Lone Star Secret. Lenora Worth

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      Anna looked at the stack of mail on her desk and let out a sigh. She felt sick to her stomach. The phones were ringing, she had mail to read and a meeting with her board of directors to update them on the budget for next year. She tried to block out Trisha’s news.

      “Why him, Lord?” she whispered as she took a sip of the herbal tea she always kept nearby. “Why David Ryland?”

      And why was she suddenly caught in the middle of this drama? Caught between keeping a secret for her best friend and keeping the truth from the man she’d just met and had just a smidgen of interest in?

      Probably just as well that I try to stay clear of David myself, she thought. When did she even have time for a serious relationship anyway? She’d given up on love, and her work had become her first love. But it would have been nice…so nice…to get to know David, maybe even in a romantic way. Anna had forgotten what romance was all about. But she couldn’t possibly think along those terms now, not with this big secret standing between them. She’d promised Trisha she wouldn’t tell anyone about David’s parentage. And it was Trisha’s place to tell him when the time came.

      Caitlyn walked in, armed with files and records for the meeting. “Hi, Anna.” Dropping the files on Anna’s cluttered desk, she sat down. “What’s wrong?”

      Anna couldn’t divulge her worries about David and Trisha, or mention how he made her heart do strange things, so she told Caitlyn about the prayer request Olga had called to discuss a few minutes ago. One that concerned Caitlyn and her children.

      “Whitney and John Harpswell still haven’t answered their e-mails from Evan and it’s been weeks now. The twins haven’t heard anything from them recently, have they?”

      She was worried about Whitney and John. She didn’t have to pretend on that subject. The newlyweds were overseas doing their duty for their country, but according to Whitney’s brother, Evan Paterson, no one had heard from them in a while. Caitlyn Villard was COTD’s care coordinator since she’d moved back to Prairie Springs to raise her nieces after the deaths of her sister and brother-in-law in the war. She would want to keep close tabs on this situation, too.

      Caitlyn sat down in the old chair across from Anna’s desk. “No, and we’ve been worried, too, but their correspondence is somewhat sporadic at best.”

      “Evan says Whitney always gets back to him within a day or two, just to let him know she’s safe.”

      Caitlyn bit her lip. “I’ve tried to keep this from the twins, but they’ll start asking questions soon. Is there anything we can do?”

      “I’ve called several people already,” Anna said, glad to be able to focus on this instead of her own recent upset. “I’m waiting to hear back, but the press has already gotten wind of it and they’ve been calling all morning, thinking I might have a connection over there. I can’t give the press my liaisons over there. Too dangerous.”

      Anna put her hands together on her desk then dropped her head to say a prayer for their safety while Caitlyn added her own “Amen.” While it wasn’t unusual for soldiers to go weeks at a time without any letters or e-mails, depending on where they were located, this particular couple had been corresponding with Caitlyn’s young nieces through the Adopt-a-Soldier program at Prairie Springs Christian Church.

      Olga had suggested the twins participate since they’d lost their parents to the war. The little girls had had a hard time dealing with their parents’ deaths, so Anna prayed they wouldn’t have to go through yet another horrible grief.

      “I hope we hear from them soon.” Then she glanced up at Caitlyn. “I haven’t had a chance to track down any of my sources to see what they’ve found.”

      “Let me do that for you,” Caitlyn offered, taking the file Anna had been studying. “I’ll get on it right now. Maybe Steve can help, too. We’ve both been so worried, anyway.”

      Anna crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s horrible. I wish this war could just be over, but war is never really over. It just changes locations.” She tried not to let her own bitterness show whenever she was dealing with the victims of war, but she couldn’t help herself. Sometimes, it was just too much. Shaking off the negative attitude, she got up, letting her efficient secretary, Laura, answer the ringing phone. “And yet, we soldier on, right?”

      “Right,” Caitlyn said, standing. “Maybe I can find out something for us, at least.”

      As Caitlyn was heading back across the hall to her own office, Anna called, “Oh, by the way, we have a new volunteer coming in today to help with the playground construction. David Ryland.”

      “Oh, really?” Caitlyn’s smug look only added to Anna’s confusion and frustration. “He seems like a good person.”

      “He is nice,” Anna replied. “And he’s on leave, of course, so he wanted something to do.”

      “Or maybe he wanted to be around you some more,” Caitlyn said, smiling.

      Anna glanced around the lobby, glad to see no one was waiting there. “C’mon now, you know I’m much too busy for a relationship.”

      “Maybe that’s about to change,” Caitlyn replied.

      Anna’s phone rang just as Laura came running from the back of the house. Caitlyn winked then went back to her office.

      “I’ve got it,” Anna said, waving her secretary back to her desk tucked in a corner СКАЧАТЬ