Caleb thought about it for a second, but he didn’t even need to spend that long on it. He knew the answer deep in his heart. “Never.” Those moments were what defined him as a person and he would never trade them for anything in the world. Those moments, small and insignificant taught him how to love and even though it hurt like hell to know it and lose it, it was worth every tear and every heartbreaking breath that came after.
“Caleb?”
“Yeah, Milo.”
“Time for me to go.”
“No,” he cried out, reaching his hand out, but not having the energy to do anything else.
“I’m leaving you in good hands.”
“Don’t leave. Not yet. We still have so much to talk about.”
Milo stepped away, his body beginning to blend in with their surroundings. “I’m always listening,” he said then disappeared into the sunlight.
Caleb rubbed at his eyes, knowing there was no way his brother was there. When his hands fell away, he was alone. With all the energy he could muster, he looked around, but there was no one there.
He was losing his damn mind. If he didn’t get out of there soon he had no idea what was going to happen to him.
He closed his eyes and thought about Kate. Seeing her face, those bluish green eyes full of depth were like listening to the ocean, a calm washed over him as she came into view. Her hair was pulled back, highlighting the soft lines of her face, that cute little nose and those perfect lips.
“Caleb?” her voice was like a caress against his heated skin. “Caleb!” her voice was louder more panicked as if he was being ripped away from her, but he wasn’t. He was right here. He’d always be here for her.
“I’m here,” he said with a smile touching the edges of his lips.
He felt her hand against his cheeks and forehead, savored the touch.
“Are you hurt?”
“Not anymore,” he managed.
“He’s over here. I need help!”
“No,” Caleb said. “Just hold me. That’s all I need.”
“He’s disoriented,” he heard before everything went black.
***
Kate refused to leave Caleb’s side even when they loaded him into the ambulance. She jumped right in and took his hand in hers, needing to feel his skin against hers, needing to know that she had found him and he would be fine.
Now she understood how Caleb felt that day when she had fallen off the bike. Seeing him propped up against that tree, unmoving, her heart nearly stopped. It wasn’t until she heard him muttering that her heart resumed its steady beat.
He would be okay, and when he finally was strong enough she was going to kill him for all the fear and pain he had caused her.
She held his hands to her lips just as he’d done to her so many times and stroked his knuckles with her thumb. She had no idea if he could feel her touch, but she didn’t care. He was so scared of people leaving him, and she needed to prove to him that she wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter 22
Caleb’s eyes fluttered open, the harsh fluorescent lights causing him to wince. His head felt like someone smashed him with a two-by-four when he began to remember his fall and the time he spent hurt and alone in the woods. He also remembered Kate hugging him to her chest, the gentle brush of her fingers across his cheek and hand.
He needed to tell her that he loved her. That he was a fool. He shot up, forcing his eyes to open despite the protest. Everything was blurry, but he tried to focus.
“Caleb!” he heard and swung his head to his right, causing white, hot searing pain to explode in his head. He rested a hand against his forehead, cringing as the pain radiated then subsided.
“Here drink this,” Kate said, holding a cup to his mouth. “The doctor said you’d probably wake up with a wicked headache.”
He took a sip from the paper cup, savoring the cool liquid as it went down his throat. He remembered how desperate he was for even a drop and greedily finished off the rest of the water.
The bed shifted beneath Kate’s weight as she sat beside him and brushed his hair off his forehead. “How you feeling?”
“Like I was hit by a bus.”
“Not a bus, just the ground, but I imagine it’s a similar feeling.”
“Smartass,” he managed. He shifted to sit up, realizing he was restricted by a cast on his leg.
“Broken,” she said. “Looks like we won’t be going riding for a while.”
“Guess not.”
“You were also severely dehydrated and have a bump on your head.”
“That makes sense,” he said, thinking about how he imagined his brother with him.
“You scared me.” He hated the sorrow in her tone the underlying fear. He could feel it in her words and it went right to his heart.
“I scared me, too. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“I’m an idiot.”
“Not going to argue there.”
“That’s a first.”
“It was bound to happen.”
“Right.” He laced his fingers with hers and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “I’m an idiot, because of some stupid promise I made to myself years ago, I was almost dumb enough to walk away from you when in fact you’re the best damn thing that’s ever happened to me. All I know is loss and pain, but I can’t keep running from it because I’m scared one day you’ll get bored with me and find someone else.”
“There is no one else for me. There’s only you and I’ve wanted to tell you…” She stopped and he tensed, wondering what it was she had to say to him. He braced prepared for anything. “I love you. I love you so much and I know that might scare you, but I don’t care because I’m sick and tired of holding it inside and I just need you to—”
He cut her off with his lips, kissing her with everything he had, showing her before he told her that he loved her too. He loved her so damn much it hurt.
