AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You were fortunate to have Bud in your corner.” She avoided looking at him. Instead she reached out and fiddled with Violet’s fingers. He heard a slight edge to her tone. Joshua felt a nagging sensation inside him. Honor was still harboring negative feelings from the past. Did she believe he had put his grandfather in a bad position?
Suddenly, he felt guilty all over again. He hated feeling this way. How long would he have to beat himself up over the choices he’d made? Was it a life sentence?
He cleared his throat.
“Honor, you’ve been gracious to me and Violet. I know most folks here in town wrote me off a long time ago. They’ve been cordial only because I’m Bud’s grandson. You didn’t have to invite us over here today, especially considering everything that went down between us in the past.”
Her hair swung about her shoulders as she shook her head. “We’ve both moved on from all that, Joshua. We were kids back then.”
Kids. He hated the way she phrased it, as if they hadn’t known what they were doing. In reality, they had been very much in love and committed to a life together. Their dedication to each other had been heartwarming, although being intimate with Honor had been a huge mistake. Since that time, Joshua had turned his life over to the Lord. He now knew how wrong their actions had been.
He shook off his irritation with Honor. “It’s only fair that I give you a heads-up. The bottom line is that Theo and I have decided to sell the ranch. It’s really the only sensible thing for us to do.” He pushed the words past his lips before he could chicken out.
A look of shock passed over her face. The lines of her mouth hardened. She raised an eyebrow. “Sensible? That’s hardly a word I’d choose to describe what you and Theo are planning to do.”
Something about her disappointed expression made Joshua want to reach out and hold her in his arms. It was a reflex from back in the day. He had always strived to soothe Honor’s wounds. It was no longer his job to do so, no matter how much he might want to at this moment.
“I know it’s not happy news. But, to be honest, we’re between a rock and a hard place. Love hasn’t been our home for quite some time. We’re only passing through town, so to speak. Our lives are elsewhere.”
She frowned at him. “Jasper has an expression. You can try as best you can to run away from home, but it’s always going to be a part of you.”
“I agree with you, Honor. To an extent. And I’m not running away from anything this time. I’m walking toward something. A home for Violet and me. Security. A place where she’s always going to know she’s loved. We have a great life in Seattle.”
Who was he trying to convince? He was making it sound way more idyllic than it really was. But he was being truthful about this town. Love hadn’t been home in quite some time.
Honor bowed her head. “And what about the ranch? Can you really just walk away from it, knowing the Diamond R is going to cease to exist as you know it? Can you live with that?” she pressed.
He glanced down at his daughter. Violet was rubbing her eyes and fading fast. In Joshua’s opinion, it was the perfect moment to head back to the Diamond R. Honor had been kind and solicitous, but tensions were rising. He didn’t want things t
o completely fall apart. It was best to end things in a civil manner.
“We’ve made up our minds,” he said in a firm voice. “I don’t expect everyone to agree with us, but I hope our decision will be respected.”
“Well, then,” Honor said in a crisp voice. “I guess there’s nothing more to be said.” Honor’s tone spoke volumes. Her voice crackled with anger. There was no mistaking the look of fury on her face.
He shifted Violet to his hip. She had fallen asleep against his chest. Violet was getting heavier by the day. No doubt she was going through a growth spurt.
Maybe coming here today had been a mistake.
The civil mood between him and Honor had deteriorated. Perhaps both of them had just been going through the motions. The air between them was thick with tension. “We should get going. I need to run into town to get a few things for Violet. Thanks for having us over here, even though I’m beginning to think you had an agenda.”
Honor stood with her arms folded across her chest. She appeared slightly shocked and wounded.
“I hoped to talk some sense into you, but clearly I overestimated your ability to see beyond your own needs and wants. I thought you might consider Bud’s legacy and the integrity of this town.” Her voice quivered with emotion. He could see the pain radiating from her eyes.
He hated himself for hurting her, but there was no point in sugarcoating the situation about the Diamond R. She would have found out sooner or later anyway. Joshua was done living his life for others. He had a responsibility to provide a wonderful life for his daughter. There was no way he could ever do that here in Love where the townsfolk viewed him as a ne’er do well. He didn’t owe them anything! Not after the way they had treated him like yesterday’s trash.
He turned toward his vehicle and opened up the door. If he looked into her eyes, he just might break in two. Honor stayed silent until he’d buckled Violet into her car seat and settled himself behind the wheel.
“Don’t do it. Don’t sell! You’ll regret it, Joshua,” she called out after him. “It’s Bud’s legacy you would be selling. It’s something you can never replace in a million years.”
Joshua turned and looked at her from his position in the driver’s seat. He hated seeing her so broken up about the ranch, but there was nothing he could do to change things. He didn’t bother to respond to her. Joshua revved the engine and drove away from the wildlife center, his soul feeling wearier than it had felt in recent memory. Why, after all this time, did Honor Prescott still have such sway over his emotions? Why did she always make him question the things he thought he knew with a deep certainty?
Honor’s words rang in his ears well after he reached the ranch and settled Violet down for a nap.
Don’t do it. Don’t sell! You’ll regret it, Joshua.
* * *
