“I like it lots, but,” his chin started to tremble, “what if Uncle Cal can’t find it? It took him so long to find the ranch.”
I smoothed his hair back from his face. I didn’t tell him that buying the house was part of my plan to make Cal part of our lives permanently. Henry didn’t need to worry about that. I just needed to reassure him. “I promise you Uncle Cal will find his way here.”
“In that case, I say buy it.” Henry grinned up at me, and I returned his smile.
“Good. Let’s do it. We’ll take it,” I announced to Sophie when we joined her on the porch.
“Are you sure?” Sophie’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “I planned to show you more houses. There’s nothing else available in town, but if you were willing to drive a bit?”
“We want this place. Let’s start the paperwork,” I said. I just hoped that what I’d told Henry about Cal coming back and finding us didn’t turn into a lie.
THIRTY-TWO
CAL
Ispent a sleepless night back at the B&B, wrestling with my next step. One thing was clear, I needed to show Amy that I was serious about putting down roots if I wanted her to take another chance on me. This wasn’t going to be like the last time I tried to settle down. Back then, I’d desperately wanted to pursue the rodeo life. It had been my dream. When I traded that for a job I didn’t like and for a woman who only seemed right for me, it was destined for failure.
Now, I knew that being with Amy and Henrywasmy dream. Having them and my newfound family would be enough to make me happy—and to truly make Poplar Springs the home I wanted it to be. I just needed one more thing, an idea that I’d been toying with for years. When I’d worked with Henry and King at the ranch and again when I’d watched the girl win her barrel race, I’d felt the other dream’s pull. I knew what I wanted my next career to be. I wanted to work with kids and train them for the rodeo. Maybe raise horses for the rodeo, too. That dream meant staying in one place. Something I was finally ready to do.
I waited until nine and reached for my phone, putting a call through to the Rodeo Sports Network headquarters. It took a minute to connect to my contact there.
“Cal, good to hear from you,” Nick Kowal boomed over the line. “I saw video of your ride at Anders City. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Nick,” I said. “I need to talk to you about the job.”
“You angling for a bigger salary? We can probably work something out.”
“No, that’s not it. I’ve decided it isn’t for me, so I’m withdrawing my acceptance.” Just saying it took a weight off me.
“What?” Nick questioned. “But, Cal, you’re a natural at the job. You know…” Nick went on for a few more minutes. I let him talk until he ran out of steam.
Finally I said, “Nick, I’m grateful for the offer—I truly am. But I’m serious about going in another direction. I’ve got other priorities in my life.” Priorities that meant more than a few minutes of time on the air.
“Well, dang it,” Nick said. “You sure I can’t sweeten the deal for you? More money? More vacation time? What’ll it take?”
“Nothing you can offer,” I said, “but I appreciate you making it.”
“You must have something else big in mind.”
“I do,” I said. “I figured out what’s important to me and I’m going after it.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Nick said. “You keep the network in mind if you have a change of heart.”
“That won’t be happening.” I knew that no matter what happenedwith Amy I wouldn’t be returning to the circuit. It was time I put my boots down in one place long enough for them to get dusty.
When I hung up with Nick, I texted Rafael to ask for a recommendation for a real estate agent. Five minutes later, I had a name, number, and a text that asked what the hell I was doing. I laughed at my friend’s bluntness and called the number to set up an appointment to look at available property in the area big enough for a training center and a herd of horses.
Then I had another call to make.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, hon. Haven’t heard from you in a while. Are you still in that town? Hang on, your dad just came home. Edmund, Cal’s on the phone. Honey, I’m going to put you on speaker so your dad can hear too.”
“Yep, I’m still in Poplar Springs. The rodeo is coming up.”
“So, did you… Did you find out more about Laura Cooper?” my mom asked.
“It’s Laura Cooper Thorne—and not only have I met her, I’ve also met my two half brothers and my nephew.”
