Promise Made (The Callahan Series)

by Mitzi Pool Bridges

  “Kate? Is everything all right?” he asked when she called his cell.

  “Life is quiet.” Just not peaceful. “How about you?”

  “I’m taking a break before I start work on the new case. I’m coming to see you this weekend.”

  “I’m really busy with Gram, Erik.” Lie. “Later, maybe.”

  “I’ll be there Saturday.”

  She couldn’t change his mind. After a few more moments of conversation, they hung up. She’d tell him her decision when he came. Irritation morphed into energy. She cleaned the house, scrubbed the bathroom, changed sheets, put them in the washer. By the time she finished, the house was sparkling and her exasperation slightly subdued.

  Then Dugan was there for his daily visit. He looked so handsome she wanted to hit him. Or kick herself. It wasn’t right to feel this way about a man she’d spurned.

  “Candy. Gram will like that,” she said when he showed her a box of Gram’s favorite chocolates.

  He went into the den, kissed Gram on the cheek.

  Kate ducked back into the kitchen. If it wasn’t candy, it was flowers or a treat from Molly’s. He was so darned nice. But hadn’t he always been that way?

  After his visit, he stuck his head in the kitchen. “Need anything? I checked the yard. The grass won’t need cutting until next week.”

  “Nothing. Thanks.”

  “See you tomorrow.”

  And he was out the door.

  She was glad to see him go. Liar. If you’re so glad why do you miss him when he’s gone?

  She did notice that the anger she’d seen in his eyes when she first came back to town had faded. Maybe he was finally letting it go. She hoped so. She wished him the best with his new love. Ignored the way her heart squeezed at the thought.

  Kate walked into the den. Ed was with Gram. He’d dragged a chair up next to hers and sat there holding her hand just as he had in the hospital. Cute.

  “I think I’ll go to the store. Do we need anything for dinner?” she asked.

  “I have a list,” Ed said, taking it out of his pocket. “I was going a little later.”

  “No,” she said hurriedly before he could get up. “I’ll go.”

  She’d take her time getting back. Their constant love-looks were beginning to grate on every nerve ending.

  Seventy-somethings didn’t make goo-goo eyes at each other like teens. Nor did they touch every chance they had. Cute wasn’t so charming anymore, she fumed as she left the house and walked toward town. The walk would do her good. Besides, she needed the fresh air.

  How could she be jealous of Gram? That didn’t set well. But Gram had a relationship Kate envied. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. What was wrong with her?

  She didnʼt have time to dwell on the question because she was stopped several times. Everyone was aware Gram’s arm was broken. But that wasn’t what they asked about. Most of the questions were of the more personal kind.

  “I see the sheriff at Grace’s almost every day. Didn’t visit so often until now,” from Emma Wells.

  True. “Gram is one of his favorite people.”

  From Sadie Hicks, “What’s with Ed Clark? Every time I look up, he’s turning into Grace’s drive.”

  Ed and Dugan were the curiosities. As an afterthought, they’d ask, “And how’s Grace doing?”

  They knew exactly how Gram was doing. But Kate couldn’t—or wouldn't—answer the asked or the unasked questions about Ed or Dugan.

  Let the gossips draw their own conclusions.

  By the time she got to Carter’s Grocers, she couldn’t wait to get inside and away from the gossip. Even here, she was stopped and asked questions. Today, it wasn’t amusing. Today, she wanted to take her mind off her growing boredom.

  As she rounded the corner, she almost ran into Molly. “What are you doing here?”

  Molly chuckled. “Ran out of mustard, if you can believe it. I took advantage of the break between lunch and dinner to stock up. My order doesn’t come in until next week.”

  They walked side by side pushing their carts. “Hear you’ve been busy taking care of Grace.”

  “Yes, I have.”

  “You look tired.”

  “Not tired, Molly. Bored.” Kate glanced at her list, took a loaf of bread off the shelf.

  Molly laughed. “I’m not surprised. Why don’t you hang out your shingle? Karl fell asleep in the middle of a jury trial yesterday. The judge was so angry, he fined him a hundred bucks.”

