That was the true revelation of life at Two Willows. She, who’d never felt part of a real family, now felt embraced by one every minute of every day. It had taken several months before she stopped second-guessing how everyone really felt about her. Cass was still her best friend, but she’d begun to spend a lot of time with Alice in her studio, since Elise was so enamored of the fabric there. Alice enjoyed the little girl’s company, and to pass the time while the two were busy, Wye had even started an embroidery project, something she hadn’t done since she was a little girl. The small creative act had awakened a part of her she’d forgotten existed.
Some days she rode out with Lena, who had discovered her riding skills weren’t very advanced and who’d taken it as a personal challenge to make Wye a regular horsewoman. “If you don’t learn now, you won’t be able to keep up with your kids,” was how she’d put it, and Wye thought she was right. Elise loved the huge animals and cooed with delight whenever Emerson put her in the saddle and let her “ride.” Besides, Lena adored every inch of Two Willows and enjoyed showing her obscure corners of the ranch that Wye figured she’d never have seen otherwise. Sadie and Jo, who’d seemed so young to her when she’d first met them, had grown into companions who turned out to have much to teach her, too. Sadie was convinced she needed a garden at the trailer cabin and had spent long hours with her this spring drawing up plans and getting to work on it. Emerson had helped them install a stone terrace, where their picnic table and grill could go, and they’d filled the borders with perennials and bulbs that were pretty enough this year but that Sadie claimed would be wonderful when spring came around again.
Emerson had been right about the trailer: he’d made it look like a cozy cabin, and her heart swelled whenever she came home from a day’s work at the main house. The reservists Emerson had rented the other trailers to had turned out to be young, fun neighbors. All but one had a wife or live-in girlfriend, so weekends were lively, and there was always someone around offering to throw another hamburger on the grill if you wanted to come to dinner. Wye enjoyed their active social life, but she also appreciated that Sadie had insisted on carving out a private space near the rear of the trailer cabin, where bushes and small trees gave cover to a seating area they’d created around a fire pit. When she and Emerson wanted to sit alone after Elise had gone to bed, they came out here, leaving the door open so they could hear her if she woke up, and lit a small fire. They could cuddle together on the wicker outdoor couch or sit on the swing and gaze up at the stars—without their neighbors being able to see their every move.
Maybe someday they’d build a bigger home on another parcel of the ranch’s land, but for now, Wye was content.
A burst of fireworks lit up the sky in shades of red, white and blue.
“Ahhh!” said the crowd right on cue, and Wye nestled her head on Emerson’s shoulder.
“Love you,” she said.
“Love you, too.”
“Good night, General.”
“Good night,” Augustus said and firmly shut the door to his first-floor room as Emerson turned away. Much as he appreciated the young man’s solicitude in checking to make sure he had all he needed before he left for his own house, Augustus was completely capable of getting himself to bed these days.
Thanks to those infernal physio exercises, he’d regained much of the mobility in his hip and moved around without his cane. He was surprised at how spry he felt sometimes, although at the end of a busy day, he tired sooner than he would have liked.
Tomorrow he’d get on a horse and ride for the first time since the blast. Much as he hated to admit it, he was a little nervous, but he knew as soon as he was in the saddle, his muscles would remember what to do. He’d practically been born astride a horse, after all.
It was almost time to consider the future. He’d spent the last year feeling like an old man with his injuries, but in reality it had been all the desk work he’d done in the past decade that had aged him before his time. Men were meant to be moving, and he’d determined he was going to get back to fighting trim. There was lots of work to be done on this ranch, and he’d be damned if he’d let the younger generation do it all.
He enjoyed his work at the reserve training center, too, and had a feeling more opportunities were coming his way in that vein now that people knew he was gaining strength. He looked forward to new career challenges, but he meant to be careful not to be pulled away from the ranch too much.
He had grandchildren now, and they needed him to be present in a way he hadn’t been able to be for his own daughters. He wanted to keep up with them, which meant changing the way he viewed himself. He’d let himself get far too curmudgeonly before his time.
Now it was time to age backward, as Emerson liked to say, and as much as he growled
