Chapter 16 Caitlin
SIXTEEN
CAITLIN
Sunday morning came far too fast and I fumbled for the alarm on my phone.
As tired as I had been last night, it’d taken me a while to fall asleep once I’d gotten into bed.
I kept thinking about Brian. He’d been visibly touched when I’d brought dinner back.
It wasn’t the first time I’d done that and he was always thinking about me around mealtimes, so why was this time different?
My backup alarm went off, which meant I was dawdling.
Pushing myself up with a groan, I got dressed.
Not hearing anything coming from Brian’s room, I tiptoed downstairs.
Turned out, I needn’t have worried. The coffee was already made and he’d left a note for me letting me know he got called in early and he hoped I’d join his family in the stands.
“We’ll see,” I said to the empty kitchen. As I poured myself coffee and grabbed a banana, my thoughts all over the place. That was another thing I’d wrestled with last night. Brian and I weren’t a couple. At least not anymore. It felt odd to think of sitting with his family. Like I didn’t belong.
Maybe I should avoid the rodeo all together. Before I could decide, Brian texted me.
Hey, darling, texted my mom this morning and she said, if you decide to attend, she’ll have a seat saved for you …
And no, I didn’t wake her up. She texted me first.
I wasn’t sure how to respond. I was touched by his persistence, and I loved the idea of being included. I had thought about going with Marc and Aurora to the rodeo to help sell the sandwich boxes but we hadn’t talked about it. Maybe I could attend?
If I decide to go, I’ll look for your mom, I texted back.
There, that was vague.
I watched the dots appear and then disappear before he replied.
Hmm. Noncommittal. Hope to see you there.
I laughed, pocketed my phone, and left for the diner.
Most everyone showed up to help make and box sandwiches.
It took us two hours, but we filled the back of Bite and Brew’s catering truck.
The toddlers were being fussy, so Aurora decided to stay behind to spend time with them and give her parents a break.
I offered to go with Marc in Aurora’s place, but he’d already gotten Alex to agree.
So I hitched a ride in the truck and made it to the rodeo grounds while everyone in the stands was up and cheering.
Looking out to the ring, I saw that two clowns were racing around trying to distract an angry bull while the rider climbed over the rail.
“Crisis averted, ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer said. Then he launched into the rider’s time and where that placed him in the awards bracket.
“Caitlin!” I looked up to see who called my name and waved to Amy. She was sitting with her son, Henry, along with Laura and Jake. Behind them and to the side were the Caffertys. Fiona waved to me as well. “Come on!” Amy called.
“Excuse me,” I said over and over as I made my way up the steps.
“Well, would you look at that. I’m surprised she dared show her face outside the diner. Her mother has been beside herself since she’s been back.” I froze recognizing the woman speaking.
“I wonder which Thorne brother she’s sleeping with now?” another woman asked. Swallowing the growing lump in my throat, I tried to get myself to keep moving when all I wanted to do was run away. Of course some of my mother’s friends were here and they certainly weren’t trying to be quiet.
“I’m surprised the Thornes would want to have anything to do with her, but then, again their mother isn’t exactly a pillar of society. I mean, when was the last time she went to church?”
I felt fury building inside me. It was bad enough they were mean to me, but there was no reason to go after Laura. She was one of the kindest people I’d ever met.
“Is that you, Josephine?” Laura called out, coming down the steps to join me. She smiled sweetly at Mrs. Fecto, looking as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. “Oh, it is. I meant to ask you how your son Owen was doing. Is he still in prison? What was it for again?”
Mrs. Fecto was making some sort of choking noise but I couldn’t make out the words. Laura looked at the other woman and said, “And you, Muriel. I’ve been meaning to congratulate you! I heard you’re about to be a grandmother for the fourth time. Does your daughter know who the father is this time?”
Laura reached my side and wrapped her arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. She encouraged me to take two steps up into the stands and we were standing in front of my tormentors who were both flushed red and making angry muttering noises.
“Running into the two of you, I’m always reminded of Luke 6:31, how does it go, again? I’m the lax churchgoer, as you just announced to everyone here. So maybe you can enlighten us, Josephine?”
