Chapter Eleven – Alison
Driving away from the Thornberg Ranch felt oddly different, as if everything had shifted, everything had changed. No. It wasn’t everything else that had changed.
She had changed. It was as if she were a new person. Or more like her old self.
Today proved it. She’d made new friends and, more importantly, she had trusted her instincts. Just like she used to.
Yes. Today she had taken one, if not two steps closer to being the woman she used to be. Strong, confident, and filled with self-belief.
And self-respect. All the things Ronald had tried to steal from her.
She looked in the rearview mirror at her daughter. Tessa hummed quietly, her cheeks rosy with excitement despite her drooping eyelids, as she watched the passing scenery.
Ahead, the gate marking the edge of the Thornberg Ranch came into view. Alison slowed the car and came to a stop.
“Gate duty,” she announced with a smile.
Tessa’s eyes flew wide open as she squealed in delight and unbuckled her seatbelt as Alison climbed out of the car. With Tessa’s help, Alison unlatched the gate and swung it open.
“I want to ride!” With that, Tessa grabbed hold of the wooden bar and swung her legs up, letting herself dangle for a moment before shifting into a slow, back-and-forth swing.
“Hold on tight!” Alison called as she pushed the gate wide.
“Mommy, this is the best day ever,” she declared, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. “I love the ranch. I love the chickens, and the goats, and Hero, and—and everything!”
Alison laughed, propping herself against the open gate. “Everything, huh?”
Tessa nodded vigorously, her feet kicking out as she swung. “And I get to have dinner on a ranch on Thursday. A real ranch dinner!”
Alison reached out, ruffling her daughter’s hair. “You really liked it, didn’t you?”
Tessa let go of the gate and landed on her feet with a bounce. She threw her arms around Alison’s waist and hugged her tight. “Yes! I love it!”
Alison bent down, wrapping her arms around her daughter and holding her close. “I’m so glad, sweetheart.”
“Come on, drive through.” Tessa giggled, then pulled back and ran toward the car, eager to get going again. But then she paused and swung around. “Or we could stay here for the night?”
“I don’t think so,” Alison said, eyeing the surrounding trees that were now cast in deep shadow as the sun sank below the mountain peaks.
“I don’t mean here, here,” Tessa said as she climbed in her seat and Alison buckled her in. “I mean the ranch.”
“I know what you meant,” Alison said as she drove forward through the gateway and then got out and quickly shut the gate behind them.
She double-checked the latch was secure before sliding back into the driver’s seat. As they pulled away, she rolled down the window, letting the wind rush in. She breathed in deeply, the clean mountain air filling her lungs, waking something inside her that had been dormant for too long.
It wasn’t just the fresh air.
It was the Thornbergs. The warmth of Mary’s welcome, the ease of Waylan’s smile, and the way Jay had looked at her—like she was special.
That was something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Whether it was real or just her imagination, and she didn’t think it was her imagination, being around Jay made her feel…more.
More alive. More confident.
More like the woman she used to be.
Like she could move on. She could find happiness again.
Maybe even love.
A shadow of doubt crept in, that familiar, unwelcome voice in her head whispering, You don’t have the best track record with men, do you?
Her hands tightened on the wheel.
Ronald had been charming, once. A perfect gentleman, attentive and considerate, until he wasn’t.
And she had been blind to it.
Had ignored the signs.
Had believed in him.
What if she was just as blind now?
She glanced at Tessa in the rearview mirror, her daughter still humming to herself, lost in her own happy world.
And that was when it hit her.
She couldn’t close herself off forever because she was afraid of making another mistake.
If today had taught her anything, it was that she couldn’t raise Tessa in isolation.
Tessa needed to see what good relationships looked like. Goodness knows, she had seen enough bad ones.
Now Tessa needed to know what kindness looked like. What warmth, respect, and family felt like. Alison desperately wanted Tessa to see there was a world beyond the shadow Ronald had cast.
