Leave it for the Rain: A Love She Couldn't Remember—A Woman He Couldn't Forget (Grayson Brothers Book 6) Read Online Free PDF Page B

peeking from beneath her pleated skirt, she sat in her padded rocking chair crocheting what looked to be a sweater, happily participating in their conversation. He marveled at her ability to manage the greenhouse and their busy household without falling over from exhaustion.
    “I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” Adam admitted to his father. “I’ve missed working the mill and watching you and your brothers antagonize each other all day,”
    Duke chuckled. “That hasn’t changed any. It will be good to have you back so you can share the abuse.”
    The abuse Duke referred to was good-natured ribbing that was batted back and forth between the Grayson brothers and the mill crew. Their days at the mill were filled with hard work and lots of heckling that helped to lighten the load.
    “Thought we might go hunting this weekend,” his father said.
    Adam loved hunting with his dad and uncles. “That will make Scout happy,” Adam said, ruffling the dog’s ears. “We need Uncle Boyd to come along and bring Sailor.”
    His father’s burst of laughter elicited Adam’s in return. “That dog is worthless in a hunt.”
    “I know, but having Boyd around is priceless. Plus Sailor is good company for Scout. This old fella isn’t going to run down anything, are you, buddy?” he asked, scratching the dog’s head again as his father’s laughter subsided. Some of Adam’s best memories were those he spent with his father and uncles on a hunt.
    “I wish I could invite all your uncles,” his father said, “but we’ve got a big order at the mill right now. With two of us gone the others need to be there. Besides, I’m surprised you will let me take you away from Rebecca already.”
    Adam laughed. “It’s a sacrifice, but I suspect she might be glad to be rid of me for a while by then.”
    His father’s laughter told Adam he hadn’t lost his touch for bantering and heckling and having some good-natured fun with his dad.
    Faith tilted her head and studied Adam. “It’s hard to believe you’ll soon be married. I can well imagine how happy you are to be home with Rebecca.”
    Words couldn’t describe what he felt, but he nodded to acknowledge his joy. “I’m glad to be here with all of you, too—and even with Miss Blabby Mouth and her tormentors,” he said, tweaking Cora’s ribs.
    She squealed and slapped his hand away, but they were both enjoying their reunion. The sound of his family’s laughter and their conversation flowed over him, soothing the raw places in his lonely heart. He was home. He was finally going to live his dream.
    o0o
    Stroking her mare’s neck, Rebecca waited beneath the long hanging limbs of the willow tree that she and Adam had claimed as their special place many years earlier. She had dreamed about this moment for months, and now that Adam was finally home and she had touched him, heard the rich, soothing sound of his voice, she literally ached to be with him.
    The sound of his boots crunching along the loamy, rocky shore told her he was about to round the bend of Canadaway Creek. As he came into view, Rebecca drank in the sight of him, grown tall in manhood, his stride long and sure, brown hair fluttering in the evening breeze and tangling in his collar. Hands jammed deep in his jacket pockets, Adam followed his dog, Scout. The dog scampered along the creek’s edge, sniffing the rocky ground as he and his master made their way toward the willow tree.
    Rebecca knew the instant Scout spotted her. The beagle lifted his head and released a happy howl as he raced toward her.
    When Adam spied her, he gave her that slow you’re-all-I’ve-been-able-to-think-about smile that never failed to thrill her. Each time they met was like a first time, new and exciting and packed with emotion.
    Usually it was Adam who arrived first, who waited for her, but today Rebecca wanted to welcome him back to their wonderful willow world. That’s what they called their private little nest beneath the fat willow