by Leann Harris
Chapter Fifteen
Billye had reserved a room at the B and B in town, not wanting to drive the twelve miles outside of Peaster to where she lived. She’d offered to share her room with Kaye. Her children were camped at their best friends’ houses for the night.
“Well, I knew you could pull it off.” Billye walked out of the bathroom and climbed onto the twin bed.
Kaye nodded, feeling she’d lost.
“What’s wrong?” Billye’s eyes bore into Kaye. “You should be grinning ear to ear. We blew the socks off this place. Everyone is talking about how brilliant you are. And Caleb— Wow, watching him... That’s it. What happened now?”
“What makes you think anything is wrong?”
Billye got out of bed and sat next to Kaye on hers. “Sweetie, what happened?”
The image of Caleb riding in the ring, laughing with Joel and the other cowboys, hearing those cowboys, she knew he belonged to this life. “What makes you—”
Billye held up her hand. “I can read you, even if you weren’t a captain in the U.S. Army.”
She wasn’t in the army anymore and could show this old friend her heart. “Did you see Caleb ride? Teaming with his brother? They belong out there and seemed to come to life, just like Joel. I know Joel’s dream was to go on the circuit and rodeo, but circumstances stopped him. Joel still has that dream. Does Caleb?”
“Did you ask?”
“No, but I’ve been down this road before, seen the signs.”
Billye’s mouth pressed into a thin line and her eyes narrowed. “Didn’t we talk about this before and settle it? Caleb is nothing like your ex. What happened to throw you off?”
Like a slap in the face, Kaye realized Billye was right. Caleb was nothing like her ex. She was running on old hurts, was looking at old fears. “You’re right. He’s nothing like my ex.”
Billye slipped her arm around Kaye’s shoulders. “I’d be the first to point out if the man, your man, struck me as all teeth, phony smiles and a black soul. I’d be with you. But I don’t get that feeling from him. He’s a man who will do you right.” Billye squeezed Kaye. “And if Caleb’s heart wasn’t set on you, I’d be tempted to go for him.”
“What, and let that hunk Jason Kelly pine away for you?” Kaye wanted to laugh at her friend’s expression.
“Well, no, but you know what I mean.” Billye pointed her finger at Kaye. “Stop borrowing trouble, girlfriend. Where’s that spunky Brenda Kaye that let nothing get in her way? Trust the man.”
Later, as Kaye lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling, she had to admit that Billye was right. She was putting her ex-husband’s sins onto Caleb. Caleb deserved to be judged as himself.
Just as she was falling asleep, her phone rang. She grabbed it and answered.
“I wanted to say good night and sweet dreams.” Caleb’s rich baritone washed over her, settling her heart.
Kaye glanced at the other bed; Billye gave her a thumbs-up, turned over and went to sleep.
“Good night to you, too.”
“And congratulations are in order. Joel told us about how much we made.”
“It was amazing.”
“No, you’re amazing. I won’t keep you. ’Night.”
Her heart light, Kaye ended the call.
“See, I told ya so,” came Billye’s muffled voice.
“You’re right.” Kaye fell asleep with a smile on her face.
* * *
The next morning, the entire town showed up for the pancake breakfast. The mayor, Joel and Mike Johnson were the cooks. The five-dollar donation covered the food and also added to the total money they raised.
Kaye, Nan and Billy spent the morning making sure everyone had enough coffee and juice and that things ran smoothly. Finally, the workers sat down for breakfast. Caleb and Sawyer joined them for coffee.
“How did you sleep?” Joel asked Sawyer.
“The floor in that horse trailer isn’t too comfortable, but I’ve slept in worse places.” Sawyer glanced at his brother and they traded a look.
Kaye could imagine the bad experiences that the brothers had gone through.
“’Course, I would’ve slept better if Caleb didn’t snore so loud.”
They laughed. The group talked of the things that needed to be done for the afternoon events at the rodeo. The calf scrambles were this afternoon, one for the kids and the other with the police and firemen competing against each other.
As they finished, the people cleaned up the table. Kaye walked to the temporary office on the fairgrounds to get her paperwork for the day. After she grabbed her clipboard, she turned and found Caleb standing in the doorway. Her heart jerked.
“I wanted to have a moment with you before the day took off.” Caleb stepped closer. “How are you?”
“Fine.”
He nodded his head.
“Watching you yesterday was an eye-opening experience. You are good.”
He stepped closer. “Thanks.”
“And I like your brother.” Her stomach jumped like a puppet on a string.
“I’m proud of him.”
“And he’s proud of you. When he talks about you, I can hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes. You hung the moon for him.”
His eyes widened. “We were a team growing up.” He pulled her into his arms. “I didn’t come in here to talk about Sawyer.” He settled his lips on hers. Hope fluttered to life in her chest, and all her doubts seemed silly.
“Kaye,” a voice called out. The mayor barreled through the door. “I’ve got a— Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt.”
“That’s okay,” Caleb said.
“I’ll wait outside.” The mayor grinned and stepped back out the door.
“I’ll be there in a second,” she called out. Her forehead rested on Caleb’s. “I’ve gotta go.”
