ne of the downsides of writing when you're tired - you forget to save and have to start all over. Yep - that's what I'm doing now! 

I am currently packing and sorting for my trip to Lexington. I'm signing books at the Knockout Book Bash.  Now I remember why I don't do these very often - it's a lot of work!  I've got books piled everywhere, old signage and new signs to make, and then there's clothes - that part would be so much better if I hadn't gained twelve pounds this year LOL. 

Anyhow, while I'm prepping for the book signing, I'm also hosting the annual girls' weekend. Yep. In the middle of everything else I'm sorting mail, dusting tables and frames (can anyone tell me where the heck all this dust comes from? LOL), and of course, bathing the dog was a must! ​

As you can see from the bed - there's a lot of books to pack and that's not all of them. Some are already in the suitcase. If I'd had a brain in my head I would have boxed it all up and shipped it - but no one said I had a brain LOL.  

Of course the next photo is our snack table - what is a girls' weekend without lots of carbs? LOL. Of course I gained two pounds this weekend, but I enjoyed every minute of it! the third photo was Sunday morning before everyone arrived. I kept meaning to take another photo with the whole gang, but never got a round tuit. lol. And yes, dominoes is addictive! 

What I didn't have time to do this week is personally check up on my friends remodel project. Thankfully, the contractor is really good at working without a lot of supervision and he sent some photos. The upper cabinets are up. The lowers have to wait until the floor is down. The floor has to wait until the walls are painted and the plumbers are done fixing the sewer lines.  I can hardly wait- already it's SO different from before!  Another thing done was the floor was leveled. No more sunken living so folks can fall and break their ankle or neck! 

ADid I mention during all this, I also had to squeeze in a baby shower for a friend's daughter and a birthday dinner for my middle grandchild? Yep - busy week/ weekend! 

I have however been a good girl and written EVERY day! Which means we're on track for an August release of Sweet Courage! I'm hoping y'all are going to love this as much as the other K9 books. 

And that's about it for me for this week - next week I'll be reporting from Louisville Kentucky!  See you then! 

Why are there never enough days in the week to finish your to-do list? LOL

I have been trying to get organized for my book signing next weekend -- or is it this weekend? LOL - anyhow - I've got books to back, and signs and so much - sigh - and of course I had a houseful of friends here this weekend for our annual get together! All of which means while I'm stacking books and other things for Kentucky, I'm also trying to sort through mail, clear off tables, put away toys, dust (why is dust never ending?), all the basics for a warm welcome. 

As you can see - the pile of books on the spare bed. And that's not all of it - there was already some books in one of the suitcases!  Next photo is some of the snacks for ten women!  Of course, this means that yours truly gained two pounds this weekend - but who can resist all those goodies!  Then there's a photo of the domino game - it was early sunday so not everyone was here from the hotel, but can't let a minute go by without playing! LOL. 

Did I mention during hosting this weekend I also had to escape briefly to attend my friend's daughter's baby shower? Yep - I did.  And then there was celebrating my older granddaughter's birthday because I'll be gone on the actual day. Yeah - like I don't have enough on my plate LOL. 

Did I mention that I'm also working on Sweet Courage? Yes, that's on track and I hope you're going to love it as much as the other K9 books! 

What I simply could not make the time to go see in person is the project house for my friend. Thankfully the workers can chug along without me!  But I did get a few photos out of them.  Some of the upper cabinets are up on the wall. The lower ones can not be installed until the floors are installed and they can't do that until the plumbers are finished, sooo. here is the photos of the cabinets, as well as a photo of the floor leveled. Yay! No more sunken living room for someone to fall into ! 

What a difference from the way this kitchen started out! So much more cabinet and storage space. I can hardly wait to see it all done. 

Next week, I'll be reporting from Louisville Kentucky! 

Have a great week! 

