Hope on the Range

by Cindi Madsen

  “Whoa,” he deadpanned, aiming the most sarcastic look in his arsenal her way. “I can’t believe you lifted a bunch of free crowns.”

  “Shhh.” She glanced around as if the police might bust in to arrest her soon. “I didn’t even have any kids with me, and they ask that you only take one, and…” Her brown eyes met his. “Will you for reals forgive me for being a jerkface? You answered me honestly and told me all that personal information, and I did exactly what you accused me of. I threw it back in your face, and I suck, and I can’t sleep at night, and I know I’m an awful, judgmental person.”

  Maddox’s arms ached with the urge to wrap them around Harlow and assure her all was forgiven, but one of the adults was likely to step forward with a cattle prod and zap him if he did so. “The fact that you care so much you can’t sleep only proves how sweet you are.”

  “Ah.” Harlow batted her eyelashes. “So you’re saying I’m a sweet rebel.”

  A laugh escaped, and after four solid days of gloom, a ray of sunshine broke through and began to thaw his icy heart. Somehow, this girl had become his light source. She had him twisted up to the point he wasn’t sure which way was up or down anymore, and he cared a lot less about that than he should. He gestured to the crown atop his head. “I’m not wearing this thing if you’re not putting one on.”

  Her smile suffused him with another swell of that addictive warmth. She proudly plopped a crown on her head, and when it fell down over her eyes, he adjusted it for her.

  “How do I look?” she asked with a mock curtsy.

  “Cute,” he answered honestly. He probably should’ve lied, but he couldn’t help it.

  “You look pretty cute yourself, Sir Mikos.” She blushed, as if she couldn’t believe she’d said that. “Anyway, guess which movie we’re watching.” She bounced on the balls of her feet. “Tangled! Because it’s crazy you haven’t seen it.”

  Yeah, his heart was definitely on the melty side now. Not only did she care he hadn’t seen the movie, but she’d also told him to guess and then hadn’t given him the chance before it’d burst out of her.

  Harlow placed her hand between his shoulder blades and nudged him toward the couch. Usually, a hand to her lower back would be his go-to move, but he found that he liked being pushed around more than he’d expected.

  Especially if Harlow was doing the pushing.

  He took the spot next to the arm of the couch, and Harlow sat beside him. As the others settled in, Maddox draped his arm over the backrest. His hand was a mere inch from her hair, and the desire to wind his fingers through the silky softness called to him. To keep himself from following through, he flattened his palm against the worn fabric.

  The movie had just begun when the blond twins made their entrance in footsie pajamas. They immediately streaked for Harlow, shouting her name.

  “Remember,” Liza said from behind the couch. “You have to sit still and be quiet if you want to watch the movie.”

  They both solemnly nodded. Then Elise pulled herself onto Harlow’s lap, and Everett frowned and wiggled into the nonexistent spot between her and Maddox. Sure, buddy, go ahead and help yourself, Maddox thought with a wry grin.

  Because of his painful past, Maddox had kept his distance from the funny kid since that night he and his sister had remarked on his tattoos and earrings. At the same time, he was almost drawn to Everett.

  The movie started, and Elise whisper-talked, but she wasn’t very good at it. With every question and observation, the volume of her voice rose a bit higher. “Lizards! I love lizards!”

  “I know what a horse says,” Everett said as a horse appeared on-screen.

  “Neigh,” Elise cut in.

  “Lise! Thass what I was gonna say!”

  Harlow lovingly shushed them and patted their blond heads. “You both are so smart. You know all the animal noises. Now, let’s be quiet and watch the movie.”

  In the middle of a scene that included a whole lot of singing, Everett melted against Maddox’s side in a way that made him think…

  He glanced at the kid’s face. Yep, his eyes were drifting shut. A minute or so later, Everett slumped over entirely, his head coming to rest in Maddox’s lap.

  Just focus on the plot and don’t think about the last time you watched a movie with a little kid. An image flashed to mind, one where a character named Hiro hugged a big, blobby white robot. As the credits to Big Hero 6 rolled up the screen, a tiny voice had said, “Maddox, you’re my hero and my brother.”

