CHAPTER 8
The next morning Beth managed to get up early enough to shower and get dressed before
Cassie began to stir. Rayna was still sleeping when she finished feeding the baby, so she took
her downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast for herself. To her surprise she found her father
seated at the table and Adam at the stove making eggs and bacon for them both.
"You are just in time. Your father has biscuits in the oven and I think I'm almost done here as
long as you don't mind … uhm … scrambled." He said, leaning far enough away from the stove
to plant a kiss on Cassie's forehead as Beth passed him to get to her chair. She gave her dad a
peck on the cheek as she sat down.
The talk around the table stayed pretty much in the range of how impressed Adam had been with
the stable and a few changes Beth would find around the fields since the neighboring farm was
sold. "There are a few new fences and they are expanding that pond to stock with catfish." He
told her. "So you will have to take the long way around if you go up toward the north field."
"How high are those fences Dad?" she asked as she balanced Cassie in one arm and managed
to put jam on her biscuit with the other hand.
"Leandra, you can get that notion out of your head right now. Your jumping days were over the
day you gave birth to my grandchild." Her father scolded.
Beth didn't argue, but Adam could see the glint of defiance in her eyes and knew what she had in
mind.
"I wonder if Rayna will be down soon?" Beth asked, realizing that in a few short hours Cassie
would be hungry again.
"Don't worry about Rayna. Just pass my little angel over to me. It's time we got better
acquainted." Her father ordered with a smile in his voice as he reached for the baby.
"You sure you don't mind Dad? We won't be gone too long. She's usually pretty good in the
morning and stays to her schedule." Beth replied as she moved to help Adam clear the dishes.
"Those can wait till you come back, or I'll get them when Rayna comes down." He said, scooting
her out of the room. He knew how much Beth wanted to be riding. "You're burning good
daylight."
Beth ran back upstairs to get her heavy jacket and she met Adam back at the pickup. "You're
driving?" she asked, jumping in. "It's either that or cut a sunroof in the top with my head." He
replied with a dry smirk as he turned the key.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked, blinking her eyes a few times.
Adam looked at the dash of the truck and the field ahead and then back at her, not knowing what
she meant. Beth leaned over and pulled him by the collar, kissing him firmly. "I've been wanting
to do that since I got up this morning." She admitted before he kissed her one more time in a way
that put the whole idea of ever getting the truck moving in jeopardy.
They rode for about an hour as Beth showed him the perimeter of the farm. Adam had to agree
that this was beautiful country. He could see why she loved it so much. And Galahad was a
superb animal. He couldn't help but wonder what the horse would do if he did give him the
freedom to choose his own speed.
Beth had only just topped the ridge with her own horse ahead of him when he saw her look over
her shoulder, her eyes flashing with mischief as she kicked her own horse into flight. The last
thing he saw was her braid and the horse's tail disappear over the rim.
"OK" he thought to himself. "If it's a race she wants." He decided, giving Galahad the
encouragement he'd been waiting for. The animal did not disappoint. When they topped the
ridge he saw that it flattened out into one very long and very flat pasture before a rolling hill rose
at the end. Beth was halfway across when she heard Galahad approaching. She let out a little
whoop to Renegade and picked up speed, knowing Galahad would be upon them in an instant.
They were both laughing and out of breath when she finally pulled her horse up at the top of the
third hill. "I'm impressed." She called to Adam. "How long has it been since you've ridden?" she
asked.
"Like that?" he asked, wiping his upper lip on his sleeve. "At least half a century." He answered
truthfully. It had been that long since he'd ridden simply for the fun of it.
Beth looked down at her watch and frowned. "Not enough time to take you to the north pasture."
"I think later this week will be soon enough." He replied, moving Galahad next to Renegade and
leaning to tuck a long strand of hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear. He started to kiss
her, but Beth had another idea.
She kicked her horse into motion and laughed as she called. "Last one to the stable gets the
diaper."
They were almost back at the stable and Adam had managed to pull a few strides ahead when he
felt the unexpected faint buzz that told him they were not alone. He pulled up the horse and
started to scan the area around the stable, when Beth rushed past him.
He tried to get her to stop, but she didn't notice. Her eyes were focused on the side door of the
stable.
Adam followed her as quickly as he could, more than a little disturbed when the source of his
concern stepped out into the open and Beth practically vaulted off the horse and into his arms.
"Garrett!" Beth squealed as she saw him come out of the stable. "Oh my God … I thought …"
The tall, dark haired man spun her around twice before setting her back down. "I know … I know
… and I'm sorry about that." He began before looking up into slightly narrowed gaze of Adam.
