Chapter 33 Cal
THIRTY-THREE
CAL
“I’ve got three places that I think’ll suit you,” Ted Adams, the realtor, said when he picked me up that afternoon.
“We’ll hit the closest one first.” Ted was an amiable guy and chatted about local gossip and the upcoming rodeo while we drove the twenty minutes to the first place.
“This one needs the most work of any of them, but it’s got such great potential that I thought it was worth showing it to you. ”
I got out of the vehicle and took in the large white barn that needed a coat of paint and some other repairs. Outbuildings were in a similar condition. All of that was fixable, but the size mattered. “How much property?”
“About two hundred acres of grass land, good for pasturing horses.” That worked in terms of size, and I liked the lay of the land. Enough trees for shade, plenty of grass for the horses to eat, and rolling hills for a little beauty. “Do you want to look in the main barn?”
“Yeah, I do.” I followed the agent while a hum of excitement started through my blood. It was the anticipation I often felt when entering the arena for a competition. But what I wanted here wasn’t going to be over in eight seconds.
Ted removed a padlock and pushed the barn doors open.
The familiar scent of hay and horses hit me as I walked in.
It was a barn like a thousand others I’d been in, but I was seeing it differently.
This wasn’t a temporary visit to look at a horse and grab a saddle.
This was where I could make my future, so I took a slow walk around, checking in every stall, climbing to the hayloft, and inspecting the tack room while I imagined the possibilities.
After the barn, I went outside to look at the other buildings and see the fenced pasture.
It all needed work, but it was work I knew how to do, thanks to having helped in my parents’ construction business when I was younger.
What mattered was that I could picture myself here, doing that work, training kids to ride. Being here was exactly what I wanted.
“I’ll take it,” I said when Ted and I returned to the main barn.
“You sure?” Ted shot me a quizzical look. “The other places are in better shape. You’d have fewer upfront costs.”
“No, this is what I want.” The property itself was exactly suited to my needs, but it also sat within an easy distance of the Thorne ranch.
Even if Amy didn’t take me back—and I forced myself to accept that possibility—I wanted to be close to Henry, my brothers, and Laura. That would be a good life, too.
“There’s no house. Where you going to live?” Ted asked.
“What about that place?” I pointed to a farmhouse set among oak trees across the road. A “for sale” sign was in the front yard.
“Sorry, buddy, but as luck would have it, one of my associates sold that place yesterday. The contract’s already been signed by both parties.”
I felt some disappointment. It was a pretty place, but Amy would probably want some say in the house we would share. I imagined she would want to live at the ranch for at least another year. That would give us plenty of time to build a place we could both be happy with.
Was I getting ahead of myself? Probably. I wasn’t going to make assumptions about or put conditions on our love as I had on our evening ride. I’d been a dumbass, but it had also been the wakeup call I needed.
Or maybe Jake’s fist in my face had been that. Either way, I’d gotten my head straight about what was important.
“Let’s get the paperwork started,” I said.
I had plenty of savings left over from my winnings on the circuit, plus the sponsorships I’d had over the years.
My truck was paid for, I had minimal expenses and zero debt.
Until now. The renovation work would take a chunk out of my accounts, as would building a house, but I wasn’t worried about money.
Patching things up with Amy and my family were what mattered and buying the land was the first step in accomplishing that.
I spent the next hour with Ted putting in a formal offer on the property and calling my banker.
When that was done, I had one more call to make.
I dialed Brian’s number and requested a meeting with my brothers, but not on the ranch.
After a brief hesitation, Brian told me to come over to his house at seven. He’d get Jake there, too.
That evening, I approached Brian’s house feeling unsettled. I had to lay it on the line with the twins and hope they accepted me.
“Thanks for meeting with me,” I said when Brian opened the door at my knock. Brian’s place was a small, two-story house on a side street in town. Nothing fancy, but tidy and well maintained, and in a good location for the sheriff, close to the places that might need him in a hurry.
Brian only nodded and stepped back. Jake stood in the living room regarding me with distrust and suspicion. I didn’t blame him. The twins were the kind of men who protected the people they loved, and right then they felt they had to protect their family from me.
