Three days later, I was spending a nice Friday afternoon with my mom shopping. She’d asked if I would take her downtown to see the holiday decorations. All of Main Street had been decked out in red, white and blue for the Memorial Day celebrations tomorrow.
Before picking up Mom, I’d stopped by my house to find Khloe feverishly cleaning. When I’d told her that it was unnecessary, she’d refused to listen. Her gloved hands just kept scouring away as she declared that cleaning was a necessary outlet.
Khloe had been as fired up and angry as I’d ever seen her. If Derrick did find her hiding spot, God help him. She’d ranted on and on about what she’d like to do to his man parts the next time she saw her soon-to-be ex-husband.
“How about this one?” Mom asked, pulling me from my thoughts. She was holding up a sleeveless azure tunic.
“Definitely. It would be great for your eyes.”
“Oh, not for me. I meant for you. I don’t leave the house enough for something this nice.”
“You know, if you moved in with me, you’d be a lot closer to downtown. You could walk down here whenever you wanted and then you’d have the chance to wear that pretty shirt.”
“No, no,” she said. “We’ve talked about this. I’m not going to move.”
I refolded a pair of jeans and stacked them back on their table. “Why, Mom? I don’t understand why you’re so set on staying in that old trailer.”
“I just am. Please stop asking me to move. You’re becoming as bad as Jess.”
“Then explain it to me. If you want me to stop asking, you have to help me understand your attachment to a place that’s falling apart around you.”
She handed me the blue blouse. “You should buy this.”
“Mom, please?”
She sighed and leaned a hip against the jeans table. “I didn’t have much when your dad and I got married, but we were happy. A couple of young kids in love. Hank worked nights, and I wanted a job with hours that matched his so we could spend our days together. It wasn’t a fancy job, just stocking shelves at night at a grocery store, but I did my best. We were living in this tiny apartment but managing to get by.”
I stood quietly and listened. Mom was rarely forthcoming about her time with my dad and I didn’t want to stop her before she could finish.
“My parents both died when you were a baby and they left me a small sum. I used it along with what I’d managed to save from my own paychecks to buy our trailer when we moved here. That old house is the one thing I’ve been able to give you and Jess.” Tears filled her eyes as she looked to the floor. “I haven’t been a good mother, but at least you had a place to call home.”
Tears of my own welled. How could she think so little of herself as a mother? She had her struggles, and I wouldn’t say that after my dad had left, things had been easy. But she’d given us a lot more than she was taking credit for.
“Mom.” I touched her shoulder. “You were a good mother. You taught us how to love and trust. How to appreciate what we had. And how to stand on our own two feet.”
She shook her head and spoke to the floor. “No, I wasn’t.”
“Will you look at me?” She wiped her eyes before tipping them up. “I love you, Mom. There’s no one else in the world that I’d want for a mother.”
Her sad smile and pat on the arm were her ways of ending our discussion. She didn’t believe me but that was okay. I’d remind her every day that she was special until she did.
“I’ll drop the serious talk. We’ll go back to the fun day.”
“Thank you.”
Before she could turn away from me, I pulled her in for a tight hug. “And I’m buying you this shirt.”
She laughed and agreed. We shopped for a little while longer, and along with her top, I bought myself a few pairs of jeans. Ranch work, I had learned, was not easy on denim. After checking out and waving good-bye to the store owner, I met Mom at the window of the boutique.
“Ready to go? Maybe we could get a coffee. I could use some caffeine.”
She didn’t answer, just kept staring out the window at Main Street.
“Mom?” I called again but she didn’t move.
Goddamn it. I had hoped that the medicine she was on would prevent these moments and it seemed to have been helping. Just not today.
“Mom?” I gently shook her shoulder.
Okay, weird.
This felt different. She was blinking and seemed to hear me. This didn’t feel like her spacey episodes. This felt like she was ignoring me.
Why, I had no clue, but I didn’t ask. Maybe she was annoyed that I’d forced her to tell that story about Dad.
