Chapter 21
The weeks flew by, and Hope felt as if she’d been granted a reprieve by the warden. Maybe Kade had forgotten all about doing a background check.
She was becoming terribly attached to the captivating Maddy. And like sorcery, the Double K had cast its spell on her, causing her to fall more in love with the beautiful ranch each day. It was easy to forget there was a harsher, unforgiving world out there past its boundaries. The mountains gave their protection and lulled Hope into a sense of security. She drank in the fresh mountain air, letting it fill her lungs with its sweet tranquility.
Elsie called and teased her about becoming a hermit. But there was nothing she wanted that the Double K couldn’t provide. There was nowhere else she wanted to go. Hope was exactly where she wanted to be. Her own little piece of heaven on earth.
Declan and Ida appreciated her and gave her credit for the progress Maddy was making. A smile formed on Hope’s lips thinking of the little girl. Maddy was smart—smart enough to know she could get away with anything with her daddy and Uncle Kade. She knew she could get away with most anything with Gran, but not with Hope. If she only knew how hard it was to correct her, Hope would lose the battle. It wasn’t that Maddy was deliberately disobedient. She just delighted in testing the limits. As she became more and more confident, the limits stretched.
She was walking now. She’d take several steps and then plop down to do her butt in the air crawl. She would then bounce to her feet and take off. She delighted in exploring the big house, and her curiosity knew no bounds. Nothing was sacred. She especially delighted in pulling all the pots and pans out of the cupboard and then moving on to Gran’s hoard of plastic containers. From there, she went to her favorite place of mass destruction, the kitchen waste basket. Hope had learned that when Maddy was quiet, she’d escaped them to be found in the waste basket under the kitchen sink, grinning from ear to ear and up to her elbows in trash with hands yucky from examining each piece.
It broke Hope’s heart when Gran relayed Maddy’s story of Declan finding her abandoned, sitting in a pile of refuse.
The Double K was perfect. The only thorn in the bed of roses was the sinfully handsome owner. She’d asked Gran why Kade disliked her so.
“It’s not you, honey,” Gran had said. “It’s simply you’re a woman,” she chuckled.
“I’m being treated like yesterday’s leftovers because I’m a woman?” Hope was astounded.
“’Fraid so.”
“Why? Did his mother not love him?”
“Sakes alive, no. Kandy doted on those boys of hers. She and Kurt both.” Gran shook her head, a faraway look on her face.
“They were the perfect family. This was their Camelot. As much as they loved those three boys, they loved each other more. As hard as it was, it was a blessing they were taken at the same time. I don’t believe one could have lived without the other.” She gave a heavy sigh.
“Then why, Ida, why does he dislike women so? What’s the story because there has to be one?”
“It’s not mine to tell, Hope. If Kade wants you to know, he’ll tell you. I’m not sure he’s shared much with Declan.”
“Declan and he are close, though, aren’t they?”
“Yes, and it’s a blessing to have Declan home. He’s bringing Kade out of his shell.”
“It’s odd though, isn’t it, that loving the three boys like you said, their parents left the Double K to Kade.”
“Not odd at all. Declan and Morgan got their share. You have to understand, Kade’s been the old man rancher since the day he was born. His daddy had him in the saddle when he was three days old. All swaddled in a blanket, wrapped in his arms, sitting in front of him. Said he’d waited long enough to get his boy on a horse.”
Hope chuckled. “I’m not sure I would have allowed that.”
“Heck, Kandy was riding beside them, proud as could be.”
“And Kade?”
“Apparently loving every minute. He was a colicky baby and the only thing that soothed him was for his daddy to wrap that blanket tight around him, hop in the saddle, and ride until he stopped crying and fell asleep against Kurt’s chest. I swear, sometimes they rode for hours.”
“And the other two boys?”
“Oh, Kurt had them in the saddle early, too. But neither one took to it like Kade. From the start, both boys’ interests were outside the Double K. They have deep feelings for the ranch, but Kade’s is like a bottomless well.”
“I can see that in him,” Hope mused. “He never tires.”
“He does too much. I wish Declan could pitch in more, but he’s either spending time with Maddy or attempting to oversee building that house.”
“I’m not sure Kade would appreciate too much help from Declan. He’s so independent, especially when it comes to the Double K. He’s like a miner protecting the mother lode.”
Hope put the dishtowel on the drying rack and started out the door.
“Do you think if I asked him why he doesn’t like me, he’d tell me his story?”
“Can’t say,” Gran grinned. “As Declan’s fond of saying, you’d be poking the bear.”