Caleb (15 page)

Caleb hovered on the edge of the chair near the cold fireplace in the living room. He’d fucked up everything good. How in the hell would he face Rachel long enough to tell her what had happened?

If her expression was anything like he knew it would be, it would kill him. Might as well because, right now, he wished he was dead. His inattention to detail would cost her everything.

The sound of the door opening brought him upright. Rachel spotted him right away and froze, still holding the doorknob.

They stayed like that for several long seconds. He didn’t have to worry about how to tell her.

She knew.

He stepped forward, and she raised a hand between them. Pain radiated from her like an atomic blast. “
Don’t.
”

That one word stopped him in his tracks. “I deserve every bit of your anger, Rachel, but—”

“I only have one question for you. Are you married?”

“Let me explain.”

“
Are you still married to her
?” Her voice grew more lethal with each word.

He shook his head, not wanting to answer. If he didn’t say it, then maybe it wouldn’t be real. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

She closed her eyes and put a fist over her mouth as though he’d informed her someone she loved had just died. She stayed that way for several anguishing moments before she lifted her eyelids and pierced him with a look that would haunt him the rest of his days.

“You said you weren’t.” Her voice was quiet, like the eye of a hurricane. “I placed everything I own on the line, everything dear to me, on what you’d told me.”

“I thought it was the truth, Rachel. We both signed the paperwork. She was supposed to file the next day. She’s the one who’d asked for the divorce, so I had no reason to think she wouldn’t follow through. I don’t have a permanent mailing address at the moment, so she was to send my copy to my mom’s. I thought it was a done deal. She tracked me down here because she lost the original papers and needed me to sign new ones now that she wants to get married.”

He’d always thought the divorce was the worst thing to happen to him. Standing here, telling Rachel how he’d let her down was far more devastating.

“I believed you. Believed in you. ”

Her words cut him, sent him reeling. “It’s not like I did it on purpose. I genuinely wanted to help you, and it wasn’t like you had anyone else standing in line to marry you.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them. “Ah, fuck.”

Her eyes grew wide as she worked to swallow. He didn’t think anything could be worse than her expression a few moments ago. He’d been wrong.

So very wrong.

“Rachel, I’m sorry.” He strode toward her, ignoring her attempt to stop him this time. “I didn’t mean it like that. I want to help you. I’ve always wanted to help you. Being here on the ranch is so much more than I thought it could be.”

She shook her head, her skin pale, as she stepped away from the door. “I want you to go.”

“No, Rachel. We need to talk this out.” He couldn’t walk away and leave her like this. He’d do whatever it took to make it right. “Maybe I can fly to a place that grants immediate divorces. Then we can marry again.” He couldn’t let her lose everything.

“In one day?” Heartbreak filled her eyes with tears and ripped his soul to pieces.

No words, no solutions came to mind. He’d been so consumed with happiness the past ten days that he hadn’t paid attention to the calendar at all. “Maybe? I don’t know. But I’ll find a way to fix this.” He had to.

She met his gaze, nodded, and then walked away. She didn’t look back as she reached the stairs but trudged up them instead, her shoulders drooping.

He followed a few moments later. Muffled sobs came from her room as he passed, stopped and then turned around. He knocked on her door. “Rachel? Please let me help.”

Her answer was the deafening sound of her quietly locking the door. He leaned his head against it, defeat threatening to take him down.

She wanted him gone. He couldn’t blame her.

If there was a way to fix this, he’d do it. He didn’t have millions to buy out Franklin. There had to be something else.

It couldn’t be over. Not like this.

He’d never been happier than when Rachel had asked him to stay longer until she hired a worker. They’d never discussed salaries. They’d just gone on living like they were a genuinely happy, married couple.

He’d hoped maybe, if time had been good to them, she might have decided she wanted him to stick around permanently. He loved her and this town, and he’d never truly been able to say that about anyone or anywhere since he’d been forced to sell his father’s ranch.

This was her home, but it had come to feel like home to him as well. Instead of saving her, he’d put both their hearts in jeopardy.

No, dammit. There had to be a glitch somewhere. Her uncle’s will. Something.

