Chapter Seven – Caden
Caden
I sat on my horse, Draco, and stared out toward the west. A storm was moving in, and I’d ridden out to make sure none of the cattle were left in the west pasture. If they were, without me spurring them on, they wouldn’t be able to get to the barn or any other shelter spots.
The sky was getting darker by the minute, and I couldn’t help but think that it matched my mood. Which wasn’t anything new, but the last week, my mood had been even worse than normal…ever since Lilibeth had walked out of my house without a word.
Then to see her at Mrs. Harper’s… It gave me a glimpse at another side of Lilibeth I’d never wanted to see.
She cared deeply for people. Whereas Rachel had been the polar opposite.
I used to beg her to go with me to Mrs. Harper’s to visit, and she could never be bothered.
Couldn’t fathom spending even an hour of her free time with “some old woman.”
How I hadn’t seen that as a red flag, I’ll never know.
The sound of someone riding up from behind caused me to turn and look.
“How long are you going to sit here and look out at nothing?”
“What are you doing out here, Ensley?”
She smiled. “Dad asked me to make sure you were okay, since you’ve been gone longer than he thought you should be.”
I smiled.
“Looks like this storm’s going to be worse than they first thought.”
“Dad does realize I’m all grown up now?”
Shrugging, she replied, “Honestly, you have been gone for a bit, Caden. The only reason I knew where to find you was because Walter told me you were riding out to check the west pasture, and I knew this was the best spot.”
I let out a soft chuckle. Ensley was probably the only person who knew me better than I knew myself.
“Want to talk?”
With a shake of my head, I said, “Not really.”
She sighed, and her horse, Kamaria, stomped her foot. I swore those two were connected. She fed off of Ensley’s mood.
“You know it’s okay if you like her, right?”
I glanced at the paint that was bobbing her head, as if impatient to stand here. Or she knew the storm was coming and wanted to be back in her warm stall. It was probably a bit of both.
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to pawn your horse off on me. You and Emeline are the only two who can ride that thing.”
Ensley rolled her eyes. “I’m not talking about my horse, Caden. You know damn well who I’m talking about.”
I shrugged. “I don’t.”
“Lilibeth, you ass.”
I let out a gruff laugh. “You think I like her?”
“Yes, I do. And Mrs. Harper agrees with me.”
“You’re dragging Mrs. Harper into this?” I asked with raised brows.
“Listen, the moment I found out Lilibeth was going to visit her last weekend, on your visiting day, I knew I was going to have to gather intel. I stopped by earlier today to make sure she had everything she needed before this storm hit, and she told me what happened, how the three of you spent the entire day, and well into the evening, decorating her house. Now I can tell Mom why you missed Sunday dinner with the family.”
“I already told her.”
She went on, ignoring me. “Even Mrs. Harper says there’s something between the two of you. Said you fight like an old married couple.”
I sighed and adjusted myself in the saddle, causing Draco to sidestep, which in turn pissed off Kamaria, who attempted to bite him.
“I don’t like her.”
When she didn’t say anything, I risked taking a glance in her direction. She was smiling. No, she was smirking.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Caden Flint Wilde, of all the people on this planet, what in the hell makes you think you can lie to me?”
I laughed. “Fine, I think she’s attractive, but her personality grates on my nerves.”
“I don’t think that’s what it is. I think she’s so completely the opposite of Rachel in every single way, and you’re attracted to that, and it scares the hell out of you.”
“Scares me?”
“Yes! The idea of opening yourself up to another person again terrifies you, and don’t tell me it doesn’t. I don’t blame you, Caden. What Rachel did was terrible. I hope she rots in hell for it. But that doesn’t mean Lilibeth is the same way.”
Swallowing the sudden lump in my throat, I shook my head. “I can’t, Ensley.”
“Why not?”
Turning to look at my sister, I slowly let out a breath. “I won’t lie to you and say I don’t feel anything for Lilibeth. The problem with Lilibeth is, I feel too much.”
