“I’m glad, Marsh,” Hope said. “It’s past time.”
“You’ve got that right. All these family weddings have been messing with my head big-time. One way or another, I’m going to marry her or get over her.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“Not yet.” He shot her a grim smile. “I’m counting on you to help me come up with something.”
“I’ll do whatever I can,” Hope promised. “How did you know where to find me?”
“I stopped in at the main house and the Mamas said you were staying with George. They weren’t very happy about it.”
“Jake hasn’t told them yet?”
“Told them what?”
“I’ve bought the Double Circle.”
His mouth dropping open, Marsh stared at her while the car swerved toward the other lane. “You’re kidding.”
“Watch where you’re going.” Hope grabbed the steering wheel and got them back onto their own side of the road. “And I’m quite serious, Marsh. We closed on it yesterday.”
“But Jake’s wanted to buy it for years.”
“George chose to sell it to me,” she said, feeling oddly defensive. “I paid him a fair price. What’s the problem?”
“I just said it.” Marsh turned into the Double Circle’s drive and parked beside Hope’s car. “Jake’s wanted the Double Circle for years.”
Raising her eyebrows, Hope allowed an acid note to slip into her voice. “And does Jake always get everything he wants?”
Marsh considered that for a moment, then slowly nodded. “Yeah. Usually. Except for when Ellen died.”
“You mean his wife.”
“That’s right,” Marsh said, nodding again. “You knew she passed away about eight years ago, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but nobody ever mentioned what happened to her. Was it an accident?”
“An accident would’ve been kinder. It was cancer, but we don’t talk about it anymore.” A thoughtful frown creasing his forehead, Marsh shifted sideways in his seat, turning to face her more fully. “Are you prepared to face all the ramifications of buying this ranch?”
Ramifications? She didn’t like the way that sounded. “What do you mean?”
“Everybody knows how much work Jake’s put into the Double Circle over the years. Most folks assume there’s been some kind of an understanding between Jake and George.”
“I asked Jake if he had an option to buy the Double Circle and he changed the subject to how little I know about ranching.”
Marsh’s grin returned. “He’s got a point about that.”
Hope rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Believe me, he already lectured me on that subject. At length. But back up for a second. If Jake and George didn’t have any legal agreement, I have as much right to buy it as anyone else—including Jake. Right?”
Smiling wryly, Marsh shook his head. “Sometimes business is done a little differently around here. Jake’s made no secret he wanted to buy George’s place. If George didn’t plan to sell it to him, he shouldn’t have accepted so much help from Jake.”
“Are you saying people will think I’ve cheated Jake out of something that was promised to him?”
“They might. It’s more likely they’ll blame George, but you could catch some of the fallout.”
Apprehension washing over her, Hope bit her lower lip. The McBrides didn’t always get along with each other, but they were known to close ranks and present a united front in the face of outside opposition. When the rest of the family heard about her purchase, would they all be as angry with her as Jake was? And if the rest of the community sided against her as well, living in Sunshine Gap could become distinctly unpleasant.
Not that she couldn’t handle unpleasantness. But she was just starting a new life. All this hostility wasn’t what she’d had in mind when she agreed to George’s plan.
Marsh gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Hey, don’t look so worried. It’s not that big a deal.”
“I really don’t think I did anything wrong, but…” Hope rubbed her temples where a headache was threatening. “Oh, maybe I should’ve thought about this more carefully. But I was so blasted angry at Jake.”
“What did he do?” Marsh asked.
Hope told him what Jake had said to her at the wedding reception and how he’d assumed she would marry George for his money. “Honestly, he was so judgmental and self-righteous, I wanted to teach him a lesson.”
Marsh tipped back his head and let out a big, booming laugh. “Well, you did, and he deserved it.”
“He certainly did.”
“The thing is,” Marsh said, his tone turning sober, “you’ve pushed ol’ Jake real hard with this. I doubt he’ll take it lying down.”
Hope looked up at the sky and asked the Universe, “What did I ever see in him?”
“Jake’s not so bad,” Marsh said. “With a guy like him, at least you always know where you stand. And when your butt’s in a sling, there’s nobody better to have in your corner.”
“I know he’s a good man,” she murmured. “That’s why I kept trying to get his attention.”
“Well, you’ve got it now,” Marsh said.
“I think I’d rather go back to having him ignore me. This isn’t the kind of attention I had in mind.”
“You could always change it.”
“How?”
“Stop dressing like a floozy.” Marsh snatched her cap and ruffled her hair. “And forget about the hair dye.”
“That shouldn’t matter so much,” Hope protested.
“Maybe not, but Jake’s a little conservative. You know, there’s such a thing as giving your audience too much to handle at one time.” Marsh’s face suddenly went blank and his mouth fell open.
“Are you all right?” Hope asked.
After a moment, his eyes came alive and he smacked his forehead with the palm of one hand. “Fine. And that’s it!”
“What’s it?”
“That’s how I’m going to get Sandy’s attention.” He clasped the sides of her face between his hands and planted a smacking kiss on her forehead. “DuMaine, you’re a genius!”
“What are you talking about?”
“The last three times I’ve been home, Sandy wouldn’t even talk to me. But thanks to you, she will this time.” He opened Hope’s door and made shooing motions with both hands. “Get out. I’ve got to go into town.”
He fired up the car’s engine. Hope scrambled out of the passenger seat and closed the door. “What are you going to do?”
“Buy a house,” he called, pulling away. “See you later.”
“Yeah, later,” Hope said, knowing he’d never hear her.
She watched him drive away until the dust cloud following his car dissipated. The McBrides were crazy. All of them.
Turning toward her own house, she couldn’t hold in a sigh of appreciation. It needed paint, landscaping and attention. It needed…her. She already loved