Free Autumn Promises by Kate Welsh

from here. Tell Tomas to take care of Glory. I have to check out something in the western part of our land. I’ll see you later.” He tipped his hat, pivoted Apple Boy off to the left and kicked him into a canter.
    He rode hard for a good hour before returning to the compound, then he showered and kicked back to watch some TV. Except, nothing held his attention. He paced awhile then flipped through the channels again. Bored. He was bored, he told himself. So he fired up the computer and did a little stock trading, adjusting his portfolio. Checked for e-mail messages. Other than a bunch of spam, there was nothing.
    Still restless, he decided to walk down to the corral and see if anything was up down there. He found Cris instead, her raven’s-wing hair hanging loose down her back. “Honey, I thought you’d go with Meg.”
    Cris turned to him. She wore a pair of tan slacks and a soft red turtleneck sweater. She dressed differently now. No men’s shirts tucked into jeans. There was an air of sophistication and polish about herthese days that made her seem all grown up for the first time.
    “Xandra went instead,” she told him. “She and Beth have a special bond. I guess I should explain so you don’t say the wrong thing. Dad, Beth helped rescue Xandra from an abusive marriage by taking her into the women’s shelter she founded. Xandra took over New Life Inn for Beth when they came here. She lived at the shelter until she married Adam.”
    Shaking his head in rueful sorrow, Evan said, “You think it only happens in the inner city or among the poor. Not to people with money. And speaking of people with money, I thought Alexandra had parents who could have helped her get away.”
    “They thought just like you said. That abuse doesn’t happen at their income level. Or in a beautiful house. Thank God she had the strength to get out. Every time I think about what Xandra went through, I automatically think of the Harts and how Josiah Hart killed his wife in front of Caleb and his sister. If only Mrs. Hart had found the strength to get away the way Xandra did.”
    Evan grimaced, remembering as if it were yesterday the day two decades ago when news of the murder had flashed through town. “Short of that, the law should have intervened,” Evan growled. He felt a little guilty. If he hadn’t been so preoccupied with himself, maybe he would have seen what was happening on a neighboring ranch. Maybe he could have helped.
    “Sheriff Barrett stepped in and straightened Caleb out when he kept getting into trouble in his teens. I don’t think that would have been possible if Caleb had thought the sheriff could have done more. But I do think Caleb is still pretty bitter about his mom. If he only knew the Lord, maybe he could get past all that.” She sighed. “So, how is Caleb doing still working for the worst sheriff Torrence, Colorado, has ever elected?”
    “Caleb’s always done a good job, but people can’t seem to see past the trouble he got into in his teens. I knew it was bound to happen. I feel bad that Caleb lost the election, but now the town’s at risk. That’s why I tried to talk Jim into running.”
    “You mean it wasn’t just so your little girl wouldn’t move away?” Cris asked, then sighed. “I really like Caleb. I hate to see him banging his head against a wall like this. He should have just moved away, both from the town and his past.”
    Evan winced, understanding Caleb more than anyone did. “He wants to prove himself. I understand it. I also know he’s wasting his time. Not that he won’t do it eventually, but by then he’ll have wasted a lot of years.”
    Cris’s gaze sharpened and she propped a hand on her hip. “Are we talking about Caleb Hart or Evan Alton now?”
    Smart girl. A year ago he’d have denied it. “Both. I told Meg I’d think about telling you and Jackson about my early life. It seems you know more than I thought.”
    “Grandmother thought if we knew you’d had no family