The Bloodline

Chapter 6, The Bloodline

Chapter 6

"No one would blame you for skipping out on the funeral," Jed said.

Andy's cousin had picked him up at the small airfield outside North Lakewood, where he'd grown up. He was the same height and build as Andy, tall and solid, a cousin who'd have his back. Jed was looking a little scruffy, as he always did, still wearing a ratty cowboy hat, the ends of his hair touching his ears. At times, he wondered when Diana, his wife, got him to take his hat off. He hadn't shaved, and he appeared tired.

"You okay, cuz?" Andy asked as he set his bag in the back of Jed's pickup before opening the door and climbing in. At least he'd traded in his beat-up old Chevy for a newer model with leather seats. "Nice ride."

Jed tossed him an easy smile as he started up the truck. "Diana insisted. Can't say she wasn't right. Guess I've been so used to living how I've lived, not spending much, that I've never really lived the way you have, cuz." Jed reached across and slapped Andy's chest. "Don't be worrying about me, too. Just need a good night's sleep, but not much to be had now with Mom and Dad here. They were visiting when your dad called."

What could Andy say except he was relieved his uncle Rodney was here now? He was more family than Todd and Caroline would ever be. Rodney was the father he wished he had, but he belonged to his cousins, Jed, Brad, and Neil.

"How're Laura and that new baby of yours, and when do we get to meet her? Diana's been asking."

"Anytime you want to come out and visit, I told you you're welcome, but Laura's not coming back here," Andy said. Hell would freeze over before he'd ever allow her to set foot back in this place again. It held so many memories for both them, good and bad.

"How're you holding up?" Jed asked as he pulled onto the highway.

"Fine, great. What can I say? I never expected to be back here again, or for Caroline..." He stopped talking because even though he hated his mother for all her scheming ways, he hated her more for being a cold, unfeeling bitch who saw Andy as someone she could treat as a pawn and use. She hadn't had a maternal bone in her body that could love him. That hurt more than anything.

"Not what we expected, that was for sure, hearing your mother was found dead the way she was."

Andy wasn't sure he really understood, and he looked away at the land, the acreages and forests he'd known like the back of his hand. There were trails and mountains in the distance, miles of country. "It was a heart attack, wasn't it? Found in her room, all alone. Still can't believe she went before Dad. Thought it would've been him first." He'd expected Caroline, the ice queen, to outlive all of them and keep wielding her path of destruction on some poor schmuck. Then he couldn't help feeling cheated as he thought about what was in the safety deposit box, the only evidence he had to keep his family away. He'd never known how he would use it or when. Now his chance was gone.

"No, I thought you knew. Your mom was in bed, but she wasn't alone."

He didn't know what to say, sickened when he thought of his mom and dad together. "Dad forgot to mention he was with Caroline." He let out a laugh, more of disgust than anything. "Who'd have thought—"

"It wasn't your dad, Andy. Your dad wasn't even in town," Jed said.

Had he heard him right? What he was hinting at was not something his mother would have done. "She was with another man at the estate?" He stared at Jed, who was shaking his head.

"I don't know who it was. All I know is what Dad said. She was with someone. Didn't need him to elaborate."

"Are you telling me my mom had some boy toy?" In all the years he'd been around under the same roof as his mother, she'd never entertained another man, but then, she'd spent how many months a year away in another house in another country?

"That's what Dad said. He was over at the estate with Uncle Todd."

Andy didn't know what to say, how to begin to make sense of what he was hearing. He also couldn't believe he was almost at the estate. He could see it from the highway, the vast acres, the stables, the horses, and the mansion that was like none around these parts. It had once been his home, a place that was his birthright, but one that didn't mean a damn thing anymore except a lot of memories of betrayal, anger, and deceit.

Jed parked in front, pulling up behind a black Mercedes, a Cadillac, an SUV, and a delivery van. Andy just stared at the stone steps, the gardens, and the size of this house. It wasn't a house, though, he realized as he heard Laura's voice in his head. "She just wanted a house," he said.

"Pardon?" Jed asked.

He shook his head, not realizing he'd spoken out loud. "Just something Laura said. She wanted a home, a few bedrooms, kitchen, living room. Just a place you could sit and relax in. This place, looking at it now as she must have seen it, you could get lost in it. There were so many rooms, so many staff." He pulled on the door, and Jed just sat there.

"You're welcome to come and stay at the ranch, you know. Mom and Dad are in the loft above the barn, but we could put you on the sofa."

It was a nice thought, and he knew Laura would be happier if he did. It was only a few days, and there was something about all of this that made him need to be here to finalize things so he could get the hell out and back to his wife and children. "No, but thank you. You not coming in?"

Jed just shook his head as Andy opened the door and stepped out. "No, but Dad's here." He gestured to the house, and Andy looked up at the doorway, which was now open, the two brothers standing side by side. He shut the door and reached for his bag in the truck bed, then lifted it out and waved to Jed as he pulled away.

He took a minute to gather himself, taking in this property, this land, and the two men waiting for him. One he welcomed, the other he loathed.

He started walking.