Astonished that he would stop when she’d given him the green light, she asked, “Why is it crazy?”
“You know why as well as I do. Fix your shirt.”
Tucking it back into her jeans, Melanie realized she was getting angry, too. “Because you work for my grandfather? That’s ridiculous, and besides, I got the impression from Granddad himself that he holds you in very high esteem.”
“His esteem would take a major drop if he thought I was fooling around with his granddaughter,” he said. “Look, I’m hot for you, you’re hot for me. That could make a pretty dangerous blaze, lady, and I don’t intend to risk my job for a roll in the hay.”
With an ache in her heart the size of the Grand Canyon, Melanie bent over and picked up her hat. Settling it on her head and pushing her sunglasses back in place, she said coldly, “Just don’t you forget who started this…this circus!”
“Maybe you’re the one who shouldn’t forget.”
“Are you insinuating that I started it?”
“I’m not insinuating anything. I’m saying it straight out!” Settling his own hat, Eli added, “And the best medicine for us is to stay away from each other. You won’t be here long and—”
“Three weeks.” She relished saying it and then watching his reaction.
“Three weeks!” Muttering a curse, Eli spun on his heel and strode away.
“You jerk!” she shouted, then leaned weakly against the wall of the shed. “I did not start it,” she whispered as tears began leaking down her face. Removing her sunglasses, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She was not going to cry over this, but if Eli thought he had gotten the better of her today, he had better think again!
John Wheaton, attorney-at-law, had read and studied every item Garrett had found in Larry’s safety-deposit box. Not only studied them but organized them into separate piles, one for each birth certificate and related photos, letters, canceled checks and such, and a seventh pile for items that were not quite so clear-cut.
“So, what do you think, John?” Garrett asked.
“Garrett, before today I would have sworn that I had already seen everything. Let me ask you this. Are you doubting the authenticity of any of these things?”
After a moment of thought, Garrett answered slowly, “I haven’t been. Do you think I should?”
“Off the top of my head, I’d have to say no. I didn’t know Larry as well as you, of course, but I certainly can’t see him putting a bunch of phony documents and letters in a safety-deposit box to pull a fast one on his family. No, I believe these six stacks represent six men who also happen to be your grandsons, Garrett. The question is, are you planning to do anything about them?”
Garrett stared out the window for a few moments, then brought his troubled gaze back to John. “I should do something, don’t you agree?”
“Don’t ask me that, Garrett. Whether or not you attempt to make contact with these men has to be entirely your decision. I will not influence it with an opinion, nor should anyone else.” John turned to Collin, who hadn’t spoken in quite a spell. “Perhaps your opinion is the exception, Collin. What do you think of suddenly discovering that you have six half brothers?”
Collin looked at the lawyer over his tented fingers. “I haven’t been dancing any jigs over it, John, but as time goes by, I blame my half brothers less and less and Dad more and more.”
John nodded. “As you should. If you want someone to blame, that is. Would you like to meet these men?”
Collin blinked, lowered his hands to the arms of his chair and sat up straighter. “Meet them?” He sent Garrett a somewhat nervous glance. “I don’t know. Granddad, would you like to meet them?”
Garrett took a long breath before answering sadly, “I feel obligated to do something, Collin.”
“You shouldn’t! It wasn’t you out screwing around having illegitimate kids. It was Dad!”
“Collin, some members of the Kincaid family were able to turn their backs on family. I don’t have to tell you the old stories again. I’m sure you remember them very well. And what have I recently been worried about and tried to amend? I neglected your sister and I can only hope that Melanie has a forgiving nature. You see, I don’t even know that about her. Collin, I don’t want to wonder for the rest of my life if those men know of their paternity.”
“You’re going to try to find them, aren’t you?” Collin said with some bitterness.
“Do you really disapprove?”
After a long, tension-filled moment, Collin’s expression softened and he said, “No. Do whatever you have to, Granddad.”
“Thank you, Collin. John, what would I run into legally if I managed to find these men and introduced myself?”
“There shouldn’t be any problems while you’re alive, Garrett, but upon your death they could make a claim on your estate. You should seriously consider altering your will to include a phrase or paragraph recognizing Larry’s illegitimate sons, however many there may be. Whether or not you actually leave them anything of value is up to you, but you should not omit them from your will…even if you don’t locate them, now that I think about it. Would you like me to rewrite the will?”
“It sounds like that should be done even if I do nothing else,” Garrett said. “But give me a few days to think on that before you get started, John. I might want more changes than just a paragraph recognizing Larry’s illegitimate sons.”
During the drive back to the ranch, Garrett said, “I’ve not talked about this with anyone before, but now it seems necessary and prudent. My current will leaves the ranch first to your father, then you, Collin. Alice will get my life insurance—a goodly sum—which she may pass on to Lyle if she wishes, and Melanie is to receive the stocks and bonds I’ve acquired through the years. Now, with six more grandsons to consider, I’m not sure that the present division of assets as listed in the will is fair.”
Collin felt his gut tighten, but he said nothing and drove with his eyes glued to the highway.
