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The corners of her mouth quirked upward, and she tilted her head to the side. “You’d be right about that.”
Caleb rubbed his jaw, the words coming easier to him the more he thought about it. “What about…Now every sunset’s a painting in the sky…” His eyes locked with hers. “And every moment with you feels like the first time.”
She blinked, her mouth falling open. Tension built between them, washing over him once again. He felt the heat flood within him, starting in his chest and moving up the back of his neck. Caleb looked away, but her words dragged his focus back to her. “Keep going. I like it,” she whispered.
He swallowed hard, searching his thoughts for what could come next. “Now every sunset’s a painting in the sky, and every moment with you feels like the first time.” His eyes met hers once again. “Darlin’, you’re the reason I believe in love again. In this dance we’re in, I can’t help wishing it never ends.”
Emily adjusted her guitar in her lap and strummed out the notes that fit his words perfectly. It wasn’t the first verse. It sounded like it might be the chorus or a stanza before the chorus. Her smile broadened as she played with the notes and adjusted the melody slightly.
But it wasn’t until she started to sing the words that he realized just how talented she was. Her voice held a richness thatcould have made an angel cry. Caleb gaped, unable to hide his surprise.
By the time she was done playing around with the verse, her expression had brightened a great deal more than he thought possible. Her gaze found his when she strummed the end of the verse. She let out a laugh. “What’s that look for?”
“You… can sing.”
She laughed again. “Yes, that usually comes with musical abilities.”
“So does lyric writing,” he pointed out. Caleb shook his head. “But your voice… have you ever considered singing professionally?”
Her eyes darted away and she strummed her guitar again. “I’ve thought about it.”
“Well, apparently, not hard enough. You could really make something of yourself.”
Emily’s eyes lifted to meet his, a small smile on her lips. “And what about you? What are you doing mucking out stalls and training horses when you could be a writer?”
Caleb chuckled dryly. “Where’s the money in that? I would be a starving artist if I were to leave this place and try to make it on my own.”
“I beg to differ.” She continued plucking at the instrument absent-mindedly. “There are more opportunities out there than you think. You just need to get your foot in the door.” Her soft words were kind and thought-provoking, but he would never be able to let them take hold of him like she probably meant them to.
Caleb rose and held out a hand to her, to which she stared with confusion. He cocked his head slightly, then jerked his chin toward the barn. “How about we go for a ride?”
Emily laughed. It was a sharp bark of laughter, one that made him jump a little. “If I never see another horse, it would be too soon.”
“You can’t think of it that way,” Caleb murmured, dropping his hand to his side. “Have you ever heard the phrase?—”
“If you fall off a horse, you have to get back on? Or some sort of similar nonsense?” Emily stood beside him, the guitar firmly in her hand. “I think I’d rather head inside and fix us something to eat. I really don’t think I should get back on a horse any time soon. I was lucky I didn’t break my neck the first time.”
Caleb nearly argued with her, tempted to manipulate her into coming on a ride with him. He told himself it was for her benefit and not his own that she face this fear. But he could see it in her eyes. She wasn’t ready. It was just as well. While they had seemed to make a connection with the song, they were still strangers. He nodded sharply. “I’ll lock things up and be inside soon.”
He turned and headed for the barn. There wasn’t much he needed to do to lock up. The horses were all cared for, fed, and their stalls cleared out. Caleb didn’t even know why he’d told her that he needed to do anything. What was he stalling for? It wasn’t like she had given any indication that she liked him at all. They tolerated one another at best.
And yet here he was, pacing the aisles of the barn while he contemplated the feelings she had stirred within him. Her voice. Those eyes. Everything about her seemed to draw him in like a moth to the flame.
The words he’d put to her music had spoken to him in a way he wasn’t prepared for. It was as if those words were meant for her, but that was crazy.
Wasn’t it?
People met and experienced feelings in various ways all the time. Just because he hadn’t had any intention of developing feelings for this woman didn’t mean he couldn’t.
What on earth was he thinking?
Even if he was open to developing a relationship with Emily, it would never work out the way he’d want it to. She was a tourist. One day soon she’d walk away from this place and never look back. Any feelings that he might have would have to be shielded.
All Caleb had to look forward to was having a little bit of fun. Emily could be a distraction, but that was it.
Only a distraction.
He found his way back to the front door and paused, his hand resting on the wood. This was it. Caleb had a knack for wearing his heart on his sleeve. If she got any indication that his attraction for her had shifted, then he wouldn’t hear the end of it. Caleb took in a deep breath until his lungs ached, then he released it and entered the house.
