Her Alaskan Cowboy. Belle Calhoune
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arms were folded across her chest, and she was breathing heavily as she glared at him. She was tapping one of her feet on the hardwood floor.
Old memories crashed over him in unrelenting waves. How could he have forgotten this defiant side of Honor?
He held up his hands. “Can you lower your voice to a dull roar? Slow down. What are you talking about?”
“Lee said there’s a developer who wants to buy the Diamond R. He says they want to build a resort on the property—some bootleg version of a dude ranch for people who want a so-called authentic Alaskan cowboy experience.”
Joshua stiffened. Hadn’t Theo said to keep things quiet about the offer from the developers? Clearly his brother had been running his mouth about the subject. And he had failed to mention anything about a dude ranch. Typical Theo.
He let out a sigh. “Nothing has been decided yet. I just found out about it myself.”
Her face fell. “So you’re admitting someone is circling around and making an offer on the ranch?”
“Yes, Honor. It’s true. Theo told me there’s an outfit from Texas that’s very interested in buying the property.”
“Bud would never have wanted this place to be sold to a developer. How can you even consider it?” she asked, her voice ringing out in the stillness of the room.
Joshua clenched his teeth at the accusatory tone of her voice. He felt his anger rising.
“Excuse me? I don’t reckon you want to pick a fight with me over my family’s land.” He hadn’t meant for his voice to have such a hard edge to it, but so be it. He hadn’t come back to Love in order to be pushed around and judged by his ex-fiancée. The days of everyone here in town making him feel less than were over. “It’s nobody’s business but ours.”
Honor let out a shocked gasp. She took a few steps closer to him until he could hear her breathing. He could see the flecks in her blue-gray eyes. She was bristling with rage.
“Do you know what will happen to this land if you sell? This developer will come in and tear up the land and make it some ghastly commercial enterprise.”
Joshua frowned. “You’re getting way ahead of yourself.”
“Am I? These things seem to happen fairly quickly. One minute they’re making you an offer and the next thing you know papers are being signed. This is precious land. It shouldn’t be transformed into something unrecognizable. And Bud wanted to donate the property so it would be preserved from developers.”
“Then why didn’t he put it in writing and make it official?” Joshua asked. “Bud was smart. He knew the risks in not following through on his promise.”
“I—I don’t know, but I do believe it was his intention.” She locked eyes with him. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
“This isn’t just up to me. Theo has some say in this as well. And I’m not convinced Bud wanted to donate the property to land preservation. He was as sharp as a tack. Maybe he changed his mind.”
He watched as Honor’s eyes widened and her mouth opened. Just as she seemed ready to erupt, a loud wail rang out in the room.
Honor froze at the sound. She turned toward the sound of the cries, which came from a nearby baby monitor.
“Is something wrong with Violet?” she asked. She sounded alarmed.
“I’m sure she’s fine. She’s been fussy since we arrived here,” he answered in a clipped tone. “She must have woken up from her nap.”
“She sounds upset.” Honor bit her lip and looked in the direction of the baby monitor.
“Sometimes she just needs to settle back down.”
She swung her gaze back toward him. “Aren’t you going to go get her?”
Joshua frowned. He didn’t understand why Honor looked so stricken. Was she suggesting he was neglecting Violet? He opened his mouth to say something, but he shut it. He didn’t need to remind Honor that she wasn’t a parent. There was already enough acrimony between them.
It really didn’t matter what she thought. He was Violet’s father. He knew what his own daughter needed better than anyone.
* * *
“I need to go see to her,” Joshua said in an abrupt tone. He turned on his heel and left the room, his footsteps echoing in his wake. Honor turned toward the baby monitor. She could still hear soft cries emanating from it. It caused a tightening sensation in her chest.
Honor hadn’t meant to sound so bossy, but the sound of Violet’s cries had been tugging at her heartstrings. There was something so poignant about the sound of a baby crying. Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked them away. She knew it had everything to do with the baby she had lost. Joshua’s child. Although her own pregnancy had been unexpected, Honor had desperately wanted to be a mother. Not being able to hold her child in her arms was something she would never get over. And at moments like this one, the pain of loss came crashing over her in waves.
A few minutes later, the sound of footsteps heralded Joshua’s return. Honor’s gaze went immediately to Violet. The baby’s eyes were slightly red-rimmed and her hair was rumpled. She looked adorable.
Honor’s pulse began to quicken at the sight of Joshua and his little girl.
Violet was the perfect name for the blue-eyed stunner squirming in Joshua’s arms. With her chubby cheeks and a head of blond curls, Violet was a vision. Unable to stop herself, Honor took two steps toward Joshua, then reached out and grasped one of Violet’s fingers.
“How old is she?” Honor asked, filled with curiosity.
“She’s ten months old.”
Her throat felt as dry as sandpaper. There were other questions she wanted to ask, but she wasn’t sure it was really her place. Where was Violet’s mother? she wondered. She cast another gaze at his ring finger to make sure she hadn’t missed it. He definitely wasn’t wearing a wedding band.
“Bud said you’d gotten divorced a long time ago,” she blurted out, immediately wishing she could pull back the impulsive words. She didn’t want Joshua to think she’d been keeping tabs on him. Bud had hired her to come over to the Diamond R twice a week to check in on his animals. Although he’d never divulged much about Joshua’s life, he had slipped one day and confided in her about Joshua’s divorce.
“That’s right,” he said, jutting his chin out. “About five years ago. It lasted all of eleven months. I’m no longer married.”
Honor knew the shock was showing on her face. Her entire life people had told her about her inability to hide her feelings. She was certain this moment wasn’t any exception. She was reacting to the fact that Joshua hadn’t married Violet’s mother. It wasn’t shocking in itself, but it didn’t gel with the Joshua Ransom she had once known.
Joshua Ransom was no longer her business. What difference did it make whether he was single or divorced or had a houseful of babies? It was none of her concern. He was nothing more than a faded memory to her.
“Dada,” Violet said in a sing-song voice, looking up at Joshua with a gummy smile.
“Hi there,” Honor said in a light voice, smiling at the blue-eyed charmer. “Aren’t you the sweetest little thing?”
Violet gifted her with a grin, then reached out and tugged at her hair. Honor let out a squeal as Violet grabbed a few strands and wrapped them around her fingers. The expression on Violet’s face was one of triumph.
“Easy there, Vi,” Joshua said with a low chuckle. He began disentangling Honor’s hair from Violet’s grasp. “She loves to latch onto things.”
“She’s beautiful,” Honor said, unable to take her eyes off the little girl. She looked dainty in her pink-and-purple onesie,