AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Think about it.Ifhe does get a ticket…”
“That’s a big if.”
“I know. And if it happens, then you can upgrade his ticket.”
Emma pressed her fingers to her temples. “It’s not that easy. I can’t just?—”
“You’re Emma Hart. You can do anything. All you have to do is make a few calls. Actually, get Rachel to do it. All they need to know is Caleb’s name. And maybe the name of anyone who might go with him. If you know his phone number, they could confirm it with that, too—just in case there are more Caleb Keagans who live in Colorado.”
She stared at her sister with mild disbelief. “You really think there’s a chance that he could just show up?”
“Ido. I heard how you talked about him. I read those lyrics he wrote for you. Even if it’s a small chance, I think you should allow yourself to believe it’s possible.” Jessica leaned closer. “Love like that doesn’t just disappear.”
Emma’s heart had been barely hanging on by a thread. She thought she’d gotten over him. She’d told herself that if she could make it to the next concert, then the pain wouldn’t benearly as bad. But it was Jessica’s words that caused every fiber holding her heart together to unravel.
Tears stung her eyes, and she shot to her feet to avoid letting her sister see just how much she’d been affected. “Fine. I’ll call the box office. But I want to make it clear that I don’t think he’s going to show. I’m doing it for you.”
“That’s fine,” Jessica offered. “Just so long as you do it. If he doesn’t show, I’ll drop it. I won’t bring him up ever again.”
“Good,” Emma said. “Look, I’m happy you’re here, but I have to get going. You can come out with me, or you can wait for the crowds to die down.” She reached for the doorknob, waiting for her sister’s response.
“I drove, so I’ll head out after you’re gone.”
“Okay,” Emma said. Before she opened the door, she glanced over her shoulder. “Jessica?”
“Yeah?”
“Will you come? To the show in Colorado?”
Jessica grinned. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
26
Caleb
Atop his horse, Caleb searched the horizon as if it would give him all the answers he needed to move on from the betrayal he’d experienced. An unexpected hurdle came in knowing that his brothers didn’t agree with his sentiment, though he could tolerate their opinions. It was Charlie who was the worst of them. She thought he’d been too quick to judge Emma.
What’s in a name anyway? That’s what she’d asked him. Emma. Emily. Both were the same person. Just because the world knew Emma as one person and he knew Emily as another shouldn’t matter.
There would be no convincing her. If anything, Charlie loved Emma even more knowing that her brother had dated her—sort of.
He huffed and turned his horse around to head home. He could only spend so much time out in the pastures. His horsegrew restless, and he knew he was missing supper. That was just as well. He’d just pick at the leftovers that got put in the fridge.
He nudged his horse forward into an easy walk, and that was when his heart started revolting against his mind.
Caleb wanted to believe that he was wrong; he really did. He wanted to try to accept that Emma was only doing what she did in order to protect herself, but there was just too much he could argue against.
From the beginning, he’d been careful. But after getting to know her a little better, he’d allowed himself to start trusting her. The truth was that she hadn’t trusted him.
That was the question he continued to ask himself, over and over again. What had he done—or failed to do—that prevented her from giving him the benefit of the doubt?
Frustration continued to grow, festering like an infected wound deep in his soul.
Trust was everything. She’d broken his. And she wasn’t willing to give him hers.
Those were the points he made when he got himself into this argument. Even if he wanted to get her back, they simply wouldn’t work. A relationship where the two people couldn’t have faith in one another was doomed from the start.
There was barely any light left in the sky when Caleb made it back to the barn. The porch lights glowed from the house, and the exterior lights on the barn had turned on. A soft light from inside the barn emanated—mostly for the sake of anyone who needed to make a quick trip inside or so they could find the main light switch.