As y'all know, I'm getting ready to head out to Kentucky in less than two weeks!  I have never been to Kentucky and I'm quite excited - I'm also pretty stoked to have learned how to do preorders for the book signing!  I ordered them ahead and will bring them with me - it's kind of fun getting ready.  The only challenge is I'm also hosting a group of longtime friends coming to my neck of the woods for our annual summer get together.  Another friend of mine and I go back and forth hosting and this year it's at my house - just a few days before I leave for Kentucky.  Can you spell STRESS? lol.  Yep, trying organize, pack and clean. I did however on a small burst of energy (something I'm lacking considerably since gaining those 12 pounds while my daughter and grands were staying with me) I finally hung up the three tile pictures I brought back from Rio De Janeiro.  They look pretty nice in my kitchen - though I think one of these years I may get around to changing the frames. ​

The first framed tiles are Copacabana beach - you can tell because the mosaic sidewalks are wave shaped. The second is Ipanema Beach (remember the song? Tall and tan and young and lovely the girl from Ipanema goes walking...) - you can tell because the mosaic sidewalk is more chain linkish in shape. And lastly, the Christ the Redeemer tiles. 

Back to helping my friend remodel her house, there's been quite a bit of progress this week.  They cut out the window and I am SO thrilled with how much light comes in.  As you can see from the first photograph - this is the view of the back wall from the front door.  There was a pony wall we took down and there's a sunken living room that will be leveled - after all the thing is a fall hazard for young and old! Because we closed up some of the glass door panels to allow for more cabinetry, we decided to cut out a window in the dining room. It's a little messy and it was a cloudy day - but here's the new view! ​

Even though I wasn't standing all the way back by the door when I snapped the photo - you can see the fan light is turned off in the second photo and yet, there's more light in the room than the first photo with the fan light on!  It's just a huge difference. And that wall between the full length window and the door is where a peninsula will be for homework or other projects. I can hardly wait till it's finished. 

As for book news - well, I finally was able to move forward on Sweet Courage - the book releases in August and I have been STUCK for weeks.  When you've written as many books as I have, keeping the stories fresh can get tough. I mean, how many ways can folks 'meet' lol. I think we -yep had to go to my friend Kathy Ivan and her sister for brainstorming help- came up with something that works. I'm kind of excited about it. Fingers crossed I can carry it through! 

Now, I can use some advice from anyone with a green thumb.  I was given an orchid plant when I returned from Brazil.  It was lovely and I was quite proud of myself for keeping it in bloom for almost four months!  The flowers have died and the leaves fell off. So I cut back the two brown stems and cut the green stem off above a nodule (that's what the internet said to do lol).  Now I'm going to water it every week as I have always done, but since I have always had a brown thumb that can kill the heartiest of plants, if someone out there is good with orchids - tips please! 

And now - another week of juggling grandkids, work, home, and now... guests! 

​See y'all next week! 

On this day of barbecues and swim parties, it is so very important to remember the reason for the day. 

Thank you for your service has never seemed enough for those in the armed forces who every day put their lives on the line so that I can watch my grandchildren play in the swimming pool. But it is most definitely not enough for those who gave up their lives, their futures, their Mondays watching their own children or grandchildren play in the pool - nor the children in the pool who won't have their mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, or grandparents there to watch because those servicemen chose honor, loyalty, service, and sacrifice for the rest of us. 

I hope that everyone is having a peaceful and joyous day - and for all of those who have lost someone in service, I truly thank you for their service and am deeply sorry for the loss. 

Anyone who knows me well knows that every loss of a military life makes me cry.  I can't help it.  It truly breaks my heart. Please be respectful, and please remember the reason we fly our flags today in the front yard and barbecue in the back yard. 

​This truly is a great country and we shall always owe it to those who serve and those who gave their all. 

oh what a week!  Actually, most of it went quite well.  Every morning I pop over to my daughter's house so that I can help with the baby while she runs the older kids back and forth to school and therapy etc. 

Then came Friday. OYE! Woke up and my mouse didn't work. I can't work without a mouse. I hate those little pads on the laptop. But, since I keep spare mice in the drawer -no problem- right? wrong. The new mouse for when this died didn't work - needs two hours to charge - so I went for the wired mouse - except it didn't work either - grrrr.  Okay- I ordered two new mice and went off to my daughters.  Borrowed her wired mouse- except -nada. Didn't work either. NOW I'm starting to put two and two together.

As soon as my daughter came home I asked her to check her mouse and mine on her laptop - and no surprise - they both worked - blast! 

So - off to Microcenter I go. Thankfully, mid afternoon there aren't that many people waiting. I only had to wait about fifteen or twenty minutes for the tech to look at it. I love that store because so many of my problems can be fixed in five minutes by someone who has any tech skills since we know I have none. Now - I DO know when all else fails, turn the machine off, wait five minutes, and turn it back on.  That didn't work. Not when I did it, not when the tech guy did it. 

