The Texan's Surprise Son

by Cathy McDavid

  “You sure I won’t be interfering?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “All right.”

  He liked the silky tone her voice had taken on. Suddenly, the playdate had new meaning for him.

  Jacob’s concern about the trampoline was completely unfounded. Cody liked jumping, right up until the moment he face-planted after colliding with Rosie. Other than a small red mark on his nose, he was unhurt. Even so, he wouldn’t go near the trampoline again, choosing instead to ride his stick pony around the yard, Buster in hot pursuit.

  Jacob thought about telling Cody he should be tougher and man up. Not let a girl best him.

  “He’ll be fine,” Carly said as if reading his mind. “It’s still new. Rosie wouldn’t go near the trampoline for the first three days.”

  Eventually, the little girl abandoned jumping in order to play with Cody and Buster. He tried teaching her the “leave it” command. She was more interested in Migo.

  Jacob and Carly sat in lawn chairs watching the children. She couldn’t stop gushing about Lizzie’s new baby.

  “You should see her. I can’t believe how big she’s getting. And she’s only a few weeks old.”

  Jacob thought it interesting that Lizzie would choose to name her daughter Natalie Adele, in part after her missing mother. Missing as in abandoning her children when they were young and never returning. Maybe blood was thicker than water.

  Not in Jacob’s case. Should he ever have another son, no way in hell was he naming him after his father. A daughter, now that was a different story. He’d happily honor his mother’s memory by naming a daughter Margaret. Meg for short. He liked the sound of that.

  Whoa! A daughter? Where did that come from? He was hardly used to having a son.

  “Have you convinced Mariana to come to Thanksgiving Day dinner?” Carly asked.

  “I’m working on it.”

  “Work harder.”

  “She’s meeting us here after work. You try.”

  Carly’s eyes sparked. “Are you two dating yet?”

  He tried not to react. If Carly learned he’d kissed Mariana, twice, her curiosity would know no bounds. “I’m not her type.”

  “She’s staying with you.”

  “Temporarily. Until Cody adjusts.”

  “He looks adjusted to me.”

  Cody had settled in nicely and quickly, especially considering it was his third home in four months.

  “He’s doing all right.”

  “Have you and Mariana discussed her moving out?” Carly evidently wasn’t giving up.

  “No.” Jacob hadn’t mentioned it and neither had Mariana. Truthfully, he wasn’t ready for her to leave. And not because she helped with Cody’s care.

  He liked seeing her emerge from her bedroom in the early morning as he was leaving for work, wearing that silly robe and her long hair a tangled mess. He liked seeing her come home after work and kick off those high-heeled shoes that had to hurt her feet. He like the way she smelled. The way she tasted. The way she rewarded herself for her hard work with a semi-luxury car, small but expensive jewelry and the occasional designer clothes. The way she went from career woman to doting parent in the blink of an eye.

  He’d really liked the way she looked at him last night after hearing him tell Cody he loved him.

  Granted, Mariana was different from the women Jacob normally dated. He was willing to try something new. He was less sure of her willingness. Definitely not while she was living with him. Maybe after she moved out. Except he didn’t want that.

  Lizzie appeared, pushing a stroller. “Savannah said I’d find you here.” She parked the stroller next to her sister, who jumped up for a peek at the baby.

  Jacob immediately vacated his chair and offered it to Lizzie, then brought another one back from the patio for himself. Before sitting, he gave the baby a dutiful uncle once-over. “Her face isn’t so puckered anymore.”

  Lizzie punched him in the arm. “She’s beautiful.”

  Actually, for a newborn, little Natalie Adele was kind of cute.

  “Just like her mom.”

  That seemed to mollify his sister.

  “Have you asked him yet?” Lizzie’s stage whisper was anything but quiet.

  “Way to go, big mouth.” Carly shot her sister an admonishing look.

  “Ask me what?”

  “We’re in need of a...” Carly hesitated. “A favor of sorts.”

  “Not from you,” Lizzie quickly amended. “Mariana. We’re hoping you’ll use your influence with her on our behalf.”

