Done and Dusted

Hidden truths about the main characters are all revealed in the final chapters of Done and Dusted when the theme of Not Letting the Past Define You is foregrounded. The past, which Luke has tried to keep hidden from Emmy, comes back to haunt him when his mother calls and Emmy accompanies him to his childhood home. Luke has always feared that seeing this would drive Emmy away, and he tells her she doesn’t have to come with him, but learning about Luke’s past only brings the two together and makes Luke even more thankful for Emmy’s support. Like Luke, Emmy tries not to burden others too much, but she finally tells people like Teddy and her father about her accident toward the end of the novel. Again, like Luke, the reactions Emmy receives surprise her as no one is mad at her for keeping a secret, and they merely want to support her in any way they can. The primary secret of the novel is revealed when Emmy kisses Luke after the race, as she is no longer thinking about hiding their relationship to protect her family. Emmy and Luke had feared Gus’s anger when he discovered their relationship, and this was a major problem for the couple at first. However, time and conversation eventually solve this problem as all characters slowly begin to accept the relationship, showing the benefits of honesty and openness.

Just as Emmy struggles with the aftermath of her accident, Luke similarly struggles with his past throughout the novel. This comes to a head when his stepfather goes missing and his mother finds Luke’s phone number among his things. Luke has always felt unwanted and useless despite feeling differently around Emmy. When he is confronted with his old life and his family’s lack of concern for him, these ghosts of his past come back to haunt Luke, who doesn’t want Emmy to know about his upbringing. His stepbrother JJ calls him a loser and kicks him out, but Emmy stands up for Luke. This is a significant moment for Luke as he begins to ignore what his family thinks of him and trust his gut. He is able to see himself as Emmy sees him, and because of this, he finally feels he is worthy to move forward with their relationship regardless of his past.

As is conventional in contemporary romances, most of the major problems in the novel are resolved neatly, with a few loose threads left to be addressed later in the series. After Luke is able to instill confidence in Emmy and she begins to see herself how she sees him, Emmy forgets her fears about keeping their relationship a secret and does not care when the whole town sees her kiss her former nemesis. Teddy describes the couple’s relationship as “a strong and steady kind of love” that burns “low and slow” (245), so there are few questions about Emmy and Luke’s relationship to be solved at the end of the novel once Gus comes to terms with their secret. Emmy does come to terms with her career toward the end of the novel, finally separating her passion for horse riding and her career in barrel riding as she begins to do at the beginning of Done and Dusted. Though Emmy does compete professionally one last time—literally Getting Back on the Horse—she does so with the intention of saying goodbye to her career. Contrarily, Emmy is more happy with her career as a riding instructor, as it combines her love of horses and children and doesn’t cause her to push herself beyond her limits. Perhaps most significantly, Emmy’s struggle to find a place that feels like home finally comes to a definitive end at the end of the novel. In the final sentence of the last chapter, Emmy refers to Luke as “home sweet home” (247), showing how he is everything she was looking for. In a more literal sense, the Epilogue ends with Luke giving Emmy keys to his house and their making plans to move in together. In every sense, Emmy has achieved her goal of Feeling at Home.