Chapter 4
The sky was soft blue over the fields, the air warm with the smell of grilled burgers, mesquite smoke and cut grass.
Gravel crunched under Caleb’s boots as he climbed out of his truck.
He headed toward the sweet yellow farmhouse that Titus Finch and Emelia Wells had turned into a home.
The place reminded him of his family’s farm back in Vermont.
The scenery was different, but the feeling was the same.
Comfort. Welcoming. Home. The kind of place that made you want to stay a while instead of checking the time and moving on.
Not long ago, he and other members of the Brotherhood had finished the barn for Emelia, who planned to teach cooking and do livestreams out of it.
It was partially done when Titus bought the place, but finishing it took weeks and a whole lot of sweat.
Good, honest work. Work that left you sore but satisfied at the end of the day.
Laughter rolled across the yard as Caleb rounded the corner toward the massive wooden deck overlooking the five-acre property.
A short woof cut through the noise, followed by a scramble of paws.
Leo, the scruffy mutt that Emelia had adopted, bounded toward him, tail wagging hard enough to shake his whole body.
“Sit,” Caleb said, laughing. Leo dropped immediately, tongue lolling as if he couldn’t wait another second to say hello.
In his wake was the new puppy, Zeus, who at six months old was already twice Leo’s size and still growing. Caleb tried again. “Sit.”
The pup blinked, then launched himself straight into Caleb’s chest. The force knocked the breath out of him as he staggered back a step. Leo gave him a long-suffering look that said, Kids.
Caleb ruffled both their ears, getting a slobbery lick from Zeus for his trouble. “What are you feeding this guy?” he asked, grinning at Titus. “He’s a monster.”
Titus shook his head. “Yeah, he’s going to be enormous. I should never have asked Emelia to go to the pound without me.”
Laughter rippled through the group. From inside the house, a country song drifted through the open windows. Chase passed around bottles of frosty beer from a bucket of ice, and the men sat back, catching up on life and enjoying the feast. The noise felt good. Familiar. Safe.
Titus had set up the poker table in the large, paneled room off the patio, the sliding doors open to let in the late evening breeze.
Dusk was almost upon them, settling in slowly and softly, the light filtering through the trees and creating shadows on the floor.
The day winding down always did this to Caleb, easing the noise and leaving behind a calm, familiar quiet.
“Where are the girls tonight?” Caleb asked, tossing a chip between his fingers.
“Oh, they’re all at a baby shower for one of Tessa’s friends,” Ford McCallum said as he dealt the cards and visibly shuddered.
Caleb chuckled. “Guess you lucked out.”
“For sure. Listening to women oohing and aahing over onesies and diaper cakes isn’t my idea of a good time.”
“Surprised you know what onesies are,” Will Blake teased.
“Fuck off,” Ford shot back. “Being the manly man that I am, I know things.”
Dexter Drum looked over the top of his cards and shook his head. “You guys are a bunch of pussies talking about baby showers.”
“Enough sharing,” Ford declared, flicking the last card toward Titus. “Five-card draw.”
Caleb picked up his cards and leaned back, the chair creaking beneath him as laughter filled the room.
“You guys in or out?” Titus tossed a chip into the pot. “Or are we going to continue discussing onesies and diaper cakes?”
Caleb looked up. “Yeah, I’m in.” He tossed a couple of chips on the table, but his head wasn’t fully in the game.
Nights like this always hit him the same way—good company, cold beer, and that edge of something missing.
Like standing outside a warm room, close enough to feel the comfort, content enough to linger at the threshold.
Leo was sprawled under the table. Zeus rested his chin on Caleb’s boot, gently gumming his laces. He gave the mutt a scratch between the ears and was rewarded with a slimy kiss.
He missed this—the feeling of someone waiting at home. A reason to stay instead of moving around. The Brotherhood and his construction company kept him busy, gave him purpose, but lately it fell short.
A sharp kick under the table snapped Caleb’s attention back to the present. “Your turn, man,” Chase said, smirking.
Caleb blinked, realizing everyone was looking at him. He threw in another chip and forced a grin. “Sorry. Got distracted.”
Titus smirked. “Thinking about getting yourself a dog?”
“Maybe,” Caleb said, glancing down at the snoring pups at his feet. “Seems like less trouble than dating.” And safer, he didn’t add.
That earned a round of laughter. But as the cards were passed around and the music hummed in the background, the idea stuck. Maybe tomorrow he’d stop by the shelter. Just to look.
A couple of hours later, Caleb gathered his cards and pushed them onto the pile in front of Titus. Talk drifted around the table about work, football, the usual trash talk.
Finn mentioned that the last of the downtown renovation was wrapping up. Lainey Harper’s project was finally nearing the finish line. Caleb had helped protect it and Lainey a while back, and every time he drove through, he couldn’t help feeling pride in how the place had come alive again.
“What’s she doing next?” asked Colt Zander.
“She’s starting a nonprofit,” Finn said. “She wants to rehab some of the older buildings and homes near the edge of town into affordable housing and use part of the old district for pop-up shops and training programs.”
“Guess the city council still feels guilty about Councilman, rather ex-Councilman Cho’s fall from grace,” said Caleb.
Finn snorted. “No doubt about it. They never apologized, but that works to Lainey’s advantage since they’re bending over backward to keep her on.”
He leaned back in his chair, took a long swallow of beer, then nodded at Caleb. “Speaking of projects, I’ve got another job coming up if you’re interested. I’m swamped.”
“What’s the job?”
“Mia Whitmore’s barn.” Finn frowned. “You’ve met her, haven’t you? Plated Perfection. She catered the fundraiser for Willow Haven at the Foundry a while ago.”
Mia? Oh, yeah. The tall, slender, blond-haired beauty serving up the most delicious food.
He’d been stalking—well, not stalking—but trying to get close to her for a while.
Every near miss had left him mildly irritated and more interested than before.
Somehow, she kept avoiding him. Yeah, he remembered her all right.
“What’s she looking to do?”
“Something about a party barn. Thought you might want to take a look if you’re around next week.”
Caleb nodded. Yeah. He’d take a look.
By the time the guys called it a night, the air outside had cooled enough to be comfortable. The smell of charcoal still clung in the breeze.
Caleb stepped outside, beer bottle in hand, and leaned against the porch rail. Through the open doors, he could still hear the guys laughing, arguing over who owed who.
He looked out toward the pasture; the light in Emelia’s barn glowed softly. The guys would head home to warm kitchens and soft lights and women who thought they hung the moon. Well, except for Dex, who was still single.
Back home in Vermont, this would be the time his dad would be walking the fence line, then head inside to have a cup of coffee with his mom before bed. Here, it was just him.
He took another pull of his beer. Maybe a dog wouldn’t be the worst idea. Someone to ride shotgun, keep the quiet at bay.
Tomorrow he’d stop by the shelter.
Just to look. That was what he always told himself before things started to matter.