and realized he felt a jumble of conflicting emotions. “Maybe I shouldn’t have retired so soon,” he said. “I didn’t factor in that with two boys down and Jack nowhere to be seen, I’ll now be the sole focus of Pop’s chicanery. I was hoping for some peace and quiet, to collect my million, to not think much about the old man. Now he’s got me thinking about him, and you, and the kids, and his latest scheme.”
“Don’t think about me, ” Priscilla said, sliding into the car. “You have no idea how unavailable I am.”
He leaned on her window. “Good. Keep reminding me of that.”
“You bet your boots I will.” Priscilla started the engine. “Take care of your father, okay? He’s not as bad as you boys paint him.”
“Sure he is,” Pete said. “He’s just got you buffaloed. He does it to everyone.”
She shook her head with a smile, not believing him, and drove away.
But it was true. “I’m going to kill him,” he muttered to himself, and went inside to have it out with the one person who had the power to drive him completely nuts.
His father sat in his chair dozing, or pretending to. “Pop,” Pete said, “I haven’t had a real conversation with you in what, ten years?”
“Your choice, not mine.”
Pete took a deep breath, willing himself to be calm. “You’ve got to quit this obsession with family. You’ll have to be satisfied that Dane and Gabe succumbed to your feudal approach to matchmaking. You’re going to have to mind your own business where I’m concerned. It’ll be hard for you to quit being so manipulative, but all you’re going to do is make me mad as hell.”
“I wasn’t thinking about you, actually,” Josiah said, opening his eyes. “I was thinking about the welfare of those children. I never even considered matching you and Priscilla until I heard those babies were going into foster care. They have no family, and no one around here is prepared to take on the care of four preemie newborns.”
“Nor am I.” Pete couldn’t imagine what his father had been thinking. “I hope you noticed Priscilla wasn’t exactly on board with your plan. In fact, she acted like a woman who was being offered a bad deal.”
“Yeah, she didn’t seem to like you as much as I’d heard she did.” Josiah reached for his brandy.
His father’s words caught Pete’s attention. “What do you mean, you heard Priscilla liked me?” He wondered why his heart rate sped up; his whole body seemed to go on alert.
Josiah shrugged. “I heard she had a hankering for you. Usually my sources are pretty good, but this time, they clearly weren’t. As far as I could tell, the lady’s not interested in you one bit.”
That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He was, in fact, surprisingly disappointed. “I don’t know,” Pete said, “we had some good times last month. There might have been something there.”
“Well, it’s gone now,” Josiah said. “A single woman who doesn’t jump at a man, a ring and four children isn’t in the presence of her Prince Charming.”
“You might have overplayed your hand,” Pete suggested. “Maybe she’s not the kind of woman who wants children.”
“Every woman wants children.”
“Four is a lot to start off a marriage with, don’t you think?” Pete thought he couldn’t handle that many; taking care of one child would probably blow his mind. “Pop, these are little people with special needs. They need to go to a family who are prepared to deal with that.”
“Do you know how likely it is they’ll be sent to one home?” Josiah asked. “They’ll likely be separated. I hate that.” He sighed deeply. “It doesn’t matter. As you said, Priscilla doesn’t seem to like you, so this is all moot.”
“I never said Priscilla doesn’t like me,” Pete said. “She doesn’t even know me.”
“She was here with you for several days last month. Clearly that was enough for her. No, I’ll have to look elsewhere to figure out how to help those babies.”
“Jack?” Pete snorted. “Pop, you are never going to see Jack in this house. In fact, you’ll be lucky if you ever see him anywhere.”
Josiah’s brow furrowed. “Every father wants to see his children before he dies, so don’t dash my hopes. Someone in this county surely wants four wonderful babies, although I never said Jack was the answer.”
“Well, you’re not dying, so I’m not dashing anything. I’m merely stating what you know to be true about Jack.”
Josiah gave him a long, considering look. “The truth is, I am dying.”
Pete’s insides turned to stone. “You’ll have to be dragged off this earth kicking and screaming, Pop. You’re going to harass us forever. Anyway, you’d never let go with two of us unwed.”
Josiah shook his head. “I’m afraid I’ll have to settle for a fifty percent success rate in this one thing, because the old clock of life is winding down on me.”
Pete slowly realized his father was totally serious. The silence in the den felt heavy and somber; Pete could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he recognized that his father wasn’t trying to manipulate him. He swallowed. “What’s wrong, Pop?”
“I’ve had a spot of trouble with some kidney issues.” Josiah shrugged. “You’re the first person I’ve told. I think Suzy guessed, but she knew I’d talk about it in my own good time.”
The anger that Pete had held close to him for so many years, the very burst of vengeful words he’d come home to loose, receded behind an emotional compartment marked To Deal with Later. “Have you seen a doctor?”
“Loads of them. There’s nothing really to be done, short of a kidney transplant, and I would never ask anyone to give up a kidney for an old geezer like me. Plus, I opted to forgo the usual treatments. Basically, I came home to die.”
Pete stared at his father, still looking for any sign of manipulation. For once, Josiah’s face was serene and forthright. “Why are you telling me this?”
Josiah shrugged. “The times I share with my sons and their families are the times that keep me hanging on. Otherwise, I might as well be a hopeless old wrench in life’s party.”
“So what’s the prognosis for your situation?” Pete asked, dreading the answer.
“Same outcome we’ll all get eventually. Only mine will come sooner than later. Maybe a year, probably less.” Josiah shifted and raised the glass of brandy. “I self-medicate. I’m not supposed to, of course. Have real medicine I’m supposed to take.” He smacked his lips after he sipped his drink. “ This is tasty medicine.”
“I’ll join you for a dose, then.” Pete needed a stiff drink. He needed more than a drink. Pop had managed to underpin Pete’s most deeply held emotions. After traveling thousands of dangerous miles and living for years nursing deep, black-edged anger, brandy wasn’t going to help him much. He’d have preferred to come home and spit in the old man’s eye. Now, not only did he not want