“Okay, but I need to talk to you tonight after this is over.”
Her heart thumped.
He gave her a final kiss before she rushed out the door. What did he want to talk to her about?
* * *
Saturday’s attendance dwarfed Friday’s, blowing away all the organizers. The crowd cheered the calf scramble with elementary school kids. The duel between the firemen and police in their calf scramble followed, with the firemen winning the event. The chief of police declared the firemen cheated to the roar of the crowd.
The barrel racing followed the calf scramble. Erin Mackay from Tucumcari won the event. As Erin walked out of the ring, she thanked Kaye.
“I’m glad that I was able to participate in this event. Since you’ve done so well, I might want to talk to you later about how you organized things.”
“I didn’t do anything special, but I’d be willing to talk.”
“Thanks. Our local rodeo is facing some problems, so I thought I might pick your brain.”
“Absolutely. The more heads, the better.”
Erin nodded and walked her horse back to his corral.
Next up was tie-down roping, or calf roping as her dad had always called it. Kaye saw Joel bringing his horse to the stadium. Her brother was in the finals of calf roping.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Kaye asked. Her brother exuded happiness. Much like Caleb.
“Does it show?” Joel grinned.
“Yes, it does.”
“I’m having fun, and what is even better is we’re going to make enough money to help all the ranchers.” Joel brushed her cheek with a kiss, then mounted his horse and rode to the arena entrance.
Kaye found her grandfather and they watched Joel in the calf-roping competition.
“Maybe, now that I’m home, Joel should try his hand at rodeo again,” Kaye said as they watched Joel bring his calf to the ground. He flew off hi
s horse and had the calf trussed up in eighteen seconds.
The thought had been rolling around her brain, especially after hearing him whistling the other night. How could she keep her brother from his dream? Caleb had also seemed to have the same reaction as Joel. That thought felt like a jab in the gut.
Gramps drew back and looked at her. “I thought you were going to go to school.”
“I am, but I can work in the mornings before school and when I get home. Or we could hire someone, but I think we need to suggest it to Joel.”
Gramps looked back into the arena. The next event, bareback riding, was up. Caleb rode in. “Or maybe there’s another solution.” His eyes hadn’t left Caleb’s form.
“Like?”
Gramps nodded toward the arena. “I think God might provide it.”
Kaye looked at Caleb in the arena. Hope warred with doubt. Was there a possibility?
* * *
Kaye got up and rushed out of the stands the instant bareback riding finished and Caleb and his brother rode out of the arena. She hoped to catch Caleb. The men dismounted and started walking their horses toward the temporary stalls that housed the stock. Mayor Asa Kitridge stepped in her path.
“Kaye, we need you. We’re going to draw for the boots by Jason Kelly. Billye wants you there.”
Kaye looked back over her shoulder and saw a man approach Caleb and his brother. The man shook their hands.
“I wonder what Steve Carter is doing here,” Asa commented.
“That’s Steve Carter?” The head of the rodeo association who’d called Caleb.
“That’s him. If you want a job on the rodeo circuit, he’s the man you need to talk to.” They started toward the arena.
“How do you know that’s him?” Kaye asked.
“My brother wanted a job with his company, and I went with him prior to the interview. I was a character witness.”
As Kaye stepped into the arena, a cold finger of fear ran down her spine. What did Steve want with Caleb? Maybe he wanted to talk to Sawyer. And maybe the moon was made of green cheese.
* * *
“Are you sure I can’t lure you back as a regular, working for us?” Steve asked Caleb. “You were great out there. It would be a shame to lose you.”
“I’m sure. I want to spend the next year setting up my own ranch, supplying you with animals.”
“Does this have anything to do with what happened in Albuquerque? Because if it does, that was an accident. No one blames you. Your skill is badly needed.”
“I’ll admit it started that way, but in my weeks away, that’s changed. There’s someone I don’t think would like me traveling, and the idea of staying in one place and making a home... Well, I want to give it a chance.”
Steve’s jaw went slack, making Caleb laugh.
After a moment, Steve shook off his shock and held out his hand. “I can’t compete with love. If you ever want to work again, you have my number.” He turned to Sawyer. “You were good, too, Sawyer. You wouldn’t like to replace your brother, would you?”
Shaking his head, Sawyer said, “Thanks, but I think Caleb would pin my hide to the wall since we both worked so hard for me to get my degree. If I didn’t use it... I can’t do it. But if you need a consultant to help solve any management problems, I’m your guy.”
“Thanks for the help with the feed.” Steve started to turn away, then paused. “Who is the special lady?”
“The lady who pulled off this event.” A sense of pride swelled in his chest. Kaye had done it. “I’m going to pop the question to her tonight after the rodeo.”
“Best wishes, friend. I understand. My wife recognizes my traveling is part of the job, but I miss her when I’m on the road.” He walked away.
“You’ve crossed the Rubicon.” Sawyer grinned.
“Quit showing off your education.” Pride for his brother’s accomplishments filled Caleb. “Yup, the die’s been cast and I’m committed to asking Kaye to marry me.” And Lord, I need Your favor.
