by Lori Wilde
“I have no idea what that is.”
“Sprüngli is a famous Swiss chocolatier and they needed new content for their updated website.”
“That’s the kind of photography you were doing? For websites.”
“Sure.” She canted her head and studied him. “What did you think I was doing?”
“I dunno.” Caleb felt sheepish. “Photojournalism, I guess.”
“That’s what I’d intended when I left Kringle,” Ava said. “But my career took a different path and I’m a much better photographer than I am a writer.”
“You could have stayed local if all you wanted to do was generate content for websites. I thought…” He trailed off. “I’m sorry that sounded passive aggressive.”
Instead of responding, Ava whistled for the dogs again.
Feeling shamefaced, Caleb decided that apologizing had made a bigger deal of his pettiness than it deserved. “Hang on, I’ll go home and get my ATV.”
“Give them time to respond to my whistles.”
He moved closer to her, still clutching the leashes. “Who do you think will appear first?”
“Most likely Stephen King,” she said. “He can’t stay away from Mom too long.”
Another whistle from Ava and finally a black Labrador retriever came charging through the coastal fields on Caleb’s property. He shimmied right under the fence and wandered over, looking relaxed and happy.
“Hey, boy.” Caleb crouched and gently patted the ground in front of him at the same time he opened the clasp on one leash.
“Hey there, Stephen King,” Ava murmured.
“Named after your dad’s favorite author?”
Ava grinned. “You’ve got it.”
Stealthily, in case Stephen King bolted, Caleb slipped the leash clap around the ring on the dog’s collar.
“One down,” he said to Ava. “Four to go.”
She flashed him a genuine smile. “You haven’t lost your touch with animals, that’s for sure. I never met a dog who didn’t adore you.”
He shrugged. It hadn’t been a big deal.
“What should we do now?” she asked.
“Go over to my place and get the ATV we use for herding cattle. We can cover more ground.” He didn’t mention the donkeys. He didn’t want to freak her out.
“Thank you.”
He’d been heading toward his truck, but at her gratitude, he turned and glanced at her. The same old pull he always felt whenever he looked at Ava tugged at his solar plexus. It bothered him that he was still so attracted to her. Man, he had the common sense of a rock.
“It’s not a problem,” he said and passed the Lab’s leash to her. “Why don’t you take Stephen King inside, and then we’ll hit my place for the ATV and make quick work of this.”
Ava nodded, and then out of the blue she said, “You know I’m sorry, right? I never meant to hurt you.”
Now wasn’t the time to discuss that topic. Heck, he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to discuss the past with her.
“Let’s focus on the dogs,” he said. Because of the mixed-up feelings churning inside him, it was all he could manage.
Chapter 4
After dropping Stephen King off with her parents in the shelter, Ava jumped into Caleb’s truck and they took off down the rural road back to his place.
The minute she settled into the seat she was acutely aware of him and the tension stretching between them thick as pulled taffy.
For a farm truck, the vehicle was surprisingly clean, but then again, Caleb had always been tidy. There was a bit of dirt on the floorboard, the smell of livestock feed in the air, and a thin layer of dust on the dashboard, but it wasn’t junky with supplies or empty containers or product wrappers like her dad’s work pickup. She noticed the interior because it was easier than noticing the man.
Hesitantly, she lifted her gaze to study Caleb’s handsome profile—masculine nose, firm chin, sharp cheekbones. He wore a black felt cowboy hat pulled low on his forehead, and it hid the lush fall of dark hair she knew was beneath it. He wore faded Wranglers, plain brown Justin boots, and a red flannel work shirt underneath a shearling jacket.
He looked like what he was. A dyed-in-the-wool cowboy.
Some things never changed. But here was the deal. Where she’d once found her small country town and the folks in it dull and staid, after traveling the world she had a whole new perspective and a deep respect for the things and people she’d left behind.