  “What kind of favor?” Jacob made sure Cody and Rosie were all right before turning back to his sisters.

  “We’d pay, of course.” This from Lizzie. “We wouldn’t expect her or her firm to do it for free.”

  “Ask her when she gets here.”

  “But will you help us convince her?” Carly pleaded.

  Jacob wasn’t sure how he felt about imposing on Mariana. “She’s pretty busy with this high-profile case. The one against Paulo Molinas and Medallion Investments.”

  “Please,” Lizzie gazed at him with sad puppy dog eyes. “It would mean a lot to us.”

  His sisters’ obvious efforts at coercion were having an effect on him. Weakening his resistance. And while they were imposing on him, he found he didn’t mind. Not the way he once might have. “Sure.”

  “Thank you.” Carly slumped with relief.

  “What do you want from her?”

  “Well, as you know, Travis has been attempting to narrow the search for our mother.”

  “Jet mentioned something about him learning your mother changed her name.”

  “Yeah, to Adele Black.”

  “It seems there are a quite a few Adele Blacks in Texas,” Carly said. “Even more of them around the country. It’s not easy, and Travis’s resources are limited. We were hoping Mariana could use her considerably greater resources at Hasbrough and Colletti.”

  Jacob stopped her before she could continue. “I know an Adele Black.”

  Both women stared at him. “You do?” Lizzie asked.

  “She’s the head of AB Windpower. I met her at an alternative energy symposium last year.”

  “Oh...my God!” Lizzie sat back, a hand pressed to her chest. “That’s the company buying up our stock.”

  Of course, Jacob had heard about the considerably smaller energy company and its purchase of Baron stock. It wasn’t enough to be a threat. Not possible as Brock held the majority share. It was, however, a point of interest with the family and with the Baron board of directors. Perhaps a point of concern.

  “I’m calling Travis.” Lizzie grabbed her phone. “Have him email you all the info he has.”

  “This can’t be a coincidence,” Carly said. “A woman with the same new name as our mother owning the company that’s buying up Baron stock.”

  Lizzie moved the phone away from her mouth. “There has to be a connection.”

  A few minutes later, Jacob’s phone chimed. “Let me check this. Make sure everything came through.” He opened the email and the attached photos, scrolling quickly through them. “That’s her.” He enlarged the picture of the Adele Black he’d met and handed his phone to his sisters.

  “It’s Mom.” Lizzie’s expression was filled with awe.

  Carly studied the screen and appeared less convinced. “It does look a little like her. But this woman is thinner, and her hair is different.”

  Lizzie nodded confidently. “No doubt about it.”

  “Let’s get Savannah’s opinion before we go all crazy. And Jet’s.”

  “He was young when Mom left and probably doesn’t remember her much.”

  Jacob checked on Cody and Rosie while his sisters talked. He could only imagine what they were feeling. Hope. Excitement. Joy. Anger. Betrayal. He was familiar with the last two. In a way, his father had also abandoned his family.

  When he returned to his chair, he said, “I’ll phone Mariana. See if she can dig up some b
ackground on this Adele Black before she gets here.”

  “Really?” Carly jumped from her chair and kissed Jacob’s cheek. “You’re a good brother.”

  Lizzie reached over and squeezed his fingers. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.” He automatically squeezed her fingers in return, then with purpose.

  This was the most genuine affection he could recall sharing with his sisters. With any of his Baron siblings. He could, he thought with a smile, get used to it.

  Mariana answered his call on the second ring. “Is Cody okay?”

  “He’s fine.

  “No broken bones, no cuts or bruises. He doesn’t like the new trampoline.”

  “Trampoline?”

  “Relax. It’s not what you think. I’ll tell you about it later. In the meantime...”

  He proceeded to fill her in on Adele Black and AB Windpower, and that the woman could possibly be Carly’s and Lizzie’s mother.

  “I know it’s a lot to ask,” Jacob said to Mariana. “You’re already busy. The girls say they’ll pay. They don’t expect you to work for free.”

