Two girls got out of the car, and Emma sucked in a breath. She was good at judging age, and it looked like one was nine or ten, with the other a couple of years older than that. Her heart beat irregularly in her chest as she thought about Missy.
Emma should be on the road to San Antonio this morning, but Fran, Matt, and Missy had gone to Florida. She missed her daughter with a fierceness she’d never experienced, and it had only been two weeks since she’d seen her.
Ted hadn’t seen his mother in three years. Three. Years.
Emma couldn’t even fathom that. Her heart throbbed in the back of her throat as Ted picked up both girls. Through the window, Emma heard their laughter and witnessed the joy on their faces.
“Emma,” Ginger called, and she spun away from the happy family reunion on the front lawn. “There’s a timer going off.”
Emma bustled into the kitchen, where Ginger stood at the stove trying to get the beeping to stop. She really was useless in the kitchen, and Emma gave a short laugh. “It’s the top one, G.”
She picked up the oven mitts, and Ginger got the timer off. “Scootch over,” Emma said. Ginger got out of the way, and Emma pulled the cookies out. There was nothing that said welcome to a ranch better than oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
Ted didn’t bring his family to the West Wing right away, and Emma suspected he’d taken his mother to see where he was living. She wandered into the office and sat down to get some things done. She’d been so distracted this week, and she’d missed a day and a half of work, so she was quite behind in the things she needed to do.
She had managed to get payroll processed, so everyone had gotten paid yesterday. She’d sent out the invoices, and she’d paid the bills for the week. She’d ignored all the emails about the monarch butterflies, and she really needed to start confirming those for school groups, Girl Scout troops, and their family evenings on Monday night.
So, with the task of clearing out her butterfly email account, Emma pulled her schedule book in front of her and clicked to get the email open. It was much easier to keep track of things on paper as she went through the email digitally. Then she didn’t overbook or double-book, and everyone was happy.
She sorted the email by schools first, as she could schedule them during the day. She started with the oldest email first—first-come, first-served, after all—and she started scratching names and class sizes into the grid she had for the two weeks of monarch butterfly hatching and migration.
Sometime later, Ginger called, “Emma,” again, and she immediately dropped her pencil and left the office. In the kitchen, Ginger wore a warm smile to go with her jeans and a cute yellow tank top with tiny black butterflies on it.
Emma always felt a shade darker than the light Ginger put off, but she’d never minded it. Her best friend held Nate’s hand, who grinned at Ted’s mother with pure joy. “You probably don’t remember,” he said. “But I met you once, my first month in the facility.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Ted’s mother said, her voice pretty in a high, throaty sort of way. Emma’s chest tightened, because she sounded elderly and motherly, and Emma hadn’t spoken to her mother in a while.
Nate hugged her as Emma moved to Ginger’s side. “This is my fiancée, Ginger,” he said.
“She owns the ranch, Ma,” Ted said, flicking a glance to Emma. His smile was wide, his teeth bright white, his beard trim and neat. He’d also had a haircut since she’d seen him last night, and he wore a bright blue and white button-down shirt that made all of his dark features lighter. Sexier.
Emma realized in that moment how much she liked him. She couldn’t believe he’d only been on the ranch for six days and how much her life had changed in that time.
“Yes, I’ve heard about Ginger, too,” his mother said, drawing the tall auburn-haired beauty in a hug too. “Thank you for having Teddy here. It’s such a blessing to see him. Such a blessing.”
Ginger stepped back, obviously embarrassed, and Emma watched the flush fill her face. “Thank you, ma’am. We’re glad to have him here.” She beamed at Ted, and Emma marveled at the change in her.
She’d been through a lot with the prisoners she’d brought to the ranch through the Bureau of Prisons Residential Reentry Program. She’d fallen in love with one of them, and he’d nearly stolen everything from all of them.
Ginger hadn’t brought anyone to the ranch for a long time after that, and then Nate had sorely needed a place. Emma had been in the room when the BOP had called, and Ginger had put the call on speaker.
His brother has passed, Miss Talbot. If you take him, the boy can live with him. You haven’t taken anyone in a while, but he’s one of the best.
Nate really was one of the best, and he was absolutely the right person for Ginger.
Emma glanced at Ted again. Was he the right man for her?
“This is Emma Clemson,” Ted said. “She’s the administrative arm of the ranch.”
“Lovely to meet you, ma’am,” Emma said.
“My mom, Carla,” Ted said, slinging his arm around his mother’s shoulders. “My sister, Britta. Her two daughters, Allie and Leslie. Her husband….” He looked around the kitchen and living room. “Where did Dwayne go?”
“You lost him in the pastures,” Britta said. “With that paint pony.”
“Oh, Dusty Rose is beautiful, isn’t he?” Ginger asked, and Emma very nearly rolled her eyes. Leave it to Ginger to focus on a horse over anything else.
“I made cookies,” Emma said, looking at the girls. “Who wants one?”
They both looked at their mother, a woman who had the same dark hair as Ted, the same sparkling, intense eyes, and plenty of fashion sense in her white capris and violet blouse. She nodded, and the two children moved with Emma into the kitchen to get the cookies.
“Oatmeal chocolate chip,” she said, picking one up. “Take one to your momma, okay? And your grandmother.”
“Thank you,” the youngest said, smiling at Emma.
Her heart expanded a couple of sizes, and all she could do was smile widely and nod. If she tried to speak, she was afraid her voice would break, and everything inside would spill out. She turned away from the group and took a bite of her cookie, hoping that would give her a moment to collect herself.
A warm hand slid along her waist, and Emma turned toward Ted. “Thank you for the cookies, Em.” He grinned at her, and he looked so darn happy. Beyond happy. Full of joy.
“Sure,” she said, painting on a smile she hoped was even half as happy as his.
He leaned closer to her, and Emma’s pulse jumped around in her chest. What was he doing? Was he going to kiss her right there? Right now?
She hadn’t kissed anyone in so long, and she did not want their first kiss to happen in this kitchen, with everyone watching.
She couldn’t even believe she’d thought about their first kiss. But, oh, she wanted to kiss him. Just not right now.
“Dinner tonight?” he whispered, his lips practically touching her ear. “Just me and you. I can leave the ranch with you.”
All of Emma’s cells vibrated, but she managed to say, “Yes, I’d like that.”
“Great,” he said, backing up. “Ma.” He turned toward her. “You have to try these cookies. I think they have your secret ingredient in them.”