Brody (6 page)

“This
way,” said Branndon.

Brody
followed him to the left, and they stepped into a room with photos of rodeo
riders that he guessed were old shots of Branndon’s.

“Sit
yourself down,” he said before closing the door.

Branndon
sat opposite him.

“Did
you know that your mother and I were once involved?”

“Yes,
I did, and it’s one of the reasons I’m here. I found out last month that the
man she married wasn’t my biological father.”

Branndon
ran his hands through his hair. “So you know about me and probably Johnny and
Mike?”

Brody
nodded.

“One
of us is your father?” asked Branndon.

“Yes.
She left her diary, and I know she…”

Brody
almost said
“fucked all three of you.”
He bit his tongue.
 
This was his mother,
and he better watch what he said.

“I
guessed something was wrong when she left the commune so quickly. I thought it
was because we’d…” He looked up at Brody. “Have you read all of her diary?

“No,
sir.”

“Then
maybe I shouldn’t tell you.”

“It’s
okay, really, it is.”

“We
decided the four of us would spend the night together.”

Brody
swallowed, feeling his cheeks go red yet again.

“Have
you spoken to Johnny and Mike?” asked Branndon.

“Yes,
you’re the last one on my list. I probably wouldn’t have looked for you, but
I’m in what you’d call a medical dilemma. I need a kidney, and the doctors
think a relative would be the best bet.”

“A
kidney?”

“Yes,
I had one removed last year, and now this other one’s failing.”

“So
sorry to hear that. Damn, there’s so much that can go wrong with the body. And
you want me to get tested to see if we’re related?”

“That
would be the first step.”

“Well,
okay then. Guess three sons wouldn’t be bad for a man.”

“You
have two sons.”

“Oh
yeah.” He pointed to the photos on the wall. “There’s Branndon Jr., who, like
me, loves the rodeo life. And there’s Jackson.”

“Do
they have families?” asked Brody. He stood to take a closer look. Both looked
like their dad. Could he also see a resemblance to himself?

Branndon
laughed. “Those two, nope, they’re a lot like me—play around but don’t want to
settle.”

“But
you must have done that at one point…your wife Betty...

“Yeah,
I did, just long enough to produce these two. Betty’s wife number two, and I’ve
been married to her just six months.”

“Does
Betty have children?”

“No,
her and her husband were never blessed, but she’s got a nephew and niece who
she idolizes, and they both have new babies so this place is always busy.”

Brody
looked at the awards on the wall. “You must have been pretty good in your day.”

“I
was. Loved what I did.” He stood. “Let’s go get some of those cookies.”

He
opened the door, and Brody followed him out to the kitchen where Maddie was
sitting drinking hot cocoa while Betty mixed more cookie dough.

“Betty,
I bet when you said ‘I do’ to me, you didn’t think you’d get a third stepson,
did you?”

Betty
stopped stirring and looked at her husband. “Brody’s your son?” she asked.

“Maybe.
His mom and I were once involved.”

That was a polite
way of putting it.

“I’m
going to get tested, because Brody needs a kidney from whoever is his dad.”

“Whoever?”
asked Betty.

“Long
story, honey, and I’ll tell you everything when we’re alone.”

Branndon
hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. Betty looked at Brody and smiled.

“And
who is this beautiful young lady?” asked Branndon. He lifted Maddie’s hand and
kissed the back of it.

“Watch
out, because he’s a charmer,” said Betty, nudging Branndon with her hip.

“This
is Maddie Thorton who I met a few days ago, and she’s offered nothing but moral
support to me,” said Brody.

Branndon
raised his finger and wagged it side to side. “Now do I detect a romance in the
making, or perhaps something’s already happened?” he asked.

“Just
friends, right, Maddie?” asked Brody.

“Absolutely.”

“Don’t
let either of my two sons catch a glimpse of you. Neither of them can resist a
pretty girl,” said Branndon. “Only wish they’d settle down and make some
babies.”

“Honey,
they will. Look at my nephew Connor. Who would have thought he’d now be married
with a son,” said Betty.

“Guess
women have a way of getting us in the end. Now, once we have all the DNA stuff,
and whatever way this thing turns out, I’d like you to come by for dinner and
meet Jackson and Branndon Jr.,” said Branndon.

