Belle Calhoune - Her Alaskan Cowboy

But she had loved him, hadn’t she? Love never fails. How many times had Honor said those words to him, quoting the verse from Corinthians? In the end, their love hadn’t been strong enough to survive adversity. It had withered and died. And he had walked around with a broken heart for years, pining for the one who’d gotten away. That was a long time ago though. He no longer harbored any love for his ex-fiancée. It had taken years, but he’d finally gotten over her.

He probably shouldn’t be spying on Honor, but his curiosity had gotten the best of him. What was she doing here in the first place? And what was she discussing with Lee that had become so contentious?

All in all, it had been a strange morning at the ranch. Theo had met not only with Lee and his grandfather’s attorney, but with a developer from Texas who had come to discuss the Diamond R Ranch. Joshua hadn’t attended the meeting. His hands had been full with wrangling a cranky Violet.

Joshua turned away from the window and gazed at his surroundings. His grandfather was all around him at the ranch, but especially in this very room. The den had been Bud’s favorite place in the house. Before she had passed away, his grandmother, Pearl, had always enjoyed teasing her husband about holing up inside his man cave for hours on end. Joshua could hear her voice now. Bud Ransom, we might as well put a bed and a stove in there with you. Then you’d never come out.

He missed both his grandparents. They had been two of the most loving, generous people he had ever known. They had doted on him during his childhood and shown him unconditional love. His own parents were living in Singapore, too far away to come back for the memorial service. For all intents and purposes, his family had been reduced to a small circle.

Did a person ever stop yearning for the ones they had loved and lost? Honor’s face flashed before his eyes. Beautiful, headstrong Honor. He now knew for certain he wasn’t over the events of the past. Not by a long shot. Seeing her in the flesh had proven that point. After all this time he still felt a pull in her direction. Not that it mattered. She had shown him years ago that he was dispensable. Honor had tossed him aside like yesterday’s garbage. He imagined the whole town of Love had stood up and cheered her on.

A sudden noise drew his attention. Joshua cocked his ear to the side and listened for any cries. These days it seemed as if he was always bracing for the slightest sounds. It was amazing how a child could alter a person’s life. He exhaled as silence reigned. Suddenly, Joshua heard the slam of the front door, followed by heavy footsteps. He was about to give Theo a piece of his mind. How many times had he warned him about making loud, disruptive noises when a baby was in the house?

All of a sudden, Honor was standing in the doorway of the den, her hands strategically placed on her hips. Pure molten fire radiated from her eyes. Little huffing sounds were coming from her mouth. He was fairly certain steam was coming out of her ears.

“Are you seriously considering selling out?” she asked in a raised voice, quickly swallowing up the distance between them.

Honor had come charging up to him like a wild bull reacting to a red flag. If she hadn’t looked so angry, he might have laughed at her aggressive stance. Her arms were folded across her chest, and she was breathing heavily as she glared at him. She was tapping one of her feet on the hardwood floor.

Old memories crashed over him in unrelenting waves. How could he have forgotten this defiant side of Honor?

He held up his hands. “Can you lower your voice to a dull roar? Slow down. What are you talking about?”

“Lee said there’s a developer who wants to buy the Diamond R. He says they want to build a resort on the property—some bootleg version of a dude ranch for people who want a so-called authentic Alaskan cowboy experience.”

Joshua stiffened. Hadn’t Theo said to keep things quiet about the offer from the developers? Clearly his brother had been running his mouth about the subject. And he had failed to mention anything about a dude ranch. Typical Theo.

He let out a sigh. “Nothing has been decided yet. I just found out about it myself.”

Her face fell. “So you’re admitting someone is circling around and making an offer on the ranch?”

“Yes, Honor. It’s true. Theo told me there’s an outfit from Texas that’s very interested in buying the property.”

“Bud would never have wanted this place to be sold to a developer. How can you even consider it?” she asked, her voice ringing out in the stillness of the room.

Joshua clenched his teeth at the accusatory tone of her voice. He felt his anger rising.

“Excuse me? I don’t reckon you want to pick a fight with me over my family’s land.” He hadn’t meant for his voice to have such a hard edge to it, but so be it. He hadn’t come back to Love in order to be pushed around and judged by his ex-fiancée. The days of everyone here in town making him feel less than were over. “It’s nobody’s business but ours.”

Honor let out a shocked gasp. She took a few steps closer to him until he could hear her breathing. He could see the flecks in her blue-gray eyes. She was bristling with rage.

“Do you know what will happen to this land if you sell? This developer will come in and tear up the land and make it some ghastly commercial enterprise.”

Joshua frowned. “You’re getting way ahead of yourself.”

“Am I? These things seem to happen fairly quickly. One minute they’re making you an offer and the next thing you know papers are being signed. This is precious land. It shouldn’t be transformed into something unrecognizable. And Bud wanted to donate the property so it would be preserved from developers.”

“Then why didn’t he put it in writing and make it official?” Joshua asked. “Bud was smart. He knew the risks in not following through on his promise.”

“I—I don’t know, but I do believe it was his intention.” She locked eyes with him. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“This isn’t just up to me. Theo has some say in this as well. And I’m not convinced Bud wanted to donate the property to land preservation. He was as sharp as a tack. Maybe he changed his mind.”

He watched as Honor’s eyes widened and her mouth opened. Just as she seemed ready to erupt, a loud wail rang out in the room.

Honor froze at the sound. She turned toward the sound of the cries, which came from a nearby baby monitor.

“Is something wrong with Violet?” she asked. She sounded alarmed.

“I’m sure she’s fine. She’s been fussy since we arrived here,” he answered in a clipped tone. “She must have woken up from her nap.”

“She sounds upset.” Honor bit her lip and looked in the direction of the baby monitor.

“Sometimes she just needs to settle back down.”

She swung her gaze back toward him. “Aren’t you going to go get her?”

Joshua frowned. He didn’t understand why Honor looked so stricken. Was she suggesting he was neglecting Violet? He opened his mouth to say something, but he shut it. He didn’t need to remind Honor that she wasn’t a parent. There was already enough acrimony between them.

It really didn’t matter what she thought. He was Violet’s father. He knew what his own daughter needed better than anyone.

* * *

“I need to go see to her,” Joshua said in an abrupt tone. He turned on his heel and left the room, his footsteps echoing in his wake. Honor turned toward the baby monitor. She could still hear soft cries emanating from it. It caused a tightening sensation in her chest.

Honor hadn’t meant to sound so bossy, but the sound of Violet’s cries had been tugging at her heartstrings. There was something so poignant about the sound of a baby crying. Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked them away. She knew it had everything to do with the baby she had lost. Joshua’s child. Although her own pregnancy had been unexpected, Honor had desperately wanted to be a mother. Not being able to hold her child in her arms was something she would never get over. And at moments like this one, the pain of loss came crashing over her in waves.