Kate had insisted that Hope stay with her and Brett, and every night one or more of their brothers would come to dinner. Their families, too, of course, and Hope relaxed a little more each day, surrounded by people who were fun and loving and so very, very glad that she had come through a dreadful ordeal relatively unscathed.
Through Rafe, the family learned that Randy Biggers had finally confessed his crimes. His excuse for putting Hope through so much hell? Revenge for what the Stockwells had done to the Johnsons years and years ago. He’d also been identified by Beth Johnson Stockwell and Jack Stockwell as the man who had threatened Beth at her own home months before, and who, indeed, had been a crony of her late first husband, Eben Johnson.
A date was set for the reading of Caine Stockwell’s will, and the entire clan gathered at Caine’s mansion near Grandview, where they learned that the massive estate was to be divided equally among his five children, Jack, Rafe, Cord, Kate and Hope. A collective sigh of relief among her siblings told Hope that they’d all been worried she might have been left out.
There was one surprise in the will: Caine had requested that four million dollars be placed in a trust fund, should any other children come forth and prove Caine’s paternity.
“Obviously Dad thought it could happen,” Kate said dryly. “But then he never was a saint, was he?”
The next day Madelyn and Brandon flew in from Massachusetts and another family reunion ensued. Good food, good company and lots of laughs. Hope told herself that since she truly loved her newfound family and because she had so much to be grateful for—considering that Biggers could so easily have killed her in that motel room—she should be ecstatically happy.
She wasn’t. Behind her every word, gesture and smile lay a ponderous sadness. She couldn’t stop thinking about Matt, and every morning she prayed he would phone her that day and every night she went to bed just a little bit sadder.
Madelyn and Brandon returned to their home on Cape Cod, and before leaving mentioned to Hope that perhaps she would like to fly to Boston with them. She told them that she wanted to stay in Texas a little longer, and everyone assumed it was so she could spend more time with Kate and their brothers.
It was partly true, although it wasn’t Hope’s main reason for staying. Something inside her rebelled at the thought of leaving Texas without seeing Matt at least once. If nothing else, she should thank him for all he’d done for her. And yet she couldn’t pick up the phone and call him. As difficult as it was to face, Matt could have forgotten her the very morning she’d left the ranch.
Then she learned that Matt had refused the reward or any other kind of money from the Stockwells, which angered her. She said nothing about his financial situation to the family, but it infuriated her that he would be so ridiculously proud and stubborn as to face bankruptcy rather than accept money that he so richly deserved. She almost called him that night, not to thank him but to give him a piece of her mind. It dawned on her a few hours later, while rolling and tossing in bed and furious over something she obviously could do nothing about, that she might as well return to Boston and resume her life. In spite of her immense wealth, she wanted a job and a normal life.
And why on earth should she hang around Texas secretly hoping that Matt would develop a conscience and phone her? In the first place he’d told her plainly that he would never again get caught up in a serious relationship with a wealthy woman. And since he’d known all along who she was, he’d also known she had money. She could conclude nothing else but that he never had really cared about her, not in a meaningful way. He’d had his fun, the cad, and was every bit as bad as Mark had been. Obviously she was attracted to unscrupulous men. It was a character flaw she’d do well to work on.
The very next day Hope was surprised by a visitor: Chuck Crawford. Kate brought him to the library, where Hope was sitting with a book in her lap and her eyes on the sunshine outside of the beautifully draped library windows.
“Hope, look who’s here,” Kate said.
Hope turned her head, saw Chuck and felt a rush of gladness. She put aside the book and hurried over to greet him. Instead of a handshake, he got a hug.
“Oh, Chuck, I’m so happy to see you.”
“I’m happy to see you, too, miss.”
Hope stepped back and smiled when she saw that her effusive greeting had embarrassed the older man. “Come in and sit down,” she said.
“Hope, would you like to have some coffee brought in?” Kate asked.
“That would be wonderful, thank you, Kate.” Hope returned to her chair and Chuck chose one that was nearby. “So, what are you doing in Dallas?”
“I got a sister who lives about ten miles east of here, and I thought I’d spend a few days with her before I start looking for another job. Hope, you look very well. Matt said you had completely regained your memory. I had to stop in and tell you how happy that makes me.”
