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I took Josh's birth certificate and slid it into a manila envelope with the intent of showing to Josh, if he doubted my word. Dad took it from me, smiling like he'd just won the prize. "Let's take my rental, but you'll have to drive. I have no idea where we're going."

We stayed on 11 all the way up to where it ran into 18 at Grandfalls. With less than twenty miles to go, I started feeling antsy and a bit doubtful. Dad picked up on it.

"Don't you think we should call and let him know at least that you're on the way?"

I shrugged and pulled into a service station. Lys, Josh's wife, answered. I greeted her and asked for Josh. "Oh, Jack, he's over at the school working on something. You're most welcome to come on over and wait for him. I'll make some iced tea."

"Tell you what, Lys. We'll go over and meet him there. We'll see you a little later."

As I drove on into Monahans, I told Dad what we were doing. I pulled into the deserted faculty parking lot and parked next to Josh's pickup. "I sure hope he's not going to reject me," Dad muttered.

Dad spotted him walking across the lawn. As Josh approached us, I opened the car door, stood up, and called out, "Josh."

He looked up, grinned, and trotted towards me. "Jack, what the hell are you doing over here?" He asked, hugging me.

"I brought someone over to meet you."

Dad got out of the car at that moment. Josh looked at him, blanched, and started huffing with his mouth hanging open.

"You're... Oh, holy moly... you're my real dad," he finally got out. He looked at me grinning as he pointed and said, "Our Dad."

I nodded and watched Josh start tentatively towards Dad, who held out his arms as they met in front of the car. "Son," I heard him say.

Josh stumbled up to Dad, wrapped his arms around his chest and Dad enveloped him. I never really dreamed that Josh might know or suspect that my... our stepfather wasn't his real dad. Hell, I'd really thought he was until Dad showed me the photo of his younger brothers and I saw the family resemblance. Josh and I'd never talked about it. I'd also considered that Josh might consider Dad to be an interloper at this point in his life. But seeing the joy on their faces as they met for the first time, I knew I'd done the right thing in bringing Dad over here. I scurried around the car and wrapped an arm around them both, and we ended up in a three way hug.

Josh pulled back and said, "You've got to meet your grandsons, Dad... and my wife Lys." He turned to me and asked, "You don't mind if Dad rides with me, do you, Jack?"

I grinned at his enthusiasm and said, "Nah, go ahead. I'll follow you home."

As I drove Dad's car along behind Josh's pickup, I saw Dad reach across and grasp Josh's shoulder, and I felt a stab of jealously. Then I chided myself. Dad had already shown as much, if not more affection for me. He hadn't known of Josh's existence until Cass told him how much he looked like a Pommel. So I was sure there had to be some extra emotions involved in their meeting and getting to know each other.

Jealousy hit me again when Dad enfolded Lys in his arms - he hadn't accepted my mate that warmly. Then I recalled how he'd guided Sammy into Gran's office with a hand placed affectionately on the back of his neck. 'Hell, they're both men, Jack, you can't expect the same kind of intimacy,' I again chided myself.

The twins exploded into the room yelling, "Unca Jack, Unca Jack." I knelt, picked them up, and got wet little boy kisses on each cheek. I kissed them each and set them on their feet. They looked at the strange man with his arm around their mother's back. One of them asked, "Who're you?"

"Boys, I want you to meet your real grandfather. Dad, this is Jakey, and this one is Johnny."

I watched Dad kneel and scoop up Josh's little twin boys and kiss their cheeks. As he talked to them, I heard him ask if they got to see much of their cousin Jacy.

"Yes, Gampa, Jacy is really nice, but he's kinda shy," one of them answered, I think it was Johnny. I never could tell them apart unless someone told me how to differentiate them by their shirt colors.

The other one asked, "Are you Jacy's gampa too?"

"I sure am." I knew then there was no need of any petty jealousy.

"Neato," the little boy yelled.

"Josh, how do you and Lys tell these two apart?" Dad asked.

They both laughed.

"You have to look closely, Jake has a tiny mole next to his right ear, otherwise, it'd be impossible."

Dad, still kneeling with an arm around each boy, looked from one to the other.

