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“Grateful?” Liam asked, shooting her a pointed look before turning his eyes back toward the road.
“Yes, he should. Don’t you think so?”
A small sigh slipped past his lips. “Honor, I think you should give Joshua a break.”
She sucked in a shocked breath. “What do you mean? You can’t stand Joshua. Why are you taking his side?”
“Simmer down, cowgirl. First of all, I don’t dislike him. I hated what he did to the church and this town.” His voice softened. “And to you. As your big brother, it gutted me to see you with a broken heart. But I let go of all those feelings a long time ago. My faith tells me to turn the other cheek. So that’s what I did.”
A groundswell of love for her brother rose up within her. He had always been the most tenderhearted of all her siblings.
“Can you really expect Joshua to be focused on gratitude when you filed the injunction against him?”
Tears welled in Honor’s eyes. “It wasn’t personal.”
Liam pulled up in front of the Moose Café and put his car in Park. He turned toward her, wiping away a stray tear on her cheek with his thumb. “I’m not criticizing you. I think it was a brilliant move designed to protect this town. I admire you more than mere words can express. You showed pluck and grit and ingenuity.”
Honor’s lips quivered. “Why can’t Joshua see it that way? He made it seem as if I’m being malicious.”
“Sis, you don’t have a mean bone in your body. If Joshua blew up at you tonight, I would say he’s simply hurting and frustrated. He looked scared tonight. Really petrified. He’s under a lot of strain on the heels of Bud’s passing. And he was terrified for Violet.”
Suddenly, she felt ashamed of herself. Liam was right. Joshua was in mourning for his grandfather. Maybe it had been wrong of her to file the injunction when he was at a low moment. She bit her lip. “I know. I can’t imagine how terrifying it must have been for both of them.”
“I know what it feels like to be a single father,” he said. “It can be really lonely and you question whether or not you’re doing a decent job as a parent. I empathize with him. That being said, why do you care so much? Isn’t he leaving soon to go back home?”
Honor knit her brows together. Liam’s question threw her for a loop. “What? I—I don’t really care all that much. It’s just that I’m trying to be cordial with him. Isn’t that turning the other cheek? I’ve tried to move beyond what happened between us in the past. As painful as it was for me to go through all of it with him, I realize he’s grown and changed. He’s been married. He’s a father now to a beautiful little girl. I’ve moved on.”
She met Liam’s gaze. “Have you, Honor? Really and truly? Because from where I’m sitting, it doesn’t seem like it. The look on your face when I told you about Violet’s accident was very telling.”
Honor rolled her eyes. “I’m not in love with him anymore if that’s what you’re insinuating. Those feelings died a long time ago.”
“I’m not saying you’re still in love with him. But what I am saying is that if you’re not careful, you’re going to fall in love all over again with your ex-fiancé.”
Chapter Eight
Joshua stood in the stables saddling up Blaze for a ride across the property. He felt excitement bubbling up inside him at the prospect of being at one with the Alaskan landscape. Since he’d been back home, riding had become one of his favorite pastimes. There was really nothing like it. It filled something inside his soul like nothing else could.
There had been a small snow squall late last night, but it had barely added to the accumulation already on the ground. Love, Alaska, was a wintry wonderland. He couldn’t deny how much he enjoyed being back at the ranch. It brought back to life a part of him he thought he’d buried a long time ago. It was hard to imagine not ever being able to ride across this landscape again.
Theo was on Violet duty while Joshua was taking this opportunity to venture out on the property. His brother had felt awful about not being around when the accident took place. As a treat, Uncle Theo had brought a huge teddy bear for Violet from a local gift shop called Keepsakes. Violet had embraced the stuffed animal with open arms, smothering it with hugs and endless kisses. She had gifted Theo with a million-dollar smile in return for his kindness. He shook his head at the irony in Theo purchasing the toy at the same store that he’d broken into on a dare back in his rebellious years.
Joshua couldn’t wait to have some alone time out on the range. He needed to clear his head regarding last night. Had he been too harsh on Honor? Or had he been right on point? He had no way of knowing since, when it came to Honor, he always seemed to lose his objectivity.
Last night when he had returned to the ranch, he’d gotten down on his knees and prayed about the situation. He was now a man who didn’t like volatile situations or drama. It reminded him all too much of things he would rather forget.
“Mr. Ransom. Can I have a few minutes?”
Joshua swung his gaze up. Cal Abilene, the ranch foreman, was standing in front of him with a look of concern carved on his face. He had his cowboy hat in his hand and his eyes swirled with strong emotions.
“Sure thing, Cal. What’s up?” he asked. From everything he had heard from Bud, as well as what he had seen with his own eyes, Cal was a great ranch foreman. Hardworking and honest, Cal had been at the Diamond R for almost twenty years. The ranch’s success was directly related to Cal’s strong work ethic.
Cal raked a hand through his shoulder-length dark hair.
“Would you mind telling me if you’re going to be selling the place? If so, I need to start looking for a new position here in town or head to the Kenai Peninsula where there are more opportunities to work on a ranch.”
Joshua felt his heart sink. How could he and Theo have been so thoughtless? The Diamond R had employees who counted on their paychecks to stay afloat. Selling the ranch would have a trickle-down effect.
“Honestly, Cal, things are up in the air at the moment. I’m sure you heard about the injunction filed against us?”
