Marry Me for Real, Cowboy - Valerie Comer Page 0,35

family dug into their turkey dinner, quieter than usual. Maybe it was because they normally discussed the day’s work, and today they’d done the minimum of feeding the livestock. All the family members had cleaned their own horses’ stalls this afternoon, giving Riley the day off as well.

It would have been a party in the stables if Nathaniel hadn’t been so glum. He’d barely said even a word to his twin, even though Noah usually brought him out. Maybe they’d done all their talking in the cabin after Noah arrived late last night from his weekly farrier rounds.

Not for the first time, a tinge of jealousy curled through Adam at the thought of what his twin brothers shared. Maybe if he’d stayed at Rockstead instead of chasing rodeo dreams, they’d have been a tighter threesome, but he doubted it. Noah and Nathaniel had been a unit from birth. He’d always been the outsider.

As he listened to Alexia and Emma whisper on the other side of Riley, he was thankful anew that his sisters had each other. Imagine a solo girl with all these big brothers. It was bad enough with the two of them.

“I’m so glad you could stay for Thanksgiving.” Mom leaned toward Riley. She smiled, but the lines on her face and the shadows beneath her eyes belied any true joy.

Adam could only be thankful his mother had made the effort for this family meal. He could count the times she’d been present in the month he’d been home.

Riley sent a fleeting smile. “Thanks. Me, too.” Then she took a big bite of salad.

It’d never mattered too much what Riley was running from. He couldn’t imagine anything too insidious, but maybe he did need to find out. He couldn’t make the leap from fake to real without knowing more about her.

“Your family’s loss is our gain.” Mom glanced at Declan then back at Riley.

Adam dared a peek at his stepfather. Declan didn’t look up, but his fork paused for a brief instant in midair. What was that all about?

And then there was Riley, not responding.

He took another bite of roasted Brussels sprouts. Was the tension in the air real? He’d never had that good of an imagination. If he felt it, it existed.

Huh. Did that go to his developing feelings for Riley, too? Were they real, or were they simply a natural outcome of so much acting?

“Draw Four.” Riley slapped the Uno card on the table and eyed Adam around the corner on her left. What colors had he played lately? “Let’s make that blue.”

His eyes glittered. “Don’t start with me, woman.”

“Too late,” she said sweetly.

Noah guffawed. “She gets you every time, bro.”

Adam glanced at his brother as he picked up the extra cards. “You want to reverse play so I can get her back?”

“Nah, I’d rather get Nat with a Skip. Don’t worry, Nat. If I had a Draw Four, you’d be getting it. Your turn again, Riley.”

“Thanks a bunch.” Nathaniel glared at Noah.

“Oh, look. I have a Skip, too. Back to you, Noah.” She batted her eyelashes at Adam. “Sorry, cowboy.”

“Lying doesn’t become you, woman.”

Except it kind of did. Wasn’t this whole thing a farce? Sure, hanging out with Adam and his brothers didn’t mean anything on its own, but it was one more little thing grafting her into this family before she pulled up the tiny roots.

She didn’t want to walk away. Not that she wanted to keep shoveling out stalls for the rest of her life.

“Have you taken Riley down to Running Creek yet?” Noah asked when play had settled into a less vindictive routine.

Adam shook his head. “I don’t want to freak out the renters poking around like I own the place.”

Nathaniel grunted.

Noah wasn’t around much, but he seemed friendlier than his twin. He shook his head and slapped down a card. “Declan hasn’t given you the go-ahead yet, Adam? I was sure he’d give in right away when he found out about you and Riley.”

Adam sighed. “Me, too. Also, Draw Two.”

Riley held her breath.

Noah picked up the extra cards and glanced at his brother. “At first, I’ll admit I thought you were playing a tough game with our stepdad. You know, faking him out.”

“At first?” Adam’s voice was steady.

“Well, you’ve got to admit this whole thing with you two seemed to come out of nowhere. You might have known each other a while, but nobody told the fam.”

Should she say something? Anything? No, better leave it to Adam. These were his brothers.

Adam’s