“Yes, we should have, but neither of us thought the time was right. She was grieving her mother when we met. No, I think the closer truth is that neither of us could find our balls.”
James’s comment pulled another laugh from Adam.
“I think that last sentence is the God’s own truth. Not exactly a glowing endorsement of either of our intellects, considering we’re both of us, doctors. I guess we’d better find ’em, and fast.”
“Adam? I really don’t think taking on the two of us will scare her off. I really feel as if she’s drawn to us both. I believe she’s already more than half in love with us. It’s right there in her eyes. Do you remember when we toured that street festival a month or so back?”
“I’ll never forget how wonderful it felt with her between us, each of us holding one of her hands.”
“What I’ll never forget is the way her breath hitched—and her nipples hardened. And then, her sigh of pleasure. She was very aroused in that moment and very happy to hold both our hands.”
That was something James hadn’t told him, and he hadn’t noticed it at the time, damn it. “Well then.” Adam slowed the Riviera they’d bought when they’d come to Maryland two years before and put on the right turn signal. He slowed to turn, and then kept the car’s speed down as he negotiated the farm’s long, tree-lined laneway.
“I think I’m going to miss the trees here,” James said. He gazed up at the leafy canopy. “Although it will be good to be back in Texas.”
“It will be good to be back in Texas,” Adam agreed. “As long as we have Pamela with us.”
“You’re planning on asking her to come with us? In less than two weeks? Wow, you found your balls, and apparently, they’re bigger than ever!”
Adam chuckled. “I think we’ve waited long enough. If you’re right and she’s as drawn to us as we are to her, why wait, and why play games?”
“I can hear mother’s colorful descriptions of our characters now.”
Adam stopped the car and put it in park. He and his brother looked at each other and burst out laughing. That last little bit had been officious, even for him. And yes, he could hear their mother, as well. Maria Sanchez Jessop was never coy about voicing her opinion, usually in her very own part-Spanish, part-English way. Her sons knew the more Spanish she used, the more upset she was.
The sound of a door closing jerked their attention to the porch. They both immediately opened their car doors and got out.
Pamela practically ran down the steps.
“Sweetheart? Is everything all right?” James reached her first.
“We’d planned to come to the door,” Adam said.
“No, nothing’s all right. Can we just leave, please?”
Adam met his brother’s gaze over Pamela’s head. “Yes, of course,” Adam said.
“Come, sweetheart. Get in this side.” James led her to the passenger side, and when she got in, he waited for her to scoot over to the middle and then got in himself.
Something was very definitely wrong. Adam slid behind the wheel and waited until James buckled her seatbelt.
“We can carry on with our plans,” Adam said. “Dinner in downtown Baltimore and the symphony. Or we can find a quiet restaurant closer than the city, and you can tell us what’s wrong.”
“That, please.”
“All right. How about the diner in Catonsville? The food’s good, and the supper rush should be over by now.”
“Sounds perfect. Well, almost perfect.”
“What would make it perfect?” James asked.
“If you’d hold my hands.”
Adam turned to meet her gaze. “Sweetheart, we’d do damn near anything for you.” He took her hand and felt her shaking.
“We would,” James said. He took her right hand. “And I think a quiet dinner and some honest conversation is exactly what we—all three of us—need.”
Adam had no way of knowing what had happened to upset their woman. But he was damn sure that he, and James, would move heaven and hell to make things right for her.
Chapter Two
“And that’s how my last couple of hours went.” Pamela looked from Adam to James. They’d sat quietly while she’d told them every detail of the story her father had so recently related her. “You both seem to be so knowledgeable about so many things. It occurred to me that you might know of something we could do?” She shook her head. “Sorry, that I could do to help my father. Daddy is devastated, and he’s all but surrendered to the inevitable. That’s not like him at all.” Pamela knew she couldn’t hide her worry about her father, so she didn’t even try.
“Sweetheart, some things are difficult for a man.” Adam covered her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “For a man like your father, who’s earned his own way with his own two hands and hard work all his life, who not only feels a responsibility toward his children even if they are fully grown, but to those who came before him, this mistake in judgment he made would be hard for him to bear. And really, this sort of thing could happen to any of us.”
“You only met him once, but you seem to understand him. I noticed that at the time, that the two of you hit it off.” She sat back as the waitress brought their coffee and slices of apple pie. They’d eaten their meals and spoken of inconsequential things. This was supposed to be a date, and while the course of the evening had already been altered, the men had suggested, and she’d agreed, to wait until their main course had been eaten before turning to more serious business.
First supper, and then substance.
Just being with Adam and James had her feeling better and steadier. Sharing her burden with them had seemed such a natural thing for her to do. “I don’t expect you
