Meet the Blakes (10 page)

John Jacob looked over at Teri-Lyn, who was talking to Summer’s sister Autumn. Her plans to set the two of them up had derailed again. Jared had pulled a muscle playing touch football yesterday with the guys and had decided to sit out the trail ride so he’d be in shape for the bachelor party at the Bright Star tonight. But John Jacob knew his wife, and she always got what she wanted. Autumn and Jared weren’t going to know what hit them when they did finally meet.

He loved seeing his family happy. The dreams he had for them had changed a million times, but one thing remained: the love that made Twelve Horseshoes Ranch a very special place. Good will, respect, and friendship was part of the Blake way of life. He’d taught it to his boys and now he was teaching it to his grandsons.

He taught his boys to be aggressive but fair, and as respectful as possible to everyone unless they were backed into a corner. He liked to think he raised gentle fighters who stood up for themselves and for anyone else who didn’t have a voice. He made sure the boys saw how much he loved their mama and how he valued her as a woman and his life partner. They must have been paying attention, because each of them had found someone wonderful.

Teri-Lyn returned home from picking up last minute supplies for the bachelorette party and heard the sounds of laughter coming from the living room. She got the shock of her life when she entered the room and found all of her daughters-in-law in their wedding gowns.

She set her bag down on the coffee table. “What is going on? Are you drunk already?”

“No, but we plan to be soon,” Sam mused.

“I don’t remember this dress being so tight,” Morgan grumbled and adjusted her dress.

“Oh, it not so bad,” Isabelle said.

“You didn’t have three kids,” Morgan quipped.

“That’s why I went for an empire waist. I was like ten months pregnant with Jack when John and I got married.” Sam looked at her train in the mirror.

Cassidy beamed at Teri-Lyn. “As a thank you for being a kick-ass mother-in-law who single-handedly put in all this hard work to make this double wedding possible, we have something for you.”

Teri-Lyn couldn’t believe her eyes when Cassidy and Isabelle went behind a dressing screen set up in the corner of the room and came back holding her wedding dress. The dress had been a cleaned and was as white as the first time she’d worn it on her special day.

“Where on earth did you find this?” Teri-Lyn stammered.

“John Jacob went into your closet and got it for us weeks ago,” Morgan replied. “We also found some terribly cute things of the boys you’ve saved over the years.”

“Jenna knew a great dry cleaner who had a reputation for restoring antique wedding dresses,” Cassidy said. “He even fixed a few loose threads, replaced some of the missing pearl beading, and mended the hem.”

“Oh, my.” She touched the sleeve. She’d been proud to wear her mother’s dress the day she got married. She was even more proud to see it again today.

“The photographer is setting up in the dining room for a group picture. Then we’re going to get ready for the bachelorette party.” Isabelle escorted her to the dressing screen set up in the corner. “So let’s get you changed.”

“I have to put on some makeup.”

“No, you don’t. We’re going for an all-natural look.”

Teri-Lyn unbuttoned her shirt and removed her jeans, trying her best to hold back the tears. What a thoughtful thing to do, getting her wedding dress restored. She remembered getting ready to walk down the aisle, and her mother’s loving words while she helped with her hair and makeup. She’d said love was not perfect, and that she shouldn’t expect John Jacob to be perfect either. That there would be times when they’d try each other’s patience, but if they worked hard they could have a damn good life filled with happiness.

She stepped out from behind the screen wearing her dress. “It’s still fits.”

“Wow.”

“You look absolutely beautiful. You were always a tiny little thing,” Cassidy quipped.

“Oh, before we forget, John Jacob said you’d want to wear this.” Michelle handed her a velvet jewelry box.

“What did he go and do now?” She opened the box to find the collection of small seashells she kept in her keepsake box strung together into an elegant necklace. She let out a little sob, so Morgan gave her hug while Cassidy got her a tissue.

“That’s pretty,” Sam cooed. “I’ll help you with that.”

Michelle inspected the necklace. “He’s always doing such thoughtful things. Where did he find such a lovely necklace?”

