Caleb
Caleb met Hank at the stable. He put off meeting him for as long as possible, but longer he put this off, the harder it was going to be. The Libre Volare needed money. Construction on the restaurant and the boutique had slowed and the college retreats didn’t bring in the money they expected.
Hank rested his arms on a stall. “Caleb.” He nodded his head in greeting.
Caleb reached out his arm and shook the doctor’s hand. “Hank. So, what do you think. Am I right?”
“Yep. She’s pregnant.” Hank nodded to the mare. “Do you suspect one of the wild horses or was this planned?”
“The fence fell after the last storm. I wasn’t sure, but, well.”
“I thought you were planning on getting rid of the horses.” Hank walked to the tack room.
“The thought crossed my mind. We only have the four and the guests are using them less and less.”
Hank packed up his bag and leaned on a desk. “Would you be open to a little advice?”
Caleb crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “I guess.”
“You’ve got a lot going on at this resort. It has to be hard to keep everything focused. Have you considered consolidating your ideas and maybe rebrand?”
Caleb harrumphed. “Rebrand? When I started this place, I wanted a resort to help people find spiritual enlightenment. Then Cameron came, and he had his ideas and Connor had his. It’s been crazy ever since. Right now, we just need some money.”
“Well, I think you’ll have a hard time selling her without knowing the father. All four of them are good stock, but I don’t know. Have you thought of keeping them and starting a horsing program instead?”
“Doug and Cameron have talked about developing a therapy program.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Hank took out his phone, held up a finger, and answered a call.
Caleb went outside and rested his arms on the fence. When he first opened the retreat, he knew nothing about horses. Every retreat he saw boasted pictures of horses. He figured if he wanted to compete, the Libre Volare needed horses. He knew nothing about horses but brought in an expert to oversee their care and learned fast.
Hank joined him at the fence and sat down his bag. “That was Sybil. She and Tatum are at the Carter Compound. She won’t be home until later.”
“You’re welcome to eat here tonight. Eliza’s planned a Diners and Dives dinner. I have no idea what she’s planned, but I saw hotdogs and chili.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
The two men watched the mare trot along the back fence.
“I can’t read minds, but if I could I bet you’ve got too much going on inside yours,” Hank said.
Caleb smirked. “How can you tell?”
“The dark circles for starters. Looks like you haven’t slept in a while.”
“Sleep is for the weak.”
“So, I’ve heard, the weak and old men.”
“There’s always something to do. It never seems to stop.”
“Cameron and Connor help, don’t they?”
Caleb sighed. “Yeah, but it’s my place. I’m the one that’s ultimately responsible for it.”
“I thought you were partners.”
“We are.”
“Then let them help.”
Hank answered his phone again. After he hung up, he said, “Well, I got to go.”
Caleb stayed at the fence and watched Hank drive away. The mare came to him and rubbed her head against his arm. “I forgot to bring you a treat. I promise I’ll bring one back tomorrow.”
The mare huffed and walked away.
“Uh. I see how you are. I don’t bring you a treat, you don’t want anything to do with me.”
The mare looked back and then trotted away. Caleb chuckled. He watched her for a few more minutes and then headed to his office. He needed to call his mom before he saw Wednesday again.
On the way, he couldn’t help but notice three cracks in the sidewalk, a broken picnic table, two dead trees, six broken tiles on the roof, and the faded lines in the parking lot. He sighed. This resort was to be a gift for others. It became a sanctuary for his family. And it was becoming a money pit. He had to find a happy medium.
Caleb listened to his mother, Amelia, talk through the speaker. It was an old conversation about how many hours he worked and how time with family was more important. He told her she was right, even if he didn’t agree. He wouldn’t argue with her. There were too many sticks in his fire to slow down right now.
“Yes, Mom. I get it. Spend more time with Wednesday, less time at work.”
“You’ll thank me, sweetheart,” Caleb’s mom said. “We’ll be out there in three weeks.”
“Sounds good.”
His two brothers walked into the office. “Is that you, Mom?” Cameron sat on the couch resting his feet on the coffee table. A pile of magazines fell on the floor. Caleb cringed inside. His twin was a slob.
“Yes, it’s me, Cam. How are you? How’s Eliza and Sky?”
“I’m good, and the girls are fine.”
“Tell Eliza I tried her recipe for chocolate-chunk, polenta cookies. They were delicious.”
“I’ll tell her.”
“Where’s Connor? Can I say hi to him?” their mother asked.
A tall blonde walked in and went to sit next to Cameron. Cameron refused to move his feet forcing Connor to walk into them until he pushed them off the table. Cameron punched his brother in the arm as he sat.
“Who’s fighting?” Amelia asked.
“He started it,” Connor said.
“He’s a baby,” Cameron said.
Caleb sat back in his chair and faced the window. His mother lectured both his brothers. Every business meeting started the same way. It amazed him the Libre Volare stayed open considering his childish brothers. The resort had been his idea, but Cameron needed something to do after his last active tour with the Marines. According to Cameron, he joined the business to help Caleb. In reality, he’d been too hot-headed to work any place else. After two years, the business would have closed had Connor not quit modeling and joined them. The three brothers made a decent team, but money was tight again, and they needed new strategies, or the Libre Volare would close.