He rubbed his head a little as he watched him get off of his horse and come closer, making Adam
study him even closer.
"Adam, this is Garrett Linton. He was in Craig's band … We grew up together." She replied,
holding her arm out to motion him over.
Adam eyed him warily as he extended his hand, and the two men exchanged a very firm
handshake.
"Garrett, this is my fiance, Adam Pierson. We're getting married on Tuesday night, New Year's
Eve."
Garrett didn't even try to hide his surprise. "Your fiance? Wow … the last I heard you were in
some hospital … thought you were dead until your brother told me last night about the whole
Witness Protection thing. He mentioned a guy, but not that you were getting married." He didn't
sound at all pleased with the development.
She'd expected him to be skeptical. Beth, Craig and Garrett had been very close their entire life
and she knew it would be hard for him to accept that she'd moved on so quickly. "Adam kept me
safe." She explained. "I wouldn't be here … and neither would our daughter if it hadn't been for
him. I love him Garrett, and I hope you will come to the wedding. It would mean a lot having you
there."
"You grew up together?" Adam was trying to fish for more information to determine if this was
indeed the new immortal that he appeared to be or if he was hiding something.
"Garrett's parents moved to Ridgetop the year we all started kindergarden." Beth replied. "But I
thought we'd lost him about three years ago." She continued, giving Garrett's shoulder a little
punch. "How could you do that? Make us think you'd gone over the Greenbriar ridge in your
truck?" she asked.
"Hey … It wasn't my fault, really Leandra. I was in the truck when the brakes went out, but
somehow I must have been thrown clear. I woke up and the thing was in flames … and I was so
shook up I didn't even know who I was. Some trucker picked me up and I just wandered around
for awhile. Finally made sense of it all about six months ago. That's when I found out what
happened to you … and Craig" He explained sadly.
"Oh Garrett, I am so sorry. I wish we'd been the ones to find you. I hate that you were out there
alone like that." She hugged him again. "But you're ok now? I mean … everything's fine?"
"Except for these strange headaches I get. Happened a lot when I was travelling from city to city.
Weird thing is … I hadn't had any since I came home … till this morning."
It all sounded logical, but there was something about the way Garrett had first looked at him and
his tone that made Adam suspect he was hiding something.
"Oh no." Beth interrupted, looking at her watch. "I'm sorry Garrett, but we've got to get these
horses unsaddled and rubbed down before Cassie … that's our daughter … before she starts
screaming for her lunch."
"I'll take care of them for you. I'm almost done with what your Dad needed this morning, and I've
got the time." Garrett replied. He worked at the stable half a day to supplement his musician's
pay.
"You are a doll." Beth replied, giving him another hug and kiss on the cheek. "I'm so glad you're
ok."
"Yeah … me too." He said as he watched Adam slip an arm around Beth's shoulders to walk her
back to the truck.
When they'd pulled away Beth turned to him with a frown. "Want to tell me what that was all
about? And don't tell me nothing … I saw your face."
Adam let out a long sigh. He wasn't ready to talk with her about this … not till he could talk to Joe
or hack into the Watcher database himself. It wasn't the kind of news he thought she needed to
hear until she could have time to process it, and Cassie would be waiting. "It's a little
complicated. Do you mind if we talk about it after the baby goes down for her nap?" he asked
and Beth nodded, scooting to the middle of the truck and leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Well if you are worried about Garrett and me being so close … don't … he's like a brother." She
nuzzled her face into his neck. "And there's only one man I'm interested in, and that's not going
to change."
"That's good to hear." Adam replied, trying to think of a way to get her mind off wondering what
was bothering him. And she'd just opened the door for him to do just that. A slight grin started to
tug at the corners of his mouth. "Of course … if you did change your mind, it's not like I wouldn't
have a viable option to console me." He teased.
Beth leaned her head back and gave him a very stern but playful look. "Oh really? And would
you care to share this option Mr. Pierson?"
Adam grinned wider. "Well your sister seems to have the most interesting reaction to my manly
physique." He tried not to laugh.
Beth gasped. "You heard that?" she gave him a shove and thumped him on the head playfully.
"Eavesdropper!"
"Hey … you didn't close the door completely. Can I help it if I started to knock at the moment she
admitted such a profound reaction?" he replied, feigning innocence. "Spontaneous ovulation …"
he mused. "I have to admit, I don't think I've produced quite that reaction from any other woman
in all my centuries. At least not that shared it with me." He winked as they both burst out
laughing.
"You can not let her know you heard that." Beth wiped her eyes and tried to calm herself as they
got out of the truck. It was that second Rayna appeared on the porch to welcome them home,
which reduced them to another fit of hysterical laughter.
