even happier if you’d taken your phone with you so you could’ve answered when I called you. Instead, I’ve been sitting here, hundreds of miles away, worried to death about you!” She could hear the barely restrained frustration in his voice.
“Irish?” she asked cautiously.
“What?” He sounded so very tense.
“You were worried about me?” Krista asked softy.
“Yeah.” Silence on her end this time. “Baby?” More silence. “Krista!”
Krista was fighting back tears. “I’m sorry.”
“Baby.” He could hear the contrition in her voice, so he spoke softly now.
“Thank you,” she whispered back.
“Keep your phone with you from now on.”
“Okay.”
They talked for a bit longer about each other’s day before hanging up. Then, for the next three days, Kade called her every evening. They talked. He told her about his career in the military and his years on the force, and his ranch. All about his ranch. The summers he spent working it, the years he missed it when he was away from it, and, now that it was his, what he wanted to do with it, the direction he hoped to take.
Krista told him about her childhood, growing up in the country and how much she’d loved it, and the reasoning behind why she’d moved to this particular house. She shared her dreams of owning her own place with lots and lots of land and woods and how it would be hers and no one else’s and how no one could ever make her move again. When he asked her why her family moved from the country to the city, she lied. She hated lying to him, but she just couldn’t tell him everything. She just told him that after her mom died, her dad didn’t want to live where they were any longer. He’d sold everything and they’d moved to a small apartment in the middle of Richmond. Which really, it wasn’t a total lie…her dad had wanted to move, but her mom didn’t just die—she was murdered. And Krista, at only fourteen years of age, was forced to stand by, helpless to do anything but watch, then after…she couldn’t allow herself to talk about it. Not then, not now, not ever!
“Does your dad still live in Richmond?” he’d asked. So, Krista told him her dad had died a few years ago from a bad heart. This would’ve been true, if a few years meant seven years, and a broken heart was the same as a bad heart. Mostly, it was just nice talking to him. He spoke softly and talked sweetly to her. She didn’t even realize how much she’d missed that until every evening when they hung up. Though she didn’t understand it, Krista always wanted to call him right back.
Chapter Eight
On Tuesday, the day before her next treatment, Krista carried her phone everywhere she went—on her walk through the woods, on the back deck while she worked—and she never kept her phone near her while she worked—and even when she went to visit with Mrs. Worley who she hadn’t seen in days. But Kade never called that day. Krista started to call him a few times…okay, maybe more than a few times. But, she didn’t want to interrupt him if he was busy. He’d said he was called away to testify, but it turned out, it was a lot more than that. Although he never did say what the problem was, just that there were problems, one after the other. So, she didn’t call him, and he never called her. When she woke the next morning, as she was getting ready to go for her next treatment, she was still hoping that Kade would call. But he didn’t. And, he hadn’t shown up either. When she had to leave so she wouldn’t be late, she got in her car and was just about to pull out, when Kade came driving up her driveway. She got out of her car and walked to his truck as he was getting out.
“Where are you going?” he asked, as he reached for her.
“Uh…my next treatment is today,” she said as an answer. He pulled her to him, wrapped his arms around her and laid his forehead on top of her head, inhaling her scent.
“I know. I told you I’d take you,” he said
“Irish?” she asked cautiously.
“What?” He sounded so very tense.
“You were worried about me?” Krista asked softy.
“Yeah.” Silence on her end this time. “Baby?” More silence. “Krista!”
Krista was fighting back tears. “I’m sorry.”
“Baby.” He could hear the contrition in her voice, so he spoke softly now.
“Thank you,” she whispered back.
“Keep your phone with you from now on.”
“Okay.”
They talked for a bit longer about each other’s day before hanging up. Then, for the next three days, Kade called her every evening. They talked. He told her about his career in the military and his years on the force, and his ranch. All about his ranch. The summers he spent working it, the years he missed it when he was away from it, and, now that it was his, what he wanted to do with it, the direction he hoped to take.
Krista told him about her childhood, growing up in the country and how much she’d loved it, and the reasoning behind why she’d moved to this particular house. She shared her dreams of owning her own place with lots and lots of land and woods and how it would be hers and no one else’s and how no one could ever make her move again. When he asked her why her family moved from the country to the city, she lied. She hated lying to him, but she just couldn’t tell him everything. She just told him that after her mom died, her dad didn’t want to live where they were any longer. He’d sold everything and they’d moved to a small apartment in the middle of Richmond. Which really, it wasn’t a total lie…her dad had wanted to move, but her mom didn’t just die—she was murdered. And Krista, at only fourteen years of age, was forced to stand by, helpless to do anything but watch, then after…she couldn’t allow herself to talk about it. Not then, not now, not ever!
“Does your dad still live in Richmond?” he’d asked. So, Krista told him her dad had died a few years ago from a bad heart. This would’ve been true, if a few years meant seven years, and a broken heart was the same as a bad heart. Mostly, it was just nice talking to him. He spoke softly and talked sweetly to her. She didn’t even realize how much she’d missed that until every evening when they hung up. Though she didn’t understand it, Krista always wanted to call him right back.
Chapter Eight
On Tuesday, the day before her next treatment, Krista carried her phone everywhere she went—on her walk through the woods, on the back deck while she worked—and she never kept her phone near her while she worked—and even when she went to visit with Mrs. Worley who she hadn’t seen in days. But Kade never called that day. Krista started to call him a few times…okay, maybe more than a few times. But, she didn’t want to interrupt him if he was busy. He’d said he was called away to testify, but it turned out, it was a lot more than that. Although he never did say what the problem was, just that there were problems, one after the other. So, she didn’t call him, and he never called her. When she woke the next morning, as she was getting ready to go for her next treatment, she was still hoping that Kade would call. But he didn’t. And, he hadn’t shown up either. When she had to leave so she wouldn’t be late, she got in her car and was just about to pull out, when Kade came driving up her driveway. She got out of her car and walked to his truck as he was getting out.
“Where are you going?” he asked, as he reached for her.
“Uh…my next treatment is today,” she said as an answer. He pulled her to him, wrapped his arms around her and laid his forehead on top of her head, inhaling her scent.
“I know. I told you I’d take you,” he said
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