But he was a damn grown man.Or so he told himself as he parked his brand-new SUV in the gravel in front of the ranch house he’d grown up in.
He sat in the car, brooding a little as he stared at the house.His childhood in there had never been happy at its core, but there had been happy, good moments when his mother had been alive.
With Dad in jail—forever,forever—Cal knew there could be happiness in there again.Landon and Aly would sweep out the bad and the ugly and the fucked up and make it good.Heknewthey would.
And he just couldn’t live underfoot after they got married.He didn’t know quite what that feeling was—he didn’t begrudge them their happiness, figured they just about belonged together—but the idea oflivingin its proximity gave him hives.
Maybe he was just that much of a commitment-phobe.
Maybe that was the excuse he’d give Aly, so she didn’t get that hurt look he hated on her face.
Because he just didn’t want to live here, even if he was planning on building a new life here in Marietta.Maybe even for good.
He finally forced himself out of the car and into the frigid spring evening.But even if the air felt icy, the snow under his feet was soft and slushy.Like warmth was on its way.
Spring in Montana.What would that be like after all these years?He wasn’t sure it would be anything good.
But he’d made his choices, so he was going to find out.
He forced himself across the yard and snow, up onto the porch.He scraped his shoes on the mat, then pushed open the door.Maybe this wasn’t his place to come home to anymore, but he’d be damned if he’d knock on the Bennet ranch house door.
He was greeted with warmth and the smell of dinner coming from the kitchen.Which meant Aly was likely in the kitchen.Landon was probably still out doing ranch chores.
Aly and Landon had built a normal life out of the whirlwind of shit they’d all endured over the past year.Or maybe they hadn’t built it.Maybe they’d held onto it.Because this had always been Landon and Aly, even when they’d just been friends, even when Dad had been here pulling all his narcissist strings.They’d taken care of the ranch, taken care of each other, and taken care of Cal himself when they could finagle it.
He sighed.They were still going to try to do that, but Cal knew the next step in his life needed to be taking a little bit better care of himself, without the help of anyone else.Which would hurt Aly’s feelings.
But it had to be done.He moved for the kitchen and was unsurprised to find Aly at the stove.Cal didn’t understand it, but she seemed to like to feed anyone within a fifty-mile radius.She seemed to like the domestic duties of living, when Cal found he couldn’t be bothered.He’d rather shovel horse shit.
Her red hair was in a thick braid that rested between her shoulder blades.She was tall and lean.A pretty thing, all in all.
He’d always felt a little too protective of her to develop the kind of feelings Landon had always had for Aly.Besides, Aly only ever had eyes for Landon.They were made for each other that way.
But he also wasn’t blind.
“Something smells good.”
Aly turned and smiled in surprised greeting.When things had been really bad here, she’d been the only one in his life ever happy to see him.These days, Landon didn’thateto see him coming, but Aly’s smile meant something.
Time to crush it, Bennet, just like you do everything else.
“You’re home,” she said.
He wondered if she had any idea howcomplicatedthe idea of beinghomewas, but she just started looking around the kitchen.
“I wish you would have warned me.I would have made more.”
“You don’t have to feed me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.We’ll make do.”She started bustling around.
Making do.He might have said something to stop her, but Landon stomped in from the mudroom.He didn’t seem surprised to see Cal standing here, so Cal supposed he’d seen a new car in the drive and done the math.
“Welcome back,” Landon offered.
Which was a lot different thanwelcome home—different enough Cal was somehow both relieved and irritated.
Would he ever be something other than conflicted about his brother?Hard to say.
