Her Alaskan Cowboy

Honor gulped. She didn’t even want to think about how angry her family would be when they found out Joshua and Theo were courting an offer from a developer to purchase the Diamond R Ranch. She feared Jasper just might have a coronary. He’d already had one heart attack a few years ago. For the moment she was keeping quiet about it. After all, nothing had been decided. And she really didn’t want to raise Jasper’s blood pressure. The news would surely put everyone on edge.

Hazel planted her hands on her hips. “The last time I checked, I have some say around here. Long story short, I’ve invited the Ransom brothers to have a reception here after the memorial service. I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

Everything stilled and hushed for a moment as the news settled in. Even Jasper kept quiet. There was a don’t-mess-with-me vibe radiating from Hazel. No one wanted to see her erupt.

“Well, we might as well order some food,” Boone mumbled. “I came over here expecting to be fed. And I know better than to fight with you, Hazel.”

“I sure wish Jasper would get that memo,” Hazel said, letting out a delighted cackle. “I keep telling him he needs to be sweeter to me since my birthday is coming up. He might not make it onto the invite list.”

Jasper grumbled and buried his head in the menu, refusing to meet his wife’s gaze. Honor knew her grandfather’s anger was genuine. He really disliked both Ransom brothers. Honor knew part of the reason was tied up in her history with Joshua, while another reason lay in Jasper’s title as town mayor. It was impossible for her grandfather to respect people who he felt weren’t law-abiding citizens. Being responsible for the destruction of the town’s church had been unforgiveable in Jasper’s eyes. Not to mention the fact that Jasper’s close friend Zachariah had been hurt in the fire.

Honor let out a sigh. Jasper wasn’t the only one. The majority of the townsfolk in Love had vowed to run Joshua out of town on a rail. It hadn’t come to that since Joshua had packed up his things and left Love after she’d broken things off with him.

Brunch was a solemn affair. Everyone dug in to their food and tried to focus on anything but the elephant in the room. At the end of the meal, everyone got up and dispersed without lingering for conversation or fellowship. A disgruntled vibe hung in the air. It made Honor feel uncomfortable. She didn’t like her family to be at odds. For a long time after her breakup with Joshua, Honor had been angry at Boone. She had irrationally blamed him for her broken engagement and all the troubles with Joshua. It had taken quite a while for Honor to forgive her brother for opposing their relationship.

As she stood up to leave, Liam placed his arm around her and pulled her off to the side. “How do you feel about all of this? It must be strange to have Joshua back in Love after all this time.”

“It’s fine,” she murmured, meeting Liam’s skeptical gaze. She shrugged. “I’ll admit it is kind of odd. Seeing him for the first time was surreal. And finding out he has a baby kind of threw me for a loop.”

“A baby?” Liam asked. “I heard he had one of those quickie marriages a few years back, but if I recall correctly, they split up shortly after the wedding.”

Honor wrinkled her nose. “You’re right. He isn’t married any longer. And he’s raising baby Violet on his own because her mother died.”

Liam winced. “That’s tough. I know what it’s like to raise a child by myself. When Ruby was presumed dead, I was both father and mother to Aidan.” He scratched his jaw. “It wasn’t easy.”

“No,” Honor said, squeezing her brother’s arm. “I know you went through some hard times. Despite what went down between myself and Joshua, I don’t want him to suffer the same way you did.”

Liam narrowed his gaze as he looked at her. “Honor, I hope you maintain a safe distance from Joshua.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“You have a heart that’s as wide open as the Alaskan tundra. I don’t want you to get hurt again.” Liam didn’t need to say anything else. It was written all over his handsome face. Her brothers had always been her protectors. Years ago they had tried in vain to get between her and Joshua. Like most young women who were head over heels in love, Honor had been stubborn and intractable. She had felt such resentment toward her brothers for trying to sabotage her youthful romance. There had been no convincing her of the unsuitability of Joshua Ransom.

She had been blind to Joshua’s flaws until everything exploded in her face.

“He’s only come back for the memorial,” she said in a clipped tone. “And, believe it or not, I’ve moved past my relationship with Joshua.” She let out a brittle-sounding laugh. “We were kids back then.”

Liam nodded. “Kids who were crazy in love,” he noted.

Crazy in love. It was an apt description for the way she had felt about Joshua. And the way he had felt about her in return. They had been madly, deeply, happily in love.

All of sudden Hazel appeared at their side, allowing Honor a reprieve from having to come up with a response to Liam’s statement. There was no doubt about it. She and Joshua had been so committed to one another that they had dreamed of getting married and spending their lives together. He had proposed to Honor and put a ring on her finger. Their relationship had been so much more intense than youthful infatuation. Even though she had tried to minimize those feelings over the years in order to make herself feel better about the way things had crashed and burned, it had been the real deal.

Hazel cleared her throat. “Liam. Do you mind if I have a word with Honor?”

“Of course not,” Liam said. He winked at Hazel. “She’s all yours.”

Once they were alone, Hazel began shifting from one foot to the other. A sheepish expression crept over her face.

“Honor, I think I might owe you an apology. Jasper, bless his heart, isn’t always on target, but he pointed out that I was wrong to offer the Moose Café to Joshua without checking with you first.” She bit her lip. “I know how hard it was when things ended between you and Joshua. Never in a million years would I ever want to cause you any pain.”

“Please don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I think it was very generous of you to offer the Moose Café to Joshua and Theo.”

She groaned. “You’re just being nice. I’m sorry if I made a mess of things. Sometimes I try too hard to do what I think is right,” she muttered. “Maybe I should have just left things alone.”

Honor reached out and took her hand. “Hazel. You didn’t do anything wrong. Joshua and I are six years older and wiser. We’ve both moved on with our lives. What kind of woman would I be if I begrudged them the use of the café for Bud’s reception?” No matter what had transpired between her and Joshua in the past, Honor couldn’t allow it to change who she was as a person. She had cared for Joshua’s grandfather. Bud had been her friend.

“That’s very mature of you. Can you do me a favor and ask your brothers to kick their vendetta to the curb?” She made a tutting sound. “They need to just let it go already. Joshua was a boy of eighteen when he started that fire. It was a terrible accident and he paid dearly for it.”

“Yes, he did,” Honor murmured, knowing Hazel was referencing her.

“Call me a softie, but life is too short to harbor bitterness in one’s heart.”

“Old grudges are silly. I don’t want anyone feuding on my account. The way I figure it, if I can be civil to Joshua, no one else has the right to act up.” She chewed on her lip. “And I hate to say it, but there could be a legitimate reason for tensions to heighten in the near future.”

Hazel frowned. “Do I dare ask what you’re talking about?”

Honor bit her lip. “I don’t want to gossip, but you’ll find out soon enough. Bud didn’t sign the ranch over to the town and the preservation society. Joshua and Theo are his heirs. And they’re considering selling the Diamond R to a Texas developer.”

Hazel’s eyes bulged. “No! That can’t be right!”

“Unfortunately it is. I heard it straight from Lee’s mouth and then Joshua confirmed it.” She made a face. “Some outfit from Texas wants to create a posh dude ranch on the property. It seems as if everyone wants a piece of our little fishing village these days.”

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