by Alice Sharpe
Carolina imagined this phantom as a first love, one who had carved out a space in his heart and never fully let go. Perhaps someone he’d loved the way she’d loved Hugh.
Finally R.J. turned and looked at Carolina, his eyes clearer now, as if he’d returned from the secret caches of the memories that had claimed him.
“He’s gonna be out to kill you, Carolina.”
“Who?”
“Thad Caffey. I was in the courtroom the day the jury found him guilty. I saw the way he looked at you, his face contorted and his eyes wild like he was a panther about to spring. I figured he blamed you for her testifying against him.”
“If he thinks I encouraged her, he’d be absolutely right. I won’t be intimidated by Thad Caffey.”
“Or any other man around these parts.” R.J. sputtered a raspy, guttural sound that might have been a chuckle or a cough. “All the same, keep an eye out for trouble.”
Carolina looked up at the sound of approaching hooves and gladly let the topic drop as R.J.’s son Adam came riding up on a handsome gray mare. He tipped his hat and dismounted.
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Absolutely not,” Carolina assured him. “Always good to see you.”
“And you. Hadley’s been talking about having you over for supper one night soon, but she says you’re jumping through hoops getting ready for that summer riding-camp program you’re organizing.”
“I have to be in Austin for their area training session starting tomorrow. This is a busy time.”
“Busy myself. Spring on the ranch,” Adam said, knowing she’d understand that said it all. He joined them on the porch, stopping to lean against the railing. “Just came by to see if you want to go check out a new foal that was born last night, Dad.”
“Long as you don’t expect me to ride that mare of yours to the barn.”
“Nope. We’ll take your truck.”
“Good. I’m about as steady as a cat on skates these days. Carolina can go with us. She’s always keen on any kind of baby.”
“Yes, but I have to beg out today,” Carolina said. “Too many errands on my to-do list. But I know you’ll be in good hands.”
She stood when R.J. did and gave him a quick hug and a kiss on his sallow cheek. Her anger swelled again at the thought of Jake Dalton and his refusal to pay a visit to the Dry Gulch Ranch and R.J. The loss was definitely his.
The Daltons were one terrific family—second in her heart only to her own.
She said her goodbyes and went back to her black Mercedes sports car. Her phone rang before she made it back to the highway.
“Hello.”
“Glad I caught you, Carolina. This is Jack Crocker, and I got a bit of bad news for you.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m going to have to back out of hosting that training session here on my ranch next week.”
Her spirits plummeted. The arrangements were all made. Ten new summer riding camps opened in two weeks, their first venture into the Austin area. If they canceled the training, they had to cancel the program and disappoint one hundred and fifty young teens from the inner city.
She’d known Jack and his wife for years. They were the first people she’d thought of when she decided to branch out to the Austin area.
“What’s happened?” she asked, struggling not to show her disappointment. “Are you sick? Is Betsy?”
“Nope. Me and the wife are fine. Just found out that all the kids and grandkids are coming to town to surprise Betsy for her seventieth birthday. No idea why they didn’t tell me before now, ’cept they figured I’d never keep the secret.”
“I understand,” she said, crushed, but already trying to figure out a plan B.
“Don’t you go frettin’ about it, though,” Jack consoled. “I wouldn’t leave you stranded in a ditch without a mule to haul you out. I gave a call to Aidan Bastrop. He took over from there.”
“Took over, how?” Aidan was a state representative and a friend, but this time she didn’t see how he’d be able to intervene. He didn’t own a ranch, and much of the training required that.
“Aidan worked something out with a neighbor of mine. You’ll have bigger and better facilities than what you’d have had here.”
The knots in her stomach relaxed. She should have known Jack wasn’t the type to blow a commitment lightly. The relief lasted for the two seconds it took for him to mutter the name of his replacement.
The last person on earth she would have asked for a favor.
Copyright © 2016 by Jo Ann Vest
ISBN-13: 9781488005695
Cowboy Secrets
Copyright © 2016 by Alice Sharpe
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