Ashley frowned. “You don’t like musicals?”
“I like musicals, but I won’t be here. I need to be at the airport early on Saturday morning. Nathan called me this afternoon. The ranch hand they hired isn’t working out and he needs me at home.”
A heavy weight settled in the pit of Ashley’s stomach. “When do you need to be at the airport?”
“By six o’clock.”
She nodded, not sure whether she could say anything.
“It’s earlier than I wanted to leave, but I can’t stay.”
“I appreciate the time you’ve spent with me.”
“I haven’t done much, but I was happy to help.”
“You helped a lot. If you hadn’t talked to Hazel, we wouldn’t have realized that Jasmine isn’t the person we thought she was.”
“You would have figured it out.” Matthew wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry. Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”
She didn’t know whether he was talking about the stories she was writing or their relationship, but either way, nothing looked good. “Would you like me to come to the airport with you?”
“No, stay here. You’ve still got a lot of work ahead of you.”
Ashley blinked away her tears. She spent more time saying goodbye to Matthew than anything else. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too.”
As they made their way through the park, Ashley thought about everything that had happened in the last few days. “I can’t believe Jasmine hired a private investigator to prove Gareth Welsh was breaking the law. She’s every bit as corrupt as he is.”
“She managed to cover her involvement a lot better than Congressman Welsh did.”
“Where will that leave the Foundation?”
“In serious trouble if the FBI has enough evidence to convict her.”
Ashley knew Jasmine would do everything she could to save her reputation. The fact that she’d traveled to Bozeman to distract them from the truth showed just how calculating she could be. What Jasmine did next was anyone’s guess.
The driver slowed down to let another carriage pass.
“Look over there.” Ashley pointed toward the bright lights and music coming from the children’s carnival rides. “That’s Victoria Gardens. The carnival is a summer tradition, then in winter, the same area becomes an ice rink.”
“Everyone looks as though they’re having fun.”
Ashley nodded. “It’s a great place to visit.”
The carriage ambled through the park. Every now and then the driver would slow down and tell them a story about what they were seeing.
When the driver came to a standstill beside Belvedere Castle, Ashley frowned. “Why are we stopping here?”
Matthew uncovered a basket. “We haven’t had dinner. I thought we could have a picnic in the park.”
Her eyes misted over. “That’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”
Matthew’s smile disappeared. “This might sound selfish, but I’m glad.”
Ashley sighed. “It’s not selfish.”
The warmth in his eyes made her glad they were here. As soon as they left the carriage, the driver handed them the picnic basket and blanket.