Since we weren’t in a rush, I stood at her side and glanced outside, people watching safely behind the storefront glass. The street was full of people enjoying the beautiful May weather. I was actually surprised at how busy Main Street was, given that it was a Sunday and only half the businesses were open. Tourist season seemed to be starting off early and with force.
“Mom?” I asked again. “Are you ready?”
She smiled and turned my way. “Yes. Let’s go.”
“Would you like a coffee?”
Glancing over my shoulder at the clock, she shook her head. “No, thanks.”
“Oh, okay. Do you have somewhere to be?”
“Oh, no. I, um, just feel like going the other way this afternoon. How about we walk down to the hardware store?”
I shrugged. “Sure. I could use another pair of leather gloves.” The ones Silas had given me for Christmas were nearly worn out and I wanted some without lining for the hot summer days.
As we meandered slowly down the sidewalk, I heard a woman whisper, “There she is.”
Who, me?
I looked over my shoulder toward the voice. An older woman ducked her head and avoided my eyes. I had no idea who she was. Weird. I kept walking but slowed when every person we passed kept staring at me.
It wasn’t unusual to make eye contact and say “hello” as you passed people on the sidewalk in Prescott, but this was beyond strange. It wasn’t just the passersby that looked. Everyone seemed to have eyes on me. Across the street, a man whispered something to his companion and then both men actually pointed. Inside one of the stores, two women had their heads poked out of the door’s window to stare.
What the hell?
Why were people talking about me? I looked down at my clothes and made sure I didn’t have a rip or stain on my shirt. There wasn’t anything on my butt or stuck to my shoe. No boogers were hanging from my nose.
That meant something was stirring up the gossip mill. Fucking fantastic. Just what I didn’t need. More gossip. What had I done now? Who had I pissed off?
My first guess was Elliot. He was part of Prescott’s Coffee Club, a group of old men that met every morning for coffee and gossip. Maybe since he was having trouble running me off the ranch, he’d decided to try and run me out of town instead.
“Here she comes.” Another whisper.
“Mom?” Maybe she’d heard the rumors and could give me a clue. When she didn’t stop, I called again and stepped closer to her side. “Mom, have you heard any rumors about me lately? People are looking at me funny.”
“Uh, no.” She avoided eye contact and walked even faster.
Not a good sign.
I followed behind her and felt my resting bitch face snap into place. If these people wanted to judge me based on a rumor, then at least I’d have some armor in place.
“Hold on one second,” Mom said when we reached a crosswalk.
“There’s no one coming.” I started to cross but she grabbed my arm and tugged me back onto the sidewalk. “Okay. What’s going on? You’re acting strange.”
I stood shocked when her arms wrapped around me for a hug.
“What—”
“He’s a good man and I’m so happy for you.”
“Huh?” Was this an early sign of dementia?
She pointed to the top of a building across the street. “Turn around and look up.”
I humored her. “Why am I staring at the top of the newspaper building?”
The sound of a plane’s engine buzzed in the distance. As it approached, its roaring engine echoed louder and louder off the buildings. At first, all I could see was its faint white outline, but as it neared, I recognized it as one of the smaller planes that farmers in the area used for crop dusting. It was flying low and slow, coming straight toward us, close enough I could see its propeller whirl and its red-tipped wings.
A block away from Main Street, it banked away, trailing a huge white banner hooked to its tail. In big, block, red letters were the words Marry me, Felicity.
I gasped and stared wide-eyed as the plane cruised by. People on the street started laughing and cheering, “Say yes!”
“Oh my god.” My hand flew to my mouth as I started laughing and crying at the same time.
He remembered.
The winter of my senior year in high school, Silas had taken me to Bozeman to tour the university. He had needed to go for specialty ranch supplies and volunteered to take me along so I wouldn’t have to brave the winter roads. We had just pulled into town and were navigating through traffic when he’d leaned over to point out my side window. Above us had been a small plane streaming along a marriage proposal.
“That’s the kind of proposal I want,” I’d told him. “Any man that asks you to marry him via sky banner has to love you more than life.”
