AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We both sort of stiffen up at mention of the L word.
Caleb clears his throat. Then he reaches down and squeezes my hand.
"Almost there," he says and I wonder if he means the ranch. Or love.
Because I know I'm there already. Crazy though it is.
* * *
CALEB
What a day this has been. Secrets revealed. Feelings shared.
And the way Alex has her head resting on my thigh is so sweet. Protectiveness wells up in me as I stroke her hair.
"I hope you're ready for this," I say as the gate for North Starr Ranch appears in the distance. I glance in the rear view mirror and notice Nicco isn't back there. He's been driving sort of strangely and I assume he's trying to lose any tail he thinks he might have.
I'm not sure whether he's a great friend or a little bit of a nut job. But he's important to Alex so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. For now.
I punch in the code and the big iron gates swing open. "We're here," I say with some pride. "You can sit up now. You're safe."
Alex shifts around and takes a look out the window. "Wow, this place is huge. And beautiful." Her eyes are shiny as she glances around. "And you've lived here your whole life?"
"Yep, pretty much. I was gone when I was in college, but that was just short term. I always planned to live at North Starr Ranch for my whole life."
"I can understand why you would," she says, sort of dreamily as she gazes at the pastures of horses and fields of grain. "What's that?" She points at a barn.
"Oh, that's The Love Knot. It's an old barn that my sister Boone and Adam's wife, Kit, have made into a wedding venue. It's really popular."
"Wow," she says. "That's amazing."
"Wait, what's that?" She points to the newest building at North Starr Ranch.
"That's Hope House. Deacon's wife, Lissy, ran a group home in Ponderosa Pass and now it's been moved here."
"A group home? For kids? Here at your house?"
I laugh. "Well, I guess it is sort of unusual. But we all fell in love with the kids when they were here for a camp and Lissy didn't want to give up the work she was doing, so voila! Hope House is here."
A couple of the kids are out on the porch and they wave. I honk and wave back. Alex touches her hair and looks a bit frightened. "Are you sure they won't recognize me?"
"Oh, I hadn't thought of that. The kids have limited access to the internet so they probably aren't following the story online, but maybe we ought to be sort of careful. Sorry, I should have thought of that."
"Well, being in hiding is sort of new to me too."
She glances into the side mirror. "Where's Nicco?"
"Not sure. He took a couple of detours along the way. I think he's trying to be stealthy."
A worried look crosses her face. "I'm really causing a lot of problems, aren't I?"
Reaching over the seat, I take her hand and give it a squeeze. "Hey,” I say, “don't say that. People care about you. I care about you and we'll get through this. You should be allowed to live your life in peace and on your own terms."
"That's sort of the cowboy way, isn't it?" she says, giving me a smile.
We arrive at the main house and Alex's eyes go wide. "Wow. I was wondering how all those people you've been talking about live in one house, but now I understand."
I barely get the truck in park when Willow and James come running out of the house. "Uncle Caleb," Willow shouts and waves her arms, then grabs me around the legs and hugs me. "I've missed you."
