Autumn Dreams by Gayle Roper Page A

to run most?” he asked as he released his foot.
    She shrugged. “The high school track.” She pointed to the south, and Dan could make out the school itself rising above the trees a block away. “The boardwalk, though not in high summer. Too crowded.”
    “Where are you heading this morning?”
    “I think just over to the track. I’ve still got a lot to do for breakfast, and Brenna’s not due until seven-thirty.”
    Cass started an easy jog toward the high school, and Dan fell in beside her. She didn’t seem to mind.
    “Brenna’s the girl on the porch?” he asked
    Color stained Cass’s cheeks again. “No. That’s Jenn, my niece.”
    He nodded. “Fifteen?”
    “Sixteen. And a drama queen if ever there was one.” Cass gave a rueful smile. “The funny thing is that I used to be her favorite aunt.”
    “But not anymore?” It was more statement than question.
    “Not since I started imposing discipline. She and her brother, Jared, are living with me this year while their parents, my brother Tommy and sister-in-law Rhonda, are on overseas assignment for Tommy’s company.”
    “Where are they?”
    “Saudi Arabia.”
    “Ah.” There was a moment of silence where all he heard was their breathing. “My brother and sister-in-law live overseas too.”
    Cass glanced up at him. “Where?”
    “France. They’re missionaries.” He waited for the usual start of disbelief. Most people he knew couldn’t fathom someone being a missionary.
    “Really? How wonderful!”
    He blinked. She’d surprised him.
    “You must be proud of them.”
    Dan nodded. He was proud of Andy. It took a lot of courage to adopt another country as your home, to adapt to another culture, to raise your kids away from their heritage and homeland, away from family and friends.
    “How long have they lived in France?”
    Dan did some quick math. “Eighteen years.”
    “Where?”
    “A little town called Cognin.”
    “Is it a picturesque little town?”
    “I don’t know.”
    Cass looked at him in surprise as they crossed the street, heading for the baseball diamond and the track beyond. “You don’t know?”
    Dan heard something he couldn’t quite define in her voice. “No, but it looks pretty in their pictures.”
    “Haven’t you ever been to visit?”
    Dan shook his head. “Too busy.”
    “To visit your brother?”
    This time he identified the disbelief and censure without any trouble.
    “What do you do for a living that’s so demanding?” she demanded.
    “I conduct due diligence on companies.”
    “You do what?”
    “I vet companies to see if they’re safe for my clients to invest in.”
    “And vets can’t take vacations?”
    “I’m not a vet.”
    “Or maybe you’re not successful enough to afford the trip.”
    He turned, ready to defend himself, but he saw she knew very well that he wasn’t a vet and that he could afford the trip. After all, he was paying for the most expensive of her rooms indefinitely. He relaxed.
    “Who’s the pretty girl at SeaSong with light brown hair that she wears in a pony tail? Big brown eyes? She was behind the registration desk when I arrived.”
    Cass looked at him, one eyebrow raised. “The brothers do that.”
    He frowned. “What brothers? Do what?”
    “My brothers. Change the subject when it gets too hot.” And she took off around the bases of the ball diamond.
    He raced after her, but he never quite caught up. She stepped where home plate would be if the field were prepared for a game. “Yes!” She did a little dance as he jogged in place beside her. “I always wanted to play on the boys’ team in high school, but my family, especially the brothers, didn’t want me to.”
    “How many brothers?”
    “Four, and all older.” She grinned at him, a delightful, impish curve to her mouth. “They didn’t want me to play because they knew I was better than they were.”
    “A little cocky here, aren’t we?” he asked as they jogged off the baseball field.
    She shrugged.