He brushed some leaves off his jeans. "Sometimes messin' and savin' are the same thing. But that's why I'm tryin' to be so careful all the time."

Adam took Pepper's hand. "It helps more than you know to have you here, though, Pep. Brian and Wensley, too. An' I know that you can handle this kind of stuff. I guess I just hoped you wouldn't hafta."