Chapter 13
Henry
His chest was tight with anticipation from the moment he stepped into the new building and saw Amelia with her sister and the rest of the cast and crew.
He had been anticipating her arrival for days, weeks, even.
Henry didn't even realize how much his feelings had developed until he walked into the room and saw her. He had just dropped a box off at her trailer, and he wanted to tell her it was there. He had an ice breaker—something to talk about. But he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.
There were so many people around, and his feelings would have been obvious.
The group was in the bar area of a restaurant he had been to several times.
He went to the back, knowing that Judd had already arrived, and he could go right up to their group.
He saw Judd, and he was going that way, but Amelia was positioned on his way to Judd, and there was nothing he could do to stop himself from going up to her and reaching out to touch her.
It was a small area, and it was loud and crowded in there, so he was able to come up behind her without being obvious. He put his hand on her back, and he was about to say something about how he messed up earlier, but she turned, and it wasn't Amelia at all.
He had touched her back, and now she was looking at him. He made an uncontrollable look of surprise when she turned. Ty knew Henry, and she smiled when she recognized him. The two sisters were supposed to be playing each other's doppelgangers in the series, and they really did look a lot alike.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I was trying to get out of the way," he explained, glancing behind him as if looking for someone, as if he had been shoved into her.
He didn't know what he was trying to say.
"Is your sister here?" he asked. He stopped talking once he realized she might put it together with the back-touching, but she didn't seem to flinch.
She just smiled and shook her head. "Oh, Amelia didn't come."
Henry tried to keep his face neutral, even though the disappointment was immense. "I thought she said she was coming," he said, still trying to seem casual.
"Yeah, she got some box delivered, and then she just decided to stay back. I begged her," she said, shaking her head. "I tried to tell her we're about to have plenty of time trapped in that trailer."
Sam made a remark about the trailers and how he needed to fix his up.
Someone else mentioned Ty and Amelia's trailer being lush, and Ty responded to that.
Everyone was standing around and chiming in.
Henry was at a loss. He wanted to turn and walk out that instant.
He wanted to go right back to the farm where Amelia was.
Judd saw him and called him over, and Henry went that way.
He tried to seem unaffected, but it was difficult. He was affected.
Henry stayed for about five minutes of cordial conversation… just enough for it not to be obvious why he was leaving. He walked out without telling anyone. He just made it seem like he was using the restroom, and he left. He didn't even tell Judd. He would text him later.
Henry looked for Amelia's number when he headed toward his truck. He had her number saved under her name, but until this moment, he had never used it. They had always messaged on the chess app. Henry called her number as he went toward the back parking lot where he was parked.
He waited while it rang.
Twice.
Three times.
His heart was pounding.
The back part of the parking lot was gravel, and he could hear the sound of it under his feet as he paced near his truck and waited between rings.
Her voicemail picked up, and Henry felt a wave of disappointment wash over him.
How could he not have talked to her earlier?
She had every right to ignore him now. Her voicemail was a standard, automated recording, but she called him back while it was still playing.
Henry grinned as he pressed the button to switch the call over.
"Hello?" she said.
"Hello," he replied. "Amelia?"
"Yes."
"This is Henry."
"I know," she said.
"I was in there with Judd and them just now."
"Oh," she said.
"I thought you were going to be here. You were talking about coming to Butte."
"No, I… decided to stay here. I'm at the ranch."
"Okay, well, I'm heading back there. I, uh, left something in the barn, so I have to come back over there. Could you come by the barn in thirty minutes?"
"Sure," she said.
"So, you got the box?"
"Yes."
"Was it Donna's Bible?"
"Yes," she said.
'"Good," he replied simply.
"Are you coming back here now?" she asked.
"Yes. In thirty minutes. I thought you said you were meeting me in the barn."
"I did, I just wanted to clarify."
"Yeah, I'm in my truck now. I’m on my way back. I'll see you in a half-hour."
Henry got off the phone, and he headed straight to the ranch.
It seemed to take him forever.
He parked at the barn, and he walked inside.
"Hello?" he called.
But no one answered.
"Amelia?"
Nothing.
He called her on the phone, and she picked up on the second ring.
"Hey, where are you?" he said when she answered.
"I'm on my way. I’m almost there."
"I thought you'd be here."
"I had to go back to my trailer, and I was all the way at the stream—you're early, anyway. You said thirty minutes, and it's been twenty-five."
"I drove fast," he said.
"I'll be there in two minutes," she said.
He went to the door that looked out toward her trailer.
He saw her walking his way from a distance.
The lights were still turned down in the barn, and he could see her better than she could see him.
He wanted to go to her, but there were people at the ranch, and he knew it was best to greet her once she made it into the barn.
"Hey, why didn't you go to Butte?" was the first thing he said to her as she approached the door. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and she had her hair half-up. She was adorable, and he felt like he simply had to have her. He didn't know where to start, so he had asked the most obvious question.
She shrugged. "Because I wasn't sure if I was going in the first place." She paused and shook her head, smiling and glancing away from him as she walked inside. "I was just going there to get the attention of some guy, anyway. It's dark in here."
"What did you say?" he said, coming inside and letting the door close behind them.
"I said it's dark in here."
"Before that."
"You know what I said. You heard me."
"No, I didn't."
