“Do you want me to screen your calls before you talk to them?”
She didn’t want to put any barriers in place for her callers. So far that had worked for her. Handling those few pranksters hadn’t been a big deal. Her listeners knew when the phone was answered it was by her, making their first connection more personal. “No, let’s leave it as is,” Caitlyn murmured and started for the double doors at the end of the corridor that led to the lobby of the building. And yet as she said that, she still couldn’t shake the chill those two words had given her.
“I’ve got his phone number and, if you want me to, I can block his call from coming through to you,” Melanie said from the other end of the hallway.
Caitlyn started to say yes, but she reminded herself that she’d gone into counseling to help as many people as she could—even ones who couldn’t pay much. That was why she volunteered at Matthew’s Ministries Tuesday mornings. She turned toward her coworker and friend. “No, maybe he wasn’t ready to share yet, but he might be later. See you tomorrow, Mel. I have a date with Granny.”
“Speaking of a date, the guy I’m seeing has a good friend who would be perfect for you. I’ll fix you up, and we all can go out together. Say, next week sometime?”
Caitlyn paused at the exit, shaking her head. “No blind dates. I’m content with my life.” Her days were full and she didn’t need the added pressure of running the dating gauntlet. Years ago, she’d walked away from that when one man stepped too far over the line and she’d paid for his actions. She shoved the memory away. She refused to let Byron ruin her life any more than he already had. But he somehow managed to creep back into her thoughts at unexpected times.
When she left the station in Longhorn, a small town outside Dallas, she took a deep breath of the warm breeze from the south and relished the rays of the sun hitting her face. Spring. She loved this season above all the others. Glimpsing the clock tower at city hall, she hurried her pace. Granny expected a person to be prompt. She didn’t believe in keeping people waiting.
Caitlyn slipped behind the wheel of her restored 1956 red Thunderbird, retracted the top and drove out of the parking lot. She arrived at her grandmother’s fifteen minutes later, her shoulder-length hair wind tossed. After running her fingers through her wild strands, she climbed out of her car and strode to the front porch.
Before she could ring the bell, Granny opened the door. “Now I can start lunch.”
“You haven’t yet?”
“Nope. You were late last week, so I wasn’t sure when you would come.”
Caitlyn looked at her watch. “I wasn’t late last week or today.”
Her grandmother entered the kitchen where her closest friend and next-door neighbor, Emma, sat at the table enjoying a cup of coffee. Granny made her way to the refrigerator. “Yes, you were.”
“Not by my watch.” Caitlyn checked its time against the clock over the stove. “Which is five minutes off yours.”
“See? I told you that you were late.”
“I’ve got a client at one,” Caitlyn said, remembering how several of her weekly luncheons with Granny were full-course dinners. She thought Caitlyn was too skinny.
“It won’t take long. I’m only fixing sandwiches. Emma and I have yoga this afternoon. You should join us sometime.” Granny pulled a bowl and mayo from the fridge.
“Caitlyn, we listened to your show today.” Emma sipped her drink. “You gave some good advice and did a nice job handling that last caller. I would have hung up after two seconds of silence. You’re more tolerant than I am.”
Granny harrumphed. “You should be less tolerant. I don’t like you doing this talk show, four times a week. No telling who it’s exposing you to.”
Caitlyn sat across from Emma. “I’ve been practicing for seven years without any problems. I went into my profession to help people who were having problems. Y’all need to stop worrying about me.” She knew from personal experience what happened when you ignored your problems for years, hoping they would go away. They never did.
“That’s what a grandma is for—to worry about her grandchildren.” Granny brought the plate of sandwiches to the table and set them down, then went back for the pitcher of iced tea.
“I’m giving you the okay not to.” Caitlyn grabbed a chicken salad sandwich.
“But what about that creepy-sounding man? ‘Stop him’ from doing what?”
Granny said a prayer, then poured iced tea in both Caitlyn’s and her glasses, while Emma stuck to her coffee. “You don’t have to take us to yoga.”
“My grandson said he’d give us a ride. He should be here any minute.” Emma took a bite of her lunch.
“Sean?” Caitlyn was asking about him because lately he’d been more a recluse than a rancher.
“No, Ian. I can never get Sean to do anything lately.”
“Ian? I thought he lived in El Paso.” Caitlyn remembered the times she, Sean and Ian used to play together as kids. Granny and Emma had been best friends for over sixty years, so it made sense that she’d be friends with Emma’s grandkids. Then later, she’d even gone out with Ian a couple of times after graduating from high school and before her life took a detour and they lost touch.
Emma smiled. “Not since last week. A position opened up. He’s been transferred to Company B and will be working in the Longhorn area. I’ve sure missed him. He’s staying with me until he finds a house.”
“Not at the family ranch outside town?”
“No, Sean and Ian don’t get along.”
Caitlyn hadn’t seen Ian in years. When he had been in Longhorn for his father’s funeral last year, she’d been gone. According to Emma, he was so busy with his job as a Texas Ranger that he’d had limited time to come home. What made Ian return now? A change of scenery? His older brother, who was supposed to be looking after Emma, rarely came by. Was that why, or was there something else?
“That’s a shame. They used to be so close when we were growing up. I never see Sean anymore, and we live in the same town.”
“That’s because you’re dedicated to your work like both my grandsons, Caitlyn. Since my son died, Sean’s been throwing all his energy into making the Pierce ranch the biggest one in the area. He’s carrying on the feud my son and his neighbor, Jack Shephard, had over whose ranch was the biggest and richest. He doesn’t have time for much else.” Emma drained the last of her coffee and set her mug on the table.
The sadness in Emma’s voice told Caitlyn there was more to what was going on with Sean than working too much. From all she’d heard, Sean had changed a lot in the past few years—more bitter and angry. His father’s death had sent him in a downward spiral. She hated hearing he was continuing the feud between the ranches. “Let me refill your coffee.”
Caitlyn rose and walked to the stove to grab the pot. As she turned to come back to the table, Emma shot Granny a be quiet look. Caitlyn would have a word with her grandmother when Emma wasn’t here. Something was going on. Maybe Caitlyn
