Again—at the least opportune time—she was thinking about her child. But this wasn’t the time or the place to delve into all of that. When she’d made a decision about this land and gone back home, then she could use her last week of leave from work to do some real soul-searching. She could promise herself that much. But not in front of Casey Courtright—the man who wanted to buy this ranch, too.
Patience caught up to Casey once more and Ember felt the heat rise in her cheeks when he looked over at her.
“I couldn’t hang back if I wanted to,” she said.
He smiled faintly, then shrugged. “We had to face that eventually. Better to lay it out straight.”
The horses fell into pace together, and Ember let her gaze move over the countryside. Copses of trees and rock piles broke up the pasture. She breathed out a sigh, wondering if there was a more beautiful place anywhere on God’s green earth. If this was the land her family had settled, then she understood why they’d been willing to battle the elements, the wild animals and even unsavory neighbors just to make this land their home.
The thought of neighbors reminded Ember of another problem she faced—the prejudice people around here had against her family name. Would she face pushback from the community? It was possible, but it didn’t seem entirely fair. Maybe Reed Land Holdings didn’t have many fans out here, but her father was more than just a company. He was a human being.
“Did you ever meet my father?” Ember asked.
“Nope, never did. He sent lawyers to do his dirty work,” Casey replied.
Of course. That actually stood to reason. And perhaps it made him easier to hate, too. She’d had her own prejudices against him when she’d first learned that he was her father.
“He’s not a bad man,” Ember said. “He supports a lot of state charities. Everyone seems to like him.”
“Everyone?” Casey raised an eyebrow.
“Except people out here, maybe,” she conceded. “But I do understand. When my mother told me who my father was, I wasn’t thrilled, either. He has the image of being very aloof and cold, but he’s not like that deep down.”
“When did your mother tell you about him?” he asked.
“I was seventeen, and she had stage four lung cancer,” Ember replied softly. “She wanted me to know who my father was before she left me alone in the world. I knew my father’s last name was Reed, since my mother had given me his name, but she’d never told me who he was. She’d been the housekeeper on the Reed estate back then, and when she got pregnant with me, she quit and went away. My father had a family, after all. Anyway, it turned out that he’d known about me all those years, but he’d never reached out to meet me.”
“I’m sure he provided financially,” Casey countered.
“Not much,” she replied. “He helped Mom out a bit, but not enough that I ever saw any. It got sucked up in rent and food and the like. We pinched pennies.”
“And you’re standing by him being such a good guy,” Casey said dryly.
“People change, Casey. And my dad softened up when his youngest son died in Afghanistan. He didn’t want to waste any more time when it came to his kids, including me. He rearranged his priorities.”
“And the rest of his family?” Casey eyed her from beneath the brim of his hat.
“Were less excited,” she said with a dry laugh. “His wife can’t stand me. His other kids see me as a drain on their inheritance. My father paid for my education and then gave me this piece of swamp in Florida. None of his other kids wanted it, but then I managed to sell it for a decent amount of money—and that’s what I’ve got behind me right now. So I doubt I’ll have anything else coming my way from my father, if his wife and kids can help it. I have enough to buy this land and start up my therapy center. But after that, I’d better start making a profit, because I’m not swimming in endless privilege like you assume. Still, I didn’t want to meet my father for his money. It was never about that for me.”
Casey was silent, and she couldn’t help but wonder how much he was judging her now.
“Are you close to him?” Casey asked as they dropped down into a small valley, and then climbed back upward toward the ridge and faint line of fencing.
“Uh—” That was a loaded question. “I’m glad to finally know my father.”
“That doesn’t answer me,” he replied.
“He’s doing his best to make up for not being in my life in my childhood.”
“Not by giving you equal consideration with his other children,” Casey countered.
“No, that’s true, but what I really want from my father isn’t financial. I want—” Her voice trembled, and she paused, swallowed. This was getting too personal too quickly. “It doesn’t matter what I want. He’s not the monster that you seem to think. He’s a man who made a big mistake by cheating on his wife, and he’s had to make that up to his family, too. He works hard, he’s very smart and he has a really strong sense of family pride.”
“So strong that he gave you a piece of swampland in Florida that no one wanted,” Casey countered. “But if you want a connection to him so badly, why sell the land he gave you? Why come here?” Casey asked.
“Because my mother was the only family I had for seventeen years, and my pride for her isn’t dimmed because of my father’s money or her past mistake,” she shot back. “I have family pride, too, and the stories I heard growing up were all from the Harper side. I might have a wealthy father, but I’m my mother’s daughter.”
Casey nodded slowly. “Good answer, Miss Reed.”
Had she just earned a little bit of
