The two couples broke apart. “We switched,” Adam said to their audience. He was holding Kelly’s hand tightly. “Any questions, ask Vera. She’s good at making up stories.” He led Kelly outside to the parking lot. “Happy now?” he said.

She figured she should say something about the way he’d done things, but the truth was, she didn’t really care. She was grinning. “I have to go to work.” She got into her Jeep. “You need to tell people about your new job.” She glanced at the door to the restaurant. Her mother and Forey were coming out. “And you have to answer bunches and heaps of questions. See ya!” She didn’t give him time to reply but drove off quickly.

That afternoon, for the first time, Adam showed up at the clinic. He was frowning. “It was a day of questions. Part two of the Spanish Inquisition. Nella and Forey grilled me, stuffed me with food, then interrogated me some more. The only thing missing was a spotlight in my face and guns on their hips.”

“Oh?” Kelly was giving a litter of puppies their shots. “Were conclusions reached?” When he didn’t answer, she looked at him.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “They were.”

It was a week later that he asked her to marry him. “I know it seems soon but we’ve known each other all our lives and—”

“Yes,” she said. No other words were needed. Her mother and Forey were going to get the autumn wedding they’d dreamed of.

In the following weeks, Adam and Kelly had twice sneaked off to the apartment together.

“I’ll have to get a dress.” She was looking at the ring Adam had given her. It was unlike the one Mrs. Carl had bought. The diamonds were set in a way that they didn’t snag on things. She could wear it even while she was working.

“About that.” Adam got out of bed and returned with a large box.

“Is that the dress we chose for Vera?” She couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice.

“I thought you liked it.” He opened the box.

When she saw the gossamer-thin gown that she’d liked so much, her eyes filled with tears. “You bought it for me?”

He smiled smugly.

“But you’ve seen it!”

“I’ve seen a lot of things of yours but I still love them.”

Smiling and crying, she opened her arms to him.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Miguel was holding a post in the hole he’d dug and pushing dirt in with his foot. The job needed two people, but since Vera and he had openly become a couple, he’d tried to not ask for anything from anyone. There were too many questions. “When did you two...? What did Adam say? How’s Adam handling all this?” It always seemed to be about Adam Hatten.