At eighteen, she’d been cavalier, not appreciating what she’d had and believing the wide world at large had more to offer her than the community where she’d grown up. Instead of treasuring who she was and where she came from, she’d dismissed it as colloquial and pedestrian. What she’d learned was that people were the same all over the world, and just because something was different and seemed exotic to her, it didn’t make it better than Kringle.
Living with this lesson was ironic when she was sitting in the man's truck. The man she’d left behind. The man who could still turn her world upside down with a lazy grin.
Heavens, she’d been such a foolish young girl when she’d broken his heart. Guilt nibbled at her. How could she have treated his love so casually? Had she secretly believed that he’d just been waiting around for her to return for good?
If so, that was pretty damn selfish. Ava cringed.
Quickly, she dispelled any notion that she had a future with Caleb. It was too late for them.
Losing him was the price she’d paid to find herself. She’d needed time to determine what she wanted in life. Caleb might have known from an early age that he wanted to stay on his grandfather’s ranch and raise horses and longhorns, but Ava hadn’t a clue what she’d wanted from life...
Or love.
Now she knew, but it was too late.
Stop beating yourself up, Ava.
If she hadn’t left Kringle, she never would have discovered who she was as a photographer, and she wouldn’t have built a successful career. She’d needed time, and even though she knew she’d hurt Caleb badly, it had been the right thing for them both.
They crested a small hill, and in the distance, Ava spied a small brown dog wandering aimlessly in a field near the road.
“Look, there’s Minnie Pearl.” She pointed.
Slowing, Caleb guided the truck into the bar ditch near the fence and parked. Ava tumbled out, leash in hand.
Minnie Pearl saw her and came running, eager for rescue.
“Did those longer-legged dogs run off and leave you behind, babe?” Ava cooed, squatting beside the dachshund and clicking the leash clasp around her collar.
Scooping Minnie Pearl into her arms, she opened the rear door and deposited the dog inside and secured her with the doggy seat belt that Caleb used for transporting his ranch dogs. She had to adjust the straps for Minnie’s small size.
“Two down, three to go,” she declared, returning to the passenger seat. “I wonder where the others went.”
Caleb took off his Stetson and ran a hand through his hair.
Her pulse quickened at the sight of his wavy locks. Whether or not she admitted it, he still took her breath away.
“They might have wandered up to my house. My housekeeper Freda is notorious for feeding strays.” Caleb put the truck in gear, and they continued to his home.
Ava glanced over the seat to check on Minnie Pearl, who seemed content.
The old farmhouse that had belonged to Caleb’s grandparents came into view and her breath caught at the sight of it. She had so many fond memories of the place—spring planting and summer harvest. Watermelons and fireworks on the Fourth of July. Picnics by the pond. Halloween parties and hayrides.
And of course Christmas.
It had been her favorite season on the Leaping Longhorn Ranch. His grandparents and mother had gone all out. Decorating as passionately as anyone in Kringle, and that was saying a lot for a town besotted with Christmas. In fact, the ranch had won the town decorating contest more than once
. More memories tumbled in on her. She and Caleb helping string lights from the eaves, hanging stockings on the mantel, and kissing under the mistletoe.
Her cheeks heated and she turned her head so he wouldn’t notice and studied the house. “You haven’t decorated for Christmas! Why not? It’s only two weeks away.”
He shrugged. “No reason to decorate. Mom was the Christmas fanatic. Without her, it’s too much of an effort.”
“You liked to decorate when we were teenagers.”
“We’re not kids anymore, Ava. Christmas is for children.”
“And the young at heart,” she said.
“That’s you, not me,” he grumbled.
“Ah, c’mon. Don’t be a grinch. You should at least put up a few lights. It’ll help you get into the holiday spirit.”
“Nah. It’s not really my thing anymore.”
That made her feel so sad, as if he’d given up on the joys of life. Because of her? “Not even a tree inside?”
“Why put up decorations for a couple of weeks just to turn around and take them down again? Seems like a lot of unnecessary work.”
