“Yes.”
Lena swatted her husband, then grinned. “Actually, I’ll take one of each, too.”
Emerson updated the tally in his head, and soon he was making his way back around handing out the food.
“You have an amazing memory,” Wye told him when he handed her the brownie she’d asked for and settled down with one of his own. She took a bite and groaned with pleasure. “Oh, Cass has always made the most amazing brownies. I think it’s Amelia’s recipe.”
He took a bite, chewed and swallowed. “That is good. As to my memory, that’s part of the job I used to do. Getting the details right so the General could see the big picture. I guess it’s a skill that’s hard to shake.”
Wye glanced at the General, who was sitting nearby, working his way through a fruit cup, a brownie perched precariously on the armrest of his chair. “The General seems content these days.”
“Don’t tell anyone, but we’re going to try a ride tomorrow.”
“On horseback?” Wye clapped a hand to her mouth and looked around to make sure no one had heard her. “Really?”
“Really,” he confirmed. “He’s been diligent about his exercises, and his doctor gave the go-ahead. The General doesn’t want an audience watching, though.”
“Of course not.”
“We’ll give it a try quietly, and if he’s successful, we’ll tell the others.”
“That’s amazing. And it’s all your doing. You know that, right?”
Emerson shrugged. “He’s the one doing the hard work.”
“At your insistence. I think everyone here owes you more than they know.”
“Hey, don’t talk like that.” Emerson leaned in close. “They’ve given me so much.”
“You’ve given them back their father.”
Maybe she was right, Emerson thought, but being at Two Willows had worked a magic of its own on the General. The man was mellowing. Still feisty enough, he supposed, but becoming the kind of father he had a feeling the General always wanted to be.
It helped that there were so many men on the ranch. Emerson knew the General had always been more comfortable around men than women, and he still blustered and fussed around his daughters sometimes but not nearly as often as he had at the beginning.
He was wonderful with Elise and Emily, too. His pride in their accomplishments was genuine, and in getting comfortable with praising the babies, he’d become more comfortable with praising his daughters, too.
Several months ago, the doctors had given the General the okay to drive, and his independence made him a new man. He’d begun to reconnect with old friends, grabbing a burger with his buddies or a beer on a Friday night. Emerson still drove him to Billings for their reserve work but was no longer at his side all day. The General could fend for himself for the most part, and Emerson and Wye had bought two small houses in town he was refurbishing in preparation for renting out now that all the trailers in the Park were done. The work kept him busy. Sometimes Wye came with him; sometimes she stayed home doing remote work for a large law firm in Billings or helped Cass.
Elise, who had been snuggling in Wye’s lap, lifted her arms. “Daddy.”
Emerson picked her up and transferred her to his lap. “Ready for the fireworks?”
“Fireworks!” She nodded her head vigorously, although her eyes had the droopy look that signalled she’d soon be asleep.
“What about you?” he asked Wye, taking her hand. “You ready for all this?” He hoped she knew what he meant.
“Definitely.”
Wye couldn’t think of anywhere she’d rather be than sitting in the middle of the town square waiting for the night sky to light up with fireworks. She needed to pinch herself every morning when she woke up to make sure it was all real. She wasn’t alone anymore. She had a husband. A child. A baby on the way. She shared a ranch with her best friend, and her days were filled with interactions with people she’d come to love—to think of as family.
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.