Her Alaskan Cowboy. Belle Calhoune
eyes. Joshua Ransom, her high school sweetheart, was back in town. Her first instinct was to hop back onto Lola and ride off as quickly as possible in the opposite direction.
“Honor.” The sound of her name tumbling off his lips was startling. It had been six years since she’d last heard it. Truthfully, she had never believed she would ever hear it again.
“Joshua.” Somehow she managed to speak past the huge lump in her throat.
“It’s been a long time,” he said, his mouth quirking. “How are you?”
Her mouth felt as dry as cotton. “I’m doing well. And you?” she asked, marveling at the fact that they were able to exchange pleasantries despite the huge chasm between them.
“I can’t complain. What brings you out here?” he asked, his eyebrows knitting together.
“Lee asked me to meet him out here. We understood none of the family was returning since Bud didn’t want a service. When did you get back?”
“Yesterday. Theo and I flew in together from Anchorage.”
Theo Ransom had moved away from Love years ago and joined the military. To her recollection, neither brother had been back to Love in the ensuing years.
“I’m guessing you didn’t hire O’Rourke Charters to fly you here,” Honor said. Her voice crackled with sarcasm.
A hint of a frown marred his brow. “No, we didn’t.”
She shouldn’t have brought up the bad blood between him and the O’Rourke brothers—Declan and Finn. It harkened back to when she was dating Joshua and her own brothers had been staunchly against their relationship. There had been a lot of discord. It had all come to a head when she and Joshua had secretly gotten engaged and her family found out about it. Not a single person in town had been happy for them, except Bud. Despite his gruff demeanor, Bud had been a marshmallow at his center.
Joshua ran a hand over his face. “Bud never wanted a proper funeral, but Theo and I figured we should have some sort of memorial service for him. And we need to settle his affairs. Then I’ll be heading home to Seattle.”
Honor frowned. She hadn’t heard a single word about a service for Bud. From what she had understood, Bud hadn’t wanted any fanfare. The townsfolk would certainly want to know about the service so they could say a final farewell. Although she wanted to ask Joshua about Bud’s desire to leave the Diamond R Ranch to the town of Love, she wasn’t sure it was her place to ask Joshua probing questions. It would appear insensitive since his family was in mourning.
“I’m sorry about Bud. He was always kind to me.”
Joshua nodded. “Thanks. He thought you were the real deal. I think he hoped you could straighten me up so I’d walk the straight and narrow path.” Joshua let out a harsh-sounding laugh, although both he and Honor knew he wasn’t joking. Honor couldn’t count on two hands the number of times Bud had pulled her aside and asked her to steer his grandson in the right direction. At the time, she had naively believed it was possible. Life had shown her how wrong she’d been to believe it. Being in love with Joshua had given her a pair of rose-colored glasses.
Honor smiled at the memory of Bud. “Well, he always saw the good in people. It was what he did best.”
Joshua nodded. “He was a great man. I’ve always been proud to be his grandson.” He grimaced. “I wish I’d been better,” he muttered.
He didn’t have to say any more. Honor knew exactly what Joshua meant. As a rebellious teenager, Joshua had been in and out of trouble so much it had broken his grandfather’s heart and caused his family a world of embarrassment. He had tarnished the Ransom family name.
He jutted his chin toward Lola, then reached out and ran his palm across her side. “It’s nice to see you and Lola are still a team.”
Honor nuzzled her face against Lola’s nose. “She’s a part of me. Always will be. I’m glad Boone took care of her for me while I was away at school.” Boone had paid for the costs of boarding Lola at a local stable, along with feed costs and her upkeep while Honor attended college and graduate school.
At the mention of her brother, Joshua’s body seemed to stiffen. Honor couldn’t help but think that after all these years the bad feelings still lingered.
As the small talk between them faltered, tension hung in the air. There were so many things left unsaid between the two of them, words they had never gotten the chance to say to one another. Honor opened her mouth, then shut it. What was the point? It was six years too late for closure.
Both of them had moved on with their lives. End of story.
She shifted from one foot to the other. “Well, I should go see to Lola,” she said in a low voice. “Do you know where I can find Lee?”
“I saw him talking to Theo when I was out in the paddock. They were headed inside the house,” Joshua said. For a moment he looked at her curiously. She imagined he was still wondering what she was doing here at the ranch. A gut instinct told her Joshua didn’t know anything about Bud’s bequest. The thought of his being blindsided made her stomach knot. Although she was fairly certain he had no interest in coming back permanently to Love, it still might rankle to learn his family’s property had been given to the town he despised.
“Thanks,” she said, lightly pulling at Lola’s reins as she prepared to lead her toward the stable.
“Mr. Ransom!” a voice called out, interrupting the silence. Honor turned toward the house. Winnie Alden, housekeeper and cook for the Ransom family, was standing a few feet away from them with a crying baby in her arms. “I tried my best to settle her down, but she won’t stop crying. I think she wants her daddy.”
Winnie held out the child to Joshua. Honor’s heart stilled. The little girl wrapped in the pink blanket was Joshua’s daughter!
* * *
Joshua Ransom reached for Violet and held her against his chest. “Thanks, Winnie. I’ll take it from here.” He began to make rhythmic circles on Violet’s back. Almost immediately, she quieted down.
“The baby whisperer strikes again,” he said in a low voice next to his daughter’s ear.
He swung his gaze toward Honor. She was staring at him with wide eyes.
“She’s yours?” she asked in a shocked tone.
“Yes, she’s mine. This is Violet,” Joshua said, his voice filled with pride. “Violet Anne Ransom.”
Honor’s gaze locked onto Violet. She couldn’t seem to look away from her. “She’s beautiful,” she said, darting a glance at his ring finger.
Joshua didn’t hold it against her. It happened to him all the time. As a single father raising a little girl, he raised a lot of eyebrows. It was all right. Violet was his whole world.
He nestled her closer against him. “I should get her inside. It’s pretty cold out here and her sweater is on the thin side.”
“Go ahead. You don’t want her to get sick,” Honor said, her brow creased with concern.
Joshua sucked in a deep, steadying breath as he turned toward the house. He felt as if he’d been sucker punched. Although he had known it was a possibility to run into her during his stay in Love, he hadn’t expected to see her at his family’s ranch. And he wasn’t quite sure what she was doing here. Her answer had been vague.
She was just as beautiful as she’d always been. Time had only enhanced her good looks. Her hair hung in glossy chestnut waves. Her cheekbones were more pronounced in her heart-shaped face. Now she was more woman than girl, one who exuded a great deal of confidence. It hadn’t taken long for one of the locals to mention she was running a new wildlife center here in town. He felt a burst of pride knowing she had managed to achieve her goals.
She was no longer the eighteen-year-old who had dreamed of protecting animals and