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She sat up straight. “It is my business. I’m from this town. Love flows in my veins. I could no sooner turn my back on the fate of this town than I could forsake my own family. And Bud wouldn’t want this. Someone needs to speak for him! It’s his legacy you’re keen on destroying.”
Joshua scoffed. “So now that you’re a wildlife biologist you’re suddenly saving the world from developers? Riding to the rescue? Is that it?”
“I have principles that guide me,” she said. “I always have.”
He threw his hands in the air. “You’re affecting my future by what you’re doing. And Violet’s. How could you do that?”
“It’s not about you, Joshua. It’s about this town. The people. We deserve better than to have developers come in and twist Love into something it isn’t and can never be. Doesn’t that bother you?” she asked in a voice choked with emotion. “Don’t you feel sad about the idea of Bud’s beautiful ranch being turned into something ridiculous and frivolous? A dude ranch,” she sneered. “It’s utter nonsense.”
“When did you become so judgmental?” he asked. “When did you appoint yourself as judge, jury and executioner?”
She jutted out her chin. “Probably around the same time you became so money hungry. Let’s face it, there’s only one reason you’re considering this offer from the Alloy Corporation. And it has to do with you and Theo fattening up your bank balances. You’re selling out for cold, hard cash.”
“Do you know what I think?” Joshua asked, taking a step closer to her. “I think you’ve been spending too much time around your brothers and Jasper. They’ve rubbed off on you. You never used to be cynical. Or coldhearted.”
“I wonder why?” She asked. “You made me more jaded than all my family members combined.”
He frowned at her. “So is that what this is about? Settling old scores? Getting even with me?”
“Clearly you think I have no integrity. I’m not doing this for personal reasons.”
Joshua narrowed his gaze as he studied her. “So it has nothing to do with any lingering feelings you might have for me?”
Honor sucked in a shocked breath. She couldn’t believe what Joshua was insinuating. What had she done to make him believe she was harboring residual feelings for him? She met his gaze head-on. “Everything I ever felt for you died the moment yo
u lit the church on fire.”
She could see the hurt in his eyes. He tried to shake it off, but she had seen the glint of pain before it disappeared and he shuttered his expression.
“We’re going to fight you on this, Honor. And we’ll win. You don’t have a leg to stand on. If you really love this town, you might want to think about it before you drag it through a very expensive legal case.” Joshua’s words hung in the air like a thinly veiled threat.
He turned on his booted heels and left the building. Moments later she heard the engine of a vehicle revving up. She let out a shudder. Going head-to-head with Joshua had been painful. But she had no one to blame but herself. She had served the first volley by going to Jasper and working with him and Lee to get papers filed against the sale of the Diamond R.
She felt bad about the animosity between them, but she wasn’t going to crumble into dust. Years ago she had been defenseless against Joshua. She’d been so naive and trusting. His actions had made a fool of her after all the lengths she’d gone to in order to defend him to her family and the townsfolk. He had shattered her belief in him with one horrific act. All of her dreams of marrying him and building a life together had evaporated. She had been left with nothing but pain and regret. Discovering she had been pregnant with their child and then losing the baby had been devastating.
Being vulnerable to Joshua had never served her well. She had vowed to herself a long time ago to never allow herself such weakness again. Dealing with her ex-fiancé meant hardening her heart against him. Joshua Ransom knew how to worm his way into her good graces like no one else.
She couldn’t afford to let that happen. Loving and losing Joshua had already torn her world apart once before. Honor was going to focus on making sure the Diamond R wasn’t turned into a tacky dude ranch. She couldn’t afford to consider Joshua’s feelings or picture Violet’s angelic little face. If she did, Honor knew she would be in a world of trouble.
Chapter Seven
Joshua sat back in the leather love seat in the living room and sighed in contentment. His hands were resting behind his head while his feet were perched on the matching ottoman. The only sounds were coming from Violet, who was happily playing with her toys. He had set out a large blanket and scattered her favorite playthings around so she could explore them to her heart’s content. He got a kick out of watching her scoot around.
They had the house all to themselves this evening. Theo was reconnecting with an old friend here in town while Winnie was spending the evening with her own family. Joshua enjoyed the silence. Quiet moments with his daughter meant the world to him. He had never imagined fatherhood would be his most sacred role. Violet had given his life a true purpose. He was no longer searching for meaning. God had been good to him.
And it hardly ever crossed his mind that his blood didn’t flow in Violet’s veins. It simply didn’t matter. The love he felt for her came straight from the deepest parts of his soul.
The lights began to flicker for the third time this evening. Joshua frowned. He needed to locate the lanterns and flashlights in case they lost power. Although he had looked around earlier, he’d been unsuccessful in finding anything. He had a vague memory of Bud going down to the basement after a power outage and coming back with an armful of supplies. He unfolded himself from his comfy chair and stretched.
“I’ll be right back, Vi. I need to make sure we have some flashlights and supplies in case the lights go out.” His daughter just looked at him and gurgled, then went back to playing with her doll. Joshua quickly moved toward the hallway and yanked open the basement door. He flipped the light switch, bathing the darkened basement in light. He walked down the steps and began poking around in bins and drawers. Bingo! A whole drawer full of flashlights! The lanterns had to be around here somewhere.
Suddenly, the silence in the basement was broken. He heard a succession of loud thumps as if something had fallen. For a moment, he completely froze. Fear grabbed him by the throat. When he heard the loud cries, he pivoted toward the steps. Violet was lying at the bottom, her features contorted in pain. Her loud wails pierced his heart. He raced to her side, murmuring words of comfort.
Joshua gently scooped his daughter up in his arms and brought her back upstairs. With his free hand he reached for his car keys, wallet and cell phone. There was no question in his mind that she needed immediate medical attention. All could he do at the moment was pray that Violet wasn’t too seriously injured.
* * *
As far as Saturday nights in Love, Alaska, went, hot chocolate and s’mores before a roaring fire at the Moose Café was a rip-roaring good time. Honor sighed. She truly loved her hometown, but every now and again she yearned to kick up her heels. For the most part, Honor worked at the wildlife center and watched as everyone else in town settled down to domestic bliss. With each couple that paired off, it became harder and harder to tell herself she was fine being single and unattached.
