Chapter 24
24
Caleb
Six months later
A good day was when Caleb didn’t have to interact with anyone—including his own family. Daniel, and even Charlie, had stopped asking him about Emma, but even if they hadn’t, he wouldn’t have given them anything. It was none of their business if he was in communication with Emma.
Still, that didn’t stop Charlie from telling him any update she got about Emma. Spring turned into summer and then fall. The days were shorter, colder. If Caleb had his way, he wouldn’t have heard a single thing about the tour coming to a close. From the sound of it, there were only a couple more concerts coming up. Maybe when the tour was over, Charlie would finally drop her fascination with Emma Hart.
He sat in the quiet living room, thankful for the chance to be alone. Everyone else had gone out to the fall festival that was taking place in the square. Well, everyone but Daniel. His older brother remained the aloof man he’d always been.
But what did Caleb expect? Daniel was the giant of the family. He was big and burly, and those who didn’t know him might even been a little scared of him. Ironically, Daniel was probably the kindest of the lot of them. He was what Caleb considered a gentle giant.
The only people he spoke to out of turn were his own family, and that was because he knew them best. He was the one Caleb knew he had to avoid if he didn’t want to get an earful about how he lived his life.
He’d already shared his opinion of Caleb’s situation regarding Emma. And he only continued to dig his heels in whenever Caleb refused to listen. Eventually, he’d lose interest.
Or at least Caleb hoped he would.
The door burst open and Charlie entered, followed by some of the sisters-in-law. “Can you believe it? I thought for sure that when she announced her new album, she wouldn’t have it ready until next spring. But she said it will come out at her last concert during this tour.” Charlie’s excited chatter filled the entryway. Her eyes locked with Caleb’s, and she looked away.
Margot laughed. “It sure sounds like you’ve become her biggest fan.”
Charlie waved a dismissive hand. “I’m definitely not her biggest fan. I just really like her music.”
“She doesn’t even write her own lyrics,” Caleb said as he got to his feet. “What is there to like about someone like that?”
Charlie scowled at him. “You realize a lot of singers don’t write their own music. That’s normal.”
“And a lot of singers write their own stuff, too. So who’s to say what’s normal and what isn’t?” He shook his head as he left the room. He didn’t have any reason to be mad at his kid sister. She hadn’t done anything to hurt him. And yet with her insistence on sharing every single tidbit of information about Emma, he’d grown to resent her.
It was her interest that had him digging for information on his own. When it was dark and everyone had already gone to bed, he’d pull out his computer and type in her name.
Her pictures were all over the internet. He’d felt like such a whopping idiot for not realizing who she was. Emma was the number one female country singer of the year, from the looks of it. She was everywhere.
After realizing what he’d been up against, Caleb snapped his computer shut. He wasn’t going to go looking for updates. They only angered him further.
Caleb marched out of the house, the congestion of the family returning home already overwhelming. Instead, he went out to the barn. At least the animals didn’t want to gossip about a country music star. Even if they did, he wouldn’t be able to understand them.
He entered the barn and immediately leaned against the wall. Six months had gone by since he’d last seen her. Six months after listening to her make excuse after excuse as to why she couldn’t simply tell him the truth. Six full months and he hadn’t managed to figure out a way to get over her.
It wasn’t normal.
“Thinking about Emma, huh.”
Caleb jumped and turned toward the source of the voice. Daniel stood in the doorway of one of the stalls, a brush in hand. He glanced over at Caleb with that knowing, quiet look that Caleb had grown to hate. “It’s none of your business.”
“You’re right. It’s not.”
“Then don’t talk about it.”
Daniel shrugged. “Suit yourself. But I know it’s better to talk about something like this than to ignore it. Nothing is going to be fixed by running from it.”
“I’m not the one running.” He pointed out the door as if Emma were right there. “She’s the one who was running. She ran from everything from the very get-go. What kind of person runs from her job? From her future? From her family?”
Daniel gave Caleb a pointed look. “You know better than most how often that happens.”
“Our parents don’t count. They weren’t right in the head. They couldn’t be. There was too much responsibility, and they would have only messed us up.”
“I dunno’ I feel like we’re all a little messed up anyway.”
“We turned out okay. Look at us. None of us have run from our obligations.”
Daniel lifted a brow. “And Carter? What about him?”
“That’s different.”
“Is it?”
Caleb scowled. “Yes, it’s different. Our folks. Carter. None of them had what she had.”
“And that makes it okay? Look who’s making excuses now.”
Heat flashed beneath his skin and he charged toward his brother. “I don’t care what you say. Emma was a coward when she didn’t have to be. How hard would it have been for her to tell me who she was, huh? She could have said it that first night we were staying at Mateo’s. She could have told me when she started playing that guitar. There were so many opportunities for her to just say something !”
