Hope on the Range

by Cindi Madsen

  Harlow pointed a warning finger at him. “Don’t even. I’m hardly some princess. Not that there’s anything wrong with being one or wanting to, and also, they’ve gotten more bad-A over the last few decades.”

  The crooked smile appeared, loosening the knot that’d formed in her heart when he’d told her about his family and she worried she’d ruined their outing. “Sure.”

  “Don’t act like you weren’t impressed by how awesome Tangled was when you watched the movie.”

  “No need to act,” he said. “I’ve never seen Tangled.”

  “How is that even possible?”

  He shrugged, a much lighter shrug than his earlier one. “Those Disney movies always seemed girlie to me.”

  Her gasp was over the top, but she couldn’t help it. “They’re not.”

  He raised his hands as if he were surrendering.

  Harlow walked toward him, and he crossed his arms in front of himself as if he worried she’d show him her best Rapunzel impression and smack him with a frying pan. She clamped on to his arm and led him to the shore of the creek. This time of year, it was about three feet deep and perfect for wading. “Take off your shoes.”

  Aiden and Chloe stood downstream, their jeans rolled up to their knees. “Should I take off my shirt, too?” Maddox asked, arching one dark eyebrow. “Maybe shuck the pants as well? I wouldn’t want them to get wet.”

  Heat flared through Harlow’s cheeks. “Just the shoes.”

  “Are you sure? If you want, you can take off your—”

  She slapped a hand over his mouth and felt Maddox smile against her palm.

  “What?” The word came out muffled. “I was going to say your hat.”

  Ignoring that, she kicked off her shoes. “The hat stays, because otherwise I’ll end up with a sunburned nose and bright-red cheeks.”

  “They’re looking a little red as it is,” he said, lifting his hand as if he were going to touch her face. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe, but then he abruptly sat and removed his socks and shoes, and she did the same.

  They slid down the embankment and stepped into the cool water. Harlow slipped a bit on the moss-covered rocks, and Maddox took her hand and guided her to the muddy-bottomed middle. She closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh water-and-pine-scented air. Then she turned to see if Maddox was soaking in the awesomeness.

  But he was looking at her.

  The heat of his palm soaked into hers, and she realized she was still clinging to his hand. She quickly let go and immediately missed the warmth and sense of security.

  Time for a reality check. Maddox was the type of guy who could break her heart without even trying, and if she didn’t remind herself of the many reasons she shouldn’t fall, she’d be his next victim. “Why did you have to come here?”

  “As in you wish I hadn’t, or…?”

  “No, not at all.” She bit her lip. Considered taking it back. But now that it was out there, curiosity got the better of her. “I meant why did a judge order you to come here.”

  Maddox’s dark eyebrows scrunched together. “I didn’t miss a question about a horse. Didn’t toss a lasso and come up short.”

  “I can ask a question involving horses or roping that you won’t be able to answer correctly, or you could just tell me.” While she was big on forgiveness and second chances, there were certain things she couldn’t get over. Surely, if he’d assaulted a girl, no one would allow her to be mostly alone with him, Aiden and Chloe barely within view.

  Come on, Harlow. You’re smarter than this. Bad boys don’t change their stripes or their leather jackets or whatever.

  Maddox took a step back, and she thought he was going to retreat. But then he squared off in front of her. “I made a car delivery for my buddy who owns the mechanic shop where I work, and it turns out there were drugs in the trunk.”

  All she could do was blink. She wasn’t naive enough to think they were, like, pharmaceutical drugs with valid prescriptions.

  Oh, holy crap. The confession made her want to do the retreating. He’s a certified drug dealer. Abort, abort, abort.

  “Since I had a fake ID on me at the time,” Maddox continued, “along with a previous charge for possession, the judge called it strike three and made an example out of me.”

  “Possession?” Harlow asked, still scrambling to comprehend what this newfound information meant about the guy in front of her.

  “It was so minor, just a tiny bit of weed.”

