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“I don’t need a bailout but I could use a ride.” He tried to gauge Aiden’s mood. After the morning he’d had, Silas wasn’t exactly up for a fight. “I appreciate you coming down here.”
“I’ve always got your back.” Aiden whacked his shoulder like old times. So, it seemed he’d forgiven him for making a scene in front of Morgan and Willow. Or maybe he’d only assumed Aiden had been angry. Silas wouldn’t blame him. He was angry at himself. “You know that.”
Did he know Aiden would have his back? “Actually, I’m surprised you came.” Silas started to walk toward Aiden’s truck. “I know you weren’t sure about me and Tess. But you don’t have to worry about it now anyway.” He couldn’t continue to make things difficult between her and her girls.
“And why is that?” Aiden asked when they’d both climbed in.
“I’m stepping back. I won’t come between Tess and Morgan and Willow.” And now that he didn’t have to deal with a misdemeanor, he’d be free and clear to take off for a while. With him gone, they could get back to normal. The girls would forget all about that awkward moment in the kitchen. Tess would miss him… maybe as much as he would miss her, but what other choice was there? He couldn’t stay here so close and avoid them. He didn’t want to cause Morgan and Willow more pain. And that was exactly what he’d seen on Morgan’s face earlier. Heartbreak.
Aiden started the engine but didn’t back out of the parking spot. “So, you’re going to walk away from her? From the girls? From the chance to be a part of their lives?”
What choice did he have? “Morgan hates me.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Aiden shot back. “She was upset. Kids say all kinds of things when they’re upset. Trust me. I’m sure she’s said she hated me a time or two.”
“I wanted everything to go differently.” He’d had a plan. He was going to build them a tree house and spend time with them. He was going to take them riding up in the high meadow and let them get to know him in a different way. “I feel like I already messed up.” And he feared he wouldn’t get another chance.
“So, you messed up.” Aiden released the emergency brake and backed out of the spot. “I’ve watched you take care of my sister and Morgan and Willow for two years now. They might not even realize everything you’ve done for them, but I’ve seen it. You gave up everything to move here so you could fulfill a promise. And today you stepped up to protect them.”
“I didn’t plan to fall in love with her.” In fact, that was the last thing he’d imagined when he’d come to Star Valley. He assumed he’d stay long enough to help the woman stand on her own like he’d promised Jace and then he’d be off again, moving on to the next place, like he always did.
“I know you didn’t plan this.” Aiden’s expression was uncharacteristically solemn. The two of them hadn’t exactly had a lot of heart-to-hearts over the years. “But Tess fell in love with you too. And I may have given you a hard time at the beginning, but she deserves this chance to love someone again. I think Jace would approve of you and Tess, if you want the truth. He had a lot of respect for you. For your work ethic and your loyalty and your commitment. And so do I.” He paused at the stop sign in front of the café. “I know you’d do everything you can to make them happy.”
“I would.” Silas had a lot to learn about love, about being a father. And apparently about making pancakes. But he couldn’t deny the truth. “I would doanythingto make them happy.” If he was given the chance. “But I won’t force my way into their lives.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Tess turned into the school’s carpool lane, moving the wheel with one hand while she sipped coffee from the travel mug she held in the other.
Hello, Monday morning.With two weeks left of school, they were literally limping to the finish line. Morgan had changed clothes three times that morning, lamenting that she had nothing cool to wear.
When had she started to care so much about being cool?
And Willow had done her stomachache bit—saying she couldn’t possibly go to school when she felt like she was going to barf. For some reason, her younger daughter only felt like she was going to barf on Monday mornings.
“I don’t want to go to school,” Willow complained, kicking her feet into the back of the front seat.
Tess took another sip of coffee and inched forward in line. Seriously. Was there any greater torture than the elementary carpool line?
“I understand.” She tried to sound sympathetic, but she wasn’t exactly chipper this morning either. She’d been hoping to talk with Silas after Aiden had picked him up at the station yesterday, but instead the man had her brother drop him off at the ranch and then he took off in his truck before she had the chance to go out and see him. And she hadn’t heard from him either, which of course had kept her up all night wallowing in questions. Had he written her off? Did he still think nothing would ever work between them?
“I should’ve worn my red shirt.” Morgan sighed loudly. “There’s Mia and she’s wearing red. She looks so good.”
“So do you.” Tess glanced in the rearview mirror. “You are beautiful, Morgan Valdez. Whether you’re wearing pink or purple or brown.”
“Brown?” her daughter asked in a horrified manner. “Mom, I willneverwear brown.”
“Oh, would you look at that. We made it to the front.” Tess stepped on the brake. “Bye, girls. Have a great day, love you.”
Their parting words came out in unintelligible mumbles as they climbed out of the car and joined their classmates walking into the building.Whew.Tess eased forward, moving slowly around the circle in front of the school before coming to a stop again. The carpool line at the elementary school happened to be the only place in town where there were traffic jams.
“Hey, Tess,” Brad called through her open window. He approached the passenger side of her truck.
“Brad. Hi.” She would’ve rather crawled into her glove compartment than face him right now, but she literally had nowhere else to go. At least he’d convinced his father to drop the charges. Natalie had called to tell her yesterday afternoon. She’d also learned that Brad’s father had been responsible for harassing the horses, along with Darrell and Ford, though they swore they never meant to hurt one.
“I’ve been meaning to call you,” Tess said. “I’m so sorry about the broken window. And for trespassing.” She still didn’t know what she’d been thinking. “I should’ve come to talk to you instead.” But she’d learned her lesson. Committing misdemeanors wasn’t her strong suit.
“Don’t worry about it. I made plenty of mistakes in this whole situation myself.” He leaned his forearms on the window frame, good-natured smile intact. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you? That fall through the window looked painful on the surveillance video.”
