Rafe stepped back. “You’re like a son to me and I just want you to think about things. I’ll back you in whatever you decide. I’ll...” With his shoulders drooping like a man who had failed, he went to his horse and rode away.

Miguel worked until long after sundown, then went back to the house. It wasn’t a pleasant place. Rafe looked like he’d aged twenty years. Gabby rarely raised her head. She put food on the table, then sat down to eat without looking at anyone.

Forey was the only one who was happy. When she was there, she talked about nothing but the wedding. “You should see Kelly’s dress! It looks like it was woven by hummingbirds.”

“They’re aggressive little beasts,” Rafe said. “Ever get hit by one of those beaks? They can pierce you.”

Forey ignored him. “Nella and I tried to get Kelly to choose the cake but she said she wanted animals on it. Lions and giraffes and elephants. Can you imagine? On a wedding cake?”

“Maybe she should go to Africa,” Gabby said, then jumped up so quickly that her chair fell over. She ran from the room.

Forey and Rafe looked at Miguel as though he was supposed to fix the girl’s unhappiness.

But what could he do? Tell Gabby he was sorry he’d led her on? What he’d really done was not make it clear that there was nothing between them and never would be. If he was honest with himself, he’d admit that he’d liked being pursued. At the time, the woman he loved had been planning to marry someone who wasn’t right for her. It was good to feel that someone wanted him.

Miguel tried to put logic into all of it. Adam and Vera were too much alike. Both of them were bosses.

Adam and Kelly were a much better match. As long as she had her animals and probably a few kids, she would be happy to leave everything else to Adam.

Unlike Vera, who wanted to change the world.

And I will be the follower, Miguel thought.

He’d been spending a lot of time at Paul’s fruit farm. The man who’d been taking care of it wasn’t doing a good job. Weeks ago, Miguel had sent a postcard to Paul asking if it would be all right if he spent some time there.

That had started a correspondence between them. Paul was traveling with some like-minded young men and said he was learning a lot. He’d be returning with boxes of cuttings and seeds.

Since Miguel wanted to be anywhere except his uncle Rafe’s place, he began to prepare some beds for the new arrivals.

Miguel tried not to think about the fact that he wouldn’t be there to see the trees planted. Vera wanted to leave the country the day after Kelly’s wedding.