Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
FORD
I’m awake with the dawn for the second day in a row, and having spent twenty minutes tracing the contours of Emmy’s beautiful face with my eyes, I ease myself out of bed, careful not to disrupt her.
Once dressed in faded blue jeans and an old green shirt that’s seen better days, I grab my hat, take one last lingering look at the woman I love, and then tiptoe into the hallway. The smell of coffee brewing greets me, and I follow the scent to the kitchen, where I find Momma at the table with a book in one hand and her coffee in the other.
“Morning, Momma.”
She glances up with a soft smile as I approach before bending at the waist to kiss her cheek.
“What are you doing up so early?” Her eyes twinkle as she watches me move off to pour myself a coffee. “Thought you’d be upstairs, getting down to the makin’ of those grandbabies?—”
“ Momma !”
She chuckles before taking a sip of her coffee and slipping a bookmark between the pages of her book so she can place it on the table. “You know I’m just playin’ with you, right?”
I pin her with a deadpan look as I slide into the chair beside her. “You’re a sadist, you know that, right?”
She nods enthusiastically before wiggling her eyebrows. Her signature zero-shits-given approach to life makes me chuckle as we both sip on our coffee before placing them side by side on the table.
“It’s nice havin’ you here, Fordy.”
The sincerity in my mother’s tone as she utters those six words speaks volumes, and all I can do is swallow harshly in the face of the raw emotion within me.
Because, truthfully, now that I’m back here, I can admit just how much I’ve missed it. How keeping myself at arm’s reach from all I love over these past years has been punishment for a crime I don’t remember committing.
“I know you’ve never visited him. That you still haven’t spoken to him either.”
My brows deepen in a dark frown as I clench my jaw painfully, but I remain silent, respectful enough to let her say her piece.
“What you may not know is that I visited him shortly after the trial finished, but before you condemn me for it, I’d like you to take a look at me. Take a long, hard look at the burden I don’t carry anymore. Because that’s what hatred is, son.”
She pauses, allowing those words to sink in before continuing softly. “Hate is a burden. For you. And for all those around you who want the best for you. So stop burdening yourself with the hatred you feel for the sins of your father, and start living the life you were born to live. The one fate intended for you. Because truly…the choice comes down to you .”
Tears prickle my eyes as her words land precisely as she’d hoped, and I inhale sharply through my nose when she takes my hands between hers. Her thumb rubs soothing circles over the back of mine as my eyes hold her understanding gaze.
“Now that I’ve given you that food for thought, how about I rustle you up some real food?”
Her eyes shine into mine, silently sending me her courage. Her conviction. Her strength.
And I can only hope it’ll be enough when the time comes to confront my biggest demon of all.
EMERSON
“Aww, Momma, please don’t make me do calculus today. I’ll do anythin’ else?—”
Abigail Holloway pivots to face her youngest daughter, making a point of placing her hands on her hips as she regards her with a no-nonsense stare that even makes me sit up straighter.
“I am not havin’ this conversation with you every day, Fin. You wanna graduate? You do the work. End of discussion.”
Then she turns back to the kitchen counter where she’s been baking solidly for the past hour while I’ve sat through Finley’s schoolwork. It’s been rough, to say the least.
Finley Holloway is a very gifted student. With a borderline photographic memory, everything comes a lot easier to her than most, but as such, she bores quickly.
“Why do you hate calculus so much, Fin?”
Finley rolls big brown eyes identical to her mother’s before heaving a world-weary sigh. “Because I can do the math in my head, but Momma insists that I must show my calculations on the page .” She tuts loudly as she picks up her pencil. “And it’s so damn borin’—”
“ Language , Miss!”
Despite Finley’s low intonation, Abi’s excellent hearing serves her well, only leading Fin to drop her head to the kitchen table with a groan. “As soon as I’m eighteen, I’m movin’ to New York with Faith. Because my present situation is a serious pile of horse manure.”
I note Abi’s shoulders moving up and down as she stifles a laugh, and I press my lips shut to do the same.
“So, Emerson. You and Fordy, hmm?” My cheeks heat at Abi’s words. “I must say, I didn’t see that comin’.”