  The past superimposed itself over the present, and Maddox ran his fingers through the blond hair on Everett’s head. While his little brother’s hair was darker, the fine strands felt similar. Plus, at three years old, Jaxon Wagner also had rounded cheeks and constantly fell asleep on Maddox’s lap. Probably because when Jaxon was awake, he never stopped moving. The kid sprinted everywhere like life was one big race. He climbed and ran—often toward the street—and Maddox had honed his reflexes so he could get to where Jaxon was going before he could.

  Then he’d toss him up in the air or put him on his shoulders and offer to take the kid to the park. Mr. Wagner had been deployed, and Linda, the kid’s mother, was always exhausted. She would constantly ask Jaxon why he couldn’t be more like his calm older sister, and every time she did so, it was harder and harder for Maddox to hold his tongue.

  The entire Wagner family had been kind to him, but Jaxon…

  Longing and sorrow wrapped themselves around Maddox’s heart until they cut off the flow of blood. While the rest of the family had hesitated over titles, Jaxon instantly claimed Maddox as a brother. And Jaxon was his. When he was teaching the kid how to write his letters, they fist-bumped over having X’s in their names. “Pretty sure that means we were always supposed to be brothers,” he’d told Jaxon.

  Stop thinking about it. It’ll only hurt. But the gaping hole he’d attempted to stuff with other things returned with a vengeance. After six months of living with the Wagners, they started the adoption process—Maddox could hardly believe he was going to have a steady home with people who seemed to genuinely care about him.

  But then Mr. Wagner received PCS orders—a permanent change of station—to go to Alabama.

  Linda had pulled Maddox aside and told him she needed to keep her family together and that since his mother had made a half-hearted promise to go to rehab, the judge was giving her another six months to get her act together.

  Since they couldn’t take him to another state without adopting him and that process had been delayed indefinitely, they… Old wounds ripped open—ones Maddox had done his best to convince himself were fully healed. By now, Jaxon would be six years old and already in school. The kid was so young when Maddox had lived with him that he worried they wouldn’t even recognize each other if they crossed paths now.

  Maddox clenched his jaw, willing away the lump that’d overtaken his throat.

  Attachments made him weak. He had to remember that. He’d slipped a little—especially with the girl at his side, the one who was studying him with her forehead scrunched up. “You okay?”

  Painful reminder not to get attached notwithstanding, he rubbed a hand down Everett’s back, hoping the kid found it as soothing as Jaxon used to. “Yeah. Just enjoying the movie and worrying about Flynn or Eugene or whatever.”

  “See.” Harlow’s smile was the very definition of joy. “I told you it was good.”

  She was good. As well as supersweet. She had a big heart, and she might even care about him the tiniest bit.

  But eventually, she’d forget him, too.

  Chapter 16

  “Oh good, you’re back,” Nick said by way of greeting when Brady walked into the main cabin. “I need to talk to you about one of the kids.” Nick tipped his head toward the hall. “In the office.”

  Trepidation tightened Brady’s muscles as the faces of the teens whizzed through
his head. Which one and why? Good or bad?

  Since the only way to find out was to go to the office, Brady dragged himself inside, and Nick shut the door behind him. Of all their brothers, Nick was the quietest and most reserved, yet also ridiculously in tune with people’s emotions. Even if he hadn’t come to Turn Around Ranch through the foster system, Brady suspected he’d be counseling or assisting people in one way or another. Even as young as twelve, he’d helped some of his classmates as much as the program had.

  All that said, he was damn hard to read.

  “It’s Maddox,” Nick finally said, and a rock formed in Brady’s gut. After the mistake he’d made last time, he didn’t want to assume the kid had done something bad, regardless of most closed-door office talks going like that.

  “You’ve seen how close he and Harlow are getting, I’m sure,” Nick continued.

  Brady had, and he’d been doing his best to keep a close eye on them. “He knows the rules. I’ve talked to him, as have you.”

