LITMIR.BIZ

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any sense. It’s a mistake, a county error. It has to be. Besides, he couldn’t do that without Mom’s signature and she’d never agree, no matter what.”

      “I checked. He has power of attorney over all their financial dealings,” Jack said flatly.

      “Why?”

      “After everything he’s done in the past, she still trusts him!” Suddenly the anger and hurt were there again, and he couldn’t stop himself from hitting the table as hard as he could with the flat of his right hand. “It’s done. He did it. He took it and gave it away. No money changed hands. And do you want to know why he gave the land to that Michaels person?”

      He didn’t wait for them to respond. “He was drunk and in a private high stakes poker match, and he put up the deed for this place on a bet, winner take all. It’s all there in the letter the clerk faxed to me.”

      “And Dad told you the same story?” Gage asked, his shock still lingering on his face.

      “No, actually, he looked surprised. June tenth was toward the end of his last bender, when he disappeared for two weeks. My guess is, he had one of his drunken blackouts. I doubt he even remembers the game.”

      Adam looked up at him intently. “Why would he tell you to take the land if it was already gone?”

      Jack ran both hands over his face. “Like I said, a blackout. He didn’t remember much of anything.” He looked at Adam. “At least he found his way to Rick Carter’s, his old banking friend who lives in Henderson, Nevada. Two days later, he was back here, refused rehab, but got a grip and seems to have been sober ever since.” He grimaced. “But who knows.”

      “What about Mom?” Gage asked, barely above a whisper.

      “I hoped she’d be gone when I got there, but she wasn’t, and she knew something was wrong. I managed to get Dad alone in the office, but Mom came in when she heard me yelling.” That broke his heart. “I can’t believe how many ways he’s hurt her and she’s forgiven him. I’m not sure she will this time.”

      Jack swallowed hard before continuing. “She was crying when I left. I should have stayed for her. I should have never left her like that.”

      “No,” Gage said quickly. “No, you shouldn’t have stayed. You’d said enough.”

      Jack felt reproach in the words, but when he looked at Gage, he didn’t see any sign of criticism. Just pain. And he felt it too, for their mother. He could barely think about his father, crying, begging for her forgiveness, promising anything it would take to keep her with him. More empty promises, as empty as his vows to never drink again.

      Adam sat back, his arms folded tightly over his chest. “Mom and Dad will have to deal with their own lives. We’ll be there, and Mom knows that, but we can’t change anything.”

      Jack nodded, feeling an odd exhaustion now that he’d told his brothers about everything. “You’re right. For now.”

      Gage sat back. “So, all we have to do is find this Michaels guy, make him an offer he can’t refuse and that’s that.” He made it sound like a foregone conclusion. “As for Dad, I don’t know what to do. He refused rehab when he got back, so that’s probably out. But we really need to talk to Mom about rescinding Dad’s power of attorney.”

      “You two do it,” Jack said, not having the heart to even see his mother yet. “I’ll work on trying to contact Michaels. There’s an address from the original deed change, so I’ll start there.”

      “Where is it?” Gage asked.

      Adam glanced down at the letter on the table. “It’s in New Jersey. While you do that, Jack, I’ll run a background check on Mr. Michaels.”

      Gage had picked up the letter and scanned it before he looked at one brother, then the other. “The one thing that doesn’t make sense to me is, if Michaels has owned the title for about a month, it seems odd that he hasn’t made his way out here, from New Jersey or even from Las Vegas right when he got the land. Even if it was just to scope it out and sell it? Wouldn’t he at least send someone to size it up and figure out what to do with it?”

      Three hundred acres of prime grazing land, with water rights, wouldn’t be cheap if it went on the open market. “No one’s been out here, I don’t think, and we would have heard if someone in town was asking around about the ranch.” Jack exhaled as he raked his fingers through his hair. He actually felt a bit more settled now that he’d talked to Gage and Adam. He motioned to the documents on the table between them. “Take what you need, Adam. I’ve got the originals back at the office.”

      Gage was the first one to stand. “I can ask around about deals like this going down, and what can be done.”

      Jack shook his head. “It’s too late to call any of this illegal. It’s not.”

      “No, it’s not, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be some leverage brought to make sure, when you find him, that Michaels would be more compliant with your request to purchase it back from him.”

      Frowning, Jack just shrugged. “I appreciate whatever either of you can do to help out.”

      “Done,” Gage and Adam said in unison.

      The three brothers stepped out into the afternoon heat, the sky a true blue overhead. They stopped by Gage’s horse, and as Jack rubbed the large animal’s silken muzzle, Adam asked, “What about Dad? Are you going to talk to him again? ” Jack knew his tone was tight, but he couldn’t help it. “I don’t want any kind of contact with Dad for now. He can’t make up for any of this. I just want this land back from Charles Michaels.”

      Gage reached for his horse’s lead, and with a glance at each brother, walked off toward the trees. Adam slipped into the cruiser and gave Jack the hint of a salute, his forefinger tapping the brim of his uniform cap before he drove off down the dusty driveway, another cloud of dust in his wake.

      The slight diminishing of stress was gone as soon as both brothers were out of sight. Jack felt the tension return. He shouldn’t have yelled, or threatened his father. He shouldn’t have done anything in front of his mother. She didn’t deserve that.

      He locked the door and then dropped down heavily onto the stone step again.

      As his gaze skimmed over the land spread out before him, memories of his grandfather herding cattle and sheep came to him. He could almost see him, the dogs yipping at the heels of the stock, dust rising and his grandfather bringing up the rear. He could hear his sharp whistles to the dogs, altering their patterns, an old-fashioned herder’s staff in one hand.

      This ranch was their family’s heritage and his father had gambled it away. There would be no new memories created for future generations. Jack couldn’t let that happen. He wanted to make a life for himself right here. His father had fought for sobriety, and had lost the battle several times, but the war was not over. Win or lose, that part was up to him. All Jack could do was try his best to get the land back. And to make that happen, he needed to find Charles Luther Michaels.

       CHAPTER TWO

      THE TRIP FROM Los Angeles to Albuquerque, New Mexico was the first time Grace Evans had ever flown in her twenty-six years. As she stepped out of the terminal with her suitcase and overnight bag, she spotted a tram she was supposed to use to pick up her rental car. Half an hour later, she was in that car, a red compact, and heading out of the terminal parking lot toward her future. At least she hoped it was her future—her daughter’s and her mother’s as well.

      Her world had been turned upside down, and she still didn’t know if this trip would lead to something more than a huge wish on her part. It had all started two weeks ago. After a double shift waitressing at the diner, she had been exhausted as she’d headed to the tiny, second story apartment she and her family shared in a less than gentrified area of Los Angeles. All she wanted was

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