Adam frowned when Rachel came into the dining room laughing at something Tim had said. The two of them had been gone all day into town. Everyone said they were just friends and hung out because of their mutual artistic bents, but he wasn’t sure he believed that. They looked too cozy for that type of relationship. Her eyes were sparkling with mirth and he was grinning at her with sappy puppy dog eyes. Adam felt like barfing, but his mother would not appreciate that at the dinner table, so he looked around to find something else to focus on.

The Jeffersons’ and the Kiplings’ had melded during the day. The two sets of twins were having an uproarious discussion about twin pranks to pull on teachers and other unsuspecting victims. Emma had let Beth hang out with her and Tony and it looked like Alyssa’s spot as Tony’s favorite had been usurped by her younger sister. Both sets of parents and his grandfather had spent the day riding the land and talking about ranch differences, then cooking up a huge meal for the nineteen of them.

It was all one big happy family it seemed. The dining room table had all the leaves in it and they still had to use a folding table, that the twin sets had commandeered.

Rachel slid into her chair. “I hope we didn’t hold you up.”

His mother smiled at Rachel. “Not at all dear, you’re right on time. Did you and Tim have a pleasant time in town?”

Tim nodded. “We did, it’s a cute little town and we even managed to get the candy order right, I think. Katie helped us with it. She was very supportive.”

Adam noticed the twins perk up at that. Cade grinned. “Katie’s the best. Chase and I have been friends with her forever.”

Tim nodded. “She’s a little cutie, too.”

Rachel elbowed him. “You, sir, are too young for her. You’re just a baby in her eyes.”

“Am not.”

“Are too. She’s at least three years older,” Rachel said.

“Meh, three years is nothing.”

Chase piped up, “Sounds like cradle robbing to me. Don’t think she’s into younger guys.”

Cade laughed. “Unless it’s Tony.”

Tony clapped his hands “Me, me, me.”

Everyone laughed and started passing the food. But Adam noticed both Chase and Tim looked a little tense.

Rachel elbowed Tim and handed him a bowl of potatoes. She gave him a look that made Tim chuckle and shake his head. Adam wondered what that was all about. Rachel and Tim clearly had secrets, or some kind of intimate communication going on. As Adam filled his plate he wondered why that bothered him. He didn’t think Tim was dangerous or a bad guy, in any way. So why didn’t he want Rachel to spend so much time with him? And why would Adam care if they had secrets? It was a ridiculous reaction. It’s not like it was jealousy or anything like that.

Adam was clearly too old for Rachel, he needed a mature wife that would be able to stand beside him and help shepherd his younger siblings. He was the oldest and that came with a lot of responsibility. He had a duty to make sure all his siblings did well and made sound choices. He’d already tried to warn Beau about marrying a woman so young, but he’d been soundly ignored.

But he wasn’t about to make the same error in judgment. He had to carry the burdens of the first born, and that did not leave room for dalliances with women nearly ten years his junior. It was fine for Beau to be foolish, but Adam did not have that luxury. Of course, he knew all this, so there was no reason for him to dislike the relationship between Tim and Rachel. He needed to remember she was just a girl and treat her like a younger sister. Just like Emma. He looked at Emma and then back at Rachel. Treat them the same? He could certainly do that. Couldn’t he?

* * *

Rachel wondered what Adam was brooding about, he hadn’t said a word all evening. He sure was a grumpy guy. She hoped there wasn’t something wrong that he didn’t want to say. The guy needed to lighten up a bit, he didn’t have to carry the whole world on his shoulders. But he did seem to be doing that about half the time if not more. She’d never known a guy that took his responsibilities to the extreme that Adam did. It was admirable, she supposed, but she wondered if it wasn’t a little on the obsessive side, the guy needed to chill out once in a while and simply enjoy life.

She wanted to get his attention off whatever he was brooding about. But she couldn’t think of a way to do so. Maybe she could ask him about the miniature golf course, Tim might not like that, but she was more concerned with distracting Adam than Tim’s feelings.

Deciding to throw Tim under the bus she said, “Tim and I saw the abandoned mini-golf place, it’s very cute. Adam, do you have any idea what it would cost to buy something like that and restore it? Tim was curious about it and since you’re the financial guy in the family, I thought you might have an opinion.”

Adam frowned. “I really have no idea.”

Hank looked at Tim with raised eyebrows.

Tim flushed. “It was just a silly conversation, there were two for sale places and Rachel and I were just imagining buying them and reopening them. I felt sorry for the mini golf place, it’s been abandoned. The fun wooden constructs are decaying and need some TLC.”

Ellen said, “That’s not exactly your bailiwick.”

Tim nodded. “Yeah, but Terry would be in hog heaven helping me to restore them. Not that I’m planning to do that. I’m pretty busy between working on the ranch and the art gallery and making my sculptures.”

Hank cleared his throat. “Tim, I love having you work the ranch and you are always welcome to stay and do that. For the rest of your life, if you want to. But if your heart is calling you elsewhere, I have no intention of holding you back. I love you and want you to find your place in life, and if that’s not on the ranch, then that’s okay with me.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Tim cleared his throat. “I don’t have any place else I want to be right now. But it’s nice to know I have your blessing, if that changes.”

Hank nodded and Ellen took his hand and squeezed it.

Tim looked at Rachel. “Trouble maker.”

Rachel hadn’t thought through the consequences of her mouthing off and now felt really bad about it. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything. Just livening up the conversation.”

Adam shook his head. “That you did, little girl, that you did.”

Tim said, “We could talk about the photo studio. That’s the other one for sale. And all the things you talked about doing, Rachel.”

Rachel shook her head. “I’m sure we can think of something else to talk about.”

Alyssa said, “So about my graduation the day after tomorrow. What’s the plan?”

Rachel was so glad Alyssa was changing the subject she could have kissed her. As everyone discussed transportation over the mountains Rachel thought about her foolish comment. She had indeed acted like a little girl, with no real forethought to what can of worms she was opening. She would have died if someone had said that to her family, and gotten everyone riled up for no good reason. What a fool she was. She wanted to crawl into her bed, pull the covers over her head and not come out for a month or two—or at least until all the Jeffersons went home.

She looked over at Tim and he winked at her, so she assumed she was forgiven.