The sadness in my momma’s expression makes me want to reach out and hug her. If I do, she might cry. I don’t want to make her cry. Instead, I focus on the dishes.
“You would’ve made a great father, Adam,” she says after a few minutes.
I shrug, not really wanting to be reminded of what I didn’t get out of life. “I would’ve loved to have had the chance to try.”
I dry off my hands before I turn around to face her. She knows this is a sore subject for me, and I hate that she’s bringing it up.
She eyes me carefully before she speaks. “You and Camille seem to be getting along well.”
I lean against the counter and cross my arms over my chest. I can tell by the look on her face she has something more significant to say. Any time my momma has words to speak, she stares with that blank, concerned look. “We are.”
“I like her. And her daughter is a sweetheart.”
“Yes, Lizzy is a great kid.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. We both know this is not what she has to say. There’s something much deeper on her mind than her opinion of Camille and Lizzy. “Get to the point, Momma.”
“Be careful, Adam.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That woman has been through a lot.” Momma’s voice cracks and when I look up at her, her gaze is watery. “You really like her. Maybe even more than you’re willing to admit to yourself. I don’t want to see you get your heart broken again.”
I push off the counter and pull momma into a hug. I love that she cares so much, but she doesn’t need to worry. I do enough of that for everyone. “You can relax. We’re just getting to know each other. There’s nothing serious going on between us.”
Momma cups my cheek and gives me a weak smile. “I don’t believe that for a second.”
I drop my head and sigh. Those just might be the truest words my momma has spoken all night.
By the timeI make it out to the back porch, my brothers have Camille and Lizzy laughing. It’s a cool night, but they lit the outside fireplace, making it nice and toasty on the porch.
“All right, what kind of stories are you two telling the girls?” I slide into the seat next to Camille and sling my arm over the seat behind her. She looks up at me, her warm smile bringing out my own. When she tucks herself in closer to me, my mood improves. That small action makes my heart leap, and I forget all about my momma’s words of warning.
“Don’t worry, bro. We’re not talking about you,” Joe says. “Matt’s the butt of all these jokes.”
“Well, that certainly explains all the laughs, then.” I catch Matt’s eye and smile. He may have had a rough life, but he also knows how to have fun. He and Joe bring a lot of good laughs into the Langdon house.
“Where’d Leann go?” I ask.
“She’s putting Emmie to bed. She’s gonna stay at Momma’s since I have to be in Kalispell by eight in the morning for a seminar.”
“Business still going well?” I ask.
“Yep, better than ever. Having all the extra space next door really helps. It allowed me to expand in ways I couldn’t when I was traveling. Uncle Jimmy even offered to sell me the house and barn and a small bit of the land surrounding it.”
“Really?” I jerk my head up in surprise. That house and barn have been in the Evans family for four generations. It’s as much a part of the neighboring vineyard as the grapes themselves.
The Evans family has seen their fair share of tragedy, though. Uncle Jimmy is all that remains of the Evans in Watercress Falls.He isn’t our uncle, but everyone calls him that. Always have. A few years back, his brother and sister-and-law were killed in a car accident. It hit the entire town hard. But no one was as impacted as their two children, Jessica and Ryan. Neither of them have been back since their parents' funeral.
“Yep, Uncle Jimmy’s getting on in years, and since he’s been living in the bunkhouses, he doesn’t need to keep it. So, yeah. He offered to sell it to me.”
“And Jessica and Ryan are okay with it?”
He winces at the mention of Jessica’s name. He’s never really talked about it, but last time they spoke, they parted on bad terms. “Uncle Jimmy says they’re fine with it.”
I nod and am about to say something more when Leann barrels through the back door. “Man, can that girl fight sleep. She’s too excited tonight. I think she really likes our guests.”
Leann beams at Camille and Lizzy.
“Aw, she’s a sweet kid. I hope to see more of her now that I call Watercress Falls home.” Camille turns to Matt with a grin. “If you’re ever in a pinch for someone to watch her, I work from home. I’d love to have her over sometime.”
