Hawaiian Interception: A Reluctant White Knight, #7

By T.W. Anderson

Hawaiian Interception – A Reluctant White Knight novel – Volume 7

 

Tom Rowter and his wife Sunny have to accept their family is growing up and apart. After practically all the grandkids announce surprising career path choices, those offspring scatter across not only the country, but the globe.

 

It's been years since Tom's past has reared its ugly head to threaten the quiet safety of the ranch. It seems now is the perfect time for the couple, and a number of their family members, to take a relaxing trip to paradise.

 

But what unseen threat has followed the couple to the islands? The trip of a lifetime turns into a nightmare and could quite possibly ruin the marriages, and even the lives of a number of family members.

• Language: English
• Publisher: T.W. Anderson
• Release date: Mar 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215829868

T.W. Anderson

Terrance W Anderson, or “T.W.” as he prefers to be called, has over five decades of senior business management experience. When he can get away both he and his wife love to travel or idle around and fish the area’s surrounding lakes in their boat. T.W. has also been an avid pilot since youth and holds a number of advanced pilot ratings. T.W.’s writing was born out of a frustration with the lack, at the time, of Christian authors writing modern, relatable suspense and romance novels. It seemed like all the best selling books had language in them that not only offended him, but he was embarrassed that the person beside him glancing over his shoulder might also be offended by it. On one long business trip, while relaxing beside the inlet at Marina Del Rey he dug out his laptop and started typing out notes about his past aviation and life experiences. That led him to start adding a measure of “What if” to the writings. Before long he had a story line in mind and Tom Rowter came alive on the pages of the “A Reluctant White Knight” novel series. Being of retirement age himself, the author makes his books hero of a similar age thusly giving us an adventure and romance from a mature individual, and then couple’s point of view. Many readers, tired of reading about the limitless energy of some young stud and his vixen, will be able to relate to the aches, pains and limitations of this series' hero and heroine having a few years on them, yet being truly in love. T.W. tries to show his characters as true to real life as possible. His main characters may be courageous but they aren’t super heroes. They have their weaknesses and failures like we all do and they reflect his personal faith and Christian beliefs. The action and problems that come to life in the pages are right out of everyday events. And the romances are as complicated as life truly plays out. In story development he uses not only his own past experiences but the counsel of friends he’s developed in other fields of aviation, international business and real estate, journalism as well as various local, state and federal law enforcement organizations.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Things at Roapes Ranch have finally returned to some resemblance of normalcy. With the threat of danger resolved, we can try to turn our attention to more ordinary, yet important concerns.

The fall elections finally came and with what the family has been through, we honestly had no idea how Joe’s campaign for re-election as D.A., and Rusty’s campaign for re-election as sheriff would turn out.

At first, everyone we spoke to was enthusiastic about my idea. The project that I thought up months ago to help a Navajo reservation in New Mexico that had family relatives was going well, but some folks in our area had the wrong idea. They said our family was just trying to buy the Native American votes. The local Apache nation tribal council didn’t believe that and led their own fund raiser to overhaul the sheriff department’s helicopter to show their support. Our family had proposed to the Apache an even bigger goal and pledged a dollar-for-dollar match. If funding was sufficient to do the overhaul strictly from donations received, our family was going to replace that helicopter with a new one, if the county would transfer the old one to the Navajo nation in New Mexico. But we had to have the local Apache Tribe’s support.

When I rescued that girl on Ute Mountain near the Navajo reservation some time back, I had to search for her using the ranch’s big Cessna Caravan. There was no place for a plane to land a rescue party in the mountain and so one of the rescuers had to skydive from our plane to save the gal. It was apparent to me and the rest of the family that if we hadn’t been visiting the reservation on business, and to visit family, the girl could have died. The Navajo authorities needed a helicopter due to the vast land area they had to keep safe. I suggested to my wife and father-in-law, who have relatives in the Navajo council, that we upgrade our local sheriff’s helicopter with a new one, and get the county to transfer ownership of the old helicopter, after it is overhauled, to the Navajo

The only problem we ran into was Dusty was very concerned about how much notoriety the family would get about the plan. When Dusty donated the first helicopter to the county, he took a lot of flak from some of the locals about attempting to buy favoritism with county officials. After all, his grandsons were the D.A. and sheriff, people said. Everyone forgot that when Dusty first proposed to donate the helicopter, it was even before the then sheriff, Steve Shinne, had met Dusty’s daughter Sunny. Dusty just saw the need since Brewster has the largest land area of all the counties in Texas.

