Gina leaned forward. “My husband started the Yamazaki Marine Foundation in Houston. Then my daughter took over when we lost him. Now Quinn runs it. The ocean has always been a family mission.”
Lightning danced across the sky, but it was in the distance now. The rumbling of the thunder subdued as she turned into the ranch. A trumpet blared into the car, and Quinn pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“That’ll get your attention,” she laughed, after her racing heart settled.
“It’s the girls.” He lifted the phone to his ear. “Everything okay?”
He waited a bit. “Yes, we’re staying on the ranch. Baba and Jonah are fine, but there was a fire at the house. It’s going to be okay. We’re at the ranch entryway. I’ll explain everything when we get there. It should be soon.”
“Less than five minutes,” Belle told him.
He smiled and nodded at her. “Okay. Yes. Baba and Jonah are fine. I’ll let her know. I love you more. See you in a minute.” With a heavy sigh, he lowered the phone. “Mr. De La Rosa said to meet him at Cabin Two.”
She frowned. “Mr. De La Rosa?” He knew her uncle was dead. “Oh, Xavier?” She laughed. “I’ve never heard him referred to as ‘Mr.’”
“He owns the ranch now, right?”
“His father was Frank, so he and Damian have more rights to the ranch than I do. My grandfather gave seventy-five percent to his son and twenty-five percent to his daughter, my mother.” She tightened her lips. Why was she offering him information?
“But you run it?”
From the corner of her eye, she saw the intensity of his eyes as he studied her. “I manage the ranch. The daily running. We’re trying to locate my mother so that we can...” She wanted to slam her head against the steering wheel. She didn’t talk family business with anyone. If she did, she’d have to explain why they were trying to get their mother taken off all family holdings. She didn’t want to say that she couldn’t trust the woman who gave birth to her. It was humiliating. “And Gabby. She’s Frank’s youngest. She was sent to live with a great-aunt after her mother, Frank’s wife, died. We’ve lost touch with her.”
He didn’t need to know that her brothers had sent her away at the age of nine to protect her from her own father.
She had worked hard to change the reputation of the De La Rosa family. Her daughters, niece and nephews were not going to grow up as laughingstock of the county like her and the boys.
She was proud of all her brother and cousins had overcome, and she was going to make sure the ranch stayed in the family and flourished.
That was a full-time job. The last time she’d allowed good looks and a charming smile to distract her with dreams of another life, it hadn’t ended well. Her hand lightly touched the mark along the side of her temple.
Unfortunately, she had the scars to prove it.
Just because he was nice to his mother-in-law and obviously loved his kids didn’t change the fact that she wasn’t interested. She wasn’t.
Chapter Three
As the sun touched the land the next morning, Belle turned the horses out. She stood at the fence and watched them run. The air was fresh with wet earth, and the sky was clear. No sign of the storm.
She hadn’t ridden the southwest pastures in a while.
Fence day was on her schedule this morning. Starting her daily ritual, she patted the post next to her as she spoke to it. “Oh, Guardians of the Pastures, it’s time to visit your brothers-in-arms in a faraway land.”
She rolled her eyes at herself. Really, Izabella, you need more time with adults. This was what happened to someone who didn’t have time for people.
Selena might be right to worry about her holding conversations with objects. At least they weren’t answering back yet.
“Mom!” Cassie came running around the barn with her five-year-old sister and Frog, their Australian shepherd, close on her heels. That dog rarely left their sides. “We did our morning inside chores. Can we go to Cabin Two? We want to show Meg and Hannah the baby goats.”
Lucy nodded, her dark curls flying around her face. “And the chickens.”
Belle waved Lucy over to her and slipped the rubber band off her wrist and onto her daughter’s unruly hair. “It’s early and Meg and Hannah had a long night. Feed the chickens and gather the eggs. I’ll cook some breakfast and, before we feed the goats, I’ll call and see if they want to come over. They have a lot to deal with, so I’m not sure what their dad wants to do.”
