by Devney Perry
“How is Derrick?” I tensed and waited, hoping he wouldn’t say “dead.” Paxon had enough shit swirling. A manslaughter charge would push him over the edge.
“Gonna be in the hospital for a while, but he’ll pull through. Then his ass is in prison.”
My shoulders fell. “Have you talked to Pax yet?”
“Not yet,” Jess said. “Thought you might want to talk with him first before I take his statement.”
“Are you bringing him in?”
“Nope. From everything Khloe and Felicity told me, he saved their lives.”
“Fuck, that’s good news.” I clapped him on the shoulder before heading outside. I walked outside to Paxon and sat on the curb by his side. “Pax.”
He didn’t look up from the asphalt between his knees. “Did I kill him?”
“No.”
“Am I going to jail?”
“No.”
His head fell into his hands and his shoulders started shaking. I threw an arm around his back and sat silently as he wept. This was going to be difficult for Paxon to cope with, but I’d be there to support him. Christ, what would have happened had he not been there today? He’d saved Khloe’s life. I couldn’t stomach thinking about what would have happened to Felicity if she’d gone into that house alone.
Paxon pulled himself together and looked up. “I lost it today. Twice. I need some help.”
“Okay.” I squeezed his shoulder tighter. “Then we’ll get you some.”
“Paxon?” Felicity’s gentle voice sounded at our backs.
I stood and held out a hand to help my friend off the ground. Before he’d even steadied his feet, Felicity threw her arms around his middle. He hesitated for a moment before bending down and hugging her back.
“It’s going to be okay,” she promised.
He held her for another second before they broke apart.
“The deputies would like to take your statement,” she told him.
“All right.” He tucked his hands in his pockets and walked inside the hospital.
Stepping into Felicity’s space, I pulled her into my arms. “What did Khloe say?”
“She’s scared but grateful we came when we did.” She shuttered and hugged me tighter. “I was going to take Paxon to the coffee shop, Silas. If he hadn’t tackled me and gotten my shirt dirty, we wouldn’t have saved her.”
“But you did. You got there and she’ll be okay.”
I rubbed her back for a few minutes, just holding her, until she leaned back and said, “I’m okay.”
My thumbs gently stroked her cheeks. “That’s my Lis.”
“Can we leave? I want to go.”
Looking up and over her head, I found Jess watching us from just inside the glass doors of the emergency room. “She okay?” he mouthed and I nodded. He waved and turned back into the hospital where his deputies were questioning Paxon.
“Come on, babe.” I folded Felicity into my side and guided her into the parking lot. “Let’s go.”
I helped her inside the truck, and after hopping in myself, I grabbed one of her belt loops and dragged her into the middle seat, not wanting her more than two inches away from me on a day like this.
We didn’t go straight back to the ranch. Instead, I drove her out to the river.
“What are we doing here?” she asked as I shifted the truck into park.
“I thought we could watch the sunset. I’m still on edge and so are you. Maybe an hour of quiet will do us both some good.”
She snuggled further into my side. “Good idea.”
An hour later, the sun was filled with orange and pink and the knot in my gut was finally coming loose. Felicity was doing better too because she’d stopped picking at the seam on her jeans.
“How did it go with your dad?” she asked. “Was the fight really bad?”
“No fight at all, actually.”
She leaned back and studied my face. “Really?”
“Really.” I pulled her back in close and smiled. “This woman once told me that I’d have better luck making my point if I didn’t let my temper get the best of me. She was right.”
“She sounds smart. You should keep her around.”
“For all of the days of my life.”
We stayed close and quiet, holding each other until the sunset faded away. By the time we pulled into the ranch, the stars were ready to greet us.
And so was my dad.
Waiting for us on the front steps, he stood when we pulled up to park.
“This can’t be good,” I muttered and opened my door.
Felicity hummed her agreement and slid to the passenger door to hop out of the truck.