After what felt like an hour - and may well have been - and testing my mice and their mouse on my laptop and then on theirs, it was determined that my laptops USB and USBC ports were not registering anything. The downside - my two year warranty expired about six weeks ago - grrr. OF course, I need my laptop so I paid the $59 for the diagnostic and prayed for an easy fix. Since both my husband's computers are broken (one won't charge, one has keys that won't work- the space bar being the most critical) and the tech guy said it would be 24 to 48 hours before they'd get back to me, I did what I did last time my computer crashed two years ago - I went to pick up a cheap computer.  Except - there is no longer such a thing. Long story short - $1200 later I have a working computer and a two year additional warranty. 

I learned something from this - I hate Windows 11.  Let me repeat that - I HATE Windows 11.  after spending one hour searching how to capture a screenshot, Microcenter texted me.  THere is no problem it must be my mouse. Apparently one tech guy doesn't talk to the other. So I packed my new computer up and drove back.  My computer most definitely was working normally now. The tech guy backed me up and said it wasn't working a few hours ago - I returned that horribly expensive and annoying new laptop (My credit card and interest rate are much happier now!) and because the diagnostic said the computer is fine - I was able to buy another 2 year warranty.  

Kept my Friday interesting - frustrating - but interesting! 

I was however a very good girl and worked all weekend to make up for lost time on Friday! I even made a little banner to share about my booksigning coming up next month in Kentucky!  

I think it turned out okay - don't you? Just a little more than three weeks! If anyone is from Lexington or Louisville and has suggestions on things I MUST SEE - please share! I know I'm going to go see Churchill Downs and checking out horse farms will be very helpful for a woman who is always writing about horses and barns and things! But anything else will be great too! 

Okay- I'm going to sign off here - Hopefully I'll have some nicer rehab photos for you next time! 

 I figure we'll start off with news on Sweet Devotion! It is releasing officially on May 19th - but - it should be available on my storefront TOMORROW!  Isn't that wonderful for folks who don't want to wait? https://www.chriskeniston.com/sweet-devotion.html 

And here's the opening scene (unedited of course!) for Sweet Courage! 