"I'm Jakey," one of them said.

"Nuh uh, I'm Jakey," the other one countered.

"Show me your mole," Dad said to the first one.

He grinned. "I was just joking. He's Jakey, I'm Johnny."

Dad turned to the one that supposedly was Jakey, and again said, "Show me your mole."

Grinning real big, the boy turned his head one way then the other. He didn't have the mole. Both boys burst out laughing. Dad pulled both of them close and raspberried their necks.

With a straight face, Josh said, "They've got Jack's sense of humor."

Dad looked up at me from his kneeling position and said, "You're a jokester, huh?"

I looked back with feigned surprised innocence. "Who, me?"

Josh started in on me. "Remember the time you..."

Lys thankfully interrupted him. "Have you men had lunch?"

"No," I quickly replied. "We left the ranch right after breakfast."

"That's what I thought. Come on into the kitchen. I have lunch all ready set out."

As we consumed our meal of roast beef sandwiches and potato salad like Mom makes, Dad was lightly bantering with his grandsons. Josh shocked me when he said, "I've always felt Allen was an interloper and that I was fathered by someone other than him. I even played with the idea that I might've been adopted, except I've definitely inherited Mom's nose. The mind games he'd play, being extra nice to me in front of you and then ignoring me when you weren't around. You know he gave me that new pickup when I turned sixteen just to get your goat."

"Our three younger brothers got new pickups on their sixteenth birthdays too," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but they're his sons."

"You never let on about it. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Hell, Jack, you had way too many problems to deal with for me to be laying my doubts on you. I was always there for you though."

"I know you were, Josh. If you hadn't been, I don't know if I could have made it through my childhood."

"Why didn't you tell me about your back, Jack? You know I'd have been supportive."

I glanced at Lys, who looked like she was holding back tears as she listened to us.

"I was too scared to tell anyone. He had me convinced that he'd really kill me if I did."

"Jesus, Jack, he really is an SOB bastard. Makes me wonder where Mom's head was. How could she not have noticed that something was wrong with you?"

"You were around me every day, did you notice?"

"No, but I was only nine years old."

I noticed then that Dad was listening. He reached over Jakey and squeezed my shoulder. I knew it was Jakey because he was sitting on my right and I could clearly see the tiny mole next to his ear.

I changed the subject. "I was over at the Pecos last week. I took Andy Morris back to Girvin to ramrod the ranch."

"It's good you did, Jack. I got the feeling when we were over there right after Gran's party that Allen had usurped Andy's position. I was wondering how long he'd stick around, working for Allen."

"I noticed right away that Andy was being treated like a regular hand. Hell, he was running the ranch when I was over there. I was just kind of the figurehead. Anyhow, he's properly placed and everything is running smoothly at the ranch."

"So, how did Allen take your taking Andy back with you?"

I shrugged. "I couldn't give a hoot. Andy's the most experienced hand we have and I wasn't going to leave him there to be abused." I glanced at Dad. The expression of pride on his face gave me a warm feeling.

After lunch, we helped Lys clear the table and clean up her kitchen, then Dad said we needed to get going. Josh stepped up and embraced him. "God, I'm glad you've come. I hope you plan to stay in our lives. Even though we're grown men, Dad, we need you."

"Jack didn't tell you, but I flew up to McCamey in my own plane. You two will be seeing a lot of me from now on. Any time you and your family want to get away, call me and I'll come fly you down for a visit. It's only just over an hour's flight."

Josh hugged him again. "Thanks, Dad."

"I'll be back up in a couple of weeks. Why don't you and Lys plan on staying the weekend with Jack?" He placed a hand on the back of Josh's neck and said, "I want to get to know my sons."

After playing with his two grandsons for a moment, then hugging and kissing Lys' cheek, we got in his car and headed back to the ranch. Dad laid the seat back a bit and stretched out. He placed a hand on my shoulder and said, "Son." That sent a thrill through me; I'd never been a son before. I suppose at twenty eight some might think it's silly, but those people don't know what it's like to grow up like I did.

He said, "Son, you'll never know how much I regret letting the last ten years slide by without looking for you. But I was also dealing with the estrangement of my wife, who has since gone back to Germany, taking our daughters with her. I'll bet you didn't know you have two sisters, did you?"

