“Sure am.” Ian removed his checkbook from his hip pocket.

“When could we move in?” Cecilia asked, and had trouble keeping the excitement out of her voice.

The Realtor turned to Grace, who smiled. “As far as I’m concerned, once the paperwork’s signed, you have my blessing.”

“Thank you,” Cecilia said over and over. “Oh, thank you.” She couldn’t stop smiling.

Six

Linnette McAfee had been looking forward to this afternoon with Cal all week. Because of her work as a physician’s assistant at the Cedar Cove Medical Center, her days off rotated. Fortunately, Cal’s job with Cliff Harding allowed him to adjust his work schedule to hers. If not for such an understanding employer, Cal and Linnette might never have found a chance to be together.

Linnette’s mother, Corrie, had purchased a date for her with Cal at the Dog and Bachelor Auction, a charity event for the local animal shelter. For more money than Linnette could believe, her mother had set her up with Cal Washburn and at the same time purchased an Australian shepherd for her brother, Mack. Both gifts had worked out exceptionally well. Lucky had become her brother’s constant companion, and Linnette—well, she’d fallen in love with Cal. That wasn’t how she’d felt about him in the beginning, however.

All she’d known about Cal Washburn was that he was a horse trainer and that he talked with a mild stutter. Besides, she’d had her sights set on Dr. Chad Timmons. Chad, however, wasn’t interested, despite Linnette’s continued attempts to attract him.

Her mother had pestered her to go out with Cal, and Linnette had finally capitulated. To her surprise, she’d enjoyed herself. When he’d asked her out again and kissed her, Linnette was even more surprised. She hadn’t expected to enjoy his company, much less his kisses.

And so their courtship had begun. Courtship was an old-fashioned word and that suited Linnette, because she considered herself an old-fashioned woman. Cal seemed to appreciate that about her. Their relationship moved slowly—which, she had to admit, she was starting to find a tiny bit frustrating—but she recognized that this was the kind of people they were. Cal’s stutter made him rather shy, even with her.

Cal was waiting for her when Linnette pulled onto Cliff Harding’s horse ranch in Olalla, about twenty minutes south of Cedar Cove. His welcoming smile made her smile, too. Linnette was thrilled by their feelings for each other, but she was also a little intimidated because of the physical attraction between them. In her early twenties she’d been so intent on her medical studies, she’d never really had a serious relationship. Cal was the first.

“Hi,” she said, as she climbed out of her car. He was tall and lean, with deep blue eyes. Their color was so intense she was convinced she’d never seen any bluer.

“H-hi. Hello.” He didn’t need to say any more for her to know he was glad to see her. He didn’t need to speak for her to know how he felt. Almost before she was ready, he slid his arms around her waist and, after checking to be sure no one was watching, he pulled her close and kissed her with a hunger that sent her mind whirling into space.

When their kiss ended, she leaned her forehead against his chest and dragged in a deep breath. “You missed me, didn’t you?”

“I—I d-did.”

“Cal,” she said. Because his kisses had such a powerful impact on her, she had to clear her throat. “Cal,” she said again. “I got your message and packed us a picnic lunch. What did you have in mind?”

“Y-you’ll s-s-see.” He took her by the hand and led her into the barn, where he had two horses saddled and ready to ride.

Linnette hesitated. “Ah…Have I mentioned that I’ve never been on a horse?”

“Yes. D-d-don’t worry.”

“I am worried,” she protested. “Okay, I have ridden before. I remember it now. When I was five years old, my dad let me ride a pony at the Puyallup Fair. I was terrified and he had to walk around the circle with me.”

Cal chuckled. “You’ll be ok-kay. Sheba—” he pointed toward the brown horse “—is an older m-mare. V-very gentle.”

“Promise?” The horses Cal had chosen were a whole lot bigger than that pony had been. Although she might be projecting her own fears, the mare seemed to give her the once-over and then snorted as if to say Linnette would regret it the minute she climbed onto her back.

“Promise,” Cal assured her.

She figured Cal had a romantic interlude planned, and her nervousness was about to ruin everything. In an effort to buy time, she returned slowly to her car and retrieved two sack lunches from the passenger seat.

Cal walked with her and kept his hand on the base of her neck. “D-don’t-t-t be afraid.”

“Afraid? I’m not afraid,” she lied. She thought she did a good job of it.

Cal seemed to believe her—or else he was equally good at pretending.

“So Sheba’s mine?” she asked as he took the sack lunches out of her hands and stored them in saddlebags on the larger of the two horses.

“Yup.” He gestured with his head toward the mare. “L-like I said, Sh-Sh-Sheba’s gentle.”

“Gentle is good,” Linnette murmured as she walked around and stood in front of Sheba, allowing the mare to get a good look at her. Sheba nodded her head a couple of times, apparently acknowledging Linnette’s presence. Maybe in Sheba’s view, Cal had vouched for her, Linnette thought whimsically. Tentatively, Linnette raised her hand and petted the mare’s dark muzzle.

