Mia's mouth fell open as she took in the sound of Ford laughing. Transfixed, she stared as he threw back his head, standing taller than he had since they'd met, and guffawed with abandon.
His face was utterly transformed. It lasted only a moment before Grandpa, soaking wet from a fall into the river, joined him in his mirth. The older man shook off the moisture as he waded to shore, surprise still on his face.
Ford's laughter faded quickly, but the image lingered in Mia's heart. She'd barely seen him genuinely smile, though, she admitted, there was more of that recently as Grandpa took the young man under his wing.
To see him laugh like that, loudly and joyfully… it changed his face entirely. Normally his dark eyes and hair, with his serious expressions, gave him a standoffish and detached air. But just now, he'd seemed warm. Inviting. Amiable.
