Page 1 of Caleb's Cause
CHAPTER 1
Caleb Lassiter easedhis vehicle into the parking lot his GPS had directed him to, and as he parked, he looked around like his head was on a swivel. “Wow,” he whispered out loud. “A hell of a lot different than Seattle.” He sat there in stunned silence as he looked out at the terrain and saw the leaves beginning to change, but it was still a bright sunny and upper seventy-degree day. With a shake of his head, he shut everything down and climbed out, stretched, then headed to what he thought was the front door of the Bed and Breakfast he had been told to go to.
He stepped inside, and liked the wild west theme, but deep in his heart, he didn’t think it was a theme to amuse the customers, it was the reflection of the owner’s way of life.
“May I help you?” an extremely gruff voice asked, and Caleb whipped around and thought the man had to be at least a hundred-years-old, but would later realize he was only in his late fifties to early sixties.
“Yes, please. I’m here to see a Jake Cogburn,” Caleb said after referring to the papers in his hand. He didn’t see the scowl on the older man’s face, but when he looked up, the man was walking away, but not before telling him to wait there.
Caleb waited for at least fifteen minutes before this tall handsome man entered behind the older man.
“I’m Jake Cogburn, I heard you were looking for me? What can I do for you?”
Caleb drew in a deep breath, held it, let it out slowly and actually leaned in several inches before he lowered his voice. “Could I talk to you privately?”
“About?”
“You, me.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll step into the kitchen,” the older man said. “Pru is due today with the eggs.”
“Okay, where’s RJ?”
“Finishing up chores in the barn.”
“Could you send her my way when she comes in?”
“Sure.”
“Now, who are you and what do you want?” Jake didn’t mince his words after the older man disappeared somewhere in the home.
“I’m Caleb Lassiter, and I worked with the people that worked on your new prosthetic. Since I was headed in this direction anyway, I volunteered to bring it to you. However, I can’t just hand it over. I have to make sure it fits properly, and you use it for at least thirty minutes before I leave.” Caleb saw the shock on the other man’s face, and rushed on, “That’s the you part. For the me part, I have an appointment tomorrow morning with Erin Riceman. If all goes well, I’ll be the new physical therapist on her ranch. My uncle works for her already, and I’m not only here for my interview with Ms. Riceman, I’m also here for Uncle Ry’s wedding.”
“Uncle? Who did you say you were related to?”
“Ryan, Ryan Carter.”
“Oh, wow, okay. I forgot he was getting married this month. But what was that part about you?
“Uncle Ry said that even if everything went well with the interview, I wouldn’t get hired without a background check. He also said that you’re the one to do it.”
“That’s right.”
“Well, the papers are in my car, but I had one done.” He saw the look of shock, then what seemed like anger cross Jake’s face and held up his hands. “It’s all legit, I swear.” He shook his head, then chuckled. “I told my Dad about the background check, he said that was smart on Ms. Riceman’s part, then Dad called Uncle Ry, and they talked about it. Dad didn’t do it, but he had some people he works with run the check on me. I have it in the car.”
“What makes your father think he can do a proper check on you?”
“He’s a homicide detective with the Seattle Police Department. His name is Kevin Lassiter.” Caleb saw Jake trying to connect the dots, and explained, “My mother and Uncle Ry are siblings.”
“Ah, got it, so this Kevin is Carter’s brother-in-law?”
“Yes.” Due to the expression on Jake’s face, Caleb drew in another deep breath, and let it out slowly. He knew his father had always been a tough nut to crack, but this guy took the cake. He felt like he was a little boy explaining why he had done something, even knowing he hadn’t done anything wrong, nor was he a little boy. “I know you didn’t ask, but for now, I can tell you that there is absolutely no love lost between Karen and Ryan. Yes, my mother’s name is Karen, and I know this is disrespectful, but she is a first-class entitled bitch. I won’t get into the details with you, no offense, but I think Uncle Ry should know first, but trust me, she is exactly where she is supposed to be.”
“May I at least ask where that is?”
“Washington State Penitentiary for Women. She was sentenced for eighteen to twenty-five and isn’t eligible for parole until after serving the first eighteen.”
