Blair shook her head. “No, really. I think—”
“You said he’s angry and rebellious and headed for trouble, right? You want him to talk to someone who’s been there, someone who had to choose between freedom and jail, right? Well, lady, I’m your man.”
Blair looked at him thoughtfully. “You really think you can get through to him?”
“I’m no psychologist,” he admitted. “And I’m sure no expert on kids. But I came to this ranch as mean and angry and rebellious as any kid they’d taken in before. There were some who predicted I’d be in prison before I turned twenty-one. Instead, I own a successful ranch and serve on the board of directors of several civic organizations. I pay taxes and vote in every election. You might say I’m a respectable citizen—though I guess there’s a few who’d define me in other ways.”
“You own a ranch?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you read the brochure?”
“I told you, I didn’t intend to buy anyone. It was just an impulse when the idea occurred to me about Jeffrey.”
“So now that you know I’m an upstanding guy, you want to give it a shot?”
“Well...” She rubbed the back of her neck, as if it had suddenly tightened. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt for you to talk to him.”
“Might even help,” he murmured.
“I suppose that’s possible.”
He wasn’t flattered by the lack of confidence in her voice. It only made him more determined to prove he could do this.
Scott McKay had never been one to back down from a challenge.
“This will work out just fine,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “When d’you want to do it?”
“You’re sure you don’t mind?”
“Hey, for your generous donation to the ranch, talking to a kid is a small favor for me to do in return.”
She dug into the leather purse she’d worn over her shoulder and pulled out a thin calendar. “Jeffrey and I are free next weekend. Beginning Friday, he has a three-day break from school.”
“School? Isn’t he out for the summer yet?”
“No, he still has a couple more weeks.”
“So you want to get together next weekend.”
“If that’s convenient for you. Are you available then, or do you need more time to—?”
“Sure, that’ll work.”
She looked surprised at his quick acceptance. “Don’t you need to check your schedule?”
“I don’t keep a schedule. If you want to go next weekend, that’s when we’ll go.”
“How can you run a business if you don’t keep a schedule?”
“I improvise a lot.” He uncrossed his ankles, then crossed them again in the opposite direction. “Okay, so beginning next Friday, you and Jeremy and I will—”
“Jeffrey.”
“Sorry. You and Jeffrey and I will spend some time together, get to know each other, have a good time. Do you have any specific plans?”
“What I would like for you to do is talk to Jeffrey about how crucial it is for him to focus on his future. He needs to know that the grades he makes in school are important, that he has to cultivate the right friends and make the right choices.”
She made it sound as if she was trying to get the kid into Harvard. “How old is he?” he asked, thinking that if the boy was just fifteen or so, she could cut him a little slack. He’d have some time left to have fun before he had to seriously buckle down. Now, if he was, say, a senior in high school, he’d better...