Granny's eyes burned bright. "No," she said. "Not even then. The Song of the Soul Mate sings throughout all lifetimes."
Kaia crinkled her nose. Granny had some eccentric beliefs that clashed with her own, and she wanted to deny the fanciful lore. But she was open-minded enough to admit something mysterious was going on.
"So tell me about your first kiss with Grandfather."
"The minute his lips were on mine it was as if the earth shifted off its axis, and I thought I heard a choir of angels singing. I realized it was the Song of the Soul Mate my mother had told me about, the same way I told you and your sisters."
"How sweet!"
"But then your grandfather told me he was engaged and he never meant to kiss me but that he was so taken with my beauty he was unable to resist. He was completely tormented by that kiss, but so was I."
Kaia ran a palm over her mouth. "I can imagine."
"I was too young to be falling in love, far too young to hear the Song of the Soul Mate. I hadn't even finished high school, and the man I loved was already promised to another."
"What did you do?"
"We tried to forget each other-of course, it was the only honorable thing to do-but we were miserable apart! My heart felt as if it had been ripped from my chest. I couldn't stop thinking about him and when I thought about him I heard the humming. It would not stop. How I prayed for it to stop! I did not want a reminder of everything I was giving up."
"But then Pawpaw broke up with the other woman and came for you."
She smiled slyly. "He did. But that's enough about my story. You are the one who is hearing the soul mate song for the first time. Tell me about it."
Kaia shrugged, reluctant to let the cat from the bag. Once she spoke his name, she'd never be able to take it back.
"Who is this man that has set your head singing?" Granny asked.
Kaia ran a trembling hand over her mouth, met Granny's hard-edged stare. Took a deep breath and bravely said, "Ridge Lockhart."
A beat of silence passed between them. Then two. Three . . .
"Oh no," Granny Blue whispered.
"Oh yes. Now do you see why I am so worried?"
Chapter 19
It was ten a.m. when she got home from Granny Blue's, and Kaia had no more than walked through her front door when her cell phone rang.
The minute she saw Ridge's name on her caller ID, she started grinning, answered it with, "How did you get my cell number?"
"Ember," he said.
"Don't ever have sisters. They'll throw you under the bus every time."
"Thanks for the tip." He chuckled, and the deep-throated sound had her curling her toes inside her boots.
"What do you want?" she asked, hopefully wary that he wanted to see her again.
"You want to go do something?" he asked.
Bounce went her heart. "Like what?"
"Hang out."
"Are you asking me on a date?"
"We don't have to slap a label on it."
"Hanging out is what kids do. If you want to date me, just ask."
Ridge snorted, and she could almost see him shaking his head and smiling, the way he did when she'd both irritated and delighted him.
"All right then. Would you like to go to . . ." He paused as if he was trying to think of a good place to take her.
"In case you've forgotten, there are a limited number of date options in this town. Dinner and a movie, bowling, line dancing at Chantilly's, going out to watch for the Marfa Lights, and/or hitting the new ice-cream parlor on the road into town. Otherwise, for date stuff, it's a three-hour drive to El Paso."
"You forget," he said. "I own my own plane."
"Braggart."
"Up for a flight to El Paso?"
"Nope."
"You're turning me down?"
"I'd planned on giving blood this afternoon at the hospital, and I'm usually a little light-headed for the rest of the day after I donate."
"Could you donate another day?"
"It's for Natalie Vega's baby girl, Amelia. She's got Von Willebrand's disease and occasionally needs a transfusion."
"Who's Natalie Vega?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot you haven't been keeping up with us for the past ten years. I'm talking about Natalie McCleary, who owns the Cupid's Rest B&B. I think she was a couple of years ahead of you in high school. Anyway, she got married a few years ago to Dade Vega, a former Navy SEAL. He now works for Border Patrol."
"Man, I hate to hear that her kid is sick. Will she be okay?"