Chapter 6
6
Caleb
S omething was off about that woman. Caleb didn’t know what it was, but the fact that she insisted on hiding her appearance sent all kinds of warning bells in his head. Emily. The name didn’t quite suit her. He hadn’t known what to expect her name to be, but Emily simply wasn’t it.
Didn’t matter, though. Emily wasn’t his type. He didn’t need to care what her name was. And it certainly didn’t matter that when she flirted with him, he’d been thrown off balance so much that he nearly forgot he needed to keep her at arm’s length.
Emily was still a stranger—a tourist who wouldn’t be sticking around for long. Heck, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she was on the run from something with the way she insisted on those sunglasses.
He sighed, shaking his head as he brushed down their horses. Emily Hartford was dangerous, no doubt about it. And he would be more than happy if he never had to see her again. Besides, he wouldn’t say that he had a type, but if he did, she wasn’t it. She was too quiet, willing to keep too many secrets. People who had to hide their appearance when they were out in public were either in trouble or running from it.
Caleb continued to brush down his horse, his thoughts continuing to linger on Emily despite his best intentions. He found himself wondering why she needed to hide who she was. He wanted to know if she needed help, but she was buried too deep in her denial to ask for it.
Shoving aside those concerns, he reminded himself that a beautiful woman like that didn’t need his help, and she wasn’t asking for it. Mateo’s opinion that Emily might be his soulmate was ridiculous. Just because they crossed paths in front of Sal’s meant nothing.
Though Mateo would probably give Caleb an earful if he found out that they’d crossed paths again—and even more so if he knew that Caleb ended up coming to her rescue.
Caleb frowned, his brushing slowing as he continued to dwell on that fact. Bumping into Emily had been a coincidence. But saving her from her runaway horse made everything seem a little bigger. Fate had put him in her path when she needed it most.
No.
He wasn’t going down that endless tunnel. If he allowed himself to think that they were meant to be together, then he’d only continue searching for evidence to back it up. The last thing he wanted right now was to fall in love with some girl who wouldn’t end up staying in town long enough anyway. That could be the stupidest thing he could do for his future self.
Emily Hartford would leave—probably within the next couple of days—and he wouldn’t have to see her again. He wouldn’t have to think about her bright green eyes or the way her bronze skin looked under the sun. He wouldn’t have to recall that her smile made him feel things he wasn’t even aware he could feel.
Caleb gritted his teeth and placed the brush on a nearby shelf with finality. He wasn’t going to keep thinking about her because he wasn’t ever going to see her again. That was that.
He left the barn, not seeing any sign of Mateo or the pups. They were probably inside the main house, and the last thing he wanted to do was intrude on something when they already had enough hands to take care of it. Mateo would call him when he was ready to finish their conversation or have Caleb come back to do some more training.
At home, it was quieter than Caleb had expected. Most of his older siblings weren’t home, but then it was a Friday and that meant they could go out and have some fun.
Caleb removed his hat and his boots, leaving them by the door as he moved farther into the house. From the sound of it, all his married siblings were gone. His twin was still gone. And that left only three individuals who could possibly be at home. His youngest sister was poking around in the kitchen and only briefly looked up at him when he entered.
He got himself a cup of water and tossed it back before he placed the glass in the sink. It was hard to see Charlie as anything but his baby sister, but to look at her, he wouldn’t be surprised if the young men in town had already started to pay attention to her.
His chest tightened. She wasn’t ready for that. If Caleb couldn’t find anyone worth dating, then Charlie shouldn’t be accepting invitations from men, either. Thankfully, she was an introvert and wouldn’t be seeking out that kind of companionship.
She glanced at him and lifted a brow. “What are you looking at?”
Caleb shrugged. “Nothing.”
“Then leave. I’m going to be trying out some new recipes, and you’re going to be in the way.”
“Are you going to share?”
Charlie rolled her eyes and let out a groan. “Fine. But you don’t get to ask me what I put into the food.”
That gave him pause. He didn’t know what she might be willing to slip into her food—this could turn out very bad.
“Don’t worry, Caleb,” Daniel’s low voice came from the kitchen doorway. “She’s not going to poison you or anything.”
“Can you be sure about that?” Caleb hedged. “How much do we really know about her cooking abilities? She might be slowly poisoning us already.”
Charlie gasped and flung a hand towel in his direction. “I’m not going to poison you. I just want to try out some recipes in case someone asks me out.”
Caleb froze. “Has someone asked you out?”
She turned away from him, but not before he noticed the color in her cheeks. “Not yet.”
