Chapter One – Caden
Caden
A few years later
“Do you think he’s asked her yet?” Ensley asked as we set the dining room table for Thanksgiving lunch.
“I have no clue.”
She sighed. “Caden, how long are you going to let Rachel do this to you?”
Glancing up, I asked, “Do what to me?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t even act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. You’re miserable. You hardly ever go out. Have you even dated anyone in the last two years?”
“I’ve fucked a girl or two.”
She quickly looked around, then hit me. “Shut up! We have friends here, not to mention Grams and Grandpa. Do you want them to hear you talking like that?”
I set the last plate down and grabbed the napkins from her. “Nothing is wrong with me.”
“What happened to the carefree brother who was always down for a good time? Sneaking into bars when we were underage. Going to wedding receptions we weren’t invited to. Going out and dancing at the honky-tonk. Where is that guy? I want my brother back.”
I glanced at her and paused putting the napkins on the table. “To quote your favorite person, Caden can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Because he’s dead.”
Her mouth twitched. “Extra points for totally nailing the exact words. You’re a closet Swiftie, aren’t you?”
I rolled my eyes. “No.”
“Why are you letting her win? You don’t have to be dead, Caden. There are so many women who would die to go out with you.”
Sighing, I set the last napkin at its place. “Ensley, I don’t want to say this, but I’m going to. All women are the same. They lie, cheat, and think only about themselves. Excluding you and Emeline, of course.”
“Not all women are like that.”
“Rachel? Caroline?”
“That’s two out of millions!”
I needed to stop the conversation before I got frustrated and left. That would only make my mother and father angry, and I didn’t want that.
“Ensley, we’re done talking about this.”
She slammed the last knife down on the table. “Fine. But someday, Caden Wilde, there’s going to be a woman who makes you change your mind, and for your sake, I hope you don’t let her get away because you have this fucked-up idea that all women are bad.”
The doorbell rang, and my mother rushed by. “That will be our last guest!”
Ensley and I exchanged looks.
“Who else did she invite?” Ensley asked.
I shrugged and headed back into the kitchen to see if our grandmother needed more help.
“Grams, what else do you need me to do?” I asked, as I glanced around the spacious room.
“Well,” she said, as she pulled rolls out of the oven. “We’re waiting on Emeline and Levi. I do believe he said not to wait to eat in case they were running late.”
“They’re here!” I heard Mom cry out. “They’re here!”
My grandmother lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Go, Grams. I’ll get the rest out.”
She took off without a second’s hesitation. A few moments later, I heard cheering, and I smiled.
“So, you do know how to smile?”
I turned to see Lilibeth Asher standing there.
She was one of my sister’s best friends, and the owner of a perfumery and gift store on Main Street called Wonderland Whimsy.
From the moment we’d met, we had done nothing but sparred with one another.
And I knew exactly why I was such a dick to the woman.
If it kept her at a distance, I wouldn’t be tempted by the way I felt when she was near.
My eyes ran up and down her body, taking in the navy-blue sweater dress that hugged every curve.
She wore black boots, and her blonde hair was pulled up into ringlets atop her head.
Small flowers were tucked into her hair, as usual.
She looked breathtaking. And that pissed me the fuck off.
I didn’t want to notice when Lilibeth looked good.
“What are you doing here, Flower Child?”
Sighing, she set a pie on the kitchen island.
“Hey, you told me not to call you sweetheart, so I stopped.”
“And you think Flower Child is better?”
I looked past her. “Why aren’t you out there congratulating Emeline?”
Something moved across her face, but it was quickly replaced with a smile. “I wanted to give your family time with her first. Why aren’t you out there?”
When I didn’t answer, she tilted her head and regarded me.
“Are you not happy for Emeline and Levi?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I am.”
She nodded. “Right. It’s just so hard for me to tell which scowl of yours means what.”
God, why is she here?
“Don’t you have your own family to spend the holiday with, Lilibeth?”
She folded her arms over her chest, and all that did was perk up her breasts.
