Josh’s game turned out to be a modernized take on the classic pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Only in this version, where Velcro was used instead of sharp implements, the blindfolded player was trying to successfully place a soft white bone in the puppy’s waiting mouth.

Behind her, Adam said sotto voce, “No animals were harmed in the making of this game,” and Brenna giggled.

Later, as they all stood in Brenna’s front yard with sparklers, her stepbrother confronted her in a whisper. “Admit it, Natalie and I were right. See how much fun a double date can be?”

She glanced to where Adam stood with Morgan, and her heart contracted. Fun was too frivolous a word for the pull of poignant, unpredictable emotions inside her.

Trying to keep her voice lighter than she felt, she protested, “I’m admittedly out of practice, but I’m not sure you can call this a date. Too much scrutiny. I couldn’t even hold his hand without worrying about how it would affect three minors.”

“I see what you mean.” He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “You know, Natalie and I were just talking about that new animated movie coming out and how we’d feel silly going to see it without taking any kids with us. Think Adam would let us borrow his one night this week?”

All the longing she’d been trying to suppress since Adam kissed her bubbled to the surface at the thought of stealing some private time with him. They’d never been truly alone. “You are the best brother in the world.”

He slung an arm over her shoulders. “I’ve been telling you that for years.”

ADAM PARKED the car in the visitors’ lot at Kerrigan Farms, glancing appreciatively at the endless stretch of vast blue sky. “Can’t ask for a prettier Sunday afternoon than this, can you?”

“Nope,” Morgan agreed cheerfully.

“I don’t think he actually needed an answer,” Eliza said, oozing condescension. “It’s called a rhetorical question.”

Adam spun around to fix his middle child with a paternal glare. “She can answer if she wants. What’s got you in such a bad mood?”

Her only response was to glare back at him.

He was truly baffled. Everyone had seemed to have fun at Brenna’s Friday evening, and yesterday they had an innocuous combination of hiking to a nearby waterfall, shooting pool at the lodge and going to the actual pool. Where, Adam had been relieved to notice, Bobby the Punk Lifeguard had been replaced for the day by a patrician-featured woman in her mid-twenties. It had been a relaxed, enjoyable day, despite all the times he’d found himself thinking of Brenna and their upcoming date Tuesday night. He’d practically hugged Josh in gratitude when the guy had asked if he and Natalie could take the kids out for pizza and a movie.

It was irrational how much Adam looked forward to seeing her again. Could he possibly be missing a woman he’d seen only a day and a half ago? There was a slim possibility their paths would cross this evening. She’d agreed that he and the kids could stop by on their way back from the farm to visit Ellie for a few minutes, but Brenna wasn’t sure she’d be home from her appointments.

“You know where the key is,” she’d said. “Feel free to let yourself in.”

He’d thanked her, hoping he sounded gracious and completely unlike a man needy for her company. If she was home, the most he could hope for was casual conversation benign enough for young ears and, if he was lucky, a quick, hard kiss goodbye such as the one he’d stolen Friday on the pretext of having left his wallet in her house.

Seeing his own grin in the rearview mirror, Adam reflected that it was ridiculous how much the prospect of small talk and a pilfered kiss cheered him.

The four of them got out of the SUV and strolled down a shaded path to the welcome booth, where he paid the nominal entrance fee.

The woman there introduced herself as Kasey Kerrigan and handed them a map of the farm. “See these X’s? Those indicate where Ben’s set up coolers. They’re stocked with ice and bottles of water. Please, help yourself. The last thing we want is someone passing out because of sunstroke or dehydration. We do have a doctor visiting this afternoon, but I’m sure he’d rather enjoy his day off than administer emergency first aid,” she said with a smile.

“My daddy’s a doctor, too!” Morgan informed her.

“Oh? Varner…” Kasey repeated his last name as if trying to recall whether she’d heard it before. “Are you one of the new docs they’ve hired at the medical complex?”

“No, ma’am. Just here for a few weeks to enjoy Mistletoe with my kids.”

“Well, have fun!”

Adam handed the map to Geoff so the three kids could consult it together. “What do we want to do first?”

Morgan didn’t even have to think about it. “Petting zoo!”

Eliza snorted. “Petting zoos are for babies.”

“Are not! Dad-”

“Eliza, apologize to your sister.”

She did so. Resentfully.

