Caleb (The Burnett Brides #12)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

C aleb Burnett stared at the computer screen as sun glinted off the polished wood desk he’d inherited from his grandfather. His mind flitted like a butterfly, knowing he was running out of time. Tomorrow morning, he would fly to Washington, D.C., to attend the largest marketing convention in the U.S. where he hoped to find an advertising agency to help him market the Burnett Dude Ranch.

With only him being the entire marketing department, everything that had to be done for effective marketing strategies was too overwhelming. He needed help and this convention would be the perfect place to find exactly who he needed.

But until he partnered with an agency, he was on his own.

He sat in his chair, a mug of black coffee cooling next to his laptop, the screen filled with a half-finished social media campaign. Caleb’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, but his thoughts wandered, tugged by the weight of everything he carried. The Burnett Dude Ranch depended on this campaign. On him.

And yet, it felt like he was the one who would benefit most from the campaign. How long had it been since he’d had success in his life?

His aunt Rose had given him free rein to advertise their ranch, their business, and their very livelihood, unlike his father, who had lived off the money generated by the family business. His father had believed in living life to the fullest, even if it meant hurting those you loved. And no one had better try to get in his way.

But Caleb would never be like his father. Never.

He needed this launch to be perfect—the tagline, the imagery, everything. Perfection was his armor, proof to the world that he could take the chaos of the past and reshape it into order. He was unlike his old man, who just lived for the moment.

The alternative—failure—was not an option. This promotion had to be flawless. It wasn’t about the money—the Burnett Ranch was doing just fine in that department. For Caleb, it was about something far deeper: pride.

He wanted the world to see the ranch as he did—a place steeped in tradition, built on hard work, and offering a piece of Texas that was as authentic as it got. Every detail mattered, every word and image needed to reflect not just the ranch’s beauty, but its soul.

“Not bad,” he muttered, studying the sleek photo of the ranch’s horse barn lit by a blazing sunset. But not great either. The words Where Adventure Meets Tradition stared back at him from the screen. Too cliché. Too hollow. He deleted the line with a sharp tap of the backspace key, exhaling hard through his nose.

What about Heritage You Can Feel, Adventures You’ll Never Forget?

It was all about heritage—the deep-rooted traditions that the ranch carried on with every sunrise over the rolling hills, every hoofbeat on the trails. Caleb wanted visitors to feel that legacy, to experience the pride and authenticity that made the Burnett Ranch special.

But it wasn’t just about the past. When families came to the dude ranch, he wanted them to create new memories that stayed with them long after they left. He wanted parents to laugh with their kids, bond over horseback rides and campfire stories—things he’d never had with his mother and father. That was the lasting impression he wanted to leave: a connection, a sense of belonging, a reminder of what family could be.

Frowning at the blinking cursor, Caleb wrestled with the words, knowing exactly the message he wanted to convey to prospective guests. He needed to capture the essence of the Burnett Dude Ranch in a way that left them yearning to experience it for themselves. The open skies, the camaraderie, the simple joys of slowing down—it had to leap off the page and into their imaginations.

“You’re going to give yourself wrinkles” came a soft, musical voice, startling him so much that his coffee sloshed over the edge of the mug.

Caleb’s heart slammed against his ribs. He jerked his head toward the empty corner of the room, knowing exactly what—or rather, who—he’d see.

Eugenia Burnett hovered there, her hands on her hips and her lips curled into an impish smile. She looked as she always did—radiant in a high-collared blue dress that shimmered faintly, her silvery hair coiled into an elegant bun. Her eyes sparkled with the mischief of someone who had long ago decided the rules didn’t apply to her.

“Damn it, Eugenia,” he said, slapping his palm on the desk. “Could you not sneak up on me like that?”

At first, he’d thought his cousins were crazy when they mentioned seeing a ghost. But now she appeared at every wedding or celebration to announce her next victim. And he had not been on her radar the last time they’d seen her. What was she doing here now?

“Do what?” she asked innocently. “It’s not my fault you’re so easily startled, Caleb.”

“I’m not startled. I’m working.” He gestured at his laptop, trying to ignore the way his pulse was still racing. “You know, doing something useful. You should try it sometime.”

She chuckled, the sound light and teasing. “Oh, Caleb. What fun would it be if I announced myself? Besides, I’ve been standing here for at least five minutes. You were too busy brooding over your silly little slogans to notice.”

“I’m not brooding.” He wiped the spilled coffee with a tissue, refusing to meet her gaze. “And they’re not silly. They’re vital for the ranch’s success.”

They were vital for his success.

Eugenia floated closer, her ghostly form shimmering as if she were made of mist and moonbeams. The ghost crossed her arms, her translucent form glistening with indignation. “Oh, please. The ranch is fine. Your aunt Rose ensured that long before you became marketing director, whatever that is. What’s not fine is you, Caleb. You’re like a cactus in a pot—prickly, self-sufficient, and completely alone.”

He groaned, rubbing his temples, wishing she would leave. “Do you rehearse these speeches, or do they just come to you?”

