The Other Hollister Man
Автор
Stella Bagwell
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Prologue
Something out of the ordinary was happening on Stone Creek Ranch. Jack Hollister couldn’t recall ever seeing more than three people at one time in his father’s small study. This afternoon, however, ten adults were crammed into the room. Eight of them were Jack and his siblings, all of whom were standing around the front of a large oak desk. Seated in comfortable leather chairs behind the desk, their parents, Hadley and Claire, were exchanging dubious glances.
For the past minute, Jack and his four brothers, along with their three sisters, had been waiting patiently for their father to explain the reason for this sudden call for a family meeting. But so far the only words he’d spoken had been something in their mother’s ear.
Now Jack sensed his siblings were starting to grow restless. Off to his left, he heard his twin sisters, Bonnie and Beatrice, let out matching sighs, while to his immediate right, Hunter, the eldest of the group, was shifting his weight from one cowboy boot to the other. Past him, Quint was making an issue of clearing his throat. As for Jack, he was normally a patient man, but this waiting around was stretching his nerves to the limit.
Pushing the brim of his cowboy hat back off his forehead, he looked over at Hunter. “I’m beginning to think Dad is losing it,” he whispered to Hunter. “What the hell are we doing here? I have all kinds of work waiting to be finished by the end of the day. At this rate, it’s going to be dark before we ever leave this room.”
Hunter cocked a mocking brow at Jack. “Yeah, and I still have to haul fifteen bulls to Spanish Fork before I can think about quitting for the night. What is this about, anyway? If Dad thinks he needs to ask me about that land he has his eye on, then he’s wasting his time. I don’t give a damn.”
“Really?” Jack retorted.
“Well, hell yes, really. In spite of you thinking Dad is getting dementia, he’s kept Stone Creek Ranch working in the black for years now. I figure if he believes we should invest in more land, then we ought to.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Dad’s mind is as sharp as a tack. I—”
Hunter’s elbow suddenly gouged Jack’s ribs as Hadley stirred and seemed about to speak. “Shh.”
Jack looked away from his brother to the front of the room, where their father was tapping an ink pen on the top of the desk as though it were a judge’s gavel. As he rose to his feet, the room grew so quiet Jack could hear the birds chattering outside the windows.
At age fifty-nine, Hadley Hollister was still an impressive figure of a man. Six foot three of hard, fit muscle and dark hair that had grayed slightly at the temples, his presence always filled the room. And Jack would feel certain in saying all of his eight children adored him. Even though there were times they didn’t totally agree with him.
“First off, thank you all for making the effort to be here. I realize you all have responsibilities with your jobs, but after talking this matter over with your mother, we both agreed that everyone in the family needed to hear this at the same time.”
“Dad, is this about buying more cattle and sheep?”
The question came from Cordell, the middle sibling, who was the foreman of the family-owned-and-operated ranch.
Grace, a medical doctor, who was a couple of years older than Cordell and standing on the opposite side of Hunter, groaned out loud. “Oh, for Pete’s sake, Cord! Can’t you think of anything else besides livestock—and women?”
The interruption caused Hadley to pick up a bronze paperweight in the shape of a horse and bang it forcefully on the desktop. Next to him Claire grimaced as she watched indentions appear in the varnished wood.
“That’s enough! You siblings can’t be together for five minutes before you’re arguing like adolescents! I want everyone to remain quiet. When I’m finished you can throw all the questions you want at me.” He reached down and picked up a long white envelope. “I received this letter a few days ago from Gil and Maureen Hollister. The couple have recently been digging into their family genealogy and believe our two families could somehow be related. They haven’t found a concrete link between us—yet. That’s why they’re asking for our help. But Maureen, especially, seems to believe her husband is somehow related to me.”
Jack did his best to stifle a mocking snort, but Cordell didn’t bother to hide his opinion on the matter and burst out laughing.
“Cord, this might not be so funny,” Hadley swiftly admonished. “Distant or not, relatives can create unwanted problems. Therefore, your mother and I have both decided this is a matter we can’t ignore.”
Nodding in agreement, Claire said, “Your father and I feel that if there’s even the slightest chance that these Arizona Hollisters are relatives, then you all deserve to know it.”
“And what if this is all a scam? What if these people are simply out for their own personal gain? You don’t know any of them, do you?”
The questions had already whipped through Jack’s thoughts. Thankfully, his younger brother Flint, who was a deputy sheriff for Beaver County, Utah, suggested the suspicion before Jack had to.
