Chapter 1 Caleb Walker
Caleb Walker
“I'll be right back, Duke. I'm just running to the store to get more apples for the horses.” I patted the soft, fuzzy block-like head of my new best friend.
He looked up at me with the saddest puppy dog eyes, begging me to take him with me, like I had been doing most days since I brought him home.
However, the weather would probably warm up, and I did not want to leave him in the truck while I went into the grocery store.
“Okay, how about a treat to make it up to you?” I dug into the treat jar by the front door and tossed one to him.
Duke walked forward, watching the treat midair.
However, he walked a little too far, and it landed on his back, startling him and making him dart across the room to find a place to hide.
I laughed as I bent down to pick up the treat and walked it over to Duke, who was now shaking under the kitchen table.
As I offered the treat, by hand this time, he investigated it to make sure it would not try and get him again.
“Don’t worry, boy. It won’t get you. I’ll try and remember you aren’t great at fetch yet, too.
” I scratched under his chin after he took the treat.
I made a mental note to myself to pick up a couple more toys at the store to help him learn to catch, something we had been working on since I brought him home.
The shelter had only given me limited information: “approximately 10 months old, American Staffordshire Terrier. Male.” Knowing staffies were among the list of breeds most people avoided adopting, and after seeing that this pup was the only staffie there, I had chosen the little underweight pup and named him Duke.
Over the last few weeks, Duke had put on weight, come out of his shell, and had shown me he was the silliest, happiest, most loyal pup ever.
Unlike what many people thought about the breed, Duke was the most loving and snuggly dog, and also a scaredy-cat.
Before I stood up, I scratched behind Duke’s ears again and gave him a gentle hug, then walked to the front door, reassuring him I would be back soon.
The air outside felt warm but thankfully not sweltering like it would be during the summer months.
Stepping off the porch, I saw my neighbor Jenny as she passed by with one of the horses.
I had hired Jenny for part-time help around the farm after her home caught fire a few months ago.
She needed the extra cash for the home repairs, and I needed the help once my brother had moved.
It was the best decision I had made in a long time considering not only that it helped a dear friend, but I did not have to admit to someone I barely knew I was struggling to do everything by myself while working full-time at the sheriff’s office.
Jenny had been my neighbor since we were in grade school together, and unlike most of our friends, she went to a local college.
As I raised my hand to wave at Jenny to say good morning, Luke walked out of the barn with another horse.
Just like always, Jenny’s focus shifted the moment Luke appeared.
I laughed to myself as I hopped in my truck, wondering when either of them would realize they were in love with each other and not just best friends.
I started the engine of my truck and began driving away from the house, looking in the rear-view mirror and seeing Luke help Jenny into the saddle.
He had been helping rebuild her house for only the cost of materials and came over to spend time with her any day she worked on the farm.
Seeing them together, despite them not admitting they loved each other, reminded me of. ..
No. I can’t think of that right now.
“Gosh, the town is busy today,” I whispered while I peered through the windshield. I should have known it would be bustling as people were getting ready for Memorial Day events and get-togethers, but I had put off this trip long enough.
I walked into the grocery store and grabbed the last basket available. It would not hold much, but thankfully I did not need much more than apples, carrots, and dog toys.
I picked up the needed things and decided to buy blueberries for Duke to see if he liked them, so I walked back to the produce aisle.
As I rounded the corner, I spotted a familiar face up ahead that made me stop dead in my tracks, someone I had not seen or even spoken to for several years: Rae Whitaker.
She was the one I had a crush on from the moment I met her, and I considered her to be the one that got away.
We had stayed in touch as best as possible after she had left for college but drifted apart in her last year.
She had been coming home during spring and summer breaks, but to my knowledge, she did not come home during that last year.
I had not seen her or even heard from her since.
It had been roughly five years since I had last seen her, and somehow, she was more beautiful than back then, if that was even possible.
I watched her at the opposite end of the aisle, debating if I should go say hi. We had been best friends with Jenny and Luke in high school, but I did not know why we stopped talking. I did not want to make her feel uncomfortable if she did not want to talk to me.
Gosh, she was breathtakingly beautiful, her long light auburn hair that looked redder in the sunlight, her gorgeous green eyes, her curves that drove me wild.
She turned from the shelf to put something in her basket and glanced at her phone.
While she still had not seen me, I could see her face better, and noticed a touch of sadness in her eyes.
She pushed the bridge of her glasses farther up her nose as they slipped down a bit.
Her body language did not seem the same as the confident and vibrant Rae I had been friends with all those years ago.
She reached back to the shelf to pick up another item when glass shattered somewhere across the store.
I saw her flinch and freeze before slowly looking around, checking her surroundings.
She seemed spooked but took a couple deep breaths and then reached back to the shelf to grab another item.
Her hands seemed to be shaking a bit. Her movements and that reaction reminded me of things I had seen many times in my line of work.
She still had not seen me, but if something was bothering her, maybe seeing an old friend would help.
I started to walk in her direction at the same time she began walking towards me, steadying her hands on the handle of the cart.
She had a faraway look in her eyes. I started to open my mouth to say hi when a kid ran out from another aisle and plowed into her legs, making her lose her balance.
I moved as fast as possible and caught her before she hit the ground.
She covered her face with her hands for a brief moment, but then slowly moved them away as the kid who knocked her over said, “Sorry, lady!”
“Oh my gosh! Thank you for catching me. I'm so sorry.
I wasn't paying attention to—wait.” She looked up at my face and stared for a brief moment before standing up completely.
She looked at me with her beautiful green eyes that I remembered—the ones with brown and gold flecks in them that made her eyes shine in the sunlight. “Caleb? Caleb Walker?”
“Hi, Rae.”