“
And you didn’t tell me? Unbelievable!”
“
I just found out.” She pointed to the building Brianna drove right past. “There’s my office. You’ll make me late.”
Bri grimaced and turned the corner to pull up at the side of the building. Jenna tried to get out but Bri grabbed her arm. “So, what does it mean? Can I still go to college?”
Jenna glanced at her watch and saw she could spare a minute or two. The hope in her sister’s eyes broke her heart. “I don’t know. It’s his money, not ours. You still need to find a job. We’ll talk about it later.”
Bri sat back with a frown and Jenna turned to blow Ethan a kiss, a sharp pain hitting her when she saw his car seat empty, before she remembered where he was. She could only hope and pray Sam was taking good care of him.
Jenna hurried inside. She slowed on the way to the elevator, where several people waited glancing nervously her way. She looked around to see why. Brandon Stewart leaned against the wall near the front doors. She took a breath for patience. His hair was a mess and he looked disheveled, as if he’d slept in his clothes, or was drunk. He was missing a shoe. She prayed he wouldn’t make a scene. She wanted to walk right by him, ignore him. She didn’t have time for this.
But he stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop. The rank odor emanating off him almost made her gag.
“
This is war now,” he said, his bloodshot eyes blazing. He gave her a poke in the chest. “Tell your
boyfriend
he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”
He left, limping as he pushed through the double glass doors. Jenna shook it off and hurried to catch the elevator. He was drunk again. He obviously had some serious problems. She only wished he’d stop trying to involve her in those problems. She had her own issues to worry about.
***
After one of Marna’s big breakfasts, Sam fell back on the couch in the playroom, next to his mother, and watched Ethan play with his cousins. He’d called his mother to warn her he was coming out and she’d made some calls herself. Frankie, Becky and Crystal had brought their little ones out to meet their new cousin.
Pepper, the last he’d seen of the dog, was running happily around the property, barking from the sheer joy of freedom. He’d taken up with the other dogs as if they were old friends, once they’d thoroughly sniffed one another out.
Ethan had settled in more slowly, a little shy around all the new people. But once he’d spotted toys and other children he’d apparently decided his life was no longer in danger. He was playing alongside them, not with them, even when the older kids tried to engage him, but he seemed to be having a good time exploring toys he’d probably never seen before. His mother was forever buying things for the playroom, so the kids would want to visit.
“
I’m already worn out,” Sam told his mother and Frankie.
They both laughed at him. Crystal and Becky were on the floor, entertaining the kids, but they heard and laughed at him, too.
His mother was working her way through Ethan’s baby book, which Sam had brought to show her.
“
And all I did was drive him out here,” he continued, enjoying the attention. “He screamed bloody murder till I got him strapped into his car seat. Then he settled down. He thought I was kidnapping him.”
“
He looks just like you,” his mom said, gazing fondly at Ethan. “I’d have known in a second he was yours.”
Sam smiled at her, proud to hear someone say it out loud. He’d tried to get Jenna to admit the resemblance, but she probably preferred to think Ethan looked like her.
He remembered the flash drive in his pocket. He handed it to his mother. “More pictures of Ethan. I thought you’d want them on your computer.”
“
Crystal, honey,” Sunny said, holding the flash drive as if it were a bug. “Can you, please?”
Crystal, who worked as a freelance web designer, came over, took the flash drive, and left the room.
His mother shrugged helplessly. “I can get to my email and that’s about it.”
“
Make me a copy,” Frankie yelled after Crystal.
“
Jack moved to Cincinnati,” Sam mentioned.
They all nodded, not seeming surprised. “He came out to say goodbye last night,” his mother informed him. “Another one gone.”
“
But it’s for the best,” Frankie said, holding her big belly and shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “He was rotting here all alone.” She brightened suddenly. “When do we get to meet Jenna?”
His mother shifted, seeming equally interested.
“
Probably not till the weekend. She’s busy with work. But I did it. We’re doing it. Getting married.”
That got the reaction he’d expected. Sounds of excitement. Congratulations. Becky hugged Ethan who tolerated it, but frowned at her, having no clue what was going on.
His mother hugged him and Frankie held out her hands to him, too bulky to get up to hug him.
“
So, when’s the big day?” Frankie asked.
He gave her a hug and sat down again. “We haven’t talked about it yet. We still have things to work out.”
“
You know,” his mother said, standing and moving away, “Jackson’s house is just sitting empty now. After all that work he did on it.”
She handed the baby book to Frankie and left the room. Becky raised her eyebrows at him, smiling, nodding. He knew what they meant, what they wanted. They wanted him to move back and take Jack’s house. They wanted him to move back, marry Jenna and keep his new family nearby.
Not a bad idea on the surface. Jenna could keep her job, but he’d have to give up the ranch, and his life there. He’d have to break his promise.
“
You don’t have to sell the land,” Frankie said as if reading his thoughts. “I know what Granddad was afraid of. Losing it all. The land won’t evaporate without you there. It’s not like you need it to survive.” She nodded toward Ethan. “But him…. Him, you do need.”
She was right. Now that he knew about Ethan, now that he’d come to know the boy, he couldn’t live without him. Or Jenna.
“
He wanted someone in the family to have it,” Frankie said, flipping through the baby book. “For it to mean to us what it meant to him. I know. But some things can’t be helped.”
“
There’s no one left to take it,” Sam said, thinking aloud. “Jack’s in Cincinnati, Boone’s got his planes and flying school and Mike’s got his music business. You and Steve don’t want it. None of the kids are old enough or would know what to do with it even if they were.”
“
The cousins?”
