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“Before I left on my trip.”
“Why? The day Mom died you said you’d never take it off.”
He smiled at her. She looked just like her mother with her long, medium brown hair that looked auburn in the sun. And hazel eyes that changed color depending on her mood. Right now, they were almost green. “I know I did. I can’t explain it. But one day, I just knew it was time.”
She studied him for a moment. “Have you met someone?”
He laughed. “No. It’s not like that. And if I had, I dropped out of sight for five months, so she probably wouldn’t still be waiting for me.”
J.T. and Sawyer came into the room with two bags of food. Sawyer took a Styrofoam box out of one of the bags and handed it to Jake. Then frowned. “Why are you dressed?”
“As soon as we eat, we’re going home.”
“Does the doctor know?”
“He will.” Jake opened the box. “Perfect. Scrambled eggs, sausage, and pancakes.”
Sawyer grinned. “Well, yeah. Who doesn’t like pancakes?” Even though Sawyer and Sage were twins, Sawyer looked more like him and had his blue eyes. But Sawyer was an inch shorter, stockier, and heavily muscled. And then there was the hair.
When they were all halfway through their meals, a nurse walked in, but it wasn’t Lisa from last night. “What’s going on in here? Mr. O’Connell, why are you sitting up and fully dressed? And why are you eating all that food?”
“Well, apparently I haven’t eaten in two days. I’m hungry.”
“You need to take it slow, or you’ll be losing all that food before it gets a chance to digest.”
Jake looked at his meal, then set his fork down. “I guess I am getting full.”
Sawyer took the box from him. “I’ll take care of that.”
Sage scowled at him, then looked at the nurse. “My father insists on leaving.”
The nurse shook her head. “He hasn’t been released by the doctor.”
Jake held his hand out to Sage. “Let me see your phone.” She handed it to him and he made a call. “Hey, Doc. This is Jake O’Connell.” He listened for a moment, then said, “I’m trying. Can you assure this nurse standing over me you’ll take over my care?” The doctor talked fora moment, then Jake responded. “Yes. But I feel fine. And I’d much rather be sitting in your clinic if that’s what you want me to do, then stay here in the hospital.” Jake nodded, then handed the nurse the phone. “Dr. Curtis from Castle Springs.”
The nurse talked to Dr. Curtis and gave him the attending physician’s number, then handed the phone to Sage. “I’ll get your discharge papers.”
Jake looked at Sage. “And that’s that.”
“Dad. I love Dr. Curtis as much as you do. But he’s hardly qualified to assess your issues.”
“Issues?”
“You know what I mean.” She looked at her brothers. “Help me out here, guys. He should stay, right?”
J.T. shook his head. “No. Dad needs to go home.”
Sawyer nodded. “If Three Rivers can’t cure him. Nothing will.”
Chapter twenty-two
"Where the hell were you, Jake?"
Even though in his mind he’d only been gone for a little over a week, Jake felt strangely nostalgic when J.T. pulled under the Three Oaks Ranch sign that formed an arch over the road and signaled the start of the twenty thousand acre ranch. It wasn’t the biggest ranch in Montana, but it most certainly was the prettiest. It sat in a valley of natural, spring-fed grass and was surrounded by snow-covered mountains ten months out of the year. They had a creek crossing the property with great trout fishing. And a pond behind the house they kept stocked with bass and catfish.
Jake grew up on the ranch, as did his father, Jacob. J.T. was the third Jacob Thomas O’Connell to be born and raised on the Three Oaks Ranch. And it seemed J.T. was determined to stay and live out his life on the ranch as his father and grandfather were doing.
Sawyer was another story. He left the ranch four years ago right after he graduated from highschool. He loved coming home to visit, and he enjoyed a good trail ride. But his love was boxing. And he needed to be somewhere other than Castle Springs to pursue that. He was currently living in Missoula. At least he was until he had to come back to the ranch to help J.T. and his grandfather.