"Clear the area!"
Shrill voices. Screaming. Hanson running at a full gallop. Get away. Move. Clear the area, get everyone out.
"Clear the area!" The words tore out of him. His legs — tree stumps, both of them, heavy and wrong and not moving fast enough. Move. Had to move. Had to save everyone. Heat. Lord, so much heat pressed in from every side. Dust so thick he couldn't pull air through it. Lungs burning. Keep moving. Water. Suddenly water everywhere. Swim. Had to swim. Arms like lead, gravity yanking at his boots, pulling him down. Ripples of water overhead. The sky dark and fiery gray and wrong.
"They're attacking!" A voice, muffled, overhead somewhere.
Bursts of red and orange and yellow exploded above him like the Fourth of July. The air stank of fuel and ash and something worse. A dark shape spun between the fire and the water. Growing. Closer. Bigger. A truck. How was there a…
Kick. Move. He had to get away. Screams everywhere. The convoy, where was everyone, where had they… ? The pressure built in his chest. Breathe. Long deep breaths but nothing came. No air. He couldn't see, couldn't breathe, couldn't find… "Aiden!" His voice swallowed by water. Still in the water. Where? How? "Gideon!"
Groans. His buddies. Somewhere. He kicked out, pulled his arms through the water, the light hit his face and then the water was gone and he was running, burned grass under his boots, black smoldering holes in the earth, smoke burning his throat. Move. Stay safe. Find them.
Screams again. One louder than the others. He locked onto it and ran harder, harder than his legs should have been able to carry him, toward the sound coming from under a pile of burned wood. A structure. Had it been a house? A cabin?
The cry came again and with both hands he grabbed at splintered wood and charred beams, throwing them aside with the ease of tossing bags of feathers. He had to move faster. The screams were getting louder. One more board. Gripping the corner, he flipped it out of the way. A final scream pierced straight through him.  Not Gideon. Not Aiden. Not his sergeant—a baby!
"No!"
Sucking in a deep breath, Hanson Taylor sat up straight. Surrounded by dark, he blinked. Silence embraced him. He blinked again, looking down. Soaked. His shirt was soaked. Tangled around his legs, sheets were drenched with sweat. His sweat.  Swinging his legs around, he braced himself on the edge of the mattress. Where the hell was he?
His eyes squeezed shut, he tried to remember. Tried to understand. As if someone had drilled a hole in his brain and let all his memories pour out, he could not remember where he was.
A light tap on the door. “Hanson, honey, are you all right?”
Honey?
The hinges squeaked as the door inched open. “Can I get you something?”
He blinked. A woman, older but not old, concern etched on her face. But who? And then, like a light bulb in the dark, he remembered. Mrs. Sweet. Alice. He was at his sergeant’s ranch. Relief washed over him. The nightmare was just that, a senseless dream.  “Sorry, yes. I’m fine, and, no. I don’t need anything.”
“You may not need anything, but how about a mug of warm honey milk? That will help you sleep.”
Sleep. At this moment the last thing he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep—or dream. Then again, the worry in the woman’s eyes made him reconsider. “That sounds…nice.”
Her frown flipped to a smile. “Good. I’ll have that ready for you in just a few minutes.” Mrs. Sweet turned on her heel.
Hanson glanced at the old fashioned alarm clock on the nightstand. Three in the morning. Had he woken the poor woman out of a deep sleep? Damn.  Shaking his head, he pushed to his feet, at least that was now stable. One thing they’d managed to re-teach him at the hospital. It had taken months, but now, finally, he could at least stand steady on his feet, move one foot in front of the other. They were no longer heavy like tree stumps and did what his mind told them to do. One thing in his upside down life that was normal. If only his mind could do the same.
Under any other circumstance, this room would be a nice place for a vacation. Simple décor, not too girly, not too manly, mostly—welcoming. The attached bath made it easy for him to wash up his face, brush his hair and teeth, and put on dry clothes. Staring at himself in the mirror, at least now he looked more presentable. Enough not to scare small children.  Taking another second, he let his mind run through what little he remembered. The Sweet ranch, Ms. Alice. His sergeant had already returned to base. His wife, whose name escaped him, lived here with his brother. Cooper? No. Carter. That seemed right, yet wrong. Carson! That was it. His brother Carson and his family.
For now, he'd done enough tug of war with his mind and his memory. Straightening to his full height, he sucked in a calming breath and moved toward the kitchen. At the doorway he paused, looking, studying, trying to paint a memory.  A single light over the stove, the quiet sounds of Alice moving with purpose in the early dark, a massive table that had seen years of family meals. Set on the same table was a large steaming mug. Knowing he wouldn’t remember, he walked in and took a seat.
“When my Charlie couldn’t sleep, worrying about some problem or other, I’d make him warm honey milk. Honey has lots of healthy properties and warm milk, well.” She smiled and shrugged.
“I’m sorry I woke you.”
“You didn’t.” She shook her head. “I always get up at this hour to start breakfast. Unlike chickens who rise and rest with the sun, a rancher’s work starts in the pitch of dark.”
“I didn’t know that.” He curled his hands around the warm mug, before lifting it to his lips. The warmth more soothing than he’d expected. “This is delicious. Thank you.”
Her head bobbed as she tied an apron around her waist.  Slowly, signs of a morning routine emerged. Clint, Alice’s husband was first to the table. Carson, who was apparently going to work the ranch this morning instead of his normal day job, followed shortly after.  The conversation was minimal, but smiles were abundant. Happiness draped every corner of the room with a goodly dose of love and family. 
It had been explained to him more than once, that for him to make any kind of additional progress, he needed to be in a relaxed stress-free environment. An environment that matched the Sweet family ranch. Too bad the only thing all this normalcy succeeded at was reminding him how his new world was anything but normal. 
Sweet Courage is available for preorder at all vendors! and soon you'll be able to sign up for notification of direct early release on my website soon! 

​Now - shall we move on to the kitchen and bath remodel for my friend? We'll start with a refresher on the before - and where we are now? I love that this home will now have a pantry- small, but a pantry! Ignore the floating wires - when the electrician finishes- they'll be gone! 

As soon as all the sheetrock is up and repaired around the house - then the cabinets can go in - it's going to be amazing, I can feel it in my bones LOL - The kitchen was SO impractical before - there will be way more counterspace and so many more cabinets!  

I hope everyone with human and fur babies had a happy and peaceful Mothers Day! 

