It all made sense to her then, why their table felt best when it was crowded. Because that was how it had been before. It was why they added people to Hope Springs with such ease. Because happiness had been best experienced there when they’d shared it around.
Her parents had never been rich people. But they’d been a tight-knit family, with her aunt and uncle, her mom and dad, and Logan’s mother there all the time. Dinner had been a constantly changing affair, with different combinations of them all present at any given time. And sometimes, of course the boys would bring friends, and sometimes there would be more people, sometimes less.
It had all been family.
It was easy, sometimes, to think of herself as someone who had lost a lot.
But right then she felt like someone who had an awful lot, and who had a lot still. Someone whose roots and foundation were so rich and sturdy, that she was lucky. No matter what in her life had hurt.
Maybe it was just because she was still riding high on the realization that she was living her dream. That happiness had been right in front of her the whole time, and all she had to do was take a little step out in faith.
Be a little bit brave.
Quit trying so hard, and just start enjoying what she had.
That had been the key.
To stop trying to earn what she had already, and just look at all the blessings that came with it.
“We have a good life,” Rose said softly.
“Yeah,” Iris responded. “We do.”
“I used to wonder why Ryder kept the name of the ranch the same,” Rose said softly. “Why he kept it Hope Springs when it felt like hope died along with our parents. But it didn’t. They left us hope. And hope is what kept us going. They left us cookie recipes and Christmas traditions, and joy taken in big family dinners. They left us each other.”
“Hope is what keeps you going,” Sammy said. “That’s what Hope Springs was for me. A beacon in the darkness. The first place I thought I might be able to escape my abusive father. It’s why I came here. Because you all look so happy. And I could see... I could see a way to have a better life here. With you. With your family. Hope is the one thing everyone needs. Without that... Without that, I guess you think nothing could change. That the darkness might be permanent.”
Rose nodded slowly. And she wondered... She wondered if that’s what Logan felt like. She wondered if Logan saw the hope here.
She looked at the plate of cookies. And remembered what he’d said. That he could never have them again because his mother was gone.
And she wondered if he was so determined to remember the loss, that he couldn’t let himself look at any of the things he still had. That he couldn’t let himself accept that while their parents were gone, they lived on in their hearts. In the way Iris cared for them and baked them food, the way that Ryder worked the land and kept the ranch going. The way that Pansy was determined to keep the town of Gold Valley safe, like their father had before her.
In the brash boldness of Colt and Jake and their rodeo dreams. And in the steady, constant care that Logan gave to everything, even at personal cost, just like his mother had done.
They hadn’t just been shaped by the losses of their parents, but by their lives. She wondered if he let himself feel that at all.
“When are you going to give him the cookies?” Iris asked.
“I’m not going to give him the cookies, I’m going to go over with the cookie dough and I’m going to bake them at his house. After the wedding.” That really did earn her some none-too-subtle stares. “Do you have a question?”
“None,” Iris said.
“No. None,” Sammy said.
“We have to hide these cookies.”
“Well,” Sammy said, laughing, “I have a pretty fair idea where we can hide them. Considering your brother loves cookies. And I imagine Colt and Jake would accept a peace offering in the bunkhouse.”
“Probably.”
“I can pester them about their favorite foods, too. I’m thinking keeping some prepared meals at the bakery wouldn’t be a bad idea. And I need to do something to help with the overhead. Lord knows renting on Main Street isn’t cheap. I’m going to need money before I get started.”
Iris was suddenly so keen and determined, and different from the way Rose had always seen her. Now that Iris had found what she wanted, she was jumping in with both feet.
It was a lesson to Rose. About assuming she knew everything there was to know about what was in someone else’s heart.
She felt like she had discovered the world had a whole different dimension to it. It was weird, slightly confronting. But overall, something she was glad she was contending with.
She was growing. Changing. Sometimes it made her feel a little bit smaller. Sometimes it made her afraid. But mostly, it made her excited for what might come next. Because life was deeper and richer and love was a lot more than she thought it was only a month ago. It made her giddy to imagine what she might know in another month. Or two. In a year.
All the things she might have discovered by then.
Who knew that sex and baking cookies could be quite so informative?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
IT WAS WEDDING TIME. And Pansy had insisted that the men wear tuxedos. Logan was honored to be part of the wedding, as she had insisted that her family be groomsmen. Of course, she didn’t know that he was also the groom’s family. Yeah, he was honored, but things were a little bit more complicated than Pansy realized.
Also, he didn’t particularly enjoy being in a suit.
They were all hanging out in the house, and he
