At work on Monday morning, Tiffani did her best to avoid Adam. He nodded to her as he would any co-worker and went into his office, doing paperwork. She held back the tears she wanted to cry when he didn’t seek her out, understanding then that it was over between them—for good.

By the time lunch rolled around, she had gotten a firm commitment from a taco truck, talked to several other vendors, and met with Lillian about the quilts she wanted to raffle off at the event. She was just hanging up the phone from talking to Kevin Roberts, a former boy from the ranch who was now a pastor. His story was different than the other boys of the ranch, but he was still a success story.

Tiffani had brought her own lunch, so she decided to just slip into the kitchen, nuke it, and get right back to work. Working lunches were nothing new to her, and they sometimes kept her from dealing with difficult things in real life. Work was good for more things than just making money.

In the kitchen, she saw Adam whispering with Brittany, and she wanted to run away and cry. The idea of him even speaking to another woman when he was angry with her broke her heart into a million tiny pieces.

When he spotted her, he nodded, then took Brittany’s arm, pulling her from the kitchen to finish their conversation.

Tiffany tried not to let it bother her as she microwaved the casserole she’d made for her lunch before slipping back into her office. She needed to stay in her office or walk on the grounds of the ranch. Anywhere she couldn’t see Adam and Brittany cozying up to one another.

She worked while she ate, trying to come up with new ideas to make the next year’s fundraiser one that would knock people’s socks off. Pony rides were a must, and they had what they needed for that. She shot off an email to Ephraim to ask if they could do hayrides every night for five dollars a head. Anything she could do to get a little extra money into the boys’ pockets, she would do.

* * *

Seeing Tiffany enter the kitchen, Adam grabbed Brittany’s arm and pulled her out so they could continue their conversation. Brittany had felt very much like a little sister to him since she’d started working at the ranch.

“Do you think you can have that all in place for the cookout Friday night?”

Brittany nodded, a grin splitting her face. “I love that you trust me enough to help with this. I couldn’t be happier to do it!”

Adam grinned, patting her on the shoulder. “Good. I’ll get her there, but you need to have everything ready for me.”

Brittany saluted cheekily. “I’m here to do your bidding, boss man!”

He shook his head at her as he hurried back to his office. If Tiffany saw him whispering with Brittany, she was sure to figure out what was going on. He wanted it to be a surprise.

* * *

Tiffany walked home from work that afternoon, breathing deeply as she remembered what it was she’d loved about the ranch. Somehow Adam’s new attitude colored how she felt about it, and she couldn’t continue to let that happen. When she got home, she opened the door for Bob to join her, and she held him on her lap as she sat on the front porch, stroking his fur. Since coming to the ranch, she’d felt like she was a part of something huge and special. Suddenly, she felt completely alone instead. At least she had Bob beside her.

When she went back inside for the night, she ate a simple supper and read for a while. She needed to find a girlfriend to hang out with there on the ranch, but the only female she’d really met was Brittany…and that was a no for now. Last week, she’d thought they’d make great friends. This week? Not so much.

As she fell asleep with Bob curled around her head, she felt a tear drip down her face and onto her pillow. She definitely felt like her world was ending. How did women go through multiple relationships and breakups?

* * *

During breakfast Tuesday morning, Adam asked his dad for Tiffani’s job application. He found Sharon’s number and put it into his phone so he could call her from work.

“Mom, would you be willing to drive to San Antonio on Friday? There’s someone I want here for the cookout.”

“How am I going to get the food ready for the cookout if I’m driving an hour and a half each way? You should go.”

“If I can get Brittany to help make food, will you go yourself?” Adam really wanted their two mothers to get together so they could learn about each other.

She frowned at him. “Why can’t Brittany go?”

He sighed. “I guess she can. Will you accept help from Tiffani’s mom with cooking if I can get her here on Thursday evening?”

She looked at him for a moment. “Tiffani’s mom? Why are you bringing her here?”

“So she’s here when I propose to Tiffani.”

She squealed and clapped her hands. “This Friday? She thinks you hate her, you know.”

“I know.” He frowned. “I should probably talk to her and let her know everything is okay, but I want the proposal to be a huge surprise.”

“Son, she’s not going to say yes if she thinks you hate her. Sit her down and tell her that you’re sorry for the way you acted, and then things will be better.”

“Are you sure that’s the right thing to do?”

“Trust me on this! Leave now so you can walk her to work and talk to her. Tell her you were a big buffoon, and that if she’ll forgive you, you’ll never act stupid again.”

