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Chapter 22
“There. You look more like yourself now.”
At Genevieve’s words, Asher glanced up from his folded hands and leaned against the bedrail to examine her handiwork. With a pair of professional shears, she continued trimming his father’s silvery sideburns with tiny careful snips. It had been two days since Willow had accepted his proposal, and he’d withdrawn it. Since Asher had been unable to get it out of his mind, his mother’s request that he would go to the hospital to help with his dad’s grooming had come as a welcome distraction. But as Genevieve completed her gentle ministrations, brushing her fingers along Payne’s hairline, a lump formed in Asher’s throat.
This was what true love looked like.
Did he already know what it felt like?
He licked his lips and tried to blink away memories that benefited no one. Even if he did love Willow, what did it matter now? He couldn’t exactly renege on the withdrawal of a marriage proposal.
“Thanks for meeting me here this time,” Genevieve said. “I know it’s hard for you to get away during calving season, with all the mamas and the new babies. Especially during the day.”
“Don’t worry. The guys are holding down the ranch.”
In fact, he’d been surprised when she’d asked him to join her. Usually, she insisted that they take turns sitting at Payne’s bedside, so there would be a smaller chance that he would awaken alone.
“I still can’t believe you’ve been trimming his hair.”
Genevieve brushed her fingers through her most recent work. Though probably uneven, it was better than the shaggy look he would have had after lying in bed for four months.
“What was I supposed to do?” she said. “We can’t bring his barber in here and provide material for gossip. We would need a nondisclosure agreement.”
She waved away the idea with a brush of her hand. “He’ll wake up soon, and then they can joke at the barbershop what a bad job I’ve done.”
“Or hire you.”
They both chuckled, a good thing since they hadn’t had
much to laugh about lately.
“So, I heard that Willow Merrill stopped by the ranch the other night.”
Asher had been focused on his mother’s progress with the scissors, but he lifted his gaze to catch her carefully blank expression.
“Mother, what did you do?”
“Willow’s such a lovely young woman. Smart, too. We had a nice chat. You must have come up at some point.”
He was torn between waiting his mother out and begging her to know what was said. But she couldn’t be rushed.
“I was sorry to hear you’re removing Harper from her day-care center. Your baby probably already loves her.”
He didn’t have to ask himself how she knew about his plans. People who complained about having no secrets in a small town should try being a Colton.
“Please stay out of it.” Could she have been the reason that Willow had changed her mind about his proposal? Had his mother’s meddling caused Willow humiliation?
“I wish I could. Unfortunately, I was already involved.”
Asher blinked as the truth settled. “You know about Willow and her mom.”
Genevieve set the scissors on the bedside table. Then she gathered up the towel she’d been using to collect hair and crossed to the trash can to shake off the clippings.
Finally, she looked back at him.
“It wasn’t hard to put it together. Willow’s not a common name.”
She returned to her chair next to the bed.
