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Though Mateo would probably give Caleb an earful if he found out that they’d crossed paths again—and even more so if he knew that Caleb ended up coming to her rescue.
Caleb frowned, his brushing slowing as he continued to dwell on that fact. Bumping into Emily had been a coincidence. But saving her from her runaway horse made everything seem a little bigger. Fate had put him in her path when she needed it most.
No.
He wasn’t going down that endless tunnel. If he allowed himself to think that they were meant to be together, then he’d only continue searching for evidence to back it up. The last thing he wanted right now was to fall in love with some girl who wouldn’t end up staying in town long enough anyway. That could be the stupidest thing he could do for his future self.
Emily Hartford would leave—probably within the next couple of days—and he wouldn’t have to see her again. He wouldn’t have to think about her bright green eyes or the way her bronze skin looked under the sun. He wouldn’t have to recallthat her smile made him feel things he wasn’t even aware he could feel.
Caleb gritted his teeth and placed the brush on a nearby shelf with finality. He wasn’t going to keep thinking about her because he wasn’t ever going to see her again. That was that.
He left the barn, not seeing any sign of Mateo or the pups. They were probably inside the main house, and the last thing he wanted to do was intrude on something when they already had enough hands to take care of it. Mateo would call him when he was ready to finish their conversation or have Caleb come back to do some more training.
At home, it was quieter than Caleb had expected. Most of his older siblings weren’t home, but then it was a Friday and that meant they could go out and have some fun.
Caleb removed his hat and his boots, leaving them by the door as he moved farther into the house. From the sound of it, all his married siblings were gone. His twin was still gone. And that left only three individuals who could possibly be at home. His youngest sister was poking around in the kitchen and only briefly looked up at him when he entered.
He got himself a cup of water and tossed it back before he placed the glass in the sink. It was hard to see Charlie as anything but his baby sister, but to look at her, he wouldn’t be surprised if the young men in town had already started to pay attention to her.
His chest tightened. She wasn’t ready for that. If Caleb couldn’t find anyone worth dating, then Charlie shouldn’t be accepting invitations from men, either. Thankfully, she was an introvert and wouldn’t be seeking out that kind of companionship.
She glanced at him and lifted a brow. “What are you looking at?”
Caleb shrugged. “Nothing.”
“Then leave. I’m going to be trying out some new recipes, and you’re going to be in the way.”
“Are you going to share?”
Charlie rolled her eyes and let out a groan. “Fine. But you don’t get to ask me what I put into the food.”
That gave him pause. He didn’t know what she might be willing to slip into her food—this could turn out very bad.
“Don’t worry, Caleb,” Daniel’s low voice came from the kitchen doorway. “She’s not going to poison you or anything.”
“Can you be sure about that?” Caleb hedged. “How much do we really know about her cooking abilities? She might be slowly poisoning us already.”
Charlie gasped and flung a hand towel in his direction. “I’m not going to poison you. I just want to try out some recipes in case someone asks me out.”
Caleb froze. “Has someone asked you out?”
She turned away from him, but not before he noticed the color in her cheeks. “Not yet.”
He couldn’t deny the relief he felt hearing those two words. Caleb shot a look toward Daniel but found him missing from the doorway. Was his brother not worried about their sister? As her family, they were her first line of defense when it came to keeping her safe.
Caleb hurried out of the kitchen, ignoring Charlie calling after him. He found Daniel in the living room, a book in hand as he lounged on the couch. “I don’t like it.”
Without looking up from his book, Daniel said, “You don’t likewhat, exactly?”
“That Charlie is thinking about cooking for… someone else.”
“Someone else that doesn’t exist yet?” Daniel’s eyes flitted up over the edge of the book for only a second. “She’s eighteen. I assure you, she’s been thinking about other boys for quite some time.”
“I doubt it. She hasn’t been dating anyone. She doesn’t talk about anyone.”
Daniel chuckled. “It doesn’t really matter anyway. Officially, she’s an adult. She can do whatever she wants, just like the rest of us. Frankly, I’m surprised that she’s stuck around this long. We’ve dealt with a lot of baggage over the years. Anyone in their right mind would have left ages ago just like—” Daniel cut himself off and set his focus more seriously on his book.
“You mean like Carter.”
