He’d gone to check the horses before he turned in for the night, and to make sure his gear was in good order because he was heading out to see Pablo early the next morning to start his new job. Adam wasn’t particularly happy about him leaving, but everyone else had been supportive, even Danny, who would have to step up his hours on the ranch.
“I tried.” Ben came out of Calder’s stall and latched the door. “Her dad answered and I hung up.”
“Ouch.” Leanne winced. “Why does he have her phone?”
“Maybe she gave it to him to stop me calling her,” Ben said gloomily. “I wish I’d stayed and fought it out with her, but I was too much of a coward.”
His mom patted his arm. “You were put in the middle of a very unexpected situation and you handled yourself well. If Silver was already mad at you for something, making her madder wouldn’t have solved anything, would it?”
“No, but—”
“Jeff’s right. If she’s the woman you think she is, then she’ll work out what’s happened and come and see you for herself.”
“Number one, I can’t believe Dad is right about my love life, and two, if she comes here, he’s going to open his mouth and ruin it for me somehow, isn’t he?” Ben asked.
“Don’t be so negative, Ben.” Leanne said bracingly. “Under his rough exterior your father has a very good heart, and you know it. Why, he was the first one to notice that you really liked Silver!” She paused. “Apart from Ruth Morgan of course, with whom I had a very interesting chat after church yesterday.”
“Mrs. Morgan knows?” Ben groaned. “If she tells BB he’ll kill me—and I mean that literally.”
“She won’t tell a soul. She’s been keeping the secrets of Morgan Valley for at least fifty years, and she wishes you and Silver all the best.” She looked up at him. “Are you coming in?”
“I’ve got a couple of things to finish up first.” Ben gestured vaguely at the tack room. “What time are you going tomorrow?”
“Around noon. Adam’s driving me to the airport. You know how bad a driver your father is.”
“Cool.” He bent down to kiss her cheek and draw her into a hug. “It’s been good to see you.”
She cupped his chin so that he had to look at her. “Now, promise me that if Silver does turn up here, you’ll talk to her?”
“Mom, if she turns up here, I’ll get down on my knees and kiss her feet,” Ben promised. “I might even cry.”
“Because you love her, that’s why,” his mom said with way more confidence than he had in himself. “I can’t wait to meet her. Jeff said he kept thinking he knew her and thought she worked in the bank.” She chuckled.
“She says that happens a lot,” Ben agreed. “But she handles it really well.” He hesitated. “The thing is, we’re still living in completely different worlds, and I don’t know if it’s possible to bridge that gap.”
Her face softened. “Ben, when I met Declan, I was a forty-two-year-old divorcée with six kids, living in my brother’s apartment, waitressing to make some money, and helping out in a soup kitchen. I had no idea who he was, just that everyone treated him with respect, and that he never had to raise his voice to get something accomplished.” Leanne smiled. “You can imagine why I appreciated that.”
“Absolutely.” Ben nodded.
“The first time he asked me out, I said no, and I kept saying it for months before he finally persuaded me to go to a book signing event with him. I went because it was an author I’d long admired, and Declan and I had bonded over reading the latest book.” She smiled. “I had no idea that Declan had moved heaven and earth to get this particular author to appear at that particular shop mainly for my benefit.”
“Wow.”
“I had no idea how wealthy he was until I was well and truly in love with him for who he was.” She looked up at his face. “Can you imagine me chairing galas and chatting away to billionaires, socialites, and Broadway stars? Me neither. But I did it because that was part of Declan’s life, and in return he gave me his love, my totally unexpected new daughter, and a quiet house out in the countryside where I could ride my horse and tend to my garden. If we could make it work, then so can you. Don’t give up before