“Yes, I’ve heard about Ginger, too,” his mother said, drawing the tall auburn-haired beauty in a hug too. “Thank you for having Teddy here. It’s such a blessing to see him. Such a blessing.”
Ginger stepped back, obviously embarrassed, and Emma watched the flush fill her face. “Thank you, ma’am. We’re glad to have him here.” She beamed at Ted, and Emma marveled at the change in her.
She’d been through a lot with the prisoners she’d brought to the ranch through the Bureau of Prisons Residential Reentry Program. She’d fallen in love with one of them, and he’d nearly stolen everything from all of them.
Ginger hadn’t brought anyone to the ranch for a long time after that, and then Nate had sorely needed a place. Emma had been in the room when the BOP had called, and Ginger had put the call on speaker.
His brother has passed, Miss Talbot. If you take him, the boy can live with him. You haven’t taken anyone in a while, but he’s one of the best.
Nate really was one of the best, and he was absolutely the right person for Ginger.
Emma glanced at Ted again. Was he the right man for her?
“This is Emma Clemson,” Ted said. “She’s the administrative arm of the ranch.”
“Lovely to meet you, ma’am,” Emma said.
“My mom, Carla,” Ted said, slinging his arm around his mother’s shoulders. “My sister, Britta. Her two daughters, Allie and Leslie. Her husband….” He looked around the kitchen and living room. “Where did Dwayne go?”
“You lost him in the pastures,” Britta said. “With that paint pony.”
“Oh, Dusty Rose is beautiful, isn’t he?” Ginger asked, and Emma very nearly rolled her eyes. Leave it to Ginger to focus on a horse over anything else.
“I made cookies,” Emma said, looking at the girls. “Who wants one?”
They both looked at their mother, a woman who had the same dark hair as Ted, the same sparkling, intense eyes, and plenty of fashion sense in her white capris and violet blouse. She nodded, and the two children moved with Emma into the kitchen to get the cookies.
“Oatmeal chocolate chip,” she said, picking one up. “Take one to your momma, okay? And your grandmother.”
“Thank you,” the youngest said, smiling at Emma.
Her heart expanded a couple of sizes, and all she could do was smile widely and nod. If she tried to speak, she was afraid her voice would break, and everything inside would spill out. She turned away from the group and took a bite of her cookie, hoping that would give her a moment to collect herself.
A warm hand slid along her waist, and Emma turned toward Ted. “Thank you for the cookies, Em.” He grinned at her, and he looked so darn happy. Beyond happy. Full of joy.
“Sure,” she said, painting on a smile she hoped was even half as happy as his.
He leaned closer to her, and Emma’s pulse jumped around in her chest. What was he doing? Was he going to kiss her right there? Right now?
She hadn’t kissed anyone in so long, and she did not want their first kiss to happen in this kitchen, with everyone watching.
She couldn’t even believe she’d thought about their first kiss. But, oh, she wanted to kiss him. Just not right now.
“Dinner tonight?” he whispered, his lips practically touching her ear. “Just me and you. I can leave the ranch with you.”
All of Emma’s cells vibrated, but she managed to say, “Yes, I’d like that.”
“Great,” he said, backing up. “Ma.” He turned toward her. “You have to try these cookies. I think they have your secret ingredient in them.”
Later that night, after Emma had taken a nap and finished the schedule for the full two weeks of monarch butterfly activities, after everyone had been emailed, she stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom, twisting and turning to make sure the sandals she’d chosen looked okay with her outfit.
She’d chosen a pair of black shorts that went all the way to her knee, and they slimmed her legs. She’d always been a little thicker in the leg, and she’d liked it during the couple of years her mother had paid for gymnastics. Now, as she thought about Ted showing up to take her to dinner, she didn’t as much.
But the black shorts helped. She’d paired a pink shirt with them, with buttons up the chest and sleeves that went all the way to her elbow. She’d learned that if she covered up a little more than the other women on the ranch, she looked better.
“These sandals are not it,” she said, kicking them off. She turned back to her closet and picked up the silver pair. They would work, and she decided not to spend another moment on her footwear.
The doorbell rang, and Emma ran her fingers through her hair, that sound a trigger now. She thought of that blue truck and that man walking across the lawn with a clipboard. She hadn’t had any phone calls. No texts. The truck and the man hadn’t returned to the ranch.
Ted had seen him on the service road, and he hadn’t seen him again, though he went out to the river every day after the horseback riding lessons started. Then he came to the homestead to enjoy the air conditioning and to see Emma.
A sense of warmth filled her, and she left her bedroom.
“There you are,” Jess said, meeting her in the hall. “Ted is here, and he has flowers.” Her brown eyes glinted with surprise and pleasure.
Emma smiled. “How romantic.”
“You two are going out?”
“Yes,” Emma said.
“Wow,” Jess said. “I haven’t seen you date anyone in the whole time I’ve known you.”
Emma reached out and touched Jess’s arm. “That’s because all the men look right past me to you.” She grinned at Jess, who was beautiful, inside and out. Emma had wished many times over the past six years since Jess had come