"I was just joking around."
The two of them were inside the barn now.
"Did you say it was about a guy?" he asked.
She grinned at him and pushed at his shoulder. "You said you didn't hear me." Their eyes met. They had looked at each other earlier, but not like this. Their eyes really met this time.
"Who's the guy?" he asked.
She shrugged, messing with him. "You don't know him."
"I better know him," he said.
He wanted to take her into his arms, and he didn't know how to do it. He wanted to hold her so badly he feared he might crush her.
"I saw your sister at the restaurant, and I thought she was you."
She smiled and shook her head. "Don't tell her that. She can't wait for this to be over so she can cut and color her hair. Did you talk to her?"
"Yes. I touched her back."
She smiled at him, those white teeth, that beaming smile, lighting up her face. His heart was racing.
"You did not."
He grinned. "I did."
"Did you think she was me? What did you say?"
"Yes, I thought she was you, and I just pretended like the whole thing was an accident. I apologized."
"Did you talk to her?"
"Just long enough to find out you stayed here."
"You asked about me?"
"Yes," he said simply.
"I went to the stream," she said. "It's so nice out. I wish PJ were here. He'd love it out here."
"Did you say your mom's helping you with him?"
"Yeah, I thought about taking him to Monterey, but no, he's staying with my friend, Caleb. He'll be at his apartment with him, and he'll have way more time to spend with him than my mom would."
"You've mentioned this name before."
"Yeah, Caleb. We're friends from school. He changed his major before I did, so we don't have classes together, but we stayed friends. He's another animal lover. He's good with PJ, so I just paid him instead of worrying about my mom."
"Is he the one you've talked about working with when you try to open a business?"
"Yes, that's the one. Caleb. He would be good to work with, for sure."
Henry shook his head. He tried to manage a smile, but he couldn't. "At least PJ's being taken care of," he said.
"Oh, yeah, definitely. He'll take good care of him."
This woman did not owe him anything. They had never even gone out on a date together. "Is that guy trying to be your boyfriend?" he asked, unable to stop thinking about it.
"Who, Caleb? No. He's not."
"So, no one is?"
"No one's trying to be my boyfriend, no." She smiled shily. "Why are you asking me that?"
"Because I felt jealous when you said that PJ was with some guy. I didn't know what kind of guy would babysit a girl's dog."
"Caleb's great," she said. "You'd like him. I'm really thankful to have him watching PJ with how long I have to be gone."
"I get that," he said with a nod, even though he didn't quite get it and he was innately against this guy.
"Speaking of sweet, precious babies, how's Candice? How's the rest of the gang? Can I go see them right now? I haven't been in the barn yet." She was adorable, talking fast and wiggling in a tiny jumping, jiggling motion like she just couldn’t stand still.
He could not hold back a grin. "Yes, you can," he said.
"I was worried you would sell her."
"I know. I bought Candice thinking I'd break her and sell her."
"But you couldn't," she said. "I would have been so sad if I came here and she wasn't here. Is she in the movie?"
"No. That would stress her out. She's doing great, though. I ride her all the time. You should come see her." He motioned for her to follow him down the long hallway of the barn, and she happily went with him.
Henry went directly into Candice's stall.
He held the door open and urged Amelia to come in with him.
Candice was excited to see Amelia. She came into the stall with the perfect amount of confidence.
Henry watched as the two of them connected.
Candice remembered her. She was happy, rubbing her face against Amelia's body and causing her to laugh.
Amelia spoke to Candice in a sweet, loving tone that was like music to Henry's ears.
It actually did something to him—seeing her there and hearing her voice.
He could understand the idea of a siren now.
He was entranced by her. There was an underlying raspy sound in her tone, and he listened harder than ever as she spoke to Candice.
"I love her, Henry."
"She loves you too," he said, petting Candice's neck. He pulled back and focused on them, taking them in. "She really does love you," he added. "She's happy."
"I'm happy," Amelia said. She stared at Henry with a curious expression, and he felt tight-chested because of it. "Can I come in here every day to see her?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation. "Just be careful. Make sure you get a read on her mood. You know what to do."
"Thank you," she said, looking at him with an excited expression. "I won't let others come in with me or even know I'm coming in here."
"Thank you," he said. "I'll have to give you a key. Josh and I have it locked up. There will be a lot of people out here, and we won't let anyone but you in here."
"Aw, that makes me happy. I'm the only one?"
"You are, I'm not even giving Judd a key."
"Whoa. You like me that much?" She was petting Candice's neck, but she glanced at him when she said that.
He gave her a teasing grin. "Maybe I just think you'll sneak in either way."
"I won't," she said. "You don't have to give me a key. I'll stay out if you want me to."
She glanced at him, and he paused, letting their gazes stay connected for longer than necessary.
"I don't want you to," he said.
"You don't want me to stay out?"
"No, I don't."
She cleared her throat. "Then I'd love a key," she said. "I promise I'll use it right, and I won't invite anyone in here with me."
"Who would you invite in here with you?"
She shrugged. "My sister? I don't know. I'm just saying, I won't bring anyone else with me. I won't bring any guys in here," she added, teasing him.
"Yeah, you're right," he said with a half-smile that made her laugh. "I'm already having enough trouble with Carlson."
"Caleb?"
"Yeah, whatever."