Adam nodded, drank down the last dregs of his coffee, and hurried out the front door. He all but ran across the ranch to her cabin, knocking on the door after catching his breath.

Tiffani opened the door and stood looking at him for a moment. “How can I help you, Mr. McClain?”

“It’s Adam, and you know it. May I walk you to work? I want to explain.”

She nodded briskly, going inside to get her lunch and meeting him on the front steps. “What do you want to talk about?” She fell into step beside him, making sure to keep a foot or two between them. When he touched her, her heart lost its resolve to keep him at arm’s length. Her head had to stay in control.

“My entire life I’ve known it would be my job to help run this ranch one day. I knew I was going to be someone who counseled the boys and helped them every day. I knew it would be my whole world.” He looked over at her to see how she was reacting, but she was staring straight ahead. “When my dad told me a little over a month ago that I would be meeting the woman I was destined to marry, I didn’t believe him at first. And then I met you, and I knew he was right. You are my ideal woman. You care about the things I care about. You’re a good person through and through.” He sucked in a breath. “And then I had a boy in crisis while I was out with you, and I blew it. I knew I was hurting you and I did it anyway, telling myself I was doing what was right for the boys, who had to be my first priority.”

“And now?” Was he saying he was wrong? Please let him admit he’d been wrong.

“Well, I acted like a big buffoon, and I promise, if you’ll forgive me, I’ll never act stupid again. Well, I’ll try not to act stupid, but sometimes it’s hard not to, because I have no experience with relationships. None at all.” He could feel the hope radiating off of her, when before all he’d felt was pain and sadness. Was she going to forgive him?

“And what do I get to do to you if you do act like a big buffoon again?” she asked, trying not to grin. That was some apology.

“You get to…umm…I don’t know!”

“Can I make you wear a baboon suit and sing and dance for the boys?”

He groaned. “You just want me to agree because you know eventually, I’m going to be stupid again.”

“Well, yeah!” She closed the distance between them and slipped her hand into his. “Does this mean we’re dating again?”

“If you’ll forgive me and take me back.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. My own mother has been angry with me about this whole thing.”

“I knew I liked your mother.” They reached the office and she smiled. “I can’t go through this often, but if it’s a one-time thing, I can forgive and forget.”

“I promise you, it’s not going to happen again. I can’t promise I’ll be perfect, because that’s not possible, but this will not happen again.” He opened the door for the office and let her precede him inside. “Lunch?”

She nodded. “I brought my own, though.”

“Then I’ll pick something up and eat with you in the kitchen.” He’d get her a taco while he was out, too. He knew her well enough to know that tacos were a necessary part of her life.

* * *

On Wednesday afternoon, Tiffani stepped out into the admin assistant’s area of the office and looked around for Brittany. She had a couple of calls she needed the other woman to make for her. When she didn’t see her, she walked back to Adam’s office, standing in the doorway and just watching him work for a moment.

When he glanced up, his face softened as he looked at her. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Looking for Brittany, but since I didn’t find her, I thought I’d just watch you work.”

“Brittany had an errand to run. She’ll be back in the morning.”

Tiffani frowned. “A four-hour errand? What kind of errand takes four hours?”

He shrugged. “There were several things she needed to do.”

She didn’t like how evasive he was being, but she trusted him, so she needed to let it go. “All right. I’ll have her make these calls in the morning then.”

“May I walk you home after work?” he asked, knowing that he would be able to hide her mother better if he was with her that night. She didn’t ever just walk over to the main house, but the day her mother was staying there would be the day it happened.

“I’d like that.” She disappeared into her office and got back to work. There was too much to do for her to stand around watching Adam work—no matter how much fun it was.

* * *

On Friday evening, she dressed in jeans, boots, and a checked button-up shirt. She was ready for the cookout early and sat down to wait for Adam to come and get her. They were starting to be seen as a couple all over the ranch, and as much as she loved it, it was still weird because he was her boss.

When he knocked, she hurried to the door. “Hey you!”

“Hi.” He held his hand out for hers.

When she stepped outside, she saw Ephraim and Nick sitting in the front of a two-seater horse-drawn buggy. “We’re not taking your truck?” she asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Not tonight. I want you to have a special time.”

She frowned, but let him help her up into the buggy. She couldn’t imagine having to climb up in a skirt, but she knew women had done it for hundreds of years. Once she was settled, Nick flicked the lines and drove them to the cookout.

It seemed to be an even bigger crowd than last week, though she knew it was just her perception. Arriving in a buggy made her feel out of place. She wished she knew what Adam was thinking, picking her up that way.

