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Chapter One

Zachary

“Uncle Zachary,” my niece, Bella, said in a conspiratorial tone, “we need to talk.”

I sat back in my chair, glancing at the rest of the family out of the corner of my eye. Everyone was chatting. I knew Bella had chosen this moment specifically, which meant she wanted to talk to me alone.

“Sure.”

She glanced at the family too. Even though she was only ten years old, she already seemed so much more mature. These days, every time she said, “We need to talk,” I braced myself, as I never knew what I’d be in for.

“Cricket, do you need anything?” my brother Chad asked.

“No, Daddy, I’m good.” Bella sighed, giving me an exasperated look. “Thank you.” Then she added in a whisper, “Maybe we should talk another time.”

“Sure.” I gave her a wink. “I promise I’ll call.”

Bella nodded and went back to her seat.

There were six of us LeBlanc brothers, and Bella went to each uncle for specific advice. She typically came to me when she needed advice on “fixing” a problem—usually something related to her friends. She went straight to Julian when she wanted something her dad wouldn’t approve of—like more sweets. Chad had been a single dad for a long time, so we’d all been very involved in her upbringing.

“All right, everyone, food’s here,” Chad exclaimed as the waiters arrived with the huge pots of gumbo and put them on the table.

The perks of owning LeBlanc & Broussard, one of the most famous restaurants on Royal Street in New Orleans, was that weoften came here to eat. Today, the entire family had gathered. It wasn’t a special occasion—we simply liked getting together.

“You know, I still think the gumbo was better in our time,” Isabeau said.

Celine sighed. “Oh, give it a rest, Isabeau. Scarlett is an excellent chef.”

“Oh, I know. I was just saying.” But she didn’t press the point.

My grandmothers, Isabeau and Celine, had long been the chefs at LeBlanc & Broussard. They still took pride in their work even though they’d been retired for years. Currently, Chad’s fiancée, Scarlett, was the chef. In my opinion, she was amazing. But Isabeau always felt the need to compete with other chefs. After so many years, it was ingrained in her. Or maybe it was just a chef thing.

My grandfathers were sitting next to their wives. Both of them snickered but didn’t comment on Isabeau’s remark.

As the waiter served everyone, I decided it was the right time to bring up a topic that had been at the back of my mind for a while. Since all of us brothers were currently running the Orleans Conglomerate, we often asked one another for advice about business. Our father had run it before us, and our grandparents before that. I wanted to hear everyone’s opinion on this even though it wasn’t, strictly speaking, a business decision.

“By the way,” I said, “an opportunity came up.”

“For business?” Xander asked, perking up.

I nodded. “It’s what I already told you, Anthony, and Beckett at the confectionery. But I want to hear everyone else’s opinion.” That got the family’s attention, and I continued. “So, there’s a ranch by the bayou that specializes in therapy horses. They’re looking for someone to partner with, as they need capital torenovate and so on. It appears to be a really good cause that helps a lot of people, and I’m interested in investing.”

“What a wonderful idea,” Isabeau said, clapping her hands in praise.

Xander frowned. “Wait, you actually want to spend time managing that? I figured you’d simply donate money. Why not just give them some bank and stay out of it?”

Out of all of us, Xander was the one who was most efficient. I admired that about him, but I also thought he was missing out on things. Although, he’d changed a lot since he’d met his fiancée, Bailey.

“So... a ranch with horses used for therapy purposes. That’s so interesting,” Mom said.

“I found out back when I volunteered as an EMT that using animals in therapy is a pretty common thing.”

“You know, we always thought you might end up being a doctor,” Isabeau said.

That didn’t surprise me. As a teenager, I’d taken an EMT course and worked with the fire department’s squad voluntarily all through college and even after I started interning in the family business. I’d enjoyed helping people and was very good at it. But running the shipping side of the business was no small feat, and I ultimately had to make a decision. Being a CEO didn’t leave much time for extracurriculars. This ranch, though—the project simply beckoned to me.

“Is Grace Deveraux still interested in the ranch?” Anthony asked.