Chapter Nineteen – Hannah
This wasn’t how she’d expected the day to end. Alone in Caleb’s cabin.
When she’d learned the part would be another couple of days, she’d expected to find herself in a hotel room. When Caleb had offered for her to continue her stay at his cabin, she’d imagined a cozy evening with him.
But this...
It just felt weird.
As if something was missing. Because it was. And that something came in the form of a handsome restaurateur called Caleb.
Was that why he’d offered her his truck keys and his house keys? So she could come back here alone and finally realize what she was missing?
She’d never thought Caleb calculating… but the timing made her wonder.
She shook her head. There was no errand. He was simply trying to manipulate her. Well, that would not work.
She pulled out her phone and dialed Roy’s garage. She wasn’t ready to take him up on the offer of a part-exchange. But maybe he had a car he could lend her while hers was being fixed.
She should have thought about that sooner. It sure would have saved her a lot of heartache.
“Bear Creek Auto,” Roy answered on the third ring.
“Hi, Roy. It’s Hannah. I was thinking about my car...” she began. “I know you said a couple of days...”
“Oh, don’t worry.” Roy’s voice brightened. “Caleb will have the part to me tomorrow, and I can squeeze it in.”
Hannah blinked, the words not quite making sense at first. “Caleb has the part?”
“He will,” Roy said. “It took a bit of arranging, but Caleb will collect the part tonight and then bring it over to me tomorrow, first thing.”
“Caleb went to Riverside? For my car part?” She wanted to make sure she had not misunderstood Roy. Because no one had ever done anything like that for her before.
“Yeah, said something about expediting the process since you were keen to leave town.” Roy chuckled. “Although I don’t know why you are in such a rush to leave our beautiful town.”
“It’s not the town,” Hannah assured the mechanic. “It’s just that I am starting a new job soon and I want to get myself settled in my new apartment.” She could not bring herself to call it her new home.
“I guess Caleb decided to pull out all the stops to get you where you need to be,” Roy said. “It’s a three-hour drive each way.”
Three-hour drive. Each way.
The world seemed to tilt beneath her. “When... when did he leave?”
“Bout an hour ago, I’d say. Won’t be back till late.”
“Thank you,” Hannah managed, ending the call as understanding crashed over her.
Caleb had driven to Riverside. For her car part. The part that would allow her to leave.
But why? Why was he trying to speed up her departure?
Because he wanted her gone? Wanted his house back?
No. From what Roy said, he’d gone to get the part because he knew she wanted to leave town as soon as possible. He wasn’t doing this for him; he was doing it for her.
The realization hit her hard. Caleb wasn’t pushing her away. He was giving her exactly what she’d said she wanted, the chance to leave on her own schedule.
Even at his own expense.
Hannah sank onto the sofa, the phone still clutched in her hand. Six hours of driving. After a full shift. Just to get her a car part.
No one had ever gone to such lengths for her before.
She’d spent her entire life taking care of herself, solving her own problems, never expecting anyone else to shoulder her burdens. And here was Caleb, driving through the night on mountain roads to help her leave.
To help her leave him.
“What am I doing?” she whispered to the empty room.
For days, she’d been fighting the pull she felt toward Caleb, toward Bear Creek. She’d been so determined to stick to her plan that she hadn’t stopped to question whether the plan itself still made sense.
Slateford was supposed to be her fresh start. A stable job. A decent apartment. The next logical step in her carefully constructed life.
But was it home?
Would anyone there drive six hours to help her? Would anyone there build her a fire, or share blackberry pie in the quiet hours after midnight? Would anyone there splash in a stream with her, or show her a vineyard nestled against the mountains?
Would anyone there look at her the way Caleb did—like she was already part of something larger than herself?
Hannah stood, suddenly restless, and went to the window, gazing out at the darkening forest. Somewhere out there, Caleb was driving through the night. For her.
And what had she given him in return? Distance. Walls. Polite evasions.
She’d been so afraid of what might happen if she let herself care, she hadn’t considered what she was losing by holding back.
