“Nah. Braum’s is perfect.” He laced his fingers through hers as he explained. “If we go to Braum’s we’ll be in a roomful of people. That’s better than being alone with an almost stranger who wants to ride off into the sunset with you, isn’t it?”
“I’m not so sure…”
“Oh, come on. What can I possibly do over a Braum’s Mix and a milkshake?”
Convince me to run off to Oklahoma tomorrow where there’s no waiting period to get married. “I’m not sure. I just don’t think I should go. There’s something about you that has me on my guard.” Well, it has my heart on guard. The rest of me is ready to melt into you.
He frowned, looking away for a moment. “I promise that if you ask me to never come near you again, I’ll at least consider sending one of my brothers to the candy store in my place.”
She laughed. How could someone so sweet and lovable be a crazed freak? She just couldn’t imagine that about him. “All right. I’ll get a Mix with you, but I draw the line at milkshakes!”
“I will have to be content with a Mix then. And maybe some fries…”
“Fries might just be a little too fast and loose for me…”
He put the truck into drive and wove his way off the ranch and toward Bagley. “You said you went to college in Fort Worth,” he said. “Which school?” He already knew the answer, but the more she told him herself, the less likely he was to mess up by revealing he knew more than he should.
“TCU. My parents both went there, and they wanted me to go, too.”
“So you did.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t study pre-law. They really think I’ve lost my mind, but they’ve made it clear that when I come to my senses, they’re still willing to pay for law school.”
He grinned. “I never made it to college. My mom wanted all of us to go, but I knew I’d end up working on the ranch. Besides, some of my brothers went to med school, and that cancels out me not going at all.”
She grinned. “I guess we’re both educational disappointments to our parents.” Why she was so drawn to this man, she didn’t know, but there was something awfully special about him. She’d known he would be important to her as soon as he’d walked into the candy store.
“I can’t believe I never asked how business was today! Were you busy? Did you sell all your fudge?”
“I wouldn’t say I was busy, but I had a pretty steady stream of customers, which pleased me. I didn’t completely sell out of fudge. I did sell out of taffy.” Which meant she had to be at the store early making more. Good thing she loved what she did.
“Both were wonderful. I ate a lot of it today, but don’t tell my mom. She thinks I should save it.”
“It’s not like you can’t come and get more.” She turned her head to watch him as he drove. “I think maybe I should make some frequent shopper cards. You’d earn free candy in no time.”
“Free candy sounds good to me! Non-free candy sounds good to me too, though. Have I mentioned I’m a fan of sugar in all its forms?” Caleb turned into the Braum’s parking lot and parked in front of the building. “Let’s go conquer some ice cream.”
“All right.” She put her hand on the door handle, but he stopped her.
“Let me get your door. It’s the right thing to do.” He quickly jumped out of the truck and ran around to open hers for her. “See? Wasn’t that nice?”
“I’ve never had anyone do that for me before. It seems strange, but I won’t stop you if that’s what you want to do.” Natalie felt funny about letting him open her door for her, but she would let him. Maybe if she’d had a major surgery, it would seem more normal, but for an every day trip to Braum’s? Just strange.
They walked into the restaurant together, and she was surprised by the sheer number of people who knew his name. The woman behind the counter was obviously familiar with him. “Hey, Caleb. Sweet tooth attack again? No boys with you?” She looked around behind him like she was surprised.
Caleb grinned. “My dad’s filling in for me. Do you believe?”
The girl laughed. “I do believe. You have the best parents!”
“I think so, but I’ve never had any others!” He looked up at the menu as if he hadn’t had it memorized for the past twenty years. “I think I want a tuxedo sundae.”
Natalie looked at it, and frowned. “I want a Heath Mix.”
“Coming right up!” The girl behind the counter hurried away to get both of their treats.
Natalie frowned at him. “How often do you come here?”
He shrugged. “Not more than twice a week.”
“Well, that’s probably good.” She shook her head. “You weren’t kidding about your sweet tooth, were you?”
“Nope. I never joke about the important things in life.”
Natalie laughed, accepting her Mix. She stuck her spoon into it and took a big bite. “I made the right choice.”
He frowned at the Mix in her hand. “Maybe I should have gotten that…”
“Don’t you go changing your order, Caleb McClain!” The girl behind the counter glared at him, looking at Natalie. “He came in with two of the boys one day, and he changed his order twice, because what they ordered sounded better than what he ordered.” She handed him his tuxedo sundae.
“I try not to do that too much!” He looked at Natalie’s Mix again. “Maybe I should just order both.”
Natalie took his arm with her free hand, pulling him toward the cash register. “If you’re still hungry after you finish your sundae, you should consider a Mix. Until then, be content with what you have.”
Caleb nodded, paying for their ice cream. “Thanks, Jessie. How’s school?” He waited for their change.
“It’s good! I graduate next year. Finally!” She shook her head. “No one should take six years to do college, but when you’re supporting yourself, it’s hard.”
“Hey, I never did college. I can’t even imagine.” He smiled and took his change and receipt, then he led Natalie to a booth where they sat together. “So ignore anything the boys said about me. They were just trying to be funny and embarrass me.”
