AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We walked quietly around the ranch, not straying away from the pathways that were laid and cleared of snow.
"Someone's been working overnight to clean this up," I murmured.
"The stones are heated. They have wires running under them that get activated when it snows, and melts it right away."
"Smart."
We were getting close to the main house, when Ace spoke, his voice low. "You know, if I hadn't been an asshole, you and Rowan would be living here already and have a couple of kids to boot."
"How are you so sure about that?"
"He loves you. He loved you then. There was probably a lot more lust involved at the time…but he fell in love. He never fell out. Neither did you."
We stopped in front of the house.
"Drink?"
Except for Thanksgiving I'd studiously avoided being inside the ranch house. It was a reminder of all that had happened there; my humiliation, a feeling of desolation, and the brutal realization that I'd been used.
"Can't you let the past go?" Ace asked forlornly, his tone apologetic.
It's just an inanimate object, Isha, a pile of bricks. Nothing more.
I was here now. Rowan was with me every step of the way. He'd proven that repeatedly.
"Yes, I'd like a drink," I said, instead of answering his second question.
We sat by the fireplace in the living room, where the windows showcased why Montana was called the Big Sky State.
"This is the most beautiful place I've ever been to." I picked up my cup of coffee which contained a splash of whiskey, because it was bloody cold.
"Yeah. It is. My girls love it. They're ranch all the way. Not like Caitlyn and me. She prefers the big city."
"What about you?"
He shrugged. "I still haven't figured out what I like or want. I love my girls. I know that. But the truth is that Rowan has had as much a part in raising them as I've had, sometimes more. Caitlyn has been absent. The divorce is going to be a shitstorm. She'll use the kids."
He seemed so resigned about it that it pissed me off.
"Don't let her," I snapped. "They're your kids, protect them. That's your only bloody job."
He smiled at that. "Rowan said the same thing…or a similar thing. He said I should buy her out."
"She into money that much?"
"Yeah. But I don't have that kind of money. I mean…I live here, but the money is Rowan's."
"He'll give it to you," I said confidently.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"I know him. He'd give you the money for the girls, no questions asked. That's who he is."
"I'm glad you know that because he did offer, and I'll take him up on it if it means protecting my girls. But what it tells me and should tell you is that you know him, Isha. You know him in and out. So, what's holding you back?"
"What makes you think anything is?" I demanded.
"Because you're going back in January and every time I see Rowan think about it, I can see his grief and heartbreak. Having you both here has been a dream for him. He was so excited. Setting up the house. Getting the hot spring and sauna ready. He told Clay that he wanted a horse for Flora. The man was like an excited kid on Christmas morning."
