Catching Caroline (Silver Falls Book 1)

by Megan Nugen Isbell

  “That’s not true,” my mother said. “Especially since we’ve been paying all that money for tuition at UVM.”

  “Don’t worry, Mother. I don’t plan to waste your money,” I said with a quick glance and smile in the direction of my parents.

  “Are you still going to be a unicorn police officer?” Adam asked and my eyes drifted to him.

  “What’re you talking about?”

  “Remember when you used to tell us you were going to be a unicorn police officer when you grew up?”

  “No,” I scoffed. “I never said that.”

  “C’mon, Sawyer. Back me up, man,” he said, turning to my brother who looked over at me and nodded.

  “He’s right, Care. You must’ve been like six or something.”

  “I don’t remember that,” I said. “You two are making this up.”

  “We’re not,” Adam insisted and I rolled my eyes.

  “To answer your question, no, I’m not going to be a unicorn police officer. I’m a computer science major.”

  Adam sat back in his chair and eyed me curiously.

  “I’d forgotten what a brainiac you are. You and that boyfriend of yours. What was his name? Calvin or Chris? Something like that?”

  “Caleb,” I corrected him.

  “You got rid of that guy though, right? I never liked him.”

  I set my spoon down so it was resting on the bowl and my family was quiet as I looked into Adam’s blue eyes.

  “Yeah, I got rid of him,” I said, squinting in his direction the way I used to when he and Sawyer were being awful to me. “He broke up with me last month.”

  I saw Adam’s eyes get wide for a second when he realized just how far he’d inserted his foot into his mouth.

  “Well, this is an awkward moment in the conversation,” he said a few moments later.

  “You always were excellent at being an asshole, Adam,” I returned, our eyes locking for a few seconds, until I felt my mother swat me on the arm.

  “Watch the language please, Caroline,” she said and I knew I’d ruffled her feathers. My mom hated profanity. She hated it even more so when it came out of mine or Sawyer’s mouths.

  “I’m sorry, Caroline,” Adam said after my mom smacked me. “I didn’t know.”

  “It’s fine, Adam. I wouldn’t expect you to know. You haven’t been home in so long. I’m actually surprised you remembered the way here,” I said and I knew I’d pissed him off with that last remark. We used to bicker like this. He and Sawyer were always ganging up on me and I was surprised at how easily it was to fall back to the way it’d been when I was ten and they were thirteen.

  “Mind if I go take my things to the stable house and grab a shower?” Adam asked, turning to my brother, who picked up his bowl and stood up.

  “Not at all,” he said, walking the bowl over to the sink. “Thanks for the chili, Mom,” Sawyer said and then Adam stood up and put his bowl in the sink too.

  “Yes, thanks for dinner, Mrs. Hale. Next time, I promise to clean up,” he said and then went and shook my dad’s hand and said good night. He turned to me then and put his hand on my shoulder briefly before he spoke to me. “Always a pleasure, Sweet Caroline,” he said sarcastically, using the nickname I hated. “I’ll see you all in the morning.”

  “Good night,” my parents and I said in unison and then my brother and Adam walked out.

  “Did you guys know he was coming?” I asked my parents once we were alone.

  “No. Not a clue until he pulled up,” my dad said.

  “Why’s he even here? Shouldn’t he be in Boston or something doing rehab for his arm so he can pitch again?” I asked as I scooped out the last bite of my chili.

  “I don’t know why he’s here, Caroline,” my dad said, “but, obviously, he doesn’t want to be there and he’s welcome here as long as he wants to stay.”

  I nodded as I gathered my bowl and started doing the dishes, wondering after all this time, what had brought Adam home.

  Five

  When I woke up the next morning, I put on my jeans and an old t-shirt, along with the rubber boots I always wore when tending to the cows. Since I’d started working at The Silver Falls House as a teenager, my responsibilities on the farm lessened, but they never went away. We all pitched in. My dad, my mom, Sawyer, a few farm hands my dad hired on occasion, and me. I didn’t actually mind the work. I kind of liked the solitude and it was only for a couple of hours.

