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Goosebumps erupted on her arms as she moved toward the table. “I’m surprised you didn’t call.”
“I didn’t think I needed to. You said you were going to be here by dinner. I figured you’d stick to your word.”
There was something about the way he said it that caught her attention. Her eyes cut to his, but he wasn’t looking at her. She didn’t know what it was about his tone or his statement, but she got the feeling it was hard for him to say.
He placed her food in front of her and muttered, “Enjoy.”
Emma stared at the food, her mouth watering. She didn’t know whether to apologize for being too late to cook for him orthrilled that he’d gone to the trouble of preparing their supper. “Thank you,” she whispered, picking up her knife and fork. “This looks delicious.” All she had to do was take one bite before she completely lost herself. She moaned at the way it melted in her mouth. Tender and full of flavor, Emma could safely say that she’d never tasted anything like it. “Way to bury the lead,” she said, causing him to look at her with confusion. “This is amazing. I think you’re the one who missed his calling.”
It was small, but she saw it. Caleb bit back a smile that clearly showed just how pleased he was with her compliment. It was these small moments that stirred the yearning within her—the yearning to have someone strong and caring like Caleb. He might be rough around the edges, but he wasreal. What more could she want in a companion?
Caleb glanced at her and then waved his fork at her plate. “It doesn’t taste half as good reheated. Go on. Eat up.”
She chuckled under her breath. “Yes,sir.”
12
Caleb
Caleb plucked a magazine from the coffee table in the living room and flipped through it without really looking at anything. Emily was seated near a window, strumming that guitar and humming along with the notes. Normally he would have slipped off to his room by now, but something had stopped him.
No, it wasn’tsomething. It wassomeone.
He chanced a peek at her, letting his gaze sweep over her. The concentration on her face was next level. He could probably get away with watching her for a full ten minutes before she noticed.
Never mind.
Caleb’s eyes darted away. Heat slithered up his neck, settling in his ears.
“Caleb?”
“Yeah,” he muttered without looking up from the magazine he held.
“Can I ask you a favor?”
This time he couldn’t avoid her. The way she was perched on the edge of her chair with her head tilted just so made her look more like an inquisitive exotic bird. He waited for her to ask her favor, unable to breathe.
Before she had a chance to let her desires known, his phone buzzed on the coffee table. They both jumped and looked at the device, then at each other. Caleb reached for the phone apologetically.
“One sec.” He swiped across the screen and held the phone to his ear. “Hey Mateo. How’s everything going?”
“I need another favor.”
Caleb chuckled despite himself. “Seems that’s pretty common these days.” His gaze darted to Emily, finding that she’d returned her attention to the guitar. Her soft strums were the only sound in the room and, consequently, the reason he realized Mateo hadn’t voiced his question. “What do you need?”
Mateo still seemed to hesitate. There was some talking in the background, but Caleb couldn’t hear what was being said. “Would you be okay with staying another week? Maybe two?”
Caleb straightened. “Is everything okay?”
“Not particularly. But it will be. I just don’t see us coming back tomorrow, and I don’t know of anyone available to oversee the care of the animals. If you can’t do it, I’ll understand?—”
“It’s fine. I can do it.” He met Emily’s curious gaze, unsure if she would want to do the same. She hadn’t mentioned any plans to leave, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have any. “Whatever you need, just let me know. Talk to you later.” He hung up the phone and placed it on the coffee table. His gaze lingered on the phone as he contemplated what it might be like to stay here without Emily.
He didn’t want that to happen.
Furthermore, he didn’t like that he felt that way. He was standing at a fork in the road while two very different forces attempted to pull him in opposite directions.
“What was that?” Emily’s soft voice echoed into his mind.