His cell phone rang. When he looked down at the caller ID, he saw Shelly Jackson’s name. While he was in Oklahoma City, he’d bought Kaye a horse for a wedding present. “Are you nearing the ranch?” Caleb asked.
“We are. After we dropped off the horse, we thought we’d come to the charity rodeo. I like the cause.”
“I’m leaving now.” He disconnected the call and looked at his brother. “I’m going to be gone maybe thirty minutes. Cover for me if anyone asks.”
Caleb made the drive out to the Kaye ranch in record time and beat the Jacksons by only five minutes.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding,” Shelly commented as she got out of the truck.
“More like working.”
Ralph, Shelly’s husband, moved around to the trailer. “Quit giving the man a hard time. He’s taking the plunge. Poor guy.”
Shelly shook her head. “You’re the happiest you’ve been, Ralph. So quit complaining.”
Caleb’s eyes widened, then he looked at Ralph and saw his contented grin. Opening the trailer, he walked inside and untied the mare. He backed her out and Caleb fell in love all over again. She was a beaut.
“Razor’s going to be jealous,” Caleb commented, and showed Ralph the stall for the horse.
After they got her settled, Shelly pulled a jewelry box from her purse and handed it to him. “Here’s the ring you bought, and I tailored it the way you wanted.”
He opened the ring box and saw an oval sapphire flanked by two oval diamonds in a platinum setting.
“I know your lady’s going to love it,” Shelly said. “And I’ve got the new saddle in the trailer.”
Caleb carried the saddle in from the trailer and set it on the saddle stand at the end of the row of stalls.
“I’m eager to meet this lady who captured your heart. Talk around the rodeo was that there was no woman who could crack that armor around your heart.”
“What?” Caleb looked at Ralph.
He shrugged.
“I never heard anything like that,” Caleb said, wanting to defend himself.
“That’s because the ladies talked about it among themselves. You were the man who was willing to be friendly, joke and tease, but if you wanted a forever after, move on. Caleb Jensen wasn’t your man.”
Ralph leaned in. “And if you want to know the gossip, Shelly’s your girl.”
She playfully swatted his arm. “Stop.” She turned to Caleb. “Let’s go. I’m eager to meet this exceptional woman.”
Caleb wasn’t sure what to think. He was just thankful his engagement presents were there.
* * *
The rodeo’s success stunned everyone. Once all the stock and cowboys had been settled down, Asa announced a big celebration party at the fellowship hall of First Community Church. As Kaye walked in, a round of thunderous applause broke out. Kaye felt uncomfortable with all the praise. The mayor settled the crowd down.
“Well, folks, we pulled it off. We netted nineteen thousand more than we needed. Let’s thank our rodeo team. Come up here, Kaye, Mike, Nan, Laurie and Joel.”
Kaye didn’t want a round of praise, but the team hopped up onto the stage. Kaye reluctantly joined them.
“These folks worked their hearts out and they deserve our admiration. I think we should do this on a regular basis.”
Cheers greeted the mayor’s response.
Each member of the team thanked all the people who worked with them. Kaye was the last one up.
“Actually, you should thank my brother, for he’s the one who drafted me to take his place.” Laughter followed her speech. Several people around Joel patted him on the back.
“And I also want to thank Jack Murphy for supplying the stock. If his company hadn’t been willing to help at no cos
t to us, we wouldn’t have done as well. Please come up here and take a bow.”
Jack walked to the stage in the fellowship hall. “Thanks for the applause, but my boss, Steve Carter, who’s standing over there with Caleb, eagerly jumped on the bandwagon, and thanks belong to him, too.”
Steve waved to the crowd. Jack left the stage and Asa stepped forward. “Let’s enjoy the party.”
Caleb stood with Joel and Steve. The men were earnestly talking. What was going on? It looked as if Steve was pitching something. As Kaye made her way to Caleb, she heard Steve say, “The next rodeo is scheduled for Waco, then we make our way down I-35 to San Antonio. It’s a good deal. Some of our top guys earn in the millions.”
Kaye’s footsteps faltered. That much money was involved? How could Caleb turn down that offer? Suddenly, there wasn’t enough air in the hall.
She turned to escape outside when Billye caught Kaye’s arm and pulled her into a hug.
“He kissed me,” Billye whispered. When she pulled back, Billye’s face reflected her joy. “And he asked me if it was okay if he could court me. Court me. How romantic and old-fashioned.” She vibrated with happiness.
Kaye couldn’t put a damper on Billye’s moment. “And what did you say?”
“Is there any doubt?” She looked around the crowd. “The kids are sitting with him now. Amanda wants cowboy boots and he said yes. My kids like him and he likes them. Isn’t that great?” She spotted them. “I gotta go, but I wanted to tell you my good news.” Billye rushed off.
Kaye was happy for her friend, really, but her heart was breaking. She needed air and slipped out of the fellowship hall. She stood in the dark, looking at the stars. She tried to keep her fears at bay, wrestling with doubts and the wounds. When she fought back one doubt, another took its place. What was wrong with her? Why, God, am I having these doubts? I prayed and gave them to You, so why am I having them again?
Give it to God. She felt the words in her soul.
She looked