“Kids will be kids. They’re easily influenced by whatever their peers are doing,” he said.

“I know that,” Lily said. “I wasn’t hatched out as a full-grown adult, but I also know that the way to fix it is to change the environment and their group of friends. And for me to spend more time with them.”

“I’ll have a pot of soup ready when you get here.” As long as he didn’t have to move, he could survive with having people stomping around upstairs. If living with a couple of city kids who hated country life got to be too much, he would find another place to rent.

“Sounds great. I’ll stop along the way and pick up a dessert,” she said. “See you then.”

His thoughts swirled as he put the phone back on the base. He leaned back against the cabinet and tried to settle his mind. Then his twin brother, Adam, yelled from the front door, “Hey, where are you?”

“In the kitchen.” Of all the people occupying the planet, Adam was the last person Mack wanted to see or talk to that day. He bit back a groan and got down two mugs, filled them both with coffee, and added two spoons of sugar to his.

It was a surprise to see his brother in Comfort on a Friday morning.

Adam had followed in their father’s footsteps and gone into business after college. Orville, their father, had been the president of a small bank right there in Comfort, and raised goats as a hobby. Adam was the head honcho of a huge bank in San Antonio, but Mack could never see him doing anything that would get his fancy shoes dirty.

No one would ever guess that he and Adam were twins by looking at them. Adam had a standing appointment with his hairstylist every Saturday morning to have his blond roots touched up and styled, and he went to the gym at least three days a week. Mack had jet-black hair that he seldom even thought about until it was time to go to the barbershop—maybe once a month. Adam had a movie-star face and body—the former from birth, the latter with help from his protein supplements and weight lifting. Mack hadn’t been quite as blessed in the good looks department, but he wasn’t ugly by any means, and his muscular chest and arms bore the proof of his hard work.

“What are you doing so far from the big city?” Mack asked. “I poured coffee for us. Have a seat.”