He couldn’t deny the relief he felt hearing those two words. Caleb shot a look toward Daniel but found him missing from the doorway. Was his brother not worried about their sister? As her family, they were her first line of defense when it came to keeping her safe.
Caleb hurried out of the kitchen, ignoring Charlie calling after him. He found Daniel in the living room, a book in hand as he lounged on the couch. “I don’t like it.”
Without looking up from his book, Daniel said, “You don’t like what , exactly?”
“That Charlie is thinking about cooking for… someone else.”
“Someone else that doesn’t exist yet?” Daniel’s eyes flitted up over the edge of the book for only a second. “She’s eighteen. I assure you, she’s been thinking about other boys for quite some time.”
“I doubt it. She hasn’t been dating anyone. She doesn’t talk about anyone.”
Daniel chuckled. “It doesn’t really matter anyway. Officially, she’s an adult. She can do whatever she wants, just like the rest of us. Frankly, I’m surprised that she’s stuck around this long. We’ve dealt with a lot of baggage over the years. Anyone in their right mind would have left ages ago just like—” Daniel cut himself off and set his focus more seriously on his book.
“You mean like Carter.”
Daniel didn’t respond. The only indication that he’d been paying attention was the slight twitch in his left eye.
“Well, we need to be careful, especially if she’s not. There are so many people coming to town lately, and there’s no telling where their morals lie.”
“You’re overthinking this,” Daniel said. “In fact, I would wager that you’re projecting. You don’t want her to date anyone because you’re scared of dating.”
Caleb scoffed. “I’m not scared of dating. I know better than to believe that people are inherently good. They’re far from it. I’d rather just stick to the group of people that I know and care about, thank you very much.”
Daniel glanced at him once more. “You know, d’Nile isn’t just a river in Egypt.”
Caleb scowled at his brother. “I get it. You all think I’m being ridiculous since that whole thing with Liam and Margot, but you should listen to me. The more outsiders we welcome into Copper Creek, the less safe it will become.”
“I think the time to worry about letting outsiders into town is long past, Caleb. You’re just going to have to get used to figuring out who the good ones are before you let yourself get close to them.” Daniel turned the page of his book. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get back to my book with the precious little time I have left before the rest of them come back from dancing.”
Caleb huffed and headed out of the living room. He hurried up to his bedroom and contemplated slamming the door but thought better of it. Daniel might be calm, quiet, and collected, but he was also the biggest one of the Keagans and could very well change his tune if he really wanted to. The last thing Caleb wanted was for Daniel to come tearing up to his room and give him a lecture on how to treat his things.
He collapsed onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. He’d known it would be hard to convince his family of his views—especially after what he’d said to Liam about Margot. Caleb might even be more of a pariah than his twin at this point. No one seemed to like his company lately.
Perhaps his reasoning for spending so much time with Mateo was so he didn’t have to look his family in their faces and see their disappointment. It was easier to use the excuse that he was interested in raising and training ranch dogs than to accept the truth that, in a way, he’d betrayed his brother.
Caleb dragged his hand down his face and let out a sigh. His eyes drooped but then flew wide when his phone rang. He fumbled for the device and brought it to his ear.
“Caleb?”
“Mateo? How’s the dog?”
“She’s doing great. So are the pups. But listen, I have a favor to ask you.”
Caleb sat up on the bed. “Sure. What do you need?”
Mateo seemed to hesitate for a moment, then he sighed. “I hate to ask you, but something’s come up. We were planning on leaving in a few days for the wedding, but they want us there earlier. My cousin’s family is a mess, and they changed some of their plans at the last minute. Do you think you could stay at my place? Keep an eye on the animals and the puppies? The vet has all the visits scheduled, but I can’t leave the pups by themselves, and I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone.”
“Of course. I can be there tomorrow after I get some things done around here.”
“We’ll be gone by then. We leave first thing in the morning. But I can leave a key for you. It will be under a mat by the front door.”
“And all you need me to do is keep an eye on the puppies? Feed the dogs and the horses?”
“Yes. I’ll have Sophia write up a list for you and have her leave it on the table. It shouldn’t be too hard since you know your way around the place. I know you’ll be able to figure it all out. And if you have any issues, you can always call.”
Perhaps this was the opportunity Caleb needed. He could take a few days away from his family and let things settle a little more. Maybe then he’d be able to feel better about his relationship with them. “Safe travels, Mateo.”
“Thanks. And thanks for helping out. I’ll let you know when we’re on our way back.”
They hung up, and Caleb fell back onto his bed. Spending some time with new puppies sounded a lot better than sitting at the table across from Liam. This would be a welcome reprieve.