Passing the ranch house, she wondered if Noah was inside and if he might be watching for her. As she drove around the main house toward the smaller cabin where her father lived, she noticed a man on horseback cantering over a cactus-studded hill on his way toward the ranch. Even from this distance she recognized Noah.
Her already stressed heart kicked into an even faster rhythm. But she could only deal with one of these men at a time, and her father was first on her list. She parked beside a battered pickup that she assumed belonged to him. He'd bought different trucks through the years, but Arch Bran-scom's transportation always looked about the same—a light-colored paint job so it wouldn't show the dust and an assortment of dings and scratches where he'd taken it through the brush in pursuit of cattle, horses and even a few lost dogs.
She left her suitcase in the back seat of the Mustang and took only her purse with her. If her reception was too chilly, she could always stay in Saguaro Junction's only motel. As she walked up to the small covered porch, she noticed that the bushes were trimmed and the porch had been swept recently. The woven straw mat in front of the door looked new.
Maybe her dad had spruced up the place for the wedding. She could hardly believe he'd done it for her. Heart pounding, she stood in front of the door and couldn't decide whether to go in or knock. Although she'd sailed in and out of this door with complete ease for the first nineteen years of her life, she didn't live here anymore.
But knocking at the door of her father's house seemed ridiculous. She reached for the knob then pulled her hand back. Then she raised her fist to knock and couldn't make herself do that, either.
Finally the door opened and her father stood there staring at her. She stared back. Although logic should have told her he'd look older, she hadn't expected him to. His hair and mustache used to be dark red sprinkled with gray. Now they were nearly white. His face was more weathered and he seemed… shorter. She'd always imagined him towering over her, but in her three-inch heels she could look him straight in the eye.
Those piercing blue eyes of his hadn't changed at all. They still seemed to look clear into her heart. She wondered if he could tell how scared she was. Probably.