  The house was quiet when I went downstairs. I may have been raised on a dairy farm, but I’d never quite caught on to the early mornings. I was always the last one up, dragging myself out of bed and today was no different. I grabbed a bowl of cereal and then pulled my hair up into a sloppy ponytail before heading outside.

  My mom’s car was gone. She’d probably gone into town for groceries. I saw movement in the barn and I knew the cows had all been herded in for their morning milking. I didn’t feel too badly I’d missed rounding them all up. It was my least favorite part.

  I walked into the barn and immediately, my eyes were drawn to my brother and Adam. I could tell Sawyer was trying to show Adam how to hook up the cows to the milkers and it was obvious Adam didn’t have a clue what he was doing. His arms were folded and I could tell he was watching my brother curiously, even though I could only see a sliver of his profile since it was partially blocked from the baseball cap that was pulled down over his forehead. I don’t know why I expected it to be a Red Sox hat, but it wasn’t. It was a UVM cap that looked worn and old and I wondered if it was from his days of pitching in college.

  “Good morning,” I said, walking towards them. Both of their faces turned towards me then.

  “You finally decided to get up?” Sawyer teased.

  “It’s not that late. It’s seven-thirty,” I answered and my brother scoffed. Adam just smirked at me.

  “We’ve been up since five,” he said and I found myself matching his smirk.

  “So, what? You’ve worked on a dairy farm all of two and a half hours and you’re an old hat at this?”

  “This should be fun working with the two of you,” Sawyer mumbled before turning back to what he’d been doing. Adam winked at me sarcastically and I gave him the finger, which caused him to laugh quietly before turning his attention back to Sawyer and I went to get started on cleaning the floors.

  I grabbed the broom and then put in my earbuds, turning on my music and zoning out as I went about brushing the hay and dirt off the concrete. It was a mundane task that allowed my mind to wander and I found myself thinking of Caleb and wondering what he was doing. Was he enjoying Mexico? Was Jodi with him? Did he miss me at all? I missed him, but I was finding the ache he’d left in my heart was getting a little less painful. Perhaps because he’d already been physically gone for so long before he broke up with me. I was used to him not being around, but the absence of the phone calls and texts was something I couldn’t quite adjust to. Perhaps because that’s the way it’d been for the last five years. It was a habit and habits are hard to break.

  I felt a tap on my shoulder then, causing my heart to pound and I grasped my chest, yanking out the earbuds and turning to see Adam standing there.

  “Dammit, Adam! You scared the crap out of me,” I said as I caught my breath. He held his hands out in apology, stepping away almost as if he thought I was afraid of him.

  “Wasn’t my intention, really,” he said and then looked around. “Sawyer sent me over here to see if you could use any help.”

  “Why aren’t you helping with the milking?”

  “I’m not exactly sure, but I’m betting it’s because I don’t know what the hell it is I’m doing and he’s not in the mood to be bothered with me anymore. He’s pawning me off on you since he’s been tolerating me for the last two hours,” he said and his boyish smile caused me to laugh.

  “Don’t worry about Sawyer. He’s so much like my dad. Neither of them has any patience, but you’ll catch on. I can help you, if you’d like. I’m a li
ttle more forgiving than those two.”

  “We’ll see how it goes and I’ll let you know if I require remedial milking classes.”

  I laughed again and then handed him the broom I was holding.

  “You can finish sweeping and I’ll start hosing out the troughs,” I told him.

  He nodded and got to work. I didn’t put my earbuds back in and the quiet was awkward. I didn’t exactly know what to say to him. It’d been so long since we’d spent time together.

  “So, uh…” he began a short time later as he swept and I turned to see him watching me. “I wanted to apologize for last night and what I said about your boyfriend.”

  “It’s fine, Adam,” I said, trying to focus back on my work.

