Chapter 16

Collin helped his father from the car into the house. He refused to use his walker, which meant that Collin needed to hold his arm the entire way. “I want to go to my office,” his father snapped as soon as they stepped inside. Collin tried to steer him to the sitting room, but his father was having none of it.

“Okay. Let me help you.” Collin opened the door and let his father slowly make his way inside.

“What did you do?” he snapped, looking around the now organized and clean room. “Where are all my papers?”

Collin helped him to the nearest chair. “If you mean the stacks of newspapers and marketing trash, it’s been gone through and discarded. But if you’re referring to the bills and financial statements, they’ve been filed, paid, and the accounts brought up to date.” He kept his voice level. “It’s all in the desk files where you can look them over.” He had put the treasure he and Tank had found back in the cabinets for safekeeping… for now.

His father wagged his finger at him. “I don’t know what you’re up to, boy, but I’m still the earl, and this is my office and I will do things the way I want. You can go, and I’ll make sure that everything is put right.” He hefted himself up and shuffled over to the desk. “Where are the log and checkbook?”

Collin leaned over and opened the top drawer. “Right here.”

His father pulled them out and leaned forward to read the print. The stroke had affected his sight to a greater degree than he was willing to admit. Collin sighed and pulled up a chair across the desk.

“How did all these get paid? Who has been signing my name?” He slammed the book on the desk, glaring at Collin. “If you’ve done anything, so help me, I’ll….”

“What?” Collin asked firmly. “You will do nothing. Someone has to see to it that things are managed properly, and I have a court-approved power of attorney. You have been in the hospital with a stroke, so I have taken on the management of the estate myself.”

“Well, I’m back now, so you can leave me alone.” He opened the ledger and started reading.

Collin had been putting off this conversation and had been trying to avoid it for weeks, but it was impossible now. More than anything, he wished he had Tank here to back him up. Not that he would be able to convince his father of anything. It was just that the support would be nice. But Collin had to stand on his own two feet, alone.

“Actually, I can’t. I have been granted authority to conduct the estate business, and it’s going to stay that way. You haven’t been taking care of things for a long time, and it’s taken weeks to get everything in order. All of the rents have been collected, and all expenses have been paid. At the moment, the estate coffers are nearly empty, but we’re current and all debts are paid.” He leaned over the desk. “However, with your stroke and the fact that your memory and cognitive abilities have been affected, it’s best if I continue to manage things.”

“I do not agree!” His father slammed his fist on the desk. The doctors had told him to stay calm, but as usual his father never paid attention to anyone other than himself.

“Then I’ll contact Scotland Yard, as well as the local police, and they can arrest you.” Collin kept his voice even. “You see, the man you hired in America to try to scare me into coming home because you wanted me under your thumb has been caught. You did a very bad job of hiding your tracks, and the funds transfer has been traced back here. It isn’t going to take much for the local constabulary to trace those funds from your accounts.”

His father glared at him.

“Those details were shared with the judge when I requested power of attorney, and he agreed that international crimes were not the behavior of a person in charge of their own faculties, so for the moment, he hasn’t brought charges.” Collin paused and let the implications sink into his father’s now much slower mind.

“You little shit.” His father sat back in the chair. He might have been angry, but Collin could see the fatigue in his eyes.

“No, Father. You did this, I didn’t. It’s your behavior that brought this on.” At the moment, Collin felt surprisingly little for his father, and it was shocking to him—probably one of the saddest moments of his life. “I’m in charge of the running of the estate for the workers and for the future. You will still be the earl and no one will be any the wiser. I will run the estate and family business, with your help if you wish. But from now on, all final decisions are mine. It is not my intention to humiliate you, and I won’t.”

“As long as I behave?” he supplied.

Collin searched for the right words. “You’ll have time to enjoy yourself and not have to worry about this place, flocks, and everything else. Next week is the big cricket tournament between our village and the duke’s. You’ll be out there to captain our team the way you always have. Very little is going to change.” Except that now, for good or bad, the decisions would be Collin’s to make and live with. Collin could almost feel the final weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders, and it was heavy indeed.

“I see.” His father sat a little straighter in the chair. “So I don’t have to worry about this any longer. It’s all your responsibility now.”

Collin nodded. “Exactly.”

His father got up from the desk, and Collin got him the walker. “Take me to the lounge. I think I want to watch the telly.”

“I can bring you a book if you like,” Collin said. “I got some of your favorites in big print editions so they will be easier to read. I can bring those to you.” His father nodded, and Collin walked with him down the hall and got him seated in one of the overstuffed chairs. He brought in the books and made sure his father had the remote before going upstairs to his rooms.

Collin lowered himself into the chair in his room and checked the time before sending a message to Tank. His phone rang a minute later. “How did it go?”

“I’m not sure. I told my father how things were, and I expected him to fight me. He did at first, but then he just capitulated,” Collin told him. “I wonder what the hell that means.” His father was always one of those people who, when he encountered a roadblock, tried to go around it any way he could. A full attack on all fronts.

“Maybe he’s thinking about what he’ll do next,” Tank offered. Though there wasn’t much he could do. Collin and the legal system had pretty much boxed the old man in. “Or maybe he’s just tired of fighting.”

Collin sighed. “That could be it,” he whispered. “He and I have been at odds for so long.”

“Dad told me at the end that he understood what was truly important. That the chatter and petty things fell away. Maybe that’s what’s happening.”

Collin would like to think so, but he wasn’t going to let his guard down. God, being on guard like this was not the way he wanted to live. Hell, rambling through this big house alone was not how he wanted things either.

