Page 57 of Hit the Ground
“Actually…” I rubbed my palms over my thighs, wishing Mrs. Taylor would march back in, demanding to know about anotherbarn scene, “I’m not going to be available to read this week. I’ve got a lot going on.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. My to-do list at the library was endless, and Lily had hopped right on the fundraising idea, so I had tasks to complete for her as well. But mostly, I needed distance. As much as I could get.
His brow creased, but he only nodded. “All right. I’ll get started on my own. Let me know when you have time for me.”
“Okay,” I replied. “I will.”
Once he was gone and I could breathe normally again, I picked up the little pot and smiled at the brightly painted design. It really was a sweet gift, and I already knew I’d like looking at it.
Then a folded piece of paper that had been beneath the pot caught my eye. My mouth went desert dry as I picked it up and unfolded it, revealing Caleb’s familiar scrawl.
Allie,
Hope you like this little guy. My grandmother says it only needs watered once a week, and it’ll do fine with minimal sunlight.
This is athank you for humoring meplant. My evenings have been a lot more fulfilling since you picked up the phone. Consider this a bribe in case you’re getting tired of me.
I’ll talk to you soon (hopefully tonight).
Yours,
CK
I slowly refolded the note and let it rest in my palm. It felt heavier than a scrap torn from a spiral-bound notebook should have. The paper was ridged where his pen had pressed into it, the blue ink pooling in the curves of each letter, like he’d gone over them at least twice, giving the words he’d left more meaning. Caleb wasn’t a reader, and I doubted he was much of a writer, but I could almost see him in my mind, hunched overone of his son’s notebooks at the kitchen table, considering each word he committed with ink.
The last time I’d held paper that felt this heavy, it had been the letter from a lawyer telling me my sister was dead.
Now in my hand was something just as unexpected. Not news that could break me, but if I wasn’t careful, I might end up that way anyway.
This man…did he really have no idea what he was doing? Could a person be so oblivious?
Considering it seemed the entire town had been aware of my feelings, while Caleb had remained in the dark, I’d venture to say the answer was yes.
I groaned again, tucking the note in my pocket, already knowing I’d water that little plant every week without fail.
While cursing Caleb Kelly every single time.
Chapter Twenty-two
Caleb
ThedoortoJoy’sswung shut behind me and Remi, letting the cool air of the late spring night slip away. Inside, the place was as busy as I expected for a Friday. A couple guys parked at the bar, the jukebox humming low beneath the clack of pool balls from the back corner where a half dozen ranch hands were leaning over their cues.
It wasn’t hard to spot Alice. She was at the ranch hands’ table, balancing a tray against her hip, the cast on her left wrist making her movements slower but no less sure. She set down a fresh round of beers, her smile catching in the bright glow of the pool table lights. One of the men said something that made the others laugh, and she tipped her head politely and stepped back, tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear.
Remi jerked his chin toward our usual table. Tearing my eyes from Alice, I followed him, parking myself in my seat. It’d been a long, strange week. Quiet without my boy and the phone calls with Alice I’d gotten used to quicker than I expected. Not that I’d had time for reading.
Remi shook his head. “You look worn out.”
“I am. Seems everything that can go wrong is happening all at once. A water line broke, we had a downed fence, and last night, a heifer had trouble giving birth. We had to call out the vet and”—I expelled a heavy breath—“well, needless to say, when it rains, it pours.”
“That’s a lot.” He put his phone on the table in case my sister called. He didn’t have to explain that to me. That was simply who he was. A good husband and father. Exactly who I wanted for her. “If you want more than a couple drinks, I’ll do the driving tonight. You can spend the night at our place.”
Remi was a good friend too.
I grinned at him. “Remember the wake-up call I got last time I crashed with you?”
He groaned. “Yeah. I’m still sorry about that. I don’t know how Silas bypassed the gate to get to you. He's as wily as a fox.”
