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He busied himself settling Violet into her car seat. Within seconds her eyes were firmly shut and she was fast asleep.

“Poor little thing,” Honor said. “She needs a good night’s rest.”

“I won’t disagree with you on that. ’Night, Honor.”

“Good night, Joshua.” She began to fiddle with her fingers. “I know my being here tonight doesn’t change anything regarding the injunction and the Diamond R Ranch, but I’m really happy it all worked out this evening.”

He felt something inside him toughen up at the mention of the injunction and Bud’s ranch. When Honor had invited him and Violet to the wildlife center, he had viewed it as an olive branch being extended. A beautiful act of grace. But then she had stabbed him in the back by filing an injunction against him and Theo. When she had shown up at the clinic, it had felt so comforting and amazing. But, he had to admit, now that his fear for Violet had diminished, he was beginning to see things more clearly. It wasn’t all roses and moonlight between him and Honor.

Now he had to wonder if she had a hidden agenda. Why was she bringing up the issue right now? Couldn’t she let it go for one evening?

“I appreciate the fact that you came here tonight, but you’re right. It doesn’t change a thing. We’re still on opposite sides of a very tense situation.”

“I wasn’t trying to make you angry,” she said.

“I guess I’m beyond anger.” He shook his head. “I’ve been racking my brain trying to reconcile the woman I used to know with the person who filed legal paperwork against me. It seemed almost spiteful.” He let out a frustrated sigh. All he wanted to do was go back to the ranch and tuck Violet into bed. But he couldn’t leave without getting a few things off his chest.

Honor met his gaze head-on. “It couldn’t be helped. I felt you and Theo left me no choice but to explore other avenues to shut down this sale of the ranch. And I know you’ve had a rough night, but I’m not sorry about what I did.” Sparks were practically flying from her. She seemed defiant.

“You’re just prolonging the inevitable, Honor. We’re Bud’s heirs. Myself, Theo and Violet. I know you thought the property was being willed to the town, but that ship has sailed. Ultimately, my brother and I are going to be in control of the ranch and property. We’ll decide what happens to it. Not you. And not the townsfolk!”

“I don’t agree with you. An injunction is in place. That didn’t happen on a lark. I think we set forth some excellent reasons why the land shouldn’t be sold to a developer. We might win this.”

Joshua let out a strangled sound. “We’re not just going to lie down and let you run all over us. Theo flew to Anchorage the other day to meet with legal counsel.” He furrowed his brow. “That injunction isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. I don’t want to see you crushed, Honor, but you’re not going to win this. You might as well resign yourself to the idea that the ranch is going to be sold.”

A wounded expression passed over her face. “Tonight wasn’t about legal w

rangling or injunctions or Texas developers descending on this town. I actually came here this evening as a friend.” She tilted her chin up. “I’m sorry that I actually thought that might be possible. Good night, Joshua.”

Honor turned around and walked back toward the clinic. He opened his mouth to call out to her and apologize for his harsh words, but he reined the words back in. Joshua shouldn’t feel guilty. He and Honor weren’t friends. Not in the truest sense of the word.

Friends kept in touch. He hadn’t seen Honor in six years. They hadn’t been a part of each other’s world in a very long time. She had been the great love of his life. And he didn’t want or need a friend here in Love because he wasn’t staying. This town had brought him nothing but pain and rejection. As soon as the lawyers were able to have the injunction withdrawn, Joshua intended to move forward with the sale of the ranch.

He was tired of allowing people to stomp all over him simply because he’d made some mistakes in the past. Who among them was perfect? When he had first arrived back in Love, Joshua had hoped the townsfolk would see he’d made something of himself. He had only been fooling himself to think they would even care. With the exception of Hazel, all the residents seemed to care about was whether or not the Ransom brothers were selling the Diamond R.

From this point forward, Joshua wasn’t going to feel an ounce of guilt about selling the ranch to the Alloy Corporation. In the past few days the ranch had gotten under his skin. He had been awash in memories of a childhood and adolescence spent at the ranch. But the ranch didn’t represent his future. And as he had done for the past six years, Joshua would simply stuff down the past.

He would always treasure the memories of life at the Diamond R Ranch with his family, but he had already made his peace with letting go of the property Bud had loved so much. Now if he could only relinquish his feelings for Honor.

As he drove away from the clinic he cast a glance in his rearview mirror at the back seat. He couldn’t see Violet’s face due to the rear-facing car seat, but he suspected she remained fast asleep. His heart swelled with love for her. Every step he took in this lifetime mattered due to his little girl. She was the reason he drew breath each and every morning. Feeling a tug in Honor’s direction after all of these years was merely a distraction. He had come back to Love only for a short period of time, to properly say goodbye to his grandfather and to help Theo settle the estate.

It was far too dangerous to get invested in this town or in Honor Prescott.

* * *

Honor couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so incensed. Actually, she could. Six years ago when she had discovered from Boone that Joshua had burned the church down, Honor had been consumed with unbridled rage. It had seemed incomprehensible to her. How could he have done something so horrendous? In doing so, it had dealt their relationship a final devastating blow. All their plans for the future had been extinguished by his dangerous actions.

And now he had treated her with such cruelty and condescension. She didn’t care what he thought! Her presence here tonight at the clinic hadn’t been motivated by anything other than concern. The moment Liam had told her about Violet’s fall, Honor had wanted to be by his side to help him deal with the situation. She had acted on pure instinct.

As she sat down in the passenger seat of Liam’s car, she slammed the door behind her.

“Hey! Easy on the door. What’s wrong?” Liam asked as he revved his engine. “Did something go down between you and Joshua while I was locking up?”

Honor clenched her teeth. She felt like exploding. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she muttered.

“Uh-oh,” Liam said. “That doesn’t sound good. Whenever Ruby utters that phrase, I head for the hills.”

Honor threw her hands in the air. “Joshua had the nerve to question my motives. He brought up the injunction and we got into it. I came here tonight with the best of intentions. He should be—”

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