your usual stuff out. What have you been up to?”
“I realized last night it’s been three months since I saw you and supplies were running low.” She smiled. “It’s getting serious when I’m down to my last two cold sodas.”
“We read each other’s minds.” Cindy popped open the trunk of her car.
“Let’s get this food unloaded, and I’ll write you a check. Then we can have a cold drink and catch up,” Luisa said.
“Sounds great.”
They carried bag after bag into the house, and Luisa put most of the food in the ancient propane freezer that took up a corner of the kitchen.
“Thanks so much for all the supplies. You have us set for another three months.”
Cindy shook her head. “I shouldn’t do this, you know.”
Luisa glanced at her friend, one eyebrow raised.
“It’s kind of like aiding and abetting. Enabling you to stay tucked away here.”
“I appreciate it, Cindy. And I do understand you’re being put on the spot over it. I go to town when I need to. I just tend to forget when it comes to things that aren’t urgent.”
Her friend laughed at that. “Food is a good thing. Anyway, I didn’t know how low you were, so I stocked up. I tried to call last night, but the phone was busy. Then the hospital called me in. You know how it is.”
“Mother called last night,” Luisa said quietly.
Canned tomatoes slipped from Cindy’s fingers and crashed on the counter. “ Your mother?”
“No, yours.” Luisa shook her head. “Sorry. Her call really bothered me.” She pushed her hair back from her face. “She wants to come for a visit.”
“Why?”
“She said we needed to talk.”
“What about?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care.” Luisa reached into the refrigerator for the last cold sodas. “Let’s go out on the porch.”
They stepped outside and Cindy sank onto the porch swing, tucking one leg under her and using the toes of her dangling foot to swing the seat back and forth. She accepted a cold can and popped the top. “What do you think she wants?”
“I really don’t know. She didn’t sound right. Not like herself at all.” Luisa shrugged. “Something must be up.”
“When’s she coming?”
“I’m not sure about that either. She said she couldn’t talk about it and hung up.”
“Well, we’ll worry about it when it happens, hmmm? What else is new around here?”
“Not a thing.” Luisa shivered. “Well, actually Royal Knight did hurt himself. But he’s fine now.”
Cindy sent her a meaningful look. “And you thought you were going to have to take him to Tucson.” It was a statement not a question.
“The thought crossed my mind.” Luisa sighed and slowly shook her head. “All right. I panicked, but it was an automatic reaction. I got a handle on it fast enough.”
“Luisa--”
“Now don’t lecture. It was just an old habit. Gone. Done. Anyway, everything else is dead quiet.” Luisa smiled at her friend. “Just the way I like it. It’s peaceful, quiet, and all mine. No BLM employees or research students to baby-sit this year.”
“It’s too bad your dad built the old bunkhouse. If it weren’t for that, you’d never be pestered,” Cindy said tongue-in-cheek. She appeared to reconsider. “Of course, then you’d have an excuse for never having anyone out here.”
Luisa took a long, cold drink. “Suits me. Strangers are always full of questions. Things that don’t concern them.” She ran her fingertips down the right side of her face, from temple to jaw, across the puckered scar she’d carried most of her life.
“Luisa,” Cindy hesitated. “You really should go to town once in a while. It would be so good for you. Besides, you could use a date now and again,” she teased.
“Did they teach you to make that kind of assessment during your psychiatric residency, Dr. Taylor?”
“Nope, woman to woman. You need a good man in your life.”
“Why? I have everything I need right here.”
“Don’t you want kids someday? A
“I realized last night it’s been three months since I saw you and supplies were running low.” She smiled. “It’s getting serious when I’m down to my last two cold sodas.”
“We read each other’s minds.” Cindy popped open the trunk of her car.
“Let’s get this food unloaded, and I’ll write you a check. Then we can have a cold drink and catch up,” Luisa said.
“Sounds great.”
They carried bag after bag into the house, and Luisa put most of the food in the ancient propane freezer that took up a corner of the kitchen.
“Thanks so much for all the supplies. You have us set for another three months.”
Cindy shook her head. “I shouldn’t do this, you know.”
Luisa glanced at her friend, one eyebrow raised.
“It’s kind of like aiding and abetting. Enabling you to stay tucked away here.”
“I appreciate it, Cindy. And I do understand you’re being put on the spot over it. I go to town when I need to. I just tend to forget when it comes to things that aren’t urgent.”
Her friend laughed at that. “Food is a good thing. Anyway, I didn’t know how low you were, so I stocked up. I tried to call last night, but the phone was busy. Then the hospital called me in. You know how it is.”
“Mother called last night,” Luisa said quietly.
Canned tomatoes slipped from Cindy’s fingers and crashed on the counter. “ Your mother?”
“No, yours.” Luisa shook her head. “Sorry. Her call really bothered me.” She pushed her hair back from her face. “She wants to come for a visit.”
“Why?”
“She said we needed to talk.”
“What about?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care.” Luisa reached into the refrigerator for the last cold sodas. “Let’s go out on the porch.”
They stepped outside and Cindy sank onto the porch swing, tucking one leg under her and using the toes of her dangling foot to swing the seat back and forth. She accepted a cold can and popped the top. “What do you think she wants?”
“I really don’t know. She didn’t sound right. Not like herself at all.” Luisa shrugged. “Something must be up.”
“When’s she coming?”
“I’m not sure about that either. She said she couldn’t talk about it and hung up.”
“Well, we’ll worry about it when it happens, hmmm? What else is new around here?”
“Not a thing.” Luisa shivered. “Well, actually Royal Knight did hurt himself. But he’s fine now.”
Cindy sent her a meaningful look. “And you thought you were going to have to take him to Tucson.” It was a statement not a question.
“The thought crossed my mind.” Luisa sighed and slowly shook her head. “All right. I panicked, but it was an automatic reaction. I got a handle on it fast enough.”
“Luisa--”
“Now don’t lecture. It was just an old habit. Gone. Done. Anyway, everything else is dead quiet.” Luisa smiled at her friend. “Just the way I like it. It’s peaceful, quiet, and all mine. No BLM employees or research students to baby-sit this year.”
“It’s too bad your dad built the old bunkhouse. If it weren’t for that, you’d never be pestered,” Cindy said tongue-in-cheek. She appeared to reconsider. “Of course, then you’d have an excuse for never having anyone out here.”
Luisa took a long, cold drink. “Suits me. Strangers are always full of questions. Things that don’t concern them.” She ran her fingertips down the right side of her face, from temple to jaw, across the puckered scar she’d carried most of her life.
“Luisa,” Cindy hesitated. “You really should go to town once in a while. It would be so good for you. Besides, you could use a date now and again,” she teased.
“Did they teach you to make that kind of assessment during your psychiatric residency, Dr. Taylor?”
“Nope, woman to woman. You need a good man in your life.”
“Why? I have everything I need right here.”
“Don’t you want kids someday? A