Chapter 40
Caleb
Back in the barn, wewere feeding and brushing the horses when Rae’s phone rang. She looked at the screen and then placed the phone on the hay bale next to her. Her face did not show any fear or frustration, so I was not concerned. We hadn’t heard from Ethan in several days, so I expected every call or text to be one from him at this point.
I watched her with Bandit. He trusted me enough to let me take care of him, but he trusted her like he had trusted my mom. My mom and Bandit had been inseparable, even for the short time they were together after she brought him home. Bandit’s personality came to life again with Rae here, and she let her guard down more when she was around him, too.
I was about to turn back and continue feeding the last of the other horses when I saw Rae step towards Bandit’s chest to brush him. Bandit lowered his head towards Rae’s shoulder, wrapping his neck around her gently. I heard a giggle spill out of Rae as she leaned into Bandit, wrapping her arms around him, before whispering something to him I couldn’t hear.
While watching her move around the barn, I couldn’t help but let my mind wander. I had been trying to hold back everything I felt for her. Every thought I had that would pull me in her direction, I tried to hold back because she needed time to heal, and I wanted to give her that time and space. I tried. No matter what, no matter how many times I tried to tell myself to stop thinking about her like that, I couldn’t. Having her back in town, within reach, changed everything.
I never felt bad about loving her. I had loved her since I met her. What I felt guilty for was when my thoughts had drifted too far, imagining things I shouldn’t have. They were thoughts that went beyond protecting her. She had been through enough, and the last thing I had wanted was to make her feel like I was pushing too hard, or at all.
Now, as I watched her drift through the barn, a faint glow clinging to her skin, I saw something different in her. Everything changed tonight. She felt safe, at ease. For the first time, I let myself watch her and my mind wandered.
I watched as she moved to say goodnight to Bandit and lock up his stall. Her curves were everything. Every part of her body that Ethan had made her hate, I found addicting. I couldn’t get enough of her, not just every beautiful inch of her, but the way she was finally starting to see herself the way I always had.
I finished up what I was doing and moved towards her. The sun had disappeared for the day and storm clouds were moving in, leaving the barn dimly lit by the moonlight and the lanterns we had near us. Rae briefly turned towards me, smiling, and the happiness on her face made my knees weak. I walked up next to her to put the brush I had been using in its place and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned her head back onto my shoulder to look at me, and I kissed her cheek. My arms were around her waist, and I gave her a small squeeze which caused her to giggle. Gosh, that sound would be my undoing. I would do anything just to hear her laugh and see her smile.
Still wrapped in my arms, she turned enough to kiss me and lifted her hand to my face, her fingers tracing the line of my beard. With her arm raised, her shirt lifted a bit, and I ran the tips of my fingers along her skin. She didn’t pull away or even tug her shirt back down.
Gosh, I love her.The desire to tell her how I felt was strong, but would it be too soon? Would she think it was because of what we’d just done and nothing else?
“Rae, Sunshine, I want to tell...” I decided to take a chance and tell her how I felt. If she didn’t feel the same way yet, I would be okay with that, because my feelings had never changed. I tried, but her phone ringing again interrupted my words.
Rae glanced at the screen and looked confused.“My parents landline.” She showed me the screen and the look of confusion on her face echoed how I felt. They were not due home for another few weeks.
“Maybe they came home early since you're home?” I shrugged, hoping I could hide my nerves about her possibly leaving if her parents came home. I never wanted her to leave.
Her eyes widened and a look of excitement crossed her face at the thought of possibly seeing her parents. It had been a while since she’d seen them since Ethan had not let her visit. She put the phone on speakerphone so I could say hi with her.
“Mom? Dad?”
A voice that sent chills throughout my entire body echoed throughout the barn. “Wouldn't that be nice if it was them? Where are you, Rae? I miss you.”
I had only heard his voice once before but based on the fact that Rae's normally ivory skin was now ghostly, I knew who the voice belonged to.
I glanced down at my phone and saw no camera notifications from anywhere outside her parents' house. I tried switching to the live camera feed, but all I got in return was an error message. That bastard. I didn’t know how he managed to disconnect the cameras, but I had to get the cops en route.
Rae hadn’t moved yet, hadn’t said a word. The barn was eerily quiet. I had only removed one of my arms from her waist to grab my phone, and she was digging her fingers into my other arm. I could feel her body shaking. I had to take over and snap her out of this. I couldn’t let him get to her again.
“Hey, asshole, what are you wanting from her? She doesn't want to be with you anymore.”
I put her phone on mute and let go of her only so I could look at her eyes. She was so scared, and my heart broke for her. I touched her cheek gently so I could try and bring her back to me.
She blinked and somewhat focused on me. “Caleb...”
Ethan was talking in the background, saying something about this all being her fault, like he always did. I was listening as much as I could, but I had to get Rae to help.
