“Cal.” Saying his name was all I could manage for a moment. At the sound of his voice, it felt as though my heart started beating for the first time since we broke up. “I was hoping we could meet up and talk. Can I come see you tonight?”
“I need to talk with you, too, but I’m not at the B&B right now.” He gave me an address a short drive from the ranch and we agreed to meet in a half hour, which gave me time to put on something cute and freshen my makeup. I rushed to my closet and flung open the door. Minutes later I was headed for the address he’d given me. It seemed familiar and when I rounded a curve in the road and saw the house I’d just purchased, I understood why. How had Cal known about the house?
I pulled into the driveway and parked, spotting Cal on the other side of the road near the big white barn. I waved to him, but his return motion was stiff, mechanical, not at all the easy movement I was used to seeing in him. As I walked closer and could see his face moreclearly, his expression was a mix of hopefulness and nerves. What was going on?
I didn’t know, but I did know that he looked so damn good I wanted to throw myself into his arms. This was my opportunity to show him how I felt about him, so I took it. I walked straight up to him and clasped my hands behind his neck. His immediately went to my waist before he started a kiss that lasted for a long minute. The entire universe righted itself in that moment. I sighed. This was how things should be between us. I rested my head briefly against his chest, but he broke the embrace, putting a little distance between us.
“I didn’t mean to kiss you right away,” he said, “but I’m glad I did.”
I smiled at him. “Me, too. Cal, I need to tell you something.”
“I’ve got things to tell you, too. Can I go first? Please.” His expression was endearing and heartfelt.
“If you want,” I agreed, even though I was practically bursting with the words that I’d planned to say.
“Come with me.” He took my hand and led me through the open barn door. It was a typical looking barn, much like others I’d been in around Poplar Springs. The only oddity was a makeshift table made of plywood and sawhorses. Cal took me toward the table where I could see a large sheet of paper. The words “Pierce Rodeo Training Center” were written across the top. Underneath was a sketch of the barn’s interior and the fenced pastures outside, not exactly as they were, but more how they could be.
“What’s this?” I asked, an inkling forming in my head.
Cal turned me to face him, meeting my eyes. “I was wrong when I told you that I could only be happy on the rodeo circuit. I was thinking too small, and I want to change that. I’ve bought this property to start my own business where I can train kids to become rodeoriders. I want them to love riding and the rodeo as much as I do. It’s going to take some work to get it up and running, but I can do it.”
I watched his expression as he spoke. He was excited about the project.
“I want to stay here and make this a success. And I hope you’ll give me another chance. I love you, Amy, and I want us to be together. You, me, and Henry,” he said, continuing before I could tell him that I loved him, too.
“I get that you might not want me back, but I’m here to stay regardless. I’ve found my place and my dream. It would be complete if I had you with it, but I’ll understand if that won’t work for you.” He squeezed my hand. “I’m hopeful, though, that you’ve got it in you to forgive me so we can share a life. I love you so much. I didn’t know I could love someone like this.”
“Cal, I?—”
“And if you need more time, take it. Take as much time as you like but let me be part of yours and Henry’s lives while you decide.” Finally, he stopped talking. I opened my mouth to speak, to pour out that I loved him, too and wanted to be with him, but it turned out he wasn’t actually done.
“I know that I can never replace Luke,” Cal continued. “But I swear I’ll dedicate my life to making you and Henry happy. Whatever it takes, I’ll gladly do it.”
In that moment, I realized that Jake was right. Cal did have an unrealistic perception of Luke. I had to dispel that or Luke would always come between us. I needed to have that talk with Cal before I could tell him how I felt. But not here.
I gave a tug on his hand toward the barn door. “I have things to say, too. Come with me. I want to showyousomething.”
THIRTY-FIVE
CAL
Ifollowed Amy across the road to the farmhouse that had just been sold. She was silent as we walked, so I was, too. I desperately wanted to keep talking, to make my case why she should be with me, but it was her turn to talk and mine to listen. She walked straight up onto the house’s porch and unlocked the front door with a key she took from her pocket.
“I’m in the process of buying this house so I can move off the ranch,” she said as we walked through the door into a formal parlor and she flipped on the lights. “My offer’s been accepted, so the agent let me have the key so I could measure for furniture.”
“You bought a house?” I asked. “Why?”
She spun around to face me when we reached the second room. “I bought it because I don’t want you to think that you’ll always be living in Luke’s shadow, and that’s what would happen if I’d stayed on the ranch. I bought this beautiful old place so we could have something new together.”
I was stunned. She’d bought the house and I’d bought the barn across the street. Was this some kind of fate? I felt a surge of happiness well up in me. It was the best feeling I’d ever known, and I stepped closer to kiss her, but she held up her hand.
“There’s more, though,” she said. “I need to talk to you about my marriage to Luke.”
My heart instantly sank. Here’s where she’d tell me that she could never love me as much as she had her first husband, the perfect Luke. Could I accept that and stay in a relationship with her? I’d have to because I couldn’t let her go.
She half turned and looked around the room. She drew in a breath, and I waited for the inevitable.
“I fell in love with Luke when we were college students. We were young and immature, but happy, really happy. He was at SC on a football scholarship and had plans for the NFL. But that didn’t happen. Then I got pregnant. As soon as Luke found out, he’d asked me to marry him. Actually, when I think about it now, it was more like hetoldme we were going to marry. Since the NFL was out, we came home to the ranch.”
