At around eleven, Adam stopped in his tracks, wiping the sweat from his face. Early October was still a very hot time in the hill country of Texas. “I’m ready to give this up for now. I’ll finish the tour tomorrow, but I want to take you into town to meet the pastor and his staff. They’re the ones who help us with everything.”

“How did you get a church sponsorship?” Tiffani asked, walking along beside him to his truck.

He grinned. “We’ve had a church sponsorship since we took over the boys. It was back in 1912. My great-grandfather and great-grandmother heard of a fire at the orphanage in Bagley, our closest town. My great-grandmother insisted that she had to have all the boys and take them to live with her. The orphanage was run by the church, but they didn’t have money to rebuild, so my great-grandfather agreed, even though they knew they’d have seven sons of their own. So the church continued to help sponsor the boys even after they moved here to the ranch. That’s how the boys’ ranch was born.”

“I think that’s amazing. Why was your great-grandmother so determined to take on other people’s children?”

“She was an orphan herself. She was adopted by a wonderful older couple when she was in her teens. At least that’s how family folklore tells it. I’m not sure how true it all is. I know her name was Penny Sanders, and she loved the boys.” He stopped next to his pick-up truck and unlocked the doors.

She slid in, nervous about being alone with him. “How far is it to Bagley?”

“It’s a ten-minute drive. You don’t have to be nervous around me, Tiffani. I won’t ever hurt you.”

Tiffani looked at him with surprise. “Using your gift again?”

“I can’t shut it off. I wish I could.” He drove out of the ranch roads and headed toward Bagley. “We can do our small shopping trips in Bagley. There’s not much there, but it’s better than nothing. For the big trips, we have to drive to Nowhere.”

Tiffani watched around her, trying to memorize the way so she wouldn’t have to ask for directions or get help. When he stopped at the church, she realized he hadn’t made one turn. The church was on the same highway as the ranch.

“Do they know we’re coming?” she asked.

Adam shrugged. “No idea. They know I stop in regularly, though, so it won’t be a problem.”

Together they headed into the church and went to the pastor’s office. Adam knocked, and they heard the call, “Come in!” As soon as they stepped inside, the pastor smiled. “Adam!”

“I brought my new fundraising coordinator to meet you. Of course, Ephraim is calling her our fundster.”

The pastor shook his head. “That boy has always been very strange.”

“Not my fault!”

“No one said it was.” The pastor shook his head at Adam. “I’m Pastor Stevens. It’s good to meet you.”

“I’m Tiffani Simpson. I understand I’ll be working with you at times.”

“Yes, you will. Is there anything I can do for you now?”

“I’m wondering if you have any ladies in the church who craft…” Tiffani didn’t see a reason to wait to ask for what she wanted for the boys.

The pastor laughed. “Of course we have women who craft. What kind of craft are you looking for?”

“Anything marketable. I’m thinking of having crafts sold at the fundraiser—more than that, they’ll also be raffled off, making more money.”

The pastor nodded, smiling. “I’ll put out the call on Sunday. We have a whole year to prepare, so we can get some good stuff.”

“Thank you, Pastor.”

“Adam will give you my number. If there’s anything at all we can do, we’re willing.”

As they left, Tiffani was elated. She loved knowing that she had the full backing of this church. “He’s so sweet.”

“Yes. He baptized me a very long time ago. I have a lot of respect for Pastor Stevens. Everyone here does. He’s a good man.” He took her elbow and steered her toward a small café there in town. When they walked in, there was a white board with the specials of the day written on it. Chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans, all smothered in white gravy was the special that day.

They sat themselves at a small corner table that was meant for four. A waitress brought them the menu, smiling. She was an older lady who was chewing gum a mile a minute. “The chicken fried steak is so good today, it’ll make you want to kiss the cook.”

Adam grinned. “That does it for me, Miss Mae. I want the chicken fried steak.”

“And for you?” Miss Mae asked.

“I’ll have the same. And to drink I want ice water, with lots and lots of ice.” Tiffani was a bit nervous, and her ice chomping habit was about to take over.

Miss Mae nodded. “Will do. Dr. Pepper, Adam?”

“Is my mama the best cook in all of Texas?” Adam’s Texas drawl took over when he asked the question.

“Be right back!”

Adam reached across the table and took her hand. “We’re not here as boss and employee. We’re here as man and woman on a date, so I’m allowed to hold your hand.”

“I don’t know what to say to that.”

“It’s God’s way of telling you to let me have my way when you don’t know what to say.”

She sighed at him. “You’re going to be a pain in my backside, aren’t you, Adam?”

“I aim to please.” His blue eyes twinkled at her.

Miss Mae hurried back with their drinks, putting Adam’s Dr. Pepper on the table and bringing Tiffani two glasses, one completely filled with ice and the other with mostly ice and a bit of water.

“Thank you.”