By the time they reached their house, Tessa’s eyes were drooping, and her humming had slowed to a soft murmur. Alison parked in the driveway and turned off the engine, listening to the faint tick of the cooling car as she watched her daughter in the mirror. She looked so peaceful so content.
“We’re home,” she said quietly, getting out and circling to open Tessa’s door.
Tessa mumbled something incoherent as Alison unbuckled her seatbelt. Gently, Alison picked her up and held Tessa close to her chest.
“You had a big day,” Alison murmured, kissing the top of her head.
Tessa sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to her mom.
Inside the house, Alison set her down gently, letting Tessa blink away the haze of drowsiness.
“Bath, then food, then bed?” Alison suggested as Tessa leaned against her.
“Bubbles?” Tessa mumbled, half-asleep, half-hopeful.
Alison smiled. “Definitely bubbles.”
Ronald had hated it when she played in the bath with Tessa. Had called it childish, and said she was indulging their daughter too much.
But Ronald is not here, Alison said defiantly as she turned on the taps, pouring in a generous amount of bubble bath. The scent of lavender filled the room as the tub filled with thick bubbles forming on the surface.
Tessa, now fully awake again, giggled as she stepped in and scooped up a handful. “Mommy, look! The bubbles are as big as my head!”
Alison laughed, plopping a bubbly crown onto Tessa’s head. “Now you are a bubble princess.”
Tessa squealed with delight, flinging bubbles in her direction.
Alison gasped, pretending to be mortally offended. “Oh, that’s it!”
She flicked a few bubbles back at her daughter, and soon the bathroom was filled with giggles.
When was the last time she had done this?
Had laughed freely, played without worrying about what someone else would think?
For the longest time, she had been walking through life carefully. Measuring every step. Never too much, never too loud.
But today, at the Thornberg Ranch?
She had laughed.
Had hugged without second-guessing it.
Had felt a spark of something she thought was long gone.
And she knew exactly who was responsible for that.
Jay.
The thought made her heart skip, just for a moment. His arrival in her life had been unexpected. But it had triggered a chain of events that had led her to this moment filled with laughter and joy.
She didn’t know where this was going. But she knew one thing, being around him made her feel like herself again.
She just wished she could do the same for him. To help him find a way back to who he once was.
Once Tessa was clean and wrapped in a towel, they made their way downstairs, her daughter’s small feet padding softly on the hardwood floor.
Alison pulled out a box of mac and cheese, setting a pot of water to boil.
Another small act of rebellion.
Ronald hated mac and cheese.
Too processed, too unhealthy, too childish, he had said.
Alison dumped the noodles in the boiling water and smiled to herself.
It smelled like comfort.
Like home.
Like freedom.
She glanced at Tessa, who sat at the kitchen table swinging her legs, with the ever-faithful Bumpkin sitting in her lap. As Alison prepared their meal, Tessa told Bumpkin all about their adventures on the ranch.
The house was quiet and peaceful.
Safe.
Alison sighed, feeling something stir in her chest. A quiet strength.
She had spent so long letting someone else define her.
But tonight?
Tonight, she would eat mac and cheese with her daughter and celebrate every small rebellion.
Because piece by piece, she was reclaiming herself.
And maybe, just maybe…
She was finally ready to let happiness in again. To let love in again.
Not that there was no love in her life. The love she had for Tessa was immense, overflowing, filling every corner of her heart. But there was still room there. There was room for more. For a different kind of love.
As she stirred the cheese sauce into the cooked pasta, her mind drifted back to Jay. The way his eyes had lit up when Tessa had talked to him. The gentleness in his hands when he’d helped her daughter feed Hero. The quiet strength in his shoulders when he’d stood beside her.
“Mommy, is the mac and cheese ready yet?” Tessa’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.
“Almost done, sweetheart.” Alison spooned the bright orange pasta into two bowls and carried them to the table. “Careful, it’s hot.”
Tessa set Bumpkin carefully on the chair beside her and picked up her fork, blowing dramatically on each bite before eating it, her eyes closing in exaggerated bliss. “Mmm, the best!”
