Off Season (The Blake Boys Book 15)

by Rhonda Laurel

  Last night, they’d gone to bed at a decent time, anticipating keeping up with the kids over the weekend, but still she’d looked tired this morning. Lately she’d complained of achy joints too. At first he’d thought it was having four active kids that expended her energy quicker than usual, but now he wasn’t so sure. She’d caught a bug last month that had really wiped her out. She’d been treated with antibiotics but didn’t get as much rest as the doctor suggested. He was starting to get a little concerned.

  Whatever was going on with her, it couldn’t hurt to get it checked out again. She wasn’t a fan of doctors, and half the time he’d goaded her to appointments by reminding her they needed to set a good example for the kids. Connor bolted every time someone mentioned the dentist. Mackenzie, normally a good-natured child, got really fussy when it came time for her checkups.

  He would have been delighted if it were another pregnancy, but she didn’t exhibit telltale signs like she’d done in the past. Besides, they’d agreed their family was complete after Mackenzie came along. There might be no more babies in their future, but there was certainly no danger of fewer little ones running about the ranch. If his brothers kept adding to the family, the adults would soon be outnumbered. It seemed like it was a lifetime ago when Jake was born. His mama said her first grandbaby’s birth was the catalyst for all this loving going around. Eight kids later and heavens know how many more on the way, he was hosting a slumber party in the living room.

  There was a familiar rhythmic knock on the front door, then the alarm system announced the door had been opened.

  “Seth?” It was his dad.

  Seth walked toward the foyer to find his father coming in with none other than T.K. Holbrook in tow.

  “Hi, Daddy. What a pleasant surprise,” Seth said as he shook T.K’s hand. “T.K., it’s always good to see you. How’s the family?”

  “The team is looking good for the new season.” T.K. flashed a big smile.

  Seth laughed. “I was referring to your wife and sons but it’s good to know the team is in good shape.”

  “Trust me, I know more about the Tomcats.” T.K. played with the brim of his white Stetson in his hand.

  T.K. was a great businessman, but his personal life had suffered from all those years of ambition. There had been rumors that his fifth wife Selene, who was significantly younger than him, had been running him ragged. He had two sons, Logan and Austin, from his first marriage, but relations between them had been strained for the longest time. The Blake men had gone to school with the two boys who’d had nothing but contempt for their father for the way he’d left their mother.

  “Well, come in and I’ll fix you both a drink.” Seth moved some things out of the way to make a path to the living room then went over to the bar.

  John Jacob looked around at the camping gear and toys scattered about. “It’s your turn to watch the kids tonight?”

  “Yes. I’m setting things up while Morgan picks up a few last minute things from the market.”

  “T.K. and I were having lunch at the club. I told him how happy you were since you retired, but he didn’t believe me. So I thought I’d let him see for himself.” John Jacob turned to T.K. “Does this look like a man itching to get back into football?”

  “It looks more like insanity.” T.K. took a seat on the barstool and glanced at the camping gear and the tent in the living room.

  “This is my life these days.” Seth handed them both glasses of scotch. “Now that I don’t have the noose of a football schedule around my neck, we take more family vacations. I’m spending quality time with the kids. I even coach the soccer team at the boys’ school.”

  T.K. clutched his chest as if he were having a heart attack. “Stick a knife through my heart. It would hurt less.”

  “Aren’t you being just a tad dramatic?” John Jacob replied.

  “No. I don’t think so.” T.K. slammed back his drink. “I thought the biggest travesty in this family was when Tate didn’t pursue a professional career in football. He had a real gift, but you let him strum on that damn guitar instead.”

  “The boy had a natural affinity for music,” John Jacob fired back. “It was in his blood, you know that. Forcing him to do something else would have been wrong.”

  “Sometimes we have to steer our kids in the right direction. They don’t always know what’s best for them,” T.K. replied.

  “How’s that working out for you?” John Jacob raised an eyebrow. “Logan barely spoke to you at the club today.”