Rachel might not ever want to see him again after this, but she deserved her ranch. He wouldn’t rest until it fully and completely belonged to her.

Rachel paused in her packing to crack the bedroom window. Though the sun had disappeared and the evenings were still very cool, she’d been working hard to gather what was hers, and she appreciated the fresh air. This task of sorting through years of one’s life was therapeutic in a way. During the past few months, she’d discovered what was important and what wasn’t. Most of the stuff she’d thought she couldn’t live without carried little meaning now.

The things that she’d held near and dear were gone. Uncle Walt, the ranch…Caleb. She was left with a blank canvas, and the thought of filling it was daunting.

Most of the ten-day notice Conway had forced Franklin to give her was gone. In three days, she’d leave here and never come back. She’d already decided not to stay in Moose Meadows even though most of her friends were here. Once she was packed, she’d head to Argent Springs and stay with Elle until she could get her bearings. Maybe she’d stay in that small town permanently.

She’d leave Gemini with Jessy for now. Maybe forever. She sure as hell wouldn’t leave him for Franklin.

But she couldn’t stay where she’d constantly be reminded of everything she’d lost. It would literally kill her.

Really, when all was said and done, not much in the house truly belonged to her. Everything had been her uncle’s that she’d used as a household member. Even the bed she slept in.

Somewhere in the distance a wolf’s howl pierced the night air. Another followed a few seconds later. What she wouldn’t give right now to be wild and as carefree as they were.

She snorted as resignation covered her like a suffocating shroud. Technically, she was free since she no longer had a home. She’d tried to have it all and had ended up losing everything instead. She’d like to say she shouldn’t have lied about Caleb. Most believed he’d defrauded her in order to gain control of her holdings since she’d never come completely clean. Still, she knew she’d do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant keeping her beloved ranch and protecting her employees. Hopefully, Franklin or whoever ended up owning Blackwater would keep them on.

She lifted the small brushed-silver box from her dresser and half wrapped it in newspaper before she stopped. Bittersweet memories called from inside, begging for one more reminiscence. She couldn’t resist.

Inside the box, the small diamond ring Caleb had placed on her finger when he’d falsely pledged his love winked from the black velvet. She should throw it away. Better yet, flush it down the toilet.

But she couldn’t just yet.

Maybe when she settled in her new home, wherever that might be.

Perhaps by then, she’d be able to part with it. She should hate it because it should remind her of the heartache she’d suffered during the past days. Instead, memories of their wedding and honeymoon, the love and laughter of that day, haunted her every minute.

She’d known when she met Caleb, he would push her boundaries in every way possible, and he had. No doubt, she was still angry with him. He should have been one hundred percent positive about his divorce before he’d guaranteed his availability. Her trust in him had cost her everything.

She could admit, though, that she’d recognized the grief and despair on his face when he’d confessed his marital status to her. Didn’t change anything, but it somehow helped to know he hadn’t willingly been careless with her.

The majority of the blame lied with her uncle, too. If he hadn’t put her in this position in the first place, she wouldn’t have needed Caleb. Her uncle should have respected her enough to let her live her life without his unneeded influence.

Rosalie at Conway’s office had lost her job over the clerical error in Uncle Walter’s will, and rightly so. Rosalie had gotten off easy compared to what Rachel had lost.

Conway had filed a motion on her behalf to challenge the will, but the error had been made with the first version of his will and had continued without, which left her with the weak sword of her word against Franklin’s. She knew very well the document would stand.

With a heavy heart, she slipped the beautiful ring on her finger. She’d wear it tonight when no one was around. Tomorrow would be the start of her new life. The perfect time to leave all this behind and focus on the future.

When she’d packed the box as full she could, she taped it and carried it downstairs to place with the others. She was on the second step, headed back to her room, when someone with a heavy-handed fist pounded on her door.

She glanced at the clock to find the time well after nine. Being careful to stay hidden, she peeked out the window to see who was in her drive.

The sight of Caleb’s truck sent a shockwave through her.

She looked wildly around the room as her throat constricted with emotion. The thing that she’d wished for during her darkest moments had been granted.

She should ignore him, pretend he wasn’t outside while she went on with her business. But, she couldn’t. The man who still held her heart stood on the other side of her door, and despite what it might cost her to talk to him, she would.