Lucy pouted. Cassie’s shoulders slumped. “But they wanted to feed the baby goats and I told them they could help. They were super excited.”
Before she could say anything, her phone vibrated in her pocket. “Girls, I’m not arguing about this. The chickens are waiting for you.”
Heads down, they moved to the henhouse as if they’d lost their puppies. She shook her head. So dramatic.
Her phone vibrated again. It was Quinn. “Hi, Quinn. Sorry, I was distracted.”
“No problem. I assumed that running a ranch you’d be up already. The girls are driving me crazy saying that they’re supposed to help bottle-feed baby goats this morning. Do you know anything about this?”
She laughed. “We’re going to have to watch our girls very carefully. They’re plotters. Poor Jonah doesn’t have a chance. Cassie told me they’d asked to help feed the goats.”
He groaned. “I’m sorry. I’ll talk to them about inviting themselves.”
“I’m pretty sure Cassie organized all of this. She has a knack. I know you have a lot to deal with today. Why don’t you bring them over to the house? In another hour I’ll have breakfast ready. You and Gina can join us. The kids can hang out with me today while you take care of the house.”
“Three extra kids? That’s a lot.”
“Nah. Around here, that’s the norm. Yours are all potty trained and can feed themselves. That’s a bonus. You remember Xavier? He has triplets. Two-year-old triplets. And my brother’s little girl is here all the time, too. She’s six. Yours will fit in fine, and if they don’t, I promise to call.”
“So, it’s okay if we come over?”
“Sure. In fact, I’ll be driving past your place, so I can pick you up—I have to drop some mail off to Damian.”
“Damian?”
“Yes. Another De La Rosa. We’re everywhere. Xavier’s younger brother. He lives in the farthest cabin.”
“Okay.”
With a slight shift in plans, Belle loaded the girls into the old Suburban, gathered the Sinclair clan and went by Damian’s. As usual, her cousin was sitting on the porch, looking as though he were on guard. His two Belgian Malinois sat on either side of him. She hadn’t even heard of the dog breed until he’d come back from the army with one. Now he had two. They were as silent and stoic as their master.
“Stay here. I’m going to give Damian his mail. He doesn’t like strangers.”
As she climbed out, she heard Lucy say, “He likes horses and dogs. He doesn’t like people at all.”
She shook her head. Were they making it worse, letting Damian hide from the world? Everyone was afraid to force the issue. He was safe out here. But was it enough? Would he ever be happy?
A few words, very few, and they were on their way to the barns. Once inside, she loved the sound of all the childish giggles as they took turns bottle-feeding the four goats. A local rancher had given them to her to hand-raise after their mother had abandoned them.
The morning flew by. Before she knew it, all the chores were done, and breakfast was eaten. As she made her way to the stables, Elijah joined her to help check the fences.
Jazz and her daughter, Rosie, were hanging out until after lunch. Then Jazz would be heading to town for a meeting.
The best part was that Gina had volunteered to watch the kids for the rest of the day. Her girls didn’t have grandparents of their
own, so they were eating up the attention and already calling her Baba. She would be added to the list of adopted grandparents her girls were collecting. They craved family connections, and Belle was grateful that Xavier’s and Elijah’s in-laws accepted her daughters, too.
Out in the pastures with Elijah, she discovered that the storm had caused more damage than she’d predicted, and they didn’t get home until the sun was close to the western horizon. Horses put away, Elijah headed for his truck, and she went to the back porch. Gina was in a rocker, reading.
“Sorry. We’re later than I thought we’d be. Have you heard from Quinn?”
Looking over her glasses, she nodded. “My car is totaled, but the insurance company is being difficult. Everything in the kids’ rooms is a total loss.” She shook her head. “Every time I start thinking of all the little things we lost, I get overwhelmed, so I’m reading. We’re all safe and have a place to stay. Thank you for your help.”
“De nada. Reading’s a good strategy. It’s one of my favorites. Where are the kids? Are they inside?”
