Ah, the sister. Carrie should have known. She could see a little of the resemblance now. The same brown hair and strong nose. His sister didn’t have the chiseled features of Cal, but it was clear they shared genes.
“You got me there. I certainly wasn’t going to come looking. I was, however, going to ask you if you wanted to come to dinner, but it appears you have a date, so we can do it another time.” Was that surprise Carrie heard in the woman’s voice?
“Well, not really a date. This is Carrie. She’s come to visit.” Cal dismounted his horse and turned towards Carrie.
“Not really a visit,” Carrie said at the same time his sister said, “Oh.”
“Hold on to the horn here,” Cal said ignoring Carrie’s comment. “Then swing your right leg over. I’ll help you down.”
Carrie followed his directions and tensed slightly when his hands landed on her waist to steady her descent. She figured it was necessary, and she appreciated the gesture; she simply wished she didn’t get tingles from it.
“Carrie? Really?” His sister’s expression matched the tone in her voice. “Well, nice to meet you, Carrie.” She extended a hand as Carrie approached. “I’m Stacy, Cal’s sister.”
“Nice to meet you,” Carrie said and shook the woman’s hand.
“I’ll pass on dinner tonight,” Cal said coming up behind Carrie. “I was planning to make chili for Carrie and me.”
“You can go have dinner with your family if you want,” Carrie said. “I can eat at the inn or somewhere in town and come back tomorrow. You do have restaurants, right?”
“We do. A few, but I’m not leaving you in this town all alone. However, I need to brush down the horses so perhaps Stacy can help start the dinner while I do that?” His voice held a hopeful tone and Carrie recognized the same dogged expression he used on her earlier. He certainly understood how to play to his attributes.
Stacy rolled her eyes, but a smile played across her lips. “I guess if I have to, but you’ll owe me.”
“Whatever you say, sis.” He turned to Carrie. “Go ahead and make yourself at home inside. I’ll be there as soon as I finish out here.”
Carrie nodded and followed Stacy into the house. “Can you tell me where the bathroom is? I’d like to clean up?”
“Sure, it’s right down the hall.” Stacy pointed down the hallway before opening the door of the fridge.
Carrie started down the hallway before realizing all the doors were shut. With a pause, she glanced back toward the kitchen knowing she should turn back and ask Stacy which door the bathroom was, but not asking gave her deniability. She probably shouldn’t, but curiosity filled Carrie. What was in the other rooms?
She opened the first one to find a home office. A desk, chair, and bookshelf were the only pieces in the room and it held few decorations. In fact, she only saw one picture frame in the whole room and it sat next to a wood carving on the clutter-free desk. Who was so important to him to be the only pictures in the room? Curious, she crossed to the desk and turned the frame around.
It was one of those folding frames that held two pictures. On one side was a picture of his sister, a man, and two children. Carrie assumed that was her husband and children, but it was the other side that grabbed her attention.
She stared at it trying to figure out when he could have gotten it. It was a picture of the two of them at the chapel in Vegas. A broad smile lit up his features and her head leaned against his chest. She certainly didn’t look unhappy. Had she held feelings for him then? Carrie returned the frame to the desk and picked up the wood carving. It was beautiful and eerie. Whoever carved it had created a woman’s face. A very familiar woman’s face. She traced the curve of the face, and her eyes widened. Was that her face staring back at her? She replaced the carving and backed out of the room closing the door behind her. She needed time to process what she had seen.
The next door opened to a small bathroom. Carrie could tell a bachelor decorated it as nothing matched and the simple decor held no woman‘s touch. Blue towel, black shower curtain, and a plastic soap dispenser that looked like the kind you bought at general stores. Still, it was clean and clutter free like the rest of the house. He took care of his place. That she could appreciate, but the lack of necessities in the house unnerved her. What did he do for fun?
Next was a simple guest room. It held a bed, dresser, and a nightstand with a lamp. She wondered if anyone ever used it.
The last door opened to the master bedroom. Carrie paused and bit her lip. She shouldn’t go in his bedroom without asking. She would hate it if someone did that to her, but she couldn’t seem to stop her feet from entering.
