Promise Made (The Callahan Series) by Mitzi Pool Bridges Page A

once and had been over him for a long time now?
    Maybe she still loved him. Or at least loved the idea of him. He was a good man from a good family.
    But could she trust him not to break her heart as her dad had broken hers and her mom’s? Though her dad had taken off many times, they’d never divorced. She realized now that they’d been in a holding pattern as well.
    Dugan was steadfast, solid. She couldn’t see him running from anything. He was the kind of man who ran to solve problems, not shy away from them. Hadn’t he walked straight into a bullet when a killer was after Phyl? Sure he did. Probably had the scar to prove it.
    Dugan wouldn’t run.
    Maybe the bigger question was could she trust herself not to break his heart and leave him stranded again?
    She couldn’t answer the question.
    Resting her head in her hands, she shoved Dugan to the back of her mind. She had a murder case now, had to concentrate on the evidence, see if it conflicted with Rita’s statement. Then she’d have to check on the insurance policy—when it was taken out, make sure Tobias had signed it, find out how Rita paid for it.
    She had to admit, there was a lot to catch up on and not much time to do it in.
    She picked up the phone to call Erik back.
    “Kate, I’m so glad you returned my call. Are you ready to give me an answer?”
    “I gave you my answer, Erik. You chose not to listen. I’m going to mail back your ring.”
    “Absolutely not. It’s too valuable to trust to the post office. I’ll pick it up.”
    She didn’t want to see Erik again. But she did need something from him. “I need a favor. Actually, you don’t have to do anything, have one of the interns do it.”
    “I’d be happy to.”
    His soft voice reminded her of happier times. For a moment she wished she did love him. It would make life simpler. “I have a couple of shelves of law books in my office, could you have them packed and sent to me?”
    “Why in the world do you need law books in Hicksville? What little law you’re likely to practice there, you can do with your hands tied behind your back.”
    “Oaktree, Erik, not Hicksville. Believe it or not, there are just as many intelligent people per capita here as anywhere else.”
    His laugh said he didn’t believe her. Which upset her. But it solidified her decision. Though Eric was an unusually good attorney and a good person, she hadn’t seen his narrow outlook before. Evidently, he couldn’t understand how anyone could be happy in a small town. She would never work with him again. With her reputation, she could work anywhere. “Will you do it or not?” she snapped. If he said no, she’d call her friend, Jenna. Jenna would love to lock horns with Erik. She’d warned Kate about all the business dinners. She should have listened.
    “If it’s what you want, you know I will,” Erik said. “I’d like to know why, though.”
    “I’m sorry to do this over the phone, Erik. But I won’t be back to Walton and Associates. I need to spend time with my grandmother. She isn’t young anymore and I want to be close if she needs me.” She’d make a phone call to the Human Resources Department, write a letter of resignation, and make it legal. But she would do it. She wanted, more than anything, to be closer to Gram.
    Her decision made, Kate realized the truth in the statement. Even though Gram had Ed, Kate wanted to be there for her.
    “You want me to pack up all your stuff? For real?”
    His voice held such sadness she almost wavered. “I don’t have much. But yes. It’s what I want.”
    “We started this company together, Kate. I’ll make you an equal partner if you’ll change your mind and come back to Austin.”
    It was a great offer. She’d have more money, a big house. “I’m sorry, Erik. I can’t.”
    “You didn’t give us a chance,” he said softly.
    He was right. For years she’d buried herself first in her studies, then in her work. After she left Dugan, the men in her life