“I told you,” Winter muttered. “It’s like a hundred years ago.”
“How would you know?” He was curious; after all, she’d spent her life in Europe and he wouldn’t expect her to know a lot of American history.
“I’ve seen Westerns,” she told her father. “This is where the cowboys eat.”
“You’re right,” Aurora said. “This is the summer kitchen.”
The summer kitchen was filled with very busy women organizing platters of food. But in the middle of all the activity was a tall, dark-haired man who hurried through the crowd toward him.
Sam.
Jake swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. His little brother looked good. They shook hands and stood there for a moment, not sure what to do. Then they embraced. It could have been awkward, but it wasn’t. It was reassuring. Sam seemed glad to see him.
“What’s it been,” Jake’s younger brother asked, “ten years?”
“Something like that,” he replied. “I was performing in that show in Miami.”
“And I was coming back from Brazil.”
They grinned at each other.
“Ten years?” A petite black-haired woman hurried up to Sam’s side and smiled as she tucked her arm through his. “Shame on both of you!”
“I’d like you to meet my fiancée,” Sam announced. “Lucia Swallow.”
She released Sam and gave Jake a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I am, too,” he replied, and put his hand on Winter’s shoulder. “My daughter, Winter. Winter, meet your uncle Sam and...Ms. Swallow.”
“Aunt Lucia,” Lucia corrected, giving Winter a hug. “I’ve never had a niece before.”
Sam shook Winter’s hand and grinned. “And now I’m an uncle. I didn’t know that until a little while ago. I’m really glad to meet you.”
“Thank you. I’m a bit of a surprise,” she informed them. “Jake didn’t know about me, either.”
Sam looked at Jake, with an expression that said we have a lot to catch up on. Jake nodded. He saw Lucia glance at Aurora, who had watched the family reunion with undisguised curiosity.
“You need to meet my sons,” Lucia said to Winter. “They’re with my mother. They’ll be so excited to know they have a cousin.”
“Stepcousin,” Winter corrected her, the familiar serious expression on her face. “I’m only a stepcousin.”
“That’s good enough,” Aurora said, joining the conversation. “You’re still part of the family, aren’t you?”
Winter considered that. “I suppose that’s true.”
“You’re very fortunate,” Aurora continued. “I don’t even have stepcousins.”
“You don’t?”
The silver-haired woman shrugged. “Not a one. No uncles, aunts or anyone else.”
“Like me,” Winter said.
Aurora shook her head. “No, you’re in much better shape.”
Jake thought the whole conversation was strange, but his daughter gave Aurora a quick smile.
“Come with me,” Sam said. “We’re going to track down the kids for Aunt Lucia and introduce you.”
“I hear you’re getting married?” Jake said casually.
“Yeah.” Sam glanced at Lucia and smiled as they left the two women standing there. “She’s made me settle down.”
“That’s hard to believe.”
“It was time,” his brother declared, but he looked happy about it.
Jake wasn’t sure if settling down was anything to celebrate, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
CHAPTER THREE
“WOW.”
“Yes,” Aurora said, watching the two men guide the child around the women organizing food onto platters. “Wow.”
“He’s famous, you know,” Lucia said. “He was in some big country-western band years ago. Sam said they toured with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.”
Aurora wasn’t impressed, but she tried to look as if she was. She knew little of country music and much preferred classical. All that wailing about trucks and beer didn’t do anything for her.
“And now,” Lucia continued, “he turns up here with a daughter.”
“I thought something was strange about it,” Aurora confessed. “I even asked Winter if she was all right. I thought she might have been kidnapped or something.”
Lucia turned to look at her, eyes wide. “How do you think of these things? I guess you do have a dark side we don’t know about.”
“I do.” She sighed.
“But it was good of you to check,” her friend said. “Just in case.”
“I sensed something was a bit off,” she explained. “And I was right. She doesn’t know him, and now he’s her father? I feel bad for the kid.”
“What kid?” Owen put an arm around each woman. He was gorgeous in a black suit, a white shirt and a gold and ebony tie. “Who do you feel bad for?”
“Hi, Ranch King,” Lucia said. “Where’s your wife?”
“Hunting down Loralee for some pictures,” he replied. “What kid do you feel sorry for?”
“You’re not going to believe this,” Lucia said, “but Sam’s brother—”
“I heard he’s in town.” Owen released them to take a wheat cracker from the tray in front of them. “Does that mean we’re about to be inundated with groupies and wild musicians?”
Aurora shuddered. “I hope not.”
“A concert would be fun,” Lucia mused. “To celebrate the TV show.”
Aurora gazed at her in horror. “You’re obviously spending too much time with Jerry. It’s exactly what he’d think to do.”
Owen chuckled. “Think of the beer you’d sell.”
She laughed. “True.” Business was business, but there was something about Jake Hove that made Aurora want to run in the opposite direction. He was too good-looking, too sure of himself, too...charming. It was a facade—she was sure of it. And the daughter? The poor child seemed overwhelmed.
“Why do you feel sorry for the little girl?” Owen helped himself to a piece of cheese. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Lucia said. “We don’t know anything about it. What are you doing? We’ll be serving in a few minutes. Go out to the tent. There are appetizers there.”
“I will in a minute. I’m starving. We had to do pictures. I’m supposed to find Mrs. Hancock and drag her out of the kitchen for one last photo.”
The elderly woman had taken charge of the food immediately after the wedding ceremony. “She should be around here somewhere,” Aurora said. “Did you hire her for this?”
He laughed. “She worked for my family years ago. In fact, she was here, in this room, when I met my bride. Meg was working for her that summer.”
“That’s very romantic,” Aurora acknowledged, “but I just arranged those crackers in nice neat rows and if