has so many crystals hanging in the sun, it’s only a matter of time before another breeze blows them around.”
“She’s very motivated to keep those little businesses open—for the tourists, of course,” she added innocently. “Surely you’ve seen the widows working over their papers.”
“Heard them late into the night, too. The Valentine Valley Preservation Fund committee,” he said, as if reciting something he’d had to memorize.
Brooke grinned, and his smile widened. She realized she hadn’t seen that on his face, and that was probably a good thing, considering how flushed it made her. “There are other committee members, of course, but the widows do most of the work. My grandma handles the paperwork, the behind-the-scenes stuff about the grants themselves. Mrs. Ludlow is the legal eagle, sitting in on town-council meetings, press conferences, the investors’ corporate board meetings.”
“If you’re wondering, Mrs. Ludlow is visiting her grandchildren tonight.” He took a sip of his beer.
“I was wondering, thanks.”
Adam glanced at Mrs. Palmer, who was chatting with Grandma Thalberg. “And my grandma? What’s her role on the committee?”
Brooke eyed the old woman, hiding her interest in what Mrs. Palmer was up to regarding her grandson. “She’s the public face, helping at grand openings, the one who deals with the businesses applying for grants. That’s usually fun, but when she has to deliver bad news . . . well, she knows how to handle that, too.”
Adam nodded. “She’s always been good with people. Seems like a sedate hobby for elderly ladies.”
Brooke’s mouth dropped open. “Sedate? I can’t believe you’re applying that adjective to our grandmas. Maybe Mrs. Ludlow, but that’s about it.”
“What don’t I know?”
“Surely you remember when they chained themselves to the old house that had been a mining-town brothel?”
She saw the memory dawn in his eyes.
He shook his head. “How could I have forgotten?”
“Maybe you’ve been a bit busy these last few years,” she said, her voice softening with compassion.
He ignored that. “Women’s history,” he said, snapping his fingers. “Now I remember. The story of Chinese immigrant prostitutes. They’re not still doing that stuff.”
Smiling, she tilted her head as she turned to walk away. “You go on thinking that, soldier.”
He caught her arm, and she stopped in surprise, feeling the strength of him. Their eyes met, held, and he let her go.
“You can’t leave me hanging,” he insisted, then added, “About the widows.”
Brooke glanced around the living room. Nate and Josh were talking to their dad, beers in their hands. Sandy had joined the widows near the appetizers and was accepting a glass of wine from her mother-in-law. No one seemed to be paying any attention to them even though Adam had touched her. It was just on her arm, but she felt it reverberate right up her spine. It had been a while since she’d felt that with a man. The shared awareness made it feel like they were alone in the room.
“Tell me more about the widows’ antics.”
She sighed as if she were put out, but it was no hardship to keep talking to him. “You do know she dresses up like a pioneer woman on the Fourth of July.”
His eyes lightened, even if he didn’t grin. It made Brooke feel good to elicit some kind of amusement from him. She had a sense he didn’t see life’s humor much anymore.
“There’s an old silver mine in the mountains up above us,” she continued, “and they got it into their heads that we needed a mining museum, like they have in Leadville or Creede. On the first warm spring day, they held a picnic up there, with lemonade stands and cookies and stuff for sale, all to lure investors. Did I mention the first warm day of spring? Seems the snakes that now live in the mine decided to come out after the winter. In a group.”
Adam chuckled. “No one was bitten, I hope.”
“Nope, lots of running around, and the state eventually declared it environmentally protected. Shall I tell you about the séance to drive away the ghosts in one of the B&Bs?”
He held up both hands. “Nope, spare me. The tarot cards are wacky enough. She keeps trying to give me a reading. To show me how it’s done, she read them about you.”
Brooke blinked up at him in surprise. “Me? Do I want to know my future?”
He paused, and their eyes met and held, until she forced a laugh.
He cleared his throat. “Nothing bad. You’re strong and independent. To me, that means you like to get your own