  “No, it’s not and I feel like a jackass. I just thought Caleb would’ve been out of your life a long time ago. I didn’t think he’d still be around.”

  “Well, he’s not around anymore, so it’s fine,” I said flatly and it was quiet again for a few moments until Adam spoke again.

  “Are you doing okay?” Our eyes met and I could tell he was concerned about me in the same way Sawyer worried about me.

  “Really, Adam. I’m fine. It’s life. People change. There’s nothing you can do about it besides accept it and move on,” I said, wondering if he was buying my spiel. I didn’t feel nearly as strong on the inside as my words made me out to be.

  I started working again, but Adam came and stood beside me a few minutes later.

  “Sweeping’s done,” he said. “What’re you doing?”

  “Just cleaning the troughs for the next milking.”

  It wasn’t a hard job and soon, Adam was helping. We worked in silence for a while, the only noise coming from the water and brushes along with the chorus of moos coming from the other side of the barn.

  “What about you, Adam?” I finally asked and he looked at me, raising his head so I could finally see under the brim of his cap into his blue eyes.

  “What about me?”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” he said quickly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Because you’re here,” I answered flatly.

  “Like I told you last night, I just thought a visit home would be nice. I wanted to get out of the city for a little while.”

  I nodded, but I wasn’t buying his story.

  “How long are you staying?” I asked and he shrugged.

  “I don’t know. Until I get sick of dodging cow shit,” he said and I had to laugh at that.

  “So, I can assume you’ll be gone by tomorrow then?”

  “I guess you’ll have to wait and see if I’m still here in the morning,” he said with a cocky grin and I smiled back at him.

  “I know Sawyer must be happy you’re back for a little while,” I said and I saw the grin leave his face and he shrugged his shoulders.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I think your brother more or less tolerates me at this point.”

  “That’s not true. You’re his best friend.”

  “Yeah, but I’ve been a shitty friend,” he said and I could tell by the tone of his voice he believed his words. I didn’t know if Sawyer felt that way though.

  “It couldn’t have been easy keeping in touch with everyone…not with your schedule,” I said, trying to be supportive.

  “No, but that’s not an excuse,” he said and it grew quiet again as we cleaned.

  “Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here and I know the rest of my family feels that way too, even if I was a bit of a beast to you last night.” He looked over to me with a timid smile, the same smile I remembered seeing on his face all those years ago before he was Adam DeLain and simply Adam, my brother’s pain in the ass friend.

  “It’s good to be here, even if the place does reek of cow shit half the time,” he said, and we both started laughing. Sometimes the truth hurt.

  Six

  After that first morning, Adam seemed to get the hang of it, even if my brother’s patience had grown thin at first. I wasn’t surprised at Sawyer though. Although he and Adam had been best friends forever, they were very different, much like Erica and me. Adam had always been the jock, switching from baseball to soccer to football with each season. He didn’t just play the sports either, he excelled. Adam always had girls too. It was like he snapped his fingers and they appeared, ready and willing to do his bidding. It didn’t seem like things had changed in that department. My brother was quieter and soft spoken like my dad though, seemingly content to stay in the background. I could barely recount a time I’d heard him raise his voice. Sure, as kids, he loved to terrorize me. He and Adam both did, but as we got older, Sawyer was kind to me and was always looking out to make sure I was okay. My brother didn’t play sports either, except the occasional skiing he did when our family would go on trips. He’d tried soccer with Adam when they were kids, but he soon learned it wasn’t for him. Sawyer preferred outdoor things, like hiking and fishing, and he wasn’t into a revolving door of girls. My brother was like me in that way. When he had a girlfriend, she was it. He hadn’t had many. The last had been right before he moved back home to work full time on the farm. They’d broken up though and while he’d gone out a few times, there hadn’t been anyone serious since.

