Free At Bluebonnet Lake (Texas Crossroads Book #1): A Novel by Amanda Cabot Page A

Kate a long look. “I just hope I’m around for your wedding.”
    “Now who’s talking gloom and doom?” Kate demanded. She took another spoonful of oatmeal, but it had somehow lost its savor. She didn’t need the reminder that she’d had two steady boyfriends, both of whom decided it was time to marry someone else, and she definitely didn’t need any reminders of Sally’s health and advancing years.
    “It’s not gloom and doom,” Sally protested. “I was simply being realistic. I’ve been a member of AARP for years.” More vintage Sally.
    Kate washed down the oatmeal with a swig of coffee. “It won’t work, you know. You convinced me to come here, but you can’t guilt me into marrying someone I don’t love just so you can see me settled.”
    Sally took another bite of bacon, chewing slowly as she formulated her response. When she spoke, the words were so familiar that Kate could almost recite them. “God has a plan—and a man—for you. You just need to listen when he whispers to you.”
    “The bacon is delicious, isn’t it? And Carmen added something special to the oatmeal.”
    Shaking her head, Sally gave Kate a stern look. “That wasn’t even subtle.”
    “But it worked. We’re not talking about prospective husbands anymore.”
    And they did not. Instead, Sally speculated on the types of boots that would be available in Dupree and how long they would have to wait if they wanted them custom-made. When they finished eating, she announced that she wanted to walk along the lake and gestured toward the right when they left the dining room. “We’ll end up back here,” she told Kate.
    The grass, which had been wet with dew when they’d walked to breakfast, had dried, and as they left the shadow of the oak trees to approach the lake, Kate found herself wishing she had worn short sleeves. The air was much warmer than it had been less than an hour ago, making her wonder just how high the mercury would rise today.
    “Look over there,” Sally said when they reached the edge of the water. To Kate’s relief, Sally showed no signs of either fatigue or breathlessness. Yesterday’s episode must have been the result of travel.
    Sally pointed to a small land mass to the northwest of the resort.
    “An island?”
    Sally nodded, her eyes glistening. “It’s called Paintbrush Island, and it belongs to Rainbow’s End, or at least it did. Larry and I took a rowboat there one day.” She swallowed deeply, and Kate knew she was lost in memories. “It was the most romantic picnic of my life,” Sally said softly. “A day I’ll never forget.”
    Though Kate knew her grandparents had shared a deep and abiding love, it was unusual for Sally to be so emotional. “Do you want me to see if they still have boats? We could have lunch there today.”
    “Oh no, Kate. The island is not a place for two women. It’s for couples.” She shaded her eyes with one hand as she gazedat the site of her memories. “Legend has it that the island is the real rainbow’s end.”
    “In the western sky? That’s not very likely unless there were thunderstorms in the morning. Rainbows only occur when the sun is low enough, and they’re most frequently seen in the east.” The words were out before Kate realized that they might distress her grandmother. To her relief, Sally laughed.
    “No one would ever accuse you of having your head in the clouds. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you didn’t have a romantic bone in your body.”
    That was what Pete and Lou had said when they’d broken off their relationships with her. “Maybe I don’t.”
    Sally shook her head and started walking again. “I don’t believe that. You just try to hide it.”
    They wandered slowly along the lakeshore, admiring the calm water, casting occasional glances at the cabins, most of which were unoccupied. Though Kate had wakened this morning hopeful that she’d been mistaken about the resort’s condition and that the situation wasn’t as dire