“I believe in delivering a quality product sourced from local producers. I believe in working in cooperation with the community for the community’s benefit. That’s why Adria and I partnered with our soon-to-be sister-in-law for the eggs, chicken, and produce we use. It’s why we partnered with my brothers at Cedar Top Ranch for our beef. And why we buy our other ingredients from local vendors as well.”
He shook his head. “That’s all fantastic and why I admire the hell out of you and your business, but I’m asking what about me and what I do matters to you?”
She tilted her head and studied him. “I really don’t understand what you’re asking me.”
“Are you interested in me because I’m a rich businessman?”
This time she took a step back from him. “Are you serious?” She wanted to swear, but Emmy was right there pretending to feed her bunny jelly toast. “I’m interested in you because of who you are, not what you do or how much money you have. I’m insulted that you’d even think I care about—”
He closed the distance and kissed her, cutting off her words.
She tried to push him away, because he’d made her angry, but he held her against him, ended the kiss, and pressed his forehead to hers. Remorse, deep and true, filled his eyes. “I’m sorry. It was stupid to ask such a thing when I know none of that matters.”
“Why would you even think it?”
He said the one thing that made all the sense in the world. “Steph.”
She remembered him saying that he paid for her apartment. She wondered what else he paid for to keep Steph happy and off his back. None of her business.
Or was it now?
She took a breath before she spoke to let the last of her anger dissipate. “I’m not her.”
“I know that. I’m so damn happy you are nothing like her.”
Trinity glanced at Emmy, who watched them closely now. “I need to get Emmy to school.”
Jon lifted his head and looked at his daughter, then back at Trinity. “I’m sorry.”
“I know you are. Forget it.”
“Will you? I really don’t want to mess this up, and I feel like I did because up until five minutes ago you had no idea what I did or how much I’m worth.”
“I don’t care. I just wanted to know more about you.”
He sighed and looked completely dejected.
She took mercy on him. “I’ll see you later tonight.” She kissed him softly, hoping to ease his mind.
Distress and sorrow still filled his eyes when she stepped back.
Emmy hugged his legs and stared up at him. “How come I can’t come back tonight?”
“It’s your mother’s turn,” he said, brushing his hand over her hair.
“I don’t want to go there. I want to stay here.”
“The painters, landscapers, countertop and carpet guys will be here all week. By the time you come back on Friday, the house will be all done. Don’t you want new carpet and your room painted?”
Emmy shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes. “No. I just want to stay in my room here with you and Trinity.” Her bottom lip trembled.
“Please don’t cry, baby. I know things with your mom are hard right now, but I spoke to her yesterday.” He’d informed her that he’d spoken to his lawyer. “She cleaned the house and bought groceries, including all the things you like. She promised she won’t leave you alone ever again.” If she did, Jon would defy his lawyer and the custody agreement they had in place and keep Emmy, damn the consequences.
His lawyer answered Jon’s early-morning email, telling him to go along with Steph so long as she proved she had done those necessary things until they filed the full custody papers and a judge ruled in his favor. So he’d made Steph send him pictures of the clean apartment and stocked fridge, giving him absolutely no reason to deny her right to see her child.
Emmy rolled her eyes and released her dad. “She promises stuff all the time.” With that, Emmy walked out of the kitchen to the entry to pull on her backpack.
Trinity retrieved Bunny from the table and stopped in front of Jon as he stared after his daughter with a frown and sad eyes of his own. “She’ll be okay.”
“I hate making her do something she doesn’t want to do.”
“You’re following your lawyer’s advice. You’ll work through the process and hold Steph accountable. If she doesn’t keep her promises, there will be consequences.”
“I feel terrible that Emmy doesn’t want her mother. That bond should be unbreakable.”
Trinity put her hand over his heart again. “All you can do is listen to Emmy. She is telling you she needs you more.”
Jon walked over to Emmy and crouched in front of her. “I want you to know I’m working on changing things with your mom. The last time you stayed with her, you got scared. I don’t want that to ever happen again, so I’m going to call you when you get to Mom’s place tonight and check on you. We’ll video chat and you’ll tell me all about your day. I’ll know you’re all right. And you can tell me if you need anything.”
Emmy nodded, some of the hurt leaving her eyes. “Okay.”
“Are you okay with Trinity taking you to school? Because if you want me to do it, I will.”
Emmy shook her head. “I’ll go with her.”
“Give me a hug, sweetheart. I am going to miss you bunches this week.”
“I miss you, too.” Emmy squeezed Jon around the neck, then walked to the door and out onto the porch.
Jon stood and kissed Trinity. “Do you have all your stuff?”
“Afraid I’ll leave something here and it will look like I’m trying to move in?” She teased to help ease the tension and his mind.
Instead of teasing back, he asked, “Do you like the paint and carpet color I picked for the house?”
She glanced at the different colored squares he’d painted on the living room wall and the one that had a penciled X in the corner. She liked the soft gray. “I’d have gone a shade lighter with the darker hardwood floors in here. But that’s just me. The new silver carpet is going to be thick and lush and will brighten those back rooms a lot. Why?”