Next week I'll have more on the master bath- that shower is coming along - 

​Okay- back to work - have a good week! 

 I can't believe I survived last week! 

My editor needed my next book by Friday. We are on an unusually tight deadline to get this book published on time, and I freely admit it was not easy. I had to sit myself down every day and agree to type any gobbeldygook that came to mind knowing you have to have words on a page to edit. Thursday night especially meant  I was up until four am finishing the book - then Friday I worked on the epilogue. Which by the way, there will be a new Honeysuckle book coming in August - Sweet Courage. Another soldier injured in that convoy explosion that got Josh and Aiden will be coming to Honeysuckle.  The preorder should be up by the end of this week!  I had thought of stopping at Sweet Devotion for a while, but the preorders were strong enough that my publisher wants another book sooner than later - so August it will be! 

Now for folks waiting on new of my mother.  All seems to be back the way it was before she took those dives last Saturday.  I truly believe the base cause of all of it was dehydration. It happens so easily in elderly because they don't want to drink because it makes then have to go potty and most folks hovering around ninety just don't want to get up that many times a day! The labs the doctor performed didn't show any abnormalities. The doctor didn't seem to think there was an issue with strokes or mini strokes, probably because by the time the doctor saw Mom on Tuesday, she was pretty much back to normal.  By Thursday she was up and about and roaming- I had to chase her away from my mail and drawers! LOL.  So far she'd done just fine being back at home so yay! 

As a reward I got to sleep late Saturday, veg out, and go out to dinner with a friend. It's a Saturday tradition ever since covid - we used to go to dinner every saturday night to help the restaurants and have kept it up. Only now we come back to my house after dinner, catch up on the latest episode of Boston Blue (which does anyone else think they've gone over the top with the latest 'family drama'? ) and then if we're not too tired or it's not too late, we watch an old movie. This week it was Silk Stockings with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. That was a favorite growing up, I just loved Peter Lorrie in a comedic role instead of his usual creepy film noir characters. And even though there are some great Cole Porter tunes, my favorite scene is still when the Peter Lorrie and his three comrades sing "When we meet in sweet Siberia" I just loved that silly song.  We did try a new restaurant - Lefty's. It's a chowder house and everything is home made. I will say the stuffed snapper I had was amazing and my friend said her crab cakes were the best ever. Even though the desserts looked amazing - they were a tad disappointing.  But here you go - just for show! 

. For me, meringue tastes better toasty. That foamy white felt like I was tasting raw eggs and sugar! lol.  The coconut cream was fine, but it didn't taste very coconutty, more like ordinary custard. While it wasn't bad, I decided it wasn't worth the calories.  We did bring that poofy meringue layer home and I tried to bake it into cookies - but I got lost in the tv show and forgot about them until the smell of burned sugar filled my first floor - oh well lol. 

Because I was busy with Mom, I didn't get a chance to get many new photos of my friends remodel house - but here are shots of the new kitchen window instead of the old one to allow for more cabinets. First photo is the original kitchen with all the cabinets gone - second photo has the walls closed up and the new window and to the right the door is moved and the laundry closet is where the old built in hutch was. The third photo is the close up of the window - you can see where it used to be almost twice as wide - but who needs that much window into the yard? Cabinets are way more helpful! 

Next week I'll hopefully have more for you! 

​Until then - have a great week - and tell me in the comments below what you think of that new window? 

Well - I think the closet turned out wonderful for what my kids need!  It will start out slowly letting the cats sniff it out - then they'll add the litter box - and then - they'll close the door and hope the cats figure out how to use the little cat door! You'll have to click on the photos to see the whole picture. 

So that was a perfect end to the project. 

Then I had a friend of more than twenty years - the woman who helped me with much of my military protocol in my Aloha series - had an unexpected layover in Dallas so I was able to rearrange my schedule and we got a nice long visit in downtown Dallas - even the ducks came out to play! 

And for more success of the week - we finalized the basic design for the new series! The Firefighters of Hart Land. I should have those ready for preorder as soon as we nail down the rest of the titles! 