Ava’s mouth dropped open. “Caleb Sutton, I cannot believe you just said that. Why take a shower every day when you have to turn around and take another shower the next day? Why wash your truck when you know your truck is just going to get dirty again the next time you drive across a muddy field?”
He laughed and held up a hand. “Fine. Point made. I’ll decorate. But only if you agree to pitch in.”
She rewarded him with a grin. “Great. I’ll get some of my friends, and we’ll come over tomorrow to help. Decorating is always more fun when you have a crowd. I’ll even bring snacks. We’ll make it a party. We—”
“Look there.” Caleb gestured as he stopped the truck near the horse barn.
Two dogs—a German shepherd mix and an Aussiepoo were standing on their back legs drinking from the water trough.
“They look like drinking buddies bellied up to a bar.” Ava laughed. “Felix and Oscar, the odd couple.”
“You know all their names?”
“I do. They’re my parents’ pets. Mom talks about them endlessly.”
He made a noise that was just short of a snort. “I didn’t think you kept up with something that trivial.”
“What must you think of me, Caleb? I’m interested in my parents’ lives. I communicate with them regularly. We text every day, several times a day even.”
“Why are you getting defensive?”
“I’m not.” Was she? She lowered her voice and spoke more slowly to disprove his claim. “Do you think the dogs will come to me like Minnie Pearl did? These two don’t know me very well and since they started off life as strays, they might still have a bit of wild to them.”
“Let’s stroll along as if catching them is the last thing we have in mind,” Caleb suggested.
Ava chuckled. “Sneaky. I like it.”
He laughed. “Stick with me. I have more tricks up my sleeve.”
She’d missed that laugh so much. More than she realized. Maybe they could be friends after all. That would be so nice. They ambled closer toward the water trough, purposefully ignoring the dogs.
Ava cast around for a safe conversational topic. “How’s your mom doing?”
Caleb’s dad had died in a military operation when Caleb was fourteen. He and his mother Bethany had moved to Kringle to live with his mother’s parents. His mom had stayed on the ranch after her parents passed away until a few years ago when she’d sold it to him, remarried, and moved to Dallas.
“Mom and Chet are so in love, it’s fun to watch them together. They’re like lovesick teenagers. He’s a private pilot and they’re always flying off to somewhere exciting. She got the travel bug the same way you did. After spending much of her life on a ranch, she’s loving seeing the world, although most of the trips they take are in the US.”
Ava kept one eye on the dogs, who were watching them with open curiosity. “Does your mom miss Kringle?”
Caleb stopped walking and crouched on the same level as the dogs, making himself less threatening. Following his lead, she hunkered beside him.
“She does,” he said. “But she loves her more footloose life and says the only thing that will settle her down again is having grandchildren to fuss over.”
The two dogs came closer, wagging their tails. Soon enough, their curiosity got the better of them and they inched closer to Caleb and Ava. Quick as a wink, they snapped the leashes to the dogs’ collars.
Four down, one to go.
But Caleb’s comment about his mother wanting grandchildren shook Ava. If she and Caleb had gotten married right out of high school, most likely they would be parents by now. Unexpected feelings stirred inside her—loss, remorse, and a bone-deep yearning.
Oh, she didn’t regret spreading her wings and leaving Kringle to explore the world. What she did regret was hurting Caleb in the process. But she was no longer the headstrong teen she’d once been, and she needed him to forgive her.
Because what she wanted more than anything in the world was a solid friendship with the man she’d left behind.
“Let’s go get that last dog,” Caleb said once they had Felix and Oscar in the truck alongside Minnie Pearl. The nippy December weather was cold enough so the animals would be okay in the vehicle while they looked for the remaining dog, but not too cold to cause problems.
“On the ATV?” Ava asked.
“Sure. The ATV gets around the pastures better than the truck.”
“But how do we get the dog back if we find her?”
“One of us can walk back with her.”
“Um,” she said. “Okay.”