“I know you love the ranch more than your father ever did. Your feelings for the land are much like my own, Collin. I still want you to have it when I’m gone, but what do I do about those other boys? Dear God, what did I ever do to deserve such a dilemma? If only Larry had talked to me about his other children.”
“Yeah, if only he’d talked to any of us about his other kids,” Collin mumbled. “I wonder if Melanie phoned Mom and told her. Maybe she did it today. I hope so. They get along really well, and it would probably be easier for Mom to hear it from Melanie than from anyone else.”
“It’s not easy for anyone to hear,” Garrett said quietly. “It’s even harder to accept, but we really don’t have a choice, do we?”
Collin sighed. “No, Granddad, I guess we don’t.”
After about fifteen minutes of pulling herself together, Melanie followed the fence line back to the compound. It didn’t surprise her to see Eli over near a corral, and neither did it daunt her. Holding her head high, she marched right up to him.
“Granddad asked me to break and train those new fillies. I’m sure I could stumble around and find the field or corral or whatever is the preferred training ground in these parts, but perhaps you wouldn’t mind telling me where it is and also where any available equipment is kept.”
“Garrett never said a word to me about you or anyone else doing one thing with those fillies, and for your information, I’ve already started breaking them.”
Melanie was so taken aback that she nearly lost her cool. “In that case, when Granddad gets back and asks if I’ve made any headway with the fillies, I’ll tell him you refused to believe I had a right to go near them. Thanks for your time…and for calling me a liar.”
Frowning, Eli watched her march off toward the house. Had Garrett really asked her to work with those fillies? Something told him yes. And now Melanie was going to tell her grandfather that Eli had called her a liar?
“Damnation!” Muttering obscenities under his breath, he ran t
o catch up with Melanie. “Wait a second, will you?” he growled when he finally reached her.
She stopped and looked at him. “I do believe you’re out of breath. Now, what could be so urgent that you actually ran to catch up with me? Oh, I know. You thought of another insult to lay on me. Well, say your piece and get it over with so I can go in.”
“The only insults between you and me are in your own mind. I never called you a liar.”
“Oh, really? Sounded to me like you did. Not in those exact words, of course, but it was what you meant.”
“Did Garrett really ask you to break and train those fillies?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Why did he let me get started with them, then?”
Beginning to lose patience, Melanie raised her voice. “How on earth would I know why anyone does anything on this ranch? On any ranch?”
“You don’t have to get mad.”
“But anger is the universal language! It’s something even bullheaded, arrogant men understand!” Whirling, Melanie strode off.
“Hey, wait a sec!” Eli caught up again and stopped her by taking her arm.
“What now, change your mind about a roll in the hay?” she demanded in frosty tones.
Eli’s jaw dropped in shock and he glanced around to see if anyone was close enough to have heard. “What’s the matter with you? Don’t you have any inhibitions?”
“Neither of us did for a few minutes behind that shed, sport, but isn’t it amazing that anything a man does or says is perfectly acceptable because he’s a he, and if a woman says what she’s really thinking, she’s a tramp?”
Eli groaned. “Where do you get all those crazy ideas? I never thought of you as a tramp and I sure as hell didn’t intimate any such thing. I just don’t think you should be shouting for all the world to hear that you and I nearly…almost—”
“Oh, for crying out loud, you can’t even say it! Eli, I would suggest that you grow up and get a life!” Shaking off his hand, Melanie flounced off, heading once again for the house.
Stunned because she seemed to understand him as no one else he’d met in Montana ever had—even Garrett—Eli stared at her sexy, long-legged, loose-jointed stride. That’s what’s so different about her. She isn’t bogged down with inhibitions! Even her walk announces her free spirit.
And she was going to be here for three weeks? Eli shuddered. Three weeks of constant temptation was sure to be a living hell. How in God’s name would he survive it?
They were only a few miles from the ranch when Garrett spoke after a long spell of silence. “I’ve been thinking about what Wayne told me on the phone the other night.”
“What was that, Granddad?”
“They’re planning to sell the Kincaid ranch near Whitehorn.”
“They are? How come?”
“The people who adopted Jenny, the little girl who owns the ranch, believe she’d be better off without it. The few Kincaids left on that side of the family have to live with an awful lot of bad memories connected to that ranch, Collin.”
“Yes, I suppose they do.”
“Do you remember when Larry, you and I went to Whitehorn and Wayne showed us all around the ranch?”
“Yeah, I remember. Why?”
“Well, those six young men wouldn’t be bothered by old events they know nothing about, would they?”
“Not unless that old curse you told me Bart Kincaid’s Cheyenne mother put on the place is still hanging over it. Wasn’t it something about death and destruction to anyone seeking wealth from that land?”
“I don’t put much trust in curses, Collin.”
“But you can’t deny that some pretty awful things happened to that branch of the family.”
“No, I can’t deny that, but I doubt it was because of a curse. Anyhow, getting back to what Wayne told me about selling the Whitehorn ranch, what if I bought it and gave it to your, uh, half brothers?”
If Collin hadn’t been driving, he would have shown his surprise more. But with his hands on the steering wheel, all he could do was send his grandfather a look of utter astonishment.
“I honestly don’t know what to say,” he finally got out.
