Chapter 29
Caleb
After that kiss, Raeasked if she could help with something. I showed her where the chicken feed was and then told her about the apples for the horses that I had in the house.
The kiss, the moment, had just ended, and I already wanted her back in my arms. She needed to know how special she was, and I wanted to show her just how much I cared.
I looked up from wiping down my tools after changing the oil on my truck. I saw her out in the coop talking to the chickens. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but I heard their clucking, and they all seemed rather happy. She leaned down and scooped up one of the chickens. It was the only black and white chicken, and it seemed to take to her immediately. She held it the entire time she was in the coop, even fed it by hand.
Seeing her like this brought back memories of us in high school, out here on the farm. She had always been an animal person—so tender with them—and I had always teased her that she used our friendship so she could come to see the animals. She swore that was the farthest from the truth, but she was always so content when she was out here, I knew it was a favorite thing of hers.
I walked to the sink in the barn so I could wash my hands and run cool water over my head and face. I should’ve changed the oil in my truck when it was cooler, but the clouds looked like they could dump buckets on us at any moment, and I didn’t want to wait any longer.
I heard a small voice behind me and turned to see Rae was back in the barn, feeding apples to the horses and talking to them.
“Having fun?” I kept my distance, gripping the edge of the barn sink harder than necessary just to try and have some self-control. Gosh, all I wanted to do was walk over to her and wrap her in my arms—show her she was safe with me and how much I loved her.
Her smile could’ve lit up a dark room. It was the biggest and most genuine smile I had seen since she had come back to town.
“Yes, I am. That black and white chicken in the coop was so cute and seemed to like being held, and this big guy”—she rubbed the nose of one of the horses, my mom’s horse— “he’s loving this apple.”
She must’ve noticed the change in my expression because there was no hiding it. I tried but failed.
“Hey, Caleb. Now I’m asking, are you okay?”
“Yeah, sorry. That chicken’s name is Pepper, and this...” I shook off the memories running through my head and ran a hand across my face. I crossed the space between Rae and me, hoping she didn’t mind, and petted the horse’s nose. “This was my mom’s horse. Bandit. She got him as a foal a few months before she passed. They bonded, and when she died, he got depressed. My brother and I did everything to help him, but he never acted the way he did with my mom, with anyone else—until now. The way he noses you, the way he closes his eyes when you pet him—he was like that with her. Not even with any other woman.”
Rae turned around to face me, and Bandit put his face over her shoulder, pulling her back towards his stall.
“Hi, baby. His momma was special. I liked her, too.” She looked up at me and her eyes softened, like she understood everything I hadn’t said out loud.
“Bandit hasn’t done that with anyone besides my mom either. I think he’s chosen you as his person.” As soon as I said that, Bandit happily nickered and pushed Rae forward—right into my arms.
Both of us stood there laughing, the world around me narrowing to just her. I reached up to brush hair out of Rae’s face and my hand lingered as I tucked the strands behind her ear. She stilled and, to my surprise, leaned slightly into my hand. I could feel her pulse racing and hoped it wasn’t entirely nerves. My pulse matched the speed of hers, and for a second, I wondered if she could feel the same charge running between us that I did.
“I think Bandit has great taste,” I whispered. Rae’s cheeks flushed, and she dropped her gaze, but not before I caught the smallest smile tugging at her lips. I didn’t say anything else. I didn’t need to. The air between us had already said enough.