“What are you up to?” she finally asked, whispering the words.

“Me? I’m just taking my girl to dinner with lots of other people. Why?”

She didn’t believe him, but she wasn’t the one who was empathic.

Once they were stopped, he helped her down and she went over to mingle with others already there. Brittany was standing with Gideon again, and the two of them were laughing. Tiffani couldn’t help but wonder if they were just friends, or if there was something more between them.

After the prayer, which was given by Adam’s father, they followed the crowd to get in line for their food. She was walking through the line, accepting potato salad and baked beans, when she stopped short.

“Mom?”

Her mother laughed. “Yup. I wanted to see where you live, so Adam sent someone to come and get me.”

“Why didn’t you talk to me about it? That would have made more sense!”

Her mother shrugged. “I felt comfortable enough with Adam that it wasn’t a problem to ask him.”

Adam nudged her with his elbow. “You’re holding up the line. I’m sure your mother will come over and join us when she’s done serving all these people.”

Tiffani got the rest of her food, but she was frowning as she walked to a picnic table. “What’s going on, Adam?”

He shrugged. “I thought you’d enjoy your mother seeing where you work. She and my mom have become fast friends.”

It wasn’t really the answer she was looking for, but she didn’t know how to get to the truth of the matter. She ate quietly, smiling as her mother joined them, and his parents as well.

One of his brothers pulled another picnic table closer, and then she realized they were in the middle of four different picnic tables all joined together. As she chatted with both of their mothers, they all ate.

When they were finished, his mother stood up. “It’s time for cake!”

“No s’mores tonight?” Tiffani was immediately disappointed that her mother wouldn’t have s’mores when she’d traveled to the ranch just for a Friday night cookout.

“Are you staying at my place tonight?”

Her mother nodded. “I stayed at the main house last night, and I cooked all day.”

“You didn’t have to work?”

“I get vacation days. Just because I never use them doesn’t mean I don’t get them!”

The cake was brought over to their table, and the boys carrying it started to tip it. She jumped up to keep them from dropping it—and that’s when she saw the words that had been written onto the cake.

“Tiffani, will you marry me?”

She stared at it in disbelief for a moment before she turned to Adam. He was holding out a diamond ring to her.

Tears started flowing down her cheeks. How could he ask her in front of all these people when he knew it would make her cry? She nodded, then held out her left hand so he could slip the ring onto her finger.

Adam stood up and pulled her to him, kissing her softly while everyone cheered. Even Nick seemed excited that the two of them were getting married.

“When?” Adam asked.

“When what?”

“When will you marry me? I can’t wait long. We could fly to Vegas tomorrow, or we could get married next weekend. Stupid three-day waiting period in Texas.”

Tiffani laughed. “Don’t you think we should at least have a short engagement? Where are we going to live?”

He shrugged. “We could live in your cabin. It’s big enough for both of us. And there’s room for us to build a house here on the ranch if that’s what we want to do. Or we could buy land across the road, so we’d be close, but we would still have our privacy.”

“You’ve thought about this a lot.”

“I’ve thought about little else since the moment I laid eyes on you. I love you, Tiffani Simpson. I need you to marry me soon!”

She grinned. “Well, I have no desire to see Vegas, so let’s marry next weekend.” She turned to her mother. “Mom, can you make it here two weekends in a row?”

“How are you going to find a dress in a week?” Her mother shook her head. “You should wait a little while so you can get what you need!”

“I’m marrying him next weekend. We’ll figure out a dress.”

Lillian rushed around the table to hug Tiffani. “Would you like to wear my dress? I know it was made in the early eighties, but we could fit it to you. Then you’d at least have a pretty white dress.”

“And it would be something old and something borrowed. See, Mom? It’s all working out.”

Lillian linked her arm through Sharon’s. “Leave it to us. We’ll get this planned out as quickly as we can.”

Sharon nodded. “I’ll take the week off work, and we’ll make it happen.”

Sure their mothers had things under control, Tiffani reached out for Adam’s hand. “Are you sure this is what you want?” she asked softly. “I don’t want to take you away from your responsibilities.”

“I’m sure, and you’ll help me with my responsibilities. I know you’ll be beside me, helping me every step of the way.”

She nodded. “I will. I love you, Adam. I never believed it could happen so quickly, but we really are meant to be together. I can feel it.”

He smiled, pulling her behind a tree to kiss her once more. “We are. And I thank God every day for bringing you into my life.”