Miss Mae looked at Adam. “This one has manners. You should keep her.”

“I intend to.” Adam looked at Tiffani with a grin.

“You can’t just tell people in town that you intend to keep me. Are you crazy?” Tiffani asked as soon as Miss Mae had gone.

He shrugged. “The words have been used to describe me on numerous occasions.”

She shook her head. “What am I going to do with you?”

“I can make you a list of suggestions, if you’d like.”

“Remember you’re my boss, please.”

“I already told you, I’m not your boss right now. I’m a man taking a woman he’s very interested in to lunch. I might not even write this lunch off.”

“That would be silly!”

He grinned. “I’m so glad I’ve chosen a practical woman to spend the rest of my life with.”

“You can’t say things like that! Someone will hear you and think we’re…courting.” She was sure the old-fashioned term fit better than dating did when it came to what the two of them were doing together.

“Trust me, Tiffani. We are courting.”

Miss Mae set their plates in front of them. “Eat up now. I don’t want to have to call your mama and tell her you didn’t eat.”

After she’d left, Adam leaned forward. “She’d do it too! I came here once during the school day, but we had a closed campus. She called my mother and told her I was here, and I was in trouble. I had to wash every window on the ranch before I got my car privileges back. It took me a month!”

“Sounds like you don’t want to cross Miss Mae or Lillian!” Tiffani cut into her steak and took a big bite. “She’s right. This is good enough that I want to kiss the cook. I hope he’s handsome!”

Adam glared at her. “Tiffani will not be kissing the cook,” he told Miss Mae.

“Well, my husband is cooking today, and he’s old enough to be her grandfather, so I think it would be perfectly acceptable.”

Tiffani laughed. “I’ll do my best to restrain myself. Tell him that I’m sending him air kisses.”

Adam shook his head at her. “Trying to break up a marriage that has been happy for over forty years.”

Miss Mae just grinned. “Sometimes the old geezer needs to kiss a young lady to remember what’s he got in me.” She wandered away with a smile still on her face.

“I like this place,” Tiffani said to Adam. “I want to come back often.”

“It’s a great little town. I went to Bagley High School.”

“Thank you for sharing it with me.”

“I want to share my entire world with you.”

“You’re turning into a great big sap. Have you always been this way?”

“I thought women liked romantic men.” Adam sighed heavily. “It’s like everything I knew about life is totally wrong.”

“It’s not. I just feel uncomfortable. I appreciate how loving and kind you are, but I don’t know that I can believe the sweetness. Not for me. I’ve only really known you for two days.”

“I want to get to know you better. Is that acceptable, milady?”

She grinned, reaching over for his hand and squeezing it, realizing it was the first time she’d voluntarily touched him. “I suppose it will have to be.”

On their way back to the ranch, he told her that he’d send her a list of contacts. “I don’t think it’s a good time to continue our ranch tour. The boys will be getting home from school in a couple of hours, and I need to send in some reports to the state on some of the boys.”

“All right. I’d love to have the names and numbers, so I can get everything going. What’s my budget for this fundraiser? Can I do it bigger than it’s been done before?”

He shrugged. “I think so. We could probably add another fifty percent to your budget. We prefer that most things be donated, of course.”

“Well, sure, but if I can put a bit of money into it, and we can add in a hay ride or pony rides…charge a little for them.” She frowned. “I’m sorry. My mind is just spinning with ideas. I can’t wait to figure it all out.”

He parked his truck in the parking lot in front of their offices. “You get straight to work, and so will I. I’ll see you around three-thirty, after the bus drops the boys off.”

“Do you have your own school bus that brings the boys here?”

He nodded. “We always have. There are enough boys coming straight here that they assign a bus just to us.”

“Nice!” She slipped out of the truck and walked toward the building. “I can’t wait for our date on Friday.”

“Neither can I. I am going to show you a good time in front of thirty boys, my six brothers, and my parents. Should be fun.” He winked at her as they separated and went toward their offices.

As she walked past, Brittany called out, “Tiffani, I have a message for you from one of the vendors of the fundraiser. He’s not sure he can make it next year, because he’s been offered a big contract.”

“Which vendor?” Tiffani was sure she could find someone else to do the same job without a problem. She had a year, after all.

“It’s the guy who runs the taco truck.”

“The taco truck? That would be like the icemaker being down for the event! No way! I’m going to call in every favor I can to get a taco truck here for it. How would we make it without a taco truck? Imagine!” Tiffani hurried into her office and shut the door.

Adam looked at her closed door, then at Brittany. “I think she must like tacos.”

“You’ll have to file that away for future dates.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I have no problem doing that!” He went into his own office and closed the door, pulling out the folders of the boys that needed reports written. He loved his job, but he sure did hate the paperwork.

* * *

Tiffani was on her seventh phone call of the afternoon, trying to arrange for the taco truck for the event when Adam knocked on her door. “Are you ready to go look at kittens?”