I grinned and shook my head.

"Well, you do. And they're as pretty as you are handsome, and just as sweet natured. They'll be visiting me this summer. You'll come down and meet them, won't you?"

I smiled and nodded, but didn't verbally reply.

"You've often been in my thoughts, but in my mind you were still the little boy I was forced to abandon. I'm so proud of the man you've become in spite of the adversity you've faced. I'll always be thankful to Cass for having found you and bringing you to my attention.

"Cass was telling me about the barbeque on your grandmother's birthday. I suppose I'll never comprehend your mother's reactions, but I don't believe I've ever really understood the woman anyway."

We were approaching the intersection of 11, where the back road we were on and state hiway 167 cross at the little village of Girvin. On a sudden urge, I pulled up to the little market to get a couple of six packs of Dos XX. I asked Dad what his favorite beer was. He replied, "I like Dos XX, too."

As I stepped out of the market, I saw a car that looked like Mom's careen onto the 11 off of the 167. Dad commented, "Damn, probably some damned teenager."

"Dad," I said, "I think that was my mother's car."

His face blanked, then he raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Well, I guess now's as good a time as ever." He looked at me with a grin as he slid into the passenger side. "You up for some fireworks?"

I opened the rear door and placed the six packs on the floor, got in and started the car, then rolled onto the 11 before replying, "Do you think that after 28 years she'll fly off the handle at you?"

He shrugged. "Are you willing to find out?"

I grinned at the prospect of the coming confrontation. "Whatever transpires, it'll be interesting."

We were descending the rise between our mesa and the one across the hiway, when I slowed to turn across the cattle guard. We were silently absorbed in our thoughts, but there was a feeling of expectancy in the air. I idly wondered if this was how a soldier felt just before facing the enemy.

Dad waited on the edge of the sidewalk for me to get my beer out of the back, then followed me up to the door. I looked at him as I opened the screen door. "Are you ready for this, Dad?"

With a tight little smile, he nodded once. I opened the door and stepped into the foyer. The sliding doors to the living room were pulled closed, but I could still hear Mom wailing. "We're back," I called out and headed for the kitchen to put the beer in the fridge. Dad followed me, so I pulled two bottles out, handed one to Dad, dug the opener out of a drawer and handed it to him.

A moment later, Gran came in looking totally exasperated. "I hope you have another one of those," she said, motioning with her head at my bottle. I pulled another one out of the fridge and opened it. "What's with Mom?" I asked as I handed it to her.

Gran shook her head, put the bottle to her lips, tilted her head back, and guzzled half the bottles contents. I'd never seen her take more than a couple of ladylike sips from someone else's bottle.

"Must be bad," I observed.

"Worse than bad," she said as she wiped her mouth with the back of her arm. "She walked into the barn thinking Allen and all the hands were out ranging. She found Allen and a new hand, both with their pants down. Allen was kneeling in front of the hand."

I chuckled. Gran and Dad looked at me like I'd lost it.

"So she finally caught the bastard," I said, still chuckling.

"You knew he was doing that?"

"Gran, didn't you ever wonder why the bastard had to make so many trips a week into McCamey?"

She just looked at me, expecting me to answer.

"Do you recall the young fellow just out of high school that he hired and then fired a week later?" I asked.

"Yes, he was a handsome young man."

"He set him up in an apartment. That's who he was meeting on all those trips."

"You knew this and never said anything about it?"

"He was using his own money, Gran. If it'd been ranch funds, I'd have stopped it."

"But your mother... Don't you have any loyalty to her?"

"Gran, stop and think of where her loyalties lie and who you're asking."

She stared at me a moment, shook her head and said, "Point taken."

Mom must have been standing right outside the door listening. She stepped into the room, and ignoring Dad, said, "I suppose I deserve that."

I looked her right in her eyes. "There's no supposing, Mom."

She looked like I'd slapped her. "Do you hate me that much?"

"I don't hate you. You're my mother. I can't say I have any respect for you though."

She stared at me a moment, then blinked and turned to Dad. "Hello, John. I never expected to see you here."

