More Than Rum (The Maple Leaf Series Book 3) (9 page)

“I… I said no.”

“No?” Wendie’s eyebrows rose.

“As in no thanks, I can’t have
sex with you.” His cheeks grew hot. He could talk to Wendie about anything, but
his lack of a sex life wasn’t high on his list of topics to share. Admitting
aloud what he’d done last night wasn’t helping either.

“Has it ever occurred to you
that getting laid may be helpful?” Wendie sat on the edge of a shop stool and
brushed sawdust off her boot with a gloved hand.

“Yes, it has, but I couldn’t
use Hope like that.” He was shocked Wendie had made the suggestion. She knew
Hope wasn’t a girl for simple itch scratching.

“I didn’t mean for you to use
Hope. Find someone else. Someone you don’t care about. Just do it and get over
this bump in your road.”

“I think we can both admit it’s
more than a
bump
, can’t we?” He fit glued panels together and clamped
the second drawer.

 “Why did you say no to Hope?
Don’t you find her attractive?”

“I’ve got eyes, don’t I? Jesus,
Wendie. Hope is gorgeous.” He thought back to Hope naked in his bedroom. Her
breasts had been perfect, her skin flawless, her lips capable of blazing a path
right to his heart.

But I didn’t allow that.

Nope. He’d clamped up tight
like a clamshell. Access denied. Closed for business. No trespassing.

“Then what’s wrong with you and
Hope being together?”

“On paper? Absolutely nothing,”
Adam said. “In real life, everything.”

“Be specific. Why couldn’t it
work?” Wendie approached him now, and he was feeling a little claustrophobic.

“It can’t work because of me.
I’m no good for Hope.”

“Says who?”

“Says me, and I know me better
than anyone.”

“Only because you won’t let
anyone else get to know you.” Wendie rested her hands on his shoulders. “You
forget that I remember the old Adam. The one who was a star baseball player
from Little League through high school. The one who had a radio show in
college. The one with a winning personality and a wonderful smile. Those things
are still in there.” She tapped his chest with her fist.

“Those things got blown to bits
in Afghanistan.”

Wendie shook her head. “They’re
there, Adam. You’ve just got to find them again. I’ll bet a woman like Hope is
exactly the person to help you find them. Besides you owe it to the guys you
lost in Afghanistan to live your fucking life—the one they can’t live. Don’t
you think?”

She opened her mouth to say
something more, but Adam’s cell phone rang from the worktable. With a wave, she
left his shop to go to work taking care of Orion’s father.

Wondering if perhaps Wendie was
right about Hope and the other things she’d said, Adam picked up his phone to
see Black Wolf Tavern’s number displayed.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Adam, it’s Jake. I know
you’re not supposed to work today, but do you have any interest in makin’ a few
bucks fixin’ some chairs for me? I’ve got several with loose legs and broken
pieces.”

“Sure. No problem. I can drop
by in a few hours. I’m in the middle of gluing up some drawers.”

“Great. See you then.”

Adam set his phone back on the
table and stared at the drawer pieces he had yet to assemble, but he wasn’t
really seeing them. Instead, he pictured Hope as she slammed his truck door and
ran to her house last night.

Maybe Wendie was right, but he’d
blown it. Most assuredly, Hope didn’t want to ever see him again. Adam couldn’t
blame her. Besides, there were better men for her somewhere. Men who could give
her everything she deserved. Men who would have the sense to make love to her.
Often.

Men who could be her happily
ever after.

He wasn’t that man.      

“He said no?” Sage stopped
snowshoeing, puffs of breath creating steam in front of her face in the cold
morning air. She faced Hope in her lime green ski jacket and black snow pants,
her gloved hands gripping her poles.

Hope couldn’t see her sister’s
eyes behind her sunglasses, but the set of Sage’s mouth shouted anger loud and
clear.

“He said no.” Hope tightened
her hand on Olive’s leash.

