Page 90 of A Rancher's Bride
It was a locket. The same as she remembered from her youth, and something tightened in Kelli’s throat as she glanced at him for permission to pick it up.
When he indicated it was okay, she slipped the locket into her hand, the smooth metal an echo of a childhood memory. She closed her eyes and held it to her ear, shaking her wrist in a side-to-side motion.
In the palm of her hand, a gentleknock, knock, knocksounded—like a heartbeat.
She took a breath, shocked to discover her hands shook as she pulled the locket from her ear, automatically hitting the clasp to undo the two sides. She looked down to discover, not a purple heart, but one that was robin-egg blue, like the Alberta sky on a cloudless summer day.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It was your grandmother’s.” There was no doubt in Mr. Carlyn’s voice as he said the phrase. “I gave my girls matching necklaces one Christmas. They picked the colour for the stone. Danielle said she wanted purple to match the Virginia Bluebells that came up in early spring. And my Toni wanted blue because she said that was the colour of joy.”
Kelli’s throat tightened further, but Luke’s arms were around her and she was safe in his embrace. “She sounds like a wonderful woman. I’m sorry I never got to meet her.”
“I’m sorry too,” Mr. Carlyn said. “We had no idea you even existed. When Danielle first ran away, I managed to locate her a couple of times. She told me forcefully to leave her alone. I tried to keep in touch in case she ever changed her mind…” He let out a long, slow breath. “I was sick for a while, and lost track. I never thought she’d come to Canada. I wish I’d tried harder.”
The regret in his voice was real, and the emotion just messed Kelli up even further.
She shot to her feet. All the men around the table rushed to join her, but she was pushing back from the table, suddenly desperate to escape.
“I need some time,” she said. “I mean, this is very exciting, and I’m very glad to meet you. Even you, I suppose.” She indicated Dean before tucking herself tighter against Luke’s side. “But I need to go.”
“Of course, sweetie.” Luke nodded at Timothy Carlyn. “Talk tomorrow?”
“Call when you’re ready. I’d love to come out to Silver Stone if that works for you. Iaminterested in what you’re doing there, beyond tracking down Kelli.”
Luke gave her a quick squeeze as he peeked out the window. “It’s snowing heavy. Stay here for a minute, and I’ll warm the truck up and clear the windshield.”
Luke waited until she nodded her approval, but when he left, Dean disappeared and she ended up alone with her grandfather.
“I’m not going to make any demands.” Mr. Carlyn spoke softly. “But I want you to know how much I want you to come home.”
NotMr. Carlyn— Hergrandfather, she supposed, although it was going to take some work to think of him that way.
Kelli stared at him, seeing the truth in his eyes, and the hopefulness. “You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me, so why would you say something like that?”
“Because when I look at you I see Toni. I see Danielle before she got rebellious and decided that whatever we said, she would do the exact opposite. I see a young woman full of life and energy and who is simply delightful to be around, and I would love very much to have family back in my home. So think about it, Kelli. It’s an option for you. You and Luke, of course. There’s a home waiting for you.”
Kelli nodded slowly. But she had to tell the truth, and this shedidn’tneed to think about even a minute longer. “I already have a home, and I have a family. So I’m not saying no, but I am saying I’m not willing to give up what I’ve already got.”
“Fair enough.” He looked a little disappointed but nodded in approval. “You might have been raised a world away from us, but you’d be shocked to know how much you remind me of your grandmother.”
The door opened behind her, and Luke was there, escorting her away.
A blur of snowflakes mixed with the blur in her brain. Kelli leaned her head on Luke’s shoulder and didn’t even try to think. She was numb inside, which seemed odd.
Luke sat quietly beside her, his body a rock of comfort. When they arrived at his house after the slow trip home through the falling snow, she followed him meekly into the mudroom.
Her coat vanished, and her boots, and she ended up on the couch, sitting in his lap before she truly knew what was going on.
“Thank you,” she started before having to break off.
“Nothing to thank me for, darling. Now hush. You’re all but quivering. Let me hold you.”
She snuggled in and didn’t fight it. His strong body became a cage of protection around her. Like a wall guarding her from the things that would have hurt her, things that would have challenged her too much at this moment.
“I don’t know why I’m acting like such a baby,” she complained a few minutes later. “It’s a good thing, I guess. Finding family. Only—I didn’t expect it. And I didn’t really want it—I mean, I wasn’t looking for it.”
“All of those are good reasons for not being sure which end is up,” Luke assured her. He stroked his fingers through her hair. “On the good side of the ledger, Carlyn’s a solid man. I’ve never heard anything negative.”
