I'll Be There: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 5) Page 3

  Exhausted from just the flight from California, she watched out the train window as they climbed into the mountains, since it was fall the trees were a bounty of color. It was a relief to have something to distract her from her exhaustion and frustration. She’d always loved the colors of fall, but as they climbed higher, signs of fall quickly turned into signs of winter. Snow was visible not only on the high peaks, but in the sheltered areas that didn’t get sun.

  *****

  Michael stood on the platform looking down the track for the train, how he’d gotten stuck picking up the new nanny, he had no idea. It had all happened so fast, like most things did with the Terrell’s. He’d been here two months and in that time he’d spent more time at the ranch than he had at his little apartment. Of course some of that time was spent working on the cabins, but a considerable amount was also spent in the kitchen of the main house.

  From the moment he’d walked through the door the first time, he’d felt at home. He supposed anyone would, the house was warm and cozy, smelled like something wonderful cooking, and there was always a fresh pot of coffee on the burner. If you wanted company there was always someone around, but if you didn’t, there was always a quiet spot on the screened porch that circled the house.

  Pacing across the platform, he thought about the path he’d taken to get here, the pain in his father’s voice as he’d told the story of how two brothers had become enemies. They’d been finishing another silent dinner two weeks after Michael had made his proposal and been shot down by his brothers. None of them had budged any over that time, but Nicholas had a plan to change that.

  “Boys,” He said, clearing his throat in that way he had of doing when he was about to say something important. “I see something going on here that really upsets me.”

  All three of them looked at their father who had a frown on his face. “It reminds me of something that happened to me years ago. Something I wish I could change, but I’m afraid time may have made that impossible.”

  “What are you talking about Dad?” Scott said, impatience clear in his voice.

  “Your uncle Jonathan.” He said, seeming to get lost in his thoughts for a minute, then continuing, “He and I had a fight much like the one you all are having now. By the time all was said and done, I’d walked away from the only family I’ve ever known.”

  All the boys looked at him puzzled, their father had never been the kind of man to show emotions, but he was clearly emotional now. “You never talk about your brother.” Marc said, leaning toward their father.

  “I know, because it was too painful to remember how our stubbornness came between us. I don’t know if Jonathan regrets it now, but I do and I don’t want to see that happen to you boys. It might have been a mistake not telling you this story before now.” He said, taking a drink from his ever present cup of coffee.

  “What happened? You’ve never said.” Michael asked.

  “Well, the first thing you have to know is that Jonathan is almost twelve years older than I am, when I was born he was almost a man. Since he was so much older, it was only natural that he took care of me a lot. As I grew, Jonathan became my hero, I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to go to the same college, take the same classes, and live in the same rooms. But when I got to college, I found that the classes that he’d taken bored me to death, so I began to explore other classes and discovered that I loved, engineering and building.”

  “That’s why you started the construction company.” Michael said, beginning to understand.

  “Well, not until after I graduated, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. After a lot of soul searching I changed my major to engineering and got a summer job in the building trade. From that moment on I was hooked. When I was home, I tried to talk to Jonathan about my plans, but all he was interested in was the ski area he was building. I was more than willing to help him make it a reality, but I also wanted to explore other building projects.” Nicolas said, getting up from his chair and crossing to stand in front of the fireplace.

  “Things might have turned out differently if my parents, your grandparents, hadn’t been killed that winter on icy roads. They had always had the final vote when Jonathan and I got into disagreements, but with them gone, Jonathan seemed to think that I had no say in what I was going to do with my life. When I came home after graduation, not only did he have a job for me, but he’d invited a young lady over who he felt would be a good match for me.”

  The boys just looked at each other, unable to imagine their father under anyone’s thumb. Listening to their father’s story had momentarily made them forget that they were upset with one another. Their father had never talked about this time of his life, in fact they knew very little about his childhood and the ranch he’d grown up on. They’d learned long ago not to ask.

  Nicholas took a deep breath, it was taking a lot of energy to tell this story, not realizing just how much it still hurt to think of his brother and all they’d missed over the years. Feeling like he needed a break, he suggested that they move to the den where they would all be more comfortable.

  Chapter 3

  “By this time, I had made my mind up that I wanted to build roads and bridges, things that would make travel easier. But Jonathan wouldn’t listen to what I wanted, he had a plan and nothing would divert him. We fought for weeks about it, but neither of us was willing to give in. Finally, after an especially terrible fight, I packed a bag and left.”

  “That’s when you started the company.” Michael said again.

  “Not hardly, it would take me years to get enough experience to land my first contract. I worked for years to gain the knowledge I needed to be successful, and don’t forget that I had the Terrell money behind me as well.” Nicholas said, smiling at the memory of how exciting that time of his life was.

  “What do you mean?” Scott asked, always tuned into any discussion about money.

  “All members of the Terrell family are entitled to a trust fund distribution, it’s the way our inheritance works.”

  “So why aren’t we getting any money? Scott asked. “We’re Terrells aren’t we?”

