Rocky Mountain Dreams & Family on the Range by Danica Favorite (summer beach reads txt) 📕

“Joseph will take good care of you.” Annabelle held the little girl tight against her, breathing in the sweet scent she’d forgotten how much she loved. The air was so still, she could hear Nugget’s heartbeat, mixed with the choked breaths of a little girl trying not to cry.

“It’s going to be okay,” Annabelle said, trying to be as cheerful as she could with her heart breaking.

Joseph wasn’t just hurting her with his decision to pull away, but the little girl he’d so fiercely claimed to be protecting.

Maddie cleared her throat. “I need to see if a few of these other things fit Nugget before you go. The child’s got to have at least a change of clothes, though I’m sure you’ll be wanting to buy her new ones.”

Joseph gave a small jerk of his head, and Nugget followed Maddie in, leaving Annabelle alone with him again.

“You’re sure you can’t stay here? Nugget and I—”

“She’s already too attached. And with you leaving, I don’t want to make it worse.”

His jaw was hard, unflinching. And if it wasn’t for the tiny spot of tenderness in his dark eyes, she’d think she wasn’t even looking at Joseph.

“I promised her we’d stay in touch.”

He shook his head. “You’ll forget all about her once you get settled with your aunt. I hear she’s already planning a fancy party in your honor.”

“I would never forget. She’s worried that when she meets the rest of your family, she’ll face the same rejection she’s met from others because of her birth. I could help ease some of that.”

Joseph looked like she’d stuck a knife into his gut. “They’re good people. They’ll accept her. She needs to learn to rely on her family.” The “not you,” wasn’t spoken, but Annabelle heard it loud and clear. This wasn’t the Joseph challenging Annabelle tone she’d gotten used to. This was something darker, like that of a changed man.

She’d never expected that finding silver would change Joseph. But surely there was hope.

“I could stay,” Annabelle offered. “I needn’t leave right away. I can help get Nugget settled with your family, and—”

“No.”

His easy dismissal and refusal to even hear her out stung worse than anything Slade had ever done to her.

“But if she’s eased into the situation, and has people she knows around her, it won’t be so bad when I—”

“You’ve done enough.”

Who was this man, and where was Joseph? “Can we just talk about this? I mean, we—”

“There is no we, Annabelle. I’ve always made it clear that my family has to come first. Go visit your aunt. Live your life.”

Before she could try to argue further, the door opened again, and Maddie ushered Nugget out with a bundle of clothes. “You come back and visit me anytime, you hear?”

Nugget nodded solemnly but made no move toward Joseph.

“Come on, Nugget, it’s time to go.” He held out his hand, and in the time it took for the sob welling inside Annabelle to finally find its way out, they were gone.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Annabelle hadn’t seen Joseph in the days leading up to her departure. She’d even dallied over her shopping in hopes that she’d spot him or Nugget in one of the stores. But she hadn’t been so fortunate. When she boarded the train to Denver, she did so with every ounce of her body wanting to throw herself to the ground, kicking, screaming and protesting that she didn’t want to go.

But of course, she wouldn’t. Not when she’d fought so long and hard to make this trip. Not when she’d finally earned her father’s respect and belief in her dreams.

Not when Joseph was so cold.

Her father had somehow managed to procure her a seat in front of a family traveling with a little girl who might have been about Nugget’s age. Though she was sure it wasn’t intentional, there was something almost cruel about it. Especially when her chosen traveling companions were Lucy Simms and her mother. Mrs. Simms, apparently, had a fondness for children.

The little girl kept twisting in her seat and looking at Mrs. Simms wistfully. Which, of course, Mrs. Simms encouraged with her questions for the child.

Eight hours of this just might kill her.

It wasn’t just the loss of Nugget she’d felt so keenly, but that of Joseph. Every time she thought of Nugget, she couldn’t help but think of Joseph. And while she’d strengthened her relationship with her father, and their conversations were no longer as stilted, he didn’t talk to her the way Joseph did. He didn’t see her the way Joseph did.

How had finding his father’s silver blinded him so?

Since rescuing her and Nugget from the mine, Joseph had barely talked to her.

So why did the thought of leaving him break her heart?

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with the lot of you.” His sister Mary smacked Joseph on the back of the head with a newspaper as she joined him at breakfast.

The table was full and set for everyone to join them, but so far, at half past the time they were due, Mary was the first to arrive.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He stared into his coffee already knowing her answer. He’d made a mess of things, thinking that this transition for his family would be easy.

Mary reached past him for one of the hotel’s fine biscuits. “The girls are still pretending that the little one doesn’t exist, and Daniel eggs them on. Then there’s the two of you. The little girl, who won’t say a word, and you, who’s got the personality of a wet rag in a rainstorm.”

He looked up at her. “A wet rag in a rainstorm? That’s the best you can do?”

“You know what I mean.” Mary took a sip of her tea and stared at him. “It’s like the life has been completely sucked out of you. Sometimes I think we were better off—”

“Don’t say it.” Joseph glared at her. “After everything we’ve all been through, everything I’ve done to get us all together.”

He’d