  Kate giggled. If that had happened in Austin, the judge just might take the lawyer off the case and fine him a lot more than a hundred dollars.

  “Not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “Why not? What do you need? A desk? Computer? Bet you have those at Grace’s. Put an ad in the Oaktree Gazette. I’ll bet you won’t be quite so bored. Okay?”

  Kate laughed. “You have it all figured out.” She added a four-pack of strawberry yogurt to her basket.

  “There’s something you should know,” Molly said, a twinkle in her dark eyes.

  “What?”

  “The townspeople are taking sides on whether you and Dugan will get back together.”

  “I knew that.” Though it was too absurd to talk about. Dugan was still angry with her. Besides, he was in a serious relationship.

  Molly chuckled. “Wait until you hear the rest. They’re laying down bets. More than half want you two to get together, the rest think Dugan’s better off without the hussy who broke his heart when she left him at the altar.”

  Kate shook her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Taking sides? Making bets? “Does Dugan know?”

  “I’m not sure. He knows everything going on in this town, but somehow I don’t think he’s gotten wind of this just yet.”

  “What will he do?”

  Molly shrugged.

  “Ohmygod. Should I tell him?”

  “Up to you. You could just ignore it.” She patted Kate’s arm. “I have what I need. Now you think about what I said and hang out your shingle.”

  Kate chuckled. The gossips had gone overboard. What next? There was nothing between her and Dugan now. After bringing her home from the hospital after Gram broke her arm, Dugan had been nice, but chilly.

  Molly’s suggestion, though, sounded pretty good. Could she do it? Could she work in Oaktree? Just how hard would it be? Her license was good. She would have real work to do and she’d still be here for Gram. Plus, it would keep her sane. She could write wills, handle real-estate closings, and file lawsuits as well as anyone.

  Before she could change her mind, or talk herself out of it, she paid for her groceries and almost ran down the street toward the newspaper office.

  Doing a bit of real work instead of sitting around the house sent her adrenaline soaring.

  She’d need her own phone line. Her steps slowed. Maybe she should rethink this. She didn’t know how long she’d be here.

  Stay busy, use her brain, or watch Gram and Ed all day? She picked up her pace. She simply couldn’t endure many more days like the past week. Even if she didn’t get calls, she could hang out at the courthouse when Ed was with Gram and pretend she had a case. Who knows? The judge might feel sorry for me and give me one.

  If he did, it would be pro-bono. But that was okay. She just wanted to work.

  With a determined sigh, she turned into the tiny office of the local paper.

  Her bank account looked good at the moment. If she had very many weeks without work, it would wither to virtually zero. Maybe she’d make enough over the next few weeks to keep afloat financially.

  “With you in a minute,” a voice called from the back.

  Kate put her two bags of groceries on the counter and looked around. Nothing had changed. A copy of last week’s edition was on the counter for the taking. Behind the counter were a couple of desks with a computer, phone, and fax machine.

  She opened her cell phone, asked for information, and got the number for the phone company.

>   It didn’t take two minutes to get another line added to Gram’s. They would be out the day after tomorrow. Good.

  “What can I do you for?”

  Harry Greer hadn’t changed either. Gray hair touched the collar of a golf shirt that had seen better days. He had on a pair of knee length shorts and wore flip-flops. Harry didn’t believe in dressing up for work.

  “I want to place an ad.”

  “Kate Maroney? Someone told me you were in town.”

  He walked to the counter and reached across to shake her hand. “You here to stay?”

  “At least until Gram’s arm heals.”

  “She all right?”

  “She’s good.” Gram was doing a lot better than Kate. Her love life was in high gear, someone waited on her day and night, and, whether Gram would admit it or not, she loved the attention.

  “What kind of ad?” he asked, a pad in his hand.

  “How about: Need legal help? Call Kate Maroney at…” And gave him the new number.

  “Wonderful. This town needs another attorney. Want to list office hours?”

