Page 17 of The Prodigal Brother Returns

So he didn’t let slip about his two-week limitation—Blake wasn’t ready yet—and before Jonas could respond in his usual know-it-all way, Blake had his own questions to ask. “What’s going on here? Where are the rest of the horses? The housekeeper? I’m assuming, with only these three to take care of, the extra hands were let go, but why? And why won’t Nathan talk about it?”

Jonas leaned against the empty stall next to Duke’s. He eased aside his suit jacket and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He studied Blake closely and was slow to answer. “That’s a long story that ends with Nathan blaming himself for the current state of the ranch, and I’m tired. It’s been a crazy day. Can we talk tomorrow morning?”

Blake shrugged. “At least tell me what happened to Mrs. Daniels.”

“She retired last year. It was just him, so Nathan decided he didn’t need a housekeeper. I couldn’t do more than throw money at the place, which at the time, Nathan didn’t want, so I agreed.” Jonas turned away. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

There were a lot of things about the ranch and how it had gotten into the shape it was in that Blake didn’t understand, but he would figure it out, no matter how many secrets his brothers kept.

Following Jonas, Blake watched as he pulled luggage from a shiny black Mustang. Very appropriate for a successful lawyer and his brother’s taste for all things shiny. That was the case when they were kids too.

Going back to Duke, Blake gave the stallion another scratch. “What do you think, boy?”

Without more stock and the things to make a ranch run smoothly, he was beginning to get an idea why the Triple L was under the weather financially. Upstairs, he sat on the couch and perched his feet on the coffee table.

He called Timmy. The boy, as usual, was quick to pick up. “Hey there, kiddo.”

“Hi.”

The single dejected word sank Blake’s heart. He glanced out the window into the starlit night and dropped his feet to the floor. Blake did his best to keep the worry out of his voice, but that wasn’t always easy.

Timmy should be getting ready for bed. “What’s going on?”

“A couple of the dads came to go on our hike today.” Timmy always said exactly what was on his mind. “I don’t have a dad.”

He’d had a dad. It was just that Timmy was a late-in-life baby and both his mom and dad had passed, one after the other. Tina was nineteen when she took over her brother’s parenting.

Because the kid mostly missed social cues and instructions in conversation, the twelve-year-old didn’t always pass on important information. Blake dropped his chin to his chest. Had he been notified there was a father-son hike today? Had he missed an email while coming to terms with Jonas’s demand to show up at the ranch?

God, he hoped not. He hated not being there for the boy. He pushed the phone closer to his ear. “You have me. I’m your brother.” That’s how Tina had explained Blake to Timmy. “But really, I’m kind of like your dad.”

“How come I don’t call you ‘Dad’?” Timmy asked, his voice weaker.

Blake’s heart thumped. “Do you want to?”

“Yes.” The word came across the phone slow, soft, and unsure.

It took Blake a nanosecond to decide. Timmy might not be his biological son, but hewashis son in every way that counted. “I’d like it if you called me Dad.”

“Can I?”

“Absolutely. Hey, I’ve been thinking.” It was time to share his plan with the boy and see if he could cope with such a big change. “I’m at a horse ranch.” He would explain how he and his brothers owned the Triple L later. “How about if instead of staying at Camp Elwood, I come to pick you up tomorrow? You can be here with me, and I’ll introduce you to some new friends.” Blake crossed his fingers. Making friends was hard enough for Timmy without throwing in a change of plans too. “We could be here most of the summer. What do you think?”

“What time will you come?” Timmy asked, his sudden excitement streaming across the line. The kid had always wanted to see a ranch. At least he’d talked about it a lot, especially since his sister died.

“I’ll pick you up at eight.” His talk with Jonas would have to wait.

“Promise, Dad?”

“I promise.” Blake choked back emotion at how quickly Timmy accepted that they could be the equivalent of father and son. It was scary too. Solo parenting was one thing that Blake did not have enough experience in. Especially when it came to taking care of Timmy. He could organize his life and get him to school and his therapies. But when it came to the day-to-day emotional support, Tina was always the one who took that on.

“I’ll be ready.” He would be too. Timmy was so literal that Blake didn’t dare break a promise he made to the boy.

After leaving a note for Jonas by the coffeepot, bright and early the next morning, with the sun barely coming up over the horizon, Blake got on the road. A few minutes before eight, he pulled up in front of the camp office. Timmy was sitting on the steps, duffel bag beside him, waiting. A woman sat beside him.

Blake’s chest puffed up. Who wouldn’t want a son as good as Timmy?

“Hi, Dad.” He jumped down the steps to stand next to Blake, then turned to the woman, who’d stood with him, and said proudly, “I told you my dad was coming to get me.”

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