to win them over, he intended to stick to Laurie and Amy Lynn like glue.
First he called Jordan and made arrangements to have his uncle’s plane picked up in Montana and flown back to Texas. Next he called his father and arranged for an extended vacation from the ranch. He’d expected an argument and was surprised when he didn’t get one. He was even more surprised when his father began to probe more deeply into his reasons for staying away.
“Do you still love her?” Cody Adams asked him point-blank, proving that the family grapevine was in fine working order and engaging in a whole lot of speculation.
He hesitated, then admitted, “Right now a part of me is still furious with her, but yes, I love her. I always have.”
“And you’re happy about being a daddy?”
There wasn’t even a split second of hesitation before he responded to that one. “It’s amazing, Dad. I’ve never felt anything like it. Just wait till you see Amy Lynn,” he said. “She’s a little angel. How could I be anything but happy about her? She’ll steal your heart, too.”
“Then take my advice, son. Don’t take no for an answer. They’re your family. You fight for them any way you have to.”
“Even if I have to play down and dirty?” he inquired lightly, thinking of how he could always bend Laurie to his will with a couple of well-timed kisses.
“Whatever works,” his father agreed. “I pulled out all the stops with your mama and I’ve never regretted it. The situations are not all that dissimilar, you know. She’d had your sister without telling me, and I came back to Texas to discover I had a ready-made family. I was furious, but once I got beyond casting blame I did everything except stand on my head and whistle the wedding march to get through to her. I’d have tried that, too, if I’d thought it would work.”
“What did work finally?” he asked his father, not too proud to seek advice that might make a difference in his campaign to win Laurie.
His father laughed at his eagerness for surefire answers. “You’d have to ask your mother that, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was the fact that I never gave up, that I stuck around even when she was being the most contrary female in all of Texas. She finally had to take me seriously.” He chuckled. “Of course, she did wait till they were wheeling her into the delivery room to give birth to you before she finally gave in. I suppose she figured with two babies of mine, she didn’t have a chance in hell of ever shaking me.”
Harlan Patrick had heard the tale a thousand times before, but this time he was hearing it in a whole new light. This time it wasn’t just a humorous family legend. It was inspiration for his own battle to win Laurie’s heart and claim his family. If persistence was what it took, then he was already on the right track.
“Thanks for reminding me of that,” he told his father.
“You just bring those two back home with you. They’re what’s important in your life right now. Family matters more than anything else, son, this ranch included. Your granddaddy would be the first to tell you that, and you know how he feels about this place. In the meantime he and I can manage the ranch. There are plenty of others in the family who’ll pitch in if we need them to.”
“Just don’t forget that I’m the one who’s going to get the place one day. I don’t want you running it into the ground while I’m not looking.”
“Very funny,” his father said dryly. “Besides, with your granddaddy around, I don’t think there’s much chance of that. As old as I am, he’d still tan my hide if he thought I was messing with his legacy to all of you. Take care, son, and good luck with Laurie. If she’s the woman you want, then I wish you only the best in getting her.”
Harlan Patrick knew what it had cost his father to wish him luck. He’d been blaming Laurie for a long time now for mistreating his only son. Forgiving her would take some time, but Harlan Patrick didn’t doubt that in the end his father truly did wish them well.
“Thanks,” he said. “Something tells me I’m going to need all the luck I can get.”
As he hung up, he realized that Laurie was standing in