“I want you to be comfortable here.”
That made her smile, but he had to know the truth. “I’m only here for you.”
Emmy called out, “Are we going yet?”
“And her,” she added.
“But will you like the changes I’m making?” He seemed so earnest about it.
“You’ve seen my place. Your taste and mine complement each other perfectly.”
That seemed to ease his mind and put a slight smile on his face. “Now that you say that, yeah, I see that now.”
She chuckled under her breath, really not getting his strange mood this morning. “Good. Now will you let me go so I can take Emmy to school?”
For the first time, he seemed to realize that he’d taken her hand and linked his fingers through hers. He raised their joined hands and kissed the back of hers. “I can’t wait to see you tonight.”
“Me too. Don’t forget it will be late.”
“I know. You close. I wish you could get someone else to do that.”
“Me too, but for now, it’s me.” She turned to go, but he tugged her back for another kiss she accepted and sank into because he seemed to need a little extra affection after their little tiff and Emmy’s near meltdown about going to her mother’s.
Jon still didn’t release her, but walked with her out to the car so he could make sure Emmy buckled herself into the booster seat correctly and gave her one last kiss goodbye, too.
He waved to them as Trinity drove out of the driveway. She watched him in the rearview mirror, hoping they had more days like this, with him waving her off for the day and her driving their children to school.
“Can you make him let me stay with him?” Emmy stared hard at her in the rearview mirror, her eyes and voice intent on getting what she wanted.
Trinity gave her the truth. “No, sweetheart, I can’t m
ake him do anything. You know your dad loves you, right?”
She nodded and stared out the window, a sad frown on her face.
“He loves having you at the ranch. He’d like to have you there all the time. But he has to work that out with your mom, and it’s hard to make happen right away, because she wants to spend time with you, too.”
Emmy didn’t look at her. “If you say so.”
“Maybe it doesn’t seem like it sometimes.”
Emmy let out a loud and exhausted sigh.
“Emmy, if you don’t feel safe when you’re at your mom’s, you can call your dad anytime just like you did last week. Day or night. Doesn’t matter. You know that, right?”
She nodded, but didn’t stop looking out the window.
Trinity hoped she hadn’t stepped over some line, but she wanted Emmy to know she had a lifeline in Jon. He would always be there for her.
Too bad Emmy didn’t have her own phone to call Jon if she needed him.
What if something happened and she didn’t have access to her mother’s phone?
She needed to talk to Jon about getting her one. Something simple she could use just in case until Jon got full custody.
It would make Emmy feel better, and probably Jon, too.
She’d feel better knowing Emmy wasn’t trapped with Steph. There was a fine line between Steph being sometimes neglectful and her putting Emmy in danger. Things had turned out all right when she’d been left alone, but how did the hurtful things Steph did add up in Emmy’s mind? What effect did they have on her self-esteem and sense of security?
Questions like that plagued her all the way to Emmy’s school.
She was supposed to drop Emmy off in the carpool line, but instead she parked and walked Emmy to her classroom door. She crouched and looked Emmy in the eye. “You have a great day, sweetheart. I made you your favorite turkey, cheese, cucumber sandwich.”
“Just the way you like it, too.”
“Crunchy,” they said in unison.
“I might have also snuck in the last brownie for you, too.”
Emmy threw her arms around Trinity’s neck. “Thank you. I love you.”
Trinity hugged her close and tears gathered in her eyes. “I love you, too, sweetheart.”
Emmy rushed into her classroom, leaving Trinity staring after her, her heart bursting with affection and joy and a protective streak that made her want to pick Emmy up at the end of the day and take her right back to her loving father.
She silently vowed that as she and Jon grew closer together, she wouldn’t ever forget that Emmy came first for both of them.
Chapter Sixteen
Jon released Emmy’s hand so she could knock on the door.
His dad opened it a few seconds later with a big smile for his favorite little person. “Hey, sweet girl. I’ve been missing you.” His dad sank to one knee and wrapped Emmy in a hug.
Jon loved seeing his little girl smile and how his dad closed his eyes, breathed her in, and held her like she was a precious gift.
She was to both of them.
Emmy leaned back. “Did you get me something?”
“Go check your toy chest.”
Emmy tried to get past him, but his dad held her by the waist as she struggled to break free, giggling and laughing the whole time until his dad let her go. She raced over to the wood box, lifted the lid, and squeezed the plush gray-and-white puppy stuffed animal.
“I love him. Thank you.”
Jon closed the door behind him and joined his father by the coffee table. “It’s not the dog she wants, but let’s hope that keeps her happy for a little while longer.”
“The stables are looking good. The house is finished,” his dad pointed out.
Jon got the hint. With the house done, he could take Emmy down to the local animal shelter to pick out the puppy she really wanted. Soon.
Jon spotted the boxes his dad had come by and packed up at the house. They’d finally sorted what his dad wanted to keep, what could stay, and what needed to be donated or thrown out to make room for Jon’s things. “Do you need some help unpacking that stuff?”
His dad waved that off. “I’ll get to it later.” He lifted his chin toward Emmy. “Everything go okay this week?”
