In the next minute, Adam filled the kitchen with his presence. Olivia lifted her head to bid him a good morning, but the words died in her throat.
She had known that Adam was a very handsome man but seeing him now with his black tousled hair, striking square face, intense gray eyes, in black trousers, blue shirt, and black coat, her mouth ran dry.
Adam looked in her direction and did a double-take. Olivia’s face reddened at the way his deep gaze roamed her face.
She hadn’t seen him since she went into the house with Cora the day before. When Cora woke her up for dinner, she had told her that Adam had returned and had wanted to see her.
Cora clicked her tongue and said, “Quit staring at Olivia as if you’ve never seen a beautiful woman before, Adam.”
Slowly, a smile turned the corners of Adam’s lips.
“How are you feeling today, Olivia?” Adam asked after gawking at her.
“Very well, thank you, Adam.” Olivia winced at sounding like Adam was a stranger even though she had ridden with him hours ago.
He nodded with a grin. “You do look better.”
He strode over to his foster mother and placed a kiss on her cheek. He returned to the table and patted his shoulder.
“Take a seat, Adam.”
“I have already eaten, Cora. Annie won’t let me out of the house if she doesn’t stuff me with food first.”
Olivia smiled.
Adam settled himself on the chair opposite hers, which made her even more self-conscious than before. She listened as Adam spoke with his foster parents about things she knew nothing about, but she enjoyed hearing them.
Suddenly Adam turned to her and said, “If you’re done eating, I’d love for us to talk.”
A hand squeezed Olivia’s chest. “Okay, but I have to wash the plates first.”
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Cora interjected. “Off you go.”
Olivia knew it would be fruitless to argue, so she simply rose and walked with Adam out of the kitchen. He led the way to the porch.
The sun graced the sky a few minutes ago , but the air felt warm. Adam pointed at one of the chairs for her to sit.
Olivia wished she could stop blushing. Now that she had her wits about her, she was slightly uncomfortable in Adam’s presence. She wasn’t used to being with men, particularly from her own race.
For a moment, her mind drifted back to the Indian reservation and her heart cried for the family she was missing terribly. Her brothers, Running Elk and Looks Like Wolf, were the only men that she was used to being with.
“I’m glad that you’re feeling better,” Adam began after sitting beside her.
“Thank you,” she answered in a small voice, wishing her heart would stop racing.
She wasn’t usually shy, so she was surprised at the way she was reacting to Adam’s presence.
“Have you heard anything about my Indian family?”
“Unfortunately, no. I’m still carrying out my investigations and I need to ask you some questions.”
“Okay. What do you want to know?”
She hoped she wouldn’t get too emotional when she was talking about the Cheyenne Indians who had become her family eight years ago.
“Tell me about the Indians. I know you don’t know their precise location, but I would appreciate a little description of the camp. I’d also like to know how you got to where I found you.”
Olivia took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she began to talk about the people she loved so much that it brought tears to her eyes.