“So you don’t really hum when you brush your teeth?” she asked.
“Well, yeah, I do that…but I’m a good guy! I promise!”
She shook her head, laughing. “So you live with your brother and six boys. That has to be challenging.”
“Trust me, it is. I live with Benjamin, the one who’s fourteen months older than me. He’s the one getting married on Saturday. I sure do need a date. I don’t want to be some loser who shows up alone for his brother’s wedding.”
She laughed. “Are you trying to guilt me into going to your brother’s wedding with you?”
He shrugged. “Sure am. Is it working?”
“I do have an assistant who can take my place for a portion of the day. What time is the wedding?”
“Two? I think?”
She sighed. “Get back to me on what time it is. I will close at four on Saturday, so I could just leave Shelia alone for a few hours at the end of the day.”
“Shelia Patterson?”
“Yeah. Why, do you know her?”
“I know everyone. This is a small town, and I grew up here. There’s not an older woman who doesn’t like to remind me she knew me when I was in diapers, and there’s not a person within ten years of my age who doesn’t remember me from school. It’s just how things are in a small town.”
“That’s great, though. Wiggieville was small too, though not quite as small as Bagley.” She sighed. “I love small towns. I’m glad I found one.”
“Why didn’t you open your candy store in Wiggieville?”
She sighed. “Because everyone there knew me. When I was younger, I was a bit…larger than I am now. If I opened a candy store there, everyone would be telling me to be careful not to put all the weight back on.”
“I’m sure you’d be beautiful no matter what your size!”
She shook her head, laughing softly. “You sure know
the right things to say, don’t you?”
“I was raised watching all the right musicals. I mimic the brothers after Millie taught them eti-what.”
“That’s smart of you. Grabbing a woman and tossing her over your shoulder just isn’t the way to make one love you.”
He sighed. “So I’ve learned. Just think how much easier life would be then!”
“You think? What about all the kidnapping charges?”
“I guess that wouldn’t be good…”
“I really don’t think orange is your color.” To tell the truth she liked him much better in denim and the simple plaid shirt he wore. It suited him well.
“Maybe not. My mama says I look good in anything, though.”
She grinned. “Mamas are good about saying that, aren’t they?”
“Was your mama?”
“Sometimes she was. She didn’t like the extra weight I carried, and she tended to be a bit critical about it at times.”
He frowned. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “I did need to take the weight off. As soon as I went to college, I took up running. I’m still not a fan of it. It’s more like punishment for whatever sweets I ate the day before. Tomorrow I’ll have to run four miles instead of three because of the ice cream.”
“What time do you run?”
“Six.”
“I was going to offer to run with you, but I’m needed at the house at six. If you ran at four, I could run. Or if you ran at eight, I could run. Six is when we wake the boys up and get them going for the day, though.”
“I’m used to running alone. I put some music on, and I run to the beat of it. Works really well for me.” Natalie ate the last bite of her Mix, then pushed the cup away. “That was wonderful. Thank you for the ice cream. And I had a lovely time at your mother’s house.”
“Can I pick you up at one for the wedding on Saturday?”
She nodded. “That will work.”
He pulled out his phone and brought up the call screen. “What’s your number?” She gave it to him, and he quickly tapped it in, calling her. “There, now you have mine too.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you Saturday, then.”
“I might stop into the candy store before then, but our hours aren’t going to work out well. Unless I come over after nine. That’s when we do lights-out.”
She tilted her head to one side. “Are you trying to say you want to see me before Saturday?”
He nodded eagerly. “Would you mind?”
“I’m not sure. What would we do if you came over?”
He shrugged. “I could bring movies and we could watch musicals together. Or we could play Monopoly. I’m a big fan of Monopoly.”
She laughed. “Sounds to me like you’re grasping at straws to find something we could do together.”
“Maybe. But I’d still like to see you. Tomorrow night?”
Natalie thought about it for a moment. “That would be fine. If you want to play a game, though, you’ll need to bring your own.”
“You don’t have any games?”
She shook her head. “I live alone. What would I do with games?”
“Play with me!”
“But I didn’t know I was going to meet you!”
Caleb frowned. “Didn’t you feel like something wonderful was going to happen when you woke up this morning?” He sang the first few lines of “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story.
“Of course I felt it, but I thought it was my store opening, not some tall, dark, and crazy stranger coming into my life.”
He laughed, covering her hand with his. “I like you Natalie.”
“Good. Because as nuts as it is, I think I like you, too!”
Chapter Five
Benjamin was waiting for Caleb on the front porch of the cabin they shared with the boys when he got home. “How’d it go? Dad said she’s perfect for you.”
“Yeah, but Dad already knew that. Sometimes I hate that we can’t ever surprise him.”
“Me too. Did you have fun?”
Caleb nodded. “I’m not sure if I can even explain it. The evening was fabulous. The boys told her stories about me, and she just laughed. We went out for ice cream.”
“Please tell me you didn’t change your order as soon as you saw hers!”
