The Lies Uncovered Trilogy (Books 4, 5, and 6 of The Dancing Moon Ranch Series) by Patricia Watters
Authors: Patricia Watters
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need to go."
"I want to go," Sophie insisted. "Rick needs to talk this out and I'm the one he's talked to over the years. We've always stayed connected."
Jack pressed his lips together, which came after the jaw bunching and the intense look, and which meant he was about to concede. Another Hansen trait. Then he said, "I'll get Adam to ride up with you then."
"That's fine," Sophie replied, "but I might want to stay overnight. And just for the record, there's nothing going on with Rick and me in case you're worried about that."
"I'm not," Jack said. "I'll saddle Adam's horse while you go get Adam."
"Give me fifteen minutes to get a sleeping bag and change of clothes and I'll be back."
The ride up the trail with Adam was awkward, Sophie realized, when they'd been gone only about fifteen minutes. Adam barely had a word to say, and she knew it was because he was concerned not only that she was the one to go to the cabin to be with Rick, but that she'd be staying overnight. To break the silence by focusing on Adam, instead of what was going on with Rick and her, she said, "Emily will be a beautiful bride." When Adam didn't reply, Sophie realized he'd nodded.
Adam removed his hat, ran his hand over his hair and replaced his hat, and Sophie took that as a kind of communication, so she continued. "I assume you'll be living off campus in an apartment when you return to college."
"Yeah," Adam replied.
When he said nothing more, Sophie knew they were back to square one—Adam disapproving of what she was doing. After another long awkward stretch, she said, again to break the uncomfortable silence, "You do know there's nothing going on between Rick and me. We've been friends for years. I just don't like the idea of him being alone up there at this time."
"Sometimes a man needs time to himself to think," Adam said, eyes straight ahead.
"Which means you don't want me going there," Sophie replied.
"No, it means exactly what I said."
Sophie maneuvered her horse alongside his. "At the party the other night, that's never happened to me before. You know I don't normally drink and do guys. It was a one-time thing. It won't happen again."
"You're twenty-three," Adam said. "You can pretty much do what you want, and you don't own me an explanation."
"But you're disgusted with me because I did something stupid, and you're right to be disgusted. Rick is too. In fact, he doesn't have the same feelings about me as he did before."
"I know," Adam said. "Rick told me,"
Sophie looked at him with a start. "He did?"
Adam nodded. "That's the only reason I'm taking you up there."
Sophie looked straight ahead and said nothing, but the reality of it hit hard. It was unlike Rick to talk about his feelings to anyone, but because he had with Adam, it was like he'd carved his feelings in stone. Rick Hansen no longer loves Sophie Meecham . And she wanted to carve her own feelings in stone: But Sophie Meecham loves Rick Hansen .
"What can I do to make things right again?" she asked.
Adam looked askance at her, and replied, "Right again for who? You or Rick?"
"That's pretty much a double-edged sword," Sophie said. "To make things right for me would be for Rick to care about me again, which from your viewpoint would be bad for Rick. And to make things right for Rick, in your estimation, would be for me to go back to California."
Adam said nothing, but his silence said it all. He'd never been like that with her before. He'd always joked with her, or teased her, or kidded with her about anything and everything. This was a whole different side of Adam she'd never known. But then, Adam was also a man now, not the boy she'd known over the years. And whereas the younger Adam would have laughed off the idea of Rick carrying her away from a party because she was too drunk to walk, Adam, the man, saw it the way Rick did. Grown men viewing the world through mature eyes.
But Adam also had a blind spot when it came to Emily, and Sophie considered starting a
"I want to go," Sophie insisted. "Rick needs to talk this out and I'm the one he's talked to over the years. We've always stayed connected."
Jack pressed his lips together, which came after the jaw bunching and the intense look, and which meant he was about to concede. Another Hansen trait. Then he said, "I'll get Adam to ride up with you then."
"That's fine," Sophie replied, "but I might want to stay overnight. And just for the record, there's nothing going on with Rick and me in case you're worried about that."
"I'm not," Jack said. "I'll saddle Adam's horse while you go get Adam."
"Give me fifteen minutes to get a sleeping bag and change of clothes and I'll be back."
The ride up the trail with Adam was awkward, Sophie realized, when they'd been gone only about fifteen minutes. Adam barely had a word to say, and she knew it was because he was concerned not only that she was the one to go to the cabin to be with Rick, but that she'd be staying overnight. To break the silence by focusing on Adam, instead of what was going on with Rick and her, she said, "Emily will be a beautiful bride." When Adam didn't reply, Sophie realized he'd nodded.
Adam removed his hat, ran his hand over his hair and replaced his hat, and Sophie took that as a kind of communication, so she continued. "I assume you'll be living off campus in an apartment when you return to college."
"Yeah," Adam replied.
When he said nothing more, Sophie knew they were back to square one—Adam disapproving of what she was doing. After another long awkward stretch, she said, again to break the uncomfortable silence, "You do know there's nothing going on between Rick and me. We've been friends for years. I just don't like the idea of him being alone up there at this time."
"Sometimes a man needs time to himself to think," Adam said, eyes straight ahead.
"Which means you don't want me going there," Sophie replied.
"No, it means exactly what I said."
Sophie maneuvered her horse alongside his. "At the party the other night, that's never happened to me before. You know I don't normally drink and do guys. It was a one-time thing. It won't happen again."
"You're twenty-three," Adam said. "You can pretty much do what you want, and you don't own me an explanation."
"But you're disgusted with me because I did something stupid, and you're right to be disgusted. Rick is too. In fact, he doesn't have the same feelings about me as he did before."
"I know," Adam said. "Rick told me,"
Sophie looked at him with a start. "He did?"
Adam nodded. "That's the only reason I'm taking you up there."
Sophie looked straight ahead and said nothing, but the reality of it hit hard. It was unlike Rick to talk about his feelings to anyone, but because he had with Adam, it was like he'd carved his feelings in stone. Rick Hansen no longer loves Sophie Meecham . And she wanted to carve her own feelings in stone: But Sophie Meecham loves Rick Hansen .
"What can I do to make things right again?" she asked.
Adam looked askance at her, and replied, "Right again for who? You or Rick?"
"That's pretty much a double-edged sword," Sophie said. "To make things right for me would be for Rick to care about me again, which from your viewpoint would be bad for Rick. And to make things right for Rick, in your estimation, would be for me to go back to California."
Adam said nothing, but his silence said it all. He'd never been like that with her before. He'd always joked with her, or teased her, or kidded with her about anything and everything. This was a whole different side of Adam she'd never known. But then, Adam was also a man now, not the boy she'd known over the years. And whereas the younger Adam would have laughed off the idea of Rick carrying her away from a party because she was too drunk to walk, Adam, the man, saw it the way Rick did. Grown men viewing the world through mature eyes.
But Adam also had a blind spot when it came to Emily, and Sophie considered starting a
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