Hannah pressed her forehead against the cool glass, letting out a shaky breath that fogged the pane. She’d been running for so long, she’d forgotten what it felt like to want to stay.
But she wanted to stay now.
She wanted to stay in Bear Creek. Not forever, necessarily, she wasn’t ready to make that kind of promise, even to herself. But for tonight, and tomorrow night...
In that time, she would let Caleb through her defenses and see where it took them.
And if it took them to another kiss on the forehead? Then at least she would have her answer. That Caleb was a good friend. No more.
But she hoped he was more than a friend. So much more.
Hannah turned away from the window, sudden energy coursing through her veins. She’d picked up groceries on the way back to the cabin, intending to fill Caleb’s fridge as a simple thank you. But since he was going to so much trouble for her, she would cook for him.
Prepare a meal for his return.
Maybe open the bottle of wine she’d bought.
In the kitchen, she unpacked the bags, and laid out ingredients on the counter. Onions, garlic, fresh herbs. A good cut of beef. Red wine for the sauce. Potatoes. She’d noticed his well-used cast-iron skillet hanging above the stove and reached for it now, feeling its solid weight in her hands.
As she chopped and seasoned, browning the meat and letting the sauce simmer, Hannah recognized the shift within herself.
For once, her choices weren’t driven by necessity or self-preservation.
They weren’t about paying a debt. They were driven by desire.
By wanting to care for someone who had cared for her without expectation.
The kitchen filled with savory aromas as she worked, her movements becoming more confident with each passing minute. She set the table with the mismatched dishes she found in his cabinets, arranged wildflowers she’d picked outside in a small glass jar, and opened the wine to breathe.
Hours passed, the meal simmering gently on the stove as darkness fell. Hannah lit candles; their warm glow filled the cabin with soft light. She showered and changed into fresh clothes, her heart beating a little faster at each creak and sound from outside, as she anticipated his return.
When headlights finally swept across the windows, Hannah’s pulse jumped. She smoothed her hands down her sides, suddenly nervous in a way that had nothing to do with fear.
The door opened, and there he was... Caleb, silhouetted against the night, tired and road-worn, a small box in his hands that represented her freedom. Her choice.
Their eyes met across the room, and Hannah saw the surprise register on his face as he took in the candles, the table, and the scent of food prepared with care.
“Hannah,” he breathed.
The moment stretched between them, heavy with everything unsaid. Hannah felt it all with perfect clarity. How he had driven for hours not to keep her, but to give her the choice to go. How he had respected her autonomy more than his own desires. How he had chosen her freedom over his fear of loss.
She felt the old instinct to step back, to thank him politely and retreat upstairs.
She ignored it.
This time, she didn’t retreat. Didn’t overthink. Didn’t protect herself from the possibility of pain or joy.
Hannah crossed the space between them in steady steps. She took the box from his hands, set it gently on the side table, and then—without hesitation, without doubt—she reached for him.
Her hands found his face, cradling his jaw with gentle certainty as she rose on her toes and pressed her lips to his.
The kiss was electric, soft and fierce all at once, carrying relief and longing and promise.
His arms came around her instantly, pulling her closer, his body solid and warm against hers.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Hannah rested her forehead against his, her hands still holding his face.
“You went to Riverside,” she whispered. “For me.”
He sagged slightly, as if the long miles had finally caught up with him. “For you.”
Hannah smiled, her heart full and unafraid for the first time ever. She understood now that staying wasn’t something being asked of her. It was something she wanted. Something she chose freely and without reservation.
“I made dinner,” she said, the simple words carrying all the weight of her decision.
Caleb’s smile bloomed as bright as the sunrise over the mountains. “I see that.”
“It’s just a way to say thank you,” Hannah added, though they both knew it was so much more.
“Thank you for what?”
“For finding me on the side of the road,” she said softly. “For showing me there are other roads to take. For making me brave.”
“No, Hannah,” he murmured. “You have always been brave.”
And for the first time in her life, the unknown no longer felt like something to fear.