“That’s wonderful. What are they like? Tell us everything.” I talked about all of them—their jobs, their lives, how much I look like them. I left out the barfight and a few other things that I didn’t want to worry them about.
“I’ve always wondered who you got those beautiful green eyes from, and now I know. And that Henry sounds delightful. He’s not much older than Matty.”
“He’s the sweetest kid. And he loves horses almost as much as Dexter,” I said, making my mom laugh. Dexter was my sister’s fouryear old, and all he thought about was horses. “I bet the boys would love meeting all the horses.”
“I’m sure they would. Will you be leaving after the rodeo? If you have plans to take some time off, we’d love to come there and see you. I know Jen would too. The boys are growing so quickly.”
“That’s why I’m calling. I’m going to have more time on my hands than I thought… because I decided not to take the commentator job after all.” I filled them in on my plan to find a property large enough to meet my needs.
“These Thornes must be something special for you to want to stay there,” my dad said.
“While the Thornesarespecial, there’s one Thorne I haven’t mentioned yet. Henry’s mom. Her name is Amy.” I told them about Amy and the more I talked, the more my mom sniffled.
“Oh, Cal, you’ve no idea how long your dad and I have waited to hear that you’ve finally figured out where you want to be. It makes me so happy to hear that you might finally have your happily ever after.”
“Thanks, Mom. I still have to talk to her about it all.”
“What if she doesn’t agree? What then?” my dad asked.
“Then, I’ll keep trying. She’s the one.”
We talked for a few more minutes before I managed to wrap up the call. I’d been a bit concerned that they would feel slighted over my desire to get to know my bio family, but I shouldn’t have been worried. Like always, they were supportive. The big surprise was how moved they’d been at the thought of me finding my place. I hadn’t realized they’d noticed how unsettled I’d felt for so long.
If everything went well, I’d have more news for them, but first Ineeded to show Amy that I was prepared to do what it takes to be worthy of her love.
THIRTY-THREE
CAL
“I’ve got three places that I think’ll suit you,” Ted Adams, the realtor, said when he picked me up that afternoon. “We’ll hit the closest one first.” Ted was an amiable guy and chatted about local gossip and the upcoming rodeo while we drove the twenty minutes to the first place. “This one needs the most work of any of them, but it’s got such great potential that I thought it was worth showing it to you.”
I got out of the vehicle and took in the large white barn that needed a coat of paint and some other repairs. Outbuildings were in a similar condition. All of that was fixable, but the size mattered. “How much property?”
“About two hundred acres of grass land, good for pasturing horses.” That worked in terms of size, and I liked the lay of the land. Enough trees for shade, plenty of grass for the horses to eat, and rolling hills for a little beauty. “Do you want to look in the main barn?”
“Yeah, I do.” I followed the agent while a hum of excitement started through my blood. It was the anticipation I often felt when entering the arena for a competition. But what I wanted here wasn’t going to be over in eight seconds.
Ted removed a padlock and pushed the barn doors open. The familiar scent of hay and horses hit me as I walked in. It was a barn like a thousand others I’d been in, but I was seeing it differently. This wasn’t a temporary visit to look at a horse and grab a saddle. This was where I could make my future, so I took a slow walk around, checking in every stall, climbing to the hayloft, and inspecting the tack room while I imagined the possibilities.
After the barn, I went outside to look at the other buildings and see the fenced pasture. It all needed work, but it was work I knew how to do, thanks to having helped in my parents’ construction business when I was younger. What mattered was that I could picture myself here, doing that work, training kids to ride. Being here was exactly what I wanted.
“I’ll take it,” I said when Ted and I returned to the main barn.
“You sure?” Ted shot me a quizzical look. “The other places are in better shape. You’d have fewer upfront costs.”
“No, this is what I want.” The property itself was exactly suited to my needs, but it also sat within an easy distance of the Thorne ranch. Even if Amy didn’t take me back—and I forced myself to accept that possibility—I wanted to be close to Henry, my brothers, and Laura. That would be a good life, too.
“There’s no house. Where you going to live?” Ted asked.
“What about that place?” I pointed to a farmhouse set among oak trees across the road. A “for sale” sign was in the front yard.
“Sorry, buddy, but as luck would have it, one of my associates sold that place yesterday. The contract’s already been signed by both parties.”
I felt some disappointment. It was a pretty place, but Amy would probably want some say in the house we would share. I imagined shewould want to live at the ranch for at least another year. That would give us plenty of time to build a place we could both be happy with.
Was I getting ahead of myself? Probably. I wasn’t going to make assumptions about or put conditions on our love as I had on our evening ride. I’d been a dumbass, but it had also been the wakeup call I needed.
Or maybe Jake’s fist in my face had been that. Either way, I’d gotten my head straight about what was important.