Collin had hoped that talking to Tank would make things easier, but all it did was clarify how much he missed him. “Ummm…,” he started before cutting himself off. Those vocalizations had been trained out of him years ago, and he self-corrected quickly. “How are you doing? I got the invitation to Maureen’s wedding. It was so kind of her to include me.”

“Are you coming?” Tank asked, tellingly quickly, and Collin smiled. At least he knew Tank missed him as much as Collin wished he could be there.

“I don’t know, but I doubt it. I have to stay here with my father. He can’t travel, and I can’t leave him here alone for days or a week.” He had thought about ways that he could go ever since the envelope came in the post weeks ago. Wyoming was quite a distance for him to travel now. Collin closed his eyes and wished things were better. So many times, he had wondered what it would be like if he were in charge of things instead of his father, and now he got the full picture. It meant responsibility and putting the estate and the needs of the people on it before what he wanted. Fuck, even his father had to come first. Damn it all.

“I hope you can figure out a way to attend.” The longing in Tank’s voice sailed through the phone and right to Collin’s aching heart. He wanted to tell him that he’d move heaven and earth to be there just so he could have a few precious days riding with Tank and sleeping in his arms. When he closed his eyes, Tank’s voice in his ear, he could almost feel his work-rough hands on his skin. He released a soft sigh, and Tank growled, making Collin ache a little more. Fuck, he wanted to hear that again.

Collin blinked and swallowed hard, the momentary illusion popping like a soap bubble. “How are the dogs? Is Barney improving?” He needed to change the subject immediately or else he was going to lose control and try to fuck his damned phone.

Tank chuckled. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.” That growl was back, deeper and more intense.

“Where are you?” Hell, he was almost shaking.

“In the barn,” Tank answered, his voice deep.

“Okay, then, Mr. Hot-and-Growly, take a deep breath because we cannot have mobile sex right now, and you know it.”

Tank huffed. “Fine. Barney is missing you. I give him treats, and he’s letting me work with him. But I swear every time I come into the barn, he looks to see if you’re with me. Sheba is doing well. The pups are growing and getting bigger, though sometimes it’s hard to tell. All of them have taken to sleeping with me at night. They help fill that big bed.”

And just like that, Collin was right back there in that bed, with the windows open, the night sounds filling the room as Tank filled him, moving nice and slow, drawing out the pleasure until Collin wanted to scream. He was tempted to undo his trousers and take himself in hand when light footsteps sounded outside the door.

“I miss them too,” Collin said.

“Only them?” Tank asked.

Collin sighed. “Not only them. I miss Maureen and her cooking.” He couldn’t help smiling. “Oh, and Chip. I miss him too.” There came that growl. “You know I wish I could be there, and I’ll come for a visit as soon as I can. I promise. And you know there’s always plenty of space for you here anytime you want. The men ask me when the cowboy from America is going to come back again. You made quite an impression. And just so you know, I want the cowboy from America—my particular cowboy from America—to come back anytime he wants.” Bollocks, his voice actually broke, and that was the last thing he wanted. “I have to go,” Collin said as a soft knock sounded on the door.

“Okay. I’ll talk to you soon,” Tank said, and Collin ended the call before opening the door.

“Yes, Tamsin,” he said with a smile. “Are you about done for the day?” She was in her early thirties, pleasant, but incredibly quiet most of the time. At first he wondered if he and his father intimidated her, but he had come to understand that she believed it was part of her job to remain as inobtrusive as possible.

“Yes, sir. I also made a little supper. I brought the earl’s in to him. Do you want me to come tomorrow?”

Collin nodded. “Would you like to work here as our housekeeper?” He had been working through a budget and had figured out a way to bring someone into the house to help him.

“Full-time?” she asked with the hint of a smile.

“Yes. You’d keep the house tidy and clean, as well as do some of the cooking. There are rooms for you in the house if you like as well. Though that’s probably a little old-fashioned.”

“I have a small house in the village, but I can come each morning.” She smiled.

“Very good. I was hoping you’d agree, and thank you for seeing to my father.”

“Of course,” Tamsin said, making a little bow. “Thank you, sir.”

“I’m Collin, not sir. And I should be thanking you.” He motioned down the hall, and they headed toward the stairs. Collin let her go first, then followed her slowly down. “If you need someone to help with some of the heavier jobs, please let me know and we can make arrangements.”

Tamsin paused at the base of the stairs. “So I’ll be the head housekeeper?”

Collin grinned. “Yes. You can have any title you want.” He stood at the bottom of the steps as Tamsin hurried off. He wished he could make himself that happy so easily.

After checking on his father, who had managed to eat most of his dinner, Collin took care of the dishes, then reheated the shepherd’s pie Tamsin had left for him before going to the office to finish up for the day.

In the quiet room, with the last of the light coming through the windows, Collin swore he could almost see Tank riding across the lawn, chasing the wind. God, he really needed to get himself together.

Collin picked up the wedding invitation from the corner of the desk, wishing more than ever that he could take the time to go. George and Alan were planning their trip and had offered to take him with them. He ran through possibilities, but a thud pulled him out of his thoughts. He went through to the sitting room and found his father on the floor.

“I’m fine, boy. I was trying to get a book and misjudged the distance,” his father snapped as Collin helped him up and back into the chair. Collin turned on the light near the chair, and his father settled back to read. Well, that settled that. He had to be here to look after his father, and going to Wyoming, no matter how much he wanted to, was out of the question. Collin returned to the office and figured he might as well find something to occupy his mind.