The next morning Beth managed to get up early enough to shower and get dressed before
Cassie began to stir. Rayna was still sleeping when she finished feeding the baby, so she took
her downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast for herself. To her surprise she found her father
seated at the table and Adam at the stove making eggs and bacon for them both.
"You are just in time. Your father has biscuits in the oven and I think I'm almost done here as
long as you don't mind … uhm … scrambled." He said, leaning far enough away from the stove
to plant a kiss on Cassie's forehead as Beth passed him to get to her chair. She gave her dad a
peck on the cheek as she sat down.
The talk around the table stayed pretty much in the range of how impressed Adam had been with
the stable and a few changes Beth would find around the fields since the neighboring farm was
sold. "There are a few new fences and they are expanding that pond to stock with catfish." He
told her. "So you will have to take the long way around if you go up toward the north field."
"How high are those fences Dad?" she asked as she balanced Cassie in one arm and managed
to put jam on her biscuit with the other hand.
"Leandra, you can get that notion out of your head right now. Your jumping days were over the
day you gave birth to my grandchild." Her father scolded.
Beth didn't argue, but Adam could see the glint of defiance in her eyes and knew what she had in
mind.
"I wonder if Rayna will be down soon?" Beth asked, realizing that in a few short hours Cassie
would be hungry again.
"Don't worry about Rayna. Just pass my little angel over to me. It's time we got better
acquainted." Her father ordered with a smile in his voice as he reached for the baby.
"You sure you don't mind Dad? We won't be gone too long. She's usually pretty good in the
morning and stays to her schedule." Beth replied as she moved to help Adam clear the dishes.
"Those can wait till you come back, or I'll get them when Rayna comes down." He said, scooting
her out of the room. He knew how much Beth wanted to be riding. "You're burning good
daylight."
Beth ran back upstairs to get her heavy jacket and she met Adam back at the pickup. "You're
driving?" she asked, jumping in. "It's either that or cut a sunroof in the top with my head." He
replied with a dry smirk as he turned the key.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked, blinking her eyes a few times.
Adam looked at the dash of the truck and the field ahead and then back at her, not knowing what
she meant. Beth leaned over and pulled him by the collar, kissing him firmly. "I've been wanting
to do that since I got up this morning." She admitted before he kissed her one more time in a way
that put the whole idea of ever getting the truck moving in jeopardy.
They rode for about an hour as Beth showed him the perimeter of the farm. Adam had to agree
that this was beautiful country. He could see why she loved it so much. And Galahad was a
superb animal. He couldn't help but wonder what the horse would do if he did give him the
freedom to choose his own speed.
Beth had only just topped the ridge with her own horse ahead of him when he saw her look over
her shoulder, her eyes flashing with mischief as she kicked her own horse into flight. The last
thing he saw was her braid and the horse's tail disappear over the rim.
"OK" he thought to himself. "If it's a race she wants." He decided, giving Galahad the
encouragement he'd been waiting for. The animal did not disappoint. When they topped the
ridge he saw that it flattened out into one very long and very flat pasture before a rolling hill rose
at the end. Beth was halfway across when she heard Galahad approaching. She let out a little
whoop to Renegade and picked up speed, knowing Galahad would be upon them in an instant.
They were both laughing and out of breath when she finally pulled her horse up at the top of the
third hill. "I'm impressed." She called to Adam. "How long has it been since you've ridden?" she
asked.
"Like that?" he asked, wiping his upper lip on his sleeve. "At least half a century." He answered
truthfully. It had been that long since he'd ridden simply for the fun of it.
Beth looked down at her watch and frowned. "Not enough time to take you to the north pasture."
"I think later this week will be soon enough." He replied, moving Galahad next to Renegade and
leaning to tuck a long strand of hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear. He started to kiss
her, but Beth had another idea.
She kicked her horse into motion and laughed as she called. "Last one to the stable gets the
diaper."
They were almost back at the stable and Adam had managed to pull a few strides ahead when he
felt the unexpected faint buzz that told him they were not alone. He pulled up the horse and
started to scan the area around the stable, when Beth rushed past him.
He tried to get her to stop, but she didn't notice. Her eyes were focused on the side door of the
stable.
Adam followed her as quickly as he could, more than a little disturbed when the source of his
concern stepped out into the open and Beth practically vaulted off the horse and into his arms.
"Garrett!" Beth squealed as she saw him come out of the stable. "Oh my God … I thought …"
The tall, dark haired man spun her around twice before setting her back down. "I know … I know
… and I'm sorry about that." He began before looking up into slightly narrowed gaze of Adam.
