Miles and miles of open land stretched in every direction, broken only by fence lines that seemed to go on forever andclusters of cattle grazing in the distance. Somehow the sky felt bigger here, bluer, not a single cloud to be seen for miles. The drive from the Midland airport had been long, flat, and uneventful. As Kade turned off the main road onto a long, gravel driveway, his truck kicked up a puff of the dusty Texas dirt that had surrounded them most of the morning. Her first glimpse of the Sweet Ranch unfolding before her, Cassidy peered through the windshield.
In the distance, a massive house, a sprawling fortress of stone and timber, stood against the vast, open sky. It was exactly as Kade had described it, yet seeing it in person felt different, more real. More intimidating. Barns and outbuildings dotted the landscape, and the sheer scale of the place was staggering. This wasn’t just a home; it was a legacy.
Her fingers gripped the edge of the dashboard, not from fear, but from the sudden overwhelming sense that she’d stepped into a different universe. One where people owned land measured in acres instead of square feet. Where families stayed for generations instead of foster placements measured in months.
“You okay?” Kade glanced over at her, concern creasing the edges of his eyes.
She nodded slowly. “It’s… big.” The word felt ridiculously inadequate.
“It’s home.”
Home. The word rattled around in her chest, foreign and familiar all at once. She’d never had a home. Not a real one. Only once had she come close, but even that had in the end proven to be temporary. Everything in her life had been temporary.
The car came to a stop in front of the house and a woman emerged onto the sprawling front porch, wiping her hands on an apron. She was smaller than Cassidy had imagined, but she moved with a quiet, undeniable strength. This had to be Alice Sweet.
“Ready?” Kade asked quietly.
Was she? Cassidy sucked in a breath and reached for the door handle. “As I’ll ever be.”
Kade was out of the car before Cassidy could unbuckle her seatbelt. His hand extended to her, she exited the old truck and he shortened his long strides to match hers. Unsteady legs moved one in front of the other. This was it. The point of no return.
“Thought you were going to be home yesterday.” Alice gave her son a soft smile and gentle kiss on the cheek. The gesture made Cassidy smile, such genuine maternal affection. Then the woman’s gaze shifted to Cassidy, her eyes, the same piercing blue as Kade’s, filled with a gentle curiosity.
His hand found the small of her back in a gesture that was both a steadying presence and a silent claim. “Mom, this is Cassie.”
Cassie? Where had that come from? She shot him a quick, questioning look, but he was focused entirely on his mother. Cassie—she kind of liked it. New name for the new her.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Alice said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. There was a reservation there, a mother’s natural caution.
“The pleasure is all mine.” Without any thought, Cassidy’s hand gravitated toward Kade’s like a magnet seeking true north, relieved to discover his hand reaching for her as well. Strong fingers wrapped around hers, channeling strength and support through that simple contact. She held on tight.
His mother’s gaze followed the movement, her eyes studious, pensive, as if able to see past the façade and read every thought and memory.
Kade squeezed her hand, a silent signal. “She’s my wife.”
Dark eyebrows rose high over deep blue penetrating eyes and Cassidy’s stomach lurched high in her throat, almost robbing her of any air.
Her gaze shifting from her son to Cassidy, a slow, radiant smile bloomed across Alice Sweet’s face, transforming her features and making her eyes sparkle. “I see,” then she stepped forward, her arms open, and pulled Cassidy into a fierce, welcoming hug.
Startled, Cassidy stood stiffly for a moment before releasing Kade’s hand, drawing her own arms up and returning the warm welcome.
This was so much more than a business deal. She was standing on the porch of a home that had stood for generations, beside a man she barely knew but was legally bound to, being hugged by a mother-in-law who had just accepted her without a single question. This was a whole new kind of crazy.
When Alice finally pulled back, her eyes were bright. “Come on in, both of you. I’ve got a pot roast in the oven and you must be exhausted from all that traveling.” She looked at Kade with that same knowing smile. “We’ll get you both settled.”
Cassidy glanced up at Kade as they crossed the threshold, their hands still linked. He met her gaze and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.
She didn’t understand how she could be welcomed so easily, no questions, no complaints, no rants, no insults. This world she’d slipped into was proving more bizarre than she could ever have imagined. Walking inside with her hand once again firmly ensconced in Kade’s, there was only one thing she was sure of: whatever came next, at least they were in this together.
Chapter Six
The moment his mother’s arms wrapped around Cassidy, every anxious nerve in his body relaxed. He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been until that simple gesture of acceptance. His mom didn’t ask questions, didn’t demand explanations—she just welcomed. That was Alice Sweet in a nutshell. The front door hadn’t even clicked shut behind them before Alice was herding them toward the kitchen, the scent of pot roast and something warm and cinnamon-spiced wrapping around Kade like the hug his mother had just bestowed on Cassidy. His mom was most definitely in her element, a whirlwind of happy energy as she pulled out glasses for tea. Her easy acceptance was the best-case scenario.
“May I help?” Cassidy eased away from Kade and moved toward his mother.
“Nonsense. For today, you’re a guest. Tomorrow you can help.”
Cassidy glanced at him, looking for what? Approval, advice? Not sure what she wanted, he nodded, smiled, and she immediately returned to his side. Apparently, silent communication between married people began early in a relationship regardless of how strong that relationship was. And wasn’t that an interesting little discovery.