  “He was born with a chip on his shoulder. He got too much of his mama in him. But he’s not too proud to accept that paycheck I give him.” T.K. raised his glass as a signal for Seth to refill it.

  “Logan’s good at his job. Don’t take that away from him,” John Jacob said. “He doesn’t put up with your foolishness.”

  Seth interrupted. “If it makes you feel any better, Bo has been working me like a dog down at the stables. And I don’t mean the pampered kind of dog like Rowdy or Bingo.”

  T.K. shook his head. “I know you have had a ton of offers since you retired, including mine to join the Tomcats organization.”

  “Sure. I’ve been offered everything from announcement gigs to writing another book. But I choose to focus on my family. So if you’ve come here with another job offer, I have to decline it.” Seth folded him arms across his chest.

  “I didn’t.”

  “Oh.” Seth unfolded his arms and ran a hand through his hair. “Then I’m sorry I made that assumption. I guess I’m just used to the hard sell about the Tomcats whenever I see you.”

  John Jacob laughed. “You may want to hold off on that apology.”

  “I know when I’m beat. But I did come here to ask for a favor.”

  Seth’s eyes darted from his dad’s to T.K’s. It was hard reading the unflappable poker faces of these business titans. T.K. Holbrook didn’t ask for favors. “OK. What is it?”

  “Riley Sloane.”

  Riley Sloane. The Tomcats’ new quarterback and all-around egregious ass and big mouth. He’d been touted as the savior of the Tomcats and he knew it. Seth had seen one of Riley’s wild and loose interviews where Riley had trashed him and said he’d retired on top because he was afraid the new blood in the league would usurp his throne. He then made a bold prediction that he’d break all of Seth’s football records within two years. Whatever it was T.K. was selling, Seth didn’t want any part of it.

  “What about that pompous jackass?”

  John Jacob let out a snort.

  “Yes. Despite how he sounds when he opens his mouth, he’s a brilliant player. There are some rough edges that need to be smoothed.”

  “Rough?” Seth balked, poured himself a drink, and slammed it back. “That kid has eagle talons and he’s not afraid to use them, no matter who he pisses off.”

  “OK. He’s a little arrogant and likes the ladies. Who doesn’t? He’s a good-looking young man who isn’t used to the limelight. I knew when we signed him he’d be a challenge, but he needs the benefit of guidance from someone like you.”

  “T.K., I know you have people for this. You tell me a team of image makers can’t control him?”

  “He doesn’t listen to a word they say, and I don’t have time to babysit him. I can hardly keep up with my wife.” His jaw ticked.

  “And what makes you think he’ll listen to me?”

  “Because he’d be an idiot not to listen to the best quarterback there ever was in the game.”

  Seth smiled. “Not the best. But in the top five.”

  “See, right there is the reason he would benefit from a sit down with you. The boy has no humility.”

  “He could use a class in character building. When he wins he’s charismatic and on top of the world. When he loses he walks off the field without shaking the other quarterback’s hand after a game.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I’m not the man for this. Your superstar trash-talked me in that interview with Sports
Live. I have a thick skin, but I’m not that forgiving.”

  “I was hoping you hadn’t seen that one.” T.K. scratched at his temple. “If it makes you feel any better, I talked to him about that interview. I told him you were a close personal friend and he was out of line.”

  “T.K., I feel for your situation, but I don’t need the headache. And Riley Sloane is a walking migraine.”

  “Listen.” T.K. stood. “Can you just think it over? Take as much time as you like, but I guarantee that even five minutes with you and he’ll be a better man for it.”

  “Son, it couldn’t hurt to mull it over,” John Jacob said.

  Seth locked eyes with his dad. The subtle nod he’d given Seth meant he wanted him to at least consider it. “OK. I’ll think about it.”

  Seth walked his father and T.K. out. He went into the kitchen and pulled out the food he needed to cook, still trying to figure out what had just happened. He got the feeling his dad and T.K. had been talking about more than his post-football hijinks. Just the other day Seth was cleaning out one of the stalls when his father came in and asked how things were going. This wasn’t unusual; they talked all the time. But it was something about his tone. He did that gentle probing thing he used to do when Seth was younger and he had something weighing on his mind. Only his dad couldn’t know Seth would have anything weighing on his mind. Or so he’d thought.

