The Perfect Homecoming (Pine River #3)

“I got to tell Leo about the baby.”


“Oh,” Madeline said, and scooted over to make way for Sam, who’d come out, too. He sat behind Libby, and she leaned back against his knees.

“He asked me to promise not to put a birdhouse on his grave,” Sam said. “Apparently, he had something against blue jays and doesn’t want them hanging around.”

“What’s the last thing he said to you?” Libby asked Madeline.

“Oh, what did that man not say?” Madeline sighed and looked heavenward. “He said, ‘Blue Eyes, Luke has had to take care of us his entire life. Promise me you’ll take care of him and Dad.’ I said, ‘Of course I will, I love Luke and Bob.’ And he proceeded to tell me that Bob was used to being in charge and might try and boss us around, and to let him.” She smiled.

“What’s going on out here?” Luke asked from the door. He walked out and stared down at them all. Madeline reached her hand up to him, and he sat on the step behind her, wrapping his legs around her.

“We were talking about the last thing Leo said to us,” she said softly, and leaned back into him. “What did he say to you?”

“A lot,” Luke said with a snort. “You know Leo, full of unsolicited advice.” He laughed a little, but tears were glistening in his eyes. “He told me that in some ways he was glad it was over. But that he wished he could stick around a little longer because he’d built such a great team. He was taking full credit for all of us, you know, and more. Most of Pine River was on his list.”

Emma laughed.

“He also told me to hang on to Homecoming Ranch,” Luke said, and paused a moment, looking out over the lawn. “I was set to argue with him about that, but Leo pointed out that we’d all come home to it. I hadn’t looked at it that way, but he’s right. We all found home here.”

No one spoke for a very long moment. Emma stared out over the meadow and the mountains across the valley. She imagined Leo running, his legs and arms pumping, that crooked smile of glee on his face.

“I guess he really was a genius.”

With surprise, they all looked back to see Bob Kendrick on the porch. He was sitting in a chair off to one side, alone and unnoticed.

“He was, Dad,” Luke agreed. “What’s the last thing he said to you?”

Bob Kendrick squinted skyward. “He said, ‘Thank you.’”

No one spoke, all of them lost in their private thoughts, remembering.

Cooper was the one to break the silence by lifting his beer bottle. “Here’s to Leo, the world’s greatest armchair quarterback.”

“To Leo!” the rest of them echoed.

“And Homecoming Ranch,” Libby offered. “His home. Our home.”

“To Homecoming Ranch!” the seven responded.

“While we’re at it, we better include the Denver Broncos,” Luke said. When everyone hesitated, Luke laughed. “I forgot to mention that’s another thing he made me promise. To make sure Dad never missed a game and to explain the nuances of a nickel defense because Dad didn’t get it.”

“Good God, that kid had a mouth on him,” Bob said.

They laughed, and raised their glasses once more. “To the Denver Broncos!”