“They watched a movie, then asked to go out to the garden.” She pointed to the large area surrounded by the tall fence.
As Belle headed toward the garden, she planned out the next week in her head. She reflected that ranch work was hard, but it recharged her heart, mind and body. She reached the garden gate. “Cassie?”
No answer. “Lucy?”
She stood in the center of the garden and listened. Five kids should make some noise. “Cassie. Lucy. I’m tired and not in the mood for hide-and-seek.” They loved hiding in the garden. The walls of green bean runners and bamboo teepees were not yet covered with cucumber vines, but it still made for cozy hiding places. It was early in the season, and plants weren’t as solid as they’d be in another month.
They weren’t there. Had they gone inside without Gina seeing them?
She walked through the garden again. It was a quarter of an acre, so there was some space to cover.
She called their names. The back gate was open. Her heart fluttered. Her girls knew better than to take off away from the house without adult permission.
But they had new friends to impress. Standing outside the garden, she called all their names. There was a path that went to the barns. Maybe they had gone to play with the goats.
Her dog was missing, too. That made her feel a little better. That dog would be barking like crazy if anything was wrong. Jogging to the goat barn, she rushed through the doors, calling their names. Nothing.
Don’t panic. They’re here somewhere. The chickens. Kids found chicks irresistible. Deep breaths and long strides got her to the large chicken coop. No kids.
It was time to call for help. Elijah wouldn’t be too far out, and she needed to call Quinn. Maybe the kids had gone to the cabin.
On the way back to the house, she called her brother. He immediately turned around. Then she called Quinn. She’d promised him his kids would be safe with her. She wanted to throw up.
Gina was still in the rocker. Her chin was down as if she was sleeping.
“Gina.” Belle shook her gently on the shoulder.
Sitting straight up, the older woman blinked to clear her eyes. “Everything all right?”
“The kids left the garden. I went to the barns, but they weren’t there. They might have gone to the cabin. Elijah’s on his way, and I left a message for Quinn. I’m going to walk to your cabin on the back path. My girls would have known about the path connecting the house to the cabins. You stay here and keep an eye out. Tell Elijah and Quinn where I am. One of them should drive to the cabin. The other can follow me on the path. Okay?”
Oh, no. Tears were forming in Gina’s eyes. “I thought they’d be okay in the garden.” She stood. “Let me help find them.”
“I need you to stay here. Elijah and Quinn are coming here, and I might miss the kids if they come back to the house. So, stay here.”
Gina walked to the railing and scanned the area. “Okay.”
Jumping off the porch, Belle dashed to the back of the garden and slowly started tracking the path they’d have taken if they’d gone to the cabin.
Cassie was old enough to understand the dangers. What had led them to leave the garden? Something moved behind her. Heart pounding, she turned. Someone was walking through the thicket. Someone larger than a child.
Belle crouched, putting herself in a better position to run or charge depending on what was needed. She had her knife on her belt, but no gun.
The thicket was pushed back, and she saw a black cowboy hat. Clear blue eyes met hers. Quinn.
She stood and sighed. “I’m so happy to see you. You got here really fast.”
His mouth was tight. “I was pulling up to the house when you left the message. My phone is off while I’m driving. Gina sent me this way. Have you seen the kids? How long have they been missing?”
Returning to the trail, she glanced over her shoulder at him. “Less than forty-five minutes, longer than thirty.” Her phone vibrated. “Elijah sent a message. He’s driving straight to the cabin. If they’re not there, he’ll get Damian and Xavier on horseback, and they’ll cover more ground. But I think we’ll find them between here and the cabin.” She pointed to some of the shrubs. “The branches are broken, and grass is trampled here.”
She stopped. The thicket was pushed back. “It looks like someone went off-trail.” Crouching, she pushed her way through the smaller area. She was too big for this.
“Did you find something?” He was right behind her.
“Cassie,” she called. Her heart raced.