I barely had my feet on the gravel when Dad was in my space, locking his arms around me for a tight hug. “I’m sorry, Silas. I’m sorry.”
“Dad, I—”
“Please let me explain.” He let me go and stepped back. Even in the dim moonlight, I could see the regret in his eyes. “Please.”
“Dad, can we not do this tonight? Felicity’s had a bad day and I’d like to just go inside and give her some quiet.”
“Oh, um, sure.” His eyes darted to Felicity, who had rounded the hood of the truck and was standing by the fender. “I’m sorry. I’ll let you guys go but I wanted to say that first. I’m very sorry.”
Felicity stood stunned for a minute, like she was waiting for him to take it back. But Dad was being sincere. I knew it, and after that minute, so did she. She turned to me and said, “I’m okay,” then looked to Dad. “I think I’d like to hear what you have to say, Elliot.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “We were at the hospital not two hours ago. Let’s not push it.”
“The hospital?” Dad took a panicked step toward her. “Are you all right?”
She sighed. “I’m fine, but let’s save that story for tomorrow. I’d rather not hash it out again.” Pushing away from the truck, she came to my side and threaded her fingers with mine. “Come on. Let’s go sit down.”
I looked at Dad and gave him a silent warning. You’d better not fuck with her.
He got the message. He nodded and led us over to the front porch steps of his house. The light was shining brightly through its windows but I couldn’t see Mom anywhere inside.
“Did you want to go inside?” I asked as he took a seat on the top step.
“No. I’m . . . locked out.”
Felicity’s choked laugh came out fast and she coughed to cover it up.
Dad’s eyes found her and my muscles tensed, waiting to see how he’d react. “It’s okay to laugh. I deserve to be sleeping with the horses tonight. Please, sit down.” He patted the wooden step.
Felicity and I sat, me taking the middle to act as a buffer between them.
“I’m sorry, Felicity,” Dad said, looking past me to her. “I’d like it very much if you’d give me another chance.”
Her fingers, laced with mine, squeezed a bit as she said, “I’d like that too.”
Fuck, I hoped this was real. I hoped that this wasn’t some sort of dream and I was asleep at the river. Life would be a whole lot better if Dad would treat Felicity with the respect she deserved. Life would be a whole lot better if we didn’t have to leave the Lucky Heart.
“I owe you both an explanation,” Dad said and took a fortifying breath. “You see, when I was in college, I was engaged to a young woman from San Francisco.”
What? How had I not know about this? I didn’t ask, though, just sat shocked as he kept going.
“She knew I wanted to come back here after college and take over the ranch from your granddad, so she came with me after we graduated. She lived in town and I lived out here, but she spent a lot of time on the ranch. She said she liked it. But two weeks before the wedding, I went to pick her up for a date and her house was empty. She’d moved back to California and told me in a note that she didn’t want to be a rancher’s wife. I never saw her again.”
Felicity’s hand clamped down on mine as I blew out
a loud breath. “Holy fuck.”
So much made sense now. Dad had pinned his own broken heart on Felicity. Mom had said he’d had his reasons for not trusting Felicity. Not that Dad’s actions were right, but I could see now why he’d been so skeptical. In his eyes, Felicity was the fiancée that had abandoned him. She was the city girl who hadn’t wanted a ranch life.
Holy fuck.
Dad sighed. “It all worked out for the best. I met your mom a few years later and knew she was the one, but what my first fiancée did left its mark.” Dad leaned forward again to look at Felicity. “It wasn’t fair for me to compare you with her. I’m sorry.”
“I appreciate the explanation,” she said. “I get it, but please know, I won’t ever leave Silas again.”
“I see that now. Sorry it took me so long to pull my head outta my ass. I’m too stubborn for my own good.”
“Well,” she sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t make that easier on you. And I apologize for flipping you off.”
Dad chuckled. “I may have flipped you off too.”
“You did?” she asked.