  “Tell them not to worry. We have a team of investigators. One of them owes me a favor for helping his wife with an auto insurance claim when she was in an accident.”

  “That’d be great, Mariana. Thank you.”

  “I understand their plight. No one should be in the position of searching for their parent.”

  Was she talking about Cody and her decision to tell Jacob about him, or her mother’s situation with her father? Regardless, Jacob was appreciative of her willingness.

  Carly nudged him. “Ask her how long it will take.”

  Jacob lifted the phone away from his face. “She’ll get to it when she can.”

  “I heard that,” Marina told him when he returned to their call. “I’ll do my best, but tell her she has to be patient. These things can take a while.”

  “Thanks.” He lowered his voice. “See you soon.”

  Feeling the heat of his sisters stares, he looked up. “What?”

  “Just friends,” Lizzie snorted. “Isn’t that what he said at dinner a few weeks ago?”

  “Right.” Carly drew out the word. “The last time I talked to a friend like that, he was my boyfriend.”

  Jacob ignored their giggling, wondering if he shouldn’t rethink this getting closer to his siblings. There were definite drawbacks.

  *

  AT A SHARP knock on the front door, Buster started barking. He charged full steam ahead out of the bedroom, skidding as he took the corner.

  “Apparently you’re not that deaf.” Jacob set his shaving case on the bathroom counter and followed the dog at a considerably slower pace.

  They weren’t expecting anyone, certainly not at seven-thirty at night. He’d been in the process of packing. He and Daniel were leaving bright and early in the morning for Fayetteville, Arkansas, and the All Pro Rodeo. Mariana was giving Cody his bath. This had been their routine the past few Thursday evenings.

  As much as Jacob was looking forward to the rodeo and the wins he desperately needed, he hated leaving Mariana and Cody. Hated missing them, and not just because thoughts of them were a distraction.

  The knocking resumed, louder this time. Buster sat at the door whining, his tail sweeping the floor. Jacob didn’t bother looking through the peephole, figuring it was one of the local kids selling something for their school or a neighbor wanting to borrow a tool. Had he left the sprinkler system out front running again?

  “Hold your horses.” Flipping on the outside light, he opened the door and silently cursed himself. Peepholes were there for a reason.

  Brock stood on the front stoop, tall and steady with the help of his cane.

  “Am I interrupting?” He didn’t wait for an answer and stepped over the threshold.

  Daniel followed on his heels. “Hey, Jacob.”

  His brother with Brock? That was unexpected and put Jacob immediately on edge. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m the driver.”

  Another time, Jacob would have laughed at the ludicrousness of the situation. “Is there a problem at the drill site?” He couldn’t think of another reason for this unannounced visit.

  “Nope.” Brock glanced around. “Can we sit? This damn leg’s still giving me fits.”

  “Why not?” Jacob started for the family room.

  “Here’s fine.” Brock groaned as he lowered himself onto the living room couch. “More privacy.”

  Privacy? Jacob didn’t need another lecture.

  “I’ll take a whiskey if you have it.” Brock smiled. “Neat.”

  “Aren’t you still on pain medication?”

  “I’m not driving.”

  “Yeah, what’s with that?”

  Daniel lifted a shoulder. “He caught me as I was leaving. How could I say no?”

  Jacob went to the kitchen and the overhead cabinet where he kept a small supply of liquor. While he was pouring Brock’s drink, Mariana appeared, carrying a freshly bathed Cody. The boy’s skin shone, and his still-damp hair clung to his head. He wore his favorite Superman pajamas.

  “Who’s here?” she asked in a hushed voice.

  “Brock.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know. He wants to talk.”

  “Down, down,” Cody squawked and squirmed in Mariana’s arms. She set him on the floor.

  “Is that my grandson?” Brock hollered from the living room.

  Cody spun, then darted in that direction, the vinyl feet of his pajama bottoms making tapping sounds on the tile floor. There was no stopping him, but Jacob hurried after him anyway, the tumbler of whiskey in one hand, a soda for Daniel in the other.

  Cody stood still, his gaze going from Brock to Daniel with a mixture of fear and fascination.

