Which meant they were killing her dream, too.
And she found she wasn’t ready to let go of it without a fight.
“You know what, Emerson?” she spoke up loudly. “As good as this lasagna smells, I think you should take me out to dinner tonight, and I think the rest of you should talk about whether you actually want Emerson and me here long-term or not. The General told Emerson he’d get a share in the ranch and that if he married me, I’d be family, too. I don’t think anyone else agrees with him, though. Everyone keeps pretending we’re welcome here, but I get the feeling we’re not on those terms. Here’s your chance to talk among yourselves and figure it out once and for all.”
“Wye,” Cass began but Wye cut her off.
“Talk to your family, Cass. Really talk to them. Figure out what you want—because it’s not fair to keep us in limbo like this. We’ll be back later, and we’ll abide by your answer no matter what it is. Come on, Emerson.”
He followed without a word.
Chapter 7
‡
“Who’s the boss now?” Emerson teased Wye on the way to town, although he’d been grim for most of the drive. “You put the Two Willows posse on notice back there.”
“That’s the problem with so many adults living under one roof—too many people who think they’re in charge.”
He relaxed as the heat warmed the truck’s interior. It was a cold, clear night. Stars twinkled overhead in a sable sky. If this were a true date, he was sure he’d be enjoying himself, but Logan’s and Brian’s careless words at Two Willows had cut him to the quick. He’d been smart not to count on the General’s assertions that there was a place for him there. Obviously, there wasn’t.
“It’ll get better in the spring when people start building their own homes, I guess.” Emerson kept his gaze on the snowy road ahead of them as the headlights cut through the gloom. At least he knew what Wyoming felt.
“I’m sure it will—for them. You aren’t mad I took over the situation?”
“Not at all.” That was the one bright spot in the situation, actually. Wyoming scolding the General and everyone else was something to see. Proof that she cared for him—and was thinking long term when it came to their relationship.
That was good.
“The General should have talked to the rest of them well before he made you any promises. I don’t know what he was thinking. How are you feeling?”
He grunted. “I’m okay.”
She slid him a look that said she knew he was lying. It hurt to know that Brian, Logan, Jack and the other men felt they deserved a slice of Two Willows, just for following orders and marrying the General’s daughters, but they couldn’t see their way clear to allowing him the same reward for his service to the man. He’d worked side by side with the General for years. He hadn’t ever screwed up and faced a court martial like all of them had, either. They had to realize he wouldn’t rest on his laurels. Always pulled his weight. Always went above and beyond. He would be an asset to Two Willows. Why couldn’t they see that?
“At least we get a chance to be by ourselves.”
It was his turn to slide a look her way. “Is that a good thing?”
“You know it is.” Wye grinned. “Keep your eyes on the road, Soldier.”
“I’m watching where I’m going,” he assured her. “I’ve got a question for you, though.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“Will you still be interested in dating me if they say no?”
Wye studied the dark landscape outside her window. “I’m not fragile, Emerson. I won’t run at the first sign of trouble. You and I still have a lot of getting to know each other to do, but if things don’t work out between us, it won’t be because you don’t have a share in Two Willows.”
“Good to know.”
Just as they were seated at DelMonaco’s, Wye’s phone rang. She pulled it out and frowned.
“It’s Cass. Should I answer it?”
Emerson nodded. Might as well learn the worst.
“Hi, Cass.” Wye listened a moment before going on, her side of the conversation punctuated by long silences. “That’s good to hear. Okay. Uh-huh. All right. Yes, I guess so. I mean… sure. I know how the General is.” She looked up at Emerson. “I don’t think he’ll mind. See you later? Bye.”
“What’d she say?” Emerson pretended to look over the menu, but he wasn’t even reading the words. At first he’d thought it was good news, but the longer the call had gone on, the more uncomfortable Wye looked.
“They’ve decided they want both of us to stay,” Wye said. “Which is good. The General has made it clear he views you on equal footing to the rest of the men and views me as an honorary daughter. Cass says they had a full discussion, and as soon as the General agreed to hear them out, everyone fell over themselves saying they want you to join them—but they want the General to stop acting like a dictator. They want a democracy. Cass says it got a little dicey. I’m not sure the General believes in democracy.”
“The General believes in the Army, and the Army doesn’t believe in democracy—not within its ranks, anyway,” Emerson corrected her.
“Anyway, the upshot is we’re in. You’re an honorary son, like all the other men. I’m an honorary daughter.”
He sensed something was bothering her. “But…” he prompted.
“I guess… I don’t understand why he’d do that—I mean, I get why he wants you around; you’re obviously very important to him. I’m riding on your coattails.”
“I don’t think that’s true. I think you qualify because of the way Cass feels about you. I think the General appreciates the good head on your shoulders and the way you’ve been a steady friend to her.”
“That’s not enough to earn a share in a ranch like Two Willows.” She played with her fork. “I just don’t want to believe in something that could be pulled out from under my feet at any moment. And I’m not talking about the share of the property, either.”
He knew that. She was talking about family. “You’re afraid if you relax your guard and allow Cass and the rest of them to love you, they could take that love back at any moment.”
Wye swallowed and nodded. “That’s it exactly. Why would they stick with me when my own parents…” She shook her head. “There’s more,” she added.
“What?”
“I’m supposed to help you with the trailers. We’re supposed to run them together, and I’m supposed to do the books for them and help with the books for the ranch, too. I think the General’s mixed up my paralegal job with accounting.”
“Are you good with numbers?”
“Actually, yes,” she conceded.
“But you want to keep doing paralegal work?”
“I’ve been looking for jobs in Bozeman and Billings. There simply isn’t enough work here in town to go around.”
“You like paralegal work, though?” he pressed. She hadn’t answered him straight.