“And just what is he?”

“A rolling stone,” she repeated, continuing to pack her gear. “Think about it. The man’s thirty-four years old, he’s not married and never has been. No children other than you—that we knowof—and no commitments.”

“He’s been running Tidewater International for the last five months, Nem.”

“Well, bully for him. But he doesn’t even own a house, Mikey. He lives with his two bachelor brothers and grandfather.”

“Abram Sinclair died five months ago,” Michael told her, causing Emma to stop packing and look up again. “And his older brother, Sam Sinclair, just got married, and he’s thirty-six.” He grinned. “Ben will settle down when he finds the right woman.”

Emma gave him a good scowl. “How do you know all this?”

“It was in all the New York papers last spring, when Abram Sinclair died. My great-grandfather left his entire estate, including his shares in Tidewater International, to some woman he met on the Maine coast just six weeks before he died. She’s the woman Sam Sinclair married.”

Emma snorted. “That’s one way to get back your inheritance. Which only proves that just because biology makes Benjamin Sinclair your father, that doesn’t mean we can trust him.”

“So what are you getting at, Nem?”

Emma threw her pack on the bed and grabbed her nephew by the arms. “You’re not the only one who knows how to use the internet around here. I’ve read a few articles about the Sinclair men myself.” She sighed. “I just don’t want you concocting any dreams about the three of us, Mikey. There is our relationship, and there will be one between you and your dad, but there will never be one between the three of us. Understand?”

“You don’t like him? Not even a little bit?”

“That’s not the issue here. It doesn’t matter if I like him or not.”

Giving up any hope of making him understand, she turned and picked up her gear, then turned back to him. “You sent him after me on purpose, Mikey, hoping something would … evolve between us.” She poked him in the shoulder. “It’s not going to happen, little man.”

What she got for that declaration was a kiss on her forehead. “If anything needs to happen around here, it needs to happen to you. I love you, Nem. I want to see you happy.”

“D-don’t do this to me, Mikey,” she whispered. “Don’t make me cry. I’ve got sports to take out.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “Get to know your dad, Michael. But leave me out of it. Please.”

Before he could respond, she pulled free and ran out the door.

Chapter Six

“W omen like flowers. How about you call down to Greenville and have a big bouquet sent up?”

“It would cost a small fortune to have flowers delivered way out here.”

“You’ve got a fortune.” Michael gave Ben a calculating look. “Which is good. The way I figure it, you owe Nem several hundred thousand dollars.”

Ben stopped walking down yet another damn tote road and stared at his son. “What makes you think I owe her a dime? And where in hell did you come up with that figure?”

The boy rested his shotgun on his shoulder and grinned. “Child support for the last fifteen years.”

“What!”

“I haven’t been cheap to raise, you know. Nem tried to see that I didn’t do without. My computer cost as much as a new boat and motor. And I broke my leg when I was eight. And I’ve been outgrowing my clothes faster than she can buy them. Then there were the floats on the plane.”

Ben started walking again, forgetting he was supposed to be hunting partridge, and darted a look at the boy walking beside him.

Michael hadn’t even blinked at the idea of missing school today. Ben wasn’t sure what Miss Flaming-Mad Emma would have to say on the matter, but they’d gotten back to Medicine Creek just before sunrise, and the woman had showered, changed clothes, and taken out her moose hunters. It was probably as much a perverse notion as a selfish one that had made Ben ask Mike to spend the day with him. After all, he wasthe boy’s father. He should be able to let the kid skip school.

“How did you damage the floats?”

Michael suddenly looked uncomfortable. “I … well, I sort of hit Crazy Larry’s dock at full power. But that didn’t damage them as much as when I bounced off it and hit the rocky shoreline.” He grinned at Ben. “Nemmy was mad enough to drown me.”

“How old were you?”

“Thirteen.”

“She wasn’t in the plane with you?”

“No. I was supposed to be practicing high-speed taxiing.”

“What happened?”

“Crazy Larry’s niece was visiting.”

That certainly explained things. Ben slapped Mike on the shoulder, then left his hand there.

And it felt damn good.

Ben chuckled. “Hell, Mike. Show me any disaster, and I’ll show you a woman standing nearby, watching.”

“Yeah. Well. Nem wasn’t quite as understanding. I chopped enough firewood to keep Medicine Creek Camps heated into the next century.”

Two partridge suddenly flew up from the side of the road, startling them into nearly dropping their guns. Neither male took aim at the departing birds, instead stopping to face each other.

“Nem’s going to be mad you let me skip school.”

“She can’t possibly get any madder than she already is.”

“Did you … have you really come here to claim me as your son?”

“Damn right. Are you ready for a father? For meto be your father?”

Gray eyes, so innocent yet so old, shined back at him. “I believe I am, Mr. Sinclair. I love my aunt with all my heart, but it’s definitely time I had a father.” The corners of his mouth suddenly turned up. “I probably know more about you than you know about yourself.”

“How?”

“Nem kept a scrapbook. She gave it to me on my tenth birthday.”

“Emma kept a scrapbook?”

“She started it before we ever got internet out here. I suppose she thought I should be able to decide if I eventually wanted to contact you or not. After all, you could have been a jerk.”

“And just having this scrapbook, and whatever you could find on the internet, made you want to meet me?”

“That, and other things. Nem always answered any questions I had about you while I was growing up. When I was eight, she gave me a picture of you she’d found in a business magazine. But it was seeing everything pieced together that made me want to meet you: what kind of businessmen you, your brothers, and your grandfather are; what charities you support; even what sort of women you date.” He gave Ben a sidelong glance and a crooked grin. “I noticed you don’t date any one woman for very long.”

Ben switched his gun to his other shoulder and started walking again. He couldn’t believe this. His son knew all about him, and he hadn’t even known the boy existed.

“I’m sorry you didn’t know about me,” Michael said softly, as if reading his mind. “And I’m sorry Abram Sinclair died before I could meet him. We … I probably should have contacted you sooner.”

“Bram would have ransomed his kingdom to have met you.”

“I know how he rose from poverty to build a multimillion-dollar shipping business,” Mike said with awe. “And that you’re Tidewater International’s new CEO.”

Ben nodded. “My younger brother, Jesse, works with me. I can’t wait for you to meet him. And our older brother, Sam. They’re both very eager to meet you. Um … we should find something for to call me. ‘Mr. Sinclair’ is too formal, don’t you think?”

“What would you like me to call you?”

Ben felt the back of his neck heat up. Dad. Call me dad.“What would you be comfortable with?”

The boy obviously didn’t like his question answered with another question. Mike’s neck colored all the way up to his cheeks. “Well, how does ‘Dad’ feel to you?”