.

Cade’s cheeks flamed red. He grabbed at the cane but Ivor beat him to it.

      “Is there a hidden point in this thing?” Ivor peered into the end. “I saw canes like those at the nursing home where my grandma used to live.” He let the cane drop. “She’s dead, too,” he mumbled before returning to his cake. But instead of eating it, now he just picked at it.

      Much more gently this time, Ed poked his leg with the cane. When Ivor turned to look at him, Ed grinned and shook his head. No point, he scrawled on his sheet. Ivor grinned back.

      Abby saw shock fill Cade’s face. He stared at his father, then turned his attention to Ivor, obviously puzzled by the unspoken communication the two were sharing.

      “You should watch where you’re pointing that thing,” Ivor warned. “Someone might poke you with it.” Ed chuckled out loud. “Do you know how to play chess?”

      Ed nodded vigorously.

      “He’s very good at it,” Cade warned the boy. Abby knew he was trying to protect Ivor, that he feared his father would misbehave and somehow hurt the boy, not physically but mentally, the way she figured Cade must have been hurt.

      “I’m pretty good at it, too,” Ivor bragged with ten-year-old bravado. The lost look on his face drained away. “Want to have a game?”

      Ed jerked his head in a nod, beckoned to the boy and led the way out of the room. When they were gone, Cade turned to Abby.

      “Maybe I should go with them, make sure everything’s okay,” he said, his voice halting, unsure. “I don’t want the kid to get hurt. Not that Dad would purposely hurt him, but he’s not very careful about feelings.”

      “Let’s give them a chance.” Abby smiled. Under that veneer of gruffness, Cade was a big softie. “Do you have to go and care for your cattle tonight?” she asked to change the subject and to learn more about her new home.

      “I have a hired man. He would have taken a couple of bales of hay to their pasture this afternoon,” Cade explained. “I’m sure he’s fed the horses, too.”

      “Horses?” Abby gasped, staring at him, eyes wide. “You have horses?”

      “Most ranches do,” he teased, one eyebrow arched. “Why?”

      “I love horses.” Abby squeezed her eyes closed and silently whispered a thank-you to God. If she had to leave her precious little home, coming to a place with horses was the next best thing. “Can I see them?” she asked eagerly.

      “Well, maybe not tonight.” His crooked smile teased her. “I’ll show you and Ivor around tomorrow. Do you—did you ride?” he asked. Abby noticed the way he glanced at her stomach, then slid away.

      “Oh, goodness no,” she said with a laugh. “I don’t know the first thing about horses.”

      “Then how can you love them?” Cade looked totally confused. The look was so cute on him.

      “I’ve always been infatuated with horses.” She shrugged. She thought a moment, searching for a way to explain. “They’re so—pretty,” she finally managed.

      “My horses are not pretty.” Cade snorted his indignation. “They’re strong, capable, well trained, but pretty? No.” He frowned at her. “You sound like a city girl.”

      “I am a city girl.” She giggled when he rolled his eyes. “You and Max share that same macho characteristic. He always teased that I was naive.” She sobered suddenly. “I guess I was naive,” she murmured, remembering how her husband’s romantic dreams had melted away in the face of his post-traumatic stress issues and how he’d refused to accept his illness.

      She glanced up and found Cade watching her, a curious look on his face.

      “Max had no idea of the ugliness I’ve seen through my work,” she said quickly. “City or country, ugliness always rears its head.”

      Cade nodded but said nothing.

      When the moment of silence her words brought had stretched too long, Abby cleared her throat. “What do you raise your horses for?”

      “We sell ours for riding of all kinds, but rodeo stuff mostly. There are a lot of families in the area who are involved in 4-H.” Cade raised an eyebrow as if to ask if she knew what that was.

      “4-H. A group for kids to learn skills,” she shot back with a grin, anxious to show her knowledge. “Lots of involvement in gymkhanas which means riding and training a horse and participating in judged events.”

      “Very good.” Cade grinned back. She could tell he loved verbally sparring with her. “A lot of the dads around here buy their kids horses from me, which means they have to be broken and properly trained before the boy or girl ever gets on. We also dabble a little in pedigreed horses.”

      “And the cattle?”

      “Our cattle are Black Angus, raised strictly organic, prime Alberta beef. We also have a few pigs because I like ribs, a few dozen chickens because Mrs. Swanson likes her eggs fresh and natural, and some sheep who supply her with enough wool to knit her scarves and mitts for the street kids in Calgary.” A smile played at the corner of his lips. “We also get a few ducks and geese on the pond in the spring, the odd coyote or wolf after our cattle and some owls in the woods. That about covers the animals on the Double L.”

      “Why is it called the Double L?” Abby asked. The moment she said it, she knew she shouldn’t have. A dark, brooding look filled Cade’s face.

      “My great-grandfather homesteaded the land, then my grandfather and father.”

      “And now it’s passed on to you,” she said with a bright smile, trying to understand his odd manner.

      “For the time being,” Cade said, then pressed his lips together and stared at her.

      “That’s nice,” Abby said. “After my parents died, I had to sell their place. They had some serious bills from the nursing home they stayed in.” She blinked when Cade suddenly jerked upright.

      “Did your parents choose to go into the nursing home?” he asked in an intense tone.

      “Yes.” She nodded. “It was the best option for them. I was at university and couldn’t always be there when they needed me. They both had mobility issues because of lung problems. In the nursing home they got the care and support they needed to enjoy their lives.” She couldn’t help wondering why he’d asked.

      Cade said nothing but a raised eyebrow told her to continue.

      “They served overseas in Africa when they were young and got some virus that affected their lungs,” she explained. “That’s why they eventually came home. But the virus never went away.”

      “I’m sorry, Abby.” His hand brushed hers, then drew away.

      “It’s okay. They were both strong in their faith. I know they’re in heaven, waiting to see me. It’s just—” She paused a moment, sucked in a breath of courage to chase away her sadness and summoned a smile for him. “I get lonely now with Max gone, too.”

      A crash from the other room cut off whatever Cade had been going to say. They glanced at each other, then hurried to see what had happened. Abby could tell from Cade’s face that he expected the worst. What they found were Ivor and Ed laughing. The chess board and pieces were spread all over the floor.

      “Sore loser,” Ivor said to Ed, who simply grinned. Then he saw them standing in the doorway and the laughter stopped to be replaced by the scowl he habitually wore.

      “What happened?” Abby asked when Cade remained silent, his gaze locked with his dad’s.

      “I told Ed that cane would be the death of him,” Ivor explained. “He keeps waving it all over. Finally it caught on the board.” He shrugged. “We were finished anyway. I won.”

      Cade