“Your back was turned. Sorry.”
She laughed and leaned further into my side.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me any of this, Dad?” I had missed out on a huge part of my dad’s life. I was mentally replaying so many arguments and discussions and seeing them from a new angle now. I would have done things differently had I known.
Dad shook his head. “Pride. I didn’t want my son to know how badly I’d been dumped. I was planning on telling you after Felicity left all those years ago but then we got into that big fight about you enlisting and leaving the ranch, and well, before we could talk, you were gone.”
Damn. I wished we had gotten the chance to have that conversation. “Well, I’m glad to know now.”
“I’m sorry, Silas. About everything. You said earlier that you wanted to run the ranch together. I’d really like that too, if you’d consider staying.”
“I’m done fighting with you, Dad.”
He held up his hands. “No more fights and I promise to be open to new ideas. Give me a chance to prove to you that I mean it. A month. Give me a month.”
We’d never gone a month without arguing. If we could make it thirty days, I might actually believe it was possible. “Okay. A month.”
“Thank you.” Dad clapped me on the shoulder. “We’ll make this work.” He stood and stepped down a step, holding out a hand to shake mine. Then he shuffled over and did the same to Felicity. “Welcome to our family.”
She shook his hand and smiled. “Thank you.”
“I’ll let you kids get home. Are you sure you’re not sick or hurt?” Dad asked her.
“I’m fine. We’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.”
“Okay,” he said. “If Olivia lets me back inside, maybe we could all have breakfast tomorrow?”
I nodded. “Sounds good. Night, Dad.”
“Night.” Dad walked down the remaining steps and across the gravel lot to the barn. When the door slid closed behind him, I scooted back behind Felicity, framing her legs with mine and wrapping my arms around her chest.
“Wow,” she said. “Did that just happen?”
“Ask me again tomorrow.” I chuckled. “I’m still not sure this isn’t all a dream.”
“I really hope he means it,” she whispered.
“Me too,” I whispered back. Only time would tell if Dad and I could run this ranch together. Only time would prove if he would treat Felicity like a member of this family. But we had time. And if it didn’t work out, we had each other.
Felicity rested her head against my chest. “Now what?”
“Whatever you want.”
“I want you to tell me that you love me.”
I smiled. “I love you.”
“I want you to kiss me.”
I leaned to the side, bent down and brushed my lips against hers. “Anything else?”
She smiled and my heart skipped. “I’m sure I’ll think of something.”
Yeah, she would. Life would never be dull or boring with my Lis.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
One year later . . .
“Don’t overdo it today,” Elliot warned.
“Uh-huh,” I muttered.
“He’s right,” Silas said. “Take it easy.”
“Leave her alone.” Olivia came to my rescue. “She’s just sitting there.”
“No, she’s not. She’s cooking,” Elliot argued.
My lip curled. “She is just peeling potatoes. I’d hardly say what I’m doing is strenuous.”
“You’ll get carried away,” Elliot said. “I think you should go sit on the couch. Watch TV or read a book.”
I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. I was about ten seconds away from throwing a potato at his face.
“Come on, Dad,” Silas said. “Let’s get out of here before she maims you with that peeler.”
“Fine,” Elliot muttered and kissed Olivia good-bye. He came to me next and kissed the top of my hair before going outside.
“See you in a bit.” Silas’s arms wrapped around my stomach as he bent over my chair. “Love you.”
“Love you too, baby. Good luck out there.”
He kissed my cheek and followed Elliot outside. I enjoyed the view of him leaving almost as much as him coming. If I could move faster, I would have hustled after him and given that sexy butt of his a good squeeze before he’d left. As it was, it would take me ten minutes just to stand from this chair.
“Finally, they’re gone,” Olivia sighed. “You’d think you were the first woman to ever have a baby.”
“It’s a good thing she’ll be here any day,” I said, rubbing my belly. “I don’t think I can take more of his smothering. I’m peeling potatoes here, not running a marathon. Me, of all people, should be able to tell when I need a break.”