He rubbed his head a little as he watched him get off of his horse and come closer, making Adam
study him even closer.
"Adam, this is Garrett Linton. He was in Craig's band … We grew up together." She replied,
holding her arm out to motion him over.
Adam eyed him warily as he extended his hand, and the two men exchanged a very firm
handshake.
"Garrett, this is my fiance, Adam Pierson. We're getting married on Tuesday night, New Year's
Eve."
Garrett didn't even try to hide his surprise. "Your fiance? Wow … the last I heard you were in
some hospital … thought you were dead until your brother told me last night about the whole
Witness Protection thing. He mentioned a guy, but not that you were getting married." He didn't
sound at all pleased with the development.
She'd expected him to be skeptical. Beth, Craig and Garrett had been very close their entire life
and she knew it would be hard for him to accept that she'd moved on so quickly. "Adam kept me
safe." She explained. "I wouldn't be here … and neither would our daughter if it hadn't been for
him. I love him Garrett, and I hope you will come to the wedding. It would mean a lot having you
there."
"You grew up together?" Adam was trying to fish for more information to determine if this was
indeed the new immortal that he appeared to be or if he was hiding something.
"Garrett's parents moved to Ridgetop the year we all started kindergarden." Beth replied. "But I
thought we'd lost him about three years ago." She continued, giving Garrett's shoulder a little
punch. "How could you do that? Make us think you'd gone over the Greenbriar ridge in your
truck?" she asked.
"Hey … It wasn't my fault, really Leandra. I was in the truck when the brakes went out, but
somehow I must have been thrown clear. I woke up and the thing was in flames … and I was so
shook up I didn't even know who I was. Some trucker picked me up and I just wandered around
for awhile. Finally made sense of it all about six months ago. That's when I found out what
happened to you … and Craig" He explained sadly.
"Oh Garrett, I am so sorry. I wish we'd been the ones to find you. I hate that you were out there
alone like that." She hugged him again. "But you're ok now? I mean … everything's fine?"
"Except for these strange headaches I get. Happened a lot when I was travelling from city to city.
Weird thing is … I hadn't had any since I came home … till this morning."
It all sounded logical, but there was something about the way Garrett had first looked at him and
his tone that made Adam suspect he was hiding something.
"Oh no." Beth interrupted, looking at her watch. "I'm sorry Garrett, but we've got to get these
horses unsaddled and rubbed down before Cassie … that's our daughter … before she starts
screaming for her lunch."
"I'll take care of them for you. I'm almost done with what your Dad needed this morning, and I've
got the time." Garrett replied. He worked at the stable half a day to supplement his musician's
pay.
"You are a doll." Beth replied, giving him another hug and kiss on the cheek. "I'm so glad you're
ok."
"Yeah … me too." He said as he watched Adam slip an arm around Beth's shoulders to walk her
back to the truck.
When they'd pulled away Beth turned to him with a frown. "Want to tell me what that was all
about? And don't tell me nothing … I saw your face."
Adam let out a long sigh. He wasn't ready to talk with her about this … not till he could talk to Joe
or hack into the Watcher database himself. It wasn't the kind of news he thought she needed to
hear until she could have time to process it, and Cassie would be waiting. "It's a little
complicated. Do you mind if we talk about it after the baby goes down for her nap?" he asked
and Beth nodded, scooting to the middle of the truck and leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Well if you are worried about Garrett and me being so close … don't … he's like a brother." She
nuzzled her face into his neck. "And there's only one man I'm interested in, and that's not going
to change."
"That's good to hear." Adam replied, trying to think of a way to get her mind off wondering what
was bothering him. And she'd just opened the door for him to do just that. A slight grin started to
tug at the corners of his mouth. "Of course … if you did change your mind, it's not like I wouldn't
have a viable option to console me." He teased.
Beth leaned her head back and gave him a very stern but playful look. "Oh really? And would
you care to share this option Mr. Pierson?"
Adam grinned wider. "Well your sister seems to have the most interesting reaction to my manly
physique." He tried not to laugh.
Beth gasped. "You heard that?" she gave him a shove and thumped him on the head playfully.
"Eavesdropper!"
"Hey … you didn't close the door completely. Can I help it if I started to knock at the moment she
admitted such a profound reaction?" he replied, feigning innocence. "Spontaneous ovulation …"
he mused. "I have to admit, I don't think I've produced quite that reaction from any other woman
in all my centuries. At least not that shared it with me." He winked as they both burst out
laughing.
"You can not let her know you heard that." Beth wiped her eyes and tried to calm herself as they
got out of the truck. It was that second Rayna appeared on the porch to welcome them home,
which reduced them to another fit of hysterical laughter.