“Mama. Shhh. You’ll scare them.” Cassie’s voice came from deep in the underbrush, somewhere to the left of her. Belle’s faithful dog, Frog, was flat on her belly, pressed against Cassie. Her brown and blue eyes shifted, then looked away, guilty.
“Cassandra De La Rosa Perez!” She wanted to cry in relief and yell in anger all at the same time.
One of the twins came out of the thicket, her dark blue eyes shining with excitement. “We’ve been tracking kittens. They’re lost and hungry. But every time we get close, they run again.” She put her fingers to her lips. “They’re getting tired. One keeps falling. We want to help them, but they’re scared of us.”
“Sweetheart, you know to leave animals alone. Their mother is probably looking for them. We were scared because you said you’d stay in the garden, but you didn’t. Baba is scared and worried. I was worried. We have Cassie and Lucy’s uncles looking for you.”
The other twin came out holding her brother’s hand. “Daddy, when you see them, you’ll understand. They don’t have a mother. They’re super skinny, and they look sick and beat-up. They need help and we were the only ones around.”
He groaned and tilted his head. “Even more of a reason not to follow them. You should have told Baba and waited for us.” He went around Belle and knelt in front of his children. “You are in major trouble, and we will figure out a consequence. First, apologize to Ms. De La Rosa.”
All three turned to her and said they were sorry for scaring her and leaving the garden.
“Where are these orphaned kittens?” she asked.
They turned and crouched to get through the thick undergrowth. Belle crawled through the little tunnel they had made to follow the kittens. Cassie was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest. Lucy was flat on her stomach. Her arms stretched out in front of her, reaching farther into an area Belle couldn’t see due to the branches and plants.
“Lucy! What are you doing? There could be snakes or all sorts of things that could hurt y’all.”
Cassie looked up at her. Big tears hovered in her gray-green De La Rosa eyes. “Mama. They’re hurt and sick. Lucy’s letting them get used to her so she can get close enough to grab them. Please, Mama. I know we should have told you, but they were running away, and if we didn’t follow
, we’d lose them.” The tears fell. Her baby had the biggest heart.
Crawling her way to them, Belle grimaced, sure she was tearing and staining her clothes past repair as she made her way through the thick bush. “Where are they?”
Cassie pointed, and Belle looked through the branches of the shrubs. In a bed of dried leaves, two spotted kittens were curled around each other. The girls were right. They didn’t look like they’d make it much longer.
Quinn was at her shoulder. A strange noise escaped his throat. “Oh, sweetheart. Those aren’t domestic kittens. It looks like you found a pair of ocelots.”
Turning, eyes wide, Belle looked at him. “Here? But they’re endangered.”
He leaned closer. “Yeah, just a handful left in the wild, and they like to hide. The girls are right. These guys have been orphaned.”
Lucy wiggled closer. “I touched one,” she whispered.
“Easy, baby.” Belle put her hand on her youngest daughter’s shoulder. “These are wild animals.”
“But I can reach it now.” Her voice hushed as she focused on the small cats.
After taking off his long-sleeved button-up, Quinn stretched out beside her. That was a major accomplishment. The space was small, and he wasn’t. The undergrowth was cutting at his now bare arms. His cotton T-shirt didn’t provide much protection.
“Can you slowly pull the cub closer to me?”
Lucy nodded, and with her tongue out in concentration, she gently brought the furball closer to them. Everyone held their breaths.
The furball hissed as he wrapped it in his shirt. “Okay. Good job. Can you get the other one?”
She nodded and moved deeper into the thicket. After a little wiggling and slow-motion movement, she handed the second one to him.
“They’re both females,” he said, carefully studying them. “They look dehydrated and malnourished, but they’re definitely ocelots.” His eyes shimmered with excitement. “De La Rosas, you have ocelots living on your ranch. It’s amazing.”
The kids crowded around him. “Can we keep them?”
“No. We can nurture them back to health, but they’re wild animals and need to live in their natural habitat.”
The Texan's Promise Page 3