As Bo and Nora Buchanan stood on the walk outside the front door of Llanfair, Bo asked Nora, “Red, did Viki give you any idea what this early morning meeting is all about?”
Nora shook her head and replied, “No, honey, she didn’t. She just said that it was important, but that there was nothing wrong.”
“I wonder if she has heard from Clint,” pondered Bo. ” I haven’t heard a word from him in three weeks. It almost seems like he is cutting himself off from all of us. And I just can’t figure out why.”
“I know exactly why, and her name is Lindsay,” said Nora. “Lindsay wants to keep Clint all to herself. She doesn’t want him in contact with us because we might find out what she is up to and spoil everything for her.”
“Viki told me the other day that the kids haven’t even heard from Clint. Jessica tried to get hold of him and was told that he would call her back — that was over a week ago,” Bo said. ” I think I am going to have to go out to California and have a long talk with my big brother.”
Bo knocked on the front door and, a few seconds later, Viki opened it. Viki greeted Bo and Nora with big hugs and a smile. “Okay, lady, what’s the big mystery? You don’t usually hold court until later in the day,” joked Bo, with a mischievous smile on his face.
“Do you want to hit him or shall I?” Nora said, winking at Viki.
“Since he’s your husband I will let you do the honors,” responded Viki. “Oh Bo, you’re impossible, but if Nora can put with you, so can I.”
“Viki, is this something about Clint? Is that the reason for this powwow? And why did you ask me not to tell Pa?” asked Bo, his face becoming serious.
“I know that this is all very confusing, but I have to ask you to be patient.” Viki replied, with a concerned look on her face. “And, though you will find this very hard to believe, it doesn’t have anything to do with Clint. I met someone yesterday who I want you to meet. About all I can say by way of warning you, is that this gentleman is not who he appears to be. The other thing I have to ask you is to please listen to him.”
“His name is Brent Hamilton,” Viki continued. “His mother died several weeks ago and told him something on her deathbed about his family that he did not know. Please listen to him with an open mind. After you have seen Brent and talked to him, you will understand why I didn’t want Asa to know about this just yet.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Brent Hamilton, had been standing in the library at Llanfair, listening to the conversation between Viki, Bo and Nora. He was nervous listening to Bo and knowing that Bo was his brother. “I just hope that I can make him believe me,” he thought to himself. Brent took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. “I know his reaction to me is going to be shock, so I have to be prepared for it.”
As Bo, Nora and Viki entered the library, Brent’s back was to them as he stared out the terrace doors. “Bo, Nora, I would like you to meet Brent Hamilton,” said Viki.
As Brent turned around, Bo thought Clint was standing in front of him. Bo looked first at Brent and then at Viki, before saying, “What kind of game are you two playing? Clint, what the hell is going on here? Are you trying to pull some kind of a Bill Brady deal? Why are you pretending to be this Brent Hamilton guy?”
“Mr. Buchanan, I am not Clint,” Brent responded as calmly as possible. “My name, as Viki said, is Brent Hamilton. I know that this is very confusing and upsetting to you, but please hear me out.” Brent looked very frustrated.
“Clint, I don’t know who you think you’re trying to fool, but it won’t work with me,” said Bo, looking angry and confused. “Just changing into fancy, imported clothes doesn’t change who you are. I would think that you would know better. I want some straight answers and I want them now.”
Viki was standing between Bo and Brent, trying to think of some way to get Bo to stop and listen to Brent. “Bo, please,” said Viki, “I told you that Brent was not who he appeared to be. I know that he looks like Clint, but he isn’t. Will you please just listen to him, as a favor to me, if nothing else?”
Nora had just been watching this exchange. She had been looking back and forth from Bo to Brent. Brent did look exactly like Clint but, as she really looked at him, she could tell there was something different about him, other than his clothes.
“Bo,” Nora said, “give the man a chance to talk. That is the only way you are going to find out what is going on.”
“Okay, I will listen,” said Bo, giving in but not liking it. “I will listen to what you have to say, but it better be damned good. I don’t like these kinds of games. I don’t want to see anyone hurt, especially Pa.”
“Thank you,” Brent said. “Is it all right if we all sit down? This whole thing is going to be hard to explain, so we might as well be comfortable.”
As everyone took a seat, Brent began telling his story to Bo and Nora. The expression on Bo’s face was one of shock and disbelief. Bo couldn’t make up his mind whether to believe Brent or not. Part of him still thought he was looking at Clint. The sound of Brent’s voice was just like Clint’s, but his accent was Southern, and the words and expressions he used were very different from the way Clint talked. “Could it be that Brent is telling the truth? Is he really a half brother I never knew about?” wondered Bo. “Asa is certainly capable of having had an affair and then leaving without so much as a second look back. If this isn’t Clint, then what Brent says must be the truth. He looks too much like Clint not to be a Buchanan.”
Bo was carefully looking Brent over for any sign that the man might be lying. “Brent, if what you say is true, I guess that means I have a new brother,” Bo asserted. “For the time being, I am going to take your word on all this, but you better believe that I am going to check you out very carefully.” Bo offered Brent his hand to shake.
“Thank you, Bo,” said Brent. “I grew up an only child, so the thought of suddenly having two brothers was somewhat overwhelming. I understand your need to check me out. After my mother’s death, I hired a private investigator to check into the whole Buchanan family so that I would have an understanding of who you folks were before I came to Llanview.”