She frowned. “What do you mean, you feel too much?”
“When I’m around her, I feel something completely different and new. It’s nothing like what I felt for Rachel. And it…it makes me feel like I could lose control.”
“Caden, if you can love the wrong person that much, imagine what loving the right person would be like. Are you never going to date again? Don’t you want a family? Kids to leave this ranch to?”
I shook my head. “I can’t love like that again. I don’t have anything left in me to give to anyone. There’s nothing left in my heart to share. And I’m sure you and Emeline will have kids. Gatlin, too, if he ever finds someone who can put up with his annoying ass.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked out over the ranch below us. “You deserve to find love and happiness, Caden. I will forever hate that woman for making you think for even one second that you don’t.”
The wind started to pick up. “Come on,” I said, turning Draco. “We need to get back. This thing is moving in even faster than we thought.”
“I’ll race you back,” Ensley said, kicking her horse and taking off at a gallop. Smiling, I urged Draco to follow.
After getting back to the main barn, Ensley and I took care of our horses, removing their tack, brushing them down, and providing fresh water before getting them settled into their stalls.
“There you are!” Emeline said, running toward us. Her voice was laced with fear.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, as I shut the door to Draco’s stall, leaving him warm and happy with his fresh oats.
“Lilibeth is missing.”
“What?” Ensley and I said at the same time.
“What do you mean by missing?” I asked.
“We were both out and she was riding on Lyra, and Lyra came back to the barn ten minutes ago—without Lilibeth.”
“Why were you out riding with a storm coming in?” I barked, walking quickly down the aisle of the barn and stopping at Orion’s stall. “Marshall, grab my saddle for me.”
Marshall had been walking toward us, but he quickly spun and ran to the tack room.
“We weren’t out on a joy ride! Whiskey got out of the paddock and took off. I saddled up to go get him, and so did Lilibeth.”
“Why would you let her go with you, Emeline?” Ensley asked.
“She insisted on helping. I called her when I found Whiskey and said I was heading back to the barn. She said she was, too. But she hasn’t come back yet, and she’s not answering her phone.”
Marshall handed me the saddle, and I quickly got to work.
“I’ll saddle up as well,” Marshall said.
I gave him a quick nod, then looked at Emeline. “Which way did she go?”
“North, since that was the direction Whiskey had gone. Lilibeth went on the northwest trail, and I took the northeast. I found him pretty quickly. We left not even an hour ago, so I can’t imagine she would have gotten that far. Let me saddle up—”
“No,” I said. “The storm’s almost on us, and I want you here. I’m sure Lilibeth stayed on the trail. She may have just gotten turned around and is heading away from the barn.”
Emeline worried her lower lip.
I reached for my sister’s hand and squeezed it. “I’ll find her, don’t worry.”
Turning to Marshall, I said, “You take the northeast trail, just in case. I’ll check the trail Lilibeth took.”
He nodded, and we both got on our horses and made our way toward the trails.
By now, the wind was whipping and the temperature had plummeted. It had also started snowing. And not a soft flurry, but a step down from a full-on blizzard. Hopefully Lilibeth was wearing warm clothing.
I rode up the trail, calling out her name.
I wasn’t even sure she would be able to hear anything over the howling wind.
The farther I got away from the barn, the more worried I got.
Surely she would know to stay on the trail…
but what if she’d wandered off it, thanks to the snowfall and near white-out conditions?
I started looking to the left and right.
About another fifty yards along, I noticed faint footsteps on the trail, coming from the direction of the open pasture to the right.
She had gotten off the trail a bit, but had obviously managed to find her way back.
The only problem was that she was going the wrong way.
“Lilibeth!” I shouted as loud as I could. My voice was beginning to get hoarse from calling out her name.
Just when I didn’t think it could get any worse, it started snowing even harder, rapidly covering up her footprints.