Aren't they cool! 

then comes the actual end of the week - Saturday to be precise.  I babysat the grandbaby while my daughter's family, hubby, and my uncle all went to see the new Mario movie. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, my grands or my Uncle, but I digress lol. My uncle who lives with my mother found her on the floor staring at the ceiling. We have no idea how long since she'd fallen but he managed to get her up and then she dropped like a felled tree again. So we brought her home to my house - have given her lots of pedialyte in the event that she's dehydrated, and I'll make a doctor's appt today for tomorrow in case she's got a UTI or something similar that's affecting her balance. She has some moments when her balance is fine and then others when she wobbles like a weeble only unlike the vintage toy, she will fall down.  So we're hydrating her and walking her and feeding her lots of foods that she's not usually allowed for strength.  Will keep everyone posted! 

Now I'm off to my every other year dermatology visit.  If I like this new dermatologist we'll be able to do the annual check the way I should. 

Send prayers my way for both me and Mom! 

As with every week the last two months, most of my mornings are spend helping my daughter with the new baby while she does multiple carpools.  It never ceases to surprise me how fast these little ones grow the first year.  I wish they could stay small and cuddly a little longer but I'll take it for as long as I can get it. 

In the meantime, we're working on creating a cat closet for my daughter - you ask what is a cat closet?? A place for the litter box that doesn't smell up the whole house! LOL.  She had hers in the laundry room of their new house but it's at the opposite end of where one of the cats sleeps in their room so the former feral cat won't go past the kitchen so she needs to move it closer to the bedroom, hence, the new cat closet. 

Of course there was no closet where she's putting it. But, we did know from the survey that for some unknown reason, between her bedroom closet and the living room bookcases there is 18 inches of dead space.  WHY they didn't use that for a bigger master closet, I have no idea - but we decided 18 inches of dead space plus 15 inches of unwanted built in book case, would be just enough space for... a cat closet! 

My favorite handyman has been demoing and building for three days - it's looking good! 

here is the section of survey that showed the hollow space, and the bookcase in front and a close up of the case on the left that is going away. 

Unfortunately - it's still not finished - but - we have a few in progress photos - The first is the current state of the removed bookcase. The sheetrock still needs to be tape, bedded, and textured before it can be painted.  And the inside needs to have the floor put down and the walls put up - but you can see where the cat box can fit without issue! First shot is the view of the hall wall before we cut in for a door. 

I am still working away on Sweet Devotion and plotting for A Flicker of SOMETHING lol - but had to squeeze that in between helping a friend. On a general pre-emptive health check, she requested a calcium scan, which turned out to be twice as high as her previous one a few years ago, which led to the doctor doing a cardiac scan with dye, which showed two blocked arteries. Thankfully, all she needed were a couple of stents, but we were startled when the nurse said not to do anything with her right arm, no vacuuming, no pushing a grocery cart or if the clot breaks she could bleed out. Well, that was all we needed to hear to decide she was NOT going home alone after the 'simple procedure'.  But, despite having company for a few nights, I still managed to stay on track for word count! 

​Okay - time to get back to writing work! Will check back next week with the finished product! 

It seems having a baby in the family is the easiest way to notice how fast time is flying by.  They grow so fast. This week, my new granddaughter laughed for me! So much fun. I didn't realize she hadn't laughed yet for her mom, but at least I got a photo of it! 

I'm also overjoyed to have gotten my tax return done and filed almost a week early! That doesn't happen very often. I have no idea why it seems like human nature to wait for the last second to get important things done!  Are you a procrastinator or one of those organized folks who have their returns filed within weeks of the new year? 

Book news is chugging along. German Alohas released last week, and French Farradays release this week.  I'm pedaling as fast as I can! So far, I think Sweet devotion is coming along nicely.  

Here's a sneak peek - You might recognize a few folks from a favorite series. 

“Don’t pull him.”  Colleen Gleeson forced an easy smile.

