The morning went just as he predicted, and it was only an hour before lunchtime when he escaped to the Park. He wasn’t sure where Wye, Cass and Elise had gone. The men were out doing chores. So was Lena. Jo was with her dogs, Sadie at work in her greenhouse. The lights were on in Alice’s workshop in the carriage house’s second story, so she was probably designing something or other.
As he walked slowly down the track to the Park, careful not to slip on the snowy ground and do his ankle more damage, he decided something had to change. The General was getting more and more frustrated with his injuries. He’d snapped at Emerson twice this morning, not entirely an uncommon occurrence but still a harbinger of worse things to come.
There had to be away to make the General see that the pain of doing his exercises was worth the outcome down the road. After all, it wasn’t the pain the General was afraid of—it was the possibility that even if he put in the work, he wouldn’t get the results he wanted. A self-fulfilling prophecy, if there ever was one.
He’d think about it tonight, Emerson promised himself. Meanwhile, he was getting out while the getting was good.
Before he made it to the Park, however, his phone rang. Emerson took the call.
“Buck—how are you doing? I’ve been meaning to call. I’ve got that trailer for you, like I said I might.”
“Hey, do you have any more trailers for rent?” Buck asked. “I’ve got a friend who needs a place, too. He’s on a bit of a budget, though. You got anything that’s a little banged up?”
“I might,” Emerson hedged. “Let me get back to you on that.” He couldn’t imagine the General or anyone else would balk at the chance to make more money. Maybe it was time for him to operate on faith. “Let’s set a time to meet late this week, and I’ll have more answers for you,” he added.
“Okay.”
“You want kids, don’t you?” Cass asked, sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery room, where there was a crib and changing table for Elise. “If you don’t, you’d better tell Emerson now. I think that man wants a houseful.”
“You talked to Emerson about babies?” Wyoming finished changing Elise’s diaper and lifted her into her arms. She swallowed a familiar rise of irritation. She and Emerson had yet to go on a single date. Why did everyone insist on jumping the gun?
“Hard not to when we’ve got one in the house,” Cass pointed out. “Did you know he was one of eleven kids? I’ve never heard him talk about his family. Somehow I thought he was an orphan.”
“I don’t think those were his brothers and sisters.” Wyoming bounced Elise in her arms, swaying back and forth. “I think he got put with another family when his parents died. We haven’t really talked about it, though.” There was a lot she didn’t know about Emerson, Wyoming realized. The first few weeks he was around, she’d paid far more attention to Will. Since then she’d been too busy with her own family’s problems.
“Are you serious about marrying him?”
“I’m not serious about anything except getting through the day,” Wye said in exasperation. “I need to talk to Ward this afternoon. He still hasn’t answered my calls, so I’m going over there, and I’m not going to let him avoid me any longer. Do you think I should bring Elise along? Or get someone to babysit?”
“You know I’d happily babysit,” Cass said. “But won’t he want to see her?”
“He hasn’t even asked about her.” Wye lowered her voice as if Elise could understand what they were talking about and get her feelings hurt. “I don’t know what to think. I don’t blame him for being upset, or for being scared, which I think he is,” she added. “Suddenly he’s a single father. I wouldn’t want to raise children on my own, either.”
“Good thing you have Emerson, then.” Cass grinned at her. “Much as I dislike sharing my kitchen with him, he’s really a good guy.”
“Whatever.” She didn’t have the time—or energy—to think about a relationship, or kids, for that matter. “I’m calling Ward again.”
This time he answered, although it took several rings. “Hey,” Ward said dully. “Come on over. Bring Elise. Let’s talk.”
An hour later she pulled into the driveway, and he met her at the door. He’d showered and dressed carefully. Shaved, too.
“Glad to see you back on your feet.” She handed him Elise’s car carrier. The baby had fallen asleep on the way over, and she hadn’t wanted to wake her.
Ward made a face, took the carrier, ushered her inside and led the way into the living room. He sat on the couch and put the carrier on the floor beside him. “Sorry about dumping everything on you yesterday,” he said, gazing down at his daughter. “Guess I kind of lost it the night before. My boss is pissed I missed another day at work. I told him I’d be in this afternoon at one. Look, Wye, I know it’s asking a lot, but I need you to help me for a few more weeks, just until I’ve got my head together. I’ve got to get to work, prove that I’m not going to start day-drinking all the time. I’m probably going to have to do some overtime to show them I’m really going to play ball. So I was thinking… What if you move in here? Just temporarily,” he rushed to add when she made a disbelieving noise. “Just so you don’t have to drive back and forth.”
Wye took a moment to answer, telling herself not to overreact. On the one hand, it was a reasonable proposition, she supposed, but on the other hand, it wasn’t. She had no doubt what would happen if she moved in. She’d be the one up at all hours with the baby—
“Wyoming, please. I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate. I know I need to hire someone to live in, and honestly, I don’t know how I’m going to stand a stranger in the house—taking care of my baby—when I just lost my wife. I’m hanging on by a thread, and my boss has made it clear that any more drama on my part and I’m out of a job. What the hell would I do then?”
His anguish was all too clear, and Wyoming gave in. After all, she loved her brother and Elise, and she was sure he’d do the same for her in a pinch.
Well, maybe not sure. He wouldn’t do a thing. The traitorous thought wormed its way into her consciousness, but Wyoming brushed it aside. She would feel awful if Ward hired someone sight unseen to care for her niece. And she couldn’t believe his boss was being so heavy-handed. Had Ward used up his patience in the past with other absences from work she didn’t know about?
“I’ll move in for two weeks,” she said. “That will give you plenty of time to assess your situation, take out an ad for a nanny or look into other childcare options. I want to be back at Two Willows by Christmas. Got it?”
“Got it. Except—it might be easier to find someone after the holidays—”
“Ward!” That was exactly what her father used to do. Ask for something, then ask for a little more, and a little more…
“Fine. I’ll find someone by Christmas,” he assured her. “Why don’t you get your things? I’ll make sure there’s clean sheets on the guest bed for you.”