Chapter 10 #2
A silly worry, but one that felt more likely with each minute that ticked by.
He needed to talk to Justin. The man’s sister had been in Caleb’s bed all night. Justin had loaned his vehicle to Brigit, but he probably hadn’t expected her to spend the night. What did he think?
A loud rumble punctured his doubt spiral. Justin swung his pickup into the spot next to Caleb’s. Justin lifted his chin and turned to say something to Brigit as she climbed out.
Caleb got out. He might as well find out if there was bad blood between them. Brigit slanted him a small smile as she walked around to the passenger side. She didn’t stop but got inside like she knew he had to clear the air with Justin.
Justin lowered the window. “What’s up?”
“Just wanted to know… We good?”
Justin’s gaze slid to where Brigit was settling in, then back. “Because you kept Brigit out past her curfew?”
“Well…”
“Kidding, man.” Justin grinned, but turned serious. “Not that you or Brigit need my approval, but if I’d ever thought you were bad for her, you wouldn’t have been to my house so often.”
Caleb nodded, a lump forming in his throat. Justin’s support was no little deal, and he hadn’t realized how much the secret had bothered him until its weight was lifted from his chest. “I guess I need to get right by your parents, but I don’t know if she’s ready for that level of commitment.”
“Dad just wants Brigit to be happy and he’s always gotten along with you. Mom might be a little raw that you’re stealing her time with her baby girl, but I don’t think you need to be terrified of her like you have been since I’ve known you.”
Caleb cast him a droll look.
Justin shrugged. “Okay, I mean, I don’t think it’s as personal as you think. Brigit was kind of a loner as a kid and we all worried about her.”
“She still plans on leaving.”
“Can you blame her?” Justin draped an arm over the steering wheel and peered out the window.
“It was kind of like, ‘Hey, all the land and cattle you worked growing up, we’re giving Travis everything. Fly, little birdie.’ We had the world open to us, but I don’t know that either of us really wanted to go.
I thought I did, but city life didn’t agree with me.
I got to come home because the guys expanded and needed extra help.
But they’re having kids and if they took on extra people, it’d be as a hired hand.
I can’t blame her for wanting more than to be someone’s bitch her whole life. ”
“I don’t, either,” Caleb said quietly.
Justin looked directly at him. “I know. And that’s why I’m worried about you.
Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you only had eyes for her when we were younger, and you’ve never been serious with anyone else.
Now she’s back and you’re standing here asking for my blessing even when you know it’s temporary. ”
Someone’s bitch. Would that be how everyone saw it if by some miracle she stayed in Moore and built a life with him? Would that be how she felt?
Acid turned his breakfast sour. He’d be ecstatic, living the life he wanted with the woman he’d loved his whole life, while she’d be settling, doing the work he couldn’t get to while he was on duty.
“I wish there were more job opportunities here.”
“If there were, we’d have a population that hit five figures. Anyway.” He flipped his truck into gear. “Let me know if she needs a ride home. I’m going out with Maisy tonight, but we can swing by and get her.”
“I’d rather get chewed out by your mom than put Brigit through facing Maisy again.”
Justin shifted back into park. “She said something similar. Were there really problems with Maisy?”
Other than the girl being selfish, arrogant, and callous and not one bit better as a woman? “I don’t know specifics. I just know there were.”
A muscle jumped in Justin’s jaw. “I guess this might be the last date, then.”
“Let’s hope it goes better than when you two broke up junior year.”
Justin frowned as he tried to remember. “What, you mean my car getting keyed? That wasn’t her.”
The hell it wasn’t. “She just didn’t get caught. But it wasn’t a coincidence that it happened while you were at your rebound’s house.”
His brow furrowed. “I just can’t picture Maisy doing that.”
“She’s obsessed with you. Be careful.” Caleb tapped on the truck door and turned to his own.
Brigit was scrolling through her phone.
He opened the door. “Should we go through here first?”
“Sure.” Brigit hopped back out. “I have a specific brand in mind.”
No one gave them more than a second glance as they wandered through the store. He was in here enough and Brigit had been coming since she was a kid.
“While I’m in town, I should look at a new kind of colostrum replacer.” She pulled out her phone. “Justin said he just bought what they had on hand, but he’s had to use it more than he thought for multiples. He asked me to look into the best brand.”
“It’s probably the same department. I doubt they have much for sheep around here.” They both angled toward the back of the store where the displays for minerals and supplements were.
A man in a red frock turned the corner. Teddy. Caleb put a lot of his orders through the guy. “Can I help you with— Oh, Caleb. What can I do for you?”
“I’m thinking of changing up my mineral based on what she recommends.”
Teddy glanced at Brigit and right back to him. “Is there something wrong with what you’re using?”
Brigit rattled off the brand she’d mentioned earlier. “I think it’s better suited for this area.”
