“Sit,” Emerson told her as she got up. “I’ll pass things around.”
“Thanks. Fruit cups are in that cooler, and the brownies are in that Tupperware over there.”
As Emerson made his way around the group taking orders, he had to smile at how many of them there were. Next year there’d be even more, he thought in satisfaction, including the child he and Wye would bring into the world around Christmastime. Their son.
Every time he thought about it, his throat thickened with emotion. They’d gone to the doctor just two days ago and found out their baby’s gender, and he was still astonished by the experience of the ultrasound and the news.
A boy.
He’d welcomed Elise into his life with an open heart, and each day with her and Wye brought him more joy than he ever could have expected, but Elise, at eighteen months, had made it very clear that she was, as Lena put it, “a girl’s girl.” She loved everything pretty. Begged to put on new outfits several times a day and had definite opinions about what she wanted to wear. She was never happier than in Alice’s studio, surrounded by heaps of beautiful fabrics, and Alice had declared that soon she’d make Elise her apprentice. She might be joking, but Emerson thought there was a good chance her prediction would come to pass. He’d seen Elise in deep concentration separating fabrics out of a large pile Alice had provided her with, matching them together in smaller sets, and it was clear even to him that the combinations she came up with were pleasing to the eye.
Emerson didn’t begrudge her any of it and hoped he’d always be the kind of dad to support his children in whatever their passions turned out to be. Maybe one day Elise would help him decorate the interiors of the houses he refurbished.
What would his son like to do?
Emerson longed to find out. Would he take to the horses that Emerson loved to ride? Emerson had bought one of his own, a bay gelding that loved to explore the ranch as much as he did. Would he like to build and fix things with his hands, activities that brought Emerson more satisfaction than he could have expected?
Whatever it was, Emerson promised himself he’d be by his side. Every child in his care would get as much of him as he had to give. Life was precious—and precarious—and he wouldn’t miss a moment if he could help it.
“Fruit cup or brownie?” he asked Logan when he reached the man.
“Yes.”
Lena swatted her husband, then grinned. “Actually, I’ll take one of each, too.”
Emerson updated the tally in his head, and soon he was making his way back around handing out the food.
“You have an amazing memory,” Wye told him when he handed her the brownie she’d asked for and settled down with one of his own. She took a bite and groaned with pleasure. “Oh, Cass has always made the most amazing brownies. I think it’s Amelia’s recipe.”
He took a bite, chewed and swallowed. “That is good. As to my memory, that’s part of the job I used to do. Getting the details right so the General could see the big picture. I guess it’s a skill that’s hard to shake.”
Wye glanced at the General, who was sitting nearby, working his way through a fruit cup, a brownie perched precariously on the armrest of his chair. “The General seems content these days.”
“Don’t tell anyone, but we’re going to try a ride tomorrow.”
“On horseback?” Wye clapped a hand to her mouth and looked around to make sure no one had heard her. “Really?”
“Really,” he confirmed. “He’s been diligent about his exercises, and his doctor gave the go-ahead. The General doesn’t want an audience watching, though.”
“Of course not.”
“We’ll give it a try quietly, and if he’s successful, we’ll tell the others.”
“That’s amazing. And it’s all your doing. You know that, right?”
Emerson shrugged. “He’s the one doing the hard work.”
“At your insistence. I think everyone here owes you more than they know.”
“Hey, don’t talk like that.” Emerson leaned in close. “They’ve given me so much.”
“You’ve given them back their father.”
Maybe she was right, Emerson thought, but being at Two Willows had worked a magic of its own on the General. The man was mellowing. Still feisty enough, he supposed, but becoming the kind of father he had a feeling the General always wanted to be.
It helped that there were so many men on the ranch. Emerson knew the General had always been more comfortable around men than women, and he still blustered and fussed around his daughters sometimes but not nearly as often as he had at the beginning.
He was wonderful with Elise and Emily, too. His pride in their accomplishments was genuine, and in getting comfortable with praising the babies, he’d become more comfortable with praising his daughters, too.
Several months ago, the doctors had given the General the okay to drive, and his independence made him a new man. He’d begun to reconnect with old friends, grabbing a burger with his buddies or a beer on a Friday night. Emerson still drove him to Billings for their reserve work but was no longer at his side all day. The General could fend for himself for the most part, and Emerson and Wye had bought two small houses in town he was refurbishing in preparation for renting out now that all the trailers in the Park were done. The work kept him busy. Sometimes Wye came with him; sometimes she stayed home doing remote work for a large law firm in Billings or helped Cass.
Elise, who had been snuggling in Wye’s lap, lifted her arms. “Daddy.”
Emerson picked her up and transferred her to his lap. “Ready for the fireworks?”
“Fireworks!” She nodded her head vigorously, although her eyes had the droopy look that signalled she’d soon be asleep.
“What about you?” he asked Wye, taking her hand. “You ready for all this?” He hoped she knew what he meant.
“Definitely.”
Wye
