When his father disappeared, the barn fell quiet except for the usual soft rustle of horses shifting in their stalls. TJ leaned against the wall again and stared at the ground. He’d spent years chasing discovery across the world. But right now, the onlymystery he wanted to solve was why one stubborn barista could make Clear Creek feel like the hardest place to leave.
An hour later, TJ finished taking care of horses and put the wheelbarrow away. His arms hung heavy at his sides. He listened to the gelding’s tail thump against the wall of the stall he’d just been in. The smell of straw and saddle soap clung to everything, and it reminded him of being a kid. Before he’d grown up and started chasing his dreams across the globe.
He walked down the aisle to the other end of the building and leaned against the door jamb. From the wide opening he overlooked the pastures, his gaze drifting toward the mountains. Mist clung to the tree dotted hills leading up to them. It might be a while before the sun burned it off. It was a beautiful sight. He should be at peace out here. He wasn’t.
“Thought I’d find you hiding in the barn,” came a voice behind him.
TJ turned to see Ethan standing there, hands in his pockets, grin firmly in place.
“You say that like it’s unusual.”
“For you? Nah. You brood like it’s a competitive sport.” Ethan walked over and grabbed a handful of hay from a bale. “So, what’s got the great explorer of Cornwall all tied in knots? Jet lag? Girl trouble? Existential dread?”
TJ snorted. “Something like that.”
Ethan smirked. “Right, so… girl trouble.”
Before TJ could answer, another voice chimed in. “Told you he’d be out here,” said Caleb. He marched down the aisle, Luke right behind him. Caleb was the practical one. A little too serious at times and blunt. Luke, on the other hand, was all teasing grins and mischief. Much like Ethan.
“I can’t even muck out stalls in peace,” TJ muttered.
Luke leaned against the gate that separated the aisle from the massive arena. “We’re just making sure you haven’t decided torun off to New Zealand yet. Mom’s been pacing the kitchen since dawn.”
TJ rolled his eyes. “It’s not a done deal.”
“Good,” Caleb said. “We could use the help around here. Besides, you’ve been gone long enough. Time you remembered what steady work feels like.”
Ethan elbowed him. “Ignore Captain Responsibility. But I think you should stay, too. That way Mom will finally stop trying to marry me off.”
Luke laughed. “Yeah, she’ll shift her focus to you. About time someone else took one for the team.”
TJ shook his head but couldn’t help a chuckle. “You’re all heart, you know that?”
“Hey, I’m just saying,” Ethan replied with a grin. “Stick around a while. You never know what you might find. Might even be that big adventure you’ve been chasing is right here.”
TJ leaned back against the door jamb, arms crossed. “You sound like Dad.”
Ethan shrugged. “He’s not wrong.”
Caleb folded his arms too. “And what happens when the wanderlust hits again? You’ll pack up and go, same as before. You’re not built for small-town roots, brother. Don’t pretend you are.”
The words hit harder than he wanted them to. TJ let out a slow breath. “Maybe. But lately, I’m not so sure.” The quiet settled in again, the only sound the distant clank of a gate out in the pasture. Their father must be turning some of the horses out for a few hours.
Luke broke the silence. “Mom’s already planning to bring pie over to Pleasant Beans this afternoon. Probably wants to ‘check in’ on you, and drum up some friendly competition with those old folks working there.”
TJ groaned. “Fantastic.”
Ethan grinned. “Could be worse. She could bring Grandma.”
That earned a collective shudder from all of them. Their grandma was nothing like Grandma Waller or even Irene. Hmmm, he could only imagine what would happen if he put his grandmother in the same room with Irene Dunnigan.
“Fine,” TJ said, shaking his head. “You win. I’ll stay a little longer. But if Mom starts talking weddings, I’m blaming you three.”
Ethan clapped him on the shoulder. “Deal.”
As they left the building and headed toward the house, TJ looked at the arena one last time. The morning felt lighter, but the ache in his chest hadn’t gone anywhere. Maybe Caleb was right. Perhaps he wasn’t built for roots.
But when he pictured leaving, all he could see was Lila, and somehow, that made the idea harder to swallow than ever before.