  He was happy with his life. He adored being front and center for Mackenzie’s early years, something he’d felt guilty about with the boys. He loved the kids equally but there was no denying that there was a special bond with his daughter. Maybe it had something to do with helping Morgan deliver her in the stables. Or that daddy’s girl thing Patton raved about before Mackenzie was born. It felt good to know that whenever she needed him, he was just a stone’s throw away.

  He was content in retirement, but when he got the urge to reminisce, he’d chat with Patton about their former team. He’d catch his favorite sports analyst’s show every afternoon. Now T.K., a man who’d pursued him relentlessly about joining the Tomcats organization for years, had stood in his home moments ago practically begging him to counsel his wayward quarterback. Seth had been following Riley Sloane’s career. He was a good player but let early buzz about his potential greatness go to his head. Riley’s massive ego began in college and he’d become obnoxious and arrogant in the NFL. He was more interested in perfecting his brand than in buckling down and earning his success.

  The reason Seth had succeeded was that he’d learned to navigate the pitfalls pretty well. He’d listened to the coaches, and even though he didn’t always agree with them, he respected the years of experience they had over him. He’d valued his relationship with Jimmy and didn’t flaunt it in the faces of the other players. From his interviews, Riley sounded borderline insubordinate. That was another thing. The controversial bad boy’s hair-trigger interviews made for good tabloid news and put the spotlight on the team for the wrong reasons.

  Riley liked being the star and reveled in the fact that the world was hanging onto his every word. What he really needed was a good sack from Patton followed by a tough love talk. That would clear all those delusions of grandeur from the young man’s head. And if he didn’t change his ways, he’d only succeed in dragging his team down into defeat with him, no matter how much raw talent Riley might have.

  No, Seth wasn’t interested in teaching a quarterback how to be great. He was done with that life. Now the most important thing to him was that Morgan and the kids were happy. He hated to turn T.K. down, but it was the best thing to do.

  * * *

  Morgan turned into the main gate of the ranch and waved at the guard, happy to be back home. The short trip to the market proved to be more exhausting than she realized. She loved hosting the sleepovers, but she knew it was going to be chaos in the house until the parents picked the kids up tomorrow afternoon. She blamed her recent lethargy on her attempts to keep up with four active kids, but she’d been struggling to get her energy back after that nasty bout with the flu.

  Seth had been a trooper, helping out with the kids while she was sick. He was doing better than anyone expected since his retirement. He wasn’t one to sit still, but he seemed to be settling nicely into their new life. She could tell he missed football. The long chats with Patton about how the Titans were playing and watching the sports shows religiously were a dead giveaway. She just hoped he wasn’t delaying finding a new passion because of her and the kids. He’d said countless times that he felt bad about the traveling he’d had to do when he was a football player, but she didn’t see it that way. There was never a time when the boys went lacking for love and affection from their father. He was great at motivating people, and she thought for sure he’d decide to coach. But even lucrative offers from T.K. weren’t able to coax him back into that world.

  She made the turn on the road that led to J.J. and Sam’s house. She’d found a new diaper rash cream in the baby aisle she thought Sam and Isabelle would like to try. She parked the truck and grabbed the bag. J.J. opened the front door as she made her way down the path.

  “Hi, J.J.” Morgan kissed him on the cheek. “How are you?”

  “Drained.” He laughed. “You and Seth warned me about a two-kid household, but I thought you were exaggerating.”

  “I’m not above saying I told you so.” She smiled. “So you have anything planned for your night without the little ones?”

  “We thought we’d have a romantic dinner, maybe go dancing, but I think we’re going to nuke some leftovers and snuggle up on the couch.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I feel horrible that the first time in a month we get some time alone, all I want to do is get a good night’s sleep.”

