When they reached Nowhere, Tiffani wanted to be the one to run into the Walmart there to grab the kitten things. She handed the kitten to Adam. “Be careful with him! He’s just a baby.”

The kitten crawled up Adam’s shirt and settled under his chin. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of a kitten.”

“All right!” She jumped out of the truck and hurried in, choosing a white litter box and some cat litter. She found Kitten Chow and put a big bag into the cart before picking up a toy mouse. She had a feeling her new baby would like the mouse. As she thought it, she realized she hadn’t named him yet.

What to name a cute little kitten? Oreo? Too common… Ding Dong? Too cutesy… Othello? Too long… Maybe Taz? He whirled around a bit like the Tasmanian Devil when he was awake, which wasn’t very often.

As she got up to the checkout, the cashier asked, “New kitten?”

“Yes! He’s black and white and cute as can be. What do you think of the name Taz?”

“I love it! Good choice. Thank you so much for not naming him Oreo. Everyone I’ve ever known with a black and white cat called him Oreo.”

“I thought about it, but Taz seems to be much sweeter.” Tiffani handed the checker her credit card.

After she’d rung her up, the cashier said, “Enjoy your new kitten!”

“Oh, I will. He’s my first pet!” Tiffani pushed the cart toward the truck, stopping to put her purchases into the back seat. She slipped into the vehicle. “I’m naming him Taz.”

Adam laughed. “While you were gone, he was jumping around like someone had attached springs to his feet. Not even a minute ago, he curled up under my chin again to fall asleep.”

She reached over and took the kitten from him. “You really are a little Tasmanian Devil, aren’t you?” She stroked his fur, pleased when he purred. “Thanks for driving me here to get his stuff. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come to my rescue.”

He pulled back onto the highway to head back to the ranch. “Are you unpacking more tonight?”

She nodded. “I need to. I want it done by the weekend. I got my coffee pot and my clothes unpacked last night. I was too tired to do anything else.”

“Well, at least you have your priorities straight. The coffee pot does need to be the first thing.”

“I agree.” She yawned. “What do you usually do in the evenings?”

He shrugged. “I watch some television. Play some computer games. Spend time with my parents.”

“Sounds boring.”

“It is. What do you usually do in the evenings?”

“I go out ballroom dancing.” She kissed the top of the kitten’s little head, loving the feel of his soft fur against her skin.

“Really?”

“No, but it sounds more interesting than what I really do, which is watch television, play computer games, and read.”

He grinned. “Maybe we should try ballroom dancing together.”

“Do you have any idea how to ballroom dance?” Tiffani asked, studying him for a moment. He had to be the most handsome man she’d ever met. She would never get tired of just looking at him.

“None whatsoever. I guess we could take classes together.”

“Are you interested in learning to ballroom dance?”

“Only if it pleases you. I find I’m willing to do just about anything to make you happy. Does that make me pathetic?”

She smiled over at him. “Nope. Just sappy.”

“Why don’t I help you unpack tonight?”

She nodded slowly. “I don’t have anything to feed you, though.”

“We could hit fast food on the way to the ranch. There’s a Taco Bueno on the way.”

“Oh, yes! My favorite! I want two tacos and a beef potato burrito.”

He grinned over at her. “Did you hear that our taco truck backed out of the event next year?” He knew she’d heard, but he couldn’t help teasing her about it.

She nodded. “I’ve talked to three different taco truck drivers, trying to get them to come. I don’t know what we’ll do if we can’t get someone.”

Adam laughed softly. “Maybe you could open your own taco stand.”

“Don’t think I wouldn’t! We have to have tacos if we want to be happy. Tacos mean many happy people!”

“We do a big brisket and lots of barbecue.”

“Barbecue is good, because this is Texas, but we also need tacos!” Tiffani was shocked she needed to explain this to him. He was a native Texan as well!

“All right. We’ll make sure a taco truck is present.”

“I believe that’s my job, Adam.”

“I know it is.” He looked at her for a moment while he waited for the car ahead of him in the drive through to pull forward. “You’re beautiful when you’re talking tacos.”

“They bring out the best in everyone!” She looked down at Taz. “Don’t they bring out the best in everyone?” She stared at the cat for a minute. “You know what? I don’t think you’re a Taz after all. You’re a Bob!”

The kitten looked up at her and let out a loud meow. “I think he agrees with you!” Adam told her. “I’ve never heard of naming a cat Bob before, but it seems to suit him very well.”

“Of course it does. He’s a Bob!”

“A bobcat?” Adam grinned at her as he waited for her to groan. “I feel like we’ve been together forever. You’re already groaning at my jokes!”

“Together? You think we’re together?”