The neatly made queen bed filled most of the room, a blue comforter spread across it. The empty nightstand on the right side led her to believe he slept on the left as that nightstand held an alarm clock, a lamp, and a Bible. His dresser was also neat. Only a small box sat on top which Carrie assumed held tie tacks or some other things. Above the dresser hung a beautiful photograph of a sun setting on a barn. The reds, oranges, and pinks in the picture came to life making Carrie feel almost as if she were there.
The only other thing in the room was a door which Carrie assumed led to the closet and maybe another bathroom. She forced herself not to open it and look. She had invaded his privacy enough.
“Did you find something you like?”
Carrie froze at the sound of his masculine voice behind her, and a heated flush clawed up her neck. She scrambled for an excuse as she turned to face him. “Sorry, I was looking for the bathroom. You forgot to give me the complete tour earlier.”
His eyebrow arched in a sexy, teasing expression as his hand raked across his stubbled cheek. “So I did. You’ll find one through there,” he nodded at the closed door, “but it’s the one I use so I make no guarantees on the state of it.” Cal flashed her a wink before stepping back and gesturing toward the hallway. “Or there’s a guest bathroom down the hall.”
“I um guess I’d prefer that one.” Carrie felt tongue tied, like a schoolgirl with her first crush, and embarrassment flooded her that he had caught her snooping in his room.
“Well then, let me lead the way.” Cal exited the room and Carrie meekly followed. How had he sneaked up on her?
* * *
Cal swallowed his laughter as Carrie ducked into the bathroom. He’d caught her snooping, but he let her think he believed her story of getting lost. He didn’t want to embarrass her any further and it gave him hope that she had gone looking. If she truly felt nothing, she wouldn’t have bothered to explore his life. Besides, he had nothing to hide.
The sound of the faucet carried through the closed door, and Cal smiled. Maybe she really had wanted to clean up. If not, she was certainly playing it up. He leaned against the wall as he waited for her to open the door.
“Oh.” Her startled voice matched her face as it swung open. “I didn’t think you’d still be waiting out here.”
“Well, I wanted to escort you to dinner, and I didn’t want you getting lost again.” He bit his lips to keep from laughing at the indignant look on her face.
“Ha-ha. You’re quite the comedian.”
“So I’ve been told.” He flashed his most charming smile and wiggled his eyebrows at her delighted when he got a return smirk. “Shall we get some grub then?”
Carrie’s response was an eye roll, but as a smile accompanied it, Cal counted it as a win in his favor.
“Stacy started the food, but I have to add the finishing touches,” Cal said as they entered the kitchen. He picked up his apron and tied it around his waist before tasting the chili. “Mm, needs a little more salt.” Grabbing the shaker from the counter, he poured a little more in before turning back to Carrie.
“Do you always wear that when you cook?” Her voice was muffled behind the hand she held to her mouth and her eyes twinkled.
He looked down at his ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron and grinned. “It was a gift from my sister.”
“And ye
t you still wear it.” Her left eyebrow rose giving her a quizzical expression.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings and it keeps my shirt from getting dirty.”
At that Carrie laughed out loud. “Doesn’t your job as a rancher already get your shirts dirty?”
“Touché, but I promise I washed my hands before I touched any food.” He smiled at her and his insides tangled. What was he going to do if she insisted on the divorce? Over the years he imagined what it would be like if she returned but having her here was way better than his imagination ever conjured.
Her face shifted, and she shrugged. “I probably won’t eat much anyway. I doubt it’s on my diet.”
Cal raised a brow, but he wasn’t offended. This wasn’t the real her. In fact, it gave him hope. If she were throwing up emotional walls that meant she was feeling something for him. “Actually, I considered that. The chili is homemade, just meat and vegetables. I made cornbread too, but I’ll understand if you aren’t eating starches.”
Her mouth fell open, but no sound came out for a minute. Then her face shifted. “How can you be sure? Didn’t your sister start the chili?”