The lock clicked as she twisted it and then opened the door.

Caleb pulled his hat from his head and met her gaze. Dark circles shadowed his bleak eyes, and he generally looked like hell. “Rachel.”

“Why are you here?” she asked quietly. As much as she loved seeing him, it hurt like hell, too.

“I have something for you. I’m sorry it took so long to get it to you.” He thrust an envelope toward her.

She took it from him, her fingers brushing his, drawing her gaze instantly to his eyes. The damned spark that had always existed between them flared. With quick blinks, she focused on the folded papers she slid from the envelope.

She drew her brows together. He’d given her what looked like the same deed to Blackwater Canyon Ranch that she’d turned over to Conway. She perused the document again and lifted her gaze to his. “What’s this?”

“Your home. The ranch is yours. Franklin will not be able to take it from you.”

Tender hope took seed in her heart. “How? Why?”

“Because my ex is an idiot. She was wrong when she said we weren’t divorced.”

Rachel shook her head, not understanding.

“The reason she couldn’t find the documents after I’d signed them is because she’d asked her friend to take them to the courthouse to file. Apparently, she was drunk out of her mind when she’d made the request and couldn’t remember doing so.”

Rachel put a shaking hand to her mouth. Could she trust it was real this time?

He took her hand and buried it between both of his, and she felt like she’d finally come home. “Rachel, I was a fool to not check to be certain I had my divorce decree in hand. I know I broke your heart, and God knows I didn’t mean to. I’m not back here for the money. I’d thought I’d let Conway give you the news and not bother you again with my presence, but I can’t walk away without knowing.”

He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her for a long moment. Her heart squeezed and left her trembling. He straightened but didn’t release her.

“I’ve missed the feel of you, the way your hair smells when you’re snuggled up against me. I’m a miserable, lost man, Rachel. The one thing I’ve learned through all this is I can’t live without you. Please, I’m begging for another chance.” He lifted a hand and placed it on her cheek. “I won’t let you down again.”

She stared at him while her heart roared with happiness. Her mind, however, threw caution flags left and right. “I don’t know.” She knew what she wanted to say to him, but her world had been tipped again, and she couldn’t think straight.

He took her left hand and knelt before her. “God knows I don’t deserve a second chance, Rachel, but I’ll beg if I have to.” He ran his thumb across the backs of her fingers and then abruptly stopped and dropped his gaze.

“You’re still wearing my ring.” He stood, looking at her as though he’d caught the thief who’d stolen his heart.

“I…” She couldn’t find words to explain why.

“Do you love me, Rachel?” His expression was so earnest and damned sexy.

She wanted to lie, wanted to deny and protect her heart. Months ago, Elle had warned her he was a huge flirt, but she’d come to know the man behind all that. The man she admired and still trusted despite everything. The man she loved.

“I do,” she whispered. Speaking those words opened a floodgate of emotions inside her. She didn’t want to question him or the future any longer. She was ready to meet it head on no matter what came. “I know what it feels like to lose the things and people I love. I don’t want to feel that way anymore.” Not if she didn’t have to.

He took her face in his hands and searched her eyes. “Really? You could love a man like me? I don’t have much to offer you. I’m divorced with no house, no property.”

She shook her head as happiness welled in her eyes. “That’s not true. You’re not divorced. You’re married. To me. And we have all this.” She glanced around the room and beyond his shoulder to the land surrounding them. “It’s so much more than one person can handle. I need you in my life, Caleb. Not only that, but I want you.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. “Really? Because I think I deserve you, a man who’s strong and capable, who has the capacity to make me happier than I’ve ever been. Stay with me, Caleb. Let’s build on this crazy life we’ve started together.”

Moisture gathered in his eyes. “I would love that, Rachel. I would love to stay and build the most wonderful life with you.” He captured her lips in a passionate kiss that brought her to her toes. “I love you more than words can say.”

She grinned. “You’re just trying to butter me up so I’ll let you stay.”

He smiled in return. “Whatever it takes, my love. Whatever it takes.”

The End

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Love small town romance? Read on for an excerpt from I’M WITH YOU (Book Nine in the Aspen Series).