It is amazing how some people can look at a good deed as some evil plan.

This time around Dusty had some stipulations before he’d fund a new helicopter. First, he insisted that the local Apache council lead the effort to overhaul the old helicopter. It would be a countywide project, but he needed the leadership of the Apache to be involved. Only if all the costs of the overhaul were covered by the fund raiser, would the family buy the county a new helicopter. And they would do so only if the county officials agreed to transfer the old one to the Navajo at no cost.

It took six months of hard work, during which Joe and Rusty were taking heat from a Tribos’-planted-dissention crowd, to raise the base funds. Joe and Rusty both just about resigned over all the problems the people that Tribos moved into the area gave them. But when they were able to prove the link between Tribos and his planted troublemakers manipulating things, they were all either arrested or left the area. When that happened the people who were running against Rusty and Joe disappeared and the two wound up running unopposed. To be totally fair and above board the county went through with the election and had a place on the ballots for write-in votes.

Dusty and I both got a few token write-in votes from the locals and it thrilled me that even as a joke, I’d be that well thought of. But Rusty and Joe were officially elected for another term.

The old helicopter was kept in service until the new helicopter arrived and was equipped with the specialized search, rescue, and law-enforcement gear. Then the old helicopter was overhauled, transferred to the Navajo, and two pilots from the tribal police department were trained. A third pilot was already current in that type aircraft because he was in the Arizona Air Guard. That got their department off to a good start.

We swore the Navajo council to secrecy but Dusty pledged to cover the cost of maintenance on their helicopter for the first two years. After that, they were on their own. But no one in Texas, except the family, was to find out about the additional support. The Navajo agreed and came up with a viable plan to develop funding for the ongoing use of the aircraft.

Sunny and I flew the old Bell out to the Navajo reservation followed by Dusty and Pat in the big black Bell. We enjoyed the weekend festivities and by the end of the weekend I’m sure about every kid on the reservation big enough to walk had a ride on one or the other helicopter.

The reservation school building we sponsored was being used well and helped meet the Navajo nation’s needs as planned. The nation added a second building to match the one we sponsored. And plans were in place by the council to add two more buildings as soon as federal funding is approved.

CHAPTER TWO

It took more than a half a year after both Darrell and Belle Tribos were killed for the family to finally relax their guard. Sunny and I are grateful that the local county elections went well. The other sons’ business dealings are going okay judging from the few problems they come to Sunny or me about.

Dusty suffered a mild heart attack, which led to a triple bypass operation. But four weeks later he was back to his old routine. He actually felt more energetic. Since then, Dusty and Pat’s health has held up well.

We still haven’t hired a replacement for Buddy as Chief of Aviation Maintenance. But Dusty has a lead on another former/retired Marine to replace Gunny as our family gun shop manager and gunsmith. Of course, no one will ever actually replace either of those two friends.

Sunny and I are finally taking time for an actual planned vacation and to visit the patio home the family built on Galveston Island. Our schedule includes enjoying two weeks of just lying in the sun, cruising on our son’s boat Seascape II, and touring the local area. We make new friends and enjoy turning the tables on the crew of our bigger yacht, Seascape, by entertaining them a number of evenings at the patio home and on a cruise in the smaller boat.

I know the crew enjoyed the attention and a break from the charters they ran to help support having the big yacht.

Upon our return to the ranch, we help in shipping six kids off to college at University of Texas, Austin. It occurs to our son, Lee, the property management expert, that we’d be smart to buy a boarding house near campus since we can fill it just with our own family attending the school. They can support and watch out for one another and it will actually be less expensive than putting them all up in dorms. Lee’s able to work a deal on a property and we make the grandkids help paint and remodel the place in their spare time in return for their room and board. It also helps instill in them some personal pride in the place so that they take care of it. Any heavy maintenance Lee has a licensed contractor handle. But the day-to-day stuff is all up to the kids.