“Maybe I can’t mandate a good mood the way I can a curfew, but I can tell you to stop inflicting your annoyance on everyone else. Understood?” When she nodded, Adam gentled his tone. “Do you want to talk about what’s wrong?”

“I just don’t feel good,” she mumbled. “Let’s go check out those animals now. Might as well get this over with.”

Adam sighed. “That’s the spirit.”

ADAM STOOD IN LINE behind an older man at a makeshift concession stand. The Varners had downed several bottles of water so far, but now Morgan was saying she could use food. And I could use a stiff drink. Today had not been an overwhelming hit. Though Morgan was having fun, Geoff didn’t seem to think that picking his own blueberries ranked up there with white-water rafting or even playing video games on his DS back at the Chattavista. Then there was Eliza.

The animals had been “smelly,” she claimed to be “dying of the heat,” and when he’d handed her a cold water to help cool off, she’d complained that it tasted funny.

Now the three children sat on a nearby bench while Adam waited to buy snacks and soft drinks. Since Morgan and Eliza had been at each other’s throats for the past couple of hours, he was relieved when a little boy about Morgan’s age wandered over to her and engaged her in a conversation about a cartoon she and Geoff sometimes watched together. She’d tried to explain some of the creatures and their origins to Adam, but he mostly remained clueless.

Now Morgan chatted happily as Adam paid the vendor. Eliza could either sulk in silence or pick a fight with her brother, but he figured Geoff could handle himself. When Adam turned, he saw that the man who’d been in front of him in line was now standing with the little boy.

The man, round but not overweight with a head of thick gray hair, nodded a greeting to Adam. “Seems like my grandson and your little girl have some common interests.”

Adam distributed drinks and soft jumbo pretzels while the two five-year-olds talked some more. Upon learning that Morgan was the same age as him, the boy got excited about the possibility of Morgan being in his kindergarten class.

“Nah, we live too far away,” Morgan said. “We’re visiting from Tennessee.”

“First time in Mistletoe?” the boy’s grandfather asked Morgan, “or do you have family in the area?”

“First time,” she said.

“Welcome to our town. I hope you’re enjoying your stay. I’m Gerald Kimborough and this is my grandson, Todd.”

Adam whipped his head around. “Dr. Gerald Kimborough, the nephrologist?”

The other man laughed. “You must either be in the medical profession yourself or you know a patient of mine.”

“Dr. Adam Varner.” He held out a hand. “Cardio. I like to stay current on other disciplines. I read that case study you had published on renal-transplantation patients. But I thought it mentioned that you were a nephrology fellow up in New England.”

“I was. My wife’s family is from Georgia, though, and our daughter settled here. I moved down to help run the new dialysis facility. Mistletoe has an active retirement community, along with a great seniors center and newly expanding medical complex. We’re building such a great reputation that some patients north of Atlanta are choosing to make the drive up here to see us, instead of going into the metro area for treatment. Drawing more doctors, too, for kidney treatment and the cardio unit.

“It’s a chance to keep doing what I do best, but in a different environment from where I was before. Plus,” he added with a fond smile at the towheaded child, “now I get to spend more time with the big guy.”

“Dad!” Eliza’s tone was so impatient that she’d obviously been waiting for a break in the conversation. “We’ve fed goats, we’ve picked berries. Can we go now?”

Anger surged through Adam that she could continue to be so ungrateful after he’d tried for days on end to spend time with them and help them have fun. He turned to her. “I know it’s hot outside, but you’re sitting in the shade and you have a cold drink. Cutting short other people’s fun because you’re bored is just selfish,” he admonished. “You had a manicure the day before yesterday, got to explore a waterfall, are going rafting tomorrow and are planning to see a movie on Tuesday, to say nothing of the big Fourth of July celebration. Not every second can be go, go, go, Eliza. You’re twelve, which is mature enough to stop acting like a spoiled brat!”

She recoiled as if he’d slapped her, her expression stricken. When tears welled up in her eyes, she mumbled an “Excuse me” and bolted for the nearby restroom. Watching her hasty exit, Adam felt like an ogre.

Dr. Kimborough cleared his throat, looking embarrassed. “Yes, well, lovely to have met you. Todd, let’s run along so the Varners can finish up their tour of the farm.”

“I’m sorry,” Adam said. “I-”