Whatever had happened between her dad and Vera, Cait never, ever wanted to be in that much pain and certainly not for that long. Breaking up with Jared had been bad, but sometimes, deep down, she felt relief. She’d known him all her life. There’d never been any surprises. She knew what he was going to say before he spoke. Even his lovemaking—She made herself stop that train of thought.

With Coop, everything was new and fresh. Too new. Too fresh. And way too exciting!

If her life were different, yes, she’d go on a date with him. For a moment, she let herself imagine living in the beautifully remodeled Fredericks house. With him. There’d be animals and lots of fruit trees and...

She took a breath. It couldn’t happen.

She called June Sanders, who everyone knew was the best gossip in town, and told her Dr. Cooper Jones was a really great guy. “He’s funny and interesting and is looking for a place to settle down. Yes, he’s divorced, but he’s ready to start dating.”

“Thanks for the tip,” June said, and hung up.

Miguel was standing nearby. “Sure you want to give him up?”

“Yes,” Cait said. He waited for her to say more but she didn’t. I wouldn’t do that to him.

She made another call, this one to Forey, and Cait spun a story about Dr. Jones’s loneliness. “I think maybe he loves animals as much as Kelly does, but he has no one to help him in the office.” Her voice was rich with sadness. When her father raised an eyebrow at her, she turned her back on him.

“What a good idea!” Cait said. “Yes, call KU and see if you can find some help for him. I’m sure he’d appreciate it... Love you, too.” She hung up.

“You’re burning your bridges,” her father said.

“Doing what I must.” She quickly left the room.

The next day at breakfast, Forey called to say she’d found a receptionist and two veterinary students to help in Kelly’s clinic. “You really lit up the town by saying he was ready to date. The girls are tossing names in a hat to see who gets him first. Even Louise Peverel entered.”

“She has three kids and she’s ten years too old for him!”

“You lost the right to judge when you threw him back into the water,” Forey said tersely.

Caitlyn rolled her eyes as she listened. “Heather Winters? She’s good. Very good.” Heather was a beauty and smart and likable. She was a wife waiting to happen. Cait could imagine Coop and Heather living in the restored Fredericks house. It would be a perfect marriage, with three perfect children, and a perfect...

“What?” she asked. Forey repeated that Heather and Dr. Cooper were going out to dinner on Saturday night.