Chapter 101 Part 101
Asher
He stalked out of the barn and back to his house for lunch. He didn’t have hearts in his eyes! Eden was grasping at straws, wasn’t she? He liked Emerson just fine, but love? He couldn’t possibly be in love with her. He hardly knew her.
His mind drifted to another time, another life. He’d fallen in love with Maggie very quickly. Asher shook his head. That had been a dream. This was real life, and the situation was completely different.
Back at his house, he stared at Emerson’s cereal bowl and coffee cup in the sink. He shook his head and filled both with water so it could soak. He heated up the previous night’s dinner, and sat down at the kitchen table.
Images of him and Emerson together flashed through his mind. He’d taken her to his bed, carried her up there, and kissed her goodbye this morning while she slept.
Hell. He was in love with her. He knew it was a mistake. She would leave, eventually, and he wondered for a split-second what it would be like if she stayed. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he fished it out.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Asher.”
“Winchester,” he said.
“I know this is very last minute, but I would like to invite you and your family to my engagement party tomorrow night.”
Asher grinned. “Did your mother finally find you a suitable wife?”
“Yeah, I’m meeting her in the morning. She’s probably uppity and city, but I really hope she’s nice. Who knows, maybe once I actually get to know her, we might be civil.”
“McRoy, just tell your mother where to shove it, and do your own thing,” Asher said.
“Yeah, right. I’ll get right on that. So are you coming or not?”
Asher chuckled. “I’m not wearing a suit, McRoy.”
He laughed on the other end of the line. “It’s a barbecue. No suits needed. You know my mother loves any opportunity to show this town that she’s better than them.”
“Yeah, we’ll be there.”
“Thanks, Asher. At least I’ll have one friend in the crowd,” Winchester said.
“I’m not bringing a gift.”
Winchester chuckled again. “Please don’t. This isn’t exactly a happy union. I’d rather skip the whole party, but you know my mother; nothing is as grand as a McRoy barbecue.”
Asher laughed and felt bad for his friend. “I hear you.”
“Oh, I met your girlfriend this morning. I can see why you fell for her.”
“Yeah, she’s sassy,” Asher said, with a smile.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow night.”
“Take care,” Asher said, and ended the call.
Winchester’s mother, Nancy McRoy, had always thought she was better than the rest of the population of Two Bear Meadow. She arrived in the small town with her Chanel dresses, and looked down her nose at the rest of the working class.
Somehow, Winchester had come out normal, likeable, and he made friends quickly and easily. Despite his parentage, he was a good guy, and he was always first in line to help with donations or whatever was needed to help someone out.
They’d become friends in the 1st grade, and when Asher joined the Army, Winchester’s mother had referred to him as ‘common folk’. They’d laughed about it afterwards, when Winchester apologized for his mother. He was a loyal son, looking after her, and taking care of his father’s businesses, ever since he passed.
After lunch, Asher kept himself busy, checking the fences that were within walking distance. He’d take One Star out the next day to look at the other fences. As the days grew colder, their main jobs would be maintenance, and in another few days, they’d start moving the cattle closer to the ranch.
It was dark by the time he returned to the house, his arms scraped, and his shirt sticking to his back. When he opened the door to enter the mudroom, he could smell dinner, and he wondered if this was Emerson’s way to try and apologize.
“Hey,” she said cheerfully, when he closed the door behind him.
“Hey.” He sat down on the wooden bench, took his work boots off, and hung his hat on the wooden peg. “It smells good in here.”
“Why, thank you,” she said, with a smile.
“I was talking about the food.”
She laughed, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Then I guess I’ll dab some meat sauce behind my ears.”
Asher grinned, and shook his head. “You are one weird woman, Emerson. I’m going to go shower and change.”
“Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes, so take your time.”
Asher headed upstairs, showered, and dressed in sweats. Downstairs, Emerson had set the table and he sat down at the kitchen table. He stared at Emerson as she moved around comfortably, like she’d lived there forever.
“You know, apologies mean more when they’re spoken out loud,” Asher said, and smiled.
Emerson glanced over her shoulder. “Really? You mean, you’d prefer for me to say I’m sorry rather than showing you later?”
He chuckled, and crossed his arms over his chest before his face turned serious again. “You can’t ever do that again. I need to know where you are.”
“I know, and I really am sorry. Here on the ranch, it’s so easy to forget that my life is in danger. It’s like this place isn’t part of the real world, and nothing bad ever happens.”
“I get it. It’s why I love the ranch so much, but you have to be more careful.”
“I will be, I promise,” she said, and walked closer to him. She sat down on his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck before kissing him.
He shifted her so she straddled him, and deepened the kiss. The front door opened, and Finn appeared in the doorway just as Emerson tried to shift off his lap.
“Canoodling in the kitchen, what has the world come to?”
Asher chuckled, and Emerson’s cheeks heated up. She was off his lap in an instant, and turned her attention to the food.
“Don’t you have friends?”
“I brought you this,” Finn said, and handed a sheet of paper to Asher.
It was a missing person’s report, and it showed Emerson’s picture and details. The picture hadn’t been modified, and it still showed her with heavy makeup, and long light brown hair.
“At least, it looks nothing like her, if it hadn’t been for her name, I wouldn’t have known it was her,” Finn said.