“I didn’t. I wanted to, but Jessie was the one making the ice cream, and she told me not to.”
“I’ve always liked that girl. She’s sweet. She out of school yet?”
“Nope. She said she’s close. It’s been tough for her working her way through. I can’t imagine they pay their people much at a place like Braum’s.”
“How could they? It’s basically fast food.” Benjamin looked up at the stars. “After tonight, I have four more nights in this house before I get married and move in with Melissa. We need to have a brother night with the whole gang, but I don’t think that can happen. Not this week anyway.”
“We have Friday night dinner with everyone as usual…maybe we could go out and do something during the day on Friday while the boys are in school.”
“I’m listening…”
Caleb thought for a moment. “We could ride four-wheelers. That sounds like fun to me.”
Benjamin shrugged. “I could do that. Think Adam can tear himself away from Tiffani?”
“For one last brother day before you marry? I sure hope so!” Of course, if the roles were reversed and he was already married to his Natalie, he was sure it wouldn’t happen.
“We’ll see. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Benjamin studied his brother for a moment. “Did you tell her about us?”
“Not yet. It hasn’t come up. She hasn’t seen me do anything spooky, and I don’t feel like I know her well enough to say anything. We just met this morning.” Though he knew they were destined to marry, it was still hard to share a secret he’d held close to the vest since he was a small boy.
“Doesn’t always matter. Did you feel the instant connection?”
“I looked up at the candy store, she was standing there in front of me, and I knew it was her.” Caleb shook his head. “I wish Dad had warned me.”
“You know as well as I do that he’s always said when one of us falls, the rest will come tumbling down. Makes me feel like the walls of Jericho.”
Caleb laughed. “Yeah, well, I was hoping for a little more time.”
“Just deal with it. We’re all toppling, and there’s going to be no one left standing in another few months. Dad made it clear.”
“I know, I know. I guess I should have been ready for it, but the moment I saw her, I was sure I was seeing my entire future. She makes candy for a living!”
Benjamin clapped his brother on the back. “When do you see her again?”
“Tomorrow after lights-out. I’ve covered for you a lot lately, and tomorrow night is my turn.”
“I agree.” Benjamin got to his feet and headed for his truck. “Which means I should see my lady tonight.”
“Just plan on me having my freedom after lights-out every night this week. It’s my turn!”
“Sure!” With a wave, Benjamin disappeared inside his truck and drove off. There was no doubt in Caleb’s mind where he was going. His brother spent every available moment with Melissa.
Caleb went into the house and got ready for bed. He knew he wouldn’t sleep, because visions of sugar plumbs and Natalie Smythe would be dancing in his head.
As soon as Natalie got home, she dug through her closet. What did she have suitable to wear to a wedding? She hadn’t thought to ask if it was an outdoor wedding or indoor.
After a moment of indecisiveness, she texted Caleb at the number he’d used to call her. “What should I wear to the wedding? Indoor or outdoor?” She hated when people used silly abbreviations in texting, so she waited with bated breath to see what his response would be.
“Outdoor on a platform in the middle of a pumpkin patch. Don’t ask. Will mo
ve to the church in Bagley if there are weather issues. Wear something comfortable. Not a super formal family.”
She felt her heart skip a beat. He’d not only answered with whole words, he’d used complete sentences. Could he be any more perfect in her eyes?
At the candy store the next day, Natalie talked to her helper. “Shelia, can you work by yourself from one until close on Saturday? I’ve been invited to a wedding.”
Shelia looked at her. “Yeah, sure. Who’s getting married?”
“Benjamin McClain. I’m not sure I remember what his fiancée’s name is.” Natalie carefully cut the raspberry fudge she’d made into squares and put them on a serving tray.
“McClain? I went to school with the McClains. They’re weird people.”
Natalie immediately felt defensive. “What does that mean? They seem like wonderful people to me, taking in all of those boys!”
“Well, sure, they’re good people. No one could ever deny that. But they’re still weird. The third boy, Caleb, stood up in the middle of English class one day in high school and screamed that there was going to be a fire and we had to get out of the school!”
Natalie grinned. She could see Caleb doing that to get out of class. “So? I’m sure thousands of boys have done that to get out of class.”
“There was a fire about ten minutes later, but by then the school had been evacuated. No one was hurt.”
“Oh.” That was different as far as Natalie was concerned. How odd. “Did people think he set the fire?”
“Absolutely not,” Sheila said. “Everyone just chalked it up to the oddities of the McClains. Strange things tend to happen when they’re around, and no one really knows why.”
“I didn’t notice anything strange. I had supper with Caleb and his parents last night.”
“Oh, well you’re probably the next, then.”
“The next?” Natalie found this conversation a bit hard to keep up with.
“Yeah, the brothers in the family always get married in birth order. It’s something that’s been happening for generations. So Adam got married a little over a month ago. Then Benjamin gets married this weekend. So now it’s Caleb’s turn. You’re probably it.” Sheila said the words matter-of-factly, as if everyone in the world knew the strange stuff she was saying about the McClains.
Caleb (Seven Sons Book 3) Page 4