The woman’s hands tightened anyway. The gelding lifted his head, ears flicking back, then forward, reading everything the rider hadn’t said out loud.
Colleen stepped in without breaking stride, one hand settling lightly against the woman’s calf, the other brushing her wrist. “Loosen it.”
“I am.”
She didn’t argue. They took two more steps. The horse drifted off the line, shoulder edging out, testing. Colleen adjusted the rider’s leg, just enough to shift her weight back where it belonged. “Again.”
The woman exhaled this time. Not much, but enough. The reins softened. The gelding’s head dropped a fraction.
“There.”
They moved forward, slow and even, dust rising under each step. The rhythm settled in—one beat, then the next—until the tension bled off and what had been work started to look like something easier. Even though it wasn’t.
Colleen walked beside them, close enough to correct, far enough not to interfere. This was it. Her last day under the tutelage of Hannah Farraday Johnson. Though not that much older than Colleen, Hannah had a reputation throughout all of Texas, the neighboring states, and often beyond, for running one of the best equine therapy operations. In the case of her uncle Connor Farraday, well, the man was known as the best horse breeder and trainer from shore to shore. If there was such a thing as a horse whisperer, Connor had that skill in spades.
Her wristwatch buzzed. Time was up. She cued the horse to halt with a shift of her weight and a quiet word. Her patient eased to a stop and sat for a moment before swinging down, landing with more confidence than she had a month ago, steadying herself briefly against the saddle before stepping away on her own.
"Good session," Colleen smiled.
“You’ll be meeting with me again next week.” Grinning as though she’d won the largest cupie doll at the state fair, Hannah strolled up.
The woman nodded, turned to Colleen and offering the first sincere smile Colleen had seen from her, spoke softly. “Thank you.” Without another word, she nodded and Hannah and limped away. To Colleen’s satisfaction, not nearly as pronounced as it had been when Colleen first arrived three months ago.
“We wish you could stay.” Hannah handed the horse’s reins over to one of the stable workers.
“I have to admit,” she fell into step with Hannah toward the main house. “I’ve been tempted.”
“But not enough.” There was no censure in Hannah’s tone, not even a hint of optimism.
“Honeysuckle is home. Between school, training, licensing, getting my hours, and… well, here,” she waved arm across the expanse of the Farraday operation, “I’m ready to go home.”
“Still planning to hang your own shingle?”
She nodded. “That’s the plan.”
“Horses?”
With a shrug, she tipped her head momentarily to one side. “That may have to wait.” There were certainly plenty of ranches with horse in her neck of Texas, but nothing like the set up Connor Farraday had. Of course, that didn’t mean that maybe some day…
“Have you talked to Alice Sweet? They’ve been doing a lot of improvements over there. Maybe that could work out.”
“Maybe.” She had thought the same thing. After all, it was upon the recommendation of Alice Sweet and in reverence of the Farraday patriarch Sean’s friendship with Charlie Sweet that she’d gotten this chance to train with the best.
At the front of the main house where Colleen had been staying, Hannah eyed the bed of her truck. “You’re all packed?”
“Yeah. I figure it’s like changing Band-Aids, easier in the end to just rip off the old one.
“Ouch.” Hannah cringed but still managed to smile. “So we’re an old bandaid, huh?”
“I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant, as excited as I am to go home, leaving here isn’t going to be easy.”
“Just so you know, you’re welcome any time. As a friend or a therapist. Whatever you want.”
“Thanks.” Colleen leaned forward and gave her new friend a tight hug. “I’ll remember that.”
“You’d better keep in touch!”
“You bet.” She stepped back, climbed into the truck, blew out a big sigh, and started the engine.
Hannah took a step back. Connor came out the front door and stood beside his niece.
She’d already said her goodbyes to Connor and his family after lunch, no point in starting that all over. She lifted her hand, waved at the two smiling Farradays, and pulled away. The windows went down. The radio went up. The gravel of Farraday's long drive crunched under her tires, then gave way to the standard West Texas blacktop.
The truck climbed a low rise and the land opened up the way it did out here — wide and unhurried, the sky taking up more room than anything else, the late sun burning everything copper and amber all the way to the horizon. Now her thoughts turned to her mom and dad, her sister in NEARTOWN, the Saturday afternoon corn hole games in the park, the delicious scents from the candle shop owned by her friend Jillian Sweet, the gossip queen, and everything about Honeysuckle that made her smile.
Resisting the urge to grab her phone and spent a good chunk of the drive chatting away with her sister, she rolled down the window a little further, let the warm air come in, and with a smile as wide as the Rio Grande, drove toward home.
How's that? Surprised? 

On the not so happy note, my cataract surgery I mentioned is postponed until July - why you ask- Would it surprise you if I said- a broken elevator? 

Yep - the elevator is broken and won't be fixed for six weeks. I'd have to walk up two flights of stairs every week for several weeks and since I couldn't breathe when I got to the top of the stairs we agreed, waiting was best. 

okay, that's it for this week, I have another busy week ahead and will post photos of the house reno then! 
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