Hadley turned his attention to Flint, who was next to the youngest of his sons. “I’ve only heard of their ranch—Three Rivers Ranch in southern Arizona. I’ve spoken with Maureen on the phone, but I’ve never met anyone from the family or anyone who’s ever worked for them. That’s why I’m going to send one of you to Three Rivers Ranch to get a sense of what’s really going on with this family. This woman has extended an invitation for a visit, and I’ve promised her that one of us would be there by the end of the week.”
Jack and his siblings all exchanged shocked glances, but none of them expressed their feelings out loud.
Hadley continued. “I’m sure you’re all wondering which one of you will be making the trip. So I’m going to go through the list by way of elimination.”
Hunter was the first one to burst out a protest. “Dad, with the rodeo going on, the Flying H has to be in Spanish Fork for the next five days. There’s no way in hell I can go!”
“Rest easy, Hunter. You were the first one I crossed off the list.”
“I suppose just because Hunter owns the Flying H Rodeo Company means he gets an automatic pass.” Beatrice tossed Hunter a cheeky look before she smiled sweetly at their father. “Well, that’s okay with me. I’d love to go, Dad. I can certainly get away from my job.”
Hadley gave the youngest of his children an indulgent smile. “I’m sure you could, Bea. But none of the cowboys on Three Rivers would be safe from you. So no. You’ve already been crossed off the list, also.”
Beatrice’s mouth fell open as she turned a reproachful look on her twin. “Have you been talking about me?”
Hadley quickly interrupted her. “No one has to point out the fact to me that men are your number-one priority, Bea. And before you complain any further, Bonnie is off the list, too. Dealing with a group of strangers would give her stomach ulcers. Plus, I need her here to keep the office running smoothly.”
While Bonnie looked relieved, Flint spoke up. “Well, it can’t be me, Dad. I can’t get off duty. With Wade out with a broken ankle, we’re already shorthanded.”
“I’ve already come to that conclusion, Flint,” Hadley told him. “You’re excused, and so is Quint.”
“I am?” Quint practically yelled. “Why? Don’t you think I’d like to get away from herding cattle or sheep for a few days?”
Being the youngest son, Quint was constantly griping about all the manual labor he put into the ranch and often expressed his desire to be something more than a rancher. Hadley had always made a point to never stand in his son’s way, but so far Quint hadn’t found the fortitude to leave the ranch.
“Quint, I’m sure you would like to get away from the ranch. You talk of doing just that often enough. That’s the main reason you’re not going. You don’t necessarily represent what the rest of your family values most, and that’s Stone Creek Ranch and the Hollister name.”
Quint looked sullen, and Jack tried to scrape up some sympathy for his brother but couldn’t manage to find any. Even though Quint was twenty-six, he still had some growing up to do before he could adequately speak for himself much less the family.
“So,” Hadley continued, “that brings things down to Grace and Jack.”
Unable to remain quiet, Jack said, “Dad, that’s no choice. We all know that Grace is the diplomat of the family. She’d be the perfect person to meet with these other Hollisters.”
“You’re right. Grace is more than a diplomat. She’s also a sharp judge of character. But she has patients who count on her to be in her office whenever they need a doctor. She also has a six-year-old son to care for. She has too many responsibilities to juggle already. So that leaves you, Jack. And frankly, I happen to think you’re the best Hollister for the job.”
Jack was so stunned it took him a moment to pry his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “Me? You have to be kidding, Dad. I’m not a people person. Especially people I don’t know. Besides, I have so much on my plate already that I’ll never catch up. Haying time is nearly here, and we’ve not yet got all the branding done. And what—”
Hadley held up a hand to interrupt Jack’s argument. “I’m fully aware of your duties, Jack. And I’m fairly certain between myself and your brothers we can deal with the extra work.”
“But Dad, I—”
“Look, Jack, your parents are asking you to do this for the whole family. All you have to do is meet these people and decide if they’re sincere or trying to pull a con. Maybe get their hands on our mineral rights. Who knows what they might be thinking or planning?”
If his parents trusted him to handle this unusual task, then Jack couldn’t let them down. No matter how much he disliked the idea of going to Arizona.
From the corners of his eyes, Jack could see both Beatrice and Quint eyeing him with resentment, while the remainder of his siblings appeared relieved that he’d been the chosen one.
“Okay, Dad. When am I supposed to go on this trip?”
Hadley answered, “As soon as you can pack your bags, son.”