“Fuck,” I mumbled, as I urged Orion to pick up the pace.
I pulled out my phone, took off my glove and hit Marshall’s number. He answered right away.
“Nothing yet.”
“I found footprints. But the snow is starting to cover them. She’s on this trail, that much I know. You head back to the barn and get out of this mess. I’ll let everyone know when I’ve found her. She can’t be that far ahead of me.”
“You sure you don’t want me to ride that way?”
A wind gust hit, so strong that even Orion stumbled. “No, get to the barn. I’ll find her.”
“If you change your mind, I’ll stay saddled up for a bit.”
“Just get back safely. I’ll try to update in a few.”
I hit end and pushed the phone into my pocket. The trail was entering a wooded area, and I could still make out a few footsteps, but they’d be completely covered within minutes.
“Stay on the trail, Lilibeth. Stay on the trail.”
My heart was pounding in my chest and my stomach felt like it was weighed down by a ton of rocks. It was the first time in my life that I’d ever felt such gut-wrenching fear.
I rode for ten minutes more, with no sight of Lilibeth or any more footsteps. The snow was falling harder than ever.
“Lilibeth!”
Suddenly, Orion threw his head back and refused to move.
“Come on, buddy, I know it’s a mess out here, but we’ve gotta keep going.”
He started walking backward, snorting the whole time. When he let out a scream, I knew something was wrong. When we’d backtracked about a dozen feet, Orion headed into the woods, and no matter how hard I tried to make him back up, he refused.
That’s when I saw her.
Lilibeth was under a tree, sitting with her back against the wide trunk, her eyes closed.
“That’s a good boy, Orion!” I cried, before jumping off his back and running as best I could through the snow to get to Lilibeth. She’d been smart enough to huddle under a large pine. The thickness of it helped to shield some of the snow and wind.
“Lilibeth,” I shouted, as I dropped to my knees. She wasn’t opening her eyes. I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, hard. “Lilibeth!”
Her eyes snapped open. “Caden?”
“What happened?”
Tears filled her eyes. “Lyra got spooked and threw me.”
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head. “No, but I’m f-freezing. I can’t feel m-my hands.”
I looked down to see she wasn’t wearing any gloves. She didn’t have a hat on either. I pulled my scarf off and wrapped it around her head, making sure her ears and head were covered as best as they could be.
“Can you stand?”
Nodding, she took my hands, and I helped her up.
“I’m…I’m s-so cold. I can’t get warm. The s-storm came on s-so fast.”
“I’ve got you. It’s okay.”
I bent and picked her up, fighting against the snow to carry her back to Orion. I helped her get on the horse, then settled behind her. I took off my gloves and put them on her hands.
“But your hands—” she began.
“Are fine.”
Once I got back to the trail, I glanced around to see where we were. Grabbing my phone, I pulled up my location. “We’re closer to my place than the barn.”
“I don’t care where we go! I’m fr-fr-freezing.”
I hit Emeline’s number.
“Caden? Please tell me you found her!”
“Yeah, I found her. This storm isn’t showing any signs of easing up. We’re going to head to my house since I’m closer to it. Has Marshall made it back?”
“Yes, he’s here. We’ve been waiting for you to call.”
“Tell him I found her. I’ll text you when I get to my place.”
“Is she hurt?”
“No. At least not that I can tell.”
Orion didn’t even need to be directed; he set off at a faster pace, as if he knew we needed to get Lilibeth out of the elements.
“It was Orion who found her.”
“What?” Emeline asked.
“The damn horse was the one who found her.”
“Tell that good boy he’s getting spoiled big time!”
“I’ll talk to you when I get home.”
I ended the call and shoved the phone back into my coat pocket. I wrapped my arm around Lilibeth and pulled her closer. The relief I felt, knowing I’d found her and that she was safe, nearly left me breathless.
She remained silent, but I felt her body relax against mine, even though she was shivering nonstop.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ve got you. We’re almost to my place.”