“Howdy,” I greeted Jake. “I’ll get right to it. I owe you both an apology for what happened in the bar.”
“I started that,” Jake said bluntly.
“Yeah, but I didn’t have to continue it.” I turned to address Brian. “And I shouldn’t have put you in the position of having to lock up your own brothers.”
“It’s the job,” Brian said with a shrug.
“I think it’s more complicated than that. I regret the things I said, too.” I paused, but neither of them responded to that and I couldn’t read their expressions, so I went on. “Most of all, though, I’m sorry for hurting Amy.”
“You ought to be,” Jake snapped.
“Trust me, I know, but I had some things to work out, and I’ve done that,” I said, hoping they believed me. “So I’m here to stay. And I’m hoping we can put our differences aside.”
“How does Amy fit into all this?” Brian asked.
“I’m going to try to win her back,” I said. “I want to marry her, but I’d understand it if she wanted nothing more to do with me. I didn’t treat her the way I should have.” I accepted my responsibility for what had happened between us. “If she won’t have me, I still want to be an uncle to Henry.”
Jake came closer, getting in my face. “What’s our part in all this?”
“Nothing, if that’s the way you want it,” I said.
“I’m going to try getting Amy back whether or not you two are okay with it.
Still, I’d like it if I had your blessing.
I like you, and I think we can at least be friends.
” I let myself grin. “At the least, I’d prefer not to get punched out every time Amy and I have a normal fight. ”
Jake shot Brian a look and a silent communication passed between the two. I wished I spoke that language, but I doubted I ever would no matter how close the three of us became in the future.
“All right, we’ll accept what you’ve said so far, but we’ve got a few questions before you get our blessing,” Jake said and I had the impression that they’d discussed this in advance. “Are you committed to listening to what Amy wants and not riding roughshod over her?”
I blinked, wondering what motivated that question. “I am.” Was that how they viewed my behavior the last time I saw her on the ranch? “I didn’t handle things well a few nights back, but I never meant to hurt her.”
“Uh-huh,” Jake responded, and I wasn’t at all sure my brother had believed my response.
“You going to let her keep working at the mayor’s office?” Brian picked up the interrogation.
Where did that come from? Of course she could work if that’s what she wanted. “If it makes her happy, I’m not getting in her way. If she wanted to work somewhere else, that’d be okay too.”
“Good answer,” Jake said. “Now, here’s the hard question.
You may not know it, but being a parent is about the toughest job there is.
It can be exhausting and unglamorous. You going to keep seeing Amy as a person and not take her for granted during those moments, not expect her to do all the heavy lifting of parenting while you focus on the fun stuff? ”
“You’ve got my word on that.” I meant what I said, but I was still confused by the questions.
Was this another subtle way for them to talk about how great Luke was?
Were they worried that I couldn’t live up to Luke’s example?
I decided to hit the issue head on. “Look, I get that I’m never going to replace Luke, and I’m not going to try, but I can promise to love Amy and Henry with everything I’ve got. ”
“That’s—” Jake stopped speaking when Brian shook his head and several beats of silence passed.
“She’ll tell him when she’s ready,” Brian said.
I wanted to demand to know what that was about, but I was in no position to insist on an explanation. More silence fell while another look was exchanged between the twins. I was guessing that they were coming to a final decision on me and my role in the family.
“Okay, Cal, welcome to the family. Again,” Brian said and stuck out his hand to shake mine. “And just so you know, we don’t need you to be perfect. God knows Luke wasn’t a perfect brother, and we loved him anyway. We need you to be honest with us, though.”
“I can do that,” I said, but I was surprised at Brian’s words. It was the first time anyone I had encountered in Poplar Springs even hinted at Luke not being perfect.
“Enough of this serious talk. Let’s go watch the sunset and have a beer,” Brian said and led the way to his kitchen. He grabbed three longnecks from the fridge and opened a door to a small deck outside.
We sat at a picnic table as darkness fell, talking and giving each other crap. It reminded me of nights I’d spent with my buddies on the rodeo circuit. Those had been good times, but this was, too. Maybe I really had found a place where I could fit in and belong.