Chapter 32 Cal
THIRTY-TWO
CAL
Ispent a sleepless night back at the B&B, wrestling with my next step.
One thing was clear, I needed to show Amy that I was serious about putting down roots if I wanted her to take another chance on me.
This wasn’t going to be like the last time I tried to settle down.
Back then, I’d desperately wanted to pursue the rodeo life.
It had been my dream. When I traded that for a job I didn’t like and for a woman who only seemed right for me, it was destined for failure.
Now, I knew that being with Amy and Henry was my dream.
Having them and my newfound family would be enough to make me happy—and to truly make Poplar Springs the home I wanted it to be.
I just needed one more thing, an idea that I’d been toying with for years.
When I’d worked with Henry and King at the ranch and again when I’d watched the girl win her barrel race, I’d felt the other dream’s pull.
I knew what I wanted my next career to be.
I wanted to work with kids and train them for the rodeo.
Maybe raise horses for the rodeo, too. That dream meant staying in one place. Something I was finally ready to do.
I waited until nine and reached for my phone, putting a call through to the Rodeo Sports Network headquarters. It took a minute to connect to my contact there.
“Cal, good to hear from you,” Nick Kowal boomed over the line. “I saw video of your ride at Anders City. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Nick,” I said. “I need to talk to you about the job.”
“You angling for a bigger salary? We can probably work something out.”
“No, that’s not it. I’ve decided it isn’t for me, so I’m withdrawing my acceptance.” Just saying it took a weight off me.
“What?” Nick questioned. “But, Cal, you’re a natural at the job. You know…” Nick went on for a few more minutes. I let him talk until he ran out of steam.
Finally I said, “Nick, I’m grateful for the offer—I truly am. But I’m serious about going in another direction. I’ve got other priorities in my life.” Priorities that meant more than a few minutes of time on the air.
“Well, dang it,” Nick said. “You sure I can’t sweeten the deal for you? More money? More vacation time? What’ll it take?”
“Nothing you can offer,” I said, “but I appreciate you making it.”
“You must have something else big in mind.”
“I do,” I said. “I figured out what’s important to me and I’m going after it.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Nick said. “You keep the network in mind if you have a change of heart.”
“That won’t be happening.” I knew that no matter what happened with Amy I wouldn’t be returning to the circuit. It was time I put my boots down in one place long enough for them to get dusty.
When I hung up with Nick, I texted Rafael to ask for a recommendation for a real estate agent.
Five minutes later, I had a name, number, and a text that asked what the hell I was doing.
I laughed at my friend’s bluntness and called the number to set up an appointment to look at available property in the area big enough for a training center and a herd of horses.
Then I had another call to make.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, hon. Haven’t heard from you in a while. Are you still in that town? Hang on, your dad just came home. Edmund, Cal’s on the phone. Honey, I’m going to put you on speaker so your dad can hear too.”
“Yep, I’m still in Poplar Springs. The rodeo is coming up.”
“So, did you… Did you find out more about Laura Cooper?” my mom asked.
“It’s Laura Cooper Thorne—and not only have I met her, I’ve also met my two half brothers and my nephew.”
“That’s wonderful. What are they like? Tell us everything.” I talked about all of them—their jobs, their lives, how much I look like them. I left out the barfight and a few other things that I didn’t want to worry them about.
“I’ve always wondered who you got those beautiful green eyes from, and now I know. And that Henry sounds delightful. He’s not much older than Matty.”
“He’s the sweetest kid. And he loves horses almost as much as Dexter,” I said, making my mom laugh. Dexter was my sister’s four year old, and all he thought about was horses. “I bet the boys would love meeting all the horses.”
“I’m sure they would. Will you be leaving after the rodeo? If you have plans to take some time off, we’d love to come there and see you. I know Jen would too. The boys are growing so quickly.”
“That’s why I’m calling. I’m going to have more time on my hands than I thought… because I decided not to take the commentator job after all.” I filled them in on my plan to find a property large enough to meet my needs.
“These Thornes must be something special for you to want to stay there,” my dad said.
“While the Thornes are special, there’s one Thorne I haven’t mentioned yet. Henry’s mom. Her name is Amy.” I told them about Amy and the more I talked, the more my mom sniffled.
“Oh, Cal, you’ve no idea how long your dad and I have waited to hear that you’ve finally figured out where you want to be. It makes me so happy to hear that you might finally have your happily ever after.”
“Thanks, Mom. I still have to talk to her about it all.”
“What if she doesn’t agree? What then?” my dad asked.
“Then, I’ll keep trying. She’s the one.”
We talked for a few more minutes before I managed to wrap up the call.
I’d been a bit concerned that they would feel slighted over my desire to get to know my bio family, but I shouldn’t have been worried.
Like always, they were supportive. The big surprise was how moved they’d been at the thought of me finding my place.
I hadn’t realized they’d noticed how unsettled I’d felt for so long.
If everything went well, I’d have more news for them, but first I needed to show Amy that I was prepared to do what it takes to be worthy of her love.