My dick instantly twitched in my pants. “My mother and father went on a cruise. Vivianne found out and asked me to join your family. Honestly, I don’t get how you’re an offspring of Vivianne and Ladd’s. They’re so nice, and you’re…”
Her eyes raked slowly over my body before her gaze met mine again. I raised my brows, inviting her to go on, and she didn’t disappoint.
“You’re such an asshole.”
I couldn’t hold back the laughter.
Lilibeth smiled, and I had to look away. “Wow, he knows how to laugh, too. Interesting.”
Moving around her, I intentionally bumped her arm. “Excuse me, Flower Child.”
I didn’t have to look behind me to know that Lilibeth was following.
When I walked into the living room, I found everyone surrounding my baby sister, Emeline.
I smiled when I saw her wide grin. She was showing everyone the engagement ring Levi had given her.
I searched the room for my best friend and found him talking to my younger brother, Gatlin.
Levi and I had been friends for as long as I could remember.
He and his six-year-old son, Rhett, had moved back to River Falls last spring, not long after his two-year-old daughter died in a car accident.
Levi’s ex-wife had been driving, and she’d suffered a few broken bones.
Their marriage, which had really been over for the last few years, took its last hit with the death of their daughter.
Levi filed for divorce, Caroline gave up custody of sweet little Rhett, and they started a new life back in River Falls.
That life now included my sister, who’d had a crush on Levi for years. They’d started dating in May, and now, just six months later, they were engaged.
Emeline lifted her gaze and met mine. I smiled and made my way to her. She hugged me tightly.
“Levi told me he asked for your permission to marry me,” she said in my ear. “Thank you.”
I held her tighter. “I just want you to be happy, Emeline.”
She drew back and looked up at me. “I’ve never been happier.”
Nodding, I replied, “Good. I’m glad.”
She looked past me, eyes sparkling with delight. “Lilibeth! What are you doing here?”
I quickly moved out of the way and stood to the side, watching as Emeline and Lilibeth hugged. She then showed Lilibeth the ring, and they both squealed like schoolgirls.
Ensley walked over and stood next to me. She sniffled, and I glanced over just as she wiped a tear away.
“You okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “I’m just happy for Emeline, that’s all.”
I smirked at her. “You’re next.”
Turning her head, she gaped at me. “Why am I next? Because I’m a girl?”
Laughing, I replied, “Because it’s certainly not going to be me. And can you see him settling down anytime soon?” I pointed to Gatlin, who was walking around trying to balance a glass of water on his forehead as Rhett cheered him on.
Ensley burst into laughter. “Fair enough.”
“Now that everyone’s here, please head to the dining room and find a seat! Ensley, Gatlin, Caden—kitchen!” Mom shouted.
“Why is she only calling us and not Emeline?” I griped.
“Because she just got engaged. Let her enjoy being a full-fledged grownup for one day.”
Before I could respond, our mother looked at us and pointed to the kitchen.
Ensley bumped my arm. “Come on. The sooner we haul the food into the dining room, the sooner we can eat.”
“Thank God. I’m starving.”
The creak of the back door opening caused me to glance up to see who was coming out.
Everyone was in the house playing stupid games that I wasn’t the least bit interested in.
I stood to the far-right side of the porch, in the shadows where the light didn’t reach, so whoever it was, they wouldn’t see me unless they came this way.
But the glow did a great job of revealing the person who was interrupting my peace.
Lilibeth.
I internally groaned. Every time I saw the damn woman, she stirred up two very different emotions in me—anger and desire.
She tightened her coat around herself and brought her hands up to her mouth to blow on them. A light snow had begun to fall, and she reached a hand out and let some flakes fall on her palm. When she smiled, a strange tightness started in my chest.
Her smile slowly faded…and I watched as she reached up and wiped away a single tear.
Oh, just fucking great. If she started crying, I’d be forced to ask her what was wrong.
The back door opened again, and this time, my sister Ensley walked out.
“I see you had the same idea.”
Lilibeth quickly wiped away another tear, but not before my sister saw it. She closed the distance between them and put an arm around her. Lilibeth rested her head on Ensley’s shoulder.
“I know. I feel the same way. Happy but sad.”