Patting her hands on her apron, flour disperses into the air around her hips as she turns to me with a wide grin. “Not to say I’m sad about it.” She edges closer, her eyes bright, and despite the difference in color, there’s something in those depths that reminds me of Ford.
Having never had reason to visit Circle H—considering Easton was Ford’s friend and I was just his pesky younger sister—finally getting to meet the woman who raised the man I love has been eye-opening. Her innate kindness and inner strength are Ford to a T, and it’s easy to see where he got many of his other wonderful qualities.
I can already feel my life has been enriched through the simple act of meeting her.
“Does my son make you happy?”
I answer without hesitation even as my entire body flushes right to the tips of my toes. “So happy I could burst.”
She chuckles as she nods before returning to her work, and I can’t help but call out after her. “Aren’t you going to ask me if I make him happy?”
Abi glances over her shoulder and shakes her head just once. “Don’t need to. I can see it in his eyes.”
A small thrill zips through me at her words, and Finley nudges me with a giant shit-eating grin. “That’s the Momma seal of approval right there, Emmy. Next, she’ll start pesterin’ y’all for a weddin’ and grandbabies, just you wait?—”
“Less gibber jabber, more calculus, Finley.” Abi’s rebuke carries across the kitchen, cutting Finley off, and she scowls as her mother continues. “You still have your chores to get through. And if they’re not completed, you can kiss goodbye to that trip to the swimming hole that you’ve been plannin’ with Jonah for later this evenin’.”
Sufficiently motivated at last, Finley gives me one last eye roll before returning to her work, and I can’t help but grin when I catch Abi’s mischief-filled glance from across the kitchen.
And as Abi moves off to fetch more baking supplies from the well-stocked pantry, I’m filled with a sense of belonging, the likes of which I’ve never known.
A girl could definitely get used to this.
With one hand on the wheel of Sully’s old red pick-up truck and the other holding mine, Ford grins like the cat who got the cream as we drive off Whispering Willows property. He takes a left, moving away from Circle H, and I frown, trying to remember where he could be taking us.
Rather than ask again for the tenth time, I sit back and watch our surroundings whizz past until we turn right, driving beneath an enormous wooden sign with the words North Star Ranch emblazoned across.
“North—as in the musicians, right?”
Ford nods before glancing at me, his eyes twinkling with knowledge of something I’m clearly not aware of until he elaborates. “And though it hasn’t been formally announced, my good friends Sutton and Caden are launching a record label.”
“A record label ? Wow, with their industry knowledge, that’s bound to be a success.”
“I reckon it’ll be epic. And I’m not above asking for a favor.”
I shoot him a confused look as we turn off the wide, tree-lined road and onto the driveway of one of the most beautiful houses I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t look like your average working ranch with massive floor-to-ceiling windows and wide black doors, not to mention landscaping that wouldn’t be out of place in a fine gardening magazine.
As I’m so focused on my surroundings, I completely miss the part where Ford puts the truck in park and slips out to open my door, extending a hand as a grin lingers on his lips.
It’s only then his words sink in, and I frown as I question. “What favor would you need that requires a record label?”
I place my hand in his, allowing him to help me from the vehicle before he loops his arm over my shoulder, pulling me close against his side. His eyes are bright, filled with adoration that makes my stomach fill with butterflies as he winks.
“I’ve decided to get into the business of wish fulfillment, Tink. And first on the list is my aspiring singer sister, Lissie, who just so happens to possess a beautiful voice. However, as she also possesses exceptionally low self-esteem, we’re somewhat at an impasse in making her dream a reality.”
Awareness dawns as a man with shoulder-length grey hair walks through the wide double front door. His lined face lights up with a genuinely happy smile when his eyes land on Ford, and he stops at the top step, looking down at us as he claps his hands exaggeratedly.
“Look who finally came to visit. And with a girl, too!”
Ford snorts as he pulls me up the steps before hugging the older man with his free arm.
“Good to see you too, Sutton.”
He pivots around to me, opening his mouth to make introductions, but our companion cuts him off.
