“Caroline?”
“Yes.”
So many more questions lingered on her lips, but until Caroline was safely tucked into bed for the night, Cadence wouldn’t press.
Ford met them at the edge of the festival roadblocks and helped Sophie crawl into the back seat of the truck with her daughter still in her arms. Cadence wondered where their luggage was, as she didn’t see more than a purse on Sophie’s shoulder and a fuzzy purple backpack hooked loosely on the tiny elbows of the now-sleeping Caroline.
“I’m Ford, by the way,” he said when the truck climbed the steep hill to the lodge.
“Our caretaker,” Sophie said with her kind smile. “Cadence has mentioned you once or twice.”
He turned toward her then, trapping her with his gaze. “Oh, she has, has she?”
“Most things she said were good.”
Ford chuckled. “I like her,” he said to Cadence as he parked the truck. He offered to carry Caroline inside.
“Thank you, but I got her,” Sophie replied. Weariness drenched her face. It was more evident in the glow of the porch light as dusk finally descended on the town. Cadence wondered more and more what had happened.Where is Sophie’s husband in all of this?
Saving her questions, Cadence showed Sophie to a room she and Caroline could share for the night. She promised to be back to help change the linens and hurried down the hall to meet Ford in the kitchen. His hands were pressed into the lip of the sink, his gaze lost somewhere outside the window.
“I’m sorry the night ended so unexpectedly.”
Slowly, he turned. His hardened eyes softened in a glance, and an understanding smile crept onto his lips. “Some curveball, huh?”
The feeling she experienced didn’t make sense to Cadence. She wanted Ford to gather her in his arms again, where she felt safest. But the distance between them felt insurmountable. She cared for him—a lot. She might even love him. Searching his eyes, she wondered if that was what he’d been about to tell her.
Cadence reached for his hand. “I’ll walk you out.”
“I’d like to take you all out for breakfast tomorrow,” Ford said when they reached his truck.
“I’d like that.”
“Good. There’s one place left I wanted to take you.”
“Ford, this isn’t good-bye.”
“I know.” His hand swept down to her cheek, and their lips fused together in a kiss that stirred the earth under their feet. Or maybe it was just Cadence who felt as if an earthquake shook beneath them at the intensity of their kiss. Electricity sizzled through her veins as the world continued to spin.Love. She could feel so much love in the way they held on to each other.
When Ford broke the contact, she fumbled back a step. Her unreliable legs wobbled as if experiencing an aftershock. “Ford, I—”
“Cadence?” Sophie called from the front door. “I need your help.”
“Go,” said Ford. “I’ll pick you all up at eight.”
Inside, Cadence followed Sophie down the hall to the room she’d given them. The king-sized bed was stripped from Rilee sleeping in it earlier this week, and though Cadence hadn’t gotten the sheets through the wash yet, there was another set. “I’m sorry I interrupted out there,” Sophie said, a massive yawn disrupting her words.
“He invited us to breakfast tomorrow,” Cadence said. “I hope you don’t mind?”
“You mean I don’t have to cook?” Sophie let out a happy laugh. “Sign me up.”
Cadence unlocked a hallway linen closet and pulled out a fresh set of soft sheets. Aunt Patty had always insisted high-quality bed linens could make or break a guest experience.
Though Cadence yearned to have an all-out night of girl talk about the new man in her life with a sister who would no doubt hang on her every word, more important topics hovered. “Where’s your luggage?”
“Airline lost it.” Sophie let out a sigh, leaning against the log-planked wall. “This has been the most miserable year of my life. Only seems fitting that today would be included. Turns out Carolinehatesflying. The only thing that kept her calm was her tablet, and I forgot to charge it before we left. It lasted about half an hour.”
Sophie lifted the sleeping girl from the mattress and set her on the loveseat facing the window so they could secure the sheets.
