“I’d have to buy a dress, but maybe I’ll be able to use it later. And I can get Vera into something nice. My dad left me some money and I’ve saved it.”

“Don’t worry about money. I can—”

“No! You are not going to pay for my wedding dress.”

“But if this whole thing is eventually for me, I should pay for things.”

“The bride’s family does all that. I think the theory is that you pay for everything after the wedding.”

They were quiet for a moment, thinking about their plan.

Kelly spoke first. “If you leave in September, will Robbie be running the farm? While he’s still in college?”

Adam hesitated. “He can’t do that and I don’t think he wants to.” He took a breath. “This is between you and me and Vera, but I may sell the farm. In that mass of paper Dad left behind, there’s an offer from someone who wants to buy it. It’s a good price.”

“I never thought of that.” She turned to him. “These are big changes. If you and Vera run off, and your farm is sold, Mom will be devastated.”

“Add that if you don’t marry Paul Mrs. Carl won’t let you work with her husband, and it’s a catastrophe. You’ll spend the next twenty years saving enough money to open your own place.”

“This doesn’t sound so good after all.”

“Kelly, please let me lend you the money to open a clinic. It can be in Ottawa. That’s far enough away that there won’t be too much competition and you can easily drive there every day.”

“You can’t—”

He cut her off. “We’re going to be family. That means something. You can pay me back every cent. And when you think about this, it’s all for me.”

“And Vera,” she said. “To free her. And to release me from being a burden to her.” Her head came up. “And besides, maybe I’ll find somebody else. This sex against a wall interests me.”

Adam laughed. “Tell you what. While you plan a wedding for Vera and me, you and I will look for a clinic for you.”

“My own clinic,” she whispered. “I love Dr. Carl, but his filing system is very bad. And he doesn’t like what he calls ‘weird pets.’ That means turtles and birds. And goldfish.”

“You work on goldfish?”

“When needed.”

“I hope you get a secretary better than the gum chewer who answered the phone.”

“Betty was Mrs. Carl’s choice. Utterly incompetent. And rude. But no chance her husband would be attracted to her.”

Adam was watching her. “Are we set on this?”

“We have a Dagwood sandwich of lies.” She was smiling. “I’m engaged to Pauly but I’m really not.”