The Embezzling Brother - April 2026 Story Prompt

 by "Patience" age 15

The stranger stopped in front of the house. Eleven year old Andi peered out of the barn as she smoothed Taffy’s nose. Something was going to happen, and in that instant, she felt fear in her heart. Oh, it was just Chad.

     “Hi Chad!” Andi waved, stepping out of the barn.

     He grunted, handing her the saddle bags as she came over. Then, he limped inside. Andi went into the corral where Mitch was working.

    “Chad hurt himself somehow,” Andi announced.

    Just then, Chad stepped out of the house, not limping, and went to the barn where he saddled his horse and waved to them before riding off. Mitch explained that he had probably had a stone in his boot and was cranky. Chad’s mood swings always threw Andi for a loop.

     At supper that night, Chad was frowning…again. “Mitch, you did the ledger wrong; wrong by a hundred dollars!” Chad ranted so loudly that Mother had to yell for him to be quiet. “Yes ma’am…I’ll do the ledger myself until you learn addition properly.”

     He stormed off, Melinda following him. Andi went into the barn to talk with Taffy when a piece of straw landed on her head from the loft. Quickly, Andy climbed the loft to see what was up there. It wasn’t a kitten, but it was Chad.

      “Sulking isn’t very grown up Chad,” Andi said, “Come on down.”

       Chad’s eyes widened and he stared at Andi. “No.” he growled.

      Andi decided not to be the next victim of his wrath, so she ran out of the barn to the house. As she rushed through the door, Melinda was gliding down the stairs.

     When she saw Andi, she sighed, “I tried talking to Chad through his bed room door, but he didn’t answer.”

      “He’s in the barn.” Andi shrugged as she joined Melinda on their way to the parlor.

      For the next three days, Chad acted strangely. Then, Andi and Melinda witnessed him get into a fist fight with Mitch. Sid hollered for them to stop, but Chad was livid, yelling about the ledger, charging like an angry bull, and even cursing! Melinda screamed for them to stop.

     “Stop!” Andi yelled, shoving Chad off of Mitch, whose nose was bleeding. “What are you doing?”

    Chad only rode away on his horse. Slowly, blood ran from Mitch’s nose as Sid went to inform Justin and Mother about the incident. Andi wondered if maybe one of the hands was embezzling from them. She could always suggest that to Chad to calm his temper…actually, that would only make him angrier.

     “But Mother!” Chad cried in horror, sitting in the parlor during the family meeting that evening. “I didn’t fight Mitch.”

     “Your sisters and Sid saw you,” Mother replied calmly. “I am disappointed in you Chad. Go to your room!”

    Andi gaped. A grown man was being sent to his room! Normally she would have snickered, but this time she felt sorry for Chad. Whatever was changing him must be awful. Justin laid a hand on her shoulder.

     The next day, Chad looked at Andi dolefully during breakfast. “Want to go with me on the range today?” he asked hopefully.

     Before Andi could say yes, Mother mentioned school, and Andi slumped. She flashed Chad an encouraging smile before going with Justin out to the buggy. Dear God, please help Chad as he deals with all this. Amen.

    After school, she put on her overalls and ran down to the creek, where she found Chad throwing rocks into it with a woeful expression. He looked up at her sadly. Plopping down beside him, Andi gave him a quick hug, uncertain about whether he wanted one. His arms closed around her. Last night, mother had told Andi to pray for Chad. All morning at school she had been praying instead of studying.

     “Maybe you can go check the ledger again later,” she whispered as they stood to go home.

     At supper, Mitch confronted Chad for yelling at him before the meal, and Justin and Melinda reprimanded Chad about the incident. When Andi said she had been with Chad after dinner, they told her not to lie; it was three against one.

     “Don’t bribe Andi to lie, Chad!” Justin exclaimed.

     Chad never cried in front of Andi, he normally turned beet red when angry, but he looked betrayed. He shoved his plate away and went to his room. Andi hated to take sides, especially when it was not Justin’s side, but she too stood to go.

     “He didn’t bribe me,” she sobbed, running off to her room.

     Flopping on her bed, she cried until Justin came in to ask if she would play checkers with him. Unable to say no, she followed him to the parlor where she forgot all about Chad in the midst of the game. After Andi was finally beginning to beat Justin, Chad came to lean on the door post. Mitch walked past and he grabbed Mitch’s arm.

     “I’m sorry! It was stupid!” Chad cried.

     “Thank you for apologizing Chad,” Mitch beamed.

      From the French doors, Chad’s voice said, “I didn’t apologize!”

     Justin leapt to his feet. There were two Chads!

     “I am not Chad, my name is Callahan,” the Chad look alike announced still holding Mitch’s arm. “I was embezzling money from you…I’m actually your British cousin. I’m sorry!”

     Justin forced Callahan to explain clearly. Apparently, Callahan had come from England to strike it rich when he fell in with a group of cons. They had told him about the Circle C, so he decided to embezzle money, pretend he was Chad, and blame Mitch. When Callahan produced the money he had stolen, Andi squealed.

      “Chad you’re free!”

      Chad smiled as he took the money. “Thanks cousin…we’ll be praying for you.”

    Despite how many times they asked him to stay, Callahan insisted on returning to England. When Chad called Mitch the next morning, he was holding the ledger, which he gave to Mitch.

      “No more twin Chads!” Andi cheered.