Chapter 14
“How do you expect me to throw together an apartment in a week?” Kade thundered, pacing the floor. “Damn it, Gran, you’ve hired someone we don’t know crap about.”
“Your mouth, Kade McKune,” Gran warned. Smugly satisfied, she knew Kade was all bluster. Sure, he wasn’t all that happy about having Hope Jackson around. But she was. Hope had fire in her, and a woman would need fire to hold her own with Kade. Yes, she’d done a good piece of work. Knew it the minute Elsie Jones called about the ad. She and Elsie were fellow church members. And Hope was everything and more than what Elsie had said she was. Kade would never admit it, but she’d seen him watching the beautiful woman. Briefly, the hurt had left his eyes.
“Sorry,” he grinned. “But, Gran I think you’ve stepped in it this time. An apartment, another paycheck, and a woman we know diddly squat about.”
“A teacher and a sister of a friend,” Gran countered.
“You didn’t even wait to do a background check. For all we know she could be a child molester or, if we’re lucky, just a thief that will rob us blind.”
“Oh, pooh. Listen to yourself, Kade. That big, bad woman, with the prettiest eyes and smile I’ve seen in a long time, sure puts the fear in you, huh?”
“I didn’t say that. It’s just a surprise. You should have at least talked this over with me before you even placed the ad. Before we take a stranger into our house.”
“Oh, so now I have to check with my grandson before I act on my own. Next thing I know you’ll be putting me in one of those retirement homes. My friends have warned me. Their kids don’t want to be bothered with them either.” She gave a pathetic sniff. “It’s heck to grow old.”
“Don’t you go playing your poor, pitiful Pearl card with me. You know you’re the queen bee around here. It’s just I have about all I can handle right now without Ms. Girl Scout Cookies underfoot.”
“Well, so do I. And since we’re both busy people, what do you say to ending this,” giving him a smile that was more of a grimace, “enlightening conversation and getting back to work?”
“Her name’s Hope Jackson?” Kade asked, stopping Gran’s retreat.
“Yes. Why?”
“Where from?” Kade persisted, fixing Gran with a stern look.
“What do you mean where from?” Gran was wearing one of her most innocent and bewildered expressions.
“Come on, Gran. Your little old lady act doesn’t faze me. Now, where did the ‘Cookie Lady’ originate before she landed here?”
“I hate it when you get so authoritative. You’re just like Jack Webb—the truth and nothing but the truth,” she mimicked.
Kade rolled his eyes.
“Cody. Elsie said she’d been living in Cody.”
“Now, that wasn’t so hard,” he replied as he grabbed his hat from the table and started for the door.
“Why?” Gran called to his back.
“Because I plan on doing a background check.”
The minute the door slammed behind him, Gran grabbed her cooling mug of coffee, sat down, and started laughing.
“Think you’re so smart Mr. McKune. You do your background check all you want. Just so you don’t do it in Laramie where Hope is from. I don’t plan on having anything stop me from hiring that lovely woman. And don’t I wonder why you’re so all fired set to not having her on the Double K? Could it be you’re afraid of what she makes you feel?”
“Talking to yourself is a bad sign,” Declan said as he came into the kitchen and placed a smiling Maddy in her highchair. “Only doddering old ladies have that habit. And that laugh sounded maniacal to me. Didn’t it to you, Maddy?”
Maddy smiled wider and nodded her head.
“Declan, don’t take up where Kade left off. And don’t you be putting that sweet baby girl up to helping you.”
Declan grabbed a cereal box out of a cupboard and put a handful of Fruit Loops on Maddy’s tray. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he sat down.
“So, what’s got your panties in a wad, Gran?”
“Declan, you have picked up a crude mouth in the last five years,” Gran scolded. “And Fruit Loops isn’t a breakfast a growing girl needs.” She started to rise to her feet, anxious to busy herself, forestalling Declan’s question.
“Have coffee with me, Gran,” Declan pleaded. “I love having coffee here with you in this big old kitchen. Brings back memories.” He paused, “And Maddy’s fine. I’ll scramble her up an egg in just a minute. Besides, the package says Fruit Loops, and we all know fruit is good for her.”
Gran swatted his arm. “Go on with you, Declan,” she chuckled, sitting back down. “You always could charm your way out of most anything. ‘Course you being the baby helped. No one could be firm enough to make you toe the line.”
“I met up with several someones that could,” Declan said quietly. “You might even say I paid for my childhood determination on having my way or no way. I love Maddy to pieces, but,” and his eyes darkened, “she’ll be raised with a firmer hand, like I should have been. I’m not blaming you or anyone else, Gran, but I’ve learned from my mistakes.”
“What happened to you, Declan?” Gran’s eyes were filled with concern.
“It’s a long story, Gran,” Declan turned away from his grandmother’s look and handed Maddy one of the round cereals.
“One you don’t plan on sharing?”
He turned, a slight smile on his lips. “You’ve managed to avoid my question.”
“Oh, that darned Kade.” The words exploded from her mouth.
“Still angry about the help you hired on your own, without checking with King Kade?” The twinkle in his eyes took away the brunt of the words.
Gran snorted. “King Kade’s right.” She felt a pang of guilt for even thinking a negative thought about her oldest grandson. But it did feel good to have Declan on her side.
“He’s got a point, you know.”
“Now, not you, too.”
“No, I agree with you, Maddy’s a handful and only going to get worse. Huh, baby doll?”
Maddy gave him another angelic smile, crammed a fistful of cereal in her mouth, and bobbed her head.
Gran and Declan chuckled at her antics, which only encouraged Maddy to nod harder and laugh, letting partially chewed Fruit Loops fall from her mouth.
“Oh, yuck. Here, let Daddy wipe your mouth. Now, no more laughing or nodding, young lady,” Declan said in his sternest voice.
Maddy sat up straighter, looked Declan in the eye, and laughed even louder, head jerking with every laugh.
Declan groaned.
“See what I’m thinking, Declan,” Gran said, trying to hide the laughter in her voice. “We’re putty in her tiny hands.”
“We are that. Every time I try to get firm, I see her sitting on that garbage dump, clutching God knows what in her hand, face smeared with something green, and tears streaming down her cheeks.” He looked away, blinking hard against the emotions rising too close to the surface.
He gave a half-hearted smile and said, “See? Putty. I don’t have a chance.”
“No. I don’t believe any of us do. We’re too close to the situation.” Gran rose to pour her cold coffee down the sink.
“An outsider would,” Declan stated.
“Yes. And, Declan, you’ll just have to trust me on this. I got good vibes from Hope Jackson. She’s got a story, of that there’s no doubt. Elsie was evasive when I asked too many questions. But she’s also got a kind and sweet goodness inside her.”
“And she’s pretty. You did notice that?”
“Oh, yes. I noticed that all right. And more to the point, so did Kade.”
“Huh?”
“He share anything with you about the past few years?”
“Nope. Said we’d talk, but he always manages to be too busy.”
“He will. One day. Kade’s locked away inside himself. He’s thrown up a wall that will take a person of equal strength to pull down.”
“And you think Hope is that person?”
Gran gave him a superior smile. “I do.”