Sage’s soon-to-be stepdog,
Ranger, scouted ahead on the path leading into the woods behind Joy’s house
where the two sisters had decided to spend some time testing out the new snowshoes
Rick had bought them for Christmas. The snow was perfect—a little crunchy on
top—and the wind wasn’t too brutal today.

Olive was too small to walk in
the deep snow, so Hope had carried her most of the way, setting her down
occasionally so the pup could investigate deer tracks or sniff Ranger’s behind.
At least watching Olive had given Hope something to laugh about a few times.
Otherwise, her mood was sour. Like week-old-milk-sitting-on-a-picnic-table-in-late-July
sour.

 “Okay,” Sage said slowly as
she started to walk again, “I know Adam’s got some… issues… from being in the
Marines, but saying no to you is like unconstitutional or something.” She shook
her head. “It’s madness.”

“It’s reality.” Hope picked up
Olive and followed her sister as Ranger ran back to them then bounded ahead
again.

“I have to get Orion to tell me
what the deal is with Adam,” Sage said.

“No. Let’s drop it. If Adam
wanted us to know, he would have told us. He wants to keep his secrets and you
know what? He can keep them. I don’t care.”

Sage stopped again and waited
for Hope to come up alongside her. “You don’t care? Really?”

Hope rubbed her chin against
the top of Olive’s head. “Nope. I’m done wasting my time. A dude only says no
to me once. There are no second chances on that one.”

Sage elbowed her. “Look at you
showing a little spunk. Proof we are sisters after all.”

“I don’t know if it’s spunk or
that I’m just tired of waiting for Adam. I mean, we had a few nice dates before
he went wherever he went. I thought we could pick back up where we left off. I
was clearly wrong. End of story. Moving on.” Hope shrugged and took a few steps
forward, Olive squirming to be put down. She held the dog tighter to her chest.
Maybe she couldn’t hang on to a man, but she’d be damned if this dog was going
to slip through her mitts.

They walked on in silence for a
little while, the incline making travel more laborious. The pristine white
setting and crisp winter air were doing wonders to cleanse Hope and the bad
aura that had clouded the space around her last night. They watched a hare
forage around in the snow, followed a trail of moose prints to a huge pile of
scat, saw a hawk high up in a maple tree, and got a great view of the
snow-capped peak of Mount Washington on their walk back to the house.

Inside, Hope made them coffee to
serve with the maple cinnamon muffins Sage had brought. They warmed themselves
by the wood stove in the living room, while Ranger and Olive cuddled on the
couch between them.

“So what’s happening with
wedding plans?” Hope asked, wrapping her hands around the hot mug to thaw them.

Sage hesitated and took a sip
of her coffee. She repositioned herself on the couch a few times, looked around
the room, and studied one of their mother’s magazines she had opened in her
lap.

Hope reached over the dogs and
put her hand on Sage’s forearm. “It’s okay. You can talk about your happiness.
I can take it.”

“I don’t want to pour salt in
the wound,” Sage said.

“There’s no wound. I’m over
it.” If she said it enough times, it’d eventually be true. Right?

Sage angled herself toward
Hope. “If you’re sure.” At Hope’s nod, she continued. “We’re thinking of a fall
wedding. It’s so pretty up here in October. Maybe right before Columbus Day.
What do you think?”

“Perfect time.” Hope had always
dreamed of a fall wedding herself. Vermont was at its prettiest dressed in red,
orange, and yellow foliage.

“Lily said we could have the
ceremony at Hinsdale Inn, which will be awesome. The gazebo Rick built in that
grove of trees behind the house will be perfect. I’m picturing it decorated
with cornstalks and pumpkins. And did you know Jake is a certified minister?”

“I did not. Convenient.”

“Yeah, vows and booze are
checked off the list with one guy.” Sage sipped her coffee again. “I think I’d
like to go with a harvest orange dress for you and Lily if that’s okay. I have
it on my phone.” She leaned forward and grabbed her purse on the coffee table.
She pulled her phone out and tapped the screen a few times before handing it to
Hope. “Tell me if you hate it.”