  Tiny bit of weed. Harlow didn’t have a whole lot of experience, but the potheads at school always downplayed the amount they smoked. They’d go into the school bathroom with their vape pens and come out smelling like they’d just done a line of Fruity Pebbles. “Did you do the drugs?”

  Maddox’s gaze dipped to the water rushing around them before returning to hers. “Not the ones in the trunk. I didn’t know they were in there, I swear. Fuckin’ Ian didn’t let me in on what the job entailed, and I didn’t find out until I was neck deep in it.

  “Turns out the cops had been watching the house where I delivered it, so I got busted along with the people inside. The cops booked me for possession with intent to distribute, which wasn’t my intent, and I argued as much. They told me they’d be more likely to believe me if I’d rat on who’d given me the drugs, but I don’t rat.”

  Harlow’s attempt to swallow didn’t take away the thickness clogging her throat or the spinning going on in her brain. “So you didn’t do the drugs in the trunk, but you have done other drugs?”

  A heartbreaking smile, one devoid of joy, crossed Maddox’s face as he hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his torn-up jeans. In addition to causing his arm muscles to stand out, it gave him this boyish look and, ugh, she had a huge crush on a guy who did drugs.

  Correction—she used to have a crush on him.

  Mothertrucker. How did you get rid of a crush?

  “I drink occasionally and smoke some weed here and there,” Maddox said. “Not a lot.”

  “To me, any amount is a lot.”

  He slowly nodded. “Yeah, I figured from the horrified look on your face.”

  Harlow’s breaths came faster and faster. What did this mean? Did she try to go on as if nothing had happened? “How could you do that when your mom was an addict?”

  Okay, so apparently she wasn’t going to act cool about it. She never could fake it, so he might as well get it all out now.

  Maddox shuttered his features, and while she hated it and the tightness that crept into her lungs because of it, she did her best to convince herself it was better to hash it out now. “I knew you wouldn’t get it,” he said. “You’ve lived in this perfect little bubble all your life. But I have to live in the real world. The poor real world, where things are ugly, and sometimes you do whatever you can to get through the day.”

  “I’m sure that’s how your mom started, too,” she automatically retorted.

  The hurt that flickered through his eyes shuddered through her as well. That was one of those things she should’ve kept inside her head.

  Water rippled around Maddox’s legs as he charged toward the shore.

  “Maddox, wait.” One of her pant legs slipped into the water, but she didn’t bother fixing it as she struggled to follow after him. Without a hand to hold, she found the slimy rocks made it that much trickier. “I shouldn’t have said that. You answered my question and—”

  He spun around so fast that she wobbled, her arms flailing as she toppled backward. She braced herself for hitting the water, but Maddox snagged her wrist, catching her instead of letting her fall on her butt like she deserved.

  The instant she was steady, Maddox let go of her. Every ounce of warmth had fled from his features, leaving the hostile guy he’d been on the day they’d met. “And you threw it in my face.”

  A pit formed in her belly. He was tota
lly right. But before she could even tell him that, he’d scooped up his shoes, climbed onto Licorice without putting them on, and taken off.

  Luckily, it was toward the ranch, so she didn’t think he was trying to escape from the program.

  Nope, he was just escaping her.

  Chapter 15

  The flames from the bonfire were dying down, and the scent of roasted hot dogs and smoke hovered in the air. Brady shifted forward in the canvas camping chair to accept the cup of vanilla-and-chocolate swirled ice cream with a wooden spoon on top.

  “Thanks,” he told Ma, who beamed. Nothing could diminish her happy mood tonight, and her ear-to-ear grin sent happiness through him as well.

  For most people, Friday signaled the end of work for a few days, but when it came to the ranch and caring for teenagers, there was no end. Brady’s excitement over Fridays came from them being bonfire, hot dogs, and s’mores night. As long as the weather permitted and the kids earned it, that was, and the teens had been extra well-behaved this week. No talking back, only one tardy between the lot of them, and they’d done their chores without having to be hounded.

