6. Callie
CALLIE
I sat down at the family table, the chair legs scraping against the hardwood floor.
Wade was already seated across from me, his sleeves rolled up from the day, his hands reaching for the water pitcher.
Marlene had set out the roast and the potatoes and the green beans she always made when the family gathered, the serving dishes arranged just so on the lace runner she'd inherited from Wade's grandmother.
Shelby was sitting in the chair beside Wade.
Not across the table where a guest would sit. Not at the far end. Beside him, close enough that I could see her hand resting near his on the table.
I twisted the ring on my finger. It slid too easily, loose from the weight I'd lost. The gold caught the light from the fixture overhead, and I looked down at the plate in front of me instead.
I'd come here tonight carrying the resolve I'd found at Jolene's, the determination to claim my place in this family.
Marlene smiled at Shelby and passed her the rolls without being asked. "You're family, sweetheart," she said. "Don't wait for an invitation."
Shelby took the basket and set it beside her plate. "Thank you, Marlene," she said. Her voice was warm, easy. Like she'd been sitting at this table for years.
Travis reached across and refilled Shelby's water glass before she could do it herself. "You get used to the way we do things around here," he said, grinning at her. "Wade, tell her about the shipment that came in this morning. The one from the feedlot."
Wade looked up from his plate, and his whole face shifted. He leaned back in his chair, one arm draped over the back of it. "Came in early," he said. "Better quality than I expected. We're set for the next two months, at least."
Shelby leaned toward him just slightly, enough that her shoulder was an inch from his. "Daddy said you've got the best operation in the state," she said. "He wasn't exaggerating."
Wade's mouth curved into a smile. "Your father knows his business," he said.
I reached for my water glass and took a drink. The ice clinked against the sides, loud in my ears. I set it down carefully and folded my hands in my lap.
"Wade," I said.
His eyes came to me. He was still smiling, but it faded slightly when he looked at me.
"Did you check on the heifers?" I asked. "The ones in the south pasture. I saw them this afternoon, and one of them looked off. She wasn't moving much, and her breathing seemed shallow. I thought maybe she was coming down with something."
He nodded once, already cutting into his roast. "Probably fine," he said. The knife slid through the meat, and he didn't look up. "Heifers rest during the day. You know that. They're built for this weather, Callie. They've been through colder than this."
"I know, but she looked?—"
"If she's not better by tomorrow, I'll have someone take a look." He took a bite and chewed, his attention already drifting back to his plate. "It's nothing to worry about." He glanced at me, then back at his plate. "You're making a mountain out of an anthill."
I opened my mouth to say something else, but the words caught in my throat. Wade was already reaching for the salt, already moving on.
Marlene set down her fork and looked at me. "That little hobby of yours," she said. "You were at it again today, weren't you?"
My hands tightened in my lap.
I wanted to tell her it wasn't a hobby. That I'd founded the rescue before I ever met Wade, that I'd built it from a rented barn that leaked every time it rained, one starved animal at a time, with Jolene beside me.
That I'd handed it to Jolene when I married Wade because his family needed me here, because there was work on this ranch that no one else would do.
I wanted to say all of that.
But I didn't.
I pressed my lips together and reached for my water glass again. My throat was tight, and the water didn't help.
Travis was watching me. He set his knife down slow and deliberate, then leaned back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. "You were at the rescue when they called you," he said. "About the calf."
I nodded.
"Not fast enough, though."
The words hit me square in the chest. I twisted the ring again, turning it all the way around. The inside of the band had worn smooth over the years, and it made no sound against my skin.
Travis didn't look away. His jaw was set, his eyes hard. "If you'd been here instead of running off to the rescue, that calf might've made it."
The words sat there on the table between us, heavy and sharp. I looked at Wade. He was chewing. His jaw moved steadily, and he didn't look up. He didn't say a word.
I felt the heat rising up my neck, burning under my skin.
I pressed my hands flat against my thighs under the table where no one could see.
My nails dug into the fabric of my jeans.
The calf had been a big black crossbred, his neck hot under my palm when I knelt beside him.
I'd kept my hand there while he died, felt his breathing hitch and stop.
Then I'd told the ranch hand to move him out.
But I said nothing. I sat there with my hands in my lap and my throat burning, and I didn't say a word.
Shelby leaned forward and touched Wade's arm lightly, her fingers resting just above his wrist. "You mentioned the Bradshaw deal earlier," she said.
Her voice was bright, easy. "Daddy wanted me to ask if you'd had a chance to look over the revised contracts.
He said you were going to have your people review the amendments. "
Wade's whole face changed. The lines around his mouth softened, and his shoulders straightened.
He sat up, and his eyes went to hers. "I did," he said.
"The amendments look solid. Your father's team did good work.
