“Momma?” Fallon cuts me off as though I’ve not said a word, and I clench my jaw before I can say something harsh.
Our mother’s blonde head appears in the doorway, a basket of freshly picked vegetables in her hands. She smiles in greeting before moving to Fallon’s side at the griddle, shaking her head.
“I asked you towatchthe bacon, Fal, not incinerate it.”
My sister passes her the tongs with a shrug. “You know I can’t cook for shi—” At Momma’s nudge, Fallon clears her throat and redirects her sentence. “You know myexpertiselies in handlin’ horses, not bacon.”
She gives me a surreptitious glance before shucking Momma’s spare apron and hanging it on the hook by the door. “I—I um…already ate.”
Then she ducks out through the back door, and I move to the window, following her with my eyes until she disappears into the main barn.
“I see conditions have heated up to a balmy ten below.”
“I’m at a loss here, Momma. I don’t know how I can make it right.”
“Fallon’s always known her own mind, Fordy. You know that. She’ll come around when she’s ready and not one minute before.”
I exhale a sigh, but before I can continue, there’s a knock on the front door. As I rise from my chair to go check who it is, Finley flies past me, calling over her shoulder, “If I kill some time talking to whoever’s knocking, I’ll avoid calculus.”
Momma chuckles from her place at the griddle with a shake of her head until Fin’s scream sees both of us rushing out of thekitchen to find her open-mouthed in the hallway. Her eyes are fixated on whoever or whatever is on the porch, so I open the door wider.
“What the hell?—”
I grind to a halt when my eyes land on none other than the asshat himself as he pops a sarcastic brow.
“Good to see you, too.” He winks broadly before pressing a button on the car keys in his hand, and locking a shiny red sports car that looks ridiculously out of place at Whispering Willows.
“How did you even find us?”
Lawson drops his keys into the pocket of his stiff, seemingly new light blue jeans with a shrug. “I was concerned, so I asked Hayley where you guys had disappeared to.” A mischievous light dances in his dark eyes. “I mean, she didn’twantto tell me, but I can bequitepersuasive.”
I deadpan with a sigh. “A simple text would have sufficed, you know.”
He places his palm dramatically over his chest, eyes blowing wide. “What? And do myself the disservice of missing the sheerpleasureof your company, Mr. Holloway?” His mouth lifts in a lopsided grin as he quirks an eyebrow. “Never!”
As I’m internally rolling my eyes, I make a memo to exchange some stern words with Hayley, when Finley gasps audibly. “Are you Lawson Wilde?”
He nods smugly, opening his mouth to elaborate, but Fin cuts him off.
“Why is Lawson Wilde on our doorstep?” My youngest sister’s incredulous eyes lift to mine, blowing wide before she whispers, “Oh my God, he’s come to win Emmy back from you.”
Before anyone can say a word, Finley grabs the door and slams it closed in Lawson’s surprised face.
“Finley Rose Holloway!” Momma’s voice is brimming with reproach as she steps around her youngest daughter to reopenthe door, finding a confused-looking Lawson frozen on the other side.
“My apologies for Finley’s outburst. Please, come on in.”
Finley opens her mouth to speak again, but I slip the palm of my hand over it, tugging her back against my chest. Lawson steps over the threshold, watching everything with skeptical eyes until there’s movement in the kitchen behind me when Emmy strolls into the hallway.
“Law?” She walks closer, glancing from Fin and me to Momma and then back to Lawson. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I’m starting to ask myself the same question.” One eyebrow arches wickedly. “Though I can see I was right about you and the good egg sharing a history.”
EMERSON
“You look beautiful, Lissie.”
Ford’s sister smiles prettily. “Thank you, Em. You look beautiful, too.”
