Chapter 10
Kade got to his feet. “Let’s go.” He pushed the chair back and started to round the desk.
“I’m not going anywhere, Big Brother. You can shit-can that ‘man of few words’ act. You owe me an explanation, and I intend to sit here until I get it.”
Kade narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t used to being challenged. Slowly, he took back his seat.
“It’s no big story. The will was very specific what land was to be yours and Morgan’s. I had it resurveyed to make sure the legal description was correct. It was. The folks didn’t miss a trick. You’ve got prime land, water, and grazing rights. Enough to start a small ranch or,” he swallowed, “sell it off for a healthy chunk of cash.”
“Go on,” Declan said relentlessly when Kade stopped to draw a breath.
“The ranch was doing good, books showing a profit. When I finally opened my lust-filled eyes and saw how my marriage was a joke . . .”
Declan jumped in, stopping the flow of words. “Marriage? You, Mr. Loner, married? Who? When?”
“That’s not the point. Let it suffice to say I made a dumb- assed mistake, and in the process got fleeced.” His eyes turned a hard, frozen blue. “But, as Gran says, ’It’s an ill wind that doesn’t blow someone good.’ It blew two hard lessons. First, it blew some sense into my feeble brain. I saw the writing on the wall and made sure your and Morgan’s inheritance was separate from the Double K—separate and free of any encumbrance. They were out of her reach.”
The second hard lesson,” he inhaled sharply, “is I’ll never trust another woman. I’ll never let a woman get that close to me again. That portion of my heart is scar tissue.”
He placed both palms flat on the desk top and got to his feet.
“Satisfied?” Pain and shame blended in his voice. It took a toll having to admit he’d been such a fool. He was the brother with the broad shoulders made for carrying whatever load needed to protect his family. The brother everyone turned to and looked up to.
Declan bent over, and against Maddy’s protests, picked up each car and replaced them in the sack. That done, he scooped up Maddy and the toys.
“How much do you figure my land is worth?”
His question threw Kade off guard.
“Why? Thinking of selling? Don’t. Not without giving me a chance . . .” He couldn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have a chance in hell to come up with the money to buy Declan out.
“How much?” Declan persisted. “A ballpark figure will do just fine.”
“More’n I got,” Kade answered quietly.
“Enough to pay off the note on the Double K and build Maddy and me a house?”
“Huh?”
A familiar cocky grin lit Declan’s face. “Not a hard question, Bro. Well?”
He snorted. “With plenty left over. But . . .”
“But nothing.” Declan made a motion with his head. “Get your big hide out the door. This kid’s getting heavy, and we’ve got some planning to do. Tomorrow we’ll call on the president of First Citizen’s Bank. That’s where I transferred my savings. There was some snafu, and it hadn’t reached the States when I called to borrow the money for the car repairs.”
He grinned, “You don’t have anything to spend your money on in Iraq, so for three years, until I started the fight for Maddy, I banked every bit of my pay. It’s not a fortune, but it’s enough to keep me going for a couple years until my paintings take off.”
Declan laughed at Kade’s puzzled look. “That’s another story for later. Like I said, we’ll visit the bank prez and take out a loan using my land as collateral,” he held up his hand, silencing Kade’s sputter. “Using my,” he emphasized the word, “land—my free and clear land—as collateral. Then we’ll sashay over to the competitor and present Mr. Hinkley with a cashier’s check for the balance due on the Double K. After that, we’ll hit a few of the stores and spread our money around buying Miss Maddy what she needs and deserves.”
“I can’t let you do that, Declan.”
“You can’t stop me, Kade. You can come with me and gloat over Hinkley, or you can stay home and let me have all the fun.”
Kade braced himself against the door frame.
“When did you get so tough, kid?”
“That, too, is a story for another day.”
“I’ll pay you back, with interest.”
“Damned straight. And I’ll take great pleasure in throwing it in your face. That land is what it is because of your hard work and the Double K money. Your money.” He lowered his voice. “I’m what I am, and Morgan is what he is because of you and you putting everyone, but yourself, first. I’m sorry you trusted someone and got hurt. And I hate to see you so bitter.”
“Don’t be. Like I said, I learned a good lesson.”
Declan nodded. “If you say so. Let’s go see what Gran’s scaring up for supper. Me, I’m ready for another slice of raisin spice cake. How ‘bout you?”
Kade groaned. “Only if you shove it down my throat.”