Teri-Lyn opened her mouth to answer, but her voice caught. She tried again. “John Jacob knew I loved the beach, so when he was away he would collect seashells and give them to me. It was his way of letting me know he was thinking of me.” She sniffed. It was all too much. She’d be lucky if she didn’t have raccoon eyes for the rest of the weekend. “Let’s get some good photos in and then get out of these dresses. I’m in the mood to party.”

A joint chorus of “Woo hoo!” and cat calls of affirmation filled the room.

* * *

John Jacob surveyed the Bright Star. The rusty, old watering hole had been transformed into a pretty decent venue for a party. Cal had done a great job working with Jenna, the bridal consultant, on the bachelor party. She kept to his bar menu but sneaked in a few fancier finger foods that he had been open to serving. Or it could have been that he was receptive to anything Jenna had to say. Cal had been prattling on about the wedding consultant ever since she’d stopped by two weeks ago to plan the menu.

Bonnie wasn’t thrilled about Bo Sr. going for fear that Francine would be there. Bo had broken things off with Francine immediately when he and Bonnie reconciled in their own crazy way. Bo Jr., frustrated with his parents’ renewed interest with each other, focused his attention on his budding relationship with Summer and his work.

Grooms-to-be Tyler and Channing were in a good mood, taking their teasing from the boys about their lives coming to an end. Everyone was having a great time, except Wyatt, who was informed the minute he walked through the doors that there would be no strippers and no drinking alcohol for him. Bo and Corbett were making strides toward civility. Bo Sr. said they’d had a long talk on the porch last night and seemed to be on their way to mending fences.

“How’s it feel to be marrying off two more sons?” Seth asked as he took a seat next to John Jacob at the table.

“I feel like a big part of my life’s work is done,” he said.

“I always thought C.J. would get hitched one day, but Ty is a genuine surprise. I do recall him declaring when he was sixteen that marriage was for suckers.”

“That was about the time Janie Sloane broke up with him at that big dance.”

“You knew about that?” Seth said.

“Sure did. He came to my office in the stables one Saturday and balled his eyes out. He said love hurt too much and he wasn’t interested in letting anyone trample on his heart again.”

“He did take it pretty hard.” Seth looked over at his brother who stood by the bar telling one of his animated racing stories. “I guess that explains why he was running so hard from Michelle. He’d found someone who made him vulnerable enough to be hurt again.”

“The heart heals in its own time. I was just thankful he didn’t fall for a Winterbourne woman.” John Jacob chuckled.

“Two Winterbourne debacles was enough for this family. By the way, Penny and Clint just had a baby girl. She named her Prudence. She always liked that name.” Seth smiled.

“Another missed opportunity to have a baby girl in the family.” He flashed his son a cheesy grin.

“You never know. Maybe Ty or C.J. will oblige,” Seth said.

“Your mama sent a baby gift, so Penny sent us a picture. She is a pretty little thing. I bet she’ll be smart as a whip like her mama.”

“I have to tell you, Emma is handling C.J.’s marriage pretty well. There hasn’t been one flare-up from the past since the announcement.”

“I think your speech at the hospital helped. But just to be sure, Regency has been keeping tabs on her from a distance.” The last thing the family needed was for C.J.’s old flame to show up and spoil the ceremony.

“What is it about that family?” Seth replied.

“The Blakes and Winterbournes have bad history. It’s never been a secret.”

“What is the full story on that? You never did tell us.”

J.J. came over and joined them. “A million years ago, Russ’s father Earl cheated your granddaddy out of some land.”

Everyone in the bar went still. With the exception of Bo and Cal, no one else knew about the years of bad blood between the families.

Channing took a seat. “What happened?”

“Earl Winterbourne and your granddaddy were both looking at some land for a joint business venture. When Earl got wind of how cheap he could get it, he figured he didn’t need a business partner anymore. So he told daddy the deal was dead, and a month later he went through with it on his own. Daddy lost his taste for business after a man he’d thought was a good friend betrayed him. Earl’s treachery, coupled with your Uncle Gabe’s death in the war, I think it kind of took the wind from your granddaddy’s sails. He resigned himself to a quiet life after that.”

“Are you serious? Why didn’t you tell us?” Seth said.