Hope examined the picture. A
gorgeous dress with a fitted bodice and a flaring skirt filled the screen. The
bodice was embroidered with a darker orange design and the skirt had a faint
sparkle to it.

“I love it, Sage. Great
choice.” She’d be more than happy to wear such stylish fashion to her sister’s
wedding. Probably the only wedding she’d be going to anytime soon.

Be happy for Sage. Be happy
for Sage.

She hoped her momentary lapse
back into dark thoughts hadn’t shown on her face. She had to dig deep and put
on a smile for her sister, who was in love and lucky and engaged to the man of
her dreams. Maybe that plan wasn’t for everybody. Maybe The Universe had
another plan for some people. An alternative plan.

One that involved a convent,
perhaps.

Yeah. Maybe that was it. A
divine power was calling Hope to service by denying her happiness with a man.
Her happiness would come from helping others in need. She could…

Stop this ridiculous line of
thinking right now.

Drawing in a breath, she put
her own coffee down on the table as her phone chimed with an incoming message. She
picked up her phone as Sage got up to use the bathroom before heading back home
with Ranger. Hope clicked on the message and a text appeared from Jake.

Can’t come to house. Having
work done at bar. Can u meet me there?

“Chicken,” Hope whispered. She
had been looking forward to putting things in motion for Jake and her mother.
She’d even sent her mom out for a hair appointment this morning at the only
salon in Danton to get her all spiffy. “One out of three Stannard women in love
is good, I guess.” It was Sage’s turn. Maybe her mother’s turn wasn’t entirely
spoiled yet either. A plan to get Joy to meet her at the bar was coalescing in
Hope’s mind.

As far as Hope though? Well,
love wasn’t in the cards. Not with Adam anyway. She’d keep her eyes open for
someone new to come along and pray that guy didn’t say no when she threw her
naked self at him.

A wave of embarrassment crested
over her again, her cheeks blazing as she sank deeper into the couch cushions.
It was so unlike her to take the reins to begin with, and the one time she did,
she got a horse that refused to move. Maybe she needed to invest in some spurs.

“So what’s on your schedule for
today?” Sage asked as she came back into the living room.

Hope held up her phone.
“According to Jake’s text, I’m apparently having my website meeting with him at
the tavern.”

“Chicken,” Sage said.

“Yep.” Hope laughed.

“Men.” Sage picked up her purse
and carried it to the mudroom where she sat to put on her boots.

Hope, Ranger, and little Olive
followed. “
Some
men. You appear to have gotten a functional one.”

“He was a fixer-upper at
first,” Sage said. “Just like the rest of them.”

“Well, you fixed him up good.”

“I am a professional.” Sage put
on her jacket and stood. She rested her hands on Hope’s shoulders. “After your
meeting with Jake, come over and we’ll test out some new cookie recipes for the
store. Rick’s given me the okay to get creative.”

Hope was about to say she’d
certainly stop by, but she thought about the possibility of Adam being at
Sage’s house. She definitely wasn’t ready to see him and really wanted to give
her Avoid Adam plan a solid attempt.

“I’ll probably need to get
started on Jake’s website after my meeting with him,” she said.

Sage gave her a look that said
she didn’t believe that was the real reason Hope didn’t want to go to her
house. Hope hated being that transparent. Lying never looked good on her.

“I’m keeping an eye on you,”
Sage said. “We cured Rick of his hermitude. I will not see another Stannard be
afflicted. You understand?”

Hope nodded. “I need a little
time to…”
To get over my humiliation. To locate my self-respect. To ignore
the possibility I will die an old maid.

“To hide?” Sage offered.

“Oh, look, Ranger needs to
pee.” Hope opened the front door and ushered her sister onto the porch.

Of course, Ranger decided he
wasn’t ready to leave and plopped his butt down on Hope’s foot.

“Yeah, looks like a real piss
emergency,” Sage said. She leaned back into the house and dropped a kiss on
Hope’s cheek. “Call me for anything.”

“I will.”

Sage clapped her hands. “C’mon,
Ranger. Let’s go find Daddy.”