“I’d
like that,” said Brody.

“However,
the offer’s only good if you bring along Maddie,” said Branndon. “Maybe I can
do a little matchmaking for one of you at least.”

“I’d
like that. I mean, the meal,” said Maddie.

Brody
smiled when he saw her blushing. He looked at the clock on the wall.

“We
have to be going, but I’ll be in touch about the DNA test,” said Brody.

“You
have Johnny and Mike’s numbers?”

“Yes,
I do,” said Brody.

“I’m
going to give them a call and renew our acquaintances,” said Branndon.

Brody
took out his pen, copied down both numbers, and slid them across to Branndon.

He
wondered when the last time was that they’d seen one another and how he’d feel about
getting the news that he might have fathered a child almost forty years ago. It
would be weird, to say the least.

“Nice
meeting you both,” said Betty.

“You
too,” said Brody.

Brody
and Maddie headed down the hallway with Branndon in tow. He opened the door for
them, and snow swirled around their faces as they stepped outside.

“Drive
carefully,” said Branndon.

“I
will.” Brody waved and put his hand on the small of Maddie’s back and guided
her down the driveway to the car. They got in, and he immediately turned up the
heater.

“He
seemed nice,” said Maddie. “So did his wife.”

“Yeah,
they did.”

“Now
that you’ve met all three men, do you have a preference as to which one you’d
like to be your father?”

“Not
really, they seem like nice guys, but on the selfish side I hope it’s either
Mike or Branndon and that one of them is a perfect match for me.”

Chapter Seven

Maddie
clicked on the want ads for apartment and condo rentals in the area. She’d
previously told the landlord that she wouldn’t be renewing her contract when it
ran out January first. At that time, she thought she’d be married and living in
Mark’s townhouse. A frantic call to the condo association had yielded the news
that new tenants would be moving in January second, and she had until New
Year’s Eve to vacate the place. She had to somehow get her stuff back from
Mark’s place, which she was dreading. She was secretly thinking of either
sending her dad to retrieve it or just leaving it there and starting with new
items.

She
recognized the car engine that pulled up outside her condo window. It was her
parents’ SUV. Shit, she’d ignored them as much as she could and told them she’d
give them a call when she felt like talking, but obviously they’d grown
inpatient. Maddie waited for them to ring the doorbell and then counted to ten
before answering it.

“Your
father and I thought if the mountain won’t come to us, we’d come to you.” Her
mother didn’t wait to be asked inside. She brushed by Maddie, and her father
followed.

“Hi
honey, how are you doing?” he asked. He kissed her on the cheek and she hugged
him. Maddie had sort of left him in the lurch too. Poor guy, standing at the
back of the church with the bridesmaids as she’d simply flown by without saying
a word.

“You
have a lot of explaining to do,” said her mother, heading into the living room.
She already had her coat off and was sitting down when Maddie and her father
arrived there.

“Poor
Mark is beside himself. Do you know how it feels to be jilted in front of
everyone?” asked her mother.

Yeah, poor, poor
Mark. Maybe Tim’s consoling him as we speak.

“It’s
me you should be thinking about,” said Maddie. “I didn’t want to spill the
beans on him, but I walked to one of the back rooms and found him and Tim
having sex.”

“Maddie
Thorton, we didn’t raise you to come up with some wild story to justify bad
behavior,” said her mother.

“For
God’s sake, it’s true,” said Maddie. “Why do you think they always went camping
together? Only two of them went to Vegas for the groom’s party?” asked Maddie.

“It
does all start to add up,” said her father.

“Thank
you, Dad.”

“Passing
phase,” said her mother. “Mark loves you. He wouldn’t have asked you to marry
him if he didn’t. He would have asked Tim.”

“Passing
phase. I do not want to spend the rest of my life with a man who messes around
with a man, or another woman, on our wedding day.”

“She’s
right, our girl is right.”

“Do
you know the expense of this wedding? Your father took a loan out and has lost
his deposit for the reception. You have to give them twenty-four hours’ notice
for a full refund.”