“Caleb? Caleb? Are you still there?” Amelia asked.
“Yes, Mom. I’m still here.”
“I’ll let you boys get to your meeting. Remember what I said, son. Love and kisses, boys.”
“Bye, Mom,” the brothers said in a sing-song tone.
Caleb disconnected the call.
“Why did she call?” Cameron asked.
“I called her. Wednesday wants to use Grandma Maisie’s name for one of the babies.”
“That’s cool. I bet Mom was happy about that,” Connor said.
“How do you decide which one gets which name? And what’s the other name going to be?”
“Ask Wednesday about which one gets which name. She seems to know the difference between them already. I don’t know how. We’re naming the other one after her grandmother, Iris. Wednesday’s mom wasn’t around much. Iris raised her.”
“Is her mom still around?” Cameron opened a water bottle and took a drink.
“Her mom’s still alive, if that’s what you mean. Wednesday has met with her mom a few times since moving out of the house. It hasn’t gone well. I’m hoping to change that.”
Cameron threw his empty bottle at the trash can and missed.
“What the hell, Cam?”
He shrugged. “I can’t get used to the idea of you as a father.”
Connor agreed. “Father Caleb. Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.” Connor slid to his knees, crawled around the coffee table, and held his hands in a prayer-like gesture.
“Real mature, idiot. Get up and let’s get started,” Caleb said. “Did you read over the report I sent you?”
“We read everything you send us.” Cameron rolled his eyes.
“Basically, you met with the fo
ur biggest packs on the West Coast and pitched the idea of sharing the land for runs,” Connor said.
“What I’m proposing is that each pack pay a membership for the right to use the land. That money will help with upkeep and ensure a regular income for the resort.”
“What did they say?” Cameron asked.
“Surprisingly, they were all in favor.” He handed them a stapled stack of papers. “Here are the final budgets for Sky’s boutique and Eliza’s restaurant. If they stick to the budgets, both should make a nice profit within a year. Construction is going well for both. I’m sure the boutique will open next month, and we scheduled the restaurant to open Memorial Day Weekend. Cameron, has Sky decided on a name yet?”
“She decides on a new one every day.”
“Okay, we’ll hold off on completing the marketing, but remind her we want to add her to our spring and summer marketing.”
Caleb’s text notification rang. He called the front desk. “Maria, I got your text. Why didn’t you call me on the main line?”
“I didn’t want him to know I was telling you about him.”
“Him who?”
“There’s a man out here who says he knows you from a long time ago and he wants to surprise you. I didn’t want to send him back to your office until I knew for sure it was okay. He looks kind of creepy.”
“Thanks, Maria. I’ll be out there in about five minutes.”
“Meeting over?” Cameron moved to stand.
“I wanted to ask you about the gazebo. Now that it’s finished, when can we book the first wedding?”
“Anytime you want.”
“So good news. That’s what I wanted to hear. I’ll keep you two in the loop about the pack memberships. Connor, I want to hear the end numbers on the college retreats.”
Connor stood at attention and saluted his brother. “Yes, sir.”
Caleb threw the empty bottle Cameron threw at him. “Whatever.”
His brothers left, and he checked his calendar. There were no scheduled appointments today. He wanted to spend the afternoon with Wednesday putting together the cribs he surprised her with the night before.
Maria stood behind the check-in counter and pointed to a man sitting in front of the fireplace. There was nothing unusual or recognizable about the back of his head. Caleb sighed, straightened up, and put on his business face. With an outstretched arm, he rounded the couch and stopped short as if he hit a wall.
“I don’t believe what I’m seeing. Eli Mackenzie. What the hell are you doing here?”
“Wow, I can’t tell if you’re happy to see me or want me dead.” He stood facing Caleb.
“Are you kidding?” Caleb embraced his friend and clapped him on the back. “How long has it been? Four, five years?”
“Are you getting daft in your old age? It’s been ten, and your baby-ass face still looks like the same scared kid I met on our first day. Remember the first time Sergeant yelled at you because your hair was too long? Then he yelled at me because he thought my hair was too short. We couldn’t win for losing.”
“I can’t believe you’re here. It’s been so long. Let’s go back to my office and you tell me every adventure you’ve had since we last talked.”
“An office, huh? I read on the internet you owned this place. I couldn’t believe it, but if you have an office, then it must be true.”
“Maria, this is my old friend from my time in the Air Force.” Maria met them at the counter. “Eli, this is Maria.”
Eli reached over and shook her hand. “Do you feel more comfortable knowing I’m not creepy and Caleb knows me?”
Maria blushed. “I’m sorry sir, I didn’t realize I was so loud.”
“First, I’m not a ‘sir’ and second, it’s not your fault I have great hearing.”
Caleb scoffed at Eli’s sing song Scottish accent known to make many women swoon. “Maria,” Caleb started, “Eli is a wolf shifter.” Caleb turned to Eli. “Do you need a room? We can put you up here.”
“That sounds good. I’d appreciate it.” He pulled out his wallet.