“Because I spent too many years being consumed by it. The Winterbournes took every opportunity to rub it in our faces that Earl had gotten away with it. But when my business started thriving and the tables turned, I had a chance to be a better man and let it go.” He glanced around the room and grinned. “And it wasn’t easy.”

The boys laughed. “But I didn’t want you boys to keep a feud alive that belonged in the past.”

Tyler gripped his beer bottle. “Is that why you worked so hard all those years?”

“Partly. In the beginning I was out to right a wrong, and it drove me crazy and I drove your mama crazy in the process.”

“And your daddy had a chance to rub it in Russ’s face, but he didn’t act on it,” Cal added.

“Russ was playing fast and loose with the family money, trying to compete with me when he saw how well Blake Oil was doing. He took some risks and he lost big. Part of their fortune was wiped out.”

“So why didn’t you stop me from dating Penny?” Seth asked.

“Because in my experience, when you tell a hormonal teenage boy he can’t do something, he wants to do it that much more.” He laughed and gave a subtle nod in Wyatt’s direction.

“But—”

“I never saw it as disloyalty that any of you liked a Winterbourne. If I’d told you to stay away for that reason, I would have been no better than Earl and Russ. But it did stick in their craw that their girls were crazy about you.”

“Like some weird poetic justice,” Tate mused.

“For a long time I carried that weight, and your mama reminded me of what mattered in life. A man obsessed with vengeance is dangerous. I gave up letting the Winterbournes be my white whale and started enjoying my life. Your grandpa said he was proud of me, not because I bested them, but because I used something hurtful as a driving force to succeed.”

Bo Sr. took a swig of his beer. “And in the process, he made the Winterbournes eat crow a million times over.”

“You know Sam told me that Caine applied for a job at Regency,” J.J. said.

“Isn’t it amazing how our families keep colliding? We didn’t get it right, but maybe one of the generations will.” He sighed. For so long the Blakes and Winterbournes had shared an entwined past. Maybe there was some grand purpose for their families always getting into scrapes. “Now enough of the past. It’s Ty and C.J.’s last night as single men. Let’s have some fun.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

The ladies were having so much fun at the bachelorette party that time slipped away, and before Teri-Lyn knew it, it was after eleven. It was good to catch up with Sydney though. They were both grandmas to the boys, but they’d also developed a genuine friendship. They’d even talked about going on a couples’ vacation together.

It was nice to see her old friend Bonnie again too. Although she and Bo were still in denial about their reconciliation, Bonnie spent a lot of time on the ranch with him. Her son Wyatt had been back to visit a few times and had decided to transfer to a college in Texas. He was a charming young man who was too handsome for his own good. She suspected his motivation for the transfer was to spend more time with his big brother Bo. And spending time with Avery didn’t hurt either. She knew he’d be getting “the talk” from the Blake men before the weekend was over.

She was proud of Bo for trying to rebuild his relationship with his brothers. Being in a relationship with Summer had opened him up emotionally, and he’d come out of his shell. The days of quiet Bo sitting on the sidelines were over. Now her “honorary” son was just as rowdy as her other boys.

Having Lila there would have made it a complete reunion. She thought about her friend a lot, and hoped she was looking down on them from heaven watching what a wonderful father Tate had become to Matt. She’d gone by the house the other day and found them on the porch eating cereal while Isabelle practiced her violin in the house. It was the sweetest thing to see Matt sitting on his lap while they snacked. Tate was telling him about the trees and how if you listened, nature was singing its own unique song. Matt was so adorable with his ears perked up, listening attentively for what his dad had just told him.

During the party, she and the girls pigged out on good food, gossiped, and talked about the men in their lives.

John Jacob, on the other hand, crawled into the bed after midnight lamenting about drinking too much with the boys at the Bright Star. All she was able to get out of him was that no fruit from his loins was going to best him at anything, let alone drinking at his favorite watering hole. She hoped the entire wedding party wouldn’t need ice packs on their heads as they marched down the aisle. He looked so pitiful that she postponed the chastising until after the ceremony. She snuggled beside him, closed her eyes, and thought about what a wonderful party it had been.