“I’m
sorry, Dad,” said Maddie, looking at him. She did feel bad about the financial
aspect of what she’d done, but surely her present and future happiness mattered
more than a lost deposit.

He
raised his hand. “It’s okay. I’m just glad knowing you’re doing okay.”

“All
the gifts are piled up in our garage,” said her mother.

“Then
maybe you should return them or ask Mark to take them.”

“No,
I still think there’s hope for the two of you. I’ve asked him for dinner on
Tuesday, and I want you to be there.”

“I
have a date.”

That
had slipped out before she’d realized it.

“A
date. Last week you were getting married, and this week you have a date?” asked
her mother.

“Well,
it’s sort of seeing-the-Christmas-lights-with-someone sort of date.”

“Really?”
asked her mother. She stood and put her coat back on. “I’m not sure who I
raised, but you’ve changed, Maddie.”

Her
father looked at Maddie and shrugged his shoulders.

“I
expect you at the house at six-thirty p.m., and dinner will be served promptly
at seven p.m.”

“If
I attend, I’ll have to bring Brody with me.”

“Brody.
What sort of parents give their child a name like Brody?”

****

“Son,
how are things going in Riker’s Creek?”

Brody
loved hearing the voice of his father. Ted would always be his dad. He’d been
the man who’d sang and read to him. Sat with him when he’d had colds and flu.
Consoled him when he didn’t make the softball team in junior high. The man who
sat down and told him all about the birds and the bees, bought him his first
pack of condoms and bottle of beer. The man who’d told him there were plenty
more fish in the sea when he’d come home with a broken heart. The man who’d
assured him one day he’d find a woman who loved him as much as he loved her.
Mike, Johnny, or Branndon would never be able to do any of that. He and Ted had
a history that DNA couldn’t deny or take away. He knew it must have been the
toughest thing for Ted to have to reveal he wasn’t his true father.

“Your
mother never wanted you to know, but fate has a funny way of bringing the truth
to light,” Ted had told him at the hospital when it became clear Brody would need
a new kidney.

Ted
had wrapped his hands around Brody’s.
 
A
tear had dropped from his eye.
“Son, I’m not your real father. Your
mother was pregnant when we met.”

Brody
swallowed, recalling the shock he’d felt knowing this wonderful man hadn’t been
responsible for making him. His mother had even told him they’d picked his name
because it had been Ted’s mother’s maiden name.

“I’ve
met all three men, and they’ve agreed to the DNA test,” said Brody, not wanting
to recall the sadness he’d felt about Ted’s revelation.

“I’m
so glad to hear that, son. Your mother would be relieved, because if she were alive,
I know she’d be riddled with guilt.”

Brody
knew that too. He’d been lucky enough to have wonderful parents who’d done
anything and everything for their son.

“I
hope you’re going to come and spend Christmas Eve and Day with me.”

“I
wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Brody. In the back of his mind was the
thought it could be his last.

“You’re
going to have to tell me what you want this year. I haven’t got a clue. Your
mother was always so good with that sort of thing.”

He
was right. She knew exactly what he and Ted wanted without even asking them.

“And
what can I get
you?”
asked Brody.

“Nothing
for me, but just a new kidney for you,” said Ted.

“I
mean, besides that. I need something to put under the tree, or it won’t seem
like a real Christmas.”

“Then
anything to satisfy my fly fishing obsession will be fine.”

His
father loved to fish. It was the only thing that Brody hadn’t shared a love
for, well, not quite yet.

“You
passing the time okay there?” asked Ted.

“I’ve
been catching up on my reading, and I did meet a nice young woman.”

That
came out before he’d intended it to. Not that he didn’t want Ted to know about
Maddie, but he didn’t want him reading anything into it.

“Really.
Is it the sort of relationship where I might need to meet her to give my
approval?”

“It’s
just casual, and she’s been very supportive of me.”

“I’m
glad to hear that. You know, it’s about time you settled down.”

“I
couldn’t burden anyone with my health issues.”

“That’s
where you’re wrong. If a woman wants to take you and those issues on, then
she’s the right woman for you.”

Brody
smiled. He guessed that was true.

“I
gotta go because it’s my card night at the Grille, but give me a call to let me
know how those tests go.”