Alison smiled, watching her daughter savor each bite with theatrical enthusiasm. “You think everything is the best today.”
“Because it is!” Tessa declared, brandishing her fork like a scepter. “The ranch was the best, and Hero was the best, and now mac and cheese is the best.”
“And what about tomorrow?” Alison asked, taking a bite of her dinner. “What will be the best tomorrow?”
Tessa’s brow furrowed in serious contemplation. “Tomorrow... I think tomorrow the best thing will be...Bumpkin!” She hugged her stuffed bear close, getting a smear of cheese sauce on one floppy ear.
“Poor Bumpkin might need a bath after dinner,” Alison noted, reaching over to wipe the orange spot with her napkin.
“He doesn’t mind. He likes being messy sometimes.” Tessa’s mood faltered. “He likes that we can be as messy as we like here…” She left the sentence hanging but Alison knew the words she’d left unsaid.
Without Daddy…
Alison swallowed hard, reaching across the table to squeeze Tessa’s hand. “It’s okay to talk about him, you know.”
Tessa nodded, her eyes downcast as she pushed a macaroni noodle around her bowl. “I know. But I don’t want to.” She looked up, her blue eyes suddenly fierce. “I like it better here. Just us.”
“Me, too, sweetheart.” Alison’s throat tightened with emotion. How strange that such a simple moment—eating mac and cheese at their kitchen table—could feel so profound, so freeing.
After dinner, Alison tucked Tessa into bed, Bumpkin nestled securely in the crook of her arm. The stuffed bear’s ear was still damp from its impromptu sponge bath Alison had given him while Tessa brushed her teeth.
“Mommy?”
Alison brushed her fingers through her daughter’s curls. “Yes, sweetheart?”
“I love the ranch,” Tessa mumbled sleepily. “And I love you.”
Alison’s heart melted. She pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I love you, too, baby. Sweet dreams.”
Tessa sighed, snuggling into her pillow, her breathing evening out almost instantly.
Alison stayed for a moment, watching her, letting the warmth of her daughter’s love wrap around her.
Then, quietly, she slipped out of the room, leaving the door open just a crack before heading downstairs.
In the kitchen, she reached for a bottle of wine and poured herself a small glass. She wasn’t much of a drinker, but tonight…tonight felt like a moment worth savoring.
Glass in hand, she stepped out into the cool night air. The small backyard was quiet, bathed in moonlight, the stars stretched wide above her like scattered diamonds.
Alison leaned against the wooden railing, taking a slow sip of wine, letting the silence settle over her.
The mountains loomed in the distance, dark and endless. And for a brief moment, she had the strangest feeling.
Like something was out there.
Waiting.
Watching.
She wasn’t afraid.
It wasn’t ominous, just…a presence. Something unseen but undeniable.
Maybe it was nothing.
Or maybe…
Maybe someone was out there, just as restless as she was, staring up at the same stars, feeling the same pull toward something they couldn’t quite name.
She exhaled, setting the empty glass on the railing, closing her eyes for a moment, just listening.
To the breeze rustling through the trees. To the distant hoot of an owl.
To the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. And then, with a soft sigh, she picked up her glass and headed back inside.
Alison went to the kitchen and rinsed her glass in the sink, then set to work washing the few remaining dishes from dinner. The warm water and simple task brought her back from whatever wistful thoughts had carried her away outside.
When the last dish was placed on the drying rack, she dried her hands and made her way to the kettle.
She wasn’t quite ready for bed yet.
Another glass of wine and a good book—that was exactly what she needed. She poured herself a generous glass and wandered into the living room where her book sat on the coffee table where she had left it that morning. A romance.
Of course, it was a romance.
Alison loved romance.
Because there was always a happy ending.
She traced her fingers over the cover for a moment before flipping it open, letting herself sink into a world where love conquered all, where the hero and heroine always found their way to each other.
She hoped, one day, she might find her happy ending, too.
But for now, this was enough.
For now, this was perfect.