“Viki, I do have one more thing I need to do,” said Bo. “May I call Clint in California while Brent is in the room with us? I won’t tell Clint exactly what is going on until later, but I want to be sure in my own mind that Brent is really not Clint playing some game that Lindsay put him up to.”
“Of course, you can call Clint, Bo” responded Viki. She was shocked that Bo would think that Clint would do anything like this, even under Lindsay’s influence.
Bo picked up the phone on the desk and dialed Clint’s office at The San Francisco Daily Press. He told Clint’s secretary who he was and asked her to get Clint on the line. “Hey, Little Brother, is that you?” Bo heard Clint say on the other end of the phone.
“It sure is, Stranger,” said Bo. “I haven’t heard from you for so long, I was beginning to wonder if I still had a big brother.”
“I’m awful sorry about that Bo,” said Clint, “between my working here at the paper and the social calendar that Lindsay has arranged for us, I just haven’t been keeping in touch the way I should. I’m sorry and I promise I won’t let it happen again. By the way, I will be in New York City this weekend for a newspaper conference, so I thought I would drop by Llanview for a day or two and check up on everyone. Lindsay won’t be with me on this trip, so that will make it easier on both her and Nora. Bo, I need you to find out something for me without Viki knowing. Would you find out if she is going to be at the conference this weekend? I will go either way. I just need to prepare myself to see her if she is going to be there.”
“Yes, I will find that out for you Clint,” replied Bo, trying not to sound surprised. “Clint I need to call you back tonight and discuss something serious with you. Nothing is wrong, so don’t worry, but it is something you need to know about.”
“Bo,” said Clint, sounding very concerned, “is there anything wrong with Pa, Viki or the kids?”
“No, Clint. Honest. Everyone is fine. It is just that I have recently found out some information about someone in the family we didn’t know about and I want to talk to you about it at length. Can I call you tonight about 6 p.m. your time and tell you what is going on about it?”
“Sure thing, Bo. You really have my curiosity up now. Give my love to everyone. Bye, Bo, talk to you tonight,” said Clint.
“Bye, Clint,” said Bo as he hung up the phone.
“Well, Brent, I guess that settles that. You definitely are not Clint. The big thing I am wondering about is how to tell Pa,” said Bo.
“I have asked Renee to come over this afternoon to go shopping with me for a new dress,” offered Viki. “I am going to a newspaper conference in New York City this weekend and I thought a shopping trip would be a good excuse for me to let Renee meet Brent and tell her what is going on without Asa suspecting.”
“Brent, I think I should tell you the reason for all the precautions as far as Pa goes. He has a heart condition. The last thing we want is to have him end up having a heart attack the first time he sees you,” explained Bo.
“I’m sure that Renee will know just how to approach Asa with this news,” said Nora, trying to reassure Bo.
“The last thing I want to cause is any health problems for Asa. He is my father, too. I really want a chance to get to know him,” said Brent, really concerned by this time. “I will go along with anything that you decide.”
“Thanks Brent, I appreciate that,” said Bo. “I am going to talk to Clint tonight. I want him here when we tell Pa about you and introduce you to him, otherwise Pa will never believe it. I warn you Brent, he might not believe it, anyway, at first. Our father is a very stubborn man and he has never been one to take surprises well, except when he is the one doing the surprising.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Later that evening, Bo was at home, talking with Clint on the phone.
“Clint, first of all, Viki is planning on attending the newspaper conference. She told Nora and I that she was going shopping with Renee this afternoon to buy a new dress to wear to the conference.”
“Thanks, Bo,” Clint replied, sounding almost relieved. “Okay, now what is this big family secret?”
Bo explains to Clint what was going on. “Are you sure that this guy isn’t feeding you a whole load of horse manure?” asked Clint.
“I am already having him investigated,” replied Bo. “But Clint, this guy looks and sounds so much like you that both Viki and I were convinced he was you. He could be your twin. In fact, it is hard to believe he isn’t. The reason I called you this morning is that I wanted to talk to you with Brent in the same room to make sure that you weren’t playing some kind of a trick on us.”
“How is Viki reacting to all of this?” asked Clint, trying to sound causal.
“Well, she is as shaken as the rest of us,” Bo responded. “But she believes, like I do, that you should be here when we let the rest of the family in on this, except for Renee. Viki is going to fill Renee in on the whole thing during their shopping trip.”
“I guess you’d better tell Viki that I will be at the conference,” Clint said. “I wanted to surprise her, but this is important. I will come back to Llanview with her and we can get this family reunion underway. Will you have the report back from the private investigator by that time, Bo? I don’t think we should approach Pa with all this until we are sure Brent is who he says he is.”
“The investigator said he should have the report back to me sometime Friday. What do you say we have a big family meeting at the Lodge on Sunday night around 8 p. m? Nora, Renee and I will make sure that everyone concerned is there. Will that be plenty of time for you and Viki to get back from the conference?”
“Oh, yes, Bo,” said Clint. “I am sure it will be. I’ll see you on Sunday. Bye for now, Bo.”
“Bye. See you Sunday, Clint,” replied Bo.
Bo sat back in his chair and wondered what the next few days had in store for him and the rest of the family. “I woke up this morning with one brother and now it appears that I have two brothers and they both look exactly alike. This is going to take some getting used to,” he told himself. “I also wonder what is going on with Clint and Lindsay. Clint sure seemed eager to see Viki at this conference. I wonder if this new marriage isn’t running into some snags. I also wonder how Pa is going to take all this. I think I’d better call Larry, fill him in and ask him to be at the lodge Sunday night, just in case. I guess I better get started arranging things. Sunday isn’t that far off.”
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