Hope held up a hand. “Thank you, but back up a sec. You’re going to be looking for another job? How come?”
Chuck fiddled with his hat, which he’d been holding since his arrival. “Hope, I didn’t come here to upset you with bad news.”
“Then again, maybe you did,” she said quietly. “What’s going on, Chuck?”
“He’s losing everything, Hope. The bank is foreclosing and putting him out of business. Everything that isn’t mortgaged is going to be sold by auction tomorrow. Hope, as long as I’ve said too much already, I’m gonna add one more thing. You’re the only woman that ever brought so much as a ray of sunshine into Matt McCarlson’s life. Don’t get me wrong. He’s surviving. He’ll always survive, that’s just the kind of man he is. But since the day you left I haven’t seen one smile on his face. Even losing the ranch isn’t hitting him as hard as losing you did.”
She was so stunned that she could barely speak, and when she did her voice cracked. “Chuck, you must be wrong. He’s never called, or tried to see me.”
“Matt ain’t got two quarters to rub together and he’s a proud man. He doesn’t have anything to offer you, and he’d plumb topple over and die if you ever got the idea that he wanted you for your money.”
She got up, walked to the far end of the room and came back again. Her mind had raced every step of the way, devising and discarding replies, comments and even possible solutions to what could only be described as an unnecessary, heartbreaking situation. Matt was too hung up on a person’s net worth. Was money the only thing that had any value to him? The only thing he believed that she valued?
Kate came in then with a tray bearing a coffeepot, cups, sugar, cream and a small plate of cookies. “Here you are,” she sang out, then saw the taut expression on Hope’s face. “Enjoy,” Kate said quietly, then made a discreet exit.
“Chuck would you please excuse me for a few minutes? There’s something I have to do. Help yourself to the coffee and cookies while I’m gone. I’m sure I won’t be long.”
Chuck nodded and said, “Sure, Hope, you go ahead,” which she barely heard because she was already out the door. Hurrying to another room, she shut the door and picked up the phone. After asking information for a certain number, she dialed it and said a pleasant hello to the woman who answered. With no hesitation at all, she continued with, “My name is Hope Stockwell. May I please speak to your bank manager?”
She was back in the library with Chuck in twenty minutes. Seating herself again, she filled a cup with coffee and looked Chuck in the eyes.
“I’m in the process of buying a ranch, and I’m going to need an experienced foreman,” she said calmly. “Would you be interested in the job?”
Chuck’s grin reached from ear to ear. “Yes, ma’am!”
The following morning Matt saddled Dex. Unlike the other livestock on the place, Dex would not be sold at today’s auction. Matt had raised Dex from a foal and wouldn’t part with him for any amount of money.
Matt’s personal belongs were already packed, but he’d load them in his truck later on, probably this evening. He’d take a long ride on Dex and have a final look at the land he loved so much. He would make sure that he didn’t get back until the auction was over, for he couldn’t force himself to watch the dissolution of the only thing in this whole miserable world that held any meaning for him.
That wasn’t altogether true, he thought as he swung himself into the saddle. Hope meant more to him than he dared let himself think about too hard. It seemed damned unfair to him that the one woman he’d finally fallen for after years of self-denial was someone so far out of reach. The division of Caine Stockwell’s estate was no secret. Matt had no idea how the media had come by the information, but anyone who paid the least bit of attention to the daily news knew that Caine’s children were now wealthy beyond an ordinary working stiff’s wildest imagination.
Besides that, Matt had read articles reciting once again the Stockwell family history. Caine had never known his youngest child, Hope LeClaire. She had been raised by her mother, Madelyn, and the man Madelyn had married, Caine’s twin brother, Brandon Stockwell, who had changed his last name to LeClaire to make it harder for Caine and his snoops to ever find him. Caine and Brandon had vied for Madelyn’s affections since their youth. It appeared that Caine had won out at first, for he and Madelyn had married young and then produced four children. Madelyn was pregnant with Hope when she left Caine and then vanished. Brandon, too, had disappeared, and Caine’s explanation to the world was that his wife and twin brother had died in a boating accident.
