“Today it’s called friends with benefits. Everyone in town was asking when we were going to get married.”

“But there was Kelly,” Caitlyn said.

“Yes.” Adam smiled. “It’s funny now but it wasn’t then. Kelly and I were falling in love but we held back. We didn’t so much as touch each other. And meanwhile, Miguel and Vera were—” He looked at Cait and shrugged.

“Doing the dirty in their underground love nest?”

Adam smiled again. “Exactly! But when Kelly and I found out, we made up for lost time.”

“Especially since her boyfriend had been Uncle Pauly. I can’t imagine that there was anything dirty between them.”

Adam laughed. “Kelly was—” He cleared his throat. He wasn’t going to say more about that. “So what happens now?”

“Nothing!” Cait said. “Nothing can happen. No one needs to know. I don’t want this town gossiping.” She glared at him.

“I have to tell Jared and Kelly.”

“You can’t—” She knew it was useless to say no to that. And actually, she’d feel better if Jared knew the truth. She nodded.

“Kelly will want to tell you about Robbie. She says she never wants him to be forgotten. She put together three photo albums of him. She asked people around town for stories and she wrote to the young men he’d met in basic training.” He paused. “I guess she skipped Gabby.”

“Yes,” Cait said softly. “I’d like to see all of it. But—” She stared at him.

“I understand. Miguel isn’t to know.”

Cait swallowed. “He will know. Dad will take one look at you and me in here together and he’ll know I told you. He’ll—”

“I’m a good liar,” Adam said. “And I’m brilliant at keeping secrets.”

“After you share them with your whole family?”

He chuckled. “You got me there. But people I love are in pain. I have to stop the bleeding.”

“I know what you mean.”

There was a pause between them. “So tell me about you and this doctor. Is it serious?”

“Not at all. We’re just friends. We—”

“Caitlyn!” came the frantic voice of her father from outside.

“I’m in here,” she shouted, then turned to give Adam a look of warning.

He made a zipper movement across his mouth. When they heard a chain saw cutting into the tree that was over the door, Adam put his arms around her. “You’re my niece.” There were tears in his eyes. “Robbie’s daughter. You can’t imagine what this means to me. I—” He cut off when they heard the door hinges creak.

Adam stepped away from her and in the next second he was yelling at Miguel for taking so long to find them. “Did you sit in your living room and wait for the weather to clear up before you came looking for us?”