Chapter 5
chapter
five
Caleb woke before dawn the next morning.
The house was quiet as he pulled on his boots and jacket to start his chores. A few moments later, he stepped outside with Hamilton, his breath clouding in front of him.
The world had changed overnight.
A hard frost glazed the ground, fence, and trees.
The scene should have felt peaceful.
Instead, tension continued to pull between his muscles.
At least the dogs were quiet. Max should be checking on them soon. He had the animals on a schedule.
Caleb started by walking the perimeter, the same way he did every morning. Hamilton moved ahead of him, nose low, tail still. A rooster crowed from the chicken coop.
The frost on the ground held impressions—rabbit tracks stitched across the field and deer prints pressed near the tree line. All normal. Nothing that alarmed him.
Still, the tension didn’t leave.
As he walked, Caleb mentally lined up the day ahead. Kendra would be in later to help with the kennels. Two dogs were checking out before noon, and a new intake was scheduled to arrive through the service entrance.
His steps slowed as an old memory surfaced without warning.
Great Falls—a national park near DC. Early fall. His second date with Millie.
He remembered how she’d marveled at the waterfalls. He remembered the two of them hiking and Millie laughing as she scooped up a handful of leaves and tossed them into the air. She’d then spun beneath them, not caring who saw her.
She’d been so happy and carefree.
The memory settled heavy in his chest.
Now, she appeared as if life had worn her down. The light was gone from her gaze.
Though he knew her ex-husband was to blame for that, Caleb had probably played a part also.
Would she ever understand why he’d walked away from their relationship? Would she forgive him?
Leaving her had remained one of his biggest regrets.
He’d thought about her over the years. He’d wondered how she was doing. But he hadn’t let himself look for her.
He’d had his chance, but he’d blown it.
Since their breakup, he’d gone on a few dates. But no one had caught his attention—and his heart—like Millie had.
And now here she was . . . back in his life again.
Caleb paused from his perimeter check near the back of the property.
On the other side of the fence, footprints cut across the frosted ground. The grass was flattened beneath each step where the frost had melted slightly from pressure.
The trail headed from the fence before disappearing into the woods beyond.
Those prints were human.
And they were recent.
Tension stretched across his shoulders.
Using his key, he unlocked the back gate and stepped through it.
He crouched and studied the prints. They appeared to have originated from the woods. Whoever had left them had emerged from the forest, walked to the fence, paced beside it for several feet, and then headed back into the wilderness.
Caleb placed his pocketknife beside the print for size reference. Then he pulled out his phone and took a picture. Then another from farther back.
Who could have left these? He’d ask Max, but he didn’t think these belonged to him. They were larger and heavier than his prints would be.
A bell rang near the house, the sound slicing through the quiet.
The old-fashioned dinner bell had been Sarah’s idea. She’d insisted on it when she and Richard had built this place. She’d said a house this big needed something simple to call people together.
She’d had big plans. She’d wanted chickens and goats. A garden. She’d wanted to make homemade bread and butter and yogurt.
Most of all, she’d wanted to fill this place with children.
The bell was the only part of her dream that had become a reality.
Caleb straightened and turned toward the house.
Those prints could have been left by anyone—a hunter, a neighbor, or even a hiker who’d gotten lost. Caleb didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but he would remain vigilant and cautious.
Right now, his responsibilities were inside with Millie and Sissy, their other guest.
He headed for the door, frost crunching softly underfoot, and braced himself for a day he wasn’t sure he’d ever be fully prepared for.
Millie absorbed the scent of the kitchen when she went downstairs that morning.
The place smelled like bacon and coffee—two scents Millie loved.
Garrick hadn’t let her eat bacon. He’d told her foods like that would make her fat, and he’d said he couldn’t have a fat wife. He had an image to maintain.
The first three months they’d been married, Millie had dropped twenty pounds—and she hadn’t weighed that much to begin with. He’d encouraged her to fix her hair certain ways and to wear certain clothes.
He’d basically been the worst kind of control freak.
Thank goodness, she’d found the courage to finally leave him. Yet, even with that distance, he still somehow controlled her. She’d lived in fear—and had felt paranoid as she wondered when he would strike again. As she wondered what kind of plan he was formulating to make her pay.
Would she ever be truly free?
Instead of heading straight to the kitchen, she veered out onto the screened porch with Biscuit. A cold chill hit her.
She opened the door and let Biscuit into the dog run area so he could do his business.
She crossed her arms over her chest as she tried to ward off the cold.
Then she glanced across the yard. Fog hung in the hollows of the hills with patches of colorful leaves breaking through.
The sight was so breathtaking she nearly forgot about how cold she felt.
A place like this had always been something she’d dreamed about—a place where she could go hiking on her own property. where she could wake up and see God’s beauty.
Even the chickens clucking in the background warmed her heart.
Then her gaze wandered to the back perimeter and the man walking there.
Caleb.
Her breath caught.
It appeared he was doing his morning checks.
She watched him a moment, aware that he probably couldn’t see her.
He still had that strong, steady gait. Everything was deliberate with him, thought out.
Why did You let our paths cross again, God? What are You trying to teach me?
Even more so, was that a lesson she was ready to learn?