Once and for All by Jeannie Watt

cook.

    “I T ISN’T LIKE WE’RE going to drink. We just want to go over to Chad’s house for a while.” Beau stood next to the kitchen door he and Tyler had been about to escape through when Sam had asked where they were going.
    “His parents are in Salt Lake,” Sam repeated for the third time. “You aren’t going over there if his folks aren’t home.”
    His nephews figured they were grown-up, now that they were driving, but Sam thought otherwise. They’d turned sixteen two months ago. That was not grown-up in his book.
    Tyler’s face was getting red with unexpressed anger. “There isn’t going to be a party,” he said. “You can come by and check. Even if there was a party, we don’t drink.”
    Sam was exhausted after an eighteen-hour day, and this was the last thing he needed. But he didn’t trust Chad Bellows and he didn’t particularly like Chad’s parents, either. They’d let their two boys run wild, and the older one had suffered some legal consequences because of it.
    “Have Chad come over here.”
    Where were these well-worn parental phrases coming from? The exact same words that had driven him and Dave so crazy as kids were now spilling out of Sam’s mouth.
    “No!” Tyler said, the anger finally boiling over. “Either you trust us or you don’t.” Beau nodded, his expression taut.
    “It’s not you guys. It’s Chad. His brother—”
    “Made mistakes, but he’s not there and he’s not Chad.”
    That was it. Sam was too exhausted to argue any longer. “Stay home tonight,” he said. Problem solved. He needed to crash and he didn’t want to have to worry about the boys. And if they stayed home, maybe they’d learn not to question his decisions—which were made entirely for their own benefit. One of these days they’d understand that.
    Sam shook his head as he walked down the hall to his room, leaving two angry teenagers staring after him.
    He’d just pulled his boots off when the phone rang. A second later Beau called out sullenly, “You have an emergency.”
    Sam’s chin dropped to his chest. If he could just get enough clients to pay up, he’d take on a partner. This was killing him. He went to the door in his stocking feet and opened it. Beau was standing at the end of the hall, his jacket still on, holding the cordless phone.
    “Lawrences?” Sam asked. He’d sewn up a dog earlier that day, and Mrs. Lawrence had refused to let him put on a funnel collar to keep the animal from tearing at the stitches. If he had to go back and restitch that dog, he was charging double.
    “Margarite.”
    His gut tightened for no particular reason as he walked down the hall. Beau handed him the phone, then slunk off through the kitchen to his own bedroom, radiating resentment.
    Tough. Sam brought the receiver up to his ear. “Margarite?”
    “They promised me if they both left there would be no problems,” the woman said without a hello. No trouble figuring out who “they” were, since there were only two other people on the ranch.
    “What’s the problem?”
    “What d’you think? I’ve got a heifer bred to a bull that was way too big, but the right color,” Margarite said in disgust. “Can you come out here? Lucas had to go to Elko and Jodie’s there, too, shopping. I can’t pull this calf alone.”
    “I’ll be right out,” Sam said. He just hoped he didn’t fall asleep driving to the ranch. He put the phone back in the charger, then called to the boys.
    “Yeah?” Tyler replied from the living room, the TV now on.
    “I’m going to the Barton ranch,” Sam said wearily. He almost added, “Stay home while I’m gone,” but stopped himself. The boys knew he wanted them at home that night. Hopefully, they’d do as he asked. They’d better do as he asked.

    J ODIE’S PULSE RATE quickened when she returned home from a shopping trip in Elko—actually, an excuse to get out of the house now that the roads were plowed—and saw Sam’s truck parked next to the barn.