She nodded, finishing her call and standing. “Is Nick here?”

“Yes, he is. He’s ready to go get his kitten, too.”

She got up and hurried around the desk. “Well, let’s go get a kitten.”

Nick looked at her. “I get first pick.”

“Of course you do. You were promised the first pick. I would have given it to you anyway, though.”

“Why?”

Tiffani shrugged. “Have you ever heard the saying that it’s better to give than to receive?”

“Yeah, but I think it’s stupid.”

She laughed. “Well, then you can keep thinking so. I really believe it, though. It feels good to do nice things for people.”

“Whatever.”

Adam met Tiffani’s gaze. “That’s his favorite word.”

“Whatever.” Nick didn’t realize the irony of him saying it then, but Tiffani had to keep from laughing.

“Do you know which kitten you want?”

Nick shrugged. “Probably the little calico one.”

“I like the black and white one.”

“Well, I still get first pick.”

“I know you do,” Tiffani said. “I’ll take whichever one you don’t.”

They reached the barn and Adam opened the door. “Hey, Ephraim! We’re here to steal your kittens away.”

Ephraim stepped out into the room. He’d been somewhere, but Tiffani couldn’t really see where. “Come and choose which ones you want.” He looked at Tiffani. “Do you know how to take care of a kitten?”

“I have no idea! I thought I’d google it tonight.” She was sure it couldn’t be terribly difficult. People had kittens all the time.

“Then you have to listen to my class about kittens while you play with them and decide which one.” Ephraim winked at her, making it clear that the class was really for Nick and not for her.

While she and Nick sat on the floor with the kittens and let them crawl all over them, Ephraim went into a lecture on kittens. He talked about what to feed them and how to litter box train them.

“Do you know which one you want, Nick?”

Nick looked undecided. “Well, I like the calico and the black and white. I want both.”

Ephraim laughed. “Only one. Each boy can have one pet, and that’s it.”

Nick frowned. “I’ll take the calico then.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Tiffani scooped up the black and white kitten, cuddling him under her neck. “You’re going home with me. What do you think of that?”

Nick took the calico and cradled it against him. “Can I take him home now?”

Adam nodded, clapping the boy on the back. “I’m going to stay with you as you get him acclimated to the house. I’ll go home once Benjamin and Caleb arrive.”

“Whatever.”

Adam looked at Tiffani. “Can you find your way back all right?”

She nodded. “I have the map you made in my pocket. I’ll make it home with no problem.”

“All right. I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”

“I’d like that.” She’d hoped he’d come over again that evening, but she knew it wasn’t wise. Of course, being wise wasn’t nearly as fun as listening to her heart.

As she walked home, she cradled the kitten against her. She was going to need a litter box and some kitten food. She could get those in town, she was sure. At least she hoped she could.

She stepped into the house just as Adam caught up with her. “You need kitten food and a litter box. Some cat toys.”

“I do. I wasn’t sure where to go for them, though. Do they have a pet store in Bagley?”

He shook his head. “We’ll have to head into Nowhere.”

“We?”

“Someone has to hold the kitten while the other one drives.”

She handed him the keys to the truck. “I’ll hold the kitten.”

“Sounds good.” He walked to the truck and slipped behind the wheel, holding his hand out for the kitten while she got into the truck. “When you need the kitten to have shots and get fixed, just take him to Ephraim. He’ll handle everything for you right here on the ranch.”

“Sounds good to me. That makes it really easy.”

“We’re pretty self-contained about a whole lot of things. It makes things easier with the sheer number of boys who live here on the ranch.” He drove toward Nowhere, knowing the drive like the back of his hand. “Family lore has it that our great-grandparents met in Nowhere. Supposedly he had a vision when he was five that he would marry a seamstress named Penny. So when he found out there was a Penny sewing at the mercantile in Nowhere, he made the drive out there, and he met her. He hired her to make him ten shirts, in a time when men didn’t have ten shirts to their names. He wanted her to be thinking of him.”

“That’s so sweet!”

“Supposedly they were engaged three days later and married within the month. Penny and Tom were the ones who adopted all the boys from the orphan home in Bagley.”

“I think it’s really neat that you know so much about your family history.”

“It’s because we have the whole seventh son thing going on. We like to tell the stories of the people who came before us. Tom was a seventh son. Penny had no problem giving birth to seven sons, the youngest of which was my grandfather.”

“I really wish I knew that kind of information about my family.” She shrugged. She’d never known anyone who knew so much. It was nice to be around someone who was so rooted in his family.

“Maybe you can marry a man who knows that much about his family.”

“Are you hinting at something, Adam? We just met!”

“When you meet the one you know you’re supposed to marry, it doesn’t take long.”

She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she cuddled her kitten close and watched as the miles flew past them. Nowhere sounded like a good place to be.