“Men fix things.” Adam echoed his brother’s earlier words. “We’re scheduled to leave for Texas on April fourth. Do you think you can be ready to go with us by then?”
Pamela looked from Adam to James. Her father had one thing right. She wouldn’t have left home, no matter how much she wanted to be with these two men, as long as he was in a crisis. If these men were willing to marry her and help her father, how could she possibly refuse?
“Yes, I can be ready by then.”
“You’ve made us the happiest men in the world, sweetheart,” Adam said. “Now let’s eat our dessert so we can go back to your house. I need to ask your father for your hand.”
“I sincerely hope you want more of me than just my hand,” Pamela said.
Adam and James both chuckled, and something about the soft, low sound made all her lady parts react. Her nipples peaked, and her panties became damp. Her heart took up a lazy, sexy rhythm, and a shiver of arousal coursed through her.
“Angel, never doubt it. We want you, all of you—mind, body, heart, and soul.” James said.
Definitely either down the rabbit hole or dreaming. Please, no one pull me out or wake me up. Pamela took a bite of her pie and discovered it was now her favorite food in the world.
* * * *
One week later, Pamela Franklin married Dr. Adam Jessop in the living room of the Franklin home.
“We’re going to miss Pamela.” Reg Franklin stood against the outside wall in the living room, his new son-in-law beside him. Both men held a bottle of beer. Adam’s gaze was on his bride. Just watching the two of them together as they’d repeated their vows earlier had eased Reg’s heart immensely.
Adam’s brother James never left Pamela’s side, standing with her as she mingled with the family and friends they’d invited for this happy, if somewhat spontaneous, occasion. Reg had to admire the close relationship the two brothers had. It reminded him of his own dear brother, Matthew. How Elizabeth had adored him, and he, her! And how they had both mourned deeply when Matt had been killed by that drunk driver. Reg mentally shook his head. That loss had been fifteen years ago last month. The pain had eased, and it did console him to know Matthew and Elizabeth were now together.
Still, seeing the closeness the three shared comforted him. His daughter might be going all the way to Texas to live, but she wouldn’t be alone.
“I can’t thank you enough for what you did to help me out of that mess I got myself into.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” Adam said. “One thing Pamela and I agree on is that family is everything—and you’re my family now, too. Plus, we know our future children’s education fund will be in very good hands.”
“How you can say that when I made such a fucking stupid mess of things…”
Adam placed his hand on Reg’s shoulder. “Reg? None of us is perfect. You’ve had a rough year. Cut yourself some slack. I can write that out as a prescription, if you like.”
Reg chuckled. “I’ll work on it. Pamela asked for all the papers those con men gave me—prospectus, business cards, even the newspaper ad I’d clipped out. When I asked her why she wanted them, she said she didn’t want me looking at them and beating myself up over them. So, I gave them to her. I wanted you to know that.”
“Pamela loves you, and in her way, she gave you the same advice I just did. It’s time to close the door to the past and look to the future.”
Reg considered Adam. The man had come that Friday night—the night he’d confessed his sins to his daughter—to ask his permission to marry Pamela. He’d also offered to invest in the farm. They’d gone through Ted. The terms of the investment were that a percentage of the profits would be paid each year into a trust fund, to provide educations for Pamela’s future children.
Adam is wise beyond his years. Reg would have refused a “bail-out” under any other circumstances. He still balked, until Ted, having made inquiries, let him know just how much the Jessops of Lusty, Texas, were worth. As Ted had said, the man was literally taking funds from one investment strategy and placing them in another. It really wasn’t a bailout at all.
Yeah, I’ll never believe that. But maybe I can let go of some of my guilt.
Since those were the words Adam himself had more or less used, Reg was becoming more comfortable with the situation. Adam was absolutely right in that they were family, now. And understanding how strongly Pamela had felt about moving home to help in the aftermath of Elizabeth’s death, he understood something now about Adam, too. The man was devoted to Pam’s happiness and had done what he could to ensure she had nothing to worry about where her father was concerned.
“You’re right, Adam. It is time to look ahead to the future. In fact, I’ve already taken one small step. This morning, I hired Mrs. Mulvaney, from down the road, to come and cook for us. She’s widowed, in her fifties, and her kids don’t visit as much as they should. She sounded pleased at the prospect of coming by for a bit each day, and she’s a damn fine cook. That’ll be one more thing my Pammy-pooh doesn’t have to worry about.” He caught Adam’s quick grin at the nickname.
“That’s good news. You know that we’ll visit, and you and the twins are always welcome to come visit us.”
“I’ll plan on it. Never been to Texas.” Then he asked the question he’d been wanting to ask for a few days now. “Lusty, huh?”
Adam Jessop actually