“She did, but it was my recipe, so I think I know what’s in it. Do you want to grab two bowls?” He nodded at a cabinet on his right.
“Uh sure.” Carrie crossed to the cabinet and pulled out two bowls. “So, your recipe, huh?”
“Yeah, it was learning to cook or starve. Turns out I’m rather good at it. This chili has won the blue ribbon at town festivals three times.”
“Oh really? Well, then I look forward to judging for myself then.”
“Good because it’s ready.”
He brought the pot to the table and dished them each up a bowl. Then he returned to the stove to retrieve the cornbread. She might not be eating any, but his mouth was watering just from the smell.
Cal set the cornbread on the table and then scooted his chair in. “I hope you’re still a believer because we pray in this house over our food.”
“I am,” Carrie said before closing her eyes.
Cal nodded and bowed his head. “Thank you, Lord, for this day, for this food, and for bringing Carrie and me back together for however long it may be. In your name, amen.”
Cal opened his eyes and tried to gauge Carrie’s reaction, but she said nothing. She merely dipped her spoon into the chili, blew on it, and brought it to her mouth. He continued to glance at her as they ate. Since her arrival, he had seen two different Carries. There was the haughty one who pretended she was too good for him and this town and there was the Carrie he had taken on a tour of his land. The relaxed one who smiled and showed delight. He figured, unless she had changed drastically in six years, that she was the real Carrie and the other was an act, but he wished he knew how to get her true side to stay.
“So, I have to do a little work tomorrow morning, but would you like to see the rest of the town?”
She looked up at him briefly before dropping her eyes back to her bowl. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to sign the papers tonight and let me get back to New York?”
“Nope.”
“Then I’m kind of at your mercy, so let’s see the town.”
Cal caught the insinuation in Carrie’s words. He was messing up her plans, but he couldn’t lose her without a fight. The fact that she hadn’t filed for divorce in all these years had to mean something. “I know you think it’s a podunk town, but we have a rather interesting history.”
“Can I ask you something?” Carrie’s voice was direct, and her green eyes stared into his.
“Sure.”
“Why do you still want me? It’s been six years, so why haven’t you moved on?”
Cal set his spoon down and smiled. “Before my dad decided he wanted a simpler life, he was in the Air Force. My mom’s dad was too. My grandfather introduced my father to Christ and when he was a Christian, he introduced my father to my mother - through the mail. They wrote letters back and forth for months. He proposed through the mail, she accepted through the mail, and they met face to face a week before their wedding.”
“That’s a sweet story,” Carrie said. “How long have they been together?”
“Fifty years, and while that’s amazing,” he shook his head, “it’s not the most amazing part.”
The corners of Carrie’s lips pulled into a grin. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s the most amazing part?”
“My father had recently broken up with a woman he thought he would marry. When my grandfather introduced him to Christ, he prayed for God to bring his Elaine back to him.” Cal paused for dramatic effect and took a drink of his tea. “My mother’s name is Elaine. God answered his prayer. Just not in the way Dad figured He would.”
“That is amazing, but you haven’t answered my question yet.”
Cal smiled at Carrie. She would keep him on his toes, but he wouldn’t want it any other way. “I was getting to that. You needed the background on my parents to understand me. See, I wanted what my parents had. That real, long lasting love, but I kept not finding it. I dated before I met you, but none of them felt right. There was no feeling that ‘she’s the one.’
“But all that changed when I saw you. When you smiled at me with that beautiful smile, I felt something I had never felt before. I had never believed in love at first sight, but the night I saw you, I just knew. Then we spent the evening talking. I probably don’t have to tell you, but you have this amazing personality. We laughed and shared stories of our past and our hopes for the future, and every time you looked at me with those green eyes, I knew I wanted to gaze into them forever.
“I should have prayed about it longer than I did, but I didn’t want you to get away. The next morning when you told me you regretted the marriage, it killed me, but I took those marriage vows seriously, and I didn’t feel at peace with the idea of a divorce. I prayed. No,” he shook his head, “I pray every day for God’s guidance on this. I trust, like my father did, that God is watching out for me and has the best planned.”
