Page 133 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
Waiting for us on the front steps, he stood when we pulled up to park.
“This can’t be good,” I muttered and opened my door.
Felicity hummed her agreement and slid to the passenger door to hop out of the truck.
I barely had my feet on the gravel when Dad was in my space, locking his arms around me for a tight hug. “I’m sorry, Silas. I’m sorry.”
“Dad, I—”
“Please let me explain.” He let me go and stepped back. Even in the dim moonlight, I could see the regret in his eyes. “Please.”
“Dad, can we not do this tonight? Felicity’s had a bad day and I’d like to just go inside and give her some quiet.”
“Oh, um, sure.” His eyes darted to Felicity, who had rounded the hood of the truck and was standing by the fender. “I’m sorry. I’ll let you guys go but I wanted to say that first. I’m very sorry.”
Felicity stood stunned for a minute, like she was waiting for him to take it back. But Dad was being sincere. I knew it, and after that minute, so did she. She turned to me and said, “I’m okay,” then looked to Dad. “I think I’d like to hear what you have to say, Elliot.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “We were at the hospital not two hours ago. Let’s not push it.”
“The hospital?” Dad took a panicked step toward her. “Are you all right?”
She sighed. “I’m fine, but let’s save that story for tomorrow. I’d rather not hash it out again.” Pushing away from the truck, she came to my side and threaded her fingers with mine. “Come on. Let’s go sit down.”
I looked at Dad and gave him a silent warning. You’d better not fuck with her.
He got the message. He nodded and led us over to the front porch steps of his house. The light was shining brightly through its windows but I couldn’t see Mom anywhere inside.
“Did you want to go inside?” I asked as he took a seat on the top step.
“No. I’m . . . locked out.”
Felicity’s choked laugh came out fast and she coughed to cover it up.
Dad’s eyes found her and my muscles tensed, waiting to see how he’d react. “It’s okay to laugh. I deserve to be sleeping with the horses tonight. Please, sit down.” He patted the wooden step.
Felicity and I sat, me taking the middle to act as a buffer between them.
“I’m sorry, Felicity,” Dad said, looking past me to her. “I’d like it very much if you’d give me another chance.”
Her fingers, laced with mine, squeezed a bit as she said, “I’d like that too.”
Fuck, I hoped this was real. I hoped that this wasn’t some sort of dream and I was asleep at the river. Life would be a whole lot better if Dad would treat Felicity with the respect she deserved. Life would be a whole lot better if we didn’t have to leave the Lucky Heart.
“I owe you both an explanation,” Dad said and took a fortifying breath. “You see, when I was in college, I was engaged to a young woman from San Francisco.”
What? How had I not know about this? I didn’t ask, though, just sat shocked as he kept going.
“She knew I wanted to come back here after college and take over the ranch from your granddad, so she came with me after we graduated. She lived in town and I lived out here, but she spent a lot of time on the ranch. She said she liked it. But two weeks before the wedding, I went to pick her up for a date and her house was empty. She’d moved back to California and told me in a note that she didn’t want to be a rancher’s wife. I never saw her again.”
Felicity’s hand clamped down on mine as I blew out
a loud breath. “Holy fuck.”
So much made sense now. Dad had pinned his own broken heart on Felicity. Mom had said he’d had his reasons for not trusting Felicity. Not that Dad’s actions were right, but I could see now why he’d been so skeptical. In his eyes, Felicity was the fiancée that had abandoned him. She was the city girl who hadn’t wanted a ranch life.
Holy fuck.
Dad sighed. “It all worked out for the best. I met your mom a few years later and knew she was the one, but what my first fiancée did left its mark.” Dad leaned forward again to look at Felicity. “It wasn’t fair for me to compare you with her. I’m sorry.”
