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Bea placed a hand on Esme’s arm. “You don’t believe that. You told me you think he loves you. You said you told him that.”
“Doesn’t that make me an even bigger fool? Even if he feels something more, he’s smart enough to focus on the boys.”
“He proposed marriage to you. Marrying somebody you don’t love is not smart. Our parents were proof of that. If he loves you, he needs to man up and admit it.”
“It’s too late,” Esme said sadly and began walking again. Moving kept her from wallowing in her sadness. “Now I’d think he was just saying it to appease me. I don’t want to be handled, Bea.”
It would be difficult to be near Ryder and accept that their relationship would not be the same as it had been before. But if she focused on the practical aspects of caring for the babies, it made their long future together seem slightly more bearable.
“We’re going to look at properties at the end of the week. There are a couple that have main houses plus a guest house. One is a ranch house in the gated community with two primary suites with private entrances.” She took a steadying breath, then added, “So if he brings someone home...”
“If Ryder Hayes brings a woman home to spend the night in the house he’s sharing with the woman raising his kids, then he is not the man I believe him to be.”
Esme frowned. “You’re the one who warned me about the Hayes men. Why would it come as a surprise to you?”
“Because I’ve seen the way that man looks at you. It is not the look of a guy who wants to date other women.”
“I can’t let myself think like that. You and Asa warned me for years about believing the stories I read in books. Maybe I should have paid more attention.”
“You are the hopeful Fortune.” Bea placed an arm around Esme’s shoulder. “And there’s no one more deserving of a happily-ever-after than you. I’m sorry that Ryder is too scared or chicken to give it to you, but I don’t want you to stop believing.”
How could Esme keep believing when each time she did, it left her with a broken heart? She’d been angry after discovering Seth’s betrayal, but her sadness from ending things with Ryder was more profound. The loss of him felt woven into her DNA.
“Do you remember when I was eight years old and fell out of the tree, and the branch got lodged in my arm?”
“Yes, like it was yesterday.” Bea sounded surprised at the sudden change in topic. “It’s when we realized Dad was afraid of blood. You came in with that thing sticking out of the back of your body, and he nearly passed out.”
“Mom and Dad were good at making things about them.”
Bea smiled. “That’s a nice way to put it.”
“You bandaged me up,” Esme reminded her. “I still have a scar. Because it’s on the back of my arm, I don’t often notice it. Sometimes out of habit, I run my finger along the ridge. I feel like that’s what my heartache from Ryder will become—a scar that’s always with me. I kind of hope so.” She sighed wistfully. “I remember the pain of that fall, but I also remember your sweetness in that moment. I want to think about the sweet times I shared with Ryder. I don’t want to hold on to the sorrow or bitterness at what could have been. That doesn’t do Chase and Noah any good.”
“You are one of the best people I know,” Bea told her, admiration and deep affection glittering in her eyes.
“For years, you thought I was just a twerpy little kid,” Esme said with a laugh. “We also have Chatelaine to thank for bringing us closer together.”
“Do you think we owe any of that thanks to Edgar and Elias?” Bea asked.
“Not at all. Even I’m not that generous.”
They both laughed. “Speaking of which, I saw Wendell in the diner the other day,” Bea told her. “He and Freya were talking about mystery miner number fifty-one. He really thinks that note on the back of the castle was more than just someone stirring up trouble. Freya seemed pretty bothered by the possibility.”
“The same thing happened when I talked to them about it. I don’t like to think about anything upsetting her,” Esme said, “but I understand. She knows her husband holds some responsibility for fifty deaths, and maybe the thought of one more being added to the count is too much.”
“That’s understandable,” Bea agreed. “I wish she didn’t feel responsible for making reparations. She was nowhere near Chatelaine when everything happened at the mine.”
“I think as much as Freya is helping us, we’re also helping her.”
Bea looked skeptical. “By spending Uncle Elias’s money so she doesn’t have to?”
“No, silly.” Esme rolled her eyes. “It’s not about the money.”
“Then what is it about?”
“We’re helping her let go of the past and move forward. It’s what I tried to do by taking the risk of telling Ryder I loved him. Too bad it didn’t work out for me.”
“I think it’s working out for Freya,” Bea said. “If that makes you feel any better.”
