CHAPTER 9
ADAM
It was like walking a tightrope, keeping their relationship professional but friendly. Adam couldn’t deny he was still attracted to Kyra in the worst possible way, which meant he didn’t dare spend too much time alone with her. On the other hand, he didn’t want her to think he hated her, so he didn’t dare avoid her too much. The result was a kind of halfhearted avoidance with very little conversation and even less emotional honesty.
From the outside, anyone would think their working relationship was borderline perfect. They were both respectful to each other, and neither one of them crossed any lines. Under the surface, though, it was hell for Adam. Whether it was also hell for Kyra was something he was unwilling to ask. He had to just go about his day, watching her work on his ranch, knowing full well she was carrying his child and being unable to acknowledge it.
He had to restrain himself from looking after her, from making her sit down, and telling her to put her feet up and take it easy. Instinctively, he wanted to do everything for her. But wouldn’tthat look too much like he was accepting the role of fatherhood? He didn’t want to give her any false hope. The last thing he wanted to do was break her heart. So, he kept his distance, which he knew would come off cold and unfeeling.
After weeks of this uncomfortable dynamic, something finally broke the tension. Of course, it would need to be something catastrophic to break tension this thick. And the universe was happy to oblige.
Adam got an automatic text on his phone that there was a tornado warning in effect. The warning advised everyone to get indoors on the lowest floor of the house, in the innermost room. It also advised that they had under a half an hour to do so. He ran to the barn to find Kyra already there, getting the animals inside and shutting everything up. Without a word, he began to help her. They worked like clockwork, never needing to ask what needed to be done and who was going to do it. She must have gotten the same warning on her phone and already knew exactly what to do.
With the barn secured and all their tools stowed away, the two headed back to the main house. Before Kyra could veer off to her studio apartment, Adam gently grabbed her by the arm. “You’re coming to the main house,” he said, not leaving her any room to protest. “It’s not going to be safe in that tiny building.”
She glanced up at him, clearly surprised. “Are you sure?” Apparently, him avoiding her lately wasn’t as subtle as he’d hoped.
He practically dragged her to his house. “Of course, I’m sure. Time is running out. Let’s go. Don’t drag your feet.” The joke,you’re taking shelter for two now, crossed his mind, but he didn’t dare say it.
Adam didn’t have a basement, but his office was an interior room, so he made a comfortable place for Kyra to sit in there. Then he joined her, and they both waited.
“Is this your first tornado warning?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Hardly. I grew up here, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.” He knew that, of course. He was only trying to make small talk, but he supposed it was a clumsy attempt. Within about five minutes, the wind began to howl. “I’ve had a few warnings but never been hit directly.”
“Let’s hope that trend continues,” she said with a small smile.
Quicker than they would have expected, the wind outside went from a howl to a roar. Kyra wrapped her arms around herself in an instinctive reaction. On the outside, she didn’t look afraid, but deep down, when faced with something as primal as a tornado, she apparently couldn’t help herself. He understood completely. Having come from the northern part of the country, he was not as experienced with severe weather, and the power behind this storm could not be denied. He’d never experienced anything like it.
Before he could manage to school his own reaction, the storm had passed. Tentatively, he rose from his place. “Stay here,” he said to Kyra, “just in case. I’m going to check on things.”
Recognizing the fact that if she were anyone else, he would have asked her to come with him to check on the state of the ranch, he convinced himself his protective gesture was due to her being a woman and not due to her being someone he particularly cared about.
When he got outside, he looked at the sky to see that the storm had moved past them. Whether the tornado actually touched down anywhere near them was harder to assess, but the detached apartment had suffered significant damage either way. A large branch had been blown into one of the windows and broken it. He trudged closer to look inside and found, much to his disappointment, that the roof was now leaking.
“You fix one roof, and another one fails,” he muttered to himself.
He returned to the main house, dejected but also a little relieved. After checking the weather forecast, he found that the tornado warning was hardly an isolated incident. A large and dangerous weather system was moving across the country, and it carried with it the possibility of many damaging storms. Their tornado warning had been little more than an appetizer. He’d been hesitant to send Kyra back to her apartment anyway, and now he had a good excuse to keep her right where she was, where he could ensure her safety.
Adam left no room for argument when he got back to the office. “You’re staying in the main house for a couple days.”
Kyra stood. “What? But why?”
“The apartment’s been damaged. A window’s busted, and the roof is leaking. All your things are getting rained on, and these storms are predicted to continue. I’d feel much better if you were here.” That should be explanation enough, he thought.
Kyra gave him a look that indicated her suspicion over his motive. But in the end, there was little she could do about it, as Adam well knew. He had been honest about the state of her apartment. There was broken glass all over the floor inside, andrain was leaking through the roof. So, she packed her bags again and moved herself into his spare room.
Adam was immediately more comfortable with this proximity. He kept a close eye on her, whether she liked it or not. As her boss, he ordered her to stay put while he went out and did all her usual chores. At first, she protested, putting up quite a fight about it. But Adam put his foot down. He insisted the ranch needed his special attention. It had been damaged, and he didn’t entirely trust Kyra to put it back together.
This was, of course, a bit of a lie. The truth was more complicated. Adam was not comfortable sending a pregnant woman to do hard labor, no matter how much she insisted it was fine. He successfully convinced himself that this had nothing to do with it being his baby, or with it being Kyra. He would be as protective over any other pregnant woman, obviously.
He quickly fixed the window in her apartment but took his time when it came to repairing the roof. Again, he gave himself a very good reason for this, insisting to himself that doing any roof work without assistance was still a bad idea, despite his arm being in much better condition. The truth was harder to admit. He didn’t want to let Kyra go. He rather liked having her around and taking care of her. It made him feel like he was useful and important in a way he’d never felt before. Protecting a family made him feel a sense of purpose he hadn’t known he was missing.
“You don’t haveto make every meal for me, you know?” Kyra said, having joined him in his small kitchen to watch him work.
“Go and sit down,” he said in his sternest voice. “I’ve seen the way you eat when I’m not cooking for you. It’s not healthy.”