  “Well, yes you are. But I never did the paper work to add you. It just didn’t seem necessary.” Nicolas said, shrugging his shoulders.

  “Not necessary, since when is money not necessary. If it’s ours we should have it.” Scott said, getting angry.

  Nicholas looked at his older son and shook his head. “What do you need more money for? Didn’t I give you enough, haven’t you made enough.”

  “Well, I....” Scott didn’t really have an answer other than just to have it and he knew his father wouldn’t like that.

  “Son, I worry you’re too fixated on making money. I blame your mother for that, as much as I loved her, she was always too worried about having more of everything. What I want you to see is that money isn’t everything. I turned my back on a lot of it to pursue my dreams, I can’t completely blame the money for what happened between us, but I think it played a role.”

  “Why are you telling us all this now?” Marc wanted to know.

  “I’m telling you this because I see the same thing happening between you boys. Scott you’ve made your mind up that Michael should give up his dreams because of what you think is best. That’s no different than what Jonathan did to me.”

  “It’s a sound business decision and nothing else.” Scott said, still sticking to his argument.

  “That’s my point, it’s nothing else. You’re not looking at the big picture, the human part of the equation. You’ve done a wonderful job with the company, but the bottom line isn’t the only thing that needs to be considered. You need to look at the human component, it may not have been obvious to you, but that always played a role in my decisions.”

  Scott was silent, arms crossed over his chest, obviously feeling he was being attacked, but Nicolas turned to Marc next. “What’s your opinion Marc?” He asked, studying his son.

  Before he even opened his mouth to
answer, he looked to Scott. His father jumped on that, “And don’t look to your brother, think for yourself.”

  When Marc just sat staring at the floor, Nicholas turned to Michael. “Son, I’m glad that you have a dream. I hope someday your brothers can understand what it’s like to find something that truly makes you happy. I’ve made a decision, if they won’t help you start your construction company then I will.” He said, pulling an envelope out of his pocket, crossed the room and handed it to Michael.

  “What’s this?” Michael asked.

  “That’s a portion of the trust money that’s been accumulating in an account since I left home. I used the first one to start the company then never touched that money again.”

  “I can’t take this. It wouldn’t be fair.” Michael said, trying to hand back the envelope.

  “He’s right, that’s our money too.” Scott said, scowling.

  “No, this is my money and I’ll do with it as I see fit. I’m going to invest in Michael’s new business. If you’d taken the time to look at his business plan you’d see that he’s got a great idea with a lot of potential to succeed.” Nicolas said, getting up to leave, he’d said his piece to all his boys and was tired. “And don’t worry about how I’ll feel when you sell the company I started from nothing.” He called over his shoulder as he climbed the stairs.

  The next morning, Michael found his father in the kitchen drinking the first of what would be many cups that day. He worried sometimes that his father drank too much coffee, but changing him would be impossible so he kept his mouth shut.

  He got himself a cup and sat down across from his father, “Thanks for believing in me.”

  “I’ve always believed in you, all of you. But your brother’s have different goals in life than you do. I can respect what it is you want to do and you’ve thought this out, so I had no problem backing you.”

  “I thought I was prepared for this, but now that it’s time, I have no idea where to start.” Michael said, mentally making a list of places he might be able to line up his first job.

  “I might be able to help you with that.” His father said, then added. “But, it’s not going to be easy.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Michael asked, refilling their cups.

  “I hear there’s major renovations in progress at the ranch, I think you should put in a bid. I got you an appointment with Nate McAllister, he’s the architect in charge of the project.” Nicolas said, sliding a stack of papers across the table to Michael.

  “That’s great. I’d love to see the ranch. But how did you know? Last night you said that you haven’t talked to anyone back home since you left.”

  Nicholas was silent for a moment, “I sucked up my pride and called Jonathan this morning. We’ve both been a couple of fools, and too many years have passed. I wouldn’t have known otherwise.”

  “How did it go?”

  “Well enough that when he heard about you, he invited you to come out to the ranch and take a look at the project. It sounds like what they’re planning is exactly what you’re looking for, it’s a perfect solution to your problem and mine.” Nicolas said, getting up and slapping Michael on the back as he left the room.

  Michael sat staring at the stack of papers afraid to pick them up, this had almost been too easy, but then again it should have been easy from the start. If his brothers had supported him to begin with, his father wouldn’t have had to step in and make things happen. There was no guarantee that he’d get the job, but it would be a good experience. Plus it appeared that he suddenly had a bunch of cousins he’d never met, and now he’d get to.

  Rifling through the stack of papers, he found not only a plane ticket to Denver, but a voucher for a rental car, and reservations for a bed and breakfast in Pleasant Valley. Apparently his father had thought of everything. He still had work to do before he left and his father had only given him a few days. Luckily his father had also gotten him a copy of the blueprints for the renovations on the cabins, which would be a huge help when he put together a proposal.

