Travis waved. “Looking good there, Zeke.”
Catching Travis’s eye across the paddock, Zeke grinned brightly and shouted, “Giant, I ride!”
Travis laughed. “You most certainly are. You’re as talented as your mama.”
“I tell you what though,” Liz called out, smiling, “I’ve never worked harder training a child than I have with Zeke. He’s been a handful, haven’t you, baby?”
Zeke giggled, bounced slightly in his saddle, and said, “Go, Ginny.”
Ginny, along with three other horses, had been found by their owner wandering the charred landscape a week after the wildfire. Though the horses had suffered only minor injuries, the owner’s stables had been completely destroyed, so Red had offered to board and care for them at Paradise Peak Ranch until the owner was able to rebuild.
During the first month after Ben’s death, Liz had spent most of her time caring for the newly acquired horses as well as Juno, Ruby, and Oreo, comforting Zeke, and trying to heal from the grief of losing her husband. Her recovery had been slow at first, but by the first week of April, she’d begun to rise out of her depression and, after introducing Zeke to the horses, she’d begun giving him and other kids who’d sought refuge at the ranch riding lessons.
“I see you’ve got things well in hand here.”
At the sound of the male voice, Travis looked over his shoulder to find Carl walking around the corner of the stable toward him and Hannah.
“Did you doubt it, Carl?” Hannah asked, smiling.
Reaching them, Carl stopped by Travis and leaned onto his elbows on the top fence rung. “Nah, I expected it. I stopped by the lodge on the way in to deliver a portable dance floor to Margaret for the shindig tomorrow night. She filled me in on the progress you’ve made.” He glanced around, nodding toward the adults and children milling about the ranch, and raised his voice above the pound of hammers in the distance. “Told me all your cabins were full, and how much your guests have pitched in on repairs to the cabins, fences, and banquet hall.”
“Together, we’ve made more progress over the past two months than Red and I alone managed over the course of five years.” Hannah smiled at Travis. “Travis even installed that new stone walkway Margaret has been hounding us about, along with just about everything else she asked for.” She glanced at Carl and cocked her head to the side. “How are things at your place? And downtown?”
“Slow going,” Carl said. “We’re rebuilding the stable we lost, and I got a crew coming in next week to repair the damage to my house. Nothing too major. A few businesses have opened up again, but downtown still has a long way to go.” He frowned. “I heard over eighteen thousand acres burned, and at last count, more than two thousand homes, businesses, and other buildings were destroyed. Not to mention, we lost twelve people.” A sad smile appeared as he watched Liz and Zeke. “It’s good to hear Liz laughing again. I was worried sick about her there for a while.”
Hannah sighed. “Weren’t we all? But she’s doing well, and I’m determined she and Zeke will continue to get better every day from here on out. Which reminds me, I need to help untack Ginny and feed the horses since Red will have dinner ready soon.” She smiled at Carl. “You are coming to the dance tomorrow night, aren’t you? Considering all the work you’ve done helping Red and Margaret put it together, I’d hate for you to miss the final result.”
Carl laughed. “Margaret wouldn’t let me miss it. She’s already roped me into finding a stage for the band she’s going to hire.”
“Oh, boy.” Hannah rolled her eyes and grinned. “She’s probably running you as ragged as she has Red over the past week. They’ve been bickering something awful.” She rose to her tiptoes and kissed Travis’s cheek. “See you at the lodge soon, handsome. We’ll have another front row seat at dinner for the Red and Margaret Friday night fireworks.”
Travis smiled, watching as she jogged to join Liz and Margaret, who led Zeke and Ginny toward the stable.
“Seems you two have gotten close,” Carl said, leaning more heavily on the fence. “I heard it mentioned around town last month that you’d moved into Hannah’s cabin.”
Travis tensed, his smile fading. “News travels fast around here.”
Carl nodded. “That it does.”
They stood silently for a few moments, listening to the pound of hammers and children’s laughter in the distance; then Carl said quietly, “Thing is, that alone wouldn’t bother me, considering all the good you’ve done. Matter of fact, after I heard about what you did for Liz and Zeke—hell, what you’ve done for all these people when you turned this place into a refuge—I suggested to Ben’s partner on the police force that we put together some recognition for you.” He glanced at Travis, his eyes narrowing. “You know, have a small ceremony in memory of Ben and present an award of some type to Paradise Peak’s newest golden boy. Ben’s partner made a few calls to Rockton Park, hoping to get ahold of some of your people and discuss putting together a small ceremony here at the ranch. He couldn’t track down any of your family, but he got a call yesterday from the sheriff’s department.”
Travis clenched his hands around the top rung of the fence, his jaw tightening.
“I know you’re not Travis Miller,” Carl said. “You’re Neil Travis Alden, right? The drunk driver who killed Margaret’s daughter twenty years ago?”
Travis faced him then, met his piercing gaze. “That’s who I used to be.” He straightened and pulled in a heavy breath before saying slowly, “But it’s not who I am anymore.”
Carl returned his stare for a moment, then nodded slowly. “I’m not here to cause trouble for you. You’ve served your time, and I believe everyone should have a second chance. But I also think you’re wrong to hide the truth.” He turned away and refocused on Hannah, watching as she untacked the pony by the stable. “Does Hannah know who you really are? Or Margaret and Red?”
Shame surged through Travis, scorching his skin and drawing his shoulders down. “No.”
Carl sighed. “I care about Hannah—always have. She deserves the truth, and I don’t want her hurt.”
Travis stilled as Hannah caught his attention, waving and smiling from the other side of the paddock as she led the pony into the stable.
“I don’t want to hurt Hannah,” he said quietly, wishing he hadn’t committed such an awful act, wishing he’d been a better man in the past. The kind of man Hannah deserved. “I don’t want to hurt Margaret or Red either. But there’ll be no way around that, once I tell them the truth.”
“And when