He’d remembered.
With a full, full heart, I stood on the sidewalk, amazed. When the plane disappeared over Main Street, my eyes started scanning faces, searching the crowd for Silas.
Mom’s hand touched my shoulder. “He’s over there.”
I turned and followed her pointing finger. Silas was standing in the middle of the sidewalk in the direction from which we had just come. He must have been following us down the sidewalk.
His arms were crossed over his broad chest, showcasing his summer-tanned arms. His feet were planted wide, making his strong thighs bulge under his faded jeans. His mouth was set in a smug grin.
Breathtaking. My man—no, my future husband was breathtaking.
My feet turned automatically. When his arms opened wide, I started jogging, running right toward my dream. I launched myself at him from two feet away and he swept me up and held me tight as I buried my face in his neck, whispering, “Yes.”
His rich chuckle vibrated into my hair.
“I can’t believe you remembered.”
“I remember everything.”
I giggled. “I’ll make note of that.”
“Good idea,” he said. “Now kiss me and you’ll get your ring.”
I leaned back and immediately latched my lips onto his. With his fingers threaded in my hair, he slanted my head so our tongues could twist.
We let that kiss say it all. Promises of love. Oaths to honor. Vows to cherish. When we broke apart, all that was left to do was celebrate with the crowd clapping and whistling around us. I hadn’t even heard them until now.
“Congratulations!” chorused around as Silas and I were mobbed by family and friends. Jess and Gigi emerged from the crowd with the kids in tow. We all exchanged hugs and I promised Rowen that she could be my flower girl.
Maisy, Coby and Beau found us next. Then Emmeline, Nick and baby Draven Slater came over followed by Paxon. Khloe had even managed to sneak downtown, disguised in a hat and huge sunglasses.
The Drummonds, too, came over to offer their congratulations with Mason in tow. When Annie walked away, she looked back with a smile but had sad tears in her eyes.
The bittersweet moment passed when Olivia came right into my space and pulled me in for a tight embrace. “Welcome to the family, sweetie.”
“Thank you.” I hugged her back.
This was my family. Felicity’s Journey Home had been more successful than I could have ever imagined.
Only two things dampened this moment. Sabrina’s absence. And Elliot’s. I scanned the faces around us but saw no sign of Silas’s dad. His loss. Today was a day that people in this town would be talking about for decades.
“Drinks!” Silas called and the masses erupted in applause while shuffling toward the Silver Dollar Saloon. As people moved, Silas grabbed my hand and held me back.
“We’re not going?”
“Nah.” He smirked. “I just needed to get them to leave us alone so we could go home.” His lips brushed against mine. “We’re having a private celebration.”
“Don’t you think it’s rude for us to just ditch them?” I whispered.
“Yeah, it is. I just don’t give a fuck. They’ll figure it out.”
I smiled. “Yeah. They will.” I pulled on his hand and led my handsome fiancé home, where we celebrated all night long.
Then again in the morning.
“I wasn’t sure that you’d be up for showings today.” Paxon leaned against my car with a cocky stance.
“Why is that?”
“Thought Silas would have worn you out.” He grinned and shook his head. “I see that I’m going to need to give your man some stamina tips before your honeymoon.”
“That won’t be necessary.” I patted his arm. “I have no complaints about Silas’s stamina.” None whatsoever.
“Did you two decide on a wedding date?”
I nodded. “The end of August.” Just three months away.
“Damn. You aren’t messing around.”
No, we were not.
We’d spent the morning making love, relaxing and eating a big brunch while we discussed wedding plans. To my surprise, Silas had more ideas for the wedding than I’d thought he would. He wanted to get married in the quaint one-room country church about thirty miles from town and hoped that we could host a reception afterward here at the ranch.
Four months gave me just enough time to secure the church, rent the biggest white tent I could find and organize the excess of other wedding details. It would be a lot of work, but neither one of us wanted to delay. Gigi, Maisy and Emmeline had already been drafted to help and I was praying Sabrina’s troubles would be over by then so she could be my maid of honor.
