Holly Jolly Cowboy (The Wyoming Cowboy #7)(76)

Polly wasn’t what he’d expected Holly’s sister to be. He knew she was away at college and Holly thought she was brilliant. It was strange to see them standing next to each other, though. They had similar builds, but Polly was leaner and slightly taller. Holly’s hair was long and loose, her face mask scrubbed off and her smile bright. She was utterly beautiful. Polly was cute enough, too, he supposed, with the short bob of hair framing her face, but he liked Holly’s stubborn chin and the sparkle in her eyes. Polly was a little more calm and reserved, her expression thoughtful.

Holly was also arguing with her sister as she pulled one of the cake layers out of the oven. “I don’t like it, Polly. I want you to be able to concentrate on your studies. I want you to be able to go out and have fun with your friends. I want you to have a life!”

“And you think I can’t do that as a teacher’s assistant?” Polly gave her an exasperated look. “Mr. Stemmons asked me because he thinks I can help the other students. That I’ve got a good handle on biochem and being a TA will look great on my résumé. And best of all, the school will pay a large chunk of my tuition if I TA in the spring.”

“Yes, but—” Holly began.

“But what?” Polly insisted. Okay, he’d thought Holly was the stubborn one of the two, but the mulish look on Polly’s face was one he recognized very well. “This is the answer to all our problems. Or are you sitting on ten grand I’m unaware of to pay for my classes?”

Adam choked on his coffee. “Ten . . . grand?” he asked between coughs as the women looked over at him. “A semester?”

Holly gave him an exasperated but affectionate look as she set the cake on a cooling rack. “That’s after all the financial aid. I wanted Polly to go to the best school we could afford.”

“We,” Polly retorted. “You mean ‘you,’ as in, ‘you work yourself into the ground.’?”

Holly frowned at her.

“Look, I’m going to TA next semester, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Polly said, her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “So get used to the idea.”

“I’ve never met anyone as stubborn as you,” Holly said.

Adam choked on his coffee all over again.

They both turned to look at him.

“Sorry. Sorry.”

Holly’s lips twitched and she turned back to her sister. “I just . . . if you want to just go to school, I understand. I’ll find the money.”

Polly shook her head at her older sister. “I want to help out, you know. Being a teacher’s assistant is something I can do that won’t interfere with my studies and it helps take care of tuition. Just because you can shoulder all the burdens doesn’t mean that you should, all right? I worry about you, too.”

“If you’re sure . . . I just don’t like the thought of you feeling like you can’t count on me.” Holly turned and looked at Adam again.

He gave her an innocent look. “What?”

“Just waiting for you to spew coffee again.” She grabbed the coffeepot and refilled his cup. “Or do you have anything to add?”

Adam shrugged. “If your sister wants to try to work to pay for classes, why not let her? If her grades slip, then you two can reexamine things over the summer break, right?”

Polly brightened. “A man of logic. Listen to him.”

Holly gestured at Adam. “This man? Are you sure?” She put a hand on his forehead. “Maybe he’s sick again.”

Adam just grabbed her hand and nibbled on her palm, making her blush.

The women talked for hours, and Adam was content to sit nearby and eat all the cake Holly tossed in his direction. They eventually migrated out to the living area, and the dogs basked by the fire while Adam sat with Holly’s legs in his lap, rubbing her feet while she and Polly chatted. Before they knew it, the clock was striking midnight and the women were yawning.

“I’m going to call an official end to the day,” Adam said, setting Holly’s feet down. He took her slippers and put them on her feet. She looked ready to fall asleep where she was, her eyelids heavy. “Time for bed, ladies.”

“Oh, I don’t have a bed ready for you, Pol.” Holly sat up, frowning. “I just kept talking instead of getting you set up in a room.”

“I can sleep in your room if you’re spending the night with Adam,” Polly said with a shrug.

Holly froze.

Polly just rolled her eyes, languidly getting to her feet. “Oh, come on. We’re all adults here. I’m not judging.”

“I can’t believe my baby sister just said that to me,” Holly said, pretending to be offended. “What are they teaching you at that college?”

Polly snorted and sauntered out of the room. “I’ll get my bag from the truck.”

It left Holly and Adam alone together. She looked over at him, suddenly shy, and it occurred to Adam that maybe she didn’t want to sleep in his bed. Maybe she needed more time. “If you want to sleep alone, I can go sleep in Carson’s cabin,” he offered. “I don’t want you to feel trapped with me.”

She was quiet for a long moment and then got to her feet, standing in front of him. Holly studied his face, strangely quiet, and then put her hand on his chest, right over his heart. “I guess the question I should ask is where do you see us going?”