my best thing, Lucy.” Maureen stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Lucy’s shoulders. “It’s the two of us against the world.”
Lucy sighed. “The two of us.”
“She’s using you.” Caden lifted his father’s duffel bag into the back of Garrett’s hulking silver truck.
“Have a little faith,” Garrett said, clapping a big hand on Caden’s shoulder.
“I don’t want to see you hurt again.” Caden shook his head. “After Tyson—”
“I’m better now.” Garrett’s blue eyes clouded but he kept his gaze firmly on Caden. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore, son.”
Son.
That word was like a knife slicing across Caden’s gut. Garrett and Tyson had rescued him from the foster-care system and given him the family he’d always craved. But he’d been an angry and stupid kid, constantly pushing boundaries and testing his adoptive father’s love because he never truly believed he deserved the happiness he found on the ranch.
He slammed the truck’s tailgate shut. “I watched Tyson self-destruct because of a woman and have to live with my part in that. I pulled you back from the brink after his death, and I’m not going to lose you to someone like Maureen Renner.” He sucked in a breath when emotion clogged his throat. Then he whispered, “I can’t lose you, too.”
“You’re not losing me.” Garrett reassured him in the same gentle tone he’d used when comforting Caden after the nightmares he’d woken from for several months after he’d come to live at Sharpe Ranch. Caden hadn’t been willing to let his new father nearer than the foot of the bed at that point. So Garrett had sat on the edge of the sagging twin mattress and talked—telling stories about his childhood or his blissful marriage to Tyson’s mother—until Caden had been able to fall back asleep.
Garrett’s deep voice had been a lifeline in the dark all those years ago. Now Caden had to squint against the bright morning sun, even though a wide-brimmed Stetson shaded his eyes. It was a perfect Colorado day, with the expansive sky already deep blue. Although the temperature still hovered in the high teens, the sun seemed to warm everything, and the cattle were grazing contentedly on grass and hay in the far pasture.
Caden’s heart remained frosty. He’d seen firsthand how much damage a scheming woman could do to a gentle man, and Garrett was one of the kindest souls he’d ever known.
“Think of it as gaining a family,” Garrett continued as he hit the remote start on the key fob he held. The diesel engine of the truck roared to life, muffling Caden’s disbelieving snort.
“I don’t need a family,” Caden muttered, and although his father didn’t argue with him, they both knew it was a lie. As was true of many kids with tumultuous early lives, Caden craved security and stability like a junkie craved his next fix.
“Tell that to your barn full of rescues,” was Garrett’s only response. The man never tired of teasing Caden over his penchant for attracting stray animals.
“I’m going to look into her past,” Caden said, ignoring the flash of anger in his father’s eyes.
“I don’t give a damn about her past. She makes me happy, Caden. You should try a bit of happiness on for size. You’d be surprised what a comfortable fit it becomes.”
“I’m happy,” Caden lied again.
Garrett stepped closer until the toes of their boots touched. At six feet, he’d seemed such an imposing figure the first time Caden had visited the ranch. Now Caden was at least three inches taller than him, but Garrett still remained a force to be reckoned with. “You deserve to be happy.”
Caden tried to hold his father’s gaze but turned away after a moment. How could Garrett say that, let alone believe it, when Caden was the reason Tyson was gone?
“Take care of Maureen’s girl while we’re away.”
Caden swung back, grateful to have a reason to let his temper fly. “She doesn’t belong on the ranch, and she sure as hell doesn’t need access to your finances.”
“I met with her this morning. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. I’ve lost track of the business side of things recently. That’s the part Tyson handled and—” The old man pursed his lips and ran a hand through his thick crop of silver hair. “Anyway, it’s good to have fresh eyes reviewing things.”
“More like a fresh attitude.” Caden kicked a toe into the dirt. “I don’t trust her, either.”
“Give her a chance,” his father coaxed. “It makes me feel better to know you won’t be out here all alone.”
“Chad’s here,” Caden said, referring to the young bull rider who worked winters on the ranch. “He’s company.”
“Chad’s too busy in town chasing women.” Garrett wagged a finger. “You could stand to go in with him a time or two. It’s amazing what a difference it makes having a woman in your bed at—”
Caden held up both hands. “Stop before you make my ears bleed. I don’t want to hear about my dad’s romantic escapades.”
Garrett chuckled. “You could learn something, young man. Be nice to Lucy. She’s important to Maureen which makes her important to me.”
Caden’s jaw tightened at the thought of spending any more time than necessary with Lucy Renner, but he nodded. He’d learned from a young age there was no point in arguing with Garrett Sharpe when the man had his mind set on something. Caden was just going to have to prove what a mistake marrying Maureen would be. And he had two weeks to do it.
* * *
Later that afternoon, Lucy stood looking out the main house’s big picture window, taking in the snow-covered peak of the mountain looming in the distance and the expanse of open fields that surrounded the property. She’d lived in Indiana until the age of eleven when Maureen had transplanted them to Florida for husband number two.
Lucy liked the change of seasons, but the thick white snow that blanketed everything for miles was a revelation. It was difficult to believe animals could survive outdoors in this climate, although the serenity of the scenery spoke to something deep in her soul. Colorado felt fresh, clean and full of new promises, which she assumed was part of the allure for her mother.
Maureen loved nothing more than to reinvent herself with each new adventure that came along. Lucy found herself reluctantly smiling at the thought of her mom herding cattle or churning butter or whatever it was ranch wives did these days.
It had been hours since the happy couple had driven off toward the regional airport, where they’d board a private plane to take them into Denver to catch a commercial flight to New York City.
“First-class,” her mother had whispered into Lucy’s ear as they stood in the driveway earlier, saying their goodbyes. “I haven’t flown first-class since Jerry.” Maureen’s marriage to husband number two, Jerry Murphy, had lasted only a few months, but