And we keep track of their progress with their flying lessons at the family flying club at San Antonio’s Stinson Airport. We told the kids and grandkids that we wouldn’t keep the hangar and the two little Cessnas unless they are taken care of and used. Turns out that wasn’t a worry. The family members who live in San Antonio and Austin keep the planes looking and running great, and there’s enough use of the planes that the kids decide to hire a full-time mechanic who also acts as their flight instructor. It is less expensive than paying a shop to change oil and inspect the planes and paying an instructor by the hour.

When Lee and Terry get to the point of needing a plane faster than the trainers, they rent what they need for a trip from the fixed base operation on the field. Lee eventually uses a small twin engine so often that he decides to purchase it and lease it back to the FBO for their use when he doesn’t need it. Terry is able to get his twin engine rating thanks to his older brother.

The kids’ business skills are making the payments on everything and leaving us old fogies little to be concerned about.

CHAPTER THREE  

Four years have flown by in no time and it is now early summer and time for another graduation. Actually, a number of them.

Our youngest grandchild, Bill and Alexis’ son William, turned 10 and is graduating from elementary school to middle school. Their daughter, Alice, is now a full-fledged teenager at 13 and a half and is advancing from honors classes in middle school to start high school. It’s a little early for her age group, but she’s smart and mature for her age.

Those are both accomplishments worthy of a celebration.

How quickly the young ones grow up.

What really makes me feel old is we also have another college graduation to attend.

Lee and Diane’s son, Lee the 2nd, or Deuce as he, his friends and the family have come to calling him, is the oldest grandson and graduated last year from University of Texas. In his case it was a couple of years of fooling around late. But true to his word, he finished with a degree in Information Technology Systems, following after his uncle Terry.

His younger brother James, once he stopped diverting his attention to soccer, kept right on rolling through his four-year degree without stopping and completed his master’s in business. That’s the big celebration for this coming weekend. But the grade school kids are going to be honored as well.

Our son Lee’s daughter Sky, who takes after me way too much for not really being a blood relative, is taking an accelerated college track in accounting and finance. She didn’t quite catch up with James. But she did come really close to graduating with her bachelor’s degree this month. She only fell about a semester short. But she’s working on it. She’ll be done with her degree by the end of the summer.

Our son Terry and his wife Annie’ daughter, Autumn, graduated early and we got to celebrate with her over the winter break with a ski trip to Colorado. She’s continued her studies in Art History just to be around the other family members since they all decided to attend the same school.

Sunny’s son, Joe, and his wife Lucy have two kids graduating from college as well. Thad is finishing his engineering degree and Cleo is receiving a degree in accounting like Sky.

I couldn’t be happier that they all ended up in the same place. It made our monthly trips to visit the grandkids, easier to schedule. Pretty chaotic, but special. And with each of them finishing their pilot’s licenses and then other ratings it was heart-warming for us to see one of them arrive unannounced at the ranch, just on a whim, because they wanted a destination to fly to. They’d sneak in without calling on the airport radio and come walking into the hacienda like they still lived around there.

Sometimes it was a bummer because they’d arrive unannounced to find Sunny and I had gone on some trip. But Dusty and Pat are usually around for them to harass, and to show them the family love we share.

The grandkids don’t take so kindly to us dropping in on them. Their busy schedules always have something going on and if we do show up unexpected, they feel pressured to cancel plans to spend time with us. After a few disappointing trips, we stick to our monthly routine of spreading the word we’ll be up for a visit on a certain date and whoever can spend time with us will be appreciated, and well fed.

Our plans for the combined graduation celebrations are to hold it in the shade of the main hangar as we can’t count on the early summer showers to follow the weatherman’s forecast. But luckily the rain showers are so scattered that the grandkids do all arrive the easy way, in the family flying club’s two airplanes.

CHAPTER FOUR   

After the evening of festivities that we had at the hangar, it is good to see so many of the grandkids already at the horse corral the following morning when Sunny and I arrive. The complications of trying to work out who slept where for everyone that showed up had taken quite some time to sort out the evening before.