If we can get the mineral rights finalized by the end of the month, we'll be ahead of schedule, and we can start moving on the expansion before the weather turns. "
Travis grinned and leaned forward, his elbows on the table. "That's what I like to hear."
Shelby tilted her head, her smile easy. "Daddy said he wants to meet with you and Travis next week," she said. "Go over the expansion plans in person. He's got ideas about the eastern parcels, and he thinks there might be some additional opportunities we haven't explored yet."
"Good," Wade said. He was leaning in now, his elbows on the table, his whole body angled toward her. "We'll need to coordinate the surveys before we file. The sooner we get that done, the better. Travis, did you get the updated topography maps?"
"In my office," Travis said. "I'll bring them by tomorrow morning."
Marlene passed the rolls again, this time to Wade. He took one without looking, his eyes still on Shelby. "It's wonderful to have someone in the family who understands this business as well as you boys do," Marlene said to Shelby. "Your father raised you right."
I sat there and watched them talk. Wade's hands moved as he explained something about mineral rights and drilling schedules, his fingers tapping the table to mark the parcels.
Shelby nodded, asking questions that made Travis laugh and Wade lean closer to answer.
Marlene refilled Shelby's wine glass without her asking, the bottle tipping just so.
I picked up my fork and cut a piece of roast into smaller pieces. The meat was tender, and the knife went through it easily. I moved the pieces around on my plate. I didn't eat any of it.
The talk went on around me. Parcels and contracts and survey deadlines. Wade used his hands to show Shelby something about the property lines, tracing invisible boundaries in the air between them. She watched him like every word mattered, her chin resting on her hand.
God, I didn't understand half of what they were saying.
I set my fork down and cleared my throat. "The party's in a few days," I said.
The table went quiet. Travis stopped mid-sentence, his mouth still open. Marlene looked up from her plate. Shelby's eyes flicked to me, then away.
Wade looked at me. His brow furrowed slightly, like he was trying to place something. "What party?"
My stomach dropped. The words came out steady, but my hands were shaking in my lap. "Our anniversary party," I said. "Wade and I have been married ten years. We planned this months ago."
Marlene blinked. "Oh," she said. She looked at Wade, then back at me. Her mouth opened, then closed. "That's this week?"
"Yes." I twisted the ring again, the band catching on my knuckle before sliding past. "It's on Saturday."
Wade set down his fork. It clinked against the plate. "That's this week," he said slowly, like he was working it out as he spoke. He rubbed the back of his neck, his hand moving up into his hair. "I didn't realize it was so soon."
Shelby smiled at me. It was bright and warm. "Congratulations, Callie," she said. "Ten years is quite an accomplishment. You must be very proud."
"Thank you," I said. My voice came out thin.
Marlene straightened in her chair and folded her hands on the table. "Well, of course we'll all be there," she said. She looked at Shelby, and her whole face brightened. "You should come too, sweetheart. We'd love to have you. Wouldn't we, Wade?"
The words landed like stones. I felt them hit, one after another, heavy and cold.
Shelby glanced at Wade, then back at Marlene. "Are you sure?" she asked. "I wouldn't want to intrude on something so special."
"Nonsense," Marlene said. She waved her hand like she was brushing away the very idea. "You're practically family already. It'll be lovely to have you there."
"Then I'd be happy to come," Shelby said. "Thank you for including me." She looked at me. "If it's all right with you, Callie."
I looked at Wade. He was chewing, his jaw working slow and steady. His eyes were on his plate. He didn't say anything. He didn't look up.
I waited. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could feel it in my throat. I waited for him to say no. To say this was our party, our anniversary, our ten years. To say Shelby didn't need to be there.
I waited.
He said nothing.
The family had closed ranks against me, and Wade would not stand in their way.
"Of course," I said. The words came out quiet, but they came.
Marlene clapped her hands together once, the sound sharp in the quiet room. "Wonderful," she said. "It's settled, then."
I sat there with my hands in my lap. The ring dug into the skin of my palm where I'd closed my fist around it, the band pressing a line into my flesh. I loosened my grip and set my hand flat on my thigh. My fingers were trembling.
Wade ate. He reached for his water and took another drink.
Marlene asked Shelby about her father's plans for the spring, and Shelby answered with a story about oil leases and something her father had said about expansion.
Travis talked about the feed and the fence line that needed mending before the weather turned.
Nobody looked at me.
I sat there at the table I'd sat at for ten years, the one I'd helped Marlene set more times than I could count. I looked at Wade across from me, his sleeves still rolled up, his hands still steady. He looked relaxed.
I didn't tell Wade I was hurt.
I didn't say anything at all.
Wade thought it was an ordinary dinner. I could see it in the way he smiled at something Travis said, in the way he leaned back in his chair like the evening had gone exactly as it should.
He reached for a roll and ate, and he said nothing.