole head taller than her and had broad shoulders. Even underneath his jacket she could see his muscle pulsing through. He wasn’t sculpted like the gym buffs she knew but sculpted from hard work; muscles that were stronger than she could see. She wanted to be swept up in his arms.

“Was breakfast okay? How are you feeling?” Adam’s voice was a little shakier than he wanted it to be. She broke the confidence he tried so hard to build. 

“It was delicious, thank you so much” she said while smiling and nodding towards Cookie, and you could see his face get red. She looked back at Adam, “thank you so much for taking care of me last night… I hate for everyone to go through so much trouble for me” Erin cast her gaze downward in shyness.

Adam took his hand and lifted her gaze back at him and tried to speak with as much honesty as he could. Her eyes struck through his heart. 

“Don’t you ever apologize for someone else’s mistake. I’d gladly carry you in my arms any time” he said with that mischievous smirk. He meant it though. He would be happy to take care of her for the rest of his life. He had never been so sure of anything. He knew she had a better offer, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying. 

Erin looked him in the eyes and blushed. How was she supposed to respond to that? He was so charming she could barely look at him. She ended up just giving him a soft smile and stepping back. Yes, something pulled her towards him, but that scared her. This whole situation had moved at the speed of light when Adam had decided to swoop her up in his arms not even twelve hours ago. She obviously wasn’t thinking clearly. How could she be feeling these things for someone she didn’t even know? No, she needed to step back and think clearly about what would happen next. She didn’t know what that was, but she would figure it out like she always did.  

“We have a few cattle we need to bring back from the far pastures that got away, but we won’t be long. Make yourself at home and rest when you need to” Adam got smoothly right back on his tan horse. “We’ll be back for lunch and then we can have some fun” he gave her a wink, nudged his horse, and they were off again. 

Erin’s heartbeat faster as Adam rode away. She didn’t want any more distance between them than there already was, but she needed to focus. She needed an explanation for Mason when he would ask where she had been. She needed an explanation for Ryan as to why the bills weren’t paid. What was she thinking? She couldn’t just come here to this hidden paradise and forget all her problems and responsibilities. She had to look at the facts, she has a job, a house, Ryan to take care of and Mason to… well she didn’t know about Mason other than he wouldn’t be happy when he saw her. Just the thought of their reunion brought shivers up her spine. It was Sunday, she was off Monday and could call in for Tuesday, she never took a day off, so it was justified. Now all she would have to do his call Ryan and explain, it was just easier that way, let him cool off. After that she would get all her thoughts and feelings together and get a game plan. Yes, a plan and a to-do list is all she needed.