“It would take something away from everyone else’s inheritance,” Garrett said quietly. “I’m sure Wayne and the other trustees are asking a pretty penny for the ranch, as well they should, for it’s one of the best operations I’ve seen. But if I could take care of those boys with that ranch and leave this one intact for you, Collin, I believe I would be very much relieved.”
“Granddad, I realize now how much this has been bothering you, but how are you going to even find those guys to give them anything?”
“I haven’t figured that out yet, but I’d like to contact Wayne and make arrangements for you and me to take another look at the Whitehorn ranch. What do you say, Collin? Will you come with me?”
“You know I will, but what about Melanie? She’s here to spend time with each of us, so maybe you should ask her to come along, too.”
Garrett thought a moment, then shook his head. “I’d rather she didn’t. I’d like to ride every foot of that ranch and inspect it thoroughly, which probably means camping out a few nights. No, I’d rather Melanie stayed behind. I’ll explain the situation to her and I’m sure she’ll understand.”
“Will she?” Collin muttered in an undertone.
“What was that?”
“Nothing, Granddad. Nothing at all.”
Five
Melanie positively glowed when Garrett asked her to join him on the front porch that evening after supper was over. They sat in side-by-side rockers and for a while enjoyed a sense of camaraderie in contented silence.
Even contented, though, Melanie could maintain silence for only so long. “I wonder what Collin is doing,” she murmured. “I’m surprised he’s not out here with us.”
“I told him I wanted to talk to you alone.”
There was something off-key in Garrett’s voice, and Melanie’s marvelously mellow mood slipped a bit. “Is something wrong, Granddad?” she asked, then forced a little laugh. “Just listen to me, would you? I’ve been waiting for a chance to be alone with you. There are so many things I’d like to ask you about, and tonight I have the opportunity, and—”
“I’m sorry, Melanie, but we’ll have to save that conversation for another day. What I need to talk to you about this evening is of grave concern to me and possibly to you, as well. Today, Collin and I met with John Wheaton, my lawyer and friend, to discuss the items we found in your father’s safety-deposit box. You see, even though Larry had very little in the way of either assets or liabilities—or so I believed—an unexpected death always leaves loose ends that must be tied up by someone. I accepted the task of settling my son’s estate in good faith, never dreaming that he had secrets of such magnitude.
“Melanie, those men are your halfbrothers. Does that mean anything to you?”
Melanie looked out across the lawn to the darkening horizon. “I don’t know them, Granddad, any more than I knew Dad. I think you would like me to say that yes, they mean something to me, but they don’t. If you decide to look for them and actually find them, then I meet them and get to know them, I’m sure I’ll feel differently, but as of this moment they are merely six more strangers in a world full of strangers. I’m sorry, but I can’t lie about it.”
“I wouldn’t want you to lie, child, and I’m glad you spoke truthfully. But can you see why I might feel differently than you do about those young men?”
“I would think you’d be so angry with Dad that you would simply wash your hands of the whole awful affair.” Melanie gave a brief, brittle laugh. “Oh, I mean the six awful affairs.”
“You’re very angry at your father, aren’t you?” Garrett said sadly.
Melanie got up and moved to the porch rail. “I’m more hurt than angry. How could he have forgotten me so completely? All those sons and one daughter. I would think that each time one of his illegitimate sons
was born, he would have remembered his only daughter.”
Turning around, she leaned her hips against the rail and looked at her grandfather. “But he never remembered me. And he wouldn’t have remembered Collin, either, if Collin hadn’t come here to live. I’m sure he treated his other sons the same way, and it’s totally beyond me why he even kept mementos of them. But I’d bet you one thing, Granddad. If and when you do find those long-lost grandsons, I bet that not a one of them ever got so much as a birthday card from Dad.”
“I wouldn’t bet against you on that, honey,” Garrett said quietly. “No one knew my son better than me, with the possible exception of your mother. Larry pulled the wool over Sue Ellen’s eyes for only so long, though, and when she finally saw through his charm and blarney, she took you kids and left. But whatever he did, Melanie, he was my son and I loved him. Can you understand that?”
“Yes, of course. It’s the way Mom loves me.”
“Exactly. And you know, child, I’m as guilty as your dad was about never remembering you. I didn’t send any birthday cards, either, and I got to thinking about that after Larry died so suddenly. Nothing like a visit from the grim reaper to make a man start adjusting his priorities. Anyway, you’re probably the main reason I feel as though I should hunt up those six young men. I don’t want any of them saying someday, ‘I had a grandfather who knew about me, but he never did anything about it. The old buzzard probably didn’t want a thing to do with me.’”
As serious as their conversation had been, Melanie couldn’t help laughing. “You’re not an old buzzard, for goodness’ sake.”
Garrett grinned. “Sure, I am…sort of.”
Wayne was elated when Garrett called and asked if he and Collin could take another look at the Whitehorn ranch. “I’ve got a lot on my plate right now, Wayne, what with discovering six new grandsons and wondering where they’re living and what kind of men they grew up to be, but I’ve given some thought to maybe buying Jenny’s ranch and giving it to those boys.”
The Kincaid Bride Page 6