“I wasn’t done,” she said, when he finally pulled away.
“You said enough. I love you, too.”
Tears glistened in her eyes as she stared at him with shock and awe. “You do?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“I do, and I’m done being scared. I want it all. A house, kids, a dog, everything. And you’re the only person I want to share it with.”
“Good because I’m not going anywhere, pretty boy.”
He laughed at the ridiculous nickname she’d given him on that first day, one that he had grown to love, and pulled her into his arms, knowing that as long as Kate was on his side and in his heart, he’d never be lonely again.
Just as the thought rested in his mind the door pushed open and half of Red Maple Falls poured into the room.
No, he’d never be lonely again.
The End
Thank you for reading! I hope you loved reading about Caleb and Kate as well as the rest of the people of Red Maple Falls as much as I love writing about them.
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~Keep reading for an excerpt from Moments with Mason –
Book 3 in the Red Maple Falls series~
Moments with Mason
Chapter 1
Mason Hayes stepped back and looked around the refurbished barn that was now the tasting room for his very own brewery. From that first batch, he made at twenty-two in his parents’ basement, he never would’ve imagined that beer-making would become his lifelong passion or that he’d be a business owner at the age of twenty-seven.
“You did it.” His best friend and brother, Cooper smacked him on the back.
“We did it,” he said, giving credit where credit was due. Cooper, who hadn’t stayed put in one place for more than a couple of weeks since he graduated high school, had stayed in Red Maple Falls for four months to help Mason get things running.
Mason never would have gotten everything
done in time for his opening in a couple weeks. None of this would’ve been possible without the help of his five siblings, his parents, and most definitely not without the generous loan his grandparents had given him.
It was a dream come true made possible by the people he loved most, even if they all were a big pain in his ass.
“I need to head out and see if Dad needs help with anything on the farm before the bulk of the storm hits. That way the festival can start right back up when the weather clears.”
The Fall festival at their parent’s farm happened every year from the end of September to the end of October that required all Hayes’ hands on deck. Mason had felt guilty about not being around as much he usually was.
“Let me know if you need help,” he offered.
Cooper’s blue eyes travelled around the tasting room. “If you haven’t noticed, you have a brewery to open.”
“Bad timing on my part.”
“The festival happens every year. This is a once in a lifetime. We can manage. Besides, I’m here what else can Mom and Dad possibly need?”
“Peace and quiet.”
“Whatever. They love having me around.”
“That’s because I gave them earplugs.”
“Funny.”
“Are Grandma and Grandpa down at the farm too?”
“No, Mom told them to stay home today. Which reminds me I forgot Mom asked me to check on them to see if they needed anything, so they don’t try to wander out in the storm.”
“Because that would stop them,” Mason said. He loved his grandparents fiercely, respected them, owed them his life for believing in him enough to loan him such a huge chunk of money, but Betty and Harold Hayes were stubborn as all hell and getting progressively worse with age. If they wanted to go out, Cooper stopping by and offering to do it for them wouldn’t deter them.
“That’s what I said. Mom was still adamant about it. Ever since the old man’s stint in the hospital, Mom’s been on edge.”
While their grandfather was recovered and back to his normal obstinate eighty-two-year-old self after a bout with heat stroke, Mason understood their mother’s concern. Sitting in that hospital waiting room, not knowing what the hell was going on and unable to get answers was torture. Mason had never felt so helpless in his entire life. Even he’d been making extra trips to his grandparents’ house since that dreadful day, finding ridiculous excuses to stop by and check in on them.
“Hopefully, I can be in and out before Grandma corners me and tries to set me up with one of her friend’s grandkids. I don’t know how many times I can tell her I’m not interested.”
Mason laughed. Betty Hayes was desperate for grandkids and had taken matters into her own hands by offering up any single girl she could sink her work worn hands into. They had thought when their oldest brother Matt had knocked up his new bride they’d get a bit of a break, but if anything, Betty Hayes was more relentless than ever.
“I don’t think she’ll stop until we’re all married off with kids.”
“She can keep it up, but it’ll never happen. Me with kids?” Cooper scoffed. “Now that is the biggest joke of all.”
“Especially since you’re still a kid yourself.”
Cooper grabbed Mason’s hand and smacked him upside the head before Mason could scramble out of the way.
“What the hell was that for?” Mason asked, knowing damn well his brothers didn’t need a reason to hit him. It’s something they’d done since they were kids.
“Trying to knock some sense into you.”
“If that’s the case you should be hitting yourself.”
“I think I’m the sanest person in this family.”
“And I think you just found you’re calling.”
“Calling for what?”
“Standup comedian, because that shit is hilarious.”
Cooper shook his head, but before he could retort, Mason patted his back. “Need to work on your comebacks though. Come on, I’ll follow you out.”