“Think about what you’re saying, Caleb, and then think about how you treated her in the beginning. I don’t see you offering her your trust right out of the gate. Why expect her to? She had a lot more to protect than you had. What would have happened if you learned who she was and then told someone? Do you think people would have just left her alone? She would have been fighting off the paparazzi right and left.”
“I wouldn’t have breathed a word, and you know it,” Caleb spat. “No one wants to keep Copper Creek free of that sort of thing more than me. If I had my way, we’d prevent people from moving here and make it our own little paradise.”
Daniel chuckled. “Then you would have never met her.”
“Maybe that would have been for the best,” Caleb said. He didn’t have to look in Daniel’s direction to know his brother was judging him. He spun around with the intention of leaving the barn to find some solace elsewhere when his brother’s voice stopped him.
“You have to forgive her, Caleb.”
“I don’t have to do any such thing,” he shot back, turning to face Daniel. “She didn’t ask for my forgiveness, and even if she did, I wouldn’t have to give it.”
“That’s where you’re a little misguided.”
Caleb groaned. This was what he’d been trying to avoid. He didn’t need a sermon from his brother. There was a reason he’d kept to himself and tried to avoid people. He’d wanted to stop his heart from being torn to shreds by someone who was only going to betray him. That’s what most people did. And Emma was no different.
It didn’t matter that she hadn’t meant to hurt him. What mattered was that she’d hurt him, and she could have avoided dragging it out.
“God wants us to forgive those who trespass against us. You don’t have to forget what she did, and you don’t have to trust her to not make the same choices, but you should allow yourself to forgive her for your own heart’s sake. You’re poisoning yourself.”
Chills crawled down Caleb’s spine at his brother’s words. He shoved aside the discomfort from the experience and folded his arms. “Like I said, I don’t have to forgive her if I don’t feel it in my heart. I’m permitted to live my life the way I see fit. If that way helps me to protect my own self-interests, then I’m going to do it.”
“Suit yourself. But I’d wager it’s going to weigh on you eventually. It’s harder to get up in the morning. It’s harder to find joy. When you’re burdened by the past, you might find that you can no longer exist in the present.”
Another groan escaped Caleb’s throat, and he spun around to march out of the barn without looking back. Daniel was all talk. Sure, he might have some valid points, but that didn’t mean Caleb should just throw out his own instincts.
He clenched his fists and relaxed his fingers several times before he made it to the house. For a brief moment, he considered heading inside, and then he thought better of it. If Charlie was still anywhere nearby, she’d want to talk about Emma. Why couldn’t she just get the hint that he wanted nothing to do with the girl he’d given his heart to?
Caleb crumpled into a seated position on the porch steps and rested his forearms against his knees. He should probably just go to his room. At least he’d be able to find a little peace and quiet in that space. Charlie and Daniel wouldn’t dare venture into his private quarters. Unfortunately, it felt almost too cold, too empty. The walls echoed with the sounds of Emma’s music that she’d played on her guitar even though she’d never actually visited inside his home.
Ironically, the only place he could get some peace was in nature. He could close his eyes and focus on the breeze that tugged at his clothes, his hat, and his hair. He could listen to the critters scurrying in the brush. He could ignore his racing thoughts and pay more attention to how the cold soaked into his skin and settled into his bones. Summer was over. All evidence of Emma would be gone soon, and a fresh new year would begin in just a few months. Maybe his heart would be better equipped after Christmas.
The front door to the house burst open and Charlie released a frustrated groan. “I can’t believe it!” She stomped her foot like she was a teenager.
Caleb took a deep, calming breath. If he remained quiet, then she might not see him.
She stomped across the porch only to settle beside him on the top step. “Can you believe that Wade won’t let me go to Emma’s concert?”
Caleb nearly told her that was because Wade was smarter than all of them and knew better, but he kept his mouth shut instead, hoping she’d leave.
“Emma finally announced where her surprise concert is going to be, and for the first time in my life, I’m close enough to go.”
He stiffened, finally glancing in her direction. The look of surprise must have been written all over his face because she continued.
“I know, right? I had my suspicions that she’d come to Colorado after that day she showed up to talk to you. But I never would have dreamed they would make it work in Colorado Springs. Denver, I would have understood. But Colorado Springs! That’s not even very far! And Wade said that I can’t go alone.”
Caleb turned his attention out to the barn. “It’s for the best, Charlie.”
“It’s not fair, is what it is. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m going to miss it. Tickets are going to sell out faster than apple pie at Sal’s Diner. They go on sale next week and then, poof, they’ll be gone.”
He glanced at his sister, grateful that she wasn’t begging him to take her. Getting to his feet, he muttered, “I’m going to bed.”