“Chuckie Knowles is not your real name,” Genevieve gently reproached her.
“No, it is the pet name Daddy gave me. My real one is––Isobel.”
“Isobel––?”
“Yes. Daddy’s sister, in Denver, always calls me that. But here on the ranch––”
“Isobel––?” repeated Genevieve, with a rising inflection.
The color ebbed from the girl’s face, but she answered steadily: “Chuckie––Isobel––Knowles. I am Daddy’s daughter. I have no other father.”
“Is-o-bel––Is-o-bel,” Genevieve intoned the name 267 musically. “It has a beautiful sound. I had a friend at school––Isabella––but we always called her Belle.”
The girl suddenly faced away from her companion, and darted to meet Blake and Ashton, who were bringing the line of levels up over the ridge.