  Their chill Friday night had turned into a celebration when Jessica and Wade announced they were going to have a baby. Brady had acted his ass off, afraid of what would happen if Ma found out he’d heard the news before she did. Now she was passing out celebratory ice-cream cups, and Brady resisted the urge to make a bet over who’d be the first to end up in a sugar coma. Him, probably.

  Brady squinted through the fire to where Harlow and Chloe sat side by side. Maddox had come back early from their ride, with the others showing up about ten minutes later. It’d looked suspiciously like Harlow had been crying, and he’d been observing the dynamic between her and Maddox ever since.

  I swear, I told that kid to be nice to her. I made myself very clear. Nick had warned Maddox to behave himself around Harlow as well. This was why Wade was a stickler about never crossing lines and keeping the drama low. The teens already had heaps of drama, so adding to it was like juggling three sweaty sticks of dynamite. One wrong move, one slip, and boom! It blows up in your face.

  After falling for Jess despite the rules, Wade had become less of a stickler, but he was hardly lax. The only reason Chloe and Aiden were allowed to date was because they’d both graduated from the program. The other teens had crushes here and there, sure, but the staff closely monitored them. Brady had noticed Maddox and Harlow had been spending a lot of their time together chatting and laughing, but it seemed more like a mutual friendship that was good for both of them.

  Shit. I’m the one who put them together for roping. Brady had also thought working on the car together would solidify them as a team and give Maddox’s progress in the program a boost.

  I’d better fix it before it gets any worse.

  And if Maddox had threatened or hurt Harlow in any way… Safety was of the utmost importance, and if Brady had to, he’d enforce the harshest punishment. Even if it meant kicking Maddox out before they’d had a chance to break through to him.

  The very kid he was ready to smack upside the head for ignoring his and Nick’s warnings started past, and Brady stood and hooked him by the collar. “We need to have a chat, Mikos.”

  “Get off me,” Maddox said, smacking Brady’s arm away.

  He’d only lost his temper with the kids a few times—times he wasn’t proud of—and he was dangerously close now. Deep breath in. Long exhale out. “What happened with you and Harlow?”

  “Nothing.”

  Brady infused his voice with the simmering rage that’d risen to the surface, needing to get the kid away from the crowd before they both erupted. “Follow me. Now.”

  They stalked a few yards from the pit, to where they could have some semblance of privacy, the buzz of conversations and crackling fire easily masking their conversation.

  “What. Happened. With. Harlow?”

  Maddox’s stoic expression cracked, revealing an inkling of…agony? “Same thing that happens with everyone. She realized I’m a piece of shit.”

  Brady clenched and unclenched his hands at his side, checking that he was still in control. For now, he was, but if he lost it after this question, he’d call for one of his brothers. “Did you hurt her?”

  “I’d never hurt her,” Maddox said, so passionately it calmed the tempestuous storm inside Brady. Being around teens who did their fair share of lying had practically turned him into a human lie detector. Didn’t mean a lie never got past him, but he’d bet a million dollars the kid was telling the truth.

  Cool relief flowed through his veins. Since he’d been the one to hire her, he already felt responsible. In addition to being a natural on horseback and at roping, Harlow was a bright, happy kid. Although she seemed a bit lonely, which was another reason he’d thought hiring her would be a symbiotic situation. If this was simply a case of minor drama, which was also common in Teenville, it’d be one of those things that was a huge deal today and a blip on the radar in another one or two.

  Brady shifted his focus to the self-deprecating kid in front of him. “You’re not a piece of shit, Maddox.”

  “Did you read my file? See everything I’ve done?”

  “I don’t have to.”

  Maddox just stood there, defeat so heavy in his arms that they dangled from his frame. There were bumps along the way with everyone who came to the ranch. Some of the teens they’d treated for addictions even went out into the real world and relapsed.