Leaning forward slightly, I strained to hear what my sister was saying. Why was she sad?
“I feel so guilty for feeling this way,” Lilibeth stated. “I’m so happy for Emeline. I genuinely am. It just makes me realize how far I am from the things I’d always dreamed of.”
Ensley pulled a hat on, and they both sat down on the top step.
“I have everything I want except love. And I don’t think it’s ever going to happen, Ensley.”
My sister pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. “I don’t think I’ll ever find it, either.”
I closed my eyes. I hated that my sister felt that way.
“At least you’ve had sex. I’m going to die alone and a virgin.”
Popping my eyes back open, I bit back a gasp, shocked.
Lilibeth is a virgin? Holy shit!
Ensley laughed. “I won’t let that happen. You should just tell Gatlin you need to pop your cherry. He’d totally be down for it.”
They both laughed…and I realized I was balling my fist. The idea of Gatlin with Lilibeth doing anything together didn’t sit right with me at all. I flexed my hand, telling myself to stop being stupid.
“Maybe I should just have a one-night stand. The last thing I want is to turn thirty and still be a virgin.” She sighed.
“I can’t regret not giving myself to the few guys I’ve dated.
They were all jerks. But at this point, I just feel like I must have a sign on my forehead that says, ‘Go ahead and cheat on me, I don’t care. ’”
“Did they all cheat?”
Lilibeth rested her chin on her knee. “All but one. Do you know they all blamed me for not sleeping with them as the reason why they cheated? They have needs, don’t you know.”
Ensley grunted. “Fucking men. Like their hand doesn’t work just fine. They should have valued the fact that you were saving yourself.”
Lilibeth let out a long exhale. “When I was little, I used to dream about marrying a cowboy.”
Ensley chuckled.
“We’d live on a ranch and have two kids and two dogs. One little girl and one little boy, who’d follow their daddy all over the place, trying to be just like him. I even used to have this dumb dream where my cowboy would make love to me on his tractor.”
They both laughed, and when Ensley caught her breath, she asked, “A tractor?”
“I blame that song. She thinks my tractor’s sexy, or something like that.”
I was starting to feel guilty for eavesdropping on their very private conversation. I glanced around to see if I could possibly slip away and walk around to the front of the house.
“Now I’m trying to picture that, Lilibeth.”
They both chuckled again, before Lilibeth dropped her head back. “It’s just a silly dream. Unless my mystery cowboy lives in River Falls, I think I’m just going to end up with the two dogs. Maybe I’ll add in a cat…”
Ensley laced her arm with Lilibeth’s. “It’s not silly. We have to both believe we’ll find the one someday.”
They remained quiet for a few minutes. I swore the only thing I could hear was the snow falling. I hadn’t brought out my gloves, and my hands were now freezing.
“We’d better get in before they send someone searching for us,” Ensley said, standing. She reached down and helped Lilibeth up.
Turning to walk back into the house, Lilibeth said, “Ensley, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure! Ask away.”
“Why doesn’t Caden like me?”
Now I swore my heart froze in my chest.
“He likes you.”
Lilibeth laughed dryly. “If that’s how he treats people he likes, I’d hate to see what it’s like for the people he doesn’t. He’s always so grumpy around me.”
“Oh, man, Lilibeth. It’s not just you. And that particular conversation calls for a glass of wine and a whole lot more time.”
“Was it a woman?”
My sister was quiet for a few moments. “Yeah. It was a woman. And if she ever sets foot in River Falls again, I’m going to kick her ass.”
“That bad, huh?”
Ensley snorted. “Yeah, that bad.”
The door opened again and then clicked shut. I leaned forward to make sure they’d both walked back into the house. I pushed my hands into my jacket pockets and stared at the door, and I couldn’t seem to shake off what Lilibeth had said.
“I used to dream about marrying a cowboy.
“We’d live on a ranch and have two kids and two dogs. One little girl and one little boy, who’d follow their daddy all over the place, trying to be just like him.”
A painful ache filled my chest. I closed my eyes and willed it away before opening my eyes and heading back into the house.
Because hearing that made me realize that that’s been my dream all along, too.