  I was surprised then when one evening I got home from work and saw my brother walking away from the stable house, looking much different than he had that morning when I’d seen him and Adam in the barn. He’d been in his usual jeans, t-shirt and mud-caked boots, his dark blonde hair tucked into his favorite Red Sox hat. I swear he’d worn that hat forever and I was surprised it hadn’t disintegrated by now. I was certain it must’ve reeked too, which is why he only wore it when working. Now, my brother was approaching his SUV in a pair of jeans that looked new and a green polo shirt, his hair styled neatly and his face clean of the stubble I’d seen on it in the morning.

  “Where’re you going?” I asked when I got out of my car.

  “Out.”

  “Where’s Adam?”

  “Watching TV. He’s not coming.”

  “Why not?” I asked, thinking it strange my brother would leave Adam behind.

  “I don’t need a third wheel when I see Lindsey tonight.”

  “Wait,” I asked, putting my hand on my hip and staring curiously at my brother. “Who’s Lindsey?”

  “Why are you being so damn nosey, Caroline?” he asked with a smirk.

  “I’m not,” I said defensively. “I just didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”

  “I don’t have to tell you everything, you know,” he said, raising an eyebrow at me.

  “I know that,” I said and then paused before continuing. “I just thought you might’ve told me.”

  He clicked the key fob to his SUV and then opened the door, leaning against it as he looked at me.

  “It’s kind of a new thing. I’m just getting to know her. I’ll let you know more when there’s something to tell,” he said and I nodded.

  “Have fun tonight then,” I told him and I noticed he was looking at me in that soft way that told me he was worried about me.

  “What about you, Care? How’re you doing?”

  “You mean with Caleb?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what he meant. There was no other reason why he’d ask because my life pretty much consisted of working and coming home.

  “Yes, with Caleb. I know it’s been a while since he left…”

  “And I’m fine,” I interrupted. “You don’t need to worry about me, Sawyer.”

  “I’ll always worry,” he told me and I knew he meant it.

  He waved at me and then climbed into his SUV. I watched until I could no longer see his taillights and then walked into the house.

  “Is that you, Caroline?” my mom called.

  “Yes,” I answered as I walked into the kitchen to see her by the stove and my dad setting the table. “What’re we having?” I asked.

  “Pot roast,” she answered and my mouth started wat
ering just thinking about. “We should be ready to eat in five minutes, so if you wouldn’t mind going to get Adam, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Sure thing,” I said and then turned to head out the door I’d just come in.

  It was still light out, but the sun was starting to set as I made the walk across the property to the stable house. I could see lights on when I walked up to the front door. I didn’t usually knock, but since Sawyer wasn’t there and Adam was now staying in the house, I thought it best if I did.

  I knocked and then waited for a few moments, expecting to hear footsteps or some activity inside. I didn’t though and I knocked again, waiting for Adam to answer. After a few seconds of contemplation, I put my hand on the doorknob and started to turn it. I knew I probably shouldn’t be doing it. What if he was taking a shower or something else that would expose me to a side of Adam I’d never seen before? Then again, what if he was lying dead on the couch or unconscious and needed medical help? Yes, my mind went there. I attributed it to too many hours of watching murder mysteries on ID.

  I turned the knob slowly, pushing the door open carefully and cautiously peeking inside. The TV was on, but the house was still. It was as if it was deserted until my eyes focused on the figure on the couch. Adam was sprawled out, his entire body spanning the length of it. He was only wearing a pair of black Nike gym shorts. He had no shirt on and I found myself staring at the defined muscles of his chest and abdomen. His hand was resting behind his head on one of the couch cushions and it was then I looked at his face. He was sleeping and he looked peaceful as the quiet breaths escaped his mouth. He had a slight beard on his face, the kind that comes after not having shaved for a couple of days, and his nearly black hair was a disheveled mess on his forehead. I found myself looking away quickly when I felt a stirring in my stomach that I knew shouldn’t be there when looking at Adam. It was impossible not to though. No matter who he was or how long I’d known him, I couldn’t deny the fact that he was pretty much the perfect man as he lay stretched out on the couch of our old stable house.