  The entire staff experienced heartache on their behalf, and Brady had gone from pissed to desperate to find a way to fix whatever was going on. Maybe he hadn’t given Maddox a fair shake. “What do you need?”

  “Nothing.” Maddox’s steely mask descended. “I’m used to nothing. I’m not saying that in a poor-me way, either. It’s the truth, and I’d rather keep it that way. Can I go?”

  Brady waited a handful of seconds to see if enough awkward silence would prompt the kid to divulge anything. In these situations, he felt completely unqualified. If he thought it’d do any good, he’d call over Nick. Once someone threw up their walls, though, it was often best to let them cool off and then try again later.

  Brady released him, and Maddox plodded toward the firelight. Aiden lifted his head in a nod as Maddox approached. Cool. Aiden can talk to him, and it’ll be better than anything I could say.

  But Maddox shook his head, his impassive facade remaining. He shoved his hands in his pockets and trudged in the direction of the boys’ cabin. Right before he melted into the dark background, the kid cast one last glance at Harlow. She stared back at him, an anguished, helpless expression on her face.

  * * *

  On Sunday afternoon, as Maddox walked toward the big room where they had group therapy sessions, he dragged his feet a bit. It was far from his favorite place on the ranch, but he’d been told they were having a “fun” movie night with popcorn, and it wasn’t like he had many other options for entertainment now that he and Harlow—

  The soles of his shoes glued themselves to the floor when Harlow popped up in front of the TV, an empty DVD case in hand. What the hell is she doing here?

  The rest of his cellmates were milling around the other side of the room, but their presence barely registered once he’d spotted Harlow. He’d already come up with a handful of excuses for why he couldn’t train with her next week, and panic and frustration collided and formed another emotion he couldn’t even name. How dare she throw a wrench in his plans by being here when she shouldn’t be! Little Miss Perfect didn’t need to be in a program for troubled teens, and he wasn’t in the mood to have that rubbed in his face again.

  He was so out of here.

  Her gaze latched onto his from across the room, and then his plan to escape became that much more complicated.

  “Why don’t you come have a seat, Maddox?” she asked, her shaky voice infused
with enthusiasm. “It’s movie night. I’m hosting and everything.”

  He remained firmly in place and added crossed arms to his immovable stance.

  Despite his attempt to relay that he wasn’t budging from this very spot, Harlow rushed over like she thought he might bolt through the nearest exit—and perhaps that would’ve been a better course of action. “I know you’re mad,” she said, “and you totally have the right to be, but I…” The lower lip he was semi-obsessed with quivered, and her eyes grew watery. “I set this all up for you as a way to say I’m sorry.”

  Maddox exhaled, pleading with himself not to soften or get sucked in. Not again.

  “So do you forgive me? Can we go back to being friends?” Harlow extended a trembling hand toward him, and he stared at it. Vulnerability flickered over her features, and a mushy sensation began to fill that spot over his heart. “Please?”

  Damn it. How could he not give in? He did his best to convince himself she was doing the typical girl thing, using her emotions to manipulate him. But Harlow didn’t have a manipulative bone in her body, and he could tell she wasn’t faking how bad she felt or how much she wanted them to be okay.

  And everything in him shouted to soothe her pain.

  Reluctantly, he uncrossed his arms and took her extended hand. “Fine. Friends.”

  Instead of letting go, she tightened her grip and towed him over to a table covered with bowls of popcorn. They exchanged greetings with the rest of the group, and then everyone else backed away and gave him and Harlow space.

  “Before we start the movie, we have to get you a crown.” Harlow lifted a pile of the flat, cardboard Burger King crowns he hadn’t seen since he was the poor kid in class who’d been invited to a birthday party out of pity. His foster parents at the time were happy to get rid of him for an afternoon, and he was thrilled to have a whole meal to himself. “Don’t worry. All the cool kids are wearing them.” Once Harlow finished fastening the crown, she tipped onto her toes and placed it on his head. “I stole them from Burger King.” She lowered her voice and whispered, “See, I’m a rebel, too.”