Our sons, Terry and Lee, each brought their motorhomes from San Antonio. Joe and Lucy who have a big cabin here on the ranch volunteered their spare guest rooms. Ron’s place on the ranch had already been allocated to the new gun smith that Dusty had hired. He and Deuce wound up in the hangar on cots.

Personally, I think the kids are early so they can try to claim Sunny and my horses, which has happened in the past. It is somewhat annoying since each kid has been given a horse they can call their own, even though they only show up at the ranch sporadically. But Sky always tries to take my painted mare, Buster. And Autumn has grown really fond of Sunny’s big white mare.

To be honest, Sky knows that if she gets to Buster first and gets her saddled before I show up at the corral, I’ll let her ride her all she wants. I figure there are other horses in the corral I can choose from. I don’t have any more grandkids and they are each one of a kind.

When Sunny and I get the mounts straightened out and everyone happy, saddled and ready, the next problem is where we go for our ride. Half the time we’ll head up the mountain. But if it is going to be warm out it isn’t unusual for our visiting kids to want to head to the other side of the lake where the beach is. This particular ride, though, the oldest grandkids impose their seniority on the other kids and we head across the pasture and up the mountain.

The ride is pleasant and my wife and I rotate among the kids so we can spend a little one on one-time riding beside each. In each case, when I ask about their future plans, each grandchild changes the subject. It’s as if none of them want to share what their latest thoughts are about what they are going to do with their lives.

We adults all know that they are prone to changing their minds and we’ve never said anything to indicate to them that we are unhappy with a change in course. Now, at their young ages, is the time to be considering all that. They need not decide what is going to happen in their lives for the next thirty or forty years.

That’s one reason why Sunny and I are both so very thankful that none of them are seeing anyone steady. They have each had romance in their lives. And the adult girls, Sky, Autumn and Cleo, each had their own problems with men who didn’t quite respect them. It was both heart-warming and frustrating that their fathers, and their grandfather, didn’t hear of the abuse they suffered from their boyfriends until after their brothers and cousins stepped in and made sure those men understood what would happen to them if they were ever caught anywhere near any of the family females again.

I’m just thankful that our grandsons didn’t end up with felony charges against them. That would have narrowed their career options quickly. But I’m told by the oldest two that the girls are no longer in any danger, and are happy for the outcome.

All I can say is those abusive men don’t know how lucky they are that the girls’ fathers, Terry and Lee, didn’t find out about it before the problem was fixed. My sons would have probably ended up with jail time even if one of the girls they were taking care of, Cleo, is the daughter of our son Joe, the D.A.

When we get to the top of the mountain and secure our horses so they won’t get close to the bluff, we set about building a camp fire even though the picnic lunch we brought really doesn’t require cooking. The girls just want the fire for the atmosphere. Then we all sit around the fire and enjoy our meal together.

The silence during our meal is a little odd. Usually there is a lot of talking among this group but I surmise that the group got talked out the evening before.

I am wrong.

CHAPTER FIVE  

Grandpa? Grandma? I’ve been volunteered by my peers here to tell you about something and I hope it doesn’t cause you concern, the oldest grandkid, Deuce, starts to explain.

I can’t imagine what it might be. But we’re listening, is Sunny’s immediate response. I just keep quiet.

Well, we’ve all gotten to the end of our formal education at about the same time. Well, except the youngest two here. You kids have to finish high school at least before you make any sort of decision like this, Lee the 2nd says, addressing the two youngest grandkids. But then he lays the zinger on us.

I’m just going to come out and say it. We’ve all applied to join the FBI! Deuce announces.

I am dumbfounded. I am happy, yet scared. And more than just a little confused. But before I can speak my wife beats me to it.

What do you mean? You have applied? Sunny asks.

Well, actually, each of us have been accepted, James says.

Accepted? As in, it’s a done deal? I ask.

No, Grandpa. It just means we’ve been accepted to the academy. We all wanted to support one another, and so we asked if we could all attend the academy at the same time. It is highly unusual, but the FBI thought it was a fantastic opportunity for their recruiting. That is, if we don’t all screw it up, Autumn announces.

And we don’t leave until the fall. Sky comes over to sit beside me and looks me in the eyes. You aren’t disappointed, are you Gpa?

I just give her a hug and smile at all