So instead of heading for the barn, Caleb headed for the main house where his parents still lived. Where Gideon would someday raise his own seven sons, because that’s how their family worked, no matter how odd it seemed to the outside world.
When he got to the house, he didn’t bother knocking, because he knew his mother would be expecting him after that phone call this morning. He called out, “Mom, I’m home!”
His mother came out of the kitchen and gave him a look of pure and honest love. “So who is this Natalie, and where did you find her? And do I need to start planning another wedding before Benjamin is even officially married?”
Chapter Two
Caleb looked at his mother helplessly. “She’s the girl who just opened up a candy shop in town. Her fudge is absolutely amazing!” He’d had to pull over and try a piece on his way home. He’d be locking that candy into the safe in his room. No one was getting it but him.
“Why don’t I make us some lunch, and you can tell me about her while I cook?”
He sighed. “There’s not much to tell. I was driving into town this morning, minding my own business. I made a plan to avoid getting bitten by the wedding bug like Adam and Benjamin—”
“Wait! I’ve got to hear this plan!” His mother looked at him with wide eyes and a half grin on her face.
“I’d rather not say…”
“You’re going to tell me, Caleb Bartholomew!”
“Why did I get stuck with Bartholomew for a middle name? Why not a normal name? You don’t think Caleb sets me apart enough?”
She glared at him. “Caleb, you’re not getting out of this. What plan did you make?”
“Well…I decided that if I didn’t meet any new women, then I would for sure never meet the woman who was meant for me. You know? So…I decided to just go to familiar places. Of course, then I remembered the candy store, but I wasn’t even going to look at the girl there! I walked in just staring at the display case. I went right up to it…and I started picking out what I wanted.”
His mother bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Go on…”
“You’re laughing at me, and this isn’t funny. I didn’t want to meet anyone special or fascinating…but then I saw her, and I felt my heart doing little flip-flops. And then I introduced myself, and I mentioned two of my brothers, or was it three? I don’t know. I mentioned some of them, and she immediately made the Seven Brides connection, so I told her she needed to meet you. Next thing I knew, I was calling you to see if she could come to supper.” He shrugged to let her know he had no idea how it had all happened to him.
“Wow. Well, she’s certainly invited. What should I cook?” She looked at him as if she expected him to somehow know.
“How am I supposed to know that? I talked to her for ten minutes in a candy store! It’s not like I know anything about her other than her first name. Natalie. That’s a good name, right?”
His mother laughed, shaking her head. “I don’t think her name matters to you at all anymore, does it? She could be ‘That one girl’ and you’d still be head over heels for her.”
“What am I even thinking? I met her once, and I’m bringing her home to meet my mother! What kind of man does that?” Caleb used his hands to pull himself up onto the counter, watching her cook.
“You know how it is in our family. It doesn’t take much to know.”
His father stepped into the kitchen. “Ah, you met her. The candy store girl?”
“You knew, and you didn’t tell me? That’s not very nice of you!”
“I knew you’d just avoid the candy store if you knew she was there, so I figured I’d keep it to myself.” His dad looked into the pot and sniffed deeply. “Oh, you’re warming up that stew from last night. It was the best you’ve ever made.”
“You say that with everything I cook!” his mother protested.
“Of course, I do. I like it when you cook for me. And I love you!” He put his arms around her waist. “Just when we’re finally living alone again, you let one of the boys come over for lunch. What were you thinking?”
“He didn’t ask. He just showed up. How could I turn away those blue eyes that look so much like yours?”
“Fine, he can eat here, but he has to set the table.”
Caleb jumped down from the counter and walked over to the cupboard. “What else do you know about Natalie, Dad?”
“She loves to make candy. She is a good person. Graduated from TCU with a perfect GPA. Smart as a whip. Her degree is in business, so she opened her own candy shop.” Dad shrugged. “What else do you want to know?”
“Does she feel the same way for me that I feel for her?”
“And how do you feel?”
Caleb shrugged. “I feel like my insides are mush, and my brain is on vacation. I’m going to need to bring a couple of the boys to supper with me to make sure we’re not out of ratio at the house.”
“Which two?” his mom asked, not because there were some she wouldn’t want to join them, but because she wanted to be able to cater to each boy’s favorites.
“I don’t know. Probably Hunter and Nick. Those two always seem to need the most attention.”
“They’re the two youngest boys on the ranch and the two newest here. Of course they need the most attention.” His mother shooed him into the dining room, carrying two big bowls of stew. “You get the third one, Caleb.” She saw the table was still bare. “Didn’t your father tell you to set the table?”
“Sorry, Mom. I got distracted.” He grabbed three spoons and the third bowl of stew. “What’s everyone drinking?” He waited for them to tell him if they wanted sweet tea or water. Those were the only things his parents drank.
When they were all seated, his father said a quick prayer over the meal. Caleb took a bite of stew, feeling as it burned his mouth. Waving his hand in front of it, he took a huge sip of water. “It’s hot,” he announced unnecessarily. If his mother hadn’t been watching, he’d have spit it right back into his bowl.