At the mention of
Daddy
,
the dog scrambled to all fours and galloped out of the house toward The
Pumpkinmobile.

“Tell Myah Auntie Hope said her
refrigerator needs a new special drawing,” Hope said as she picked up Olive.

Sage put a thumb up as she let
Ranger into the back seat of her car. Within a few moments her sister was gone,
and Hope stood in the open doorway, letting the winter air cool her cheeks. She
had to quit thinking about last night so the blushing would stop.

Maybe the hurting would stop
too.

****

“These chairs aren’t worth
fixing, Jake.” Adam inspected the split in the leg of one of them he had turned
upside down on a table.

Jake glanced at the clock
behind the bar, frowned, and turned back to Adam. “Okay. Do you make chairs?”

“Sure. How many do you want?”

Looking out to the dining area
of the tavern, Jake pointed a finger as if doing a mental calculation. “I’ll
need at least six to start.”

“Can I take one of these busted
ones to use as a model?” Adam could get all his measurements off one of the
broken chairs and replicate six new ones that would be perfect matches.

“Take whatever you want.” Jake
rocked back on his heels, his hands jammed into the front pockets of his jeans.
“While you’re here with your tools, I’ve got a shelf in the back that needs
hanging. Do you mind?”

“No problem.” Adam picked up
his toolbox and followed Jake to the small back office area.

“I have a meeting out front,”
Jake said. “Give a holler if you need anything.”

Adam saluted Jake, a sick roll
happening in his stomach when he did so. He’d pretty much purged military
protocol from his life. Well, as best as he could. There was that pesky PTSD
still. Maybe someday he’d be rid of it completely, but no telling when “someday”
would come. No telling when he’d be back to a fully functional human being.

No specific date when he’d be
able to let go of the past enough to enjoy the future. To love a woman.

Christ, this has to stop.

He’d blown it with Hope.
Nothing he could do to change that. He had to square with the fact that he was
on his own. Drown himself in his work. Attempt to sleep a full night. Keep calm
and carry the fuck on.

Easier said than done.

He pulled off his baseball cap
since the lighting in the backroom was dim and set it on a slim table lining
one of the walls. Picking up his wood rule, he focused on the task at
hand—hanging a shelf. A beginner task, really. A no brainer. Good. His brain
needed a damn vacation anyway. He measured out where the studs in the wall
were, made pencil marks, drilled holes, and fastened the shelf brackets to the
wall. He rested the wooden shelf on top of the brackets and secured it in
place.

After hunting around for a few
moments, he located a vacuum cleaner and sucked up the drywall dust he’d
created. He surveyed his work and deeming it done, Adam piled his tools back
into his box and decided to use the restroom before leaving. Nothing worse than
driving on bumpy, snow-packed roads with a full bladder.

Inside the restroom, he counted
the black paw prints stenciled on the wall behind the toilet. The blood red
color on the walls was intense as were the few spots where black, jagged lines
were painted to look like claw marks. Adam had to hand it to Jake. He’d done a
great job creating a bar that felt like a werewolf’s den. The place had
personality—a very canine one—and it drew a good business. Good to know some
people had their shit together and were living the life they’d planned out for
themselves.

Adam washed his hands and turned
toward the door to leave. He stumbled back a few steps when the restroom door
opened before he’d reached it.

Hope filled the doorway and
several silent moments passed between them. Seeing her today was definitely
not
on his to-do list. Nor was having the walls of an already small bathroom close
in on him. He reached up for his cap, forgetting he’d left it on the table.

“Oh.” The word seemed to have
slipped from Hope’s lips—her amazing lips—without her consent. She ran a hand
through her golden hair and backed out of the doorway.

“Hi.”
Brilliant.
Adam
was appalled at his abysmal communication skills.

“Hey.” Hope stared at the black
and white tiled floor of the bathroom behind him.

They had a second where they
were completely in each other’s way. Hope went left. He went right. He went
left. Hope went right. It was the most awkward encounter ever executed. A scene
out of a middle school dance minus the acne.