Teddy only spared her another brief look before turning back to Caleb. “The mineral you order through us is just fine. They’re all the same, really. Fourteen minerals.”
“They’re not all the same,” Brigit said tightly. “Do you carry it or not?”
Teddy eyed the bags piled on the pallets, each with their own labels claiming they were the best in the market.
“We’ve never seen the need to. The ranchers in this area haven’t mentioned the name.
” Extra stress on ranchers in the area .
“But we have some fliers if you decide you need a change.” Teddy turned and plucked fliers from the front of each brand.
Caleb snuck a peek at Brigit. Her pinched features held back a maelstrom of emotion. Her ice mask had slid into place.
Teddy handed the papers to Caleb.
Brigit’s lips thinned. “Where’s your sheep colostrum?”
Teddy blinked. “Oh, uh, it’s around the corner. But Caleb raises cattle.”
Caleb chortled. “She’s well aware I raise cattle, Teddy.”
Brigit lifted a cool brow and stared Teddy down. “Sheep colostrum.”
“Oh yes. Yes, sorry.” Teddy rounded the endcap of the aisle. “Again, we don’t have much variety, but any of these will work for the occasional 4H project.”
“It’s not a 4H project,” she said tightly. “My brother’s a sheep rancher.”
“Oh, Justin Walker?” Teddy craned his neck around. “Is he here?”
“No.” She didn’t elaborate but stepped in front of Teddy to study the labels on the colostrum.
“O-Okay. Let Justin know he can talk to me anytime.”
Caleb didn’t have to see Brigit’s face to know she was rolling her eyes so hard her irises disappeared. But again, no drama.
Teddy left them, and Caleb leaned over to whisper, “How pissed are you?”
“I’ll have to have you or Justin talk to Teddy to find out for me.” She pivoted. “They could use some education on the products available out there.”
“Or you could give them a talking-to. Make them listen.”
She didn’t react. Did she think he wasn’t serious? “Let’s go to the vet clinic. Bunny’s clinic offers some of the specialty brands this store refuses to carry. If she has what I’m looking for, you’ll have to special order it through them, but you don’t pay shipping.”
“Your cousin sells mineral at the vet clinic?”
“You can order it through them. I think once my dear friend Teddy realizes what a good product it is, and what a good fit it’ll be, he’ll start carrying it. Bunny doesn’t want to compete with them, but you know how hard it is for old-time ranchers to change their ways.”
He did. The Walkers had some of the best expertise in the area, but since they weren’t at the bar like they used to be, he didn’t have a chance to talk to them as often.
Only since Justin’s return had he been able to get updated advice on supplements, decreasing open rates, and the overall longevity of his cows. A healthy cow was a calving cow.
“Vet clinic it is.” As they walked out of the store, another question popped into his head. Teddy might not take her seriously, but he did. “You know anything about using sorghum for silage instead of corn?”
She gave him a sidelong look. “Have you asked Teddy?” Her lips twitched.
Good. Teddy might not have known what a gold mine of information Brigit was, but Caleb did.
“The answer is yes. I wrote a paper on it in college. My professor even asked for my references for a review he was writing for an ag journal.”
As he drove across town, Brigit covered the pros and cons of switching the way he fed his cows during the winter months when grass wasn’t available.
He’d heard a few comments here and there about the type of silage making a difference but to have Brigit cover the topic so thoroughly?
A guy couldn’t Google that shit and not get lost for hours in conflicting information.
It was often how he spent the evenings of his shifts at the fire department.
He put an order in through the clinic, and once they were done, he took her out to eat.
“I didn’t think the Brown House Café would be this busy today.” Brigit looked around at the booths filled with diners. The tapping of silverware on glass plates made a background chorus that drowned out the twangy old country music playing from the speakers.
Caleb liked the food here, but he’d smell like grease and coffee all day. “I don’t recognize anyone.”
Brigit’s gaze turned solemn as she studied him. “I’m not afraid of being seen out with you. I’ve just had enough of others in my business, and I know what people will assume when they see us together.”
“We are together. For now.”
Her mouth twisted in a half frown. “I feel like the bad guy.”
He reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “I didn’t mean to sound like a dick. It was mostly a reminder for myself.”
She gave his hand a squeeze and went back to her menu. “What are we going to do after this? After dinner, I mean.”
Subtle change of topic. One that was welcome given the nebulous terms of their not-quite relationship. “I’m going to run back out to the ranch before I turn in for the night. I can give you a ride home when I do. I’m sure your mom would like some time with you before she heads back.”
“Right.” She lifted her gaze above the menu. “Maybe we can make a pit stop before that? Maybe back to your room?”
A swirl of awareness gathered, a small funnel of anticipation. After lunch, Brigit would be his dessert. “Whatever the lady wants.”