He dipped his head, then said, "No, I suspect you didn't. And as I told Jack, I'm sorry I didn't show up here years sooner."

"Yes, well..." She studied him a moment, then turned to Gran. "So... are you going to throw him off the Pecos?"

Gran raised an eyebrow as she looked at her oldest daughter. "Well, despite my dislike of him, he's a good ramrod." Mom looked aghast. "Rae, you're asking the wrong person. It's not my place to make that kind of decision anymore."

Mom looked at Gran like she couldn't believe that Gran was refusing her.

"Rae, the Pecos belongs to Jack."

I glanced at Dad. He'd taken a chair at the kitchen table and was apparently enjoying the situation. He winked at me. I looked back at Mom, who was looking at me like I might bite her. "This is one of those moments," I said, "that's described as being between a rock and a hard place. Like I asked Gran a few minutes ago... didn't you ever wonder why your husband made so many trips a week into McCamey?"

Mom stared at me wide eyed... disbelieving.

"Mom, he's been doing this for years. It's nothing new."

She looked totally nonplussed. I kind of felt sorry for her, but still... The sewing/reaping thing came to mind, and I wanted to let her reap a bit before stepping in to set things right for her. "You could just move back over here and let him continue to ramrod the Pecos."

That lit the fire in her eyes. "NO! I want the son of a bitch put off the ranch. He's not going to screw around behind my back."

"Still the heartless one, Rae?" Dad quietly asked.

Mom whirled, ready to attack him. But she suddenly snapped her mouth closed and dropped her head. We watched her shrink in on herself before she turned and quietly cried out, "Mom."

Gran stepped up to her, put an arm around her shoulders, and led her towards the back stairs. I watched them ascend out of sight, then turned and looked at Dad. He looked back at me. I sat down at the table and let out a big sigh.

"So... what are you going to do, Son?" He quietly asked.

I looked at him. "Would you like to see my other ranch?" I asked, after a moment of thought.

He studied me a bit before answering. "I don't have to go back tomorrow. Next Wednesday or Friday would be soon enough."

I grinned. "Then you might as well stay 'til Monday week, since you have a date with your other son and his family next weekend."

He grinned back, then asked, "Are we going this evening or tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning's soon enough. Let the bastard sweat for a bit. Plus I'm going to have to get a sheriff's deputy to assist. The pickup he drives is ranch property, and he's going to be without transportation since Mom has their car."

Dad chuckled.

I heard multiple vehicles pulling in next to the house. I looked out and saw Sammy, Jake, and Dad Bowden getting out of their pickups. A moment later, Jake came through the door with Jacy on his shoulders, followed by Sammy and his Dad. Jake dropped Jacy on my lap and I immediately got a hug and a juicy kiss. Sammy came over and squeezed my shoulder. I grabbed his arm, pulled him down and planted a kiss on his lips. "I love you, Babe," I murmured.

Sammy turned bright red as he straightened up and glanced at Dad, who smiled and winked at him.

"Anything exciting happening?" Sammy asked.

I looked at Jake. "Mom's upstairs. You should go up and say 'hi'."

"I saw her car parked out front." He didn't appear particularly eager to go see her.

"Jake, really. You should go up to see her."

"What's going on, Jack? Why the insistence?"

"It's not my place to tell you, Jake. But believe me, I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Well, since you put it that way," he said, and headed up the back stairs.

Sammy and his dad looked at me expectantly.

I sighed. "Mom caught Allen in a compromising position with one of his hands and came running to Gran, wanting her to fire him and put him off the ranch."

"Are you going to do it?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Dad Bowden had been sitting at the end of the table taking it all in. "Jack," he said, "I think you'd better take the law with you."

"I just told Dad that I was going to get a deputy to accompany me."

Jake came flying back down the stairs. "Jack, Mom said for you to tell me."

I sighed and stood. "Okay, Bro, let's take a walk."

"It's so terrible that you don't want the rest of the family to hear?"

"Jake, I just want to give you some privacy, that's all. Come on. Let's walk down to the pond."

Jake looked at the men gathered around the table, nodded, and headed for the door. I followed him.