her life, and she didn’t like it. She took the nearest seat, and it happened to be next to Adam. Maybe that would be better than looking into his face, remembering how frantically she’d kissed him.
As they were eating, Sandy looked to Brooke. “Nate tells me they haven’t set a wedding date because of Stephanie. How’s Emily doing with it?”
“Okay,” Brooke said. She noticed Adam glance at her curiously and thought it only polite to say, “A couple months ago, Emily discovered that Joe Sweet is her biological dad.”
His eyebrows rose. “I remember the Sweet brothers. We went to school with them.”
They’d been on the football team with him, she remembered. The Sweet brothers had worshipped at the altar of football and weren’t too pleased that a “criminal”—their word—might harm their chance on the road to a state championship. But Adam’s hard work had won them over.
“Joe had a teenage fling with Em’s mom,” Brooke continued, “but she left town without telling him she was pregnant. Joe was happy to meet Em, and so were the boys. But Steph . . .” Her voice trailed off.
Josh gave a sigh. “She’s sixteen, but it doesn’t sound like she’s acting her age. Or maybe she is acting her age.”
“Em thought things were okay.” Brooke poured ketchup on her meat loaf. “But even though Steph is in the wedding, talking about it seems . . . stressful for her, so Em doesn’t want to have that ruining their day. So she’s waiting. I thought I’d talk to Steph.”
Her dad frowned from his place at the head of the table. “You think that’s a good idea? Might make it worse to interfere with the natural way of things.”
“She’s taking a barrel-racing lesson with me soon. And heck, we’re both bridesmaids. I could bring up the wedding and see what happens.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Sandy said. “You’ll handle her as delicately as you need to.”
Brooke smiled at her mom, feeling a rush of happiness at the support. “Thanks.”
They ate in silence for another couple minutes, except for an offer of another beer from Doug, and Josh wanting the ketchup.
Sandy turned to Adam. “So, have you reconsidered living in the bunkhouse?”
Brooke almost choked on her meat loaf, and took a big gulp of milk before embarrassing herself. They’d offered Adam the bunkhouse?
And she was about to protest when some sort of sanity resurfaced, and she realized how she would sound. After all, if she didn’t have any feelings for Adam, why should she care where he lived? They’d offered her the bunkhouse months ago, when Josh had first broached the idea of taking over part of the barn loft for himself, but she’d turned them down.
She glanced to the side and saw Adam’s profile. He didn’t look at her, but his hesitation spoke volumes. What excuse would he give for why he couldn’t accept—
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said. “I think this time I’ll take you up on the offer.”
Brooke forced a smile and continued eating, even as her dad clapped his hands together and grinned.
“I knew winter travel would prove to you how much easier it would be to live here,” Doug said. “I told Sandy, ‘Just give the boy time.’ ”
“Your grandmother won’t mind, Adam?” Brooke asked, projecting deep concern. She had to try something to change his mind.
Adam glanced at her and shook his head. “I think I’m crowding her, and she’s feeling like she has to entertain me. If she volunteers to read my cards one more time . . .” He gave an exaggerated shudder, making everyone laugh.
“Now, Adam,” Sandy said, “she’s pretty talented. She saw a lot of interesting things when she read my cards—not that I’m sharing. People swear by her!”
But Brooke could only think about Adam in the bunkhouse. It was a done deal, she saw with resignation. She was already working with him all day long, side by side. What did it matter where he slept?
But he would be here, where she could literally see him out the window—oh God, she really could see the bunkhouse right from her window.
“It’s good that you have a place to live,” she said. “The town has been thinking about that for returning veterans.”
She could tell he stiffened at her words even though it was subtle.
“Oh, I forgot about that!” her mother said brightly. “There’s a new committee that’s been renovating houses for veterans. In fact, I think your grandmother—both your grandmothers,” she said, looking from Brooke to Adam, smiling, “have been involved