  “No. I’ll be at Gram’s. I can answer the phone any time.”

  She wrote a check, picked up her bags, and turned to leave. “Good seeing you again, Harry.”

  “You got a minute?”

  She turned back to see his broad face wrinkled in thought.

  “What is it?”

  “I’ve been putting this off for a long time. Maybe you can help.”

  Kate went back to the counter. “What can I do?”

  Harry let out a sigh. “I need a will. My brother had a heart attack in Houston a couple of months ago and died without one. It’s caused quite a lot of trouble for his family.”

  “I’m so sorry about your brother, but everyone needs a will.”

  “I asked Karl about one, but he never got back with me. Would it be too much trouble for you to do it?”

  “I’ll be glad to. Why don’t you jot down what you want in it. I’ll come back after dinner tonight, say around seven and we’ll go over it.”

  “It’s a deal. See you at seven.”

  By the time the dishes were done, Ed and Gram would be holding hands. Every so often, he’d steal a kiss.

  It would be great to have a job to do. At least then, she wouldn’t be forced to watch the two of them.

  When Dugan showed up, she wouldn’t be there. A circumstance that was both good and bad. Good, because she wouldn’t have to pretend he didn’t stir up unwanted feelings. Bad, because deep down she looked forward to his visits, and caught herself watching the clock to see if it was time for him to show up.

  She’d had her chance with Dugan and blown it. The longer she was here, and the more she saw him, the more she wondered if she’d made a mistake.

  But would she have her degree now if they’d married? Would she have that sense of accomplishment every time she took on a new case? And won?

  She doubted it. Though Dugan had never asked or even hinted that she leave school, she knew what he’d wanted to do. She couldn’t have asked him to give up his dream to, at some point, take Ed Clark’s job. And she wasn’t about to give up hers to be a successful attorney.

  They were older now. What if they took up again like half the town wanted them to? Why would he even consider it after the way she’d treated him? He wasn’t an idiot. Besides, he had another woman in his life.

  Even if there was a way to rise above the pain of the past, she’d never hurt him again.

  Five years ago, Gram had let her know in no uncertain terms how she’d broken his heart. Dammit, her heart had taken a beating, too.

  Neither of them could go through that again.

  Maybe she should give Erik a chance. He loved her, she was sure of it. He was a good person, and even though he was inconsiderate at times, he was an honest man. He would be devoted to her.

  It was too bad she didn’t love him.

  She couldn’t conjure up Erik’s face. All she could see were Dugan’s green eyes, and his devilish smile.

  Chapter Six

  Though Dugan had made his daily trip to check on Grace, he wanted to make another. Was he crazy? Grace was fine. If he was being truthful, it was Kate he wanted to see. Whenever she looked at him with those deep blue eyes, he wanted to kiss her.

  How unreasonable was that? Kate was his past.

  Yet, he wanted to be near her even if it was for a few minutes. Their brief conversations were never enough.

  He was nuts.

  Memories the sight of her dredged up gave him thoughts he shouldn’t have. He couldn’t forget the feel of her under him, the taste of her against his lips. And it was driving him crazy.

  So why punish himself? There were no answers to the hundreds of questions in his head. The biggest of which was why she’d stood him up in the first place. She’d tried to tell him and he’d brushed her off.

  Maybe, deep down he didn’t want to know.

  It didn’t matter. They would never get back together. There was no way he’d subject himself to another heartbreak, or another embarrassment like that. He wasn’t a fool. If he put himself in the same position he was in five years ago he would be. There were times back then when he didn’t know if he’d survive. But, as Ed Clark’s deputy, he’d regained his sanity or at least some stability.

  By the time Ed retired and Dugan was elected sheriff, he’d put his past behind him.

  Or so he thought.

  When he tried to analyze his emotional response to Kate, he couldn’t. Instead, he wanted to see her as often as possible. Even though the seeing brought back the hurt. Talk about a glutton for punishment.

  Did she have memories of the two of them? She’d always been smart and savvy. When she’d stood him up, she’d known exactly what she was doing.