I sighed and took a drink of my herbal tea. God, I miss caffeine.
Olivia sat beside me with her rich, black coffee. “He’s just hovering because he cares.”
“I know. It’s actually quite sweet.”
If someone had asked me a year ago if I thought Elliot and I would have a loving father/daughter-in-law relationship someday, I would have said, “Fuck no.”
But the night of Derrick’s attack had changed everything.
Since that night, Elliot and Silas hadn’t had a single disagreement about the ranch, and Elliot had made it his personal mission to become the positive father figure I’d never had. He’d even asked to do the father-daughter dance with me at my wedding.
Silas and I had gotten married in a one-room country church, surrounded by family and close friends. Silas, wearing a simple black suit, had been waiting at the end of the aisle as Jess had given me away. Since Sabrina couldn’t be there, we had decided not to have attendants, with the exception of Rowen as my flower girl. She’d led the way down the aisle, wearing a simple plum dress with matching flowers in her hair. I had followed in my cream gown with a delicate lace bodice and billowing chiffon shirt.
Just as he had wanted, Silas and I had hosted a huge reception at the ranch after the ceremony. The white tent that I’d rented had taken up nearly all of the Grants’ backyard. The party had been in full swing when Elliot and Olivia had asked us to pop inside for a minute. Waiting for us in Elliot’s office had been their wedding gift.
The Lucky Heart.
That night, they’d deeded the entire place over to Silas and me.
My wedding gift to Silas hadn’t been quite as fancy. When we’d left the party and come back to the loft, I’d handed him a plastic baggie with my positive pregnancy test sealed safely inside.
That night, Silas got his ranch and I got my family.
Now, nearly nine months later, we were on our ranch, expecting our first baby and preparing for another branding.
“My break time is over,” Olivia said. “I’d better get going on the lunch buffet.”
&
nbsp; “Leave that coffee,” I said. She gave me a sideways look. “I just want to smell it. I promise not a drop shall pass these lips.”
“Would you like me to make you some decaf?”
I grimaced. Let the record show, decaf coffee was not the same as regular.
Twenty potatoes later, I struggled out of my seat to help Olivia in the kitchen, hoping that standing would ease the pain in my lower back. Let the record also show, pregnancy was equivalent to a perpetual state of discomfort.
“We’re here!” Khloe pushed inside after a quick knock, Paxon following close behind. “Where do you want these?” She lifted five boxes of cookies she’d made for today’s festivities.
“Come to mama.” I held out my hands, planning to steal an entire box for myself and baby girl.
“I’m going to head down to the corral and help get the rest of the stuff ready. Do you need anything before I go?” Paxon asked Khloe.
“Can you bring in the cake for me?”
He nodded and jogged outside.
“Cake?” I shoved a snickerdoodle cookie in my mouth.
She shrugged. “It’s his favorite. He wouldn’t stop pestering me while I was baking so I finally gave in.”
“It’s tough to find good roommates these days,” I teased and she smiled.
Paxon had bought that little beige house by the cemetery, and not two weeks after he’d fixed up the spare bedroom, she’d moved in as his roommate.
Khloe hadn’t needed to bunk up. I’d brokered the sale of her and Derrick’s former house and she’d made a killing, plenty to afford her own place, but living with Paxon made her feel safe. Derrick was enjoying a fifteen-year sentence at Montana’s state prison for attempted murder but Khloe still had a lot of fears to overcome.
It was actually good for both of them. Khloe gave Paxon peace and he was steadier when she was around. Over the last year, he’d been seeing a counselor in Bozeman, and I think Khloe’s influence complemented his therapy.
“Ouch,” I muttered, rubbing my back. It was going to be a long day with this backache. Eating two more cookies, I went back to cooking, ignoring Elliot’s and Silas’s warnings to take it easy.