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“Hey, Sandra?”
“This is she.”
“Hey, Sandra. I hope you don’t mind me calling. Jocelyn told me I should check with you.”
“Oh. Okay. And who is this?”
“Aw, I’m sorry. This is Cindy, a friend of Jocelyn’s. Oliver and I were supposed to go to the New Year’s Eve party last night, but he got snowed in. And, well, he said that he’d have to take a rain check but… do you know, did he just not want to go with me?”
“Oh, hun. I don’t think that’s it. I… ahm.” Shit. How would I know if Oliver blew her off? “I just got back myself. I haven’t spoken to him. But he mentioned getting snowed in.” Actually, Ian said he’d been snowed in, but it’s not like I’d tell this woman the chain of communication.
“So, you weren’t with him?”
“No. I wasn’t.” A silence fills the air as I decline to expand on exactly where I was. If I mention Houston, that could unlock a flurry of rumors.
“Jocelyn said you weren’t with him. But I just… I wasn’t sure since you both missed the party.”
“No, I wasn’t with him.” I grimace, wondering how many other people questioned both Ian and me being absent at the same time. “If I tried to keep up with him skiing, I’d break my neck.” And then I’d need an orthopedic surgeon. “Hey, hun, I just got out of the car. I haven’t unpacked yet. I came home early because my horse isn’t doing well. Can I call you back later?”
“You don’t have to call me back. Unless, well, if you find out anything. Or, no, you don’t have to call me. He’ll either call or he won’t, right?”
“That’s one way of looking at it.” I laugh. “Pretty much sums up a lot of my dating life. How about this? I’ll give you a call or text you if I learn anything. That’s if I run into Oliver. I don’t see him all that much.”
“You don’t? Jocelyn said you guys are always together. That’s why I wondered if maybe…”
“He’s like a brother to me.” I roll my eyes.This town. “I wouldn’t say we’re always together.”What the hell, Jocelyn? “I guess I can reach you at this number?”
“Yes. Thanks so much, Sandra. Jocelyn said you’d be cool about it.”
“Absolutely. Any time.” I hang up with a shake of my head. “Polly, it sounds like our friend Oliver is fishing on the younger side of the dating pool.” She rubs her head against my chest, knocking me back a step. “No, I’m serious.” Polly listens intently. “Those Duke boys. They’ve caused an awful lot of heartache over the years.”
I pat Polly’s shoulder and step past her, headed to the barn so I can check out her uneaten food for myself. Before I reach the paddock, my phone rings again.
An image of Patty Duke from maybe fifteen years ago shows up on my screen. Her hair is a mix of steel gray and white, she’s smiling wide, and her full cheeks are flushed pink.
“Happy New Year,” I say.
“Sandra, Happy New Year to you.” Mrs. Duke’s gentle tone always warms me up from the inside. She’s been the mom down the road my whole life.
“Are you having fun with those grandbabies?”
“Oh, you know I am. I’ll send you some photos. They’re growing like weeds.” I reach Polly’s open stall and inspect her hanging bucket. Most of the oats are gone. Maybe she just hadn’t been hungry when Frank stopped by and fed her. “Ian told me that Polly isn’t feeling well. Are you back home? Is she okay?”
“Just got back.”
“Was traffic bad?”
“Not bad at all.”
“And how is Polly?”
“Well, she seems okay.”
“That’s a relief. Usually, with Frank, it’s a horrible situation and he downplays it.”
“Well, she looks okay, and most of her oats are eaten.” Polly stands out in the pasture, her muzzle hovering over the grass, one ear pointed in my direction.
Mrs. Duke and I chat a bit more and hang up when one kid calls out, searching for Gigi, their chosen word for grandmother. Within seconds of hanging up, my phone vibrates and three photos of two gorgeous girls come through. They have darker hair than their father. Actually, they don’t resemble Sam much at all. Mrs. Duke loves to say they look like Sam, but based on these photos, Sam’s daughters took after their mother.
