that your mom was struggling, but she wouldn’t admit to me that anything was wrong.”
Kelly’s nod told him she understood what he wasn’t saying, that Arabella Krause was not a woman to be easily persuaded of anything.
“Go on,” she whispered, her expression showing stark fear.
“With Marina’s help, I convinced her to take your dad to the doctor. I went to my conference then stopped by to see them again. The tests had worn out both of them so I invited them to come to the ranch and stay with Marina while they waited for results. Vancouver Island was too far away for her to help them. We only heard the diagnosis shortly before...”
“No one told me.” Her lips tightened. Her dark eyes flashed at him angrily. “Why?”
“You haven’t exactly kept in touch, Kelly.” Sam veered away from that, refusing to issue blame. She had enough to deal with. “Marina was going to email you about it but then the twins’ adoptions—you know about the twin girls they fostered and were trying to adopt after the mother died?”
“Yes. Marina seemed ecstatic about it.” Kelly’s forehead pleated. “But I thought the adoption would have been completed by now. They had the twins for what—a year?”
“Almost.” Sam shrugged. “They had to allow time to search for family. Only after that was complete could the adoption process proceed. Marina and Jake were coming to Calgary to make their final case before the judge.” This part was so hard to say, so hard to accept. He’d given Kelly the bare facts about their deaths in his email, but it was time she knew the details. He cleared his throat, but that didn’t erase the wobble in his voice. “A semi-truck lost control on black ice and hit them head-on. They died instantly.”
When Sam finally looked up, his breath caught in his throat. Kelly’s face had paled to ashen white. Her tear-filled gaze darted around as if she was searching for something, anything, to make the horror of their deaths understandable. He knew a thousand questions were tumbling through her mind, most of all, Why? He knew that because he’d asked himself the same thing over and over. And never found an answer that satisfied.
“Where were the kids?” she choked when she was finally able to squeeze out the words.
“At home with my parents.” He smiled, hoping to ease her anxiety. “They’re fine.”
No, they weren’t. Five-year-old twins Emma and Sadie were lost and confused. They couldn’t understand why their Mommy and Daddy didn’t come kiss them good-night. And six-month-old Jacob Samuel, upset by everyone else’s turmoil, cried for familiar arms to rock him to sleep.
“Thank God they’re okay,” Kelly managed to say on a broken sniffle. She dislodged her tears with her fingertips, though more quickly followed. “I keep asking God why He allowed this. They were so happy. Marina seemed to adore the twins, and then she finally had the baby she’d longed for since they were married. Her emails made it sound like everything was perfect. So why?”
Since Sam didn’t have an answer, he remained silent.
“So you’re saying the girls aren’t Denvers. Is that right?” Kelly stared at him as she waited for a response.
“No.” Sam hated that admission. The twins were Denvers in every way that mattered.
“Marina never gave me the details about how they came to be at the ranch,” Kelly said softly. “Would you mind explaining?”
“Sure.” Sam couldn’t deny her the information, but man, it hurt to go back to those halcyon days. He steeled himself against emotion and laid out the facts. “Abby Lebret owns Family Ties, an adoption agency in Buffalo Gap. Calgary Children’s Services contacted her to see if she could find the twins a home where they could live while their mother underwent chemotherapy. She asked Jake and Marina. Sadly, the mother died. Since the twins’ father was married with a family and had disowned them and the girls were by then very much at home on the Triple D, not to mention that our siblings had come to adore the twins, Abby helped Marina and Jake petition the court for adoption.”
“Poor kids but fortunate to have Jake and Marina,” Kelly mused, her gaze far away.
“Yes. They went all out to make a home for them.” Sam fought for composure. Even though he’d had five days to adjust, the loss of the lively couple still seemed so surreal. “That day the twins were sick. Marina didn’t want to leave them, and Abby couldn’t persuade the judge to come to Buffalo Gap, so—”
“Jake and Marina went to Calgary to see the judge,” she finished. “I’m guessing my sister couldn’t wait to officially become their mother.” Kelly managed a small smile when Sam nodded.
“They wanted things finalized.” Would he ever forget that horrific phone call?
“I see.” Kelly paused, blinked away the moisture in her eyes then asked, “But there’s no issue with you adopting the twins, right?” She frowned when he didn’t answer and touched his sleeve. “Sam?”
“Since the adoption decree wasn’t registered before Jake’s and Marina’s deaths, Children’s Services has applied to the court to regain custody citing concerns that Sadie and Emma no longer have parents or a proper home.” He cleared his throat. “Since I went through the foster parent training classes with Jake and Marina, Abby begged the judge to let the girls stay with me at the ranch while I apply to adopt them. Abby thought you and I being named as guardians of the three children might influence his decision.”
“I understand them naming you.” Kelly’s dismay was the last thing Sam wanted to hear. “But why me?”
“Because you’re Marina’s sister, and because they knew neither of our parents are well enough to care for three active kids.” Sam inhaled, hoping she’d understand. “It’s up to you and me to keep this family together, Kelly.”
“But I know nothing about kids,” she protested, obviously taken aback. “And I can’t be their guardian for long. I have a job I have to return to.”
“When I was trying to locate you, the cruise line told me you’re going on leave for six months.” Irritated that she considered her job as a port consultant more important than her family, Sam blurted, “Are you willing to see your sister’s children raised by someone else?”
“No, but you don’t understand.” Poor Kelly looked confused and lost.
Sam’s heart ached for her. Part of him wanted to gather her in his arms and comfort her. He knew the loss of Jake and Marina had hit Kelly as hard as it had him, maybe harder, because she hadn’t seen her twin in so long. But the other part of Sam wanted to demand Kelly stop holding her grudge or whatever it was that had kept her away all these years and act like part of the family. Because she was.
He hadn’t expected Kelly’s refusal but perhaps he should have. Marina had told him how hard Kelly had worked to move up in the industry. He’d known Marina occasionally sent Kelly newsy emails about her life, their parents and her growing family. He’d admired his sister-in-law for trying to include Kelly as part of the family, for trying to build a bridge. But other than sending a Christmas package every year, Kelly had stayed away and maintained only sporadic contact.
At this moment, though, Sam didn’t care that Kelly had left home the night of Jake and Marina’s wedding, nor did it matter to him what had kept her away all this time. All he knew was