His mother shook her head. “You are the only one of my boys who doesn’t look before you leap. Why are you the one with the power to sense danger?”
Caleb grinned. “Just lucky, I guess!” He carefully blew on another bite before putting it into his mouth.
“So I’m not going to worry about what Natalie likes to eat, because you obviously have no clue about the woman you’re going to marry,” his mother said. “So I’m going to make enchiladas, refried beans, Mexican rice…the whole nine yards. That work for you?”
Caleb grinned. “Sounds like someone is worried about Nick. You know that’s his favorite.”
“It is. I’m going to look out for my boys for as long as I can.” She exchanged a glance with his father.
“What does that mean? You’re not sick, are you?” Caleb felt a bit of panic. His parents had always been in perfect health.
“Of course not! No, it’s just that with all you boys getting married, eventually Gideon and his wife will take over everything.”
“I can’t imagine Gideon taking on the responsibility of this whole ranch. It seems like he’s too young and immature for that!”
Mom laughed. “He’s not. He’s only six years younger than you!”
Caleb nodded emphatically. “That’s what I mean! I’m not ready for the responsibility of this ranch!” He looked down at his food for a moment. “I think I’m going to have to ride our wildest horse today. Do either of you know if Ephraim has one he’s breaking?”
“I’ve told you to stop abusing your powers that way. What are you thinking?” Dad asked.
“I don’t think the sugar is going to be enough today, Dad. I need more.”
His mother shot him a worried glance. “It always worries me when you do that. What if your powers fail?”
Both men laughed. “Our powers never fail,” Dad responded. “We’re McClains.” He looked at Caleb. “I know you’re going to do whatever you want to do, so I won’t say anything else. What time are you bringing Nat
alie here for supper?”
“I’m picking her up at the candy store at six. I’ll take Hunter and Nick with me. They can play chaperone.”
“Sounds good to me,” Mom said. “I’m going to get started on these dishes and start on supper. Come hungry, because I’m preparing a feast. And that means don’t eat all that candy you bought before you come. Understand?”
Caleb felt like he was nine years old again. “Yeah, yeah. I won’t eat it all.” All being the operative word. “See you this evening!”
He left the house, wandering across the open ground that was part of the McClain ranch. He walked toward the barn where Ephraim had set up his vet shop for the animals there on the ranch, though he never hired out for any jobs. His primary job—even though he was a trained vet—was to take care of the boys that lived in his house. All of the brothers put the boys first, even Adam, though he couldn’t really live with them.
Adam had the power of empathy, and it was too difficult for him to live in a world of teen angst.
When he got to the barn, he called out for his brother. “Ephraim! Where are you?”
Ephraim came out of his office and looked at his brother. “Looking to do something stupid?”
Caleb shrugged. “It’s not stupid if you know you won’t get hurt. Do you have any horses that need to be broken?”
“Not today. Why don’t you go jump off a bridge or something?”
Caleb groaned. “I was thinking about that just this morning. I don’t know. Doesn’t sound like quite what I need!”
Ephraim shook his head. “Well, it’s not my job to find you a dangerous situation. I know…go cook something and eat your own cooking!”
“Why do I even talk to you?”
“I’m your favorite brother! That’s why!”
“Keep dreaming!” He raised his hand in a wave and left the barn, looking for something that would be dangerous enough to get his adrenaline up.
He walked across the ranch and headed to the main offices. Until his dad had taken over the ranch from his father, the main office had been located in the ranch house. Though the ranch was very much the family business, and he kept a study in the main house, he’d thought his boys shouldn’t be raised in a place of business. So his addition to the ranch—and every man who ran it made at least one—was to add an entire office. Adam, his wife Tiffani, and Brittany, their administrative assistant, all worked there together.
He walked into the office and smiled at Brittany. She was a pretty little thing, but she was hands off for all of them. She was earmarked for Gideon, and everyone but Gideon and Brittany seemed to realize it. She was a great girl who was raising her younger siblings.
“Hey Brittany! Is Adam busy?”
“Adam’s always busy. What do you need?” Brittany had known the family for so long that she was no-nonsense about most things.
“I just need to talk to him.” Brittany was pleasantly oblivious to the sheer amount of strange things that happened around her, which was probably the best for everyone—for now. With Gideon sharing every power his brothers had, she would have to know someday. “Can I go back?”
“Let me check with him.” She pushed a button on her phone. “Adam, Caleb’s here. He wants to see you.”
“Send him back.” Adam sounded frustrated.
Caleb wandered back to his brother’s office and carefully shut the door. “I met my future wife this morning,” he said.
Adam’s face transformed from irritated to amused in a split second. “Really? What’s she like?”
“She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She has long blonde hair that was pulled back in one of those braid things, and the most beautiful aquamarine eyes. Seriously, you’ve never seen eyes this color.”
“What does she do?” Adam was clearly fascinated by his brother’s fall.
“She owns a candy store, and she makes all her own candy.”
Adam laughed. “Sounds like she’s perfect for you. She’ll make it, you’ll eat it, and you’ll both be happy forever.” He shook his head. “When will you see her again?”
