For some reason, being a father had changed his views about Love. It hadn’t all been negative. He wanted Violet to know the place where he’d been born and raised. The Diamond R Ranch had been a huge part of his upbringing. He couldn’t change the way people felt about his past, but he wanted to show everyone that he had grown and matured.
Even though he had tried to convince himself that he was over the past, it still sat like an anchor on his chest. When he least expected it, memories rose up and threatened to drag him under. Pain. Loss. Heartache. One fateful decision that had altered the course of his young life. He had kicked himself a thousand times for not telling Honor the truth.
Even if he was only in Love for a short duration, Joshua intended to extinguish those painful memories before he headed back to Seattle. Since he’d left town he had worked tirelessly to make something of himself. He now owned a home construction business and he’d been flipping houses to bring in more income. He had stashed away a nice sum of money. In the next few months he intended to purchase a medium-sized starter home for himself and Violet. All in all, life was good.
His life had moved on in the aftermath of the dissolution of his relationship with Honor. When she had broken off their engagement, the very foundation of Joshua’s world crumbled. Although he had been forced to adjust to living without her, it had been the most difficult undertaking of his life.
She’s too good for you, Ransom.
Those words had been seared into his brain, courtesy of Sheriff Boone Prescott and his brothers. As much as he had hated Boone for being so blunt, Joshua had always known it had been true. Despite having loved her, Joshua knew he hadn’t been worthy of the reigning princess of Love, Alaska. Honor had been the shiny brass ring completely out of his reach. Against all odds, he had earned her love, which had made him the happiest man in all of Alaska. But love hadn’t been enough.
Joshua winced as bitter memories washed over him. In one reckless moment, Joshua had shown his complete unworthiness and given Honor no choice but to walk away from him. And even though he had moved on, Joshua still wasn’t over it. Not by a long shot.
Honor drove her truck down the snowy streets of downtown Love and hummed to the upbeat tune on the radio. It felt nice to be out and about on a chilly Saturday afternoon. Having brunch with her family provided a well-needed pick-me-up. She had become so isolated working and living out at the wildlife center. As much as she loved her job, it was important to stop every now and again to smell the forget-me-nots.
Her family had been advising her to get out more and start socializing with the townsfolk. Honor knew exactly what it meant. Everyone wanted her to find a nice Alaskan man to settle down and start a family with. It was easier said than done. So far she hadn’t been able to let go of the past in order to embrace her future. Her heart had been encased in ice for quite some time. And whenever she thought about opening up to someone, fear of the past repeating itself kept her in the safe zone. It was far better to be single than to be brokenhearted.
As soon as she crossed the threshold of the Moose Café, the tempting smells of freshly brewed coffee and baked bread rose to her nostrils. There was already a bustling crowd scattered about the establishment. Her brother Cameron’s café was a very successful eatery here in town. Everyone loved the coffee, the food and the relaxed atmosphere. Honor was proud of her older brother for living out his dreams and pushing past all the self-doubt.
“Honor! It’s nice to see you.” Sophie Catalano, Honor’s dear friend and a waitress-barista at the Moose Café, warmly greeted her. “You barely show your face around here anymore.”
“Hey, Sophie,” Honor said, wrapping her arms around the beautiful redhead for a warm hug. “It’s great to see you. I’ve been so busy at the wildlife center it’s hard to get to town most days.”
“I understand,” Sophie said with a smile. “You’re doing important work over there. Ruby was raving about your workshop on birds of prey. Aidan was mighty impressed,” she said, referring to Honor’s seven-year-old nephew.
“Wait till he finds out we have some lynx kittens that were orphaned and injured in a fire. He’s such a compassionate little boy. I know he’ll want to come see them as soon as he can get over there.” Just the thought of the lynx kittens made Honor smile. It had been so fortunate that a local firefighter, Hank Jeffries, had managed to rescue them from the fire. They were now out of danger and on their way to a full recovery.
“You’re pretty much the bee’s knees as far as Aidan is concerned,” Sophie said.
Honor grinned so wide her cheeks hurt with the effort. “I think that’s probably the best compliment I’ve ever received.” Just the thought of her nephew and nieces filled Honor with joy. Her brothers had made her such a proud auntie. Family meant the world to her and God had blessed her with all of these connections.
“If you’re looking for your brothers, they’re sitting over there with Jasper,” Sophie said, nodding in the direction of a table in the back. Honor followed Sophie’s gaze, smiling at the sight of all three of her brothers sitting with her grandfather, along with Declan and Finn O’Rourke, close friends of all the Prescotts. None of her sisters-in-law were present, which made Honor the only female in attendance. She looked around for Hazel. It always felt nice to have some extra estrogen when surrounded by Prescott and O’Rourke men.
Honor walked over to the table and quietly joined her family. She was greeted by a chorus of enthusiastic voices. Warmth settled in her chest. This was home, she thought. A place where you were greeted with joy and open arms. Unconditional love. She settled into a seat beside Boone and Liam. It felt nice to be surrounded by family and good friends. She felt safe and protected from the slings and arrows of life. Honor might disagree with them from time to time, but when times were tough, they all had each other’s backs.
Hazel—Jasper’s wife and a surrogate mother to Honor and her siblings—strolled over to the table clutching papers against her chest. She looked around the table and flashed a wide smile. “Morning everyone. Glad you could all make it. Isn’t it nice to get together and break bread? I can’t wait for you to taste my new jalapeño corn fritters.”
Jasper looked at Hazel. “You know I don’t like spicy food. It gives me heartburn. Can you please just cut to the chase and tell us why you organized this brunch? You’re about as transparent as glass. It’s obvious you have something up your sleeve.”
Hazel slapped Jasper on the shoulder, causing him to let out a yelp. “Old Jasper here is right. I’ve made up some flyers and I’m going to be distributing them to our customers today. Then I’m going to hang some up at the church on the announcement board.”
“If this is about your over-the-top birthday party,” Jasper groused, “we already know you’ve planned your own shindig. Everyone has already saved the date and placed it on their calendars.”
“Once again, you’re wrong, Jasper.” Hazel swung her gaze around the table. “To be frank, I really don’t want to hear any grumbling about this. I just wanted to give you all a heads-up.” She placed the papers down on the table with a thump, then eyeballed everyone as if daring them to say something.
Honor picked up one of the flyers. It had the café’s logo at the top. She read the words out loud. “Home-going reception in honor of Bud Ransom.”
Liam sputtered as he drank his coffee. “Here? At the Moose Café?” he asked, his eyes bulging.
Cameron held up his hands. “Don’t blame me. I had nothing to do with it. I just own the joint,” he muttered.
“Was this all your idea, Hazel?” Honor asked with a frown. Never in a million years would she have imagined that the Ransom brothers