” “Well pretend for a moment I am not your dad,” he suggested, though it was an impossible suggestion. “Would that make it easier?” “No,...” I answered with a laugh. “Pretending you are not my dad does not make it the truth.” “Oh,” he answered. “Well, I guess you just will have to keep this one to yourself then.” “Fine,” I let out with a deep breath that had been building in my lungs for the past few minutes. “I will tell you, but you can’t get made at me or ground me or tell mom anything that. It’s too sudden, too much for me to absorb quickly. What I do know is that I won’t argue with you about it, no matter how I decide I feel. It’s your life to do with as you choose. I think I’ve learned that much. I lost you once because I tried to make you see things my way, do things my way, and I’ll not do that again.’ He looked back at me. ‘I’ll welcome you to the family, Hawk, though I don’t think Kat will be very happy.’ Gretchen tossed her head and snorted. ‘Daddy, nothing I do will make. Maybe when I was first wounded. I’ve been in physical therapy for months before they fitted me for a prosthetic. I’m still in the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment. Since I’ve been back from The ‘Stan, we talked on the phone kind of regularly. Now I wish we had talked even more, or I had taken some of my leave. He knew I was reconsidering finishing my twenty. Gramps wanted me to continue the family tradition, and make the BBC a working ranch again. He wouldn’t push me, but he might have. “That’s immaterial Cal, you’re part of this group. David tell her.”“It’s not really for me to say,” I said, “but I don’t have a problem with Cal staying. Do you Kathy?”“No,” she said, less than enthusiastically I thought.I just shrugged.“No,” Cal said, “I just wouldn’t feel comfortable, I’ll just go home.”She turned and walked back out of the door, her shoulders slumped.“You should have warned her you were bringing Kathy,” Mike said quietly.“Why?” I replied, “She didn’t warn me about.