Actually she knew, but she didn’t intend to pander to the man’s self-conceit. He looked far too pleased with himself already.
She let her gaze wander over what had to be at least six feet or more of solid muscle. Steve had been the star athlete of his class, and he still looked it. He’d been the valedictorian, too, and probably voted most likely to succeed.
“That’d be about right,” he agreed. “That was way too many years ago, I guess.”
“And after high school you became a housepainter, did you? I thought I remembered that you had an athletic scholarship to one of the big schools.”
That was typical of Prairie Springs. People just settled down to live the way their folks had, instead of getting out into the world and making a mark. Being a painter was fine, if that was what you really wanted, but it was hard to believe someone with Steve’s intelligence and talent hadn’t had any bigger goals.
Steve’s right eyebrow cocked, giving him a quizzical look. “I don’t guess there’s anything wrong with painting. It’s an honest day’s work. So what did Ms. Caitlyn Villard turn out to be?”
She hadn’t meant to insult the man, and realized maybe she had been a little judgmental. It wasn’t any of her business how Steve Windham spent his life.
“I’m an attorney in New York.”
That eyebrow lifted a little higher. “Only now you’re back in Prairie Springs. Going to practice law here, are you?”
She hoped the horror she felt at his suggestion didn’t show on her face.
She managed what she hoped was a polite smile. “You’ll have to excuse me. I think the teacher is ready for me to come back in.”
He nodded, still with that faintly amused grin on his lips.
She hurried away, aware that he stood there staring after her, with his thumbs hooked nonchalantly in his belt.
Get out of Prairie Springs. That had been her only goal back in high school.
Well, now she’d come full circle. Getting out of Prairie Springs was her only goal now.
Sarah Alpert, the kindergarten teacher, gave Caitlyn a welcoming smile as she reentered the classroom. A slim, fine-boned redhead, she seemed to exude warmth, and her casual jeans and shirt made the situation feel less formal for her young prospective students.
She rose from her place at the low table where she’d been sitting with the twins.
“You girls can finish up your pictures while I talk with your aunt, all right?”
Amanda, the older by twenty minutes, looked a little rebellious at the prospect of sitting still, but she turned back to her picture at Ms. Alpert’s firm gaze. Josie never lifted her eyes from the page, appearing lost in whatever she was drawing.
The twins were physically identical, with their straight, chestnut-colored hair and big blue eyes, but they were very different in personality. Caitlyn got them right about eighty percent of the time, and probably the teacher, with her experience, would quickly figure out how to tell them apart.
Sarah led the way to her desk at the end of the room, where they’d have a little privacy. She nodded to a folding chair she’d put at right angles to the desk, and Caitlyn sat down.
“How did they do?”
Caitlyn was surprised to find that she had any apprehension about it. She’d only seen the twins a handful of times in their young lives, but they seemed bright. Certainly her younger sister, Carolyn, had been intelligent, even if she’d scorned the education Caitlyn had always thirsted for.
“They’re certainly ready intellectually for kindergarten.”
“That’s good.” That was why they were here, after all, wasn’t it?
But the teacher’s gaze still expressed some concern. “As to how they’ll be dealing with their loss in another two months, I just don’t know. I guess we’ll see where they are then. Grief from the loss of both parents could affect their adjustment.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” There were, it appeared, a lot of things she hadn’t thought of. Well, what did she know about five-year-olds?
Sarah Alpert nodded sympathetically. “Have you noticed many changes in them since they learned that their parents were gone?”
“I haven’t—I mean, my job in New York keeps me very busy. My mother was taking care of the twins after my sister and her husband were deployed.”
“Yes, of course. I know that. You have my sympathy for your loss.”
“Thank you.” Her throat tightened on the words.
Carolyn and Dean, her husband, both gone in an instant on the other side of the world. That was something people in Prairie Springs must have to get used to, living as they did in the shadow of the army’s Fort Bonnell.
She cleared her throat. “In any event, my mother says that Amanda has been more mischievous than usual, and Josie more withdrawn, although she’s always been the shyer of the two. Ms. Alpert—”
“Call me Sarah, please.” The teacher reached across the desk to press her hand. “We all know each other here, and your mother and I have often worked on church suppers together.”
“Yes, she said that she knew you. She wanted me to mention to you that Josie will follow wherever Amanda leads, even if it’s into trouble.”
Sarah smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind. I know your mother is very relieved to have you here to take over with the children. You are staying, aren’t you?”
Did everyone think that? She supposed she owed the teacher an answer, even if she didn’t owe one to Steve Windham.
“I’m not sure how long I’ll be here. My career is in New York.” That sounded sufficiently vague, when the truth was that she longed to get back to her own life, even though duty demanded that she be here for the moment, at least.
“You might find something to do here in Prairie Springs,” Sarah suggested. “I know it isn’t really my business to interfere, but I’m concerned about the children. They’ve been through a rough time, and it would be a shame to uproot them at this point.”
It was impossible to take offense at Sarah’s comments, given the warmth and concern that shimmered in her blue eyes. And she’d brought up a good point—one that Caitlyn hadn’t really considered. Caitlyn’s original plan had been to take a month’s leave, help her mother and the children recover from their grief and see them settled financially, and then get back to her own life.
That plan had seemed reasonable back in New York, when she was scrambling to get time off work, turn her cases over to someone else and get here in time for the funerals. Now that she was on the spot, things weren’t so clear-cut.
“I can’t practice law here. I’m not licensed in Texas, and I haven’t even considered that. I have to admit, though, that it wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to find something part-time to
