Page 27 of Caleb

If he couldn’t sleep and a meddling ghost was determined to hound him, Caleb figured he might as well make himself useful. Grumbling under his breath, he trudged into the kitchen, started the coffeemaker, and waited for the rich aroma to fill the room.

By the time he poured his first steaming cup, his thoughts were already turning to the stack of paperwork and brochures he’d brought back from the convention. At least those made sense—straightforward, manageable, and nothing like the tangled mess of emotions Taylor had left in her wake.

With a sigh, Caleb settled at his desk, the faint glow of his laptop illuminating his furrowed brow. This was better than sitting around replaying every moment from the past few days in his head.

But Eugenia wasn’t one to be dismissed. She floated after him, her tone turning sharper. “You think you’re being noble, Caleb? Does pushing her away or letting her slip through your fingers make you a martyr? All you’re doing is proving you’re too scared to fight for what matters.”

He wasn’t scared—at least, that’s what he told himself. He was protecting both himself and Taylor from a life like his parents had, a life built on broken promises and bitter regrets. He wasn’t being a martyr but a hero in his own way. The problem was, she didn’t see it like that. To her, he wasn’t saving anyone—he was just running.

“I’m not scared,” he shot back, spinning to face her.

“Then why are you still here?” she asked, her eyes narrowing. “Why aren’t you out there finding her? Apologizing for every stupid thing you’ve done and showing her that you’re worth a second chance?”

He opened his mouth to argue, but the words wouldn’t come.

Eugenia softened, stepping closer. “She left because she’s scared too, you know. But she came to you first, Caleb. She let you in. And you let her walk away without even trying to stop her.”

Damn it. Why did it feel like Eugenia was right? Taylor had let him in, cracked open the walls she’d built so carefully, only to shut him out again. She’d walked away before he even had a chance to stop her. And if he’d been given that chance? Caleb clenched his jaw, the truth hitting him harder than he wanted to admit—he would have stopped her.

Her words hit him like a blow to the heart, and he sank into his chair, his head in his hands. God, now, what did he do?

“I don’t know where she is,” he admitted after a long moment, his voice quiet.

Eugenia let out an exasperated sigh, though her expression softened. “You’re a smart man. You’ll figure it out. And if you don’t, I’ll keep singing until you do.”

The thought of that old woman haunting his house, belting out tunes in her screeching, off-key voice all night long, was more than he could stomach. It was the kind of torment that could break even the strongest man.

Caleb’s head shot up, his eyes narrowing. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, wouldn’t I?” She grinned, mischief dancing in her translucent eyes.

He groaned. “Fine. Fine! I’ll look her up. Just stop singing.”

Eugenia beamed, clapping her hands. “That’s the spirit! Now, get to it. Chop-chop!”

With a muttered curse, Eugenia hovered over his shoulder as he opened a browser, her presence both encouraging and annoying.

"How does that screen know where to find her?" Eugenia scoffed, floating closer to peer at the laptop as if it offended her. "Back in my day, you didn’t sit staring at a glowing box. You got up, saddled a horse, and searched for her yourself."

Taylor Montgomeryhe typed into the search bar, his fingers hesitating for a moment before hitting enter. A flood of results appeared—business profiles, social media pages, and news articles. “This is the faster way.”

“There,” Eugenia said, pointing toward a link to Taylor’s marketing website. “I can’t believe you found her so quick. That was faster than a horse.”

He ignored her, clicking the link and scanning the page. Her professional photo stared back at him, her smile polished and confident. But the contact information at the bottom of the page made his hands tighten.

“You’ve got her now,” Eugenia said softly. “What are you going to do with it?”

Caleb didn’t answer right away, his gaze lingering on her photo. Finally, he closed the laptop and set it aside, his jaw tightening with determination.

“I’m going to find her,” he said quietly.

Eugenia’s smile widened, satisfaction radiating from her as she began to fade. “That’s my boy.”

As her form disappeared, Caleb leaned back in his chair, his thoughts racing. He didn’t know what he’d say when he found her or if she wanted to see him again.

But he was done sitting still.

It was time to fight for what mattered. Even if they did nothing but talk, he needed to know why she’d left without saying good-bye.

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