True Love at Silver Creek Ranch(63)

But his grandma kept walking at a slow but steady pace, and as he studied her gait, he noticed she wasn’t acting quite so feeble as she had been the first week or so of his arrival. She must think he was completely under her spell—and he was, he admitted to himself. He followed her into a slightly smaller room, with kitchen cabinets and appliances in one corner, pool table, Ping-Pong table, a large-screen TV, and groups of comfortable couches and chairs.

And then he saw Brooke, Emily, and Monica huddled over trays spread on the kitchen counters. Brooke was dressed in black jeans, a patterned top, and a sexy leather jacket. Her brown hair hung loose though pulled back from her face. He realized he was staring, when his grandma stepped into his line of vision, unbuttoning her coat. He helped her take it off, then hid a wince as he saw her dress patterned with stars and moons. Where did she find these clothes?

Brooke glanced their way. “Hi, Mrs. Palmer!” she called, then, “Hey, Adam. Guess Nate didn’t keep you forever.”

Adam smiled. “Yeah, I finally got it right.”

Monica wiped her hands on a towel. “Got what right?”

“I couldn’t manage to cut a cow from the herd and rope her. Nate needed to doctor her. I probably galloped through that herd a hundred times, but he insisted I needed to learn.”

“It must have taken hours,” Brooke said solemnly. “Adam’s a slow learner. Maybe he’s even saddle sore.”

Monica and Emily both laughed, and Adam tolerated being the butt of their jokes.

“So when do the kids arrive?” he finally asked, when the women headed toward the kitchen.

“Anytime now,” Brooke called back.

“How did you guys get involved with this?” He followed them, while Grandma Palmer limped away to claim a small square table and spread out a glittery cloth.

“Steph heard about your grandma’s many talents through her own mom,” Brooke began.

“Faith is into all the mystical stuff,” Monica confided. “Steph, not so much, but they were looking for a fun guest, and who’s more fun than your grandma?”

“I offered to provide refreshments,” Emily said, coloring a bit.

He understood why. She was eager to become closer to her new little sister and probably relieved and excited that Steph had accepted.

“So what do we have here?” he asked, checking out the spread that covered the counters.

“Little samples of everything,” Emily said, coming to his side. “Help yourself.”

Everything had its own little paper cup for display—little cookies, mini cupcakes and cheesecakes, and squares of her delicious brownies. He went for one of those first.

“I’ll try the others later,” he promised.

“So you’re sticking around?” Emily asked in surprise. “I couldn’t even get Nate to come, and he’s engaged to me.”

“I guess a grandma can be more persuasive than a fiancée.” He paused. “Brooke’s told me a bit about your problems with Steph.”

“She has?” Emily asked, her blue eyes round.

He shrugged. “We’re together most of the day, and we talk to fill the time.”

Emily looked past him, wiping the concern off her face and replacing it with a cheerful smile. Adam turned his head and saw the teenagers arriving in groups of twos and fours, staying clustered together. Someone turned on music, and the beat thumped through the room. None of them approached the adults at first, as they hung up their coats and spread out around the Ping-Pong or pool tables.

Then Grandma Palmer waded right into the center of them and started talking.

“I really like her,” Emily said, her voice wistful.

Steph came toward them, smiling up at Adam. To her credit, the smile only dimmed a little when she turned to Emily.

“Thanks for making the food,” Steph said.

“I’m glad you asked.”

“How much do we owe you? We keep money in our budget for snacks.”

“No, please, it’s my treat. Think of it as advertising, right?”

“Well, okay, thanks.” She turned away.

Emily gave a quiet groan and closed her eyes. “Advertising,” she murmured, her voice laced with disgust. “I couldn’t have just said it was a gift?”

“She might not have taken it,” Adam said.

“But it sounded . . . all business and professional, not like she was my sister and I’d do anything . . .” Emily’s voice trailed off.

Adam felt awkward. Should he pat her on the back?

She cleared her throat. “Sorry.”

Brooke approached and bumped shoulders playfully with Emily. “Don’t worry, it’ll be okay. At our lesson the other day, she said she felt sorta bad that it might be her fault you didn’t discuss the wedding on Thanksgiving Day. Baby steps, right?”