“She’s coming to dinner tonight. It only took her three brother’s names to catch on to the movie.”
“Wow. Mom’s going to love her.”
Caleb nodded. “So I’m taking her to Mom’s for dinner. I’ll take Hunter and Nick along, unless you think I should take a couple other of my guys.”
Adam thought about it for a moment. “I think Hunter and Nick are good. They’re both still struggling a bit. Hunter was really disappointed when his mom didn’t even bother to visit last weekend.”
“I know. That’s why I thought of those two. Nick still feels abandoned. They’re both getting better, but they still need the extra time and attention. Mom will provide that.”
“Of course she will. She’d let every one of them move in with her if she could.” Adam nodded. “So why are you in my office? Just to tell me about your girl?”
“Yeah. Mostly. I’m looking for something a bit dangerous. Do we have any roofs that need fixing? Any bulls that need castrated? I need to do something!”
“Did you talk to Ephraim?” Adam had never questioned Caleb’s need for danger.
“Yeah, I talked to him. He said he didn’t have anything for me, and said I should jump off a bridge.”
Adam laughed. “You’ve done it before.”
“Yeah, that’s not what I’m looking for today. Maybe I’ll go ride a four-wheeler faster than I should.”
“They’re moving the herd today, and they’re a man short because Max is still in Idaho visiting Kevin. Why don’t you go help with that?”
Caleb considered it for a minute. It was half-past one. If he went now, he would have an hour and a half before the boys got home from school. “All right. I’ll do that. Where from and where to?”
“North pasture to the east pasture.”
“Thanks.” He didn’t wait for a response, instead hurrying to the stable and saddling his horse, Lightning. The gelding was named aptly, but he was getting old, so he didn’t run quite as fast anymore.
He rode out to the east pasture and saw the herd wasn’t there yet, so he went out to the north. When he found the men, he saw they really were having a tough time with the cattle. Even though the ranch was thought of as just a boys’ ranch, they still ran cattle. Benjamin saw to it that they did a lot of their own growing. The boys were very involved in the day-to-day operations of the ranch, because it was part of what they were there to learn. How to work. How to be productive. How to be good people.
He rode over to the rest of the men and immediately started swinging the rope he’d tied to his saddle. He knew that with moving the cattle, the main thing wasn’t to actually rope a horse—which he could do—but it was to scare the cattle and get them moving in the direction you wanted.
No communication was necessary between the men, because they’d all done this dozens of times. This entire work crew had been raised on the ranch, and Caleb thought of them as his brothers. There were six men who usually worked together, with Max leading them. But Max wasn’t there, so they were working without him.
By the time the alarm went off on Caleb’s phone to let him know he needed to get back to the cabin he shared with Benjamin and the boys, they had the cattle in the east pasture. With a hand lifted in a wave, Caleb rode toward the stable, dismounting quickly. He rubbed down his horse and gave him a sugar cube before running toward the cabin.
He made it back just before the boys were dropped off. Benjamin was there, but he looked like he’d just arrived too.
Benjamin took the lead. “All right, out of your school clothes and into your work clothes. We’re fertilizing again today.” He lowered his voice and looked at Caleb. “There’s a particular section that’s been drained. I want to fertilize and speak to it for a bit.”
Caleb nodded. “Fine. I need to be in the shower by about five-thirty, though. I’m taking Hunter and Nick, and we’re picking up Natalie for supper
at the parents’ house.”
Benjamin nodded, then turned to him. “Wait. Who’s Natalie?”
“My future wife, of course.”
“Really? You had a busy day!”
“I did. I did our grocery shopping, went to the new candy store in town, met my future wife, put the groceries away, had lunch with Mom and Dad, and I helped move the herd.”
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t sit around on your butt all day like you usually do.”
Caleb shook his head. “And what important things did you do? Pick out a wedding cake flavor?”
“Nah, that was last week.”
“And what did you do?”
“Nothing that I need to tell you about. Are you your brother’s keeper?”
Caleb frowned. Benjamin didn’t need to check in with him, but it would be nice if he answered his questions. “I’m going to head out of the field with Hunter and Nick at five so we can all be showered and dressed decently for supper.”
“If you go to the main house to shower, I bet Mom would help you do your hair!”
Caleb just shook his head and walked away. The boys were coming back out of the house, dressed for working in the dirt. It was time to teach them more about hard work. It was one of the most important skills they’d learn at the ranch.
Chapter Three
Natalie found herself watching the clock most of the day. She was excited that her store was finally open, but she found she was looking forward to her evening with Caleb—as baffled as she was by why she was going out with him. He seemed like a good man, but more than that, he made her clock tick in a way no other man ever had. Sexy didn’t begin to describe him.
She turned the closed sign five minutes early and hurried to the back of the shop to primp a little, wanting to look good for her date. Or was it a date? She still wasn’t certain exactly why she was going to supper with his family, but she wasn’t going to complain too much. He was the most handsome man she’d ever met in her life. Why would she complain?
Caleb (Seven Sons Book 3) Page 2