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Bea frowned. “Well, if he convinced you to—”
“It was my idea,” Esme interrupted.
“Go, Es,” Asa said with a wink.
“I thought you and Ryder were together for the purpose of raising the boys.”
“We are.” Esme poured herself a cup of coffee and then added two packets of sugar, needing both the caffeine and a small sugar rush. “We’re friends.”
“That’s my kind of friendship.” Asa lifted his hand to high-five her, making Esme laugh again.
“I don’t want you to get your heart broken,” Bea repeated.
Esme knew her sister was telling the truth, and she had a hard time holding on to her anger.
Bea had been the first person Esme called, both when she got the news about Seth’s accident and a few days later when she’d been closing out some of his social media profiles and had come across subscriptions to three different dating sites, all very active.
Bea had also been Esme’s biggest cheerleader throughout her pregnancy. Despite the waitress’s comment, her sister would never shame her. But she needed Bea to respect her decision, even though Esme harbored some of the same concerns deep inside.
“I know, and I appreciate it. I’m not going to jeopardize our partnership for a casual roll in the sheets.”
The waitress returned with their meals, darting Esme a pointed look. “Is everything okay here?”
“All good,” she assured the stranger, again marveling at life in a small town. While Cave Creek, where they’d grown up, had also been a faded spot on the map, she had never felt like she belonged there the way she did in Chatelaine.
When the woman walked away again, Bea reached across the table and placed her hand on Esme’s. “I don’t think your feelings for Ryder are casual. That’s what worries me.”
It worried Esme, too, but before she could answer, Asa chimed in. “Have a little faith in our girl,” he counseled Bea. “She might read a lot of romance, but she knows the difference between real life and make-believe.”
He forked up a big bite of hash browns, frowning as he chewed. “You do know the difference, right?”
Esme nodded but didn’t answer him directly because her throat had gone tight. Knowing and accepting were two different things as far as her heart was concerned.
As usual, Bea seemed to be able to read what Esme was thinking without her saying a word.
“Let’s change the subject,” her sister suggested. “How are things going with the dude ranch owner?” she asked Asa.
He shrugged. “One step forward and two steps back. We have a meeting at the end of next week, although I heard there’s somebody else ready to make an offer on the place. Given all the hoops I’ve already jumped through, it’s hard to believe I have competition. Did you ever want something so badly you knew you’d do whatever it took to have it?”
There was a beat of silence, then Esme and Bea both nodded.
He placed his fork on the plate and leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head. “That’s how I feel about this property. I know I’m meant to buy it.”
That was how Esme felt about Ryder, unfortunately—like they were meant to be. They were meeting with one of the hospital volunteers later in the week and also had a call scheduled with the doctor who’d delivered both Chase and Noah.
Ryder continued to push for more information about the mysterious volunteer. At the same time, Esme wanted to let the matter go and get on with their lives, although she felt like she’d be doing her boys a disservice by giving up.
She explained her dilemma to Asa and Bea, who also seemed conflicted as to the right course of action.
“Speaking of mysteries,” Bea said. “Has anyone heard from Bear yet? The last time I saw Freya, she said he still hasn’t responded to her emails or voice messages.”
Asa lifted a toast triangle into the air and swooped it around like he was flying a plane. “Our renegade cousin is probably off on some amazing adventure with zero service or cares in the world.”
Esme, Bea and Asa hadn’t grown up feeling close to Elias Fortune’s three grandchildren. Bear, who’d been adopted by their aunt and uncle as a toddler, was the oldest and had always been a free spirit. He’d also made a killing in the oil business.
The middle brother, West, had died a couple of years ago in a shocking accident, but Camden, who at twenty-nine was closest to Esme’s age, was more down-to-earth than Bear and had arrived in Chatelaine for the new year. He was as busy as the rest of them, so they hadn’t been able to get together as often as Esme would have liked, but they kept tabs on one another.
“I hope Bear’s okay,” she mused. “It’s not like him to go radio silent for so long.”