Of course nothing could have been farther from the truth. After Hope was born, Brandon and Madelyn got married in Europe. Because of Brandon’s innate ability to make money, Hope had been raised genteelly and with every luxury. She had attended the best schools and universities, and then had enrolled in the famed cooking school in London, Le Cordon Bleu, from which she had graduated with honors.
After devouring every bit of information he could find about Hope, Matt knew that she was so far above him on the social scale that there never had been a chance of a long-term relationship between them. He was darned lucky in fact, that he’d kept his true feelings for her to himself. At least he still had his pride.
Selling out to pay his bills didn’t mean instant poverty for Matt; if everything sold for a fair price he’d have a little money left over, enough to get by on until he could make a new start somewhere else. It hurt like hell to think that way because he’d never lived or worked anyplace else. Regardless he’d take it on the chin and move on. What choice did he have?
Riding Dex up a rise in the terrain, Matt reined in and looked back at the ranch buildings. Men were still staying in the bunkhouse and maintaining the ranch—at the request of the bank officer who’d handled the foreclosure—so there were some familiar vehicles parked in their usual spots. Even so, the place already had a forlorn, deserted look to it, which tugged at Matt’s heartstrings. He wallowed in sentimentality for a while, but when he felt tears stinging his eyes that was too much. Shaking off emotion, he turned Dex’s head away from the compound and the two old friends went in another direction, leaving behind the only home either of them had ever known.
The day dragged for Matt. Even taking a last look at the land he’d grown up loving lost its appeal after a while. He was glad when four o’clock finally rolled around and he could start back. The auctioneer had told him everything should be over and done with around three, so Matt had timed his ride so that he would get back at five. By then, he was pretty certain, everyone would have hauled off his or her buys. He knew that his first look at the compound with all the equipment, vehicles and livestock gone would be a blow, but it was one he couldn’t avoid.
At ten of five he rode over a hill and there it was—the compound. Gritting his teeth, bracing himself for what still lay ahead—the final chores of loading his pickup with his boxes and suitcases, and securing Dex in the one old horse trailer he’d been permitted to keep—he kept Dex moving toward home.
“Only it’s not home anymore, old friend,” he said to his horse. Feeling himself choking up again, Matt felt a hot surge of anger. He hadn’t caused this, dammit to hell; a nasty little virus had!
It was small comfort for Matt to know that other ranchers in the area had been hit just as hard by that cattle virus and were paying the same awful price that had been exacted from him. He’d battled so hard, though, and had survived for as long as he had on sheer guts and determination. No one could ever say that he’d gone down without a fight, he thought wryly as he reached the compound’s perimeter.
He suddenly realized that nothing was as he’d expected it to be. The tractors and haying equipment were still in the sheds, horses were in the corral—swishing their tails at flies and looking over the top rail at him and Dex—and he could even see trivial things, such as some harness leather hanging on a hook near the barn door. He pulled on the reins and mumbled, “Whoa, boy.”
Hadn’t the auction taken place? Puzzled, he nudged Dex into a slow walk toward the barn and then frowned deeply at sight of the brand-new white sports utility van—an extremely expensive model—that was parked near the house. It was so new, in fact, that it didn’t even have license plates; it had a permit sticker in the front window.
After dismounting and caring for Dex, Matt turned him into the corral. The walk to the house took just enough time for Matt to work himself into a resentful lather. Obviously he’d have to go through the same unnerving exercise tomorrow, or whatever day the auction had been rescheduled for. It was damned inconsiderate of those auction people to cancel today’s event without giving him at least the courtesy of a phone call.
Shooting the shiny new SUV a dirty look and wondering who was in his house—probably snooping around and trying to decide if they wanted to buy it from the bank— Matt pushed open the back door and strode in, all set for a confrontation.
He nearly fainted when he saw Hope in the kitchen, wearing an apron over her jeans and shirt, glowing with good health and giving him the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen.
“Hope,” he said weakly. “My God, what’re you doing here?”
“Right now I’m cooking dinner,” she said cheerfully. “How does beef stroganoff, a green salad and strawberry chiffon pie sound to you? It’s a simple menu, but I think I’d scare the men off with fancy dishes with French sauces, don’t you?”