My to-do list was up to three pages by the time Silas left to do some work and I came outside to meet Paxon for some afternoon showings.
“Where are you taking me today?” he asked.
It had taken me a while to find some properties that fit his budget, but thankfully, he hadn’t been in a rush. Now, three places had happened to come up all at once so he had a selection to pick from.
“I’ve got three places to show you. Two are nice little duplexes on the north side of town a couple blocks from Main Street. The third is my favorite and I’m hoping you pick it.”
“Oh, yeah? How come?”
I winked. “It’s a surprise. You’ll just have to wait and see. But you realize that once you buy a house, you’ll have to move out of the motel, right?”
“I suppose it’s probably time.” He pouted and kicked at the dirt. “Maisy could use an actual tenant. She won’t let me pay her full price.”
Life had been pretty easy for Paxon these last few months so it wasn’t a surprise he’d kept delaying our house hunt. Somehow, he’d managed to convince Maisy to do his laundry and he joined her and Coby for dinner most nights.
“I’m sure Maisy’s just happy to have you there. Half price is better than nothing.”
“True,” he said. “She doesn’t know it yet, but I’ve been sneaking money into Coby’s piggy bank.”
“She’ll appreciate that one day. Ready to go?” I asked as I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.
“Jeez.” He winced and shielded his eyes. “Put that thing away before you blind me.”
I wiggled my fingers and smiled, inspecting the beauty on my left hand. After Silas’s proposal yesterday, he had given me my gorgeous ring as we’d driven to the ranch. It was a flawless, two-carat, oval diamond solitaire set on top a simple, yellow-gold band.
I had attacked him with kisses and he’d been forced to pull over to avoid a crash.
“Come on, Mrs. Grant. Stare at your rock on your own time,” Paxon teased, forcing my eyes from my hand.
I smiled at my future name. Silas had been calling me that since we’d gotten home yesterday, and though Paxon saying it was nice, it wasn’t nearly as good as hearing it from my handsome fiancé.
“Paxon!” Elliot hustled down the steps of the big house. He jogged across the gravel lot and came to Pax’s side. “Glad I caught you. Before you head out, would you mind signing your insurance paperwork for me? I finally got it from the insurance company and wanted to get it back to them this afternoon.”
“Sure, boss.”
“Great.” Elliot clamped a hand on Paxon’s shoulder. “It’s on my desk. Red sticker by the places you need to sign.”
Pax nodded. “Be right back, Felicity.”
Elliot watched Paxon disappear into the house before turning to me. The friendly attitude he’d had with Pax vanished the second his eyes landed on my ring finger. “I’m not okay with this.”
“Shocking,” I deadpanned. “And here I was, thinking you were going to congratulate me and welcome me into your family.”
“This isn’t going to happen.”
“It is. In August.” I stressed the month. Nothing he could say would keep me from marrying his son.
“If you marry Silas, he won’t inherit this ranch.”
Except maybe that.
“What?” I swayed on my feet and steadied myself on the car with a hand.
“He’ll be out of my will. I’ll break it all apart and sell it to the neighbors.”
“You hate me that much? You’d take away his future? He loves this ranch. It’s part of his soul. Don’t do this. He’s your son.”
His resolve faltered and the confidence in his eyes waned. “I love my son.”
“Then please, Elliot. Please don’t—”
“I’m back.” Paxon jogged back to us and interrupted my plea.
Without making eye contact with me or Paxon, Elliot stalked away. I watched him go, hoping that something in my short plea had registered.
Paxon gently touched my arm. “Felicity? What happened?”
“Nothing.” My voice was cold and distant. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and slid sunglasses over my eyes so he wouldn’t see them flood. “I just have some decisions to make.”
Like if I was willing to sacrifice my heart so Silas wouldn’t have to give up his dreams. Or if I really was the selfish woman that Elliot proclaimed me to be.
Silas
Shifting my hands on the tractor’s steering wheel, I dug in my pocket for my vibrating phone.
