He thought about that, then with the ease of the very young, he changed the uncomfortable subject. “Which of them can play? Zoe or Maddie?”

“Zoe. I have pictures that I brought with me. Of my life in Idaho and the people there. Zoe, Maddie. Zoe’s fiancé, Ty. Want to see them?”

He lifted his shoulder again. “You going to play or what?”

“Oh, we’re going to play. We’ll look at the pictures after I beat you,” she teased.

“I’m not going to lose to you.” Then he looked directly at her, for the first time since she’d gotten there, and his eyes filled with a fierce pride she knew well.

It was like looking into a mirror, and it took a moment before she could answer. “Well, let’s see if you’re as good as you say.”

“I am.”

Delia silently thanked all those torturous days she’d played with Zoe when they’d been young, for in truth, Jacob was good. Better than good. In less than fifteen minutes, she was laughing and admitting defeat.

Cocky, he held the ball and watched as she bent over, trying to catch her breath. She expected him to make fun of her, but all he said was, “You’re in pretty good shape.”

Lifting her head, she stared at him in surprise.

“For an old chick in a silly dress,” he added.

Scott, who’d been watching from the sidelines, laughed. “Not the way to a woman’s heart, sport. Never mention their age. And most definitely not their appearance.”

Jacob’s smile faded. “Sorry,” he mumbled, and turned away.

Delia could have cheerfully strangled Scott, who had, admittedly, been only teasing. But clearly Jacob thought he’d insulted her and now was either wary or embarrassed.

“Ready to see those pictures?” she said, trying to get the good mood back.

But Jacob merely shrugged, his back to her, and for the rest of the day, he was unreachable.

The next group of guests arrived at the Triple M. It was easier this time, especially since the three sisters and Ty knew what to expect.

Maddie outdid herself in the kitchen. Ty and Zoe were a complete success with a mock roundup.

And Delia, without the distraction of the unbearably sexy Cade, found herself enjoying running the house. The hard work kept both her hands and her mind busy, which was exactly what she needed.

The wedding plans helped, too, especially since when she was sewing, she felt validated. One thing she could most definitely do, and do well, was sew.

But through it all, she counted down the calendar toward the custody hearing, which would occur only days after Zoe’s wedding, wondering as she did how Cade was coming along on the lead about her father.

Several times each of her sisters had pressed her about Cade, always with that hopeful speculative gleam in their eyes.

They wanted to know what was going on.

Nothing, Delia always claimed, but no one seemed to believe her.

Cade was interested, no doubt. She knew that from his hot looks and even hotter kisses. But he wasn’t interested enough to want more, wasn’t interested in sharing himself.

She was better off without him.

Or so she told herself in the deep of the night when she awoke with that strange haunting need to be held against a man’s warm hard body. And not just any man, but one with fathomless dark eyes and the ability to see past her facade.

On Saturday, as she was racing down the back hallway, a pile of fresh towels in her arms, she heard the office phone ring. She thought about not getting it, but it could be someone wanting reservations, which in turn equaled cash.

Money was still in short supply. But they were booked for nearly every available weekend, so things were looking up. Breathless, Delia slipped into the office, juggled the load of towels in her arms and pushed the speaker button, just as Maddie and Zoe came running from opposite directions, each looking every bit as harried as she did.

“Hello, Triple M,” Delia said, just as Maddie and Zoe came to a skidding halt, nearly colliding in the hallway. Delia waved and they waved right back before turning back to whatever they’d dropped to answer the phone.

The voice of Edna on the speaker stopped them all short.

“Jacob,” Delia said quickly. “Is he all right?”

“Oh, of course he is. Brought in a lizard not too long ago,” the older woman said dryly. “Lovely. Anyway, we got to talking. Jacob mentioned he might like to visit Idaho.”

“And bring his lizard?” Zoe asked teasingly.

Delia managed the introductions, hardly hearing a word that was said. She’d nearly dropped her load of towels in shock at the casually worded request from Edna.

With a sweet knowing smile, Maddie came forward and gently took the load from Delia’s arms. Zoe, not so gently, pushed the shaky Delia into the nearest chair, for which she was thankful since her knees were shaking.

Jacob wanted to come to Idaho.

Delia drew in a deep breath to remain calm. Or at least sound calm. “Anytime,” she said to Edna. “Come anytime at all. Actually, now works for me.”

Edna laughed. “Oh, wonderful. Do you have room for us next weekend?”

They had their hands full, most definitely, but they weren’t filled to capacity. Still, they were new at this, and her sisters might not appreciate the extra burden on such short notice.

Delia looked over at them. Both were nodding their heads, smiling their encouragement.

Their support caused such a rush of affection she could hardly put her words together. “We have room,” she said, her voice husky with emotion. “We’ll always have room.”

“Then we’ll be there,” Edna said.

And Delia had to put her head down between her knees.

“They’re here,” Delia whispered, suddenly terrified, as she looked out the front window of the big house.

Zoe peeked past her. “Hmm. Pretty skinny, isn’t he?”

Maddie squeezed between them to stare, as well. “He’s just a baby! Oh, look at him, how sweet, pretending he’s not dying of curiosity. You know, I can have him fattened up in no time.”

Delia gripped the curtains, watching her brother hop out of Ty’s truck. Edna followed, with Ty’s help. “I hope she isn’t insulted that we sent Ty for her.”

“She knows we have a full house,” Maddie assured her. “She understands. Oh, look at Jacob’s face. He’s just the cutest thing.”

His eyes lit with excitement, Jacob turned toward the barn, then the horses in the corral.

“City boy,” Zoe said with a fond sigh. “We’ll have to fix that.”

Delia just soaked up the very welcome sight of him. Whether he admitted it to her or not, he’d told Edna he wanted to come.

She’d hold that knowledge close to her heart.

“You’re shaking,” Zoe told her.

“I am not.”

Maddie touched her arm. “Dee, it’s okay to be nervous.”

“I’m not.”

Zoe snorted. “You’re terrified. Of a little boy.”

Delia glared at her, but Maddie, ever the peace-maker, stood between them. “She’s teasing you, Delia, and if you weren’t so preoccupied, you’d know that and ignore her. Honey, look, we know this is difficult for you, and in Zoe’s sweet loving manner-” she lifted a daring eyebrow at Zoe when she snorted again “-she’s offering support. We’re offering support.”

Delia let her gaze fall back to Jacob. “Okay. I might be a little nervous.” She straightened and shot Zoe a look. “But I’m not scared, so just zip it or I’ll make you do my chores for a change. I doubt you’d last long making beds.”

Zoe grinned and swung an arm around Delia’s shoulders. “Let’s go greet our baby brother, okay?”

“Together,” Maddie said, hugging them both.

Grateful for their love and support, Delia opened the front door-just in time to see who else got out of Ty’s truck.

Cade.

And damn her traitorous heart, it gave a leap of gladness.

“It’s simple once you get the hang of it,” Delia said to Jacob as she assisted him into the saddle. “You just hold on here.” She handed him the reins and smiled up into his nervous-but-trying-to-be-cool face. “How does it feel?”