Once Upon a Cowboy by Pamela Tracy

Author:Pamela Tracy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Joel watched Beth’s taillights until they disappeared down the driveway, turning in the direction of the McClanahan place. His time on the porch with Beth was the highlight of a long day. Until she left, that is, and Joel wasn’t sure whether it was his timing or his company that sent her running home.

Finding out would give him something to look forward to.

The moment he stepped inside the house, he wanted to go back outside. From upstairs came the sound of loud, continuous wailing.

“Ryan, are you still doing your homework?” he yelled.

“I don’t whine like a girl,” Ryan protested, from the kitchen.

Taking the steps two at a time, Joel headed up the stairs and skidded to a stop at the top. Jared leaned against Matt’s door.

“What happened?” Joel asked.

“I listened to his prayer, I said good-night and then I went to turn on his action hero night-light.”

“So?”

“It won’t work.”

“All those screams are because his night-light won’t work?”

Jared nodded, looking shell-shocked. “Is Beth still here? Think she’d know what to do? She’s his teacher.”

“And you’re his father.”

For a moment, Joel thought his brother would shut down. Instead, Jared turned around and went back into his son’s bedroom. Instead of yelling, Joel heard Jared talking, asking about monsters and explaining that he’d already walked the house and there were no monsters. After just a moment, Jared marched from the room, went into his own bedroom and then came out with a big flashlight.

In an instant, Joel knew exactly why Billy took off, and it wasn’t just so the brothers would be forced to get along. It would be so Jared would be forced to remember fatherhood.

It was Jared remembering how to be a brother that had Joel worried.

Because Joel wasn’t sure he remembered how to be a brother, either.

Heading back down the stairs, Joel checked on Ryan in the kitchen. Two more math problems and the kid was done. Joel opened the freezer, grabbed two Popsicle treats, threw one to Ryan and headed back into the living room to sit in front of the television.

Switching through the channels, he tried to find something, anything, that interested him. But television didn’t have a chance. Joel’s life had more drama, more action and more situation comedy than any show on prime time.

Upstairs, the wailing finally stopped, tapering off to a few sobs. After a moment, Jared came back downstairs. First he checked the kitchen, told Ryan to “get a move on” and then came and sat down in the easy chair that Billy usually claimed.

“I take it you calmed Matt down.”

“He’s sleeping with my flashlight. He thinks it’s pretty cool.”

“Looks like you’re going to need a new flashlight.”

Jared chuckled. “Small price to pay.” He hopped up, went in and got his own Popsicle, and came back to stare at the television.

In some ways, it was the brothers’ first time alone—alone without some sort of major conflict to deal with, not like the first night Joel had arrived home.

“Jared, you tell your brother he’s welcome here,” Billy had ordered.

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