Page 70 of A Surprise Wedding for the Cowboy

He turned a page, and a section plopped to the floor.

The entertainment section, with the fateful image staring up at her. Dad didn’t appear to notice. Also, he didn’t need to see it. She lunged for it and snatched it up before he seemed to realize what she was doing.

Dad scowled at her and patted the flat surface beside him. “I’ll have time to read the whole thing from cover to cover.”

Not on his life. “It’s not even today’s paper. I can find that one for you.”

One eyebrow rose. “I’ll have time to read both and more. Set it down, honey. I know you’re not interested in the news.”

She clutched the paper, incriminating photo pressed against her chest. “Maybe I have a lot of time to kill today, too.”

“Don’t you have a romance novel on your phone?”

“What makes you think I don’t read anything else? That I can’t possibly be interested in what’s going on in the wider world?”

“The entertainment section?”

Oh. He’d noticed what fell. “There are puzzles.”

Dad folded the paper and set it aside as he studied her. “Is that some sort of metaphor?”

“Pardon me?”

“That your life is more of a puzzle than a romance?”

“I’m not sure how you deduced that.” Or how he’d managed to figure it out. “Romance is real. Tate and I love each other.”

Dad did that eyebrow thing again. “How about you pass me that section of newspaper then.”

Stephanie stared at her father. Had she been set up? Dad had never been particularly astute. On the other hand, he wasn’t stupid, either. Maybe there’d been a reason he’d dug for that particular edition.

“Stephanie?” He held out his hand.

She could run. She could dump the paper in the recycling bin. She could give it to him. In other words, she was cornered, and no matter her choice, Dad would know something was up. She might as well face it.

Wordlessly, she slapped the offending wad into his outstretched hand and turned back to the bulletin board, clutching her arms around herself. Then waited.

“Stephanie. I don’t want to say I told you so, but—”

“Then don’t.” She whirled around and faced him.

Dad sighed. “This is why I wanted you to marry someone we knew well. Someone upstanding with a heart for Jesus. Not some guy you’d just met and fancied yourself to be in love with.” He tapped the photo. “Tate was just after a free nanny and a willing body.”

“I’m still being paid to be Jamie’s nanny, and Tate’s not like that.” He’d been so gentle, so kind.

“The evidence speaks for itself.” Dad shook his head. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but it seems like you already knew.”

“Sage told me Wednesday.”

His lips pressed together. “Such a gossip, that girl.”

Stephanie’s anger flared. “At least she told me instead of pontificating like you’re doing. She helped me face it head-on instead of cutting me down like it was my poor decisions that caused the problem.”

“Faced it head-on? How did you do that?”

“You’re my father. Aren’t you supposed to be loving and kind? Because you look like you’re more invested in being right than in being supportive.”

“Did you ever stop to think how your rash decision made me look in front of the church? The board of elders? My good friend, Marshall? Or, how about at the bank, where you had a perfectly steady job suited to your personality and education? No, you did not consider me.”

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