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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 earning a degree in wildlife biology. Honor had reached out and successfully grabbed the brass ring.
It made him feel a little unsettled to know so much had changed since Honor had been his girl. In truth, it felt like another lifetime.
What did he expect? Time hadn’t stood still. In many ways, Joshua felt thankful for the passage of time. It had given him the opportunity to change his life and circumstances. Over the past six years, he’d worked extremely hard to better himself. Redemption had been a huge motivating factor. He was no longer the selfish youth who had been impulsive and reckless. In his younger years, he had stolen a car to go joyriding, destroyed town property and been arrested for underage drinking and disorderly conduct. He had been a fixture at the sheriff’s office. It had been easy for the residents of Love to believe he had been responsible for setting fire to the town’s church and demolishing it. The townsfolk had already written him off well before the fire.
Joshua had made something of himself through sheer determination and grit. He had adopted Violet, the biological child of his ex-wife who had passed away shortly after Violet’s birth. He had an impeccable professional reputation. His parents were extremely proud of the way he had pulled himself up by his bootstraps. And yet, he still yearned for the townsfolk of Love to think well of him. He still wanted their stamp of approval.
It had always bothered him that Honor’s brothers had so thoroughly disapproved of him. He felt heat suffusing his neck as he remembered their vocal opposition to his relationship with Honor. Sheriff Boone Prescott had made it his mission in life to break them up and to catch his every misdeed. Joshua let out a sigh. To be fair, he’d enjoyed being a rebel. Until things had spiraled out of control and his whole life was in shreds.
Being in love with the sheriff’s sister and the granddaughter of the town mayor, Jasper Prescott, had complicated matters. Law enforcement had not been on his side. Not that he’d made it easy on them. Joshua had been ornery and wild. He had deliberately pushed as many buttons as he could in his hometown and he’d never backed down from a fight. That had endeared him to very few people, particularly since Honor had been the town’s reigning princess.
Despite the opposition to their relationship, Honor had always been his biggest cheerleader. She had believed in him until he’d been arrested for burning down the church. Still, after all this time, it gutted him to have caused her such heartache.
Joshua shrugged off the feelings of guilt and recrimination. He had worked steadfastly over the years to redeem his character. He had painstakingly rebuilt his life, laying the foundation one brick at a time. God was a central part of his world now and he lived life with a purpose.