“I
will, and I love you, Dad.”

“I
love you too, son.”

Brody
ended the call. Mark had called him to say all three of them were going to the
clinic together to take the DNA tests. They also wanted to be together and with
Brody when they got the results.

****

“It
will be good for you,” said Maddie. “You can watch me try to dodge my mother
and ex-fiancé, and you won’t even think about tomorrow.”

She
knew Brody was scared about what the following day would bring—test results, and
learning which man was his biological father. She couldn’t begin to imagine
what was going through his head right now.

“Are
you sure you want me to impose?”

“You’re
not imposing. I’ve been invited to dinner, and you’re my companion for the
evening. My mother is a great cook, by the way.”

“Then
that’s convinced me.”

He
put on his coat and they headed outside.

“My
mom used to make meatloaf to die for,” said Brody. He got into the passenger
seat and put the belt across his body.

“Meatloaf,
I love meatloaf. Don’t suppose you have her recipe, do you?”

“My
father probably has it in her file box.”

“I
love it with lots of gravy and fluffy mashed potatoes,” said Maddie.

“Stop
that. You hear my stomach rumbling?” asked Brody.

“I’m
guessing roast chicken’s on the menu tonight. She knows that’s Mark’s
favorite.”

“So
she likes Mark?” asked Brody.

“She
likes Mark’s social standing in the community. He’s a descendant from one of
the original homesteaders in the area.”

“That’s
important to some.”

“I
was such a fool. I let her choose my future husband. I just realized that,”
said Maddie. She hit the steering wheel with the palm of her hand.

Brody
put his hand on her arm. “Mothers have a lot of influence on us.”

“Your
mom sounded like she was fun, so free-loving with the commune thing.”

Brody
laughed. “I guess she was one of a kind.”

“Can
I read her diary? I mean, cross my heart I won’t tell anyone else about what’s
inside it.”

“You
really want to? I haven’t even looked at all the entries.”

“I’d
love to read all about her life and what it was like back before I was born.”

“Can
I think about it?”

“Sure
you can.”

Maddie
pulled up in front of her parents’ home. She saw Mark’s BMW parked near the
garage.

“I
just don’t want to talk to him,” she said.

“You
have to get it over with sometime. Better now than later,” said Brody.

He
was right. They got out of the car, and Maddie led the way to the front door.
She rang the bell, and soon her father stood there smiling.

“Maddie,
honey, come in. And who’s this with you?”

“This
is Brody Williams. Brody, my father, Mitch.”

“Hi
Mitch, pleased to meet you,” said Brody.

“Same
here. Come on in. Your mother is just about ready to serve the meal,” said her
dad.

Maddie
took Brody’s coat and hung it and hers on the peg by the door. She heard her
mother and Mark talking, and they both went suddenly silent when she and Brody
entered the room.

Mark
looked at her and then rushed over and tried to kiss her on the cheek, but she
pulled away. “Mark, Mom, this is Brody Williams. Brody, my mother, Rachel, and
my
ex
-fiancé Mark.”

She
hoped he heard the emphasis she’d placed on the prefix “ex.”

“Pleased
to meet you,” said Brody.

“Let’s
take all the food into the dining room and get eating, because I’m starving,”
said her dad.

The
guy always knew when and how to break up a tense situation.

Brody
held the seat for Maddie and then slid in beside her. She’d been wrong about it
being chicken on the menu, because her mother had gone to town with roast beef
and popovers.

“This
all looks great, Mrs. Thorton,” said Brody. “My mother was a wonderful cook
too.”

“Brody’s
going to give me his mom’s meatloaf recipe,” said Maddie.

Mark
tried to put his foot on top of hers like he always had when they went out on
dates, but this time she made sure his foot missed the target.

“And
what do you do, Brody?” asked her dad.

“I’m
a cowboy.”

“Oh
my, a dying breed, I’ve heard,” said her dad.

“Well,
we’re eating roast beef tonight, so maybe not,” said Brody.

“Mark
has his own software company,” said her mother.

“And
how is Tim?” asked Maddie. She knew her mother was about to put Brody down, so
she steered it off course and laid the embarrassment on Mark.

Mark
looked down and didn’t respond.