Carrie sat back in her chair and her eyes studied him. “I appreciate your wanting to follow God’s will, but what if His will isn’t for us to stay together? I’ve moved on with my life, and I’m not getting the same feelings you are.”
Cal matched her position, leaning back a little himself. “You seem like a knowledgeable Christian, and no doubt you’ve heard the phrase ‘let no man separate what God has joined,’ but I understand your question. You and I seem worlds apart, and you’re wondering if I’ll hold on to you out of spite or some misguided notion.”
Carrie raised her brow but said nothing. However, her steady gaze told him he had hit the nail on the head.
“If God gives me peace about letting you go, I’ll do it. I’ll hate it, but I’ll do it.”
“Okay, as long as we’re on the same page.”
“We’re in the same book anyway.” He flashed a wide smile as he stood and gathered the dishes from the table. She took his lead and picked up the few remaining pieces handing them to him at the sink. “Will you do me a favor?” Cal plugged the sink and filled it with hot water before setting the dishes in. They could soak until Carrie left. There’d be plenty of time to wash them later.
Carrie’s brow lifted, and she folded her arms across her chest. “You mean in addition to changing my plans to spend the weekend with you?”
Cal smirked as he wiped his hands on the nearby plaid towel. “Touché, but this is a small favor. I wanted to see if you would join me in my devotion tonight.” He hung the towel back on the rack.
“You want to read the Bible with me?” Carrie asked.
“I do. It’s something I always hoped to do with my wife, and even though you may not be here long, I would enjoy sharing that with you.”
She blinked at him. “Um, okay, I guess.”
Her hesitation surprised Cal. “Do you not do devotionals with your fiancé?” Cal crossed to the living room grabbing his Bible from the coffee table as he did.
Carrie’s eyes shifted to the side. “Well, we haven’t yet, but I’m sure we will when we marry. We’re both busy professionals, but he attends church with me.” She pushed her nose up in the air as if that settled the discussion.
“If you’re too busy now, how are you going to make the time when you’re married?” He meant it as an innocent question, but Carrie bristled as if he’d attacked her.
“We just will. I’ll make sure it’s a priority.” Her defensive tone told Cal he had hit a nerve, and he backed off. He wanted to win her over not push her away.
“I hope you do.” He sat on the edge of the couch. “I think it’s the most important time a couple can spend together. I’m in Isaiah. Join me?” Cal patted the couch beside him.
Carrie hesitated a moment but sat down next to him. Far enough away, he noticed, that she didn’t have to touch him. Cal smiled to himself as he flipped the pages to the right chapter. Baby steps, he reminded himself. He would need to take baby steps to win her over.
* * *
Carrie entered the hotel room in a fog of confusion that night. Dinner with Cal had been amazing. Even though she knew he needed to cook to eat, she couldn’t remember the last time a man had cooked for her. Philippe always took her out to restaurants or ordered food in. While that was nice, she wondered if he would ever cook for her. With her money, she could hire a cook - he could as well - but there was something about a man cooking a meal for her that warmed her heart. Perhaps it stemmed back to memories of her father.
He had worked several years on Wall Street and when she was growing up, she rarely saw him. He left before she woke in the morning and arrived home after she’d gone to bed for the night most nights, but when he finally made his million, well several of them actually, he quit Wall Street and lived off the amazing investments he had made until the cancer got him. Carrie had been eight or ten when that happened, and she had loved waking to the smell of bacon in the skillet or pancakes on the grill.
Then there was the devotional. While Philippe attended church with her, he had never offered to read a devotional with her, but she had also never asked. Would he if she asked? Carrie wasn’t sure, but she had enjoyed the time with Cal. Listening to his deep, velvety voice was enjoyable in and of itself, but discussing the reading with him was even better. He was much more knowledgeable than Carrie was, and she found herself hanging on his every word.
The Billionaire's Cowboy Groom (Sweet Billionaires Book 4) Page 6
