A Canyon Springs Courtship. Glynna Kaye

guessing you want to talk about your grandfather’s book. Am I right?”

      He reached for his own mug and took a satisfied sip. Phyllis Diane made a mean cup of coffee. “As a matter of fact, I do, but not concerning the folks he documented. Did you know he didn’t include anything about himself in the Canyon Springs history?”

      “That’s not surprising.”

      “Probably not. But I want to include a chapter on him—and you, of course. As a team, the two of you were instrumental in growing and developing Canyon Springs. It’s easy to see what you accomplished. It’s the background that’s more of a blank. It was only when I sat down to put something on paper that I realized I don’t know a whole lot about my own grandfather.”

      “What do you want to know?”

      “He was born in Illinois, but do we know anything about his family besides that he was an orphan? Did he go to college or receive any professional training? Having to ask about that kind of stuff makes me feel like a self-centered jerk.” He took a ragged breath. “I loved that guy and I miss him every single day. Why didn’t I ask him these questions when he was alive?”

      “Don’t get down on yourself. Your granddad was a talker but not much about himself. I’ll try to answer your questions, but I’m not sure if what I know will satisfy. He was a private man, a lot like you in that respect.”

      Jake pushed back in his chair. “How’d he lose his parents?”

      “They died of influenza when he was two years old.”

      “He grew up in an orphanage, right? You’d think the sole heir of well-to-do parents would have been snatched up by a self-serving somebody before his folks were cold in the grave.” The inheritance must have been a comfortable one, as when Granddad came to Canyon Springs in his early twenties, he started up a construction supply business almost immediately.

      “Unfortunately, no one took him in. He never spoke of extended family.”

      “That’s rough.” Jake glanced at his grandparents’ photo sitting on his desk and a heaviness settled in his chest. Both were smiling, with no evidence that Granddad had a less than advantageous start in the world. If only he himself could be half the man his grandfather had been, taking in stride whatever life handed him without whining. A man of integrity, filled with faith. “I wonder if he remembered them.”