Chapter 8
8
Caleb
C aleb froze, with his hand still on the front doorknob. He held the spare key in his right hand and contemplated slowly backing out of the house. Had Mateo left one of his sisters behind without letting Caleb know? He cleared his throat. “Sophia?”
Footsteps creaked down the stairs a little way into the house. “Sophia is gone,” the voice called out. “You’ll have to visit her later.”
Confusion washed over him. He frowned and peered into the house. There was a small fire flickering in the fireplace. A few lights were on. Someone was definitely still here. He should probably just leave and call Mateo. Maybe it was Isabelle on the stairs, though if the whole family had left for a wedding, that wouldn’t make sense.
He cleared his throat. “I’m not here to hurt anyone. Mateo asked me to stay and help with the animals.”
It was then that a familiar face emerged from the hallway that led to the stairs.
His frown deepened. “You.”
Her surprise was quickly masked into an expression of indifference. “Oh. You’re the one Sophia said would help out with the horses.”
Caleb shut the door behind him and shook his head. “No, I’m the one staying here for a few days so Mateo doesn’t have to worry about the animals being cared for.”
Emily folded her arms across her chest. “No. Sophia asked me to take care of the puppies and said a rancher would come take care of the larger animals. She said I could house-sit.”
He was already in the middle of pulling out his phone when Emily disappeared, only to reappear.
She strode right to him and shoved a piece of paper at him. “There are the instructions. See?”
Caleb glanced at the sheet of paper. There was no indication that he needed to care for the puppies in these instructions, but that didn’t mean anything. “I’m still calling Mateo.” He dialed his friend’s number and then turned away from Emily’s penetrating gaze.
Mateo answered on the second ring. “Caleb? Is everything okay? Are the puppies?—”
“As far as I know, everything is fine, but I haven’t checked on the puppies just yet.” He glanced over at Emily. “Turns out you already have someone watching over them.” He shoved the note into his pocket and took a few steps away from Emily.
“What?”
“Yeah.” Caleb rubbed the back of his neck. “Did Sophia, by chance, ask her new friend to keep an eye on the house while you were gone?”
Silence, followed by muffled voices, filled the speaker. Then Mateo got back on the line. “I’m so sorry about this. She didn’t tell me she offered the house to Emily. She knew you were coming to take care of the horses, but that was it.”
Caleb shot one more look at Emily, who seemed intently interested in where this conversation was headed. “What do you want me to do? I can ask her to leave…”
“No, it’s fine. If you wouldn’t mind taking care of the horses as planned, that would be great. And honestly, I don’t know what Sophia was thinking. She should have asked me first. I would rather have someone there who I trust. My sister must be out of her mind.” More muffled arguments.
Caleb lowered his voice. “Wait, you’re not saying…” He shut his eyes briefly, hating that he even had to clarify what was happening. “You don’t want me to stay here with her, do you?”
“Would you mind? I don’t know who this woman is. All Sophia keeps saying is that she’s great and we can trust her. But you and I know better.”
“Yeah,” Caleb muttered. “We do.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Caleb hung up the phone and turned to face her. “I don’t know?—”
“He wants you to stay… to keep an eye on me, right?” Emily settled back against a nearby wall. “That’s fine. The house is big enough. I don’t think we’ll step on each other’s toes too much.” With that, she turned on her heel and headed back toward the stairs. “Sophia gave me permission to use her room. I’m sure you can figure out which space you want to take over.”
Caleb stared after her, confused and surprised that she wasn’t pushing back on this whole situation. It just further proved his opinion that she should probably not be trusted.
He opened the front door just wide enough to retrieve the duffle bag he’d brought with him. It would more than likely be uncomfortable to spend the next couple of days in someone else’s house with a stranger, but if he wanted to learn more about Mateo’s work, this was one way to do it.
There was only one bedroom on the lower level, and seeing as Emily had made her way upstairs, he would prefer to keep his distance. He moved into the bedroom and was more than relieved to discover it appeared to belong to Mateo. If it didn’t, it belonged to one of his brothers, based on the more masculine décor.
