directly behind the armchair her grandfather occupied and leaning into it, resting his elbow on the cushion.
“No family,” Johnny said briskly. He wanted to fold his arms across his chest in a protective move, but he didn’t want to let go of Jenn to do it, so he remained where he was. He didn’t want to talk about this subject—not to this nice, close, happy family. But he knew he had to say something. “I’m an orphan, sir.”
Best to stay as close to the truth as possible, he decided. As a Christian, it went against every moral grain in his body to submit even the smallest white lie to anyone, but he’d suddenly discovered a chivalrous streak he hadn’t even known he possessed until this moment.
At first, this charade had been about himself, about protecting his own identity and getting to spend a couple weeks finding out how a real family functioned.
Now it was about Jenn.
When the family had abruptly broken off his conversation with Jenn, he’d moved to her side without a moment’s thought or hesitation, going straight on gut instinct. An instinct to protect the beautiful woman now lodged firmly, if not comfortably, in his arms.
The fact that he was protecting her from herselfcrossed his mind, but it didn’t matter now. He’d made his decision and he was going to stick with it.
“Well, you’ve got family here, son,” Jenn’s grandfather said firmly. “Any friend of Jenn and Scotty’s is always welcome here.”
To his surprise, Johnny found himself fighting a burning sensation in the back of his eyes. He’d thought he’d put aside all his hurt and anguish at having grown up without a family, but Jenn’s grandfather’s words pierced his heart.
Johnny wasn’t a crying man. He hadn’t shed a single tear since he was five years old and his bully of a foster brother had beaten him up for being such a sissy.
He grit his teeth against the onslaught of emotion, determined to overcome it by sheer strength of will but entirely unable to speak.
“That’s right, honey,” Auntie Myra said, ruffling Johnny’s hair as she would a young boy. “Now that you’re dating our precious Jenn, you’ve got to consider us all your family. And I expect you to call me Auntie Myra. I know the rest of my family feels the same—Granny, Granddad.”
Johnny opened his mouth to speak but only a choking sound emerged.
Auntie Myra held up her hands, thinking he was trying to beg off. If only she knew.
“No, no, we won’t hear of anything else, will we, folks?”
Her family clamored over each other to be the first to agree.
Jenn’s mother placed a hand on Johnny’s shoulder. “I know you must be feeling a little overwhelmed right now, Johnny. Don’t let them frighten you away. I know you and Jenn are just dating. You probably haven’t made any long-term plans.”
That was an understatement. He and Jenn hadn’t gotten so far as to what they were going to do in the next minute, much less the next two weeks. Johnny swallowed hard and nodded.
“Still and all, things being the way they are, Jenn’s father and I would be honored if you would treat us like family, even if it’s just for these two weeks.”
Johnny looked at Jenn. Her bright blue eyes were shimmering with unshed tears, from joy or chagrin he couldn’t say.
For himself, Johnny thought this might be the happiest moment of his life, and it was certainly going to be the best two weeks he’d ever spent.
He was still feeling guilty about deceiving these kind people, but it was really only a sin of omission, wasn’t it?
Anyway, he was already committed. In for a penny, and all that. For the next two weeks, he decided, he was going to toss away guilt and savor every moment.
Because for the first time in his entire life, he had a family.
“We need to make some ground rules,” Jenn said firmly, as she showed Johnny to his room. “Since you’ve decided to play this little game.” Her tone was both defensive and accusatory.
“You started it,” he reminded her, then clamped his jaw shut as he realized he sounded like a five-year-old bantering with a sibling.
Jenn Washington was most definitely not his sibling. His grip on his saddle pack increased with every step. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“It’s true. I did,” she admitted quietly after a moment’s pause.
At least she had the maturity to own up to her part in this charade. Johnny respected her for that.
“What I don’t understand is why you decided not to call my bluff,” she said, gesturing him into a small corner bedroom.
Johnny quickly scanned the room. There was a neatly made twin bed with a colorful quilt folded at the bottom, a writing table which faced one of two windows, and a clothes rack in lieu of a closet.
There wasn’t space for a closet, or anything else, for that matter. Johnny had to duck his head to get through the doorway.
He set his saddle pack against the foot of the bed and then sat down, feeling less awkward sitting than standing. He looked at Jenn expectantly, wondering if she was going to keep on about the subject of why he hadn’t called her bluff, or if she would move on to something else.
Thankfully, it was something else. “I apologize for the cramped quarters. This is the only spare guest room we have left.”
“Not a problem,” Johnny assured her.
“You’re positive you won’t be claustrophobic? You’re used to sleeping under the stars, I’m sure.”
He didn’t think now was the time to mention he’d shared a dorm room smaller than this in college. “Like I said, I’ll be fine. If I get the hankering, I have my bedroll. I can always go out by the barn and sleep under the stars.” He winked at her.
“Yes, I suppose you can,” she agreed with a smile. “And then come back inside for a hot shower in the morning. What a novel idea for a cowboy.”
Actually, he was looking forward to sleeping inside again, on a real bed, and most especially taking a hot shower every morning, but he didn’t tell her that. He just grinned.
“Now, back to my original statement. Ground rules,” she reminded him. “And I still want to know why you decided to masquerade as my Johnny.”
“That’s a simple answer,” he replied, opening the frilly blue gingham curtains to let in what was left of the sunshine. Since the window above the authentic pinewood writing desk faced east, he knew he’d see a lot more of the sun come morning.
He grinned. “I’ve never had a family. You’ve just given me two weeks with one. It’ll be a new experience for me.”
He was surprised when she didn’t smile back, but rather frowned at him. “Are you serious? You want to be a part of my family? You’ve spent more than five minutes in