  He wasn’t sure how Nate fit into the family, but he was a gifted architect, the plans for the cabins were brilliant. Gathering everything up, he headed for his room where he knew he wouldn’t be interrupted, it would take a miracle for him to put together the type of presentation he’d need to get this job. Family ties or not, he’d have to earn the contract just like everyone else, his father had made that perfectly clear. But he was more than happy to do it on his own merits, he had something to prove not only to his brothers, but to himself.

  Now standing on the platform he though back to that first meeting with Nate, he’d been so nervous and it hadn’t helped that although his hair was dark, Michael could see the family resemblance immediately. He and Nate hit it off immediately, their love for old buildings making it impossible for them not too. Michael was shocked to walk away from that first meeting with a signed contract in his hand, it had taken most of the day, but still, he’d gotten the job.

  From there he’d been sucked into the family, it was impossible not to be. He was especially fond of Jonathan who was happy to spend hours telling him stories about growing up with his father. The stories were all new to him since his father had never talked about his childhood except in very broad terms. It seemed to be good for Jonathan as well, their visits usually ending with him asking Michael if he thought his father might come to visit some time.

  After two months, he not only felt like part of the family, but he’d gotten construction started on the cabins, much to the relief of Leslie and Elizabeth. They’d made a group decisions that Allison and Nate’s cabin would wait until the others were finished. He hoped to be finished before winter was over, but if they had a winter like they had last year, he might have to halt construction on the cabins because of the snow.

  He wasn’t worried though, because Nate had another project in mind for them to work on. Nate wasn’t sharing any of the details yet, but Michael was excited to hear what it was. There were a few old buildings in town that had caught Michael’s eye, he was hoping they would be working on one of them, it would be a dream come true.

  *****

  As he stood there thinking about crown moldings and reproduction wallpaper, the train pulled in. He pasted a smile on his face and dug the note Leslie had given him out of his pocket. He thought it was a little silly, but Leslie had explained that Annabelle had been through a difficult time over the last few years and a stranger picking her up at the train might make her a little nervous.

  “She’s had a bad injury to her hip and has been in a rehabilitation center for almost two years, learning how to walk again. I’m only telling you this because I want you to understand how fragile she is.” Leslie had said.

  “Will she need help getting around?” He’d asked, wondering how she was going to be a nanny if she was hurt.

  “No, she’s perfectly capable of walking on her own, she’s pretty much made a full recovery, but there are still some emotional scars that haven’t healed. That’s part of the reason she’s coming here, under normal circumstances she’d be graduating college now.”

  “Are you worried that I’ll say something to upset her? I’m a pretty nice guy.” Michael said, teasingly.

  Leslie laughed, “I guess it’s the pregnancy making me worry too much.” She said, rubbing her large belly.

  “You stop worrying, I’ll get Annabelle back here in one piece.” Michael said, kissing her on the cheek.

  He smiled thinking of Leslie’s concern, but held the note in his hand, ready to give it to Annabelle as soon as she stepped off the train. When she did, he recognized her from her picture immediately, what he hadn’t seen in the picture was how beautiful she was. He’d never been attracted to a black woman before, but Annabelle stirred something in him that had been dormant since his last breakup, suddenly he was glad he’d been roped into picking up the nanny.

  *****

  Annabelle stepped off the train expecting to see Leslie and Seb
astian there to pick her up, but instead there was a tall blonde man holding a card with her name on it. She scanned the crowd again, hoping to see a familiar face, but when the man stepped up to her she couldn’t ignore him any longer.

  Craning her neck to look at him, she wondered just how tall he was, over six feel she’d guess. Before she could ask where Leslie and Sebastian were, he handed her a note. She opened it relieved to recognize the handwriting.

  Annabelle,

  I’m sorry to send a stranger to pick you up but the doctor insists I stay off my feet and Sebastian is enforcing that rule with a dedication I didn’t know he possessed. Michael is a Terrell cousin so don’t be afraid to go with him, he’ll keep you safe. He was kind enough to offer to pick you up since we couldn’t. I’ll be waiting at the ranch for you. Leslie.

  Annabelle folded up the note, sighed and picked up her bag. “I’m Annabelle.” She said, holding out her hand.

  “I’m Michael. Let me take your bag.” He said, taking the bag from her hands.

  Now that he saw her up close, he could see how tired she looked. “The car isn’t far away. Do you have any other luggage? I could go get it for you.”

  “No, I had everything else shipped. It should be here tomorrow, but thanks.” She said, following him out of the depot to the parking lot.

  He noticed she was limping a little, but wisely stayed quiet, instead helped her into the car silently. Once they were on the road, the silence in the car became too much for Michael, he was never good at silence. Searching his mind for a topic of conversation, he finally went for the tried and true, not realizing that he’d opened a can of worms.

  “So, how was your trip?” He innocently asked.

  She looked at him for so long he wondered if she had understood the question. But finally she said, “Well, let’s see. At the airport they wouldn’t let me though security because of all the metal in my hip. I swear they thought I’d implanted a bomb in my body. I finally had to call the surgeon to talk to them, I almost missed my flight and I had to ride on one of those carts like some old person.”