Page 6 of Fake It Till You Make It

“This may be a man’s world, but it would be nothing without a woman, dear.”

“You went there?” His mom winked, adjusting her glasses. She was actually enjoying this conversation. That made it worse than embarrassing.

“What?” She shrugged. “That was funny.”

“Not even a little.”

“Maybe Rosa Mae will put a smile back on your face.”Eli saw the concern before his momma quickly masked it. There was nothing wrong with his face or disposition. Trusted advice had been the hallmark of his relationship with his parents, but Eli relied on his own judgment in the female department. The last thing he needed was a woman softening him up so love could rip another chunk out of his hide. Once upon a time he dreamt of having a wife and children, but love, that cagey beast, had a vicious bite. Eli’s wounds infected him beyond cure.

“Your meddling has to stop, Momma. These women booking needless appointments.” He shook his head. “Jessie McGillacutty tried to French-kiss me last week after I gave her a Kitty Kibbles sampler. I had to racehorse hurdle over the exam table, and her acrylic nails drew blood.”

“But that’s just one woman.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m telling you, women are a distraction I don’t want or need.”

“The right partner will change your mind.”

“It won’t. My focus is on getting money flowing into the business, nothing else.” That statement seemed to redirect her attention away from his single status.

“Pendleton Community Bank turned us down,” she stated matter-of-factly, with no question or judgment in her tone. “Have you told your brothers about the half payments on the mortgage for the last three months?”

“Not yet.”

“Why not, Eli?” His mother studied him, concern in her eyes.

“’Cause I already know I messed up. Seeing that truth in their eyes, well…” He swallowed, unable to say more.

“They’re your brothers, not a jury.”

Didn’t matter. Eli had judged and convicted his failures long ago. “Doesn’t make it any easier.”

“I know, son. Just lay out the facts.”

The mortgage refinance denial letter burned in his jeans pocket, a lump of hot coal threatening to torch his father’s legacy. Twenty-eight years this location between the mountains, this house, and the adjoining veterinary practice had belonged to the Calvarys. His father, Levi, had taught him and his brothers that a man protected and provided for those he loved. His family had planted roots, labored, and loved the ground he walked every morning. At thirty-three, Eli hadn’t achieved a quarter of his father’s successes at the same age. He fell below the measuring tape, but nevertheless, he would keep fighting. He’d figure the whole mess out before worrying Tobias and Noah.

“This month’s payment was applied before the late fees. I know what I’m doing.” He didn’t have a clue, but he worked overtime to find the winning combination.

Each disastrous attempt to increase revenue, like the physical exam with a fifty percent off grooming package, had netted him two unpaid bills instead of one. Then there’d been the free hot dogs and popcorn that had morphed into a backyard barbecue keg party without a single pet appointment booked by close of business. Folks from two counties over had shown up for that dollar dump. Oddly enough, for those few hours he’d forgotten the severity of his missteps, how he’d been hemorrhaging money for months.

“All of us are in this together—”

“Not their problem or yours,” he interrupted. “I resigned my commission to come home. Dad trusted me to handle it.” As the eldest son, the responsibility to hold the family together fell on his shoulders, an imbalanced weight he wasn’t sure he deserved to carry. How could he stand tall when his choices, bad choices, had dragged his family to the edge of ruin?

“Not alone,” she chided. “We’re a family.”

During his four years as a U.S. Army veterinarian, he’d led commissioned officers and enlisted personnel under his command, ensured the health of military service animals, and participated in animal health clinical research both at home and abroad. He knew how to strategize and execute, and was no stranger to hard labor. He alone needed to fix this wrong. After all, their father had mortgaged the property so that Eli would have the down payment on his first home with his new wife. The wife who’d abandoned him before they’d spent one night in their custom-designed forever home. So, if anyone had to put in more hours and lie awake at night staring at the ceiling, gut churning over his choices, it had to be him. Maybe, if he got things right again, fate would grant him the redemption he desperately wanted. But how to save their homestead remained a scattered puzzle with missing pieces and no visual guide. Unwilling to admit defeat, even to his brothers, Eli drew on the strength of his military training. Quell the storm and bring the thunder. But first, he had to race relentless rain while navigating the floodwaters. He couldn’t allow his failure to pull them all under the deluge.

His momma would accuse him of being bullheaded. He’d toss in a couple ofyou’re pretty stubborn yourselfs, and the whole day would sour faster than old milk on a hot day. The truth lay closer to shame than male ego. But the lie flowed sweet compared to bitter reality.

“Here we go again,” he muttered under his breath, knowing how this conversation would begin and end. “I don’t need another ‘we are family’ pep rally.”

“Eli Calvary.” His mother’s voice held a note of warning as her gaze angled up at him. “You’d best get yourself a cup of coffee before you say another word. I’m in a good mood.You best not jeopardize that. The pot is fresh brewed, go ahead now.”

Chagrined, he resisted the urge to drop his head. He led the business now, but this was his mother. Leah Calvary kept a dough rolling pin within reach. She was known to swat a backside or three if he or his brothers usurped her maternal authority.

“Yes, ma’am.” Snagging the mugs from the counter, he poured two cups of freshly ground dark roast, black, no sugar, placing one on the kitchen table in front of an unusually fidgety Leah. He thought back to the bribe biscuits. What was she up to?

As she relaxed in her chair, her shoulders fell away from her ears. “Any calls on the job posting in the bulletin?”