After Wyoming had packed her bags and carried them downstairs, Emerson took them from her and loaded them into her VW. He waited while she got Elise into her car seat.
“I’ll miss you, you know.” He leaned against the car and took her hands, drawing her nearer. “I hardly ever get to spend time with you as it is.”
Despite herself, she let him. She’d miss him, too, if she was honest with herself. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”
“That’s not soon enough.” He bent down to kiss her, and Wyoming didn’t back away, enjoying the feeling of his mouth on hers and needing one thing to be about her today rather than her brother. Emerson’s kiss started out soft but soon grew more insistent, and an answering thread of desire wound its way through her. Emerson was strong and steady. Dependable when nothing else seemed to be.
“I’ve got to go,” she said finally, pulling back.
“See you tomorrow.”
He stood watch while she backed up, turned around and left.
Chapter 5
‡
“The trailer you offered me looks great, but I’m not sure how Gary will feel about this one,” Buck said later that week as they surveyed the green trailer Emerson had gutted along with the blue-and-white one he was working on for himself. He’d already given the white trailer a once-over so it would be ready for Buck come New Year’s Day, when the man wanted to move in. Now he’d prioritize the green one, since despite all his hints, the General hadn’t hashed out things with his daughters or their husbands on the matter of him staying here long term. The General maintained that he got to determine who lived on the ranch—and inherited a share in it. That wasn’t good enough for Emerson.
“I’ve got two people interested in renting trailers at the Park,” he’d told everyone at breakfast today. “You all need to decide if that business is a go or not.” He’d gone back to eating his French toast and bacon as the others discussed the matter, agreeing that collecting rent from the abandoned trailers was a good idea.
He hadn’t brought up the possibility of living in one himself, and no one else had either—least of all the General, so Emerson decided he’d proceed as if his time at Two Willows was temporary. That meant starting a serious search for a full-time job and alternate housing. He tried to suppress the disappointment that surged through him whenever he thought about the situation. The General had never left him hanging like this before. Then again, the General wasn’t used to anyone gainsaying his orders. He seemed to think it was all a done deal.
“It doesn’t look like much now, but it will,” Emerson said, shaking off those frustrating thoughts and leading Buck inside. Time enough to sort out all that later. The only thing he could do now was show he could be an asset to the ranch.
Buck whistled. “It’s going to be a while before this one is inhabitable, huh?”
“Not as long as you might think.” But longer than he’d like. As he’d expected, the General had been fractious all week, putting off his exercises until later and later each morning, if he did them at all, coming up with busy work to occupy both of them instead, and Emerson couldn’t get down to the Park until it was afternoon. This late in November, it was dark well before dinnertime, and while he’d rigged up some work lights, he found it hard to get much done at night.
Wyoming hadn’t been around nearly as much as he’d hoped, either, and Elise, who’d decided to cut a tooth, demanded all her attention when she was. Wyoming had been handling the baby’s doctor’s appointments and riding herd on a string of workmen at Ward’s place when his furnace gave out. Each time Emerson saw her, she was more frazzled.
He wished he could help.
On the bright side, his daily walks to and from the Park had gotten easier, and he’d noticed that although his ankle was still sore at the end of the day, it wasn’t as bad as it was.
And now it was Friday. Tonight he’d booked dinner for the two of them at DelMonaco’s. Cass had said she’d babysit Elise if Ward didn’t get home on time. She thought Wyoming needed a break, too.
“He’s taking advantage of her,” she’d told Emerson earlier that morning.
“I know.”
“I don’t know what to do about it.”
“I’m not sure there’s anything we can do,” he told her, and they’d both gone back to work.
“The plumbing is in,” Emerson told Buck now. “So’s the electricity. That’s the hard part. I can have this place ready to go by New Year’s. Bring Gary out any time to take a look. It’ll be all brand new when I’m done, clean as a whistle.” Personally, Emerson thought Buck might feel he’d gotten the worse side of the deal when the green trailer was done. His shiny white one might be up-to-date as far as trailers went, but Gary’s would have character, and that was better, to his way of thinking.
“You’re okay with me moving in on the first of January?” Buck asked.
“I’ve got the paperwork with me, and the General’s signed off on having you here. There’s only one thing I have to make clear first. Just because I know you doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you if you’re late for rent, or partying or anything like that. I hope this is going to be my home, too, and General Reed and his family don’t need any more trouble here.”
“Got it.” Buck grinned. “Lighten up, Emerson. I won’t screw up the good thing you’ve got going here.”
“I hope not.” Emerson grinned back, relaxing a little. He didn’t expect any trouble with Buck.
At the main house later that afternoon, Emerson whistled on his way up the stairs but came face to face with a frowning Cass at the top of them.
“Something wrong? Where’s Wye?”
“She
