“Hi, Dad. I didn’t think you were arriving until tomorrow afternoon.”
“I caught an earlier flight so that we could spend more time together. You look great.”
Ashley stepped into his open arms. “So do you. Married life agrees with you.” She hugged her dad tight. “I love you.”
“I love you too, honey. How about I drive us back to the hotel? We could get some sleep, then meet for breakfast.”
“I was going to hire a rental car as well.”
“Do you need one? I can drive you where you want to go.”
Ashley thought about Matthew and the messages he’d left on her phone. “I’d like to visit the Gray family ranch while we’re here. Will that be a problem?”
“Of course not. It will give me a chance to see Matthew again.”
She gripped the handle of her carry-on and ignored the butterflies running around her tummy. If thinking about Matthew made her nervous she had no idea what a few hours of his company would do.
Her dad took her suitcase out of her hands. “My car isn’t far away. Did you have dinner on your flight?”
Ashley nodded. “Thanks for coming here early, dad.”
“I want to make the most of our time together. I haven’t seen you since Trisha and I got married.” He stopped outside the terminal building. “I wasn’t in a good place after your mom died, Ashley. I’m sorry if I said anything that made you leave Bozeman.”
“It wasn’t you, dad. I’d already talked to mom about living in a different city. When the job was advertised in New York, it seemed as if it was meant to be.”
Her dad wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I’m proud of you, Ashley. Now let’s leave the airport before they lock the gates.”
She smiled as she pulled her carry-on across the parking lot. If she’d learned one lesson over the last few months, it was that life was too short for regrets. And she didn’t want to regret not getting to know her dad again.
“Who do you want to visit apart from Matthew?” her dad asked.
“Logan Allen and my friend, Erin.”
“Is that all?”
“It’s enough for now. Is it okay if we visit the cemetery while we’re here?”
Her dad slowed down. “I’d like that. Your mom would be proud of what you’ve achieved.”
Ashley wrapped her hand around her dad’s elbow. “I think so, too.” Her mom used to tell her to dream big and reach for the stars. She’d done that and then some.
Now all she had to do was work out if she wanted to reach for the moon.
