AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup were already set out on the table when he reached the kitchen. Emily glanced at him as he entered and nodded toward the food. “I’m not much of a cook, but my sister always asks me to fix her this exact thing whenever I come home.”
He pulled out a chair and took a seat. “If it tastes as good as it smells, I’d have to argue with your assessment.” Caleb pretended not to notice the way his statement caught her off guard. Much like himself, she couldn’t hide her reactions. Her small smile was more than enough to give him that thrill his heart sought.
Emily sat across from him, offering him a glass of lemonade as she did. “Are the animals okay?”
Caleb nodded. “And the puppies?”
“They seem to be doing just fine with their mother, but I’m not sure I’m doing everything I should be.”
“I’m guessing you’re doing fine. They’re so new that they’re not going to need much besides making sure they get enough to eat from their mother.” Caleb took a bite of his sandwich. The buttery, crispy crust crackled in his mouth. The cheese oozed warm and gooey from the sandwich as he pulled his bite away. Caleb swallowed with an appreciative nod. “You might actually be a better cook than a singer.”
Emily laughed—a sound that he’d grown to love. “I’ll make sure to tell my sister your thoughts. Once or twice she’s told me I missed my calling.”
“She might be right.” Their eyes met, and Caleb grew still. He couldn’t bring himself to look away. Why was he suddenly questioning his beliefs on trust? What was it about this woman that made him want to believe he’d been wrong?
Music was a powerful motivator, he reminded himself. Emily was a talented musician. That was the only rationale he could muster.
Emily was the first to break eye contact. She picked up her sandwich and dipped it into her tomato soup. Their meal was completed in an awkward sort of silence. Even though they hadn’t learned much more from each other, he felt he’d gotten to know her better than he knew most people in Copper Creek. That had to count for something.
11
Emma
Emma leaned back in the tall grass and closed her eyes. The guitar sat on her lap as she turned her face to the sun. If she had to return to LA today after spending the last couple of days here in Copper Creek, she would be fine with it.
Granted, she wasn’t anywhere near ready to leave. There was still something anchoring her to this town, and she wanted to know what it was.
She hummed the musical notes she’d been working on, keeping her eyes closed as she continued to mull over the words that Caleb had given her. Those words resonated with her in a way that her own lyricist hadn’t managed to do in a long time.
Perhaps she felt drawn to staying because of him—because of Caleb.
His face floated in her thoughts. His smile, his kind yet guarded eyes, and his strong arms.
Her eyes flew open, and she heaved a sigh. She shouldn’t be thinking like that. Caleb hadn’t hidden the disdain he held for her. If there was one thing that she wasn’t going to do, it was get attached to a cowboy who didn’t like her very much.
And yet.
She turned her head just enough over her shoulder to take a look at the corral where Caleb was putting the horse through its exercises. From here she couldn’t see his eyes. They were shaded too much by his hat.
But she could imagine the brooding look he sported—the same one he’d worn when they first met.
Emma smiled and turned her attention back to the fields in front of her. Why couldn’t she fantasize about being with a guy like Caleb? There were celebrities who moved out to the middle of nowhere and simply made it work.
She flushed at the thought. It was ridiculous to think that way, and she knew it. Rachel would string her up by her toes if she even thought about moving away from the city. That’s where everything was. LA was home.
Emma sighed, a deep and anguish-filled breath. In a perfect world, maybe. But not in the one where she currently lived. For now, she would simply have to appreciate what she had going for her. Eventually, Rachel would find her, or she’d be recognized, and she’d have to leave the peaceful place she’d come to love.
There was something about being surrounded by the vast waves of wheat and barley—or whatever it was that grew around her. Being here put a lot in perspective. What she wouldn’t give to be swallowed by the quiet every once in a while.
Unfortunately, the chaos back home waited for her, and she needed to remind herself that this was all very temporary.
Emma glanced once more at Caleb as he continued to work with the horse. She got to her feet and picked up the guitar, then slowly made her way over to the corral.
His strong, low voice had a different sort of calming effect. It was like the frequency of his tone canceled out the anxious ones in her head. He didn’t notice her right away, which offered her the opportunity to really watch him.
Caleb was muscular, but not in the same way as the guys she’d seen in the gym. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was exactly that was different. Maybe it was seeing him move in the ways he needed in order to do his job. It got her wondering what else he did at his family’s ranch. The longer she watched, the more it felt like he was moving in slow motion.
He must have felt her watching him because he grew still and slowly turned his eyes on her. Their gazes locked for what felt like an eternity. So much could be said with a look like that one. In the moments before she tore her eyes from him, he’d managed to break down every single wall she’d constructed.
