Free Lonestar Secrets by Colleen Coble Page A

machine. Probably everyone in town knew she was here by now. She scanned the buildings, looking for a brown stucco building on the next corner. She spotted it. A rail fence framed the edge of the property. The landscaping could use some work weeds poked through the gravel mulch in the yard.

    She parked in the dirt lot and grabbed her bag. As she approached the front door, she noticed it looked a bit grimy. Grady O'Sullivan had probably only stopped by if he forgot something, because his friends all knew to call him at the church office if they had an animal in trouble.
    She unlocked the door and pushed it open. A man standing at the filing cabinet turned when the door hinges creaked. She nearly screamed, but then she recognized Grady's red hair.
    She put her hand to her throat. "Grady, you nearly gave me a heart attack."
    "A bit jumpy?" He smiled and approached her with his hand extended. "Welcome back to town, Shannon. I always knew you'd make it."
    Over the summers during high school and college, she'd worked for Grady. She'd taken care of the animals he kept overnight, checking in on them until bedtime and again first thing in the morning. She'd done his filing and answered the phones and learned so much. He was one of the few people who didn't listen to gossip about her.
    She ignored his outstretched hand and hugged him instead. His shirt smelled of lemon wax. "You been waxing the church piano again?" she teased.
    He returned her hug. "Guilty as charged."
    As pastor of the tiny church in town, Grady was the jack-of-alltrades. During her teen years, Shannon had seen him cleaning fans, unclogging the septic, and doing everything in between.
    "I hope to see you at church on Sunday."
    "You will." She stepped away and glanced around.
    The small office didn't hold much other than utilitarian black fur niture coated with ten years' worth of pet hair. A battered desk and new file cabinets blocked off the actual office area. From memory she knew the hall led to three examining rooms. A door at the end of the hall opened into a large garage-like space where animal crates lined the walls. The room was where overnight patients were kept.

    Her domain now. The surreal thought made her stop. Who would have dreamed she'd come back to town and take over the business?
    She followed him back to the filing cabinets. "Grady, I wish you'd let me pay you for the business."
    "The business was here when I came, Shannon. When old Majors died, I stepped into his shoes. I'm just happy to have someone relieve me of the responsibility. Getting calls at night for animal illnesses and from people with problems got to be more than I could handle. And I trust you." He turned a smile on her.
    "It doesn't feel right," she muttered.
    His grin widened. "You hate feeling obligated. So don't. I'm the grateful one. And Dolly is even more grateful. At least I'm not having to slip out of bed two or three nights a week to go work on a foundered horse."
    "Is it that bad?" She frowned, wondering how she was going to handle that with no one to look after Kylie at such hours.
    He grinned. "Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. But it happens several times a month, at least. How are you going to handle those calls with Kylie? Have you thought it through?"
    "I thought I might hire a housekeeper once I have some money coming in. I've lived on a shoestring budget long enough to be able to make it while paying a salary out, I think." She gestured to the door to the animal area. "We have any patients in the back? And who checks on them at night?"

    "Two cats with urinary tract infections and a dog that got hit by a pickup. I just checked on them, but I know you'll want to as well. They're doing fine and will be released tomorrow. I rented out that little apartment garage in back to a woman who checks on the animals through the night until Cassie comes in for the day."
    "Thanks for keeping things rolling until I can take over the office. Once the Mustang Makeover is over, you can