  Nick perched on the edge of the desk and braced his forearms on his knees. “We both know that occasionally the rules get bent a little. And we have to ask ourselves if the bending is for the best or if it’s going to cause a break.”

  Brady nodded, even though he was a bit lost. “I get the gist anyway. Now how about you get to the point?”

  “I’ll get there when I’m damn good and ready.” Nick casually crossed his ankles. “Unless you want me to turn the tables and talk about how I’ve noticed a change in you this past week, and I have a theory as to why.”

  “Prick,” Brady muttered.

  “Liar, liar, pants on fire,” Nick retorted without missing a beat. How the hell could his brother possibly know that he and Tanya had crossed lines? If she’d told anyone, surely she would’ve mentioned it. His routine hadn’t changed in the slightest, save today when he’d gone to Bullhead Valley and helped Tanya set up another barrel training course. After all, Tanya had lent them ropes. But he’d do that for her anyway, friendship or relationship.

  Yes, it’d taken longer than he’d expected on account of riding a mile or so into a copse of trees to have a quickie, but again, Nick couldn’t discern that with a look. Brady was relatively sure anyway, but who knew what sorts of Jedi mind tricks his brother had up his sleeve.

  Since this was clearly going to take a while, Brady dropped into the closest chair. “All right, take your time, princess.”

  Nick smirked, happy to have gotten his way. “I think Harlow’s good for Maddox. At first, I worried he’d take advantage of her sweetness, but she can hold her own with him.”

  “I agree.” Brady grinned as he recalled Harlow telling Maddox she’d use his earring to keep him on task, same way as a nose ring on a bull. Yes, he was concerned about the kids getting too close, but he also took comfort that Maddox had formed a connection, which would lead him to more fully engage in the program.

  “During the few days they weren’t talking, he backslid. But things smoothed out between them, and do you know what he did this morning while you were gone?”

  “What do I need to say to skip the guessing game?”

  Nick fired a snide smile at him. “No guessing, then. He put a saddle on that stallion.”

  The kid had been connecting more and more with the horse, but that went beyond connecting. It took determination and courage and was about as cowboy as it got. “That’s impressive.”

  “I agree,” Nick said. “Which is why I want to keep him on the path to recovery. Which leaves me walking a tricky line where I use Harlow as motivation to keep progressing while not pushing too hard or making a mess for either him or her.”

  “We’ve all walked tricky lines. That’s where the magic usually happens.”

  “I’d call it hard work, but I agree.”

  Brady rolled his eyes. “Did you bring me in here to brag, or is there a point?”

  “I’m considering saying yes to a proposition I’m not sure I should say yes to.” Nick ran his fingers along his jaw. “At the end of our counseling session today, Maddox opened up about his mom. The kid’s never had anyone, not really. I’m sure you saw in his file what happened with the foster family that almost adopted him.”

  A residual pang went through Brady, same way it had when he’d read about the adoption falling through. That’d give most people a chip on their shoulder. Didn’t mean he’d let the kid get away with giving him attitude. What several parents and guardians didn’t realize was that boundaries showed a kid love, even if he or she fought against them.

  Not that he always knew where to draw the line. It’d be easier if it was the same for everyone, but that wasn’t the way it worked.

  Nick scooted backward, overturning a stapler he glanced at before returning his attention to Brady. “Anyway, he told me there’s a party this weekend, and that all Harlow’s classmates would be there. He says he wants to be there for her. Said she did something nice for him last week—”

  “The movie night,” Brady said, and Nick nodded.

  “I don’t want to be a hypocrite who preaches rules and then basically forces the two of them together, but he claims Harlow’s nervous about it. Says she’ll probably chicken out if she doesn’t have anyone to go with—which I could see. She is sort of isolated from the rest of the kids in town, and we know that’s not good for teens, either.

