said softly, reaching up to grasp his shoulder tenderly. “I understand. I’ve always understood, Dalton. You don’t have to explain. Come on and sit down.”
The warden had given permission for Shep to be alone in a secluded section of the courtyard with his sons. Normally, touching would not have been allowed, but Shep knew that Ambrose, the prison guard, had basically looked away.
“This place isn’t so bad,” Dalton said, glancing around. “I like it better than that other place.”
Shep did, too. “I appreciate the governor sending me here,” he said. “He figured I could make a difference, and I believe that I have,” he said, thinking about Fontane.
“They trust you here,” Jace observed. “That guard over there might as well not be here.”
Shep followed his gaze. “Ambrose is a good man, a father himself. He has three sons.” He didn’t want to be reminded that Ambrose’s three sons were the same ages Shep’s had been when he’d been sent away.
“Here, Dad. I thought you might want to see these,” Caden said, handing his father a group of pictures taken at the repast following their grandfather’s memorial service. Shep felt tightness around his heart. His father had died, and he hadn’t been there to pay his last respects.
He slowly flipped through the pictures. Some of the people he recognized immediately; others he did not. But then, it had been fifteen years. He lifted a brow at one particular picture and smiled. “Hey, is that little Shiloh?”
Caden’s lips tightened. “Yes, that’s her. I was trying to take a picture of Cameron, and she got in the way.”
Dalton chuckled as he looked down at the photo. “Yeah, I just bet she did. It looks to me as if you had the camera aimed right at her.”
“Well, you’re wrong,” Caden said, narrowing his gaze at Dalton. He reached out for the picture. “I can toss it away and—”
“Toss it away? Why?” his father said, eyeing him curiously. “It was nice of her to attend the services considering how her parents ended up feeling about the family once I was convicted.”
“Yes, real nice,” Caden said as a muscle ticked in his jaw.
Shep didn’t say anything. He glanced over at Jace, who merely shrugged. Shep glanced back down at the picture. “She’s grown into a beautiful woman, don’t you think?” He decided to probe.
“I wouldn’t know.” Then just as quickly, Caden took the pictures from his father and put them back in the envelope. “These copies are yours, and you can look at them anytime. I think Jace wants to talk to you about the company.”
“All right,” Shep said, turning his attention to Jace. “How have things been going at Granger Aeronautics?”
Jace spent the next twenty minutes filling his dad in on everything, including the emergency stockholders’ meeting Freeman had called. Shep smiled. “That was a smart move to buy up that stock, and it’s a good thing you had the money to loan your brothers, Dalton.”
Dalton, who had grown bored with the conversation, suddenly lifted an arched brow. “Loan? You mean I’ll get my money back?”
Shep chuckled. “Yes, one day you will—when the company’s out of the red. You didn’t think you would get it back right away, did you?”
“I figured it was for a good cause.” Dalton smiled. “Besides, Jace and Caden threatened me.”
Jace rolled his eyes. “He’s a billionaire and has millions to spare.”
“Yes,” Shep said. “I think you surprised a number of people, Dalton. I’m proud of you. I always knew when the going got tough you would see your way out. Dad was worried about you for a while, but I wasn’t.” Shep chuckled again. “I always knew you had a good head on your shoulders once you found your way out from under some woman’s skirt.”
Caden laughed. “Sorry, Dad, he’s still lost. He hasn’t found his way out from under a skirt yet.”
Dalton glanced over at Caden. “Go to—”
He then remembered his father was sitting right there and quickly said, “Go to the bathroom and relieve yourself.”
Shep couldn’t help but smile. It was good to see that the camaraderie between his sons was good. He was certain they got on each other’s nerves from time to time, but he knew in the end they would have each other’s backs.
“How much do you know about Cal Arrington, Dad?” Jace asked.
“Not much. He and Freeman were hired after I left. Dad was impressed with them, and they moved up the ranks quickly. I know Vidal had some apprehensions about him doing that,