Way Back To You

Chapter 3 - Mr. Hot Vet

The sun was beginning to dip low, casting long golden shadows across the fields of Wildflower Farm. The barn stood silent, cloaked in the soft light of early evening, and the scent of hay mixed with spring blossoms floated on the breeze. Emma Lamphrey stood by the old white picket fence, one hand still clenched around the collar of her flannel shirt. Her chest rose and fell as she tried to calm the storm that had brewed within her.

And then, before Emma could gather herself, a voice broke through the charged silence.

" If my memories were correct, you seem to have the knack for leaving people in tears, Emma. Just like you did ten years ago when you left this town without looking back." Emma’s heart stopped. That voice.

Calla turned and ran toward the figure stepping out of the tall grass path from the back field, her sobs louder now but somehow relieved.

“Daddy!”

Carter Cunningham dropped to one knee, scooping his daughter into his arms. He was older—ten years could do that to a man—but he was still unmistakably him. The same lean frame, the dark tousled hair now kissed with flecks of gray, the jaw that clenched when he was angry, worried, or trying not to speak too soon.

Emma couldn’t move. Not yet.

Carter looked up, eyes locking with hers across the fence. His mouth opened, then closed. Silence stretched between them, longer than the past ten years, thicker than the unsaid words that filled the space between.

“I didn’t know you were back,” he said finally, his voice low and guarded.

Emma straightened, though her knees threatened to buckle. “Nana Lily left me the farm.”

Carter nodded slowly. “I heard.”

A beat passed. Calla clung to him, her face buried in his shoulder.

“I didn’t mean to make her cry,” Emma said, softer now. “She started crying when she found out who I am.”

“She’s heard of you from Lily,” he said, gently brushing his daughter’s hair back.

“And she knows how Nana Lily misses you.” Another pause.

Emma stepped forward, her boots crunching the gravel. “You’re... staying at the guesthouse?”

“Yeah.” He stood slowly, cradling Calla against him. “Took the vet job Lily offered years ago. Your grandmother let me and Calla stay at the guesthouse so I could keep an eye on the animals.”

Of course, Lily had. Her grandmother had always had a soft spot for strays—wounded animals, lonely hearts, and former lovers alike.

Emma folded her arms across her chest. “She didn’t tell me.”

"Didn't she tell you in her letters?" Carter asked curiously.

" Maybe she did. I can't remember," Emma replied nervously.

"Or you didn't read her letters. You would be home earlier if you did. You would have known she was sick. How could you be so heartless, Emma? Your Nana was so lonely and longed for you for years." Carter stared at her with disdain.

"Or she didn't mention it to me. What is your problem?! I didn't even know she was sick or that she died!" Emma cried in an outburst. She felt bad enough for knowing too late about her grandmother's passing, and now this obnoxious man is lecturing her about loneliness.

" Well, only you knew the truth, Emma. So, why are you here now? Don't you think you're a little too late?" Carter asked Emma dryly.

" Uncle Philip asked me to come to read Nana's will to me. I guess I'm your new boss." Emma said arrogantly with a raised brow.

" Tsk, we don't practice the boss and servant thing round here. I am more like your partner and savior at the same time," Carter replied dryly.

" Whatever! I'll get inside the house now and leave you to your work. I guess I'll discuss some matters about the farm with you tomorrow after I rest. It's nice to meet you, Calla. Goodnight." She was about to turn towards the house.

Carter sighed and changed the subject. “She didn’t tell me she was leaving the farm to you.”

More silence. Calla shifted, her small voice barely above a whisper. “Daddy, is she mad at me?”

Carter looked down. “No, sweetheart. We were just talking.”

Emma knelt then, her voice catching. “Calla, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry."

Calla peeked out from Carter’s shoulder. “Okay.”

Emma stood again, brushing her hands on her jeans. “You don’t have to go. I mean… It’s a big place. The guesthouse is separate from the house. If it’s easier for Calla to stay in one place for now…”

Carter’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You’d be okay with that?”

Emma hesitated, then nodded. “I didn’t come back to kick anyone out. I came back because Uncle Philip asked me to, and I need to be here for now.” That truth hung there, vulnerable and naked.

Carter took a breath, his voice quieter now. “I see.”

Their eyes met again, and something old stirred—resentment, affection, grief, unfinished chapters. So much left unsaid.

“I’ll make dinner,” Emma said, turning toward the house. “Aunt Lily’s recipe for fried chicken is in the same drawer she always kept, I believe? Emma asked, and Carter nodded in agreement. "Some things haven’t changed.”

“Some things have,” Carter said, the hint of a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.

She stopped, looking back over her shoulder. “Yeah. They have.”

And then, without another word, Emma disappeared into the house. Behind her, Carter stood holding his daughter, the fading sun casting a soft light over the porch, the farm, and the pieces of their past still scattered across the fields. The silence that remained wasn’t empty anymore.

" Is she really Nana Lily's Emma, Daddy?" Calla asked her father.

" Yes, sweetheart, that's Emma, Nana Lily's long-lost granddaughter," Carter replied, still looking at the door where Emma disappeared. He doesn't know what to think or what to feel. He had been waiting for this moment, but now that Emma was back, he didn't know if he should be happy or mad.

" Will she be staying here forever, Daddy?" Calla asked.

" That, I don't know, baby. All we can do is wait and see. Why don't we go home and fix us some dinner, huh? What do you want?" Carter answered his daughter and walked behind the house towards the cottage.

" I thought Emma was cooking Nana Lily's Fried chicken for dinner?" Calla asked in confusion.

" Let us leave her alone for now, sweetheart. She hasn't been home for years. I am sure she misses her old house. So, again, what do you want for dinner?" Carter tickled his daughter's tummy, which made the latter giggle.

" I want pasta!" Calla answered excitedly.

It has been ten years since he last saw Emma, yet she still manages to take his breath away. He has admired her ever since he set his eyes on her. He watched her blossom into a beautiful young woman, but now that she's ten years older, her beauty is more lethal. But he can't let his emotions rule over his mind. Her actions over the years and how she abandoned her grandmother made him question and rethink his feelings.

Her reasons for leaving and not visiting her grandmother even once in ten years don't matter to him. He still finds it irresponsible and heartless, or maybe she's hiding something. He knows Emma, she won't leave just like that, and forgets that she had a Grandmother. He needs to know the truth.