  Still, when he unexpectedly caught her looking at him, he wondered. He shook his head and bent to his paperwork. The office was quiet, Piper’s snores the only sound breaking the silence. Normally, he liked nights like this. But tonight he was restless.

  Gripping his pen, he brushed thoughts of Kate aside and concentrated on his work. An hour later he threw the pen across his desk, got out of his chair and grabbed his Stetson. Long strides took him to the door in seconds. Piper followed him out.

  “Stay,” he said. But Piper had his own agenda and ignored the command.

  “I’ll be back shortly,” Dugan told the dog, but Piper scooted out the door ahead of him.

  When he opened the door to his cruiser, Piper jumped into the passenger seat. “You’ll be bored out here all by yourself,” Dugan warned.

  But Piper was perfectly happy. Dugan would have sworn the stupid dog grinned again.

  “At least you smell better,” he said, starting the engine. Earlier, he’d taken Piper to see Jane Parr, who raised Cocker Spaniels and occasionally groomed dogs.

  Dugan had to admit Piper looked a hundred percent better. His black hair fairly gleamed. Even his toenails were clipped. “Don’t get used to it,” Dugan warned.

  Piper kept on grinning.

  It took only a few minutes to get to Grace’s. Something was different tonight. Kate’s car wasn’t in its usual spot. Dugan looked at his watch. It was eight-thirty.

  Had she left town? His heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.

  No. She would never leave Grace as long as Grace needed her.

  Maybe she’d been called back to Austin on some kind of emergency. But even then, she wouldn’t leave Grace.

  A dim light shone in the rear of the house, nothing in the front. Would they leave a light on if Kate had taken Grace with her back to Austin?

  Probably.

  What if she had car trouble or the car was in the shop and she was inside watching TV with Grace?

  Only one way to find out, you idiot, go to the door and knock. His insides tightened. This was stupid. Why did he care so much anyway? Kate meant nothing to him now. No matter how he preached that to himself, he couldn’t stop the question
s.

  His legs heavy, Dugan slammed the door of the cruiser and started down the walk. Piper barked his disappointment. “What did I tell you?” he mumbled as he rang the doorbell.

  In the back, lights flared a little brighter. Footsteps hurried to the door and Yogi barked his head off.

  “Did you forget…?”

  Ed stood there, his white hair slightly tousled, a startling gleam in his eyes. What had he interrupted? Was Kate right? Were Ed and Grace involved in a romance? He couldn’t quite wrap his mind around it.

  Weren’t they old?

  But Ed’s jaunty step plus the look on his face belied any argument Dugan could come up with.

  “Figured it was Kate and she’d forgotten her key,” Ed explained, running a hand through his hair.

  “Just me,” Dugan said.

  “Come in.”

  Ed held the door open. Dugan stepped around him and into the foyer. From the back, Grace called out, “Is that you, Katie-Girl?”

  “It’s Dugan, Grace,” Ed called back.

  Dugan followed Ed into the den and took in the situation immediately. A kick in his rear that sent him right out the door would be appropriate about now. A candle burned low on an end table where two glasses of wine sat next to a plate of cheese and crackers, a bowl of fruit next to it.

  How dumb could he be?

  “Sorry. Just wanted to see how you were, but I can see you’re just fine.” He backed up, ready to run.

  Grace laughed. To Dugan, it sounded young and flirtatious, not old at all. She looked festive in her pink cast and brightly polished nails.

  The back door slammed. Kate! Yogi barked again and ran to greet her.

  Too late to run, but he’d give it a try.

  “I’d better go. Piper’s in the cruiser.”

  “You should have brought him in,” Grace said. “Introduce him to Yogi.”

  “Not a good idea, Gram,” Kate disagreed, as she walked in and gave Grace a kiss on the cheek. “He smells.”

  “Does not.”

  “Last time I saw him he looked as if he could use some help.”

  “Had him groomed,” Dugan growled.

  Kate dipped her head, but not before he saw the smile.