He felt sick to his stomach. She looked so healthy, but she couldn’t possibly be, not if she was back here and reliving her weeks of lost memory and cooking for the men.
“Who knows you’re here?” he asked gently, thinking that her family might once again be worried sick about where she might be.
Hope laughed. “That’s a funny question.” She kept grinning at Matt. “Are you trying to be funny, darling?”
Matt’s stomach sank. “Something’s terribly wrong here. Hope, are you feeling all right?”
“I have never felt better in my life. How are you feeling? A bit light-headed, perhaps? I’ve taken you so by surprise, haven’t I, and that’s not fair, is it, darling?” Wiping her hands on a kitchen towel, she tossed it on the counter and then walked over to Matt, where she boldly wrapped her arms around his waist then leaned her head back to see his face.
“I’m going to open a restaurant in Hawthorne,” she announced. “It might be the only one, or it could be the start of a chain. However that turns out, there’s a lot of work to do around here before I can concentrate on that project.”
Matt probed her eyes for signs of insanity. “Hope, I hate being the one to break the news to you,” he said gently, “but the bank owns the ranch now.”
“You silly goose,” she said with a delightfully teasing laugh. “The bank doesn’t own the ranch, I do.”
Matt felt the blood drain from his face. “You’re not serious.”
She rose on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his. “Deadly serious,” she whispered. “How could you ever think that I would let anyone take your ranch from you? Or from me, for that matter. Matt, don’t you know what this place means to me? What you mean to me?”
“You…have so much,” he stammered.
“I do now.” Again she leaned her head back to see his face. “That is, I do if I have you. Do I, Matt?”
He swallowed hard. “I’m nothing compared to you.”
“You will always be my hero, Matt.”
“Don’t bring heroics into this, Hope. I’m talking about net worth.”
“Oh, God, I had hoped with all my heart that those two words would not come out of your mouth. Matt, don’t you know yet that you can’t judge people by the size of their bank accounts? Or that the riches they have in their heart are far more valuable than any amount of money?” She raised her hand and adoringly touched his lips with her fingertips. “It’s all right, darling,” she said consolingly. “I’ll teach you. After all, you taught me…so much.”
Matt’s breath caught in his throat. She was offering everything she was to him, and God knew he wanted to scoop her up into a fiery embrace. But however urgently she might want him sexually—and that’s all it must be since neither of them had ever even said the word love—she still didn’t understand him.
“Hope, I can’t live off you. I’m glad you bought the ranch, because I’d much rather it belonged to someone who loves it than to a stranger. But every penny spent on every damned thing, even the food I put in my mouth would have to be paid for by you.”
She looked into his eyes for a long moment, then said, “So I’m to do what now? Watch the only man I ever loved drive away and then try to make a life for myself without him? Is that what you’re telling me?” Her voice broke. “Matt, don’t you love me even a tiny bit?”
He had suffered so much of late that he could no longer lie about anything. “Hope, I fought falling in love with you for so long that I can’t do it another minute. Yes, I love you. I’ll always love you. But I’m a man, for God’s sake, and I can’t do what you’re asking.”
Tears began spilling from Hope’s eyes. “You love me, but you’d rather go off somewhere by yourself than stay here with me and make this place into the finest cattle and horse ranch in the country. Matt, can’t you hear how ridiculous that sounds? Do you have any idea of how much money I really have? What should I spend it on, for pity sake? Darling, think of the life we could have together. If you had money and I didn’t, we wouldn’t even be having this ludicrous conversation. Why should we be having it now?”
She rose on tiptoe again. “Kiss me, you fool. I’m not going to take no for an answer, and if you dare to try and leave without me, I swear I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth. The ranch will fall apart without either of us here, and someday, fifty or so years from now, we’ll come back and weep together, because it will hardly be recognizable.”
He winced at that painful image and gave up completely. Lifting his arms, he circled them around her and brought her close. “I’ve only been trying to protect you,” he said unsteadily.
“I know, darling, I know. You’ve protected me from the moment you first saw me. Oh, Matt, I love you so much.”
A sob escaped his throat. “I love you, sweetheart. I will till the day I die.”
“Me, too, Matt. Oh, me, too.”
