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I grabbed flashlights, my hat, and a few other provisions I thought would come in handy, depending on how long this took. After loading the horses and driving the thirty minutes to the Jefferson ranch, we divided up into teams and headed in different directions. Caleb and I were with Matt, one of our stable hands, and two of the Jefferson boys.
When I rode up next to Caleb and we had a little privacy, I spoke in a low tone. “We can’t continue on like this. You need to talk to me, otherwise it’s going to destroy you and us. I hate that you’re pushing me away.”
“Leave me the fuck alone, Drew,” he growled out.
“I won’t.” His jaw was clenched so hard I was surprised his teeth hadn’t cracked yet.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He directed his horse away from me, but I followed.
I took a second to scan the landscape for the cattle we were supposed to be searching for. No sign of them in the open area. The lush grass would have been a perfect place to find them grazing, but they hadn’t stopped here for breakfast.
I eyed the ground to see if there were any tracks, but the only ones I saw were from our horses. Obviously, they hadn’t come from this direction but maybe they were at our final destination—the wooded area the Jeffersons split with their neighbors. Our hope was they headed there, just on the wrong side of the fence.
“Fine, then don’t talk, just listen. I’m still in love with her.”
A grunt was the only sound Caleb made.
“What you did was wrong. You can’t decide our fate all on your own. We should have talked it over and given her a chance to explain.” I hated having to repeat myself, but I held firm.
Caleb twisted the reins in his hands and looked at me.The bags under his eyes seemed darker than earlier in the kitchen. I could see the tick in his jaw as he clenched his teeth.
“Caleb, I need you to stop and think about this for a second. Were you imaging a life with Tori when we were together?”
He grunted again and gave a slight nod.
“Did you feel like you were the happiest you’d ever been in your entire life?”
“Yes. You know I did.” His voice was low, but at least he said something.
“And when you think about the future now, do you still picture Tori in it?” My throat tightened as I forced each word out until my voice was barely recognizable by the time I finished.
Caleb’s face snapped to mine. “Yes.”
“Then why did you let her walk away?”
Caleb didn’t answer right away, and the silence was deafening.
“I don’t know,” he said, his voice guttural with anguish.
“Caleb—”
“I know I fucked up, Drew. I can’t stop thinking about her, and in my mind, I know I should be mad, but I can’t be anymore. My heart feels like it’s been shattered in a million pieces, and nothing will make me feel better until I have her in my arms again. She made me feel things I’d never felt before, and I don’t know how to deal with this.”
“I know, but we need to ask ourselves one thing.” I scanned the surrounding area to make sure we hadn’t drifted off from our group. The sun beat down on us as it rose to its full height.
“What’s that?”
“Are we willing to live the rest of our lives without her?” My chest tightened in anticipation of hearing what Caleb’s answer would be.
Caleb was silent for a few minutes, and I was afraid he would say the one thing that might break us. The one thing we needed to agree on but couldn’t.
“No, Drew. I don’t want to live without her. I want her here with us. I don’t even care that she kept her engagement a secret. And I was an asshole for not talking it through with her.” He took a deep breath. “Do you think we can get her back?”
I let go of an enormous sigh of relief, my brother felt the same way I did. And as long as we were on the same page, I had no doubt we would have it. He’d admitted he wanted Tori. We just had to find a way to make that happen, even if we had to fly to Cosland. We’d find a way to convince her not to go through with the wedding.
“Yes, I do, but we have to act fast. We don’t want to wait too long—” The distinct sound of the vibrating scales of a rattlesnake hit my ears. My horse danced in place, but Caleb wasn’t so lucky.His horse reared, and I saw Caleb’s face as he was thrown. The sheer panic was likely mirrored on my own face.
Everything happened so fast I couldn’t react in time. His body went flying backward and hit the fence post, before his head slammed against the hard-packed dirt. The blood rushed from his face as I slid down my horse to kneel beside my twin. Caleb lay motionless on the ground, and fear surged up my throat. The sick taste of acid filled my mouth, my heart stopping at the loll of his head.