A fur rug adorned the hardwood floor. If the muted colors and lack of throw pillows weren’t enough to convince Caleb, the muddy boots by the door solidified it. Caleb tossed his duffle to the side, then froze when he heard the faint sound of music playing through the house.
He backed out of the room and strained to hear the music. It sounded like a guitar, but that wouldn’t make sense. Why would a tourist bring a guitar on a vacation—especially one who packed so light? He moved through the house closer to the stairs and waited. Sure enough, the music continued. It was a melody he hadn’t heard before, but that wasn’t unusual. He didn’t listen to music frequently enough to know what was currently trending.
The tune was pleasant, and he could imagine it being the melody of a love ballad—something his younger sister usually listened to. The music stopped suddenly, followed by footsteps.
Caleb darted away from the stairs, having nowhere else to go but toward the kitchen if he didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping. He barely made it to the refrigerator before he heard her enter.
“Oh,” she murmured. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were in here.”
He glanced over his shoulder toward her, his heart pounding for reasons beyond his ability to understand. Caleb swung his focus to the appliance. “I was just getting something to drink. Mateo said whatever they have stocked is fair game. You thirsty?”
“Some water would be nice.”
Caleb remained stiff, his eyes searching the shelf that had a variety of beverage options. “I don’t think they have bottled water. You’re going to have to get some from the tap.”
“That’s fine.”
She moved across the room toward the kitchen cabinets to the right of the sink.
“They’re on the other side,” he said.
Emily shot him an appreciative look. “Thanks.”
The awkward silence continued to spread between them like an oil spill. Caleb grabbed a Coke, though he wasn’t thirsty at all. He held it up in a cheers motion, then headed for the door, but her voice stopped him.
“It’s weird, isn’t it?”
Caleb froze, his back to her. “What?”
“That they’re letting us stay here. It’s weird.”
“Not really. Happens a lot around here. Ranchers can’t afford to leave their homes unattended for long. They need someone to keep up on everything. Otherwise, animals or crops suffer.”
“I guess.” The sound of the faucet running broke up her words. “Back in LA, we wouldn’t dream of letting anyone in our homes. Not even friends we trust.”
He snorted.
She continued, “Yeah, I suppose that makes sense to you. But this place?—it’s like a whole other world. I can’t explain it…” There was a sort of awe in her voice—something he hadn’t expected to come from someone who resided in a city like LA.
Caleb turned and faced her. She stared off into space, the glass in her hands close to her lips. Then those green eyes captured his, and she smiled. Caleb’s chest tightened further. He knew that feeling—the one reflected in her gaze. She liked it here, and it wasn’t just the novelty of being in Copper Creek for a week. Her gaze said so much more. She could see herself here.
He shook off the emotions that came with the admiration he held for someone who could appreciate what their small town had to offer. He didn’t know this woman. Besides the fact that she was concerned about people recognizing her and that she could play the guitar, she was nothing more than a stranger—and as such, he shouldn’t allow his heart to yell louder than his head. He knew better.
Emily tilted her head, her smile widening. “I have to say, I’m glad that if I had to share this place with someone, it turned out to be you.”
His walls came down and all he could do was give her a sharp nod. Turning, he intended on hiding away for the rest of the evening, but she stopped him once more.
“Caleb?”
Stiffly, he turned to face her.
“Would you… Do you think you could…” Her cheeks flushed. “I’m sorry. I was just wondering if you could do me a favor.”
He grunted.
“I don’t have a car. I’ve been staying in town where everything is within walking distance. Out here, I have to call a taxi or a shuttle service. I noticed you have a truck.”
“Will you spit it out already?”
Her head reared back, and she frowned. “Could you take me to town tomorrow? I realized I needed a few things from the store. I would rather not take anything without… permission.”
“I’m sure they wouldn’t mind?—”
“Even still, I’d rather take care of myself. It would be quick, and you can take me when you’re ready—anytime.”
Caleb sighed. If he didn’t agree, he likely wouldn’t hear the end of it. “Yeah, sure. We can go after lunch.” With that, he spun around and escaped before she could say anything else.