Mrs. Fecto grabbed her purse and slammed it on her shoulder. “I don’t need to sit here and take this from the likes of you two,” she sputtered but when she tried to get out of her row, it seemed as if no one was willing to give her any space. “Excuse me. I said, EXCUSE ME!” she finally shouted.
“Do to others as you would have them do to you,” a male voice said from the stands. Everyone turned to see who it was.
“Oh, Pastor Carter, I was just—” But the pastor stopped Mrs. Fecto from continuing.
“I blame myself for not being a better teacher of the Golden Rule,” the pastor said. “Which is why I’m adding another afternoon session to my bible study classes dedicated to this. I do expect to see you, Josephine, and you, Muriel, this Wednesday for some much-needed extra study.”
Pastor Carter didn’t wait for them to answer and swept down the stairs, stopping to place a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Bless you, child. It’s good to see you again.” Then he actually winked at me before exiting the bleachers.
“Did that just happen?” I said under my breath and Laura chuckled. Pastor Samuel Carter was always quick with the fire and brimstone speeches. Never in all the time I went to services at his church had I ever seen him come to anyone’s rescue like this.
Mrs. Fecto finally managed to get out of her row and was storming down the steps. She was heading straight toward us and I could have sworn she planned to hit one of us, so I stepped in front of Laura, daring her to try something.
She blinked and must have realized that would be going too far, especially with everyone watching with interest, so she skirted past us with her shoulders up tight around her ears.
“Come on,” Laura said as interest in the drama fizzled out and everyone went back to watching the events out in the ring. “Cal is gearing up for his last bronc ride. We don’t want to miss it.”
I followed her up into the stands and took the open seat next to Fiona, who reached out to grab my hand.
“You okay?” she whispered. I could only nod, still shocked at how quickly so many people had come to my defense.
Especially Pastor Carter. His son was engaged to Fiona, and I’d heard from Aurora that Eli had gone no contact with him after he’d said some horrible things to Eli’s son, Patrick.
The pastor had yet to apologize to his son and grandson, so I couldn’t understand his decision to play the white knight now.
Maybe it was meant as some sort of sideways apology?
The music faded and there was a crackle as the announcer’s voice boomed across the arena.
“You’ve seen him compete in several different events over the last two days, but this is it, folks.
The final ride of Cal Pierce.” The announcer went into detail reminding the spectators of all the awards and ribbons Cal had won over the years and how many seconds he’d need to ride on the bronc to win.
Everyone was on their feet and cheering while the announcer mentioned the horse Cal would be riding. Even with all the noise, I could hear the horse whinny and see him tossing his head where he was corralled in the chute.
Cal was just climbing over the rail when the announcer said, “Put your hands together and let’s get loud for the wildest beast this side of Denver and his rider, CAL PIERCE!”
Then the chute was open and the crowd roared as folks counted to eight before Cal was sliding off the horse and rolling out of the way.
“He’s done it!” the announcer shouted as everyone screamed and cheered.
I clapped and cheered along with everyone else, thoroughly caught up in the excitement. I locked gazes with Brian—he was on ground level, keeping an eye on everything, and he smiled up at me. Fiona caught our exchange and elbowed me, grinning.
“You go, girl,” she whispered and I felt my cheeks heat with a blush.
There was still one event left, and everyone settled back down to watch.
Amy and Henry had gone to meet Cal and the three of them returned and settled back on the bench in front of us.
My attention was on the action in the ring when Fiona gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth.
Suddenly Cal was down on one knee and proposing to Amy.
When she said yes, our section went wild, congratulating the couple and Henry.
I was happy for Amy and Cal, even if the engagement came as a surprise.
They’d barely known each other for a month and suddenly they were committing to a lifetime together.
It was the type of fairy tale ending that I used to dream about as a girl and seeing it now filled me with a mix of envy and hope.
I looked over at Brian who had hugged Amy and was congratulating the couple.
Under different circumstances, could this have been us?
I pushed aside my jealousy and congratulated the couple. With everything Amy and Henry had been through losing Luke, they deserved their happily ever after, but I couldn’t help wondering if there would ever be one for me.