Ford had just told her that helovedher.
But he lied about the money.What else did lie about?
Cadence trudged up the steep hill to the lodge, happy to find no extra cars in the gravel driveway. She couldn’t handle company right now. Other than Ed poking his head from the trees across the yard, she was alone.
She wanted to confront Ford, but she also felt like running away. Mere minutes passed as Cadence sat in front of the windows in her bedroom before restlessness took over. She stuffed clothes in a suitcase. Maybe the best thing she could do was get on that plane and head back to Kansas. Get some distance to sort everything out. She would come back, and soon. Letting Sophie and Caroline down wasn’t an option. But Cadence needed space from Ford Harris.
She’d almost told him she loved him back.Almost.
Chapter Eighteen
Ford
Ford tried to call Cadence for the fifth time, but it still went straight to voicemail. He’d been wandering the festival grounds in search of her and her family, but so far nothing. “Where do you think she is, Riggs?”
But the dog was no help, unless Ford was in need of a donut burger. Riggs was much more interested in his stomach than anything important. He tugged on the leash, hoping Ford would follow his nose to the nearest food cart.
“You find her yet?” Rilee asked, catching up with him. They’d split up an hour ago, hoping to cover more ground that way.
“No.”
“I thought I saw her sister at the face-painting booth, but I didn’t get there in time. Maybe it wasn’t her.”
Ford’s stomach twisted. He had a bad feeling about all this. He wished he could pin what might’ve gone wrong. Had the oldest Whitmore sister forbidden them from keeping the lodge? They might be meeting with Maxwell to draw up the offer paperwork right now. Without the lodge, Cadence would have to find a job and a place to live just to stay. She might decide it wasn’t worth it.
Or maybe Mr. Jenkins and the secret he wasn’t allowed to divulge had something to do with this.
“I’m going to see if Mr. Jenkins is around,” Ford told her. “Will you take Riggs?”
“What didn’t you tell her, Ford?” Rilee asked.
“It’s nothing.”
Rilee folded her arms, refusing to take the leash. “It is, too. Start talking.”
The last thing he wanted to do was tell Rilee. She didn’t deserve to feel put in the middle of all this, and she no doubt would. But Ford was exhausted from all the secrecy. Mostly, he was just tired. He nodded toward an empty bench, and Rilee sat with him.
“You know I would do anything for you, right?”
“We’re family, Ford.”
“Exactly.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “I didn’t want to tell you, because you should only be worried about getting the best education you can. Following your dreams and getting good grades. Promise me that won’t change, Rilee. You’re going to Boston University as planned.”
She drew in her eyebrows, confusion lingering in her expression. “It’s an expensive school, Ford. I know we don’t have the money. But I can get a job and student loans for what the scholarship doesn’t cover. Or I can pick another school. I got in to three others. This isn’t your burden.”
Ford didn’t know how to tell her that this felt like his biggest burden. His parents would’ve found a way to send Rilee to Boston. He would too. “Patty Whitmore offered me a bonus if her nieces agreed to keep the lodge. A bonus that’ll help pay for your tuition.”
“How big is this bonus?”
“If they have a class on interrogation techniques, you’re going to ace it.”
“Ford.”
“Fifty thousand.”
“Dollars?”
“Yes.”
