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own.”
    “Nu-uh.”
    “For real.” Karise had never been opposed to animals; she’d just never had time for them.
    “Not even a puppy?”
    “Nope. I mean, we had chickens when I was a little girl, but they weren’t really pets.”
    “Wow.” Zoe shook her head in disbelief. “I have lots of pets and I have chickens.”
    “You do? How many pets do you have?” Karise tried to picture Aidan taking care of chickens.
    “32.”
    Karise gave her a look that said she didn’t believe the little girl’s claims, but she didn’t dispute them. Instead she reached out to pat a nearby goat on the head.
    “Not like that.” Zoe rolled her eyes before demonstrating. “Like this.”
    “They like getting their neck scratched, huh?”
    “And behind their ears.”
    Karise imitated the girl’s movement, discovering that Zoe was right. The goat definitely had a sweet spot. It even rewarded her with a little goaty smile.
    Zoe nodded approvingly. “Good job.”
    Karise laughed when the animal tried to get its lips around the end of her sleeve. She studied the cute little creature with its brown and black splotches on a blanket of white. “Their eyes are weird.”
    Aidan knelt down beside Karise. “That’s what I thought at first, but you get used to it.”
    “Oh, you have a lot of experience with goats, do you?”
    “I told you we have lots of pets,” Zoe reminded her.
    “You’re a goat farmer?” Karise choked on the question.
    “I prefer to think of it as a producer of specialty cheeses, but yes, goats are a part of it.”
    Karise stood up abruptly, turning her back to the fence and folding her arms across her chest. “You told me you were an artist.”
    “I was just messing with you,” he admitted with a sheepish grin, rising to lean against the fence next to her.
    “You brat.”
    Zoe looked from one adult to the other, soaking up every word they said.
    “I was an art major in school. I had a little bit of a career in it, before…” He cast a glance down at Zoe. “I still design our labels, if that counts for anything.”
    Karise didn’t know if she was perturbed or amused. With a slight shake of her head she looked down at Zoe and summed it up with one word: “Men.”
    “Men.” Zoe nodded in full agreement.
    “Are you going to be a bad influence on my daughter?” Aidan looked mildly concerned.
    Karise put on her most angelic expression. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
    That seemed like as good of a place as any to leave things, so she bid the pair farewell and went to see if there was anything she could do to help Kate. She stayed busy after that, running any errands that were needed and when none were, she chatted with the stream of people Kate or Gavin brought her way for introductions.
    Many of the faces blended together, however hard Karise worked to keep them all straight. The pair that stood out easily was Kate’s father and stepmother. Jack was a handsome man, one who’d obviously been young when he’d become a father. Physically, the only thing they shared was the same unusual shade of moss green eyes. It was their mannerisms that gave away the connection between them. Tara looked to be about Kate’s age. She was a beautiful woman with blond hair, brown eyes, and an enchanting smile. Karise liked Tara almost as quickly as she had Kate and Gavin, even if she was yet another in a long line of artists that fate seemed to be throwing her way.
    Jack, on the other hand, seemed wary of Karise . She told herself she was probably just imagining it, until an offhand remark in the buffet line furthered her impression. Karise was so focused on finally getting to eat some of the barbeque that had been tantalizing her for ages that she almost missed it when he engaged her in conversation.
    It finally clicked that his comment about the party had been directed toward her, and he was waiting for a response. “It is a lovely party. Kate has a real talent.”
    “That’s right – the two of you met at an