Mason hadn’t eaten all day and needed a lunch break if he was ever going to get through the rest of the night.
“Damn, it’s coming down in buckets,” Cooper said as he opened the door, letting the sound of rushing water echo through the space. “I’ll catch you later.” He pulled the collar of his shirt up and dashed toward their dad’s old beater.
Mason pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and jogged to his truck, being careful not to land in any deep puddles. Cooper beeped as he drove away, and Mason offered a nod though he doubted his brother could see him through the sheet of rain.
Mason turned his Bronco onto the main road, his windshield wipers working overtime to try and clear the rain. It was one hell of a storm blowing through, and he worried his parking lot would turn into a mud pit. He opted against putting down blacktop because he wanted to keep the rustic feel—plus, he didn’t want to add to his overhead costs.
Now he was questioning that decision. He’d been doing that a lot lately—double guessing every decision he had made, wondering if what he decided now would bite him in the ass down the line. He wanted to be a success, but more than anything he wanted to prove to himself that he could do this. That he could take the intelligence he was known for and create it into something he was passionate about.
He leaned forward to get a better view of the road and tried to ignore that annoying voice in the back of his mind when he spotted a figure walking down the side of the street. He didn’t recognize the person from behind, but that didn’t stop him from slowing down.
Born and raised in Red Maple Falls, Mason knew everyone and would never let a neighbor fend for themselves in this type of weather. He pulled his truck to the side of the road and rolled down his window.
On closer inspection, he could see the petite, soft curves of a female. She kept her head down, hiding her face behind a curtain of long and wavy, reddish brown hair that was sopping wet as she continued to walk on by without offering as much as a glance in his direction. Concerned for her well-being, Mason put the truck back in drive and rolled alongside of her.
“Can I give you a ride?” he called out, trying to make his voice heard over the relentless wind and loud smacking rain drops.
“I’m good,” she said, but he detected a hint of sadness in her voice. Her shoulders were raised, body hunched probably trying to keep water from running down her neck. She wouldn’t look at him so he had no idea if he knew who she was, but regardless if he knew her or not, he couldn’t just leave her out in this monsoon.
He put his truck in park and jumped out. He came to a stop in front of the girl, who paused, her eyes wide and startled before she tried to step around him.
“Hey,” he said, reaching his hand out to her shoulder, but she flinched at his gesture, causing him to retract his hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just want to give you a ride.” He removed his hood, so she could see his face, hoping that would give her a little peace of mind.
She finally looked up; her golden-brown eyes reminded him of a fresh poured amber ale, making him momentarily forget how to speak. He definitely didn’t know her; he would have recognized those eyes anywhere.
Big rain drops ran down Mason’s face and neck, pooling where his hoodie met his skin. “Please,” he said. “You’re soaked through, and you’re shivering. Let me give you a ride.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t trust strangers.”
“Then allow me to introduce myself. I’m Mason Hayes.” He held out his hand, but she only looked at it, so he let it fall back to his side. She was hesitant and she was scared, and that was the last thing he wanted, so he broke out the signature Hayes smile known to charm anyone it came in contact with. “If that doesn’t mean anything to you then that tells me you’re not from around here.”
“Are you famous or something?”
“In our own right,” he said with a laugh. “I was born and raised in this town. My parents own Basil Hill Farms that’s currently runn
ing the state’s famous Fall Festival, my sister owns Serenity Glass Blowing Studios, my sister-in-law owns Sweet Dream Bakery, my soon to be brother-in-law owns the Chain and Spoke. Oh and my oldest brother is the Sheriff, so I really can’t be a serial killer because that would be bad for business. So please, let me give you a ride.”
She stood there, rain sluicing down her black leather coat as she fidgeted with her hands. Finally, with a deep breath she nodded. “All right.”
Thank god, he thought as he ran over to the passenger door and opened it. She slid a backpack off her shoulder, and he reached out to take it for her, but she aggressively hugged the bag to her chest.
“I just wanted to help,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“I got it,” she answered, tossing the bag up on the seat.
She looked up at the truck and placed her foot on the running board. It was still a bit of a climb for her, so he held his hand out to help her. “I don’t bite,” he said.
She hesitated for a moment before slipping her hand into his. It was small and delicate, but he imagined the girl it was attached to was the total opposite. She used his hand as leverage as she hoisted her petite frame into the large truck.
Once she was settled he shut the door and ran back to the driver’s side.
Her small frame shook as she blew into her hands. Raised in the White Mountains, Mason was used to cold weather, but he could tell his passenger wasn’t. He reached behind him, grabbing a thick blanket he kept in his truck and draped it over her shoulders. “That should help,” he said. She looked at him, shock widening her eyes, lips parting ever so slightly. She yanked on the edges of the blanket, pulling it tighter around her body.
Crushing on Kate Page 17