Paxon: Your dad just said something to Felicity. She’s upset.
Me: Shit. Did you hear what he said?
Paxon: No, but it had to be bad. She’s all kinds of fucked up. It’s like an ice wall just went up in front of her face.
Me: Fuck. I’ll handle it.
I shouldn’t be surprised. Dad hadn’t even bothered to show up downtown yesterday when I’d told him that I was proposing to Felicity. Stupid me, thinking maybe my dad could actually support me for once.
Enough was enough. Today, I was ending this feud between us.
I was done taking his shit about the ranch. And I was done letting him harass my future wife.
I swung the tractor’s large wheels around and headed back toward the ranch. By the time I’d parked it back in the shop and started my search for Dad, my muscles were pulsing with fury.
But today I was taking a different approach with Dad. I was taking Felicity’s advice. There would be no shouting or yelling. It was going to be fucking hard, but I wasn’t going to let my temper lead the way.
Stepping inside my parents’ house, I called for Dad.
“Oh, hi, honey,” Mom responded. “I thought I saw you leave in the tractor. Is everything okay? You didn’t have another breakdown, did you?”
I shook my head. “No. It’s fine.” I took a deep breath and willed myself to stay calm. “Where’s Dad?”
“Right here.” He walked out of his office and stood at Mom’s side. “What’s up?”
“What did you say to Felicity?” I shoved my hands into my jeans pockets so he wouldn’t see my fists.
Dad’s face paled, knowing exactly what I was talking about. “She told you?”
“No, she didn’t, but Paxon did. I’d like you to tell me what you said.” The muscles in my back were taut with rage but I kept my voice steady.
“She’s no good for you,” he said. “She’ll run away again as soon as she realizes ranching isn’t her cup of tea.”
“That’s for me to decide. What did you say to her?”
“I’m just looking out for you.”
“What did you say?” My whisper made his eyes grow wider.
He dropped his head and spoke to the floor. “She doesn’t belong here.” Was he trying to convince me or himself? “She’s not cut out for this life. She’s a spoiled, rotten brat, just like she always—”
“Dad, stop.” My gentle tone surprised me as much as it did him. “Tell me. Please.”
His face was white now. “I told her you wouldn’t inherit the ranch if she married you.”
I rocked back on my heels, shocked to my very core.
“Elliot,” Mom gasped and clutched her chest. “No.”
He turned to her, pleading for support. “When she leaves him again, he’ll go right back into the army. Or leave town. Is that what you want? To go through all of that again? I’m just looking out for my son.”
Mom wasn’t buying anything he was saying and started yelling while I stood silent.
How could he do this to me? He’d really take away my home, my job, just because I was marrying a woman he didn’t like? This was not my father, the hero from my childhood, the man who had taught me so much.
“You will apologize and fix this!” Mom yelled.
“Olivia—”
“Do not talk to me!” she shrieked. “If you don’t make this right, you’ll find yourself out of this house. You haven’t even given Felicity a chance. He is my son and she will be his wife. No husband of mine will treat my children like this. I’m ashamed of you! I can’t believe—”
“Mom,” I said, interrupting her rant. “Don’t.” I didn’t want her to say something she’d come to regret.
She looked at me with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Silas.”
I nodded and turned to Dad. “I’m leaving.” Mom’s gasp filled the room, but I didn’t stop. “All I’ve ever wanted was to run this place with you, to take what you’ve taught me and build on that, to continue your legacy. But you won’t let me. You won’t let me share this with you and you won’t let me share this with the one person who makes me happy.”
“Silas, I-I just—I’m sor—”
I shook my head. “No excuses, Dad. You’ve made your stance clear and now I’m doing the same with mine. She will always come first. If that means I have to give up all my dreams to make hers come true, then that’s what I’ll do. The ranch is yours. I’ll be gone this week.”
“No, Silas. Don’t leave,” Mom begged. “We’ll figure this out.”
“I’m sorry, Mom, but I don’t think we will.”