Hope announced their engagement over the phone, calling each of her family members one by one. Kate insisted that the ceremony and reception take place at the Stockwell mansion, and by then Matt was so befuddled by love and happiness that he agreed without so much as a mild skirmish. The wedding date was settled upon, and Kate, Hope and their mother talked long-distance to each other numerous times every day to discuss plans. The sisters-in-law got involved, as well, and everyone was looking forward to the big event.
Matt was thrilled beyond words when Chuck returned, and they immediately hired more men and began the long process of returning the McCarlson ranch to its former glory.
About a week before the wedding Hope drove to Hawthorne and kept her appointment with Dr. Adam Pickett.
“Hope, you look wonderful,” Doc said. “You only came by to say hello, didn’t you?”
“Well…I think it’s a little more than that, Doc,” she said with an impish light in her eyes. “Doc, I think there’s a very good possibility that Matt and I are pregnant.”
Doc threw back his head and laughed. “You and Matt are pregnant, eh? Well maybe you should’ve brought Matt in for a pelvic exam.”
Hope smiled. “Let’s do mine first, okay?”
That afternoon Matt came into the house to clean up for dinner. He kissed Hope on his way through the kitchen, then whistling a happy tune he went to take a shower.
He had wet hair in his eyes when he heard the shower door opening. Shaking it out of his face, he grinned when he saw Hope, nude and incredibly beautiful, getting in the shower with him. He put his arms around her. “This is a nice surprise,” he said before kissing her ardently.
She snuggled up to his slippery body and laughed seductively. “Uh-oh,” Matt said. “Methinks you’re up to some more devilry, Miss LeClaire.”
“You’re very perceptive, Mr. McCarlson. But first things first. I’ve never made love in a shower before, have you?”
“Nope.”
“Liar.”
“Sex kitten.”
“Sex what?”
“You heard me. C’mere, sex kitten, and take a ride on this.”
She did, and as it always had been for them, it was again—hot, steamy sex that had only gotten better because now there was no holding anything back for either of them.
When their passion had been sated, Matt turned off the shower and they got out and dried each other off with huge soft towels.
He pulled her close for a tender kiss before they left the bathroom to finish the remainder of the day’s chores. It was a particularly moving kiss, and when he raised his head he saw a beautiful glow in her eyes.
“I doubt if anything could make me any happier than I’ve been, but you’re going to try, aren’t you?” he said huskily.
“I hope what I have to tell you makes you as happy as it does me,” she whispered. “Matt, we’re going to have a baby. I saw Doc today and he verified— Matt! Put me down! What are you doing?”
What he was doing was dancing! Holding her in his arms and laughing and shouting and dancing, all at the same time.
“I take it you’re not unhappy about becoming a father?” she asked dryly.
He let her feet slide to the floor. “A baby. My God. A family! My family. Our family, Hope. Unhappy? If I went outside right now, I know I’d be able to fly.”
Her gaze slowly and deliberately washed down his body. “I wouldn’t recommend it in your present state.”
He glanced down to his “present state” and laughed. “Yeah, why waste this in a flight over Texas, right?” He reached for her again, only this time she backed away.
“I have exactly twenty minutes to finish preparing dinner before the men come knocking on the back door, lover. But I agree that we shouldn’t ever waste anything so marvelous as that, so—” she smiled sweetly “—just put it on hold until tonight, okay?”
She swept grandly from the bathroom and Matt groaned. “You’re cruel,” he shouted down the hall. He heard her laughing while she got dressed in their bedroom, and he couldn’t help laughing, as well. Life was unbelievable now. And to think of how hard he’d fought against being happy. Thank God she was a tenacious person.
Matt sobered when he thought of that word. If Hope hadn’t been tenacious, and physically strong, she might have died before ever reaching the ranch that stormy night.
And if she hadn’t been very, very clever in that motel room with Randy Biggers, she might not have escaped from that weirdo.
All things considered, Matt thought with overwhelming emotion, wasn’t it a miracle that he and Hope had met, fallen in love and were now going to receive life’s most precious gift—a child?
Everything within him sighed as the loveliest peace of his life enveloped him much as a soft, silken cloak would. There could not possibly be another man as contented as he; he knew that as clearly as he knew his name—all because of Hope, his sweet, wonderful, beautiful Hope.