With Cal’s help she mounted. As soon as Linnette was in the saddle, Cal adjusted the stirrups and handed her the reins. She felt very high off the ground—and correspondingly vulnerable. A fall off this horse could cause her serious injury. And yet she didn’t dare let Cal know how frightened she actually was.

After asking if she was comfortable, to which she nodded in response, Cal mounted the other horse, a chestnut gelding. He led the way out of the huge barn. Without needing any direction from Linnette, Sheba obediently followed Webster, Cal’s horse.

Although it was barely noon, the sun was out and the day promised to be glorious. Cal had given her some basic instructions, but riding was awkward at first. Linnette bounced and her teeth chattered until she learned to relax. Cal kept their gait slow and easy. When she felt confident enough to raise her head, she stared avidly at him, so handsome in the saddle, so natural. She remembered what she’d heard Cliff say once—he was a born horseman.

“Gloria?” Cal asked in that shorthand way of his.

He was asking about her sister, the one she’d only recently met. Her parents had fallen in love when they were both in college. Her mother was still a teenager when Gloria had been conceived—and then the romance had fallen apart. Disgraced and afraid, Corrie had moved back home with her family. Several months later, she’d had a baby girl and given her up for adoption. After the birth she’d returned to college. Without knowing about their child, Roy had sought out Corrie and they’d reunited. Only after they were engaged did Corrie tell him she’d had his baby. They’d agreed never to speak of the matter again, and they hadn’t, until Gloria tracked them down.

Needless to say, it was a shock to discover she had a sister. Linnette had been astounded, overwhelmed, bewildered. At the same time, she was excited. She’d always wanted a sister and, unbeknownst to her, the woman who lived in the same apartment complex and had already become her friend was also her sister. The bond between them had grown steadily stronger.

“Gloria’s fabulous,” Linnette told Cal. “We went out to dinner on Monday after work. The whole family’s getting together for Easter, and Gloria will be joining us.” This would be a real test for their family, Linnette realized. She knew her parents loved Gloria and welcomed her into the family.

It wasn’t the same, though, and Linnette recognized that, as did Gloria. Her adoptive parents had died in a plane crash and she had virtually no family left. She’d gone in search of her birth family for that very reason. Linnette’s parents, Corrie and Roy, were trying to make up for lost time, trying to fill in the gaps, exchanging information with Gloria about her history and theirs.

Cal was watching her intently as she spoke.

“It isn’t that we don’t want her or don’t love her,” Linnette went on to explain. “You know we do. What we don’t have is a shared past. She had another mother and father who raised, loved and nurtured her, and they’re her true family, her true parents.” Everyone, however—including Gloria—was determined to make an effort. This Easter would be their first holiday as a family.

The horses trotted in single file now as they entered the woods. Linnette followed Cal on a narrow path, which made conversation difficult. The scent of fir and ocean mist pervaded the morning air.

It was just as well that they couldn’t continue their conversation, Linnette decided. She had something important to discuss with Cal and had to figure out how best to approach it. She’d been doing a lot of thinking about his stuttering and wanted to tell him about the research she’d done on speech therapy. Yet she also wanted to make sure he understood that she loved him for the man he was.

After ten minutes or so, they emerged from the forest and onto a shore. Wavelets lapped against a pebble beach; the tide was in and sparkled in the sunlight.

“Oh, my goodness,” Linnette cried, astonished at how secluded this beach was. Mount Rainier, capped with snow, rose off in the distance. Puget Sound spread out before her like an emerald blanket, with Vashon Island so close it seemed she could easily swim over.

“Y-you like it?” Cal asked, his blue eyes clear and alive.

“I like it very much.”

Cal slid off his horse and then helped her down. He left both horses to roam while he set a blanket down on the beach and brought out their lunches. Leaning against a large driftwood log, they sat side by side to eat.

It was perhaps their most romantic date. When they finished their lunch, they stayed where they were, absorbing the beauty of the view. Cal slipped his arm around her and every now and then they’d kiss. His kisses were soft, sweet, his mouth lingering on hers.

Linnette thought about what she wanted to say and almost lost her nerve. She was reluctant to mention anything that might destroy the tranquility of the moment.

“Can I ask you something?” she said after several minutes. “Something I’ve never asked before.”

“O-k-kay.”

“Have you had the stutter all your life?”

As she’d feared, Cal tensed.

“Cal,” she said, scrambling around. She knelt in front of him and cradled his face in her hands. “I have a reason for asking. Please don’t take offense.”

His eyes delved into hers, as if to gauge how much he could trust her. She didn’t flinch, didn’t back down and held his look with her own, letting her love shine through her eyes.

“Always,” he said. “All m-my l-life.”