“If you’re about to introduce me to Emerson Hart, save yourself the hassle, son.” His dark brown eyes twinkle in such a devilish manner, I can’t stop myself from grinning like a fool as I hang on his every word. “There’s not a man, woman, or child who doesn’t know who this beauty is.”
As my cheeks pinken, he extends his arm, which I take, leaving a sniggering Ford to follow along behind us.
“Welcome to North Star, Miss Hart. I’m Sutton.”
He brings me through the main doors, where the house opens into an open plan, moving past the enormous kitchen at a speed I wouldn’t expect from a man his age.
“Wonderful to meet you, Sutton. And please, call me Emmy.”
He smiles kindly, ducking outside onto a vast patio and leading us around the side of the house toward a separate building in the distance.
“Well, Emmy, I’ve had plenty of visitors here over the years, but I’ve never had America’s Sweetheart grace our not-so-humble abode.”
I can feel my blush deepen as Ford comes to my rescue, leaning forward to open the door of our destination. He ushers Sutton inside first, hugging me to his side as we enter together.
One wall is lined with all manner of instruments, and as I walk farther, I spot a state-of-the-art recording booth to my right containing a full-size grand piano.
“Where did you rush off to, Jess?” Sutton’s British voice carries through the space. “We’re not finished with the rift yet, kid.”
As he finishes his sentence, a younger man, maybe around twenty years old, walks down a staircase to my left. I immediately recognize him as Caden North’s son, Jesse, as they could be carbon copies of one another.
His dirty blonde hair is in a messy topknot at the back of his head, and his neatly groomed facial hair lends a chiseled look to his jaw. He’s wearing a navy t-shirt and light blue jeans frayed around the seams. His feet are bare, and knowing from my teenage obsession with Misdirection, that was his father’s preferred way to perform, I can’t stop myself from smiling brightly.
Eyes like sapphires glance up from the cell phone in his hand as he reaches the bottom of the stairs, widening when they land on me before moving to Ford’s arm around my shoulder.
He shakes his head with a wry smile for Ford. “You realize Emerson Hart is light years out of your league, right, Holloway?”
Ford’s deep chuckle rumbles in his chest as Jesse glances back, shooting me a wink and mouthing, “Call me.”
Sutton guffaws at his grandson’s antics as Ford presses a kiss to the top of my head, murmuring for my ears only, “Mine. Only mine. All rights reserved, Tink.”
I smile as I lean closer, whispering, “End game, Cowboy.”
His chest puffs out almost comically, and I glance away to find Sutton watching us. The cheesy grin on his face tells me he cares about Ford’s happiness. Knowing that despite everything that happened with his own father, he’s retained a father figure in this man fills me with lightness.
“Can we take a ten-minute break?” Jesse’s voice carries from across the studio. “I wanted to call Dad about the bridge. I think we need something with a heavier bass.”
At Sutton’s nod, Jesse ducks outside, pressing his cell to his ear as he goes, and Ford wastes no time diving into our reason for being here.
“I’m in need of a favor, Sut.”
The older man chuckles as he grabs a bottle of water from a mini refrigerator, holding up a spare in offer, which we both decline, before nodding at Ford to elaborate.
“There’s an open mic night at Rebel tomorrow night, and I was hoping you or Cade might come along to scout talent for North Star Records .”
My gasp of delight sees both men shifting their eyes to me, and I blush as I press my lips together with wide eyes. “Sorry…I just love the idea of the label and ranch having the same name.”
Sutton grins broadly. “So did my wife. She’s the one who got the final say.” He pins Ford with a serious stare. “And now that you’re finally thinking of settling down, you need to remember the number one rule in any relationship, and that’s?—”
Ford cuts him off with an indulgent smirk. “That any man worth his salt knows his woman always wears the pants.”
“Ah, I see you were listening.” Sutton winks at me. “Think you’ve found a keeper, Emmy.”
My face hurts from smiling as Ford and Sutton work out the particulars, watching my lover with happiness pouring from my heart. Because Sutton’s right.
Ford is a keeper.
I’ve known that since the day he handed me those peonies in his parents’ barn, apologizing for a hurt he couldn’t have known he’d caused.
Showcasing the heart that won me over from the very beginning.
And I don’t plan on letting him go ever again.