The idea sounded solid until Ava climbed on the ATV behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Immediately, his body hardened, and his heart somersaulted. He tightened his grip on the handlebars and forced his attention on the pasture ahead and not the sexy woman behind him. Except he could smell her gentle scent of soap and sunshine, and a deep longing caught him in the gut and twisted.
Why did she have to smell so darn good?
He drove slowly, scanning the pasture for any sign of the last missing dog. To his dismay and maybe yeah, secretly, to his delight, Ava rested her head against his back.
“Remember when you scored the winning touchdown during the homecoming game our junior year?” she asked.
That was a strange thing to bring up. He turned his head toward her, glancing over his shoulder to see the top of the helmet he’d given her to wear. “Yes. Why?”
“Because I think you may need to use some of that fancy footwork to capture Cinderella.”
“Huh?”
She pointed.
There, running around in circles underneath a two-hundred-year-old oak tree, a dog barked at a chattering squirrel. The mutt was brown, yellow, black, and white. Cinderella looked to weigh about sixty pounds.
“That’s some kind of focused attention,” Caleb said, slowing the ATV. “She hasn’t even glanced in our direction.”
“Exactly. She will not surrender easily. She’s fired up and could bolt on us. Something tells me she’s the instigator of this whole escape. Cinderella’s got the look of a runner.”
Although tempted to growl, “takes one to know one,” he didn’t comment. The past was the past. Time to build a bridge and get over that water.
“Let the games begin,” he said, stopping the ATV.
For the next ten minutes, they chased the dog around the trees. Cinderella thought it was a great game, even more interesting than treeing a squirrel, and gave them a run for their money. When Caleb came at the dog from one direction and Ava from another, Cinderella barked wildly and zigzagged between them.
She really was a wily thing, and if Caleb hadn’t been trying to catch her, he would have admired the dog’s agility. Seriously, Marjorie should enter her in agility training and teach her to come when called. Finally, out of breath, he stopped, rackin
g his brain for a unique approach.
Ava jogged over to stand beside him and panted. “Cindy’s a doozy.” She was smiling and her face flushed prettily. She looked happy, radiant, and downright irresistible.
He nodded. They’d tried most every trick they could think of, but the dog still eluded them.
“What was it that Mr. Finster used to say in algebra class? The hardest problems to solve in life are the ones worth the most,” Caleb said.
“I’m not sure about that, but Cinderella is a challenge.”
“Should we warn Prince Charming?” he teased.
She laughed and murmured, “Gosh, I’ve missed you.”
He’d missed her too. He almost told her, but before he could say a word, the dog darted straight toward him.
Now!
Instinctively, Caleb held his arms wide. If the dog got close enough, he was taking her down.
Cinderella leaped into the air and directly hit Caleb in the chest.
Oof.
Knocked to the ground, Caleb lay stunned. But somehow, he grabbed Cinderella’s collar. He grunted, curled his fingers around the collar, and held on for all he was worth. The dog wriggled her hair and licked his face.
Ava ran over with the leash, clipped it to the dog’s collar, and pulled Cinderella off Caleb. “Are you okay?”
For a few moments, Caleb worked on getting air back into his lungs. It wasn’t the first time he’d suffered a tackle, but man, he was older now, and it hurt more.
Finally, he sucked in a lungful of air and said, “F-fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” He scrambled to his feet.
Ava continued to fuss over him, brushing straw from his clothes and inspecting him, while keeping a firm grip on Cinderella’s leash. “Is anything hurt?”
“Other than my pride? No.”
“You wouldn’t keep the truth from me, would you?”
“I’m fine,” he assured her.
“It really was just like that homecoming game,” she said. “You got walloped hard.”
“Yeah. It was like that.”
He knew the game she meant. He’d been running down the field, his mind only half on what he was doing. Mostly he’d been thinking about Ava. She’d been flirting with him right before the game, waving her pom-poms in the air, the motion lifting her breasts beneath her cheerleader costume, and he was still playing her comments over in his mind when suddenly another player slammed into him.