Adam’s face grew serious. “I think I want you to be mine. I’d marry you tomorrow if I thought you’d agree and if the state of Texas would agree with it.”

“I can’t agree to marry someone I don’t know well. I just can’t. And you have to meet my mother before I can even consider marrying you.”

“When will you see her again?”

She waited to answer him while he ordered their food. “I’ll see her this weekend. I’m driving the truck I borrowed back to San Antonio and picking up my car.”

“I’ll go with you.”

She bit her lip. Never in her life had she taken a man home to meet her mother. She just had never met anyone that she was serious enough about to do that. “I don’t know…”

“Introducing me to your mother is not the same as agreeing to marry me. I promise. I just want to meet her and get to know her. She’s important to you, so she’s important to me.”

“I don’t even know how to respond to that. I’ve never known a man could be so sweet. I haven’t taken a man to meet my mother, so it will be strange…”

“Call her and see if it’s okay. I can share the driving with you.”

As soon as he picked up the food and paid for it and she had the smell of tacos in her nostrils, she called her mother. “Mom, I’m going to bring Uncle Simon’s truck back this weekend. Is it okay if I bring a man home to meet you?”

“A man? What’s this man’s name? Are you dating him!”

“Yes, I am. His name is Adam.”

“Isn’t Adam your boss? Tiffani, you can’t date a man at work!”

“There’s no rule against it.” She looked over at Adam, watching him as he drove.

“Bring him, then. I’m praying for you, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom. We’ll see you on Saturday.” Tiffani knew she’d need to call her mother later to clarify.

Adam looked over at her as he pulled into the ranch’s driveway. “She doesn’t want to meet me?”

“She doesn’t think I should date my boss or any man at work. She’s praying for me.”

“Okay. I’ll convince her otherwise.” He was going to marry her, and if she wanted to continue doing the fundraising for the boys’ ranch it would be up to her. He would hire someone else if she preferred, though. He was marrying her either way. The sooner he convinced her of that, the happier they would all be.

Once he’d parked beside her cabin, he got the bag from the backseat and took the Taco Bueno bag in. He’d never met anyone who got as excited about Taco Bueno as she did, but he didn’t tell her that. Many people thought that Taco Bueno was a Texas delicacy.

She opened her door, carrying the kitten. As soon as they were inside, she put the kitten down to let him explore. She set up his food and water bowls before she set up his litter box, and then she washed her hands.

Adam had gotten them each a glass of water, and he’d remembered to get her a separate glass of ice. In that moment, she knew she could love the man. Anyone who would be kind enough to get her a glass of ice was the man she wanted to spend forever with.

She took her tacos and burrito out of the bag. “I haven’t unpacked my plates yet, just my mugs and glasses because I needed coffee so badly. Do you mind eating off the wrapper?”

He shrugged. “I’m a guy. We eat off wrappers all the time. No big deal.”

“I can’t see your mother letting you eat off a wrapper.”

“I did spend many years in college and medical school. She has no idea what I did during that time.”

“Do you ever wish you could live with the boys like your brothers do?”

He nodded. “I always have envied Gideon. He has the power of empathy, but he can shut it off. It would be amazing if I could just use it when I wanted to.” He frowned at her. “And you don’t need to pity me. I’ve come to grips with it, but I do wish I had more freedom.”

“I can understand that.” She reached out and covered his hand with hers. “I think you’re a really incredible person, by the way. I love that you’ve chosen a career that works so well with your gift.”

“I can’t imagine doing anything else. I always knew I wanted to counsel the boys, and I figured I’d just get a degree in psychology and run from there, but I felt prodded to be a psychiatrist. I do love what I do. And I love that if my brother needs help treating people, I can jump in and help.”

“Daniel is the doctor, right?” She was starting to have a hard time keeping the brothers straight. So far, she’d only met Ephraim.

“Yup. He’s a good man too. If you ever get a minor cut go to him, and he’ll fix you immediately. We never take the boys in for stitches, because there’s never a need. He can heal them a whole lot faster than the hospital could.”

“Broken bones too, right?” She knew he’d told her all about Daniel’s powers, but she couldn’t remember specifically what he’d said.

“Yes, broken bones too. He just can’t heal the huge stuff. Diabetes, cancer, cerebral palsy. Little stuff is easy as pie. If someone is lying on the ground bleeding out, he can at least slow down the blood. He’s very good at what he does.”

She finished her taco and crumpled the wrapping tossing it toward the trash. She missed, and it landed on the floor, where little Bob pounced on it. The ball of paper was almost bigger than he was, and she laughed when she watched him play with it. “I think I’m going to love having a pet. I’ll never be lonely again.” She hadn’t meant to tell him she’d been lonely, but it just slipped out.