  “Don’t. Seth and I once fell asleep by the elevator at the Ashcroft after my parents picked up the kids for the weekend. Michelle and Tyler stopped by later in the day and walked right over our bodies and started cooking dinner.” She giggled. “I come bearing gifts. I saw a new ointment that might help with diaper rash.”

  “I’m so glad we have you and Seth to share cautionary tales of parenthood.” J.J. put his arm around her shoulders and escorted her into the house. There were photo albums strewn about the coffee table. Morgan smiled as Gabe tried to focus on the picture of his namesake Gabriel that Sam held in her hands. John Jacob was speechless when they’d decided to name their son after his older brother who had died in the war many years ago.

  “There’s my handsome nephew,” Morgan cooed at Gabe as she handed Sam the bag. “Are you ready to spend the night with Aunt Morgan?” She glanced at Sam. “He’s getting so big.”

  “Tell me about it.” Sam smiled and looked at the contents in the bag. “Thank you. I saw an ad for this in a parenting magazine.”

  J.J. went in the direction of the laundry room. “As much as I’d like to hang around and talk about diaper cream, I’m off to do another load of laundry. Jack has a favorite blanket he wants to bring to the sleepover.”

  “Look at this picture of John Jacob’s brother Gabe. Wasn’t he handsome?”

  “Yes, he was.” Morgan nodded. “It’s a shame his life was cut short so soon.”

  “I was thinking of doing a family tree as a present for John Jacob and Teri-Lyn for their upcoming anniversary. I wanted to include Gabe on it. It would give the kids a sense of the entire family history, even of those who’ve passed away.”

  “I think that’s a great idea. I’d love to help with it.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see what information I can get from Teri-Lyn and we’ll go from there.” Sam leaned toward her. “I talked to Michelle last night. She said the two of you were tossing around the idea of a second bookstore again.”

  “I’m supposed to be scouting locations, but I haven’t actually gotten off my butt to do anything about it.” She shook the rattle at Gabe to get his attention. “How’s Kendrick? I wanted to thank him for speaking to Jake’s class on career day.”

  “Licking his wounds after that l
ast breakup.”

  “There’s got to be somebody we know who would be a good match for him.” Morgan tapped her chin.

  “But I don’t know any sane woman who would put up with that hard-headed action junkie with no concern for his own safety.”

  Morgan smiled. “Funny, that’s how J.J. used to describe you.”

  “Touché.” She laughed. “I’d be happy to go with you to check that new Blake property John Jacob was gushing about the other night at dinner.”

  She’d been thinking about that. John Jacob didn’t gush about anything, but he seemed really excited for her to see that property. “That sounds like work. Aren’t you on maternity leave?”

  “Yes. But that’s not work. I’d be spending the day with my sister-in-law who happens to be checking out a location for her business expansion.” Sam gave her a toothy smile.

  “I’ll let you know when I’m ready.” She stood. “I’d better be going. Seth’s probably wondering what’s taking me so long.”

  “J.J.’s going to drop Gabe off around five. He’ll probably be asleep soon after.”

  She caressed her nephew’s hand. “I’m looking forward to some cuddle time with this one.”

  Morgan got back into the truck and headed for her house. She noticed John Jacob riding his horse in the distance away and he had company. It was T.K. Holbrook. Morgan rolled down the window and waved; the men waved back. He and John Jacob were old friends, but T.K. never came by just to visit.

  Morgan walked through the front door with bags of groceries and called out, “Hey, babe. Guess who I just saw horseback riding with your dad?”

  Seth appeared out of nowhere and stole a kiss. “T.K.”

  “Wow, swami. What number am I thinking of?”

  “Seven.” He took the bags from her and headed into the kitchen.

  She squinted at him. “Ha. Ha.”

  “He stopped by about an hour ago with Daddy to ask a favor.”

  “Still trying to get you to reconsider coaching the Tomcats?”

  “No. Seems his new quarterback Riley Sloane thinks he’s god’s gift to football, and T.K.’s worried his attitude and off-field antics will be harmful to the team.”