“How’s she working out?” Addison asked.
“She’s a good cook, she keeps the place spotless, and she’s got her son, John, doing odd jobs around the house, too. So far, it’s working out well.”
“Maybe you can make a ranch hand out of the boy,” Ari said.
“We’ve talked about it, some. Carolyn said that he’d been flirting with trouble in the form of the wrong crowd in Billings the last couple of years. That’s why she took the job with me. Room and board are part of the deal, and we’re pretty isolated—at least for a twelve-year-old. She thought an environment without the temptations of the city would be the best thing for him right now.”
“Aw, he’s probably missing his dad, as well,” Shar said.
“I was going to talk to you about that, sweetheart. That’s what I figured too,” Uncle George said. “I wouldn’t mind a few pointers. He’s a good kid, and I like him. I want to be someone who can be there for him, but I don’t want to mess it up or over step.”
“Sure, we can talk after we’re done here, Dad.” She looked at her sisters-in-law. Randy wasn’t ashamed to admit, if only to himself, he had no idea what their sly looks were about.
Women, he’d decided long ago, were complicated.
The Sunday lunch served had been delicious. Randy approved of the way the guys pitched in and that babies were passed around to be held or played with. George currently held one of the twins, and Randy couldn’t ever remember his uncle looking happier.
The man was headed to Divine the next day to stay for a bit with Veronica and her husbands, one of whom was the sheriff there. Jackson got up to organize the beginning of the cleanup. He and Lewis pitched in, carrying empty serving dishes and plates into the kitchen, and bringing a fresh pot of coffee as well as a platter of banana bread and cookies back to the table.
Once they were all sitting back down again, Uncle George turned his attention on them. “You boys haven’t had any luck yet, finding a place?”
“No, sir, not yet,” Randy said.
“We’ve gone to inspect a few ranches that looked good online,” Lewis said. “But so far we haven’t had much luck.”
“We’ve got a few more feelers out. We’re planning to go next weekend down to San Marcos, have a look at a couple of places near there.” Randy shrugged. “We’ll find it. In the meantime, we like being able to help out around here.”
“We like that too,” Cord said. “We’d like it better if you’d let us pay you.”
“You just fed us, didn’t you?” Lewis asked.
“And we’re staying with Parker and Dale, so that’s room and board.”
“Stubborn, that’s what you are,” Jackson said.
“What they are,” Addison said, “is typical Benedict males.”
That got a bit of a chuckle even out of Uncle George. Addison, who was holding one of Ari’s twins, Jameson David, who everyone called Jamie, just grinned.
“At first, I couldn’t understand why all of my kids decided to stay down here.” George cradled little Tony, whose full name was Anthony George. Then he looked over at Ari, and then Shar, and finally his sons-in-law, Mike and Terry.
Randy saw genuine affection between all of them. It put a lump in his throat. He missed his mom more than his dad, but he hoped that one day he’d know a moment like that with both of his folks.
“But now I believe this is the place they’re meant to be,” Uncle George said. He turned his gaze on Randy and Lewis. “So you two keep on looking for the place that’s meant to be yours. The one that feels like it’s where you belong. You’ll find it.” He huffed out a bit of a laugh. “In the years to come, if my brothers say a word about any of their kids deserting them, I’ll remind them of the bad decisions they’ve made. Folks won’t stay if you make them feel unwanted—and that damn well includes offspring.”
Jackson’s cell phone chimed, and he picked it up and looked at the call display. He smiled and took the call.
“Hey, Grandma Kate. How are you?” He listened and then said, “Yes, they’re both here.”
A chill traveled down his spine when Jackson met his gaze. “Thanks for calling. I’ll tell them.”
He set the phone down. “Grandma wanted you to know that the paramedics are taking Michaela to the clinic. She’s had an accident at her ranch.”
Randy felt his heart stop. He blinked and looked over at Lewis. Then they pushed to their feet and headed toward the front door.
“Hang on, we’re coming with you,” Jesse called out.
“Then follow us,” Lewis said. “We know where the clinic is.”
By the time they got outside, they were running. Lewis got behind the wheel of their truck. It didn’t take more than a breath’s amount of time to start the thing and head toward town. Neither of them talked, and though he knew the distance they had to go would take them well under ten minutes, the drive seemed interminable.
They pulled in behind the EMT vehicle in front of the clinic. The sound of screeching tires and then pounding footsteps behind them let them know they weren’t alone.
Neither of them had ever been inside the clinic, but they’d met Jillian and her husbands, who were the current Doctors Jessop. Standing by the desk were more people he recognized, Michaela’s friend Tammy and her partner, Charlie, both of whom were paramedics.
Jillian looked at him and said only, “Room one.”
He and Lewis both stopped in the doorway of the exam room. There, sitting on the stretcher, tears streaming, was Michaela.
Randy knew what
