Adam leaned in and kissed me again, this time lingering as he flicked my lower lip with his tongue and then gently bit down sending a wave of warmth coursing through my veins. I returned the kiss, but my brain was somewhere far away thinking about how to parlay the turbines into income that would support my brother and sisters so that I wouldn't have to gut my retirement savings to ensure that they were okay. Adam kissed me more insistently.
"Can we do this later?" I asked as I rolled out of his arms and grabbed my nightclothes off the floor. "I need to take care of a few things."
"Yeah, sure," he said. I could tell by the tone of his voice that my rejection had hurt his feelings.
"I'm not done with you, Mr. Wallace," I said as I leaned down to kiss his lips. He turned his face away and my lips missed their mark.
"Yeah, whatever," he shrugged as he rolled off the bed, grabbed his boxers and yanked them on as he avoided my eyes.
"Fine, be that way," I said as I turned and marched out of the room and up the stairs. He could be as mad as he wanted, but once I'd figured out a way to sell the turbines to the rest of the Corner Grove Amish community, he'd understand and be grateful that I'd kept my wits about me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Adam
Grace's abrupt shift hours earlier had caught me off guard and left me struggling to bury the feelings of frustration and confusion. I had quickly donned the black pants and white shirt, and headed out to the barn hoping to work off my frustration by cleaning stalls. I'd gone over the entire morning in my mind several times, but couldn't figure out what had happened that had caused her to pull away so fast. I'd finally given up and lost myself in the task of sweeping stalls and then refilling them with the bales that were stacked out behind the barn.
I had just pulled out my phone and deleted three more messages from my mother while wondering why I still hadn't been able to get a hold of Bugsy, when two buggies pull into the drive. I pocketed the phone and hollered, "Grace! You've got visitors!"
I recognized the first buggy as belonging to the Miller family. It took a moment for the second driver to come into view, but when he did, I knew there was going to be trouble. Perched on the seat holding the reins was Bishop Miller accompanied by his wife and two sons, and none of them looked happy.
Verity pulled the buggy up to the barn, casting a nervous glance toward the house as she swung down from the driver's seat and said something to Danny and Honor. They both quickly began unhooking Titan from the buggy and then led him into the barn as their sister approached the Bishop's buggy.
Grace appeared in the doorway a few seconds later, smoothing her dress and checking to make sure her hair was tucked into the white cap on her head. She gave me a nervous smile as she stepped out and called, "Uncle, it's so good of you to stop by!"
"Grace Miller, what have you done?" Bishop Miller boomed as he swung himself down off to the buggy and swiftly crossed the drive.
"What do you mean?" she asked as she descended the steps and met him halfway.
"You know perfectly well what I mean," he said casting a glance in my direction. "You've brought this English into your house. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that he'd been injured in an accident and that we're doing the Lord's work," she said in a voice that I could see belied her nervousness. "It's what Mamm and Dat would have done."
"Your parents would be ashamed of you!" Bishop Miller scolded. "This man does not belong here!"
"I'm not doing anything wrong!" I shouted. "You're just mad because—"
"Silence!" the bishop roared. "You are not part of this conversation!"
"The hell I'm not!" I yelled back.
"Adam..." Grace said giving me a look that could only be described as beseeching. "Let us talk. Please?"
"Fine," I grumbled stepping back, but staying within earshot.
"Uncle, we're not doing anything wrong," Grace said calmly. "Mr. Wallace is staying in the guest room while his injuries heal and he waits for his car to be fixed."
"This is unacceptable, Grace," the bishop replied. His face was barely masking the fury that vibrated under the surface. "We are an upstanding community and we do not condone this kind of impropriety. You are bringing shame on your family with this impulsive act, and there will be consequences."
"What are you talking about?" Grace asked genuinely surprised. "Are you threatening me and my family?"
"No, of course not," he said unconvincingly. "But you need to understand that you cannot behave this way and expect that there will be no consequences for your actions."
Grace stared up into her uncle's stony face until suddenly she burst out laughing. The bishop's expression went from angry to surprise and then confused as Grace laughed loudly. I turned and looked at her, perplexed by her reaction to the situation, but said nothing.
"Oh, I get it," she said as she unsuccessfully tried to control her laughter. "You're still mad at Dat for marrying Mamm and for becoming more successful than you in business."
"What is this nonsense?" Bishop Miller said, narrowing his eyes.