“I like all of them, too. I envy you growing up in this family. It must be wonderful, knowing you’re part of the Bridger Bunch.”
“It is wonderful.” He hesitated. “We’re always open to taking in new members.” Might be the wrong thing to say, but he couldn’t resist.
She paused at the base of the steps and turned to him. “I would absolutely come back to visit, but it wouldn’t be fair to you.”
His chest tightened. “Don’t worry about me.”
“I can’t help it.” She lowered her voice. “You’re in love with me.”
He sucked in a breath. Deny it, fool! He couldn’t. She had him dead to rights.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jordan instantly regretted those words. The panic in Luis’s eyes cut her to the quick. “I’m sorry. Wrong time. Wrong place.”
“Let’s fix that.” He tugged on her hand, leading her away from the steps and toward the far side of the house.
“Hey, you guys!” Rio called out. “You can’t get in that way! Adam told us all the doors except these are locked!”
She glanced back. Rio was beckoning to them. “Listen, maybe we should?—”
“We need to talk.”
“Let ’em be, little brother.” Monty hustled him up the steps.
“Luis, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to break up the party. I?—”
“Not your fault. I started it.” His voice was tight. “It’s fine.” He reached the corner of the building and ducked around it. “There’s a place. It’s through that break in the hedge.”
She followed where he led, turning sideways to fit through the narrow space between a couple of sweet-smelling hedges. “I guess you would know the area.”
“Like the back of my hand.” A wooden bench, gray with age, sat almost hidden under the hanging branches of a willow. Parting the branches, he ushered her through. “Want to sit?”
“Sure.” She put her backpack on the bench and settled down on warm wood smoothed from years of backsides resting on it.
He sat beside her, his thigh brushing hers, his hands clasped loosely between his knees, his attention focused on the willow branches swaying gently in the breeze. Taking off his hat, he laid it beside him and ran his fingers through his hair.
The greenery muted the sounds of the crowd. Above them, birds chirped and fluttered. This would be lovely if she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell. She waited, heart thumping.
He cleared his throat. “I am in love with you. I was pretty far gone five years ago, but I convinced myself it wasn’t the real thing.” He turned his head, his gaze steady. “This is.”
She gulped. “I’m so sorry I dropped into your world and made a mess of things.”
“Please don’t be. This is my problem, not yours. I’m in love with you and you’re in love with my family. I’m happy that you’ve made a connection with them. I hope you’ll feel free to come back any time you want.”
“But—”
“I can handle it. Who knows? Maybe next week some amazing woman will show up and sweep me off my feet.”
“That would be terrific. I hope it happens.” She hated the idea, which proved what a lousy person she was.
He smiled. “You don’t much care for that concept, do you?”
“I do! I want you to find someone else!”
“No, you don’t. You looked like you’d just tasted something nasty.”
“Maybe I don’t like the idea right now, but I will when it happens.”