The Texas cousins? “They all have their lives sorted. And Granddad’s ranch is like a joke compared to what they have.” He lowered his voice. “It’s even a joke to Mom and she grew up there. That’s why he left it to me. He knew I was the only one who cared.”
“
What about Little Bucky and Carol? His dad and Granddad were best friends for eighty years. They’re all practically family by now.”
Sam had thought of that. He was considering it. Buck had grown up on the ranch and in truth had a closer connection to the land than Sam did. But even if he left Buck to run the ranch that would only solve one problem.
“
What would I do here?” he asked. “Be Mr. Mom?”
Frankie could only shrug. “What would Jenna do on the ranch? She’s a lawyer, right?”
“
No, she had to give that up. Because of….” He watched his son crawling across the floor dragging a colorful toy behind him. He gave the toy to his new cousin, Maisey, then stood and ran away. Sam chuckled in amazement. Just moments before, Ethan had held on to the toy for dear life when Becky’s three-year-old, Josh, tried to take it from him. “But she’s a paralegal now.”
Frankie nodded as if impressed, then confessed. “I don’t really know what that is.”
“
Me, neither.” But he knew Jenna considered her promotion an accomplishment. One he couldn’t imagine her wanting to give up.
“
I don’t know how you stand it,” Becky said. “I was only there for one week and I almost went crazy. There’s nothing out there but endless pastures and cows. If you hadn’t had satellite, I’d have died.”
“
I agree,” Frankie said. “You had Granddaddy to take care of before. With him gone now you’re out there alone. Mom always said you have to be born to that life and I think she’s right. You weren’t born to it. I never understood why you went out there in the first place.”
“
Me, neither,” Becky said. “You’re so outgoing. How can you stand to be out there so far from everyone?”
He could only shrug. The isolation had been tough at first, but he’d stayed busy and eventually grown used to it. He’d learned to appreciate the raw beauty of the land, the hard work. He loved just getting on his horse and riding for no good reason, on his own land. He loved the wide-open spaces of Texas.
On the other hand, most of his family lived here and he enjoyed being around them. Most of the time, anyway, when they weren’t pestering him. He was missing his nieces and nephews grow up. He loved spending time at the lake or the river with his brothers and old friends, and riding with his dad. He loved the lush beauty of Tennessee.
Ethan ran and jumped onto the big blue ball, rolled off and fell onto his back on the floor. Sam leaned to the side to make sure he was okay, but Ethan laughed happily and jumped up to do it again - reminding Sam of Jenna at the waterfall. Of Jenna back in the days when she was full of laughs and smiles and boundless energy. Not stiff with worry and walking around with dark circles under her eyes.
His mother returned holding a pale gray velvet box. She sat down and took out a diamond bracelet, the kind with nothing but diamonds all the way around. Except only a few diamonds remained. “I thought we could use these for the wedding band,” she said. “This was my sweet sixteen present. I like putting something of mine in all the kids’ rings. I’m taking the necklace to my jeweler this morning for the engagement ring. He promised he could have it done within a week. And he’d better considering the amount of business I give him. Did you get her ring size?”
Sam had completely forgotten. “I can call her. She knows about the ring, anyway.”
“
I need you to get that,” his mother ordered and he nodded obediently.
“
My fingers are all swollen right now, but it’ll look just like this,” Frankie said, lifting a ring on a chain around her neck. He looked at a silver band with five diamonds across the top. Becky held up her hand and showed him her identical ring. It all seemed fine to him.
“
We’re going with platinum,” his mother said. “I hope that’s okay.”
“
Whatever you think.” He didn’t know why they even bothered to ask.
Crystal returned with two flash drives. She handed Sam his and gave the other to Frankie.
Ethan ran over and stopped in front of Sam. He started patting on Sam’s knee, staring up at him with his big blue eyes.
Sam leaned forward. “Whatcha want, bud?” he asked, tousling Ethan’s hair.
Ethan didn’t answer and continued to pat Sam’s knee.
Sam looked to his mother for help. “What’s he doing?”
“
He may need changing,” Frankie suggested.
Crystal scooped up Ethan, checked his diaper, and set him back down. “He’s fine.”
Ethan ran away a few steps, then turned back and began patting Sam’s knee again. “What’s that?” he asked.
Sam lifted Ethan to his knee. “What’s what, buddy?”
Ethan started patting Sam’s chest. “What’s that?”
“
What? My shirt?” Sam looked around to the mothers in the room. “I’m not getting it.”
“
Oh, I know,” Becky said, coming over. “He wants to know who you are.”
“
That’s your daddy, darling,” his mother told Ethan. “You know your daddy, don’t you?”
Ethan stared at her then looked back at Sam. “Who’s that?”
“
I’m your daddy, bud. Do you know what that is?” Sam looked helplessly at the women circling them. “I don’t think he knows what that word means.”
He only received murmurs of sympathy from the room.
Ethan reached up and rubbed Sam’s cheek to feel the stubble there. He’d forgotten to shave, too busy trying to keep Jenna in his arms, and then trying to keep his screaming, kicking son in his arms.
“
What’s that?” Ethan asked again, but softly this time, distractedly, and he continued to rub Sam’s cheek.
Suddenly, Sam felt like he might faint. He wished Jenna were here to deal with this situation. She’d planned to tell Ethan, to explain, but the right time hadn’t come up. He wasn’t even sure they should be talking about this without her knowing.
Sam’s father came into the room, spotted Ethan and in his ever-boisterous way, yelled, “There’s my new grandson! Give him here. Let me get a look at him.”
He grabbed up Ethan and bounced him on his hip. Sam jumped up certain Ethan would start screaming in fright, but his son only stared at the man with disheveled gray hair who smelled like horses.
“
Wanna go for a ride, honey?” Knox said, already leaving. “Let’s go for a ride.”