Me: Yes. Just angry.
Colton: I’m sorry. I never wanted this to happen. It’s part of why I picked Ashfield.
Me: To lie low. I get it. Neither of us planned for Max to do this.
Colton: It was your ex?
Me: Yes. He messaged and said he had picked up photography as a hobby.
Colton: Fucking asshole. I’m going to destroy him.
Me: He’s not worth it. What are you going to do?
Colton: What do you mean?
Me: I understand if you have to deny everything.
Colton: I would never deny being with you, Autumn.
I knew he couldn’t see me, but my body flushed and my toes curled against the soft insert of my shoes at his compliment.
Me: What do you have going on today?
Colton: I’m co-hosting tonight on the Hockey Network and I have a test hosting gig for a cooking show.
Me: <laugh emoji> How is someone that can’t cook hosting a cooking show?
Colton: Your guess is as good as mine. They just want my pretty face.
Me: You’re probably right.
Colton: What are you getting into today?
Me: Emergency book club meeting and a massive bonfire.
Colton: Bonfire?
Me: I have a lot of magazines to burn.
Our conversation paused and I chose that moment to drive back home. I planned to work on framing the images Colton had found in the house and surprising him with a few others that I’d blown up.
It still amazed me at how far along the house had come. Inspectors were dropping in on a daily basis because it was progressing so quickly. The knowledge left my emotions in a tailspin. When the house was done it would be as closely restored to its original state as it could safely be. And the chance for it to be accepted by the National Historic Society would be available. But it also meant that Colton had no reason to stay. What was he going to do with an eight-bedroom house anyway?
By the time I returned to my parents’ home, I hadn’t heard back from Colton, but I had a dozen messages from the women in the local book club. They were all in agreement with the last-minute bonfire.
“Hey, Mom,” I said as I dumped the bags of tabloids on the counter. When she didn’t reply, I repeated her name.
“Hey, sweetie.” My father’s name called out from the office and I turned the corner, remembering how almost a month ago I had spent time in the same room with my mother, lamenting the idea of returning to Ashfield permanently. Now, things had changed. The town had grown on me again, or at least, Colton made me appreciate it more.
Even with my name and face plastered on every magazine stand across the country, the townspeople weren’t down-casting their gazes. Instead, they smiled. They asked if I was okay. They made sure I knew they were going to be on the lookout for any reporters in town. All to protect me and Colton. They had welcomed him into this place with open arms, despite the way he had come to town so flamboyantly.
“Hi, Dad,” I replied. The soft scruff of his beard tickled my cheek as I leaned in for a hug. “Not working the field today?”
“Nah. Your mother and Andrew forced me into this box today.” His hand flung about as he waved in the space.
Taking the seat across from him, my body sinking into the plush leather, I asked, “What made them do that?”
“Andrew has someone coming to town to speak to me about operations. He thinks hiring a chief operating officer will help me take a step back from farming and move toward retirement. Andrew isn’t interested in taking over the ranch. He’s so focused on his career.”
“You don’t seem too thrilled about that.”
“This farm has been in my family for over a century. It’s hard to step away from something that I’ve been doing since I could walk. And the unknown of how to keep it in the family weighs on me.”
“I understand, but just because you step back doesn’t mean you won’t be hands on. Heck, we could use some help with our garden,” I said. My dad’s chuckle was like music to my ears. It reminded me of the nights he spent camping with me and my sisters out in the pasture. He’d tell us ghost stories until Aspen couldn’t handle it and then he turned them into fairytales.
“I may take you up on that. Now, your mother is outside brushing down one of the horses, but she mentioned we were hosting a bonfire tonight? Something about her precious baby being taken advantage of.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled, my lip stinging as my teeth clamped down on the soft skin.
“Is there a neighbor I need to have a word with?” His tone didn’t change, but I could hear the seriousness in it all the same.
“No. No. Colton hasn’t done anything. He’s been great, really. Better than I would have thought.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Well, my love life is kind of a mess, that’s all.”
“You just haven’t met the right person. I suspect Mr. Crawford is going to surprise us all.”
