Page 96 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

Amusement seemed to lighten Dirkson’s features momentarily. “No. I don’t drive. The limo will be waiting when I’m through. Rudy brought me here, and when I call him, he’ll come back to pick me up.”

“Cade said to tell you hello.”

Dirkson merely nodded as he opened the menu and read. He closed it within seconds. “I’ve heard the ahi tuna is good here. So, Blake, you’re all grown up now. I know your business is good. You’ve done well.”

Surprised that his father knew anything about him, Blake smiled. “Thank you. I have done well. My office is in Dallas, and part of the time, when I can, I stay on Granddad’s ranch, which he left to me.”

“So, it’s your ranch now.”

“Yes, it is.” They paused while a white-coated waiter took their order, and then Dirkson gazed at Blake. “You’ve done well with your hotels, too.” He looked amused, which surprised Blake.

“Yes, sir. I’ll admit I had goals in mind when I started the luxury hotels. They’ve achieved a certain amount of success, and I’m moving on to other things. You won’t see any more of my hotels near yours. I’ll admit I had a lot of anger stored up.”

He looked into his father’s dark brown eyes and felt very little for the man who was really a stranger—not even the anger or resentment he’d held on to for so long. He knew very little about this man except what he had read in magazines and newspapers. His mother never talked about him, and even as a small child, he suspected she didn’t want to because Dirkson had hurt her badly.

“The years go by and change a person. When I look back, I realize I made mistakes, but that bit of wisdom has come years too late to do any good.”

His words shocked Blake, and he wondered what mistakes his father thought he had made and whether he was talking about family relationships.

“You and I have never talked,” he continued. “I’m a stranger to you. You called me Mr. Callahan. Well, it’s my fault, and at this point in life I have regrets, but I can’t undo what I’ve done and there’s no use in trying to win your friendship now. Or in trying to get closer to my other sons.”

“It might be too late for us, but there’s the next generation. You know you have a granddaughter? Nathan is married and has a baby girl.”

“Yes. I have a secretary who keeps up with all of you and keeps me posted. I’ve seen pictures of Nathan’s baby. I’ve never talked to her mother. But I’ve opened a trust fund for the baby.”

“That’s nice, sir,” Blake said, wondering if Nathan even cared. “This grandchild might give you a second chance with your offspring. You can try talking to this little baby, and maybe she will at least know you’re her grandfather. Twenty years from now she won’t address you as Mr. Callahan.”

“True enough, but I’m afraid I know little about children.”

“You don’t have to,” he said, remembering Sierra’s advice about entertaining kids. “When she gets bigger, get a child’s book to read to her. Children are forgiving, and she’ll like you if you just give her a little attention and talk to her.”

“How is your mother?”

“She’s fine. Doesn’t know I’m here. She’s in Patagonia with friends right now. She travels a lot.”

“I admire you for the success you’ve had and for the competition you gave my hotels. When I realized what you were doing, I was curious to see if you would succeed, and you did amazingly well. That took some gumption and some good decisions.”

“Thank you. Any competition from me is definitely over,” Blake said, feeling a hollow sense of victory. He didn’t care to try to get to know his father now, after all these years and after such a deep hurt in childhood, but he had lost his anger.

“I’m sorry about the way I behaved with all my sons. I don’t know any of you, and I doubt if any of you care about me any longer.”

“I can only speak for myself, but after all the years, frankly, sir, no, I don’t care.”

“That’s honest.” They paused as the waiter brought their lunches, ahi tuna for his father and a thick, juicy hamburger for Blake.

“Your call was a big surprise, but I’m glad you did. You’re an adult, and it’s time we met. When all of you were babies, I thought money was so important. It turns out it’s not that important at all. It seems that way when you don’t have it, or when you’re young and trying to acquire it. I wanted money and power and I left my family behind.”

“I think in some ways you set an example for us—sort of what not to do.”

“If it keeps any of you from feeling the way I do when you’re my age, then that’s good. You said no more hotels, so what will you do? What’s your focus now?”

“Ranching, and I still deal in commercial real estate. I’m not giving up either of those endeavors. I have some good property in this state.”

“Yes, you do. I told you—I keep up with my sons. I’m proud of all of you.”

“I suppose I need to say thank you,” Blake said, surprised at how well this lunch was going.

They ate in silence, and Blake thought of all the years of anger, when he was growing up and as an adult. Now that he was finally with his dad, he could see there was no longer any reason for anger. Pity was the strongest emotion evoked by the man across from him.