Rosie and Cal stood on the porch very close together, and when Summer charged out, they quickly pulled apart. Cal took a step toward Adam. Summer breathed a fortifying breath and regained control of her emotions. Straightening her shoulders, she forced a smile even in this stressful situation. “Cal, I’d like you to meet Adam Fairbanks.”
As Cal politely conversed with Adam, Summer’s thoughts escalated into rage. How dare Jesse treat Adam that way? Why was Jesse acting as if he were her Pa? Why did she even care what Jesse Slade thought? She hated him. Well, at least shewantedto hate him.
Unconsciously, she followed Adam to his buggy, and with each step, her anger intensified. Jesse had to be put in his place once and for all. She couldn’t allow him to treat her new beau with such rudeness.
Adam’s hand clutched her elbow, preparing to help her into the carriage, but she withdrew. “Adam? I forgot something inside the house. Stay right here, and I’ll be back.”
She marched back into the cabin, and by the time she reached Jesse’s bedroom, she felt like a cannon ready to explode. She’d let Jesse feel the brunt of her thoughts and give him what for.
As she walked into the room, Jesse was sitting on the edge of his bed with his hands covering his face. The wilted way his shoulders hunched while he rubbed his forehead made her pause, but when the floor squeaked beneath her feet, he jumped up. All expression was wiped from his handsome face, and she thought she’d just imagined his sorrow. His shirt had been unbuttoned and hung open, and she tried not to look at his bare chest.
“Did you forget somethin’?” he asked.
“You have no right.” She walked up to him and pointed her finger to his chest. She tried to ignore the heat seeping through her skin. “I think you owe Adam an apology.”
“Why?
“You know why. You were extremely rude to him.”
“Was not. I thought I was quite polite.”
“Fine then, you were very rude to me.”
He chuckled. “No, Summer, I wasn’t.”
“You have no reason not to like him. He’s a wonderful man.”
He nodded. “Adam seems like a true gentleman.”
She pursed her lips together. Nothing was sinking through his thick skull. Sighing heavily, she dropped her hand. “Why don’t you like him? Is it because you’re jealous?”
“Jealous? Why would I be jealous?”
“Because he’s a gentleman, and his father owns a bank, and because... he likes me.”
Jesse crossed his arms over his masculine chest, covering the spot her gaze couldn’t stay away from.
“Listen, sweetheart, I’m not jealous of him. So, his father is a banker, whoop-tee-do. And so he’s a fine gentleman. I’m happy for him. I’m happy for you. He’s exactly what you need, Summer. Drag him to the church and marry him while he’s still interested.”
Anger flowed through her body, but her heart ached. Jesse acted as if he didn’t care at all if she fell in love with Adam. Whether he knew it or not, Jesse actually gave his permission for her to marry Adam.
Her heart cracked a little more, but she straightened and lifted her chin. “You’re right. Adam is exactly what I need in a husband. He respects me and treats me well, and he’s not so full of himself he cannot see other people’s needs. Adam is everything you’re not, and I’d be stupid to let him go.”
Jesse held the same blank expression, but his jaw tightened. She wished she knew what he was thinking.
“Then go get him, Summer,” he said calmly. “Hurry and go claim your hero.”
Tears threatened her eyes, so before she embarrassed herself anymore in front of Jesse, she turned and ran out of the room, running to the man she hoped would soon take Jesse from her heart forever.
