Tina Radcliffe - Her Last Chance Cowboy

“Do you have proof? A birth certificate maybe?” Lucy asked.

“My birth certificate says my mother is Anne Bryant and the name of my father is noted as declined .”

The siblings looked at each other. Hannah could practically read their minds. They were doing the math. But she had already done that in Colorado and knew only too well that she was a year younger than Emma.

“I’m confused,” Lucy said.

“Believe me, I am, as well,” Hannah said. “I was born twenty-nine years ago last month. My mother died when I was too young to ask who declined was, and my grandmother wouldn’t discuss my father.” Hannah took a deep breath. “Clementine and I were in Denver for my grandmother’s funeral. Until the reading of the will, I thought she was my only living relative.”

“We’re so sorry for your loss,” Lucy said gently. “We know what it’s like to lose everything. But what led you to think...” She gestured with a hand.

“I inherited a chest of my mother’s things after she passed.” Hannah paused for a calming breath. Again, she reminded herself that she hadn’t done anything wrong. “There was a Bible with photos of my mother and Jake Maxwell tucked inside.”

“Surely there’s more than one Jake Maxwell in all the world,” Lucy said.

“I compared the photos to the Denver Public Library microfiche files with your father’s obituary photo. That’s also what led me to Big Heart Ranch.”

Lucy grimaced and nodded.

“Could we see the photos you have?” Travis asked.

“Yes. Of course. They’re in the trunk of my car.”

The eldest Maxwell’s gaze moved out the window to the pasture of tall grass in the distance. Then she slowly turned back to face Hannah. “I want to be sensitive to you, but this still doesn’t prove that he’s your father.”

Hannah stared down at her tightly clasped hands for moments, recalling the letters she’d read over and over again.

Dearest Anne, you are on my mind constantly...

She raised her head to face the Maxwells. “There are also dated letters from Jake to Anne that indicate a very close relationship.”

Lucy’s face paled as she released a soft, anguished sigh and covered her mouth with a hand.

“I’m sorry,” Hannah murmured.

“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about,” Travis said. “This has to be as difficult for you as it is for all of us.”

“We could do a DNA test. Couldn’t we?” Emma asked while looking at Jack Harris for a response.

The attorney reached out to hold Lucy’s hand. “Sure, but as I recall, without paternal or maternal DNA, the results won’t be absolutely conclusive, though they will show if you’re family.”

“I think we should talk to a lab and find out how to proceed,” Emma returned.

“This is a lot to take in, Em,” Lucy said. “That Dad had a relationship outside of his marriage.”

“Four years before they died,” Travis murmured.

Emma turned to her siblings. “We can’t begin to presume to interpret the past. I don’t think we should even try. I say we deal with facts. Hannah is here and for her peace of mind and ours we should find out if we are indeed family.” She offered Hannah a sad smile.

Travis, too, offered a sympathetic nod. “All of our lives are affected if it’s true.”

Lucy met Hannah’s gaze. “I have to be clear. The ranch is a charity. The land was given to us by our mother’s cousin. The woman who adopted us. Big Heart Ranch is a sanctuary for orphaned, abused and neglected children. This ranch is our life mission, but we have no inheritance. Nothing.”

Hannah’s gut clenched at the words. Inheritance? If only they knew she’d already walked away from one. What she longed for was to find her place in this world.

“I’m here for the same answers you want,” Hannah murmured. “Period.”

Once again, an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

“Where are you staying?” Lucy asked.

“I saw a motel on the way in.”

“The Rooster Motel?” A horrified look crossed Lucy’s face. “Oh, you don’t want to stay there. We have a nice bed-and-breakfast in Timber.”

“That’s not really in our budget, but thank you,” Hannah said without looking at any of them.

“Well then, I’d like to invite you to stay at Big Heart Ranch, at the very least until we can figure all of this out,” Lucy said while she looked to her siblings for confirmation.

Hannah held her head high. “I don’t do charity.”

“Of course not. We can always use help on the ranch,” Emma said.

“What about Clementine?” Hannah asked.

“There is a licensed daycare at the ranch now,” Lucy said. “How old is she?”

“Clementine is five. Almost six.”

“It’s May. Isn’t she enrolled in school?” Emma asked.

“We’ve moved around a lot,” Hannah said. There was no point sharing further details. Her past had nothing to do with the Maxwells other than when it intersected with theirs.

Emma frowned. “I handle childcare at the ranch and I can tell you that kindergarten is mandatory in Oklahoma.”

“It’s not in Texas, Kansas and Missouri.”

“You certainly have traveled,” Emma murmured.

Traveled. Hannah nearly laughed out loud. Not quite. She had been running from her grandmother’s reach for nearly seven years. Staying one step ahead of the wealthy woman who insinuated that she could take Clementine away from Hannah if she so desired.

“I’m sure we have some area you could contribute to on Big Heart Ranch.”

“What’s your background?” Lucy asked.

“Recently, I’ve been a bookkeeper, cashier and mostly a cook.”

“All useful skills.” Travis shook his head. “Can you ride?”

“Yes, absolutely. I have an extensive background with horses. I’ve been riding since I was a kid. I worked in children’s camps and equine clinics when I was a teenager and in college.” Hannah paused and swallowed. “However, there’s something you should know.”

“What’s that?” he asked.

“I’m pregnant.” Hannah sat straight and proudly. Yes, she was a single mother whose husband had left her not once, but twice. But she refused to give in to the whispers of shame fueled by her grandmother that had dogged her for the past seven years.

“Congratulations,” Travis said. He grinned like a preening peacock as he put his arm around his wife. “AJ and I have a baby due in August.” He glanced over at Emma. “And Emma and Zach are expecting a baby in December.”

“That’s wonderful,” Hannah said.

Emma chimed in, “When is your baby due?”

“Late December.”

“Congratulations,” Emma added, her face lighting up with genuine pleasure. “Oh, my, we’re due at the same time.”

“I’ll add my congratulations, too,” Lucy said. “As you can see, we love babies around here. Your...um, partner is with you in Oklahoma?”

“I’m recently divorced.” She cleared her throat and once again focused on her hands, running her thumb over a ragged hangnail. Recently divorced because once he’d found out she wasn’t going to be a wealthy woman, he’d walked away.

An awkward silence stretched before Lucy cleared her throat.

“You do understand what we do here at the ranch, right?” Lucy asked.

“Not exactly,” Hannah admitted.

“We create a new normal for the children who come to live with us at Big Heart Ranch. We have two ranches here, the boys’ ranch and the girls’ ranch. The children are placed in a real house with house parents, not a dormitory. Though they aren’t a biological family, they are a family of the heart. A forever family. Our children have daily devotionals, lessons, homework and chores, just like any other child.”