“I want to go home, Joe.”
“Tough.” He turned off at the ranch driveway and kept going until he pulled up outside his and Bailey’s house. Getting out, he rounded the hood, then opened her door and hauled her out.
“In you go.” He placed a hand against her back and urged her forward and into the house. They found Bailey in the living area, playing the piano.
She had her hair in a tail, wore jeans and a sweater. On her lap was Benjamin, who seemed mesmerized by the sounds his mother was making. Maggie watched Joe walk to stand behind his wife. Bending, he kissed the top of her head, placing a hand on his son’s curls.
She could never capture the absolute love in that scene even if she was a famous artist. The sheer beauty made a small sob slip from her lips. Until that moment, she’d not realized how much she’d wanted that kind of love for herself.
She swallowed, pressing a fist to her mouth, not wanting to let the sobs out. Not wanting to scare the boy or his mother. She loved Fin. It was all startlingly clear to her now. And she’d betrayed his trust. He’d never forgive her for that.
“Maggie?” Bailey saw her.
“I’ll take him.” Joe lifted Benjamin into his arms. “Is Ella asleep?”
“I just put her down.” Bailey leaned up to kiss Joe and her boy.
Maggie swallowed down another sob.
“Okay. I need to go see a certain ranger and check how he’s holding up, seeing as when I last caught sight of him, he looked pretty pissed. “Everything will be all right.” Joe pulled Maggs close briefly, and then he was gone.
“What’s happened, Maggs?” Bailey came close, easing her arms around her as if she was breakable.
Maggie let the sobs go then. It was like a dam had burst.
“Sssh, now.” Bailey led her to the sofa, nudged her down, then hurried from the room. She was back in seconds with tissues.
The arms came around her again, and she simply lay against her friend and cried.
“Wait!” They heard a door bang, then the sound of feet thudding.
“Ssssh, Pip, the baby is sleeping,” Bailey said as her sister-in-law appeared with Rory.
“Sorry.” Pip waved a hand, then tiptoed closer.
“You can walk normally; it’s the yelling and banging,” Bailey drawled.
“We come bearing chocolate. Joe said you were up here and needed cheering up,” Rory said. “We were at the main house, eating Aunt Jess’s cinnamon buns. We brought you some.”
Maggie looked at her friends and felt the tears well up again, but she pushed them back down.
“Those eyes must be hell to look through,” Pip said, dropping down on the floor before Maggs. “All swollen and puffy.”
“Thanks.”
“Welcome.” A piece of chocolate was pushed into her hand.
“I’ll put the coffee on,” Bailey said.
Soon they were gathered in a close huddle, chairs pulled up, drinking from thick white mugs and eating cinnamon buns and chocolate.
“So, spill. Joe said you were up here brokenhearted and that you may need girl time,” Rory said. Her hair was a crazy mass of curls, jeans ripped, a thick flannel shirt rolled at the wrists. She looked like a sexy elf to Maggie.
Pip was her usual elegant self. Jeans, black body-hugging sweater, hair pulled back in a messy bun.
“Do you want to talk about it now, Maggs?” Bailey said.
“Of course she’s talking about it,” Rory said. “Keeping all that crap inside you is not healthy, as is evidenced by keeping that London stuff a secret. Besides, it’s killing us not knowing what happened with Fin.”