“Put that away. Stay here on me. How long are you going to be here?”
“No, I can’t do that. Won’t look good on my taxes.” Eli handed his credit card to Maria.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m with an independent film company scouting for a possible location for an upcoming movie.”
“Do you want to use the Libre Volare? Maybe our canyon?” Caleb led the way to his office.
“Is that your canyon?” Eli sat on the couch.
“Yes and no. Technically it belongs to the state, but we’re the caretakers.” Caleb took out two bottles of water, handed one to Eli, and leaned against his desk.
“I had an aerial tour yesterday. It’s what we want.”
“What kind of movie are you filming?”
“It’s a King Arthur movie. There’s a part that takes place in the Carpathian Mountains. With a little editing, we can make the canyon work. It’ll be a lot cheaper than flying everyone out of the country.”
“That sounds incredible. You work in movies now?”
Eli pursed his mouth. “You could say that. It’s my company. This is our third movie.”
“What others have you done?”
Eli opened his water bottle. “We’ve only released one so far. Did you see The Fortress Within?”
“I love that movie. Was that yours?”
Eli nodded.
“Man, I’m sorry I didn’t notice it was yours.” Caleb sat in a wing chair next to the couch.
“Don’t worry. The whole movie business is crazy. I haven’t been home in over a year.”
“What’s your next movie?”
“The next one premiers in a month. I’m only here for two days and then I fly to California for a press junket.”
Caleb shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re in movies. Do you work on the movie too or just own the company?”
Eli snickered. “We’re still so small, I do a lot of different things. I direct, film, and write. Hell, I’ve sewn on a button and swept the floor if needed.”
Caleb bent forward and rested his arms on his knees. “I remember you telling us all those stories.”
“Patrol was about the most boring thing we did. I have plans to make several of those stories into movies. Enough about me. Besides this place what have you been up to?”
“This place keeps me too busy for anything else. I have a mate and we are expecting soon. Twin girls, if you can believe that.”
Eli rested his arm on the back of the couch. “You’re shittin’ me? I can’t picture you changing diapers and chasing after babies. And girls? Sorry, dude, but I don’t envy you.”
“It blows my mind half of the time and makes me panic the other half. I need to introduce you to Wednesday. You will love her. She is like everything I’m not and better at everything I am.”
Both of us glanced up at a small knock on the door. “Knock, knock. Caleb are you busy?” Ginger walked in without noticing Eli sitting on the couch.
“Is this your mate?” Eli stood up.
Ginger startled and smiled when she saw Eli. “No. That would be Wednesday.” She held out her hand to shake. “My name’s Ginger Baker, and you are?”
“An old friend of Caleb’s. Name is Eli Mackenzie.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. Eli increased his accent emphasizing his last name as if he answered roll call. And Ginger played right into his act. She blushed and batted her eyes.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mackenzie.”
“Eli, please, lassie.”
“Ginger is helping us open our first boutique,” Caleb interrupted. “Did you have a question about that?”
Ginger and Eli ignored Caleb. Neither turned away from the other.
“Ginger? Excuse me?” Caleb increased the volume. “Ginger, how can I help you?”
She turned to him with a dazed smile. “Um, sorry what was that?”
; “Did you need help with something?”
She turned back to Eli and smiled. To Caleb she said, “Oh, yes I have the initial boutique for the budget.”
“Huh?”
Ginger looked at the papers in her hand. “I’m sorry, I mean I have the final budget for the boutique. Sky’s done a great job at keeping the overhead low.”
“That sounds great.” Ginger and Eli stared at each other again. Caleb remember Eli’s effect on women from before. “Ginger, I was about to ask Eli to have dinner with Wednesday and I. Would you like to join us?”
“That sounds great.” She snapped her fingers. “Wait, I can’t we’re going out to Tony’s tonight for a little girl time.”
“Who’s we? Is Wednesday going?”
“Well, duh. It’s for her. Kinda like a last hurrah before she becomes a mom and has no time.”
“Hey, that’s a terrific idea,” Eli said. “Let me take you out tonight too. We’ll grab your brothers too. It’ll be great to see Cameron and the other one. Can’t remember his name, though.”
“Connor. I guess we could do that. I’ll call them.” Caleb sat behind his desk and found his phone.
“Now, maybe you can show me this boutique you’re opening?” Eli asked.
“Sure. Let me send them a text first.” Caleb lifted his head from his phone to answer Eli only to realize Eli wasn’t talking to him.
“There’s not a lot to see but I’ll show you where it is.” Ginger tossed her report onto Caleb’s desk and walked to the door.
“Find me later,” Eli called over his shoulder.
After sending his brothers a text, he realized there was a break in his schedule, a big enough break to stretch and go flying. It had been weeks since his falcon took over and went for a flight. The tension between them made work even more stressful.
He took off his shoes when his text notification dinged. Ignore it. His shirt laid on his desk when the notification sounded again. Ignore it. He opened the glass door and breathed in the fresh air. The phone rang this time. The caller ID showed the foreman’s name.
A flight would have to wait.
Wednesday
Shelter For My Mate: Sassy Ever After (Sanctuary for My Mate Book 3) Page 2