“I’ll make sure you’re not lonely, Tiffani. You’re never getting away from me.”

“Well, that sounds very stalkerish. You’re not going to stalk me, are you?”

He laughed. “Nope. I’m going to make you the most loved woman alive.” He looked at her, realizing then that he was in love with her already. He’d known her for a week and a half, and all he could think about was marrying her. He knew that’s how it happened in his family, but he really hadn’t ever expected it to happen to him.

She frowned at him. His emotions were so strong, and he was so truthful about them. She was pretty sure she was falling in love with him, but she didn’t feel comfortable saying so. What if he thought that meant she would marry him right away?

“I’m going to start unpacking my kitchen. If you want to help, you’re welcome to.”

He watched her for a moment before nodding. “I’d be happy to help you.” He would just have to be sure not to touch her. Being alone with her this way was really bothering him.

He walked to her living room, carefully avoiding watching her, and he began to unpack boxes. There were a lot of book boxes, so he put books on the shelves. “I’m not sure if you want your books in any certain order, but I’m just going to put them wherever. You can rearrange them later.”

“Sounds good. I usually alphabetize by author and separate into series and order in the series. I won’t ask you to figure all that out for my romances.”

“I appreciate that very much!” He had already emptied two boxes onto the first shelf. “You have a lot of books.” He did too, but they tended to be medical books. Hers were all pleasure reading. He found that intrigued him about her. “You must really love to read.”

She grinned as she found her plates, carefully stacking them on the shelf in her cabinet. She briefly considered washing them, but she’d packed them carefully, and she’d put them in the boxes clean. “I do. I’ve been an avid reader since I was a teenager. My mom loved romances, so I started reading them as well.”

“My mom reads them, too. I thought they were like girl porn for years, but Mom says they all have stories that end in happily ever after.” Adam found it a bit odd that a girl who read romance novels wasn’t more receptive to the idea of meeting a man and marrying him a few days later. Maybe she read the wrong romances.

“They are. I don’t read the smutty books, though there are a lot out there. I don’t look down on women who do read them, either. I figure if they take them out of the real world for a little while, then they’re worth reading.” Tiffani put away a stack of bowls. “I hate books that don’t end in happily ever after, which is why I read romance. I read a young adult recently, and it just broke me. The heroine died at the end of the third book, and I cried for days, and then I got angry. I went through every stage of grief.”

He grinned at her. “You get very involved in your books, it sounds like.”

“You don’t?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t really read any fiction since the Harry Potter books. I’m more of a medical journal kind of guy.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I can’t imagine why anyone would read non-fiction when there are so many wonderful stories in this world.”

“Let’s agree to disagree there, shall we?”

She nodded. “I guess we can.”

At that moment, Bobcat came careening around the corner and crashed into her leg, falling back onto his bum. She laughed softly, happy that he was getting used to his new home. She scooped him up and snuggled him under her chin. “You’re a silly kitty, Bob. You really are!”

Adam watched her from across the room, mesmerized by how sweetly she treated the kitten. He could picture her holding his baby. He took a deep breath closing his eyes to remove the vision. She needed time, and he was going to give it to her if it killed him.

At least she was willing to go to the Friday night cookout with him. And she was going to take him home to meet her mom when she’d never taken any other man. He’d have to let that be good enough for now.

“I’m going to head home. I’ll see you in the morning?” He wasn’t tired yet, and he could stay longer, but he felt his feelings for her building again. With the depth of his emotions, if he got even the slightest inkling that she was thinking about his kiss, he was going to go over the edge.

She nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll be right on time!”

“Plan to spend the morning touring the ranch with me again. I’ll feed you as well.”

“More Taco Bueno?”

He chuckled. “You’re a cheap date if Taco Bueno is what you really want.” He started toward her to kiss her goodnight, but he stopped himself. “Goodnight, Tiffani. Dream of me.”

As she watched him leave, she had a smile on her face. How could she do anything but dream of him? He didn’t give her a choice.

She quickly called her mother to explain. “Sorry I couldn’t say more earlier. My boss is making a hard play for me, but his parents know, and they seem to approve. It’s their company, so it just doesn’t feel wrong. Maybe it should, but it doesn’t.”

Her mother still sounded concerned. “I hope you know what you’re getting into. Men can be deceiving.”

“I know that. I’m going to be fine, Mom.”

“All right. I’ll take your word for it.”

Tiffani sighed. “I’ll see you Saturday for lunch. I love you, Mom.”

“Love you too. Take care of yourself.”

As she set the phone down, Tiffani frowned. She hoped her mother wasn’t right. She didn’t want to get hurt.