Chapter 11 Ford
ELEVEN
FORD
I never thought finding the woman of my dreams would lead to also getting the life I never thought I’d have.
But here I am, cleaning a shitty diaper and loving every moment of it.
“You know, you’re actually a natural at this,” Olivia says from the doorway with a chuckle. “It took me a while to get the hang of the smell.”
I match her laugh with one of my own. “I’ll be honest, once you work as a ranch hand in the sweltering summer heat, this smells like fresh air.”
It might be bad, but it isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever encountered. I’ll take one of Christopher’s dirty diapers over mucking a horse’s stall during summer in Texas any day. Especially if I’m stuck with one of the other ranch hands, who’d smell like he hadn’t showered in days.
I shudder just thinking about it.
“So,” Olivia hedges, moving into the nursery. “Have you had time to think about it?”
I look up from the clean diaper I’m putting on Chris and give her a smile. “Don’t need to.”
“You do,” she sighs, dropping into the nursing chair by the window. “I’m serious.”
“So am I,” I reply, securing the diaper and grabbing the new pair of pants for Chris.
“I’ll go anywhere with you. Tucker’s offered to give me his place at Sterling Ranch.
Carl and Lucinda understand my priorities have changed.
They already know Tucker, so they wouldn’t be without help.
He’ll take my place here at Wild Vista, so we can go to Willow Ridge.
” I look up, only to find her eyes shining.
“You want to be close to your sister. And I want to be wherever you are. We’re a team. And I can take care of us.”
Olivia releases a shaky breath and rises, just as I pick Christopher up and bring him to my chest. I will say, it didn’t take long for him to get used to me.
It’s like we’ve always known one another.
Am I still mad and upset I didn’t get to be a part of his life until now?
Sure. But that’s neither of our faults, and I’m letting go of that resentment.
I think we both are. It’s only been three weeks of living together, but I can’t say we aren’t making it work.
“Working at Wild Vista Ranch has been great, but it isn’t exactly the greatest situation considering him,” I add, approaching Olivia slowly. “We need something a little less chaotic and a bit more stable. Hell, I don’t need to be working at a ranch at all. There are other things I could be doing.”
Olivia raises a questioning brow as she presses one hand to my chest, the other moving to the top of Christopher’s head. “Oh? And what would you do instead? You exude cowboy energy, Ford. I wouldn’t want either of us to get in the way of something you love doing.”
“You aren’t,” I murmur, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m a big boy. I have other means. I need to be doing something that’ll benefit our family. Not throw a wrench in it.”
“You doing what you love is a benefit to our family, Ford.”
Our eyes meet, and I can tell she means it.
And while the ranch has given me some help with making this work, it’s been a tough three weeks.
Early mornings where I have to rush around quietly so I don’t accidentally wake Christopher, not being able to spend time with Olivia or help her get ready for the day.
Even though I tend to get home by the evening, I miss most of the day and I only get a couple of hours with Christopher before he’s put to bed. Then maybe an hour with Olivia before we both crash for the night.
For the first time in years, I’m considering the family fund I’ve never looked at. Just to make sure we have something that’ll give us a chance to be together.
“As much as I love my work,” I tell her, “I love you and our family more. What I want more than anything is to have a life with you.”
“Please don’t make me cry,” she mutters, pulling away and wiping a hand under her eye. “Before you do anything, we need to come up with a plan, then. No more doing things by accident.”
“Why not?” I tease, following her out of the nursery. “So far, that’s worked pretty well for us.”
ONE MONTH LATER
The Jade Mountain range appears ahead, welcoming us to Willow Ridge and the start of our new life.
“Wow,” Olivia murmurs, leaning forward. “Cassidy really lucked out with this place.”
I’ve always been a southern boy, never leaving the area. I’ve dealt with the wild emotions of a Texas summer and the swings of a winter. But this…this is something else.
From the backseat, Christopher coos, and I can’t help but smile. “I think he agrees.”
Olivia chuckles, sitting back as the town comes into view. It looks like it stepped out of a postcard. “I get why she wanted to stay. It really is pretty.”
“The weather is refreshing, too.” It’s not sweltering like it is in the south. If I were to roll down the window of my truck, I’d imagine it to be warm based on the sun shining down on us, but not stifling. “It might actually be worth it.”
“Except the winter storms are atrocious,” Olivia murmurs.
“Isn’t that how your sister met her husband?” At least, that’s the story I got.
Now, I can’t comment on the validity of a relationship like Cassidy’s, considering we only got together because of a one-night stand and an accidental marriage in Vegas. Granted, it’s worked out well for us. And that seems to be the case for Olivia’s sister, too.
My wife shakes her head with a smile. “Thank god we’re moving here already married.”
“Why’s that?” I ask.
“Because according to Winnie, the mountain has the power to bring lost souls together,” Olivia says, grinning. “And Cassidy believes it.”
We take an older road that allows us to pass acres of land, all rolling hills and beautiful greenery. “What if we buy something? Land?” I ask, taking it all in—and the upcoming FOR SALE sign that sits at the mouth of a private driveway.
Olivia notices it, too. “Like, your own ranch?”
My cheeks warm, heart racing, but I nod. “Maybe not as grand, but—”
“Let me call Cass. She might be the one selling that land. She could meet us to show it. Pull over.”
When your wife tells you to do something, you do it without question. Silently, I turn us around and approach the sign with a pounding heart.
Olivia holds her phone between us while it rings. “Heya! Have you made it to town? Are you near the house? Caleb should be home now, so he’ll show you to the spare room while I finish up with a few clients,” Cassidy says in a rush, sounding out of breath. “Sorry, God. I feel so pregnant.”
“We just made it in,” Olivia laughs. “But we pulled over on Foster Lane looking at a for sale sign outside some land. Ford’s a little curious about it.”
“Oh!” Cassidy moves, I’m assuming into her office.
There’re only two real estates in the small town of Willow Ridge—the one she owns, and the one she’s putting out of business because her competition is an asshole.
“Yes. I know the one. There’s a house, stable, a barn, and a few sheds on the property.
It’s a huge parcel of land. We’re talking hundreds of acres and a couple hundred thousand dollars, here. ”
Olivia’s face falls. “Should have expected as much.”
“Do you want to see it? The owner, he’s in a retirement facility now, and he’s not all that fussy with who I take to check it out. I can meet you there in twenty. You just drive up the road and keep following it until you reach the house,” Cassidy offers.
I stare at the phone for a long moment before glancing at the sign, then the land. “Yeah, we still want to check it out.”
“Okay, I’ll see you soon!” She hangs up, the line going quiet, leaving us in our own bubble of tension.
“You sure? We’re only going to get our hopes up,” Olivia says quietly.
I run a hand through my hair as I start up the driveway. “There’s something I’ve been keeping from you.”
“If you say a wife—”
I chuckle and take her hand. “You’re my one and only wife, darlin’. Nothing you need to worry about there. But there’s a reason why I only talk to Tucker and no one else from my family.”
“Oh?” She doesn’t even hide her curiosity.
“I come from money,” I tell her, shame swelling within me.
“When my father died, Tucker and I got rid of whatever we could that had anything to do with him, split it fifty-fifty, and chose to never speak about him or give him a legacy. I have the money to buy this place if we fall in love with it. It’s just whether we’ll feel guilty about touching that money if we do. ”
Olivia squeezes my hand. “Then we promise he has no legacy here. This isn’t about him. This is about us and our family and our future. He doesn’t touch it.”
“Fuck, I love you,” I mutter, bringing her hand to my lips. “So damn much.”