  “Hey there, young man.” Brock perched on the edge of the couch and held out his arms to the boy. “Come over here and give your grandfather a hug.”

  Jacob drew up short. Strange, he thought. And a little disconcerting. Brock hadn’t shown any real interest in Cody since the family dinner when he’d questioned Jacob’s ability to balance his job, rodeoing and the demands of fatherhood. From what Carly told him, Brock lavished attention on Lizzie’s daughter. His biological grandchild.

  With a little coaxing, Cody finally went over to Brock and shook the man’s hand. Brock made a big deal of greeting the boy and pulled him into a bear hug.

  Jacob waited for Cody to start crying. He was still shy around strangers. Cody fooled him by giggling when Brock finally let go. It was then Jacob realized Brock had been tickling Cody.

  Raising six rough-and-tumble children probably did teach a person a thing or two about kids. And Brock, despite all his gruffness and faults, had raised his children. Not left them like their mother Adele or Jacob’s father. That said something about the man’s character.

  He’d also adopted Jacob and Daniel. In order to spare them the humiliation of bearing their father’s last name and the terrible reputation associated with it.

  Had Jacob been too rough on Brock all these years? It was something worth considering at a time when the man in question wasn’t sitting ten feet away. Maybe he and Daniel could talk about it during their trip to Fayetteville.

  Eventually, Mariana joined them in order to take Cody to bed.

  Brock struggled to feet. “Mariana.”

  “It’s all right,” she told him. “You don’t have to get up.”

  “I want to apologize for my behavior the other day at dinner. I was out of line. And rude.”

  Jacob was taken aback. Brock didn’t apologize often. He exchanged looks with Daniel, who also appeared surprised.

  Mariana, however, was gracious. “Thank you.”

  Daniel succeeded in getting a high five from Cody. “’Night, partner.”

  Brock went for another bear hug. “You call me Grandpa, okay?” He tapped his chest with his fingers. “Grandpa.”

  “Gamp
a,” Cody said.

  “That’s right.” Brock’s wrinkled face lit with joy, and he patted Cody’s head. “A fine boy you have there,” he said when Mariana and Cody had left.

  “I agree.” Jacob sat in the armchair adjacent to the couch where Brock and Daniel sat.

  “Shame about his mother,” Brock said.

  “It is.”

  “Carly told me your history with her and how you came to have Cody.”

  Jacob hadn’t said anything to his sister. Luke must have mentioned it. At first, Jacob experienced a surge of resentment at both his friend and sister. They had no business blabbing his personal business. Especially to Brock. Then he decided it didn’t matter. Jacob wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed, and the story had to come out sometime.

  “What is it you want, Brock?”

  The older man chuckled. “You’re always to the point. I like that about you, son.” He hitched a thumb at Daniel. “Your brother here prefers to keep people guessing.”

  Daniel sat back. So much for being friendly. Whatever was going on here, he wasn’t a part of it.

  Jacob waited. Brock would say what he wanted in his own good time.

  It came a moment later. “Your rankings have dropped.” He expelled a long breath. “I’m concerned.”

  A lecture. Brock could have spared himself the trip.

  “I have two more rodeos between now and Nationals to qualify. I can do it.”

  “I’ve always liked your confidence, too. You see something you want, and you go after it.” Brock chuckled and slapped his leg. The next moment, he sobered and drew a long breath. “Starr Solar Systems has come up for sale.”

  Evidently, the rumblings were no longer rumors. “It’s official, then.”

  “I’m having Milt make some inquiries.”

  The Baron Energies head attorney. Brock must be serious about those inquiries.

  “It would be a good investment.” Excitement surged inside Jacob. He did his best to temper it.

  He’d been after Brock for months, years, to invest in alternative energy. He couldn’t imagine Brock making a snap decision. Not without an ulterior motive.

  “You didn’t come all this way to tell me that.”

  “If everything looks good, I’ll instruct Milt to proceed with the acquisition. Once the purchase is final, I’ll put you in charge of transitioning Starr Solar into Baron Energies and running it.”