Jon nodded and tilted his head toward the kitchen so they could move away from Emmy and talk.
His dad took a jug of iced tea from the fridge and poured them each a glass while Emmy played with the puzzles she took out of the toy chest. His dad bought her something new each time they came for a visit so she’d have something to do here.
“Tell me,” his dad prompted.
“The phone calls and video chats every night are helping. Emmy had a good week at school. Steph has kept the house clean, fed Emmy decent meals, and they generally got along this week.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t have a whole lot of faith that Steph would do what she was supposed to without him checking on her every day.
“Well, Emmy looks good.”
Jon wished he didn’t have to worry about her having on clean clothes, that she’d had a recent bath, and her hair was brushed. Those things should be a given. “Yay for Steph. She made it through four days.”
His dad pressed his lips tight, not liking Jon’s sarcasm. “It’s a start.”
“Steph has had a lot of starts where Emmy is concerned.”
“Take the win. Enjoy your weekend with her.”
“I plan on it.” Plus he’d had a great week with Trinity.
“I take it that smile has more to do with the gorgeous blonde you’re seeing.”
Jon couldn’t help it. Just thinking about her made him happy. “I’ve never had anything like this.”
“When it’s right, it’s good. Makes a man want to hold on to it.”
“I can’t even think about losing her. With everything going on right now, the move, the renovation, the Steph drama, Trinity has been the bright spot in all of it. She’s just so easy to be around. When I’m with her . . . everything just feels right.”
His dad clamped his hand on Jon’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you, son. You know I like Trinity, but I especially like her for you and Emmy. She’s good and kind and just what the two of you need.”
“Emmy loves her. When I picked her up from school today, even though she knew we were coming to see you, she asked if Trinity was coming with us.”
“You should have invited her.”
“She’s working. But it says so much that Emmy can’t wait to see her. Emmy sees us together and she just accepts that our weekends include Trinity. They’re so good together.”
“Do you wish things could have been that way with Steph?”
Jon shook his head. “I always knew Steph and I were a just-for-fun kind of thing. Trinity . . . I think she’s a forever kind of thing.”
“Wow.” His dad smiled. “I’m happy for you, son.”
“I’m worried,” Jon admitted.
“Why? Because of Steph?”
“What if she can’t hack it here on her own and wants to go back to California? I can’t make her stay. A custody battle could take years if her father backs her and pays for a lawyer to drag it out. I may have to do what’s best for Emmy and go back to California and fight Steph there.”
“Don’t borrow trouble. She had a good week. Wait and see if she can turn that into more. Maybe she got the wake-up call she needed and is really trying to do right by Emmy and make a new life here.”
“I hope so, because the thought of leaving Trinity to go back and fight with Steph leaves me cold. I’d hate to do it, but . . .”
“Trinity knows Emmy comes first. You two would work something out. Maybe your lawyer would get the courts to make Steph stay here until you settled the matter.”
“I don’t know. You’re right. I’m worrying about what could happen instead of focusing on what’s happening right now.” He’d keep up the check-in calls and video chats with Emmy when Steph had h
er and hope that helped keep Steph accountable. He hoped the longer she lived here, the more she’d settle in and make this home.
“Forget about all this for the weekend. Enjoy the time with your girls,” his dad encouraged.
He liked the sound of that. Because when he was with Emmy and Trinity, he was happier than he’d ever been.
And Emmy loved spending time with her grandpa. Tonight they’d eat pizza and take a walk to the nearby park where Emmy liked her grandpa to push her high on the swings and catch her at the bottom of the slide.
Jon hoped they didn’t have to move back with Steph and leave the two people he loved behind.
Chapter Seventeen
Things seemed to finally be going Jon’s way. He’d had two weeks where everything went as planned. Steph managed to work and care for Emmy on her days as scheduled. No Thursday evening phone call to come get her because Steph was done. He and Emmy had a video chat every night she was away. It seemed to ease her mind and make her more comfortable staying with her mom.
The calls kept Steph in line because she knew he was checking up on her, too.
The house renovation and redecorating was finished, and he loved how everything turned out. He’d taken Trinity’s advice and gone with the lighter shade of gray for the walls. She was right. The place was brighter and felt more open and airy. The color complemented the new white quartz countertops and stainless-steel appliances in the kitchen, which Trinity loved. She used the space more than he did, and he didn’t mind one bit. She was a phenomenal cook. Emmy loved helping her make meals on the weekend.
They worked together really well. Trinity and Emmy. And he and Trinity. She spent more nights with him than she did at her own place. When she wasn’t with him, he missed her and couldn’t wait to see her again. He’d never felt that way about anyone.
And he needed to put some serious thought into what he wanted for the future, though it seemed to be coming together the way he imagined without him even really trying.
Trinity loved being at his place. They loved being together. She was great with Emmy.
Everything seemed perfect right now.
And as much as he loved having more time to spend with Emmy, visiting his dad, and working to get the ranch ready to house some horses and the puppy Emmy hadn’t stopped begging him to get her, he still found time to work on his pet project.
True Love Cowboy Page 15