  “I could tell that Maddox expected to be shut down, but he decided to ask anyway because that’s how badly he wants to help Harlow face her classmates and her former partner. He said he’d do whatever it takes. Do all the mucking, dishes, and even tell me his entire life story, start to finish. He also informed me that I could slap a tracker on his ass, and he wouldn’t complain. All that mattered was being there for Harlow.”

  It was quiet for a beat or two, and then Nick asked, “Thoughts?”

  Brady tipped up the brim of his hat a few inches and rubbed his fingers across his forehead, wishing it would help him think better. As it was, he’d probably just smeared dirt across his skin. “Did you ask Wade?”

  “You’ve worked with Maddox more than he has. Plus, the old Wade would’ve automatically said no, and the engaged Wade is…still quite a stickler but also a mystery. Although he did once allow Aiden and Chloe to go to the diner together when Chloe needed a mini escape, so…”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  Nick lowered his eyebrows. “What’s a good idea? I don’t think there were any ideas in there.”

  The chair creaked as Brady sat forward. “Let Maddox go. He’s protective of Harlow; he’s not a flight risk as long as she’s with him; and I think it’d be good for the both of them to get a break and have some normal teenage fun. But tell him you’ll only agree if Aiden and Chloe accompany them since there’s safety in numbers and whatnot.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Unless he’d like me to chaperone. After all, it’s always good for kids to feel like they have choices.”

  Nick laughed. “See. I knew you’d come up with a brilliant and slightly evil solution.”

  “Those are my specialty.”

  “Want to talk about Tanya?”

  “Wanna talk about why you haven’t gone on a date in over a year?” Brady shot back. He’d feel worse if Nick hadn’t started it.

  “Touché.”

  As they walked out of the office together, Brady’s mind was already returning to his growing to-do list. “Later,” he said to his brother, quickening his pace.

  “Wait. Don’t you wanna come with me and see the look on Maddox’s face when we tell him he can go?” Nick’s excitement made it obvious he was fond of the kid, and Brady would be lying if he said he wasn’t growing attached as well.

  In their line of work, it was important to celebrate the rare moments when you knew you were going to make a kid’s day. “I suppose I can spare another minute or two.”

  Chapter 17

 
; Harlow could hardly believe Maddox had permission to go to the party with her. He, Chloe, and Aiden would be picking her up momentarily, and Maddox had promised he was going to show her how to actually have fun, even if it got him arrested.

  Which he’d laughed at like some big joke, while she’d fought the urge to tell him to behave, same way Brady had when he’d gone over ground rules.

  Harlow sat on the top of the staircase in her house, waiting for the doorbell to ring, her dressy embroidered boots tapping the carpeted step underneath her feet. It’d been a couple of years since she’d been to a party, and she still struggled to grasp that she had more than one friend going with her.

  O-M-G, what if they realize I’m not as cool as everyone else and ditch me, the way Bianca always did?

  That’d suck major donkey balls.

  Whoa, brain. Balls?

  Evidently, she was more nervous than she realized. She was talking to herself and borderline swearing. She glanced at her hands. Although she prided herself on how steady they remained before she bolted into the arena on Maximus, they were trembling now.

  Shiitake mushrooms, I forgot to grab my gum. Harlow darted into her room and swiped the pack off her dresser. Not that she thought anything would happen tonight that’d require fresh breath, but she’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. After all, parties were loud and required close talking and…

  As she neared her perch at the top of the stairs, she heard her mama ask, “Who are you?”

  Mothertrucker. Harlow raced down the stairs, nearly tripping on the bottom step. Mama was frowning at Maddox through the open door. Why, oh why, hadn’t she insisted on driving? She should’ve known Mama would take one look at Maddox and be less than thrilled.

  Harlow surged forward to save him. “Remember how I said I was going with friends? Maddox is my new roping partner.”

  Mama gave him a once-over. With each item of clothing, from his untied military green sneakers to his shredded jeans, black T-shirt, and leather jacket, her eyebrows knit tighter together. Mama assessed the rings in his ears, along with the fat ones on his fingers, and the corners of her mouth turned down as she eyed the tattoos covering the back of his hand. “You don’t look like a roper.”