When they arrived at the house the men unloaded the boys’ things. Deanna met her at the front door and said “Girl, you’re going to owe me a mint for all these last, minute jobs.” The boys followed her upstairs and she showed them each their rooms. Deanna had worked her butt off to get the rooms done in time, each room had its own bathroom. They had a queen size bed, a desk, chairs, dressers, and a huge walk-in closet. Kathryn and Maria were waiting and began to help put everything away. Deanna had apparently been busy since Angel had been gone, she had taken pictures of the thoroughbreds here on the ranch and then she’d framed them they were some amazing pictures. They hung on each one of their walls. Angel watched going from room to room as each boy was settled in and their things unpacked and put away. The TV stands that Harold had brought each boy were a work of art and Brandon helped the boys, setup their internet connections and TV’s. She said evenly so both boys could hear “This is a one-time occasion, we clear? You needed things, I supplied them, from this point on if you need it, you tell me, and we’ll see about getting it. But you won’t just be given things because it’s what you want. But you will not ever go without again.”
Angel and the others decided to give the boys a few minutes to themselves. Jackson looked around stunned; he glanced at Kaleb and asked, “Can you believe this?” Kaleb sighed and said, “I like her.” Jackson nodded and said, “She’s honest, doesn’t pull her punches, she’s like us.” Kaleb nodded, then said “She’s not going to let us be idle anymore.” Jackson smiled and said “Yea, I know, we’re going to have someone who will push us little bro.” An hour later Angel knocked on their doors and when they came out, she asked “Would you like to see what we do here?” At their nods she said, “If you’re here you are going to have chores and you’re going to work.” She didn’t wait to see if they would follow, she just walked away. When they reached the barn, she introduced Cody to the boys, she noted Kaleb had his new camera with him, he asked “Can I walk around and look?” Angel replied “Yes, you can. But every morning you two will report here to the barn you are going to be helping out around here. Cody will show you what you need to do. You’ll do this until you decide what your next step is. Even after you start school or whatever you choose to do, you’ll have chores here, and if you ever need help, I’ll be here.” To her surprise neither argued just agreed with what she said.
They were standing there when Louisa came running in, she said “Angel there are men here to take Enrique away.” She was in tears and clearly scared. Angel pushed Louisa towards Cody and said “Stay with him Louisa, the least you see the better. I’ll go take care of this, Cody call Hannah.” That said she ran from the barn when she got to the barn Grant was already there blocking their way. Angel walked over calmly and asked “Gentlemen, do you have a warrant?” one of the men replied, “I wasn’t aware we needed one Miss. McDaniel’s.” Angel smiled and replied “When you show up on my property at the behest of none other than John Kingsley, then yes you need a warrant, and you can run back to Mr. Kingsley and tell him I said well, played. But he just screwed himself. You see that business he is so proud of owning that’s been in his family how many generations… oh yea it’s been in the family a hundred years. Well, it no longer is in the family, it belongs to me, a hostile takeover as of this morning. And you can also tell him as soon as he files for bankruptcy which he undoubtedly will since he’s leveraged up to his ears in debt, he’s lived off credit for years. That his ranch is going to be mine too.” She couldn’t miss the stunned disbelief on their faces; she turned to them again before leaving and said “As of this afternoon, Enrique has a work visa to be here. My attorney is on her way with the paperwork. If I were you I’d find better friends, they might just cost you your job.” She looked up the stairs at Enrique and said “Louisa is in the barn with Cody and my brothers. You can go on down there no one can bother you here.” Grant looked at her in shock after the men were gone and said, “When did you have time to do all that?” Angel smiled and said “Messing with me is one thing, messing with my family is completely different.
I had Aunt Ellen do some work for me. She seemed to love the idea she busted her ass. Right now, Jared and John Kingsley are living on borrowed time. I’m not going to lay off all those people at Christmas time, but I’m going to have to do some head hunting to find the perfect CEO and reorganizer. That definitely isn’t my cup of tea.” When they reached the barn, they saw Enrique hugging his sister, and Cody talking to them. She asked, “Where’s the twins?” Cody pointed down the aisle to where the twin foals were. Sure, enough her brothers stood in the stall door staring at the identical foals. Jackson asked, “How can you tell them apart?” Angel replied, “Those tiny halters of theirs have their names engraved on them.” Jackson paused then asked, “How can you tell us apart?” Angel replied honestly “Because you’re the quintessential older brother, you protect Kaleb. You’re the more dominant in your face twin.” Jackson looked at her oddly and said “Everyone who’s ever known us hasn’t looked further than our faces. They never cared to know how our personalities are. Yet, you’ve known us hours and know the key to telling us apart.” He paused and said “That guy who came in he’s Louisa’s brother? He takes care of her the same as you’re going to take care of us.” At her nod, he said “But, you’re taking care of them both aren’t you?” When she didn’t answer immediately, he said “that’s what you do isn’t it, you help and rescue people.” He paused then continued saying “You don’t hand them a free ride, but you give them the opportunity to better themselves. Just like you are with us.” She nodded slowly; while they had been talking Kaleb had been taking pictures of the foals. She looked over at him and said, “Once you get those edited and finished, I’d love to see them.” He nodded and said, “Sure thing, Angel.” And kept snapping photos.
Jackson said, “This place could use a good website.” Angel nodded and said, “True it could but I don’t have enough time in the day for all my projects. I just don’t have time to tackle creating the website.” Jackson pointed at himself and Kaleb and said “We’ll do it, you have a logo already. We’ll use it and some pictures of the horses. We can work on it at night when we’re not working.” Angel nodded and said “Sure, and if I like it, I’ll pay you to keep it updated and current.” When they came back out of the back Cody caught up to her and said “The phone has been ringing off the hook down here. I might need someone who knows computers to run that thing you have in the office and set appointments and make schedules and such. Between Gambler and now Heartbreaker people want to board their horses here and use the stud service.” Angel nodded and pointed at her brothers and said “Meet your new assistants. They volunteered to create a website for the ranch as well. Kaleb here is going to take some pictures of the horses and put them up with contact information and about their lineage. You give them the information you believe should be on the site and they will handle all the phone calls, the visitors, and setting vet appointments.” She smiled at Cody and continued “It’ll give you more time for what you love the most, the horses.” Cody stared at her and then looked at the boys and said “It won’t just be office work though that will be a lot of it. You’ll be working with the horses too. And, you’ll have to learn how to ride.” Kaleb laughed, and Cody arched his brow Jackson said, “We’re from a rural town in Georgia; we know how to ride a horse.” Cody nodded and said “We have quarter horses here for riding, stay away from the black, his names Shadow and he only likes your sister. As for the thoroughbreds we are meeting with a girl tomorrow she’ll be trying out as our exercise rider and jockey.”
Jackson and Kaleb weren’t stupid enough to look a gift horse in the mouth; they knew that their sister could help them have a better life. When Angel got up at 5:00 a.m. she knocked on both teen doors, when they answered they were half asleep, she said “Day begins early around here, you can either get showered and dressed or do that and meet me in the gym it’s in the pool house.” When she walked into the gym, she was pleasantly surprised to see her brothers there. Kaleb was on the second treadmill running, and Jackson was using the punching bag to workout. She decided to treat it like any other day; she only realized when she was doing one arm pushups that her brothers were staring when Grant cleared his throat. When she looked up it was into the glazed eyes of her brothers. She asked “yes?” Jackson asked cautiously “How do you do that?” she explained that for them to do it they would have to build up their upper body strength. Both boys nodded, she just hoped they stuck to the working out, she knew Grant didn’t get it neither did her dad, but it helped with the thought process and frustrations.
When they came into the house Maria was in the kitchen, she said “Miss. Angel you go get ready, I’ll cook breakfast.” Angel knew better than to argue. She shooed them all from the kitchen. When Angel came back down, she was in jeans, had on another long-sleeved undershirt and t-shirt she had on her cowboy boots, and had pulled her hair into a ponytail high on her head and had it pulled through the back of a Wild Creek Ranch baseball cap.
She grabbed her coffee and plate and sat at the table. She had just started eating when Hannah came in, Angel introduced her to the boys and Hannah said, “I’ll be setting up in your office, you can bring the boys in when you’re done eating.” Jackson asked, “Why do we need to see a lawyer?” Angel replied, “Because you have papers to sign.” Once they were seated in her office, they listened as Hannah broke things down for them. Each twin received the same bequeath from the grandparents as Angel had. The estate of their mother would be split three ways equally. She had papers from the grandparents and uncles that stated the boys received the same as Angel had, and there was the paperwork from Liam Montgomery’s attorney which had listed the boys as his sole surviving heirs. She guessed Stacia had met a man as messed up as she was. Liam’s net worth was split equally between his sons. Turned out Kaleb got his interest honest as Liam was a photographer. Hannah went about explaining that they wouldn’t be able to touch anything until they were twenty-one that they would receive an allowance monthly per their fathers will until they reached twenty-one. It was Jackson who asked the obvious “Is there an explanation for why Angel received her inheritance before we did?” Hannah replied honestly “Actually Angel hasn’t received all her inheritance she won’t receive the full portion of it from her grandparents until she’s twenty-one herself. But think about this realistically Jackson can you say you’re ready to handle that amount of responsibility and money now?” to everyone’s surprise it was Kaleb who said “No, we’re good with waiting. We know we have a lot of maturing and growing up to do. And if the money is protected from people who’d try to take advantage of us then it’s for the better. By the time we’re twenty-one we’ll be better able to see those people coming.
In Angel’s case she grew up around crooks, thieves, murders, some of the lowest people on earth, she can tell when she’s being lied too. We haven’t learned that yet, when we do, we’ll be ready for that responsibility.” Jackson didn’t argue he simply nodded and said “Yea, he’s right, that’s the way it should be.” After the boys signed some papers, and Angel did, Hannah handed them their own debit cards, their allowance each month would post to that card. When she told them what their monthly allowance would be Jackson said, “That’s almost enough to buy a car.”
Hannah nodded and said “Speaking of which, since you’ve completed high school, you’ll need to take a driver’s education class to get your learner’s permits here in this state. As well as being prepared to take your driving test when it’s your birthdays in two months.” Angel put in quickly “Driver’s license or not, you do not leave this ranch without a security member with you. I don’t go anywhere without Grant and neither of you go anywhere without someone who is on Grant’s team.” The boys nodded, she found their about turn from sullen to complacent rather odd, but she didn’t sense any falseness about it.