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Coming back to his hometown hadn’t been easy, but he owed it to his grandfather to pay him his last respects and to tidy up his affairs. He hadn’t realized things with the Diamond R would be so complicated.
Joshua made his way to the room he was using as Violet’s nursery. Once he entered the bedroom, he stood by her crib and gently rocked her from side to side. When he felt her head droop against his chest, he slowly lowered her until she was resting on her back. Her eyelids were closed and she was peacefully asleep. He quietly made his way back downstairs.
For Violet’s sake, he felt grateful that he could finally hold his head up high in Love. He had put the shameful events of his past in the rearview mirror. He felt proud of himself, if only because he knew so many people had given up on him. This town had viewed him as irredeemable and broken. They had been dead wrong.
Joshua hadn’t expected to feel such a wealth of emotions upon his return to Love. As soon as he had spotted Kachemak Bay from his seat in the seaplane, he’d felt a tightening sensation in his chest. Despite everything, this town still lived and breathed in him, just like Honor Prescott. One look in her blue-gray eyes had shown him that the past was still a powerful force to be reckoned with.
* * *
As Joshua walked back toward the homestead and away from her with his baby girl, Honor’s shoulders sagged. Her cheeks felt flushed. Joshua had a child!
She’d been composed during their encounter, even though seeing Joshua holding his daughter had shaken her to the core. Her limbs were trembling. Coming face-to-face with her ex-fiancé hadn’t been on her agenda for today. And it had been shocking to realize he was a father. She felt as if someone had just thrown an ice-cold bucket of water over her head. Joshua looked even more handsome than she remembered. Age had only enhanced his masculine appeal. At six feet or so, Joshua’s frame had filled out, giving him a more rugged appearance. His dark hair set off against his blue eyes made a striking combination. He was the type of man who drew stares when he walked down the street.
Her mind veered toward Violet. It had hurt her to see the child nestled in Joshua’s arms. It served as a stark reminder of the child she had miscarried six years ago. Joshua’s child. She pushed the painful feelings away. She couldn’t allow herself to get consumed by the past. It might drag her under.
As she exited the stable, Honor spotted Lee, who was quickly making his way toward her. With his salt-and-pepper-colored hair and sea green eyes, Lee had a distinguished appearance. There was something so solid about him. He was trusted by the whole town. At the moment he had an intense expression etched on his face. His movements seemed full of urgency.
“Honor, it’s nice to see you,” Lee said, warmth emanating from his voice.
“Hey, Lee,” Honor said. “Good morning.”
Lee ran his hand around his shirt collar. His fingers seemed unsteady. “Under the circumstances, I’m sorry to have called you out here. It was a mistake.”
She frowned at him. He looked flustered. Normally, he was a calm, unflappable man. It was slightly alarming to see him acting this way.
Was Lee referencing Joshua’s unexpected appearance at the ranch? Like most of the townsfolk, he was fully aware of their history.
“There’s been a bit of a hiccup regarding the reading of the will and Bud’s property,” he said, his tone apologetic. His eyes radiated disappointment. “I probably jumped the gun by inviting you here to the Diamond R.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked. Adrenaline began to race through her veins. Instinctively, she steeled herself for bad news.
Lee let out a ragged sigh. “Bud didn’t update his will, Honor. He made no written provisions to donate the property to the land preservation society.” Lee threw his hands in the air. “There’s not a whole lot more I can say, but I’m very disappointed.”
“What?” Honor exploded. “That can’t be right. He said it over and over again. Everyone in town knew his wishes.”
Lee shook his head. “According to his attorney, Bud had the best of intentions, but he passed away before he could make it official. He never updated his will. Knowing Bud, he probably figured he had plenty of years ahead to make those changes.”
Honor felt numb as the ramifications of Lee’s disclosure began to settle in. “He verbally stated his intentions on several occasions. We all knew what he wanted to do with regard to the ranch. Isn’t that enough?”
Lee stared at her with sadness radiating from his eyes. “I’m afraid not, Honor. Our hands are pretty much tied. We could file suit against the estate, but it would cost a fortune. And to what avail? Alaskan inheritance law is very clear.”
Her heart sank. “So what happens now?” she asked. “Who inherits the property?”
“According to Bud’s attorney, Theo and Joshua and another relative named Violet are listed as the heirs to the Diamond R and all of its assets and acreage.”
Honor let out a deep breath. She felt like a deflated balloon. The old adage was true: don’t count your chickens until they’re hatched. In her mind she’d formulated so many plans for the expansion of the wildlife center. Now, in a puff of smoke, those dreams had been dashed.
Lee stroked his chin. “I’ve heard some rumblings about a developer from Texas who’s been circling around trying to buy up property in Love. It seems that Theo has already been in contact with them. They came to the ranch first thing this morning.” His chest heaved as he sighed. “There’s no easy way to say this, Honor, but I think we have to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead.”
Anger flared through her at the idea of Theo making deals to desecrate Bud’s ranch. Even as a kid he had never had an appreciation for the ranch. Joshua had been the one who had loved horses, the cowboy lifestyle and riding across the property with Bud. Honor had always thought of Joshua as her hometown cowboy.
“Lee, give it to me straight,” Honor demanded. Having grown up with three older brothers, she knew when she was being treated with kid gloves. She had always fought against it. She was way tougher than she might look on the surface.
“Do you remember the town council meeting where we discussed the upsurge in interest from developers in acquiring land here in Love?” Lee asked.
“Yes,” she said with a nod. “With the popularity of Operation Love, this town has been in the media spotlight. And now that Lovely Boots has taken off, a lot of developers view this town as a hot commodity.”
Operation Love was a matchmaking program created by Honor’s grandfather, Jasper Prescott. As town mayor, Jasper had devised a way of fixing the imbalance in the male-female ratio in town by bringing eligible women to town who were seeking Alaskan bachelors. The program had been very successful, with dozens of marriages and engagements. And Jasper’s wife, Hazel Tookes Prescott, had created genuine Alaskan boots that the town had mass produced as a way of boosting the local economy. After years of recession, it had been a brilliant way of bringing revenue to a cash-strapped town.