“I’ve had decades to practice.” She leaned over the desk, her expression softening. “You’re afraid, Caleb. Afraid to let someone in. Afraid of repeating the mistakes of the past.”

Her words hit too close to home, stirring memories he’d spent years burying. His parents’ toxic marriage. His father’s affair. Their deaths left a trail of unanswered questions. Caleb had sworn then and there that he’d never let love turn him into his father.

“You’re as obsessed with control as ever. I wonder, Caleb, have you considered that your real problem isn’t a lack of good marketing, which I know nothing about, but the lack of something else entirely?”

“Like what?” he asked and immediately regretted saying anything.

“We didn’t have marketing back in my day. We raised cattle,” she said. “We raised families and little ones, or you wouldn’t even be here.”

“Here we go,” Caleb muttered under his breath, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms. “Give it to me, and then please leave.”

This would waste his time, which he sorely needed right now.

“Don’t you roll your eyes at me, boy,” Eugenia said, pointing a translucent finger at him. “You’re lonely, Caleb. And not just in the way you pretend suits you. You need someone to challenge and soften you. Someone to show you life. Someone to love.”

“I don’t need anyone.” His tone was sharper than intended, but the last thing he wanted was a lecture about emotions. Not from a ghost. “Why don’t you focus on Cody? He’s the one you mentioned at the last family gathering.”

Eugenia tilted her head, her smile widening as if he’d walked right into her trap. “Oh, don’t worry, sweetness. I can work on more than one of my grandsons at a time.”

He groaned, dragging a hand through his hair. “I don’t want or need your help.”

She laughed, the sound bubbling with mischief. “Oh yes, you do. You’re the most challenging of them all. Cody’s just a touch stubborn. You? You’re like an iron gate with a broken hinge.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

After witnessing his parents’ marriage and their final days together, putting a ring on someone’s finger was not something he found compelling. He didn’t need someone to scream and wail at him.

“It wasn’t one,” she said, floating closer until she loomed over his desk. “Mark my words, Caleb Burnett. I won’t get my eternal rest until I see you, your brother, and your cousin Desiree find true love. It’s a matter of pride, you see. My unfinished business, as it were. And I will accomplish my goal.”

He stared at her, exasperation knotting inside him. So now he was on her radar, which couldn’t be good. How did you compel a ghost to leave you alone or return them to their crypt?

“You’re impossible. Sooner or later, you will realize that marriage is not for everyone. Hell will freeze over, melt, and freeze again before I get down on one knee.”

Just the thought made him shiver.

“And you’re afraid,” she countered, her voice softening. “You think if you let someone in, they’ll destroy everything. But love isn’t a hurricane, Caleb. It’s the shelter from the storm. And you deserve shelter, even if you don’t believe it.”

“Love isn’t for everyone,” he said finally, his voice tight. “Some of us are better off alone.”

“And yet, here you are,” Eugenia countered, gesturing at the laptop. “Working yourself to death, trying to control everything because you think it’ll protect you from getting hurt. But control isn’t love, Caleb. It’s just another cage.”

He pushed back his chair, standing abruptly. “Enough. I don’t need a lecture on love from a ghost.”

She arched a delicate brow. “Oh, but you do. And you’ll thank me for it one day.”

“Doubtful.”

The air in the room stilled for a moment, her words sinking deeper than he wanted to admit. But he pushed the feeling aside, shaking his head. “You can play matchmaker all you want, Eugenia, but I’m not interested. Now, I have a business trip to prepare for. And I know how much the Burnett Ranch means to you, so I suggest you leave and let me finish my work.”

She gave him a knowing smile, her form beginning to shimmer and fade. “Get prepared, Caleb, to open your heart. Soon enough, you’re going to meet your woman. Don’t blow your last chance at love.”

With a soft laugh, she vanished, leaving the room eerily still. Caleb stared at the space where she’d stood, a mix of frustration and unease swirling deep inside him.

He returned to his chair, his gaze falling on the half-finished campaign. The words on the screen blurred as his thoughts drifted to the past. There had been someone once. A girl in college who’d made him believe, however briefly, that love might be worth the risk. But his family had ruined that when he had to come home to keep his parents from killing one another. Only problem, he’d failed.

Life had a way of reminding him that risks came with consequences. His father’s affair had torn his family apart. His mother’s bitterness had poisoned every room she entered. And Caleb had walked away from that girl—Taylor—before he could do to her what his parents had done to each other.

Shaking his head, he focused on the screen again. The campaign wouldn’t write itself, and the Burnett Ranch needed him to stay grounded in the present. Not haunted by the ghosts of his past—literal or figurative.

Still, Eugenia’s parting words lingered like the scent of roses in the air.

You’re about to meet someone who’ll change everything.

Caleb snorted, dismissing the thought. If love was a storm, he’d already survived the worst of it. He wasn’t about to let it sweep him away again.

And yet, as he stared at the blinking cursor, the certainty he clung to felt a little less solid.

Eugenia was one determined ghost, and she’d already matched his cousins. There were only three of them left unmarried. And now she’d set her sights on him.