his brother planned to come inside, Adam sighed and punched in the code on his cell phone to deactivate his home’s security system. “I should warn you, the place is probably a mess.”
He couldn’t remember if he’d washed up the dirty dishes from his visit or even taken out the trash, but for certain the nest of blankets and pillows he and Fay had made love on were still strewn across his living room floor.
Dev joined him on the covered porch that ran the entire circumference of his log home, the twelve-pack of Guinness balanced in the crook of his arm, and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’d forgotten how much of a dump the old homestead is.”
Retrieving a spare key from behind a bench, Adam paused and looked out over his front yard. The large area thrived with clusters of cottonwoods, freshly mowed grass and trimmed bushes. A recently mulched area with brightly colored flowers was new.
He figured he had his family to thank for that and for the upkeep. A nearby barn and horse corral could use some work, and beyond that lay a hundred and eighty acres ready for hay meadows, horses and cattle-grazing.
“I’m talking about inside my place, moron.” Adam dropped his duffel to the floor. “It’s going to need airing out if nothing else. I left in a rush.”
Dev leaned over and grabbed the bag. “It’s a good thing the folks are still trolling around the Southwest in their RV. There’d be hell to pay if they knew you were home and hiding from everyone.”
“I need some downtime.” Adam opened the door and stepped inside. “A day or two by myself before … What the hell?”
Dev sidestepped behind him. “Whoa, don’t want to drop the cargo.”
Adam looked around.
Bright sunshine spilled through squeaky-clean windows, filling the large dining and living room with light. Tabletops gleamed and a lemony scent lingered in the air. The area in front of the fireplace held nothing but the Navajo-print rug and the oversize furniture that had been rearranged to allow better viewing of both the flat screen television and the fireplace.
No sign of his and Fay’s impromptu bed.
Adam walked in farther and a quick glance at his kitchen revealed that the appliances and countertops shined as if they’d never been used. The dining table, once covered with stacks of laundry, now held only a potted plant—one still alive, at that—and a neat pile of mail.
His place was spotless.
“Looks like your fairy godmother knew you were coming.” Dev walked into the kitchen and placed the beer in the refrigerator. “Geez, you’ve even got orange juice and tubs of butter in here.”
Adam shook his head. “Who could’ve done this?”
“Are you kidding?” Dev tossed a beer at him, then opened a bottled water for himself. “This has Mom written all over it.”
Adam easily caught the bottle one-handed, then set it on the table behind the couch. “I talked to Mom a few days ago. She never said anything. Do you think it could be one of the guys or Laurie?”
“Laurie’s been busy crunching the numbers for a hot new account.” Dev headed for the couch. “Mom did a good job making sure we boys all knew how to cook a hot dog and wash dishes, but clean like this? Forget it.”
Adam headed down the hall as his brother continued to ramble. He peeked into the two spare bedrooms, pausing for a long moment in the doorway of the smallest one, still empty except for the gleaming hardwood floor, before walking into his own room.
His king-size bed looked like something out of a hotel, the blankets neatly tucked and folded and his pillows propped against the hand-hewn timber headboard. A quick stop in the master bathroom showed him the same meticulous care had been taken in there as well.
Peeling off his cap and outer camouflage shirt, he tossed both onto a nearby chair. Hands braced on his hips, he pulled in a few deep breaths, enjoying the silence as finally being home sunk in.
Gone was the constant noise of construction vehicles, twelve-hour workdays and the dust that covered everything at Bagram Airfield.
It wasn’t even fifteen hundred—three o’clock in the civilian world—and Adam wanted nothing more than to darken the blinds and dive headfirst into bed. He turned instead and headed back to the main living area.
Grabbing the beer he’d left behind, he joined his brother on the couch.
“Boy, you suddenly look like you’ve been to hell and back,” Dev said. “Fitting, I guess.”
Adam sank into the cushions, leaned back and closed his eyes. “Yeah, I guess.”
He’d been certain memories of his time in the sandbox would be crowding his head even though he was finally stateside, much like he’d relived that night he’d spent with Fay over and over again while lying in his bunk in Afghanistan.
But they weren’t.
Despite his earlier resolve not to dwell on Fay, now that he was back in his own home, all he could think about was what had happened right here eight weeks ago.
Him and Fay. Together.
Finally.
He’d been head over heels for the tiny brunette with long curly hair the moment he’d literally run into her, years ago in the hallways of Destiny High School.
She’d laughed as he lay sprawled at her feet. Two years younger, Fay had been new in town. He’d given the pretty sophomore a quick tour of the building that ended at the school gym, where they’d run into Scott.
And just like that, Adam had faded into the background.
His best friend, and the star quarterback, Scott Coggen had latched his sights on Fay and the rest was history. By the time he and Scott were juniors at the University of Wyoming, Fay was sporting a diamond on her left hand.
Adam felt the beer being lifted from his fingers. He jerked upright, his hand tightening as his eyes flew open. “Hey!”
“Easy, bro.” Dev released the bottle and held up both hands in surrender. “Just trying to save a spill. I thought you’d fallen asleep on me.”
Had he? Adam honestly didn’t know. “Sorry. Maybe I did.”
“Look, I’m going to head out and let you get comatose for a while.” His brother backed up to the front door. “The folks are due back the day after tomorrow. You plan to be at the house to welcome them home?”
Adam nodded, pushing himself to his feet, his legs like dead weights. “Yeah, I’ll be there. And thanks for keeping my return to yourself for now. One Murphy brother is about all I can handle at the moment.”
“Considering I’m your favorite, I’ll keep your secret.” Dev grinned. “Give me a call if you need anything.”
A smile creased Adam’s face. “Thanks, I will.”
After Dev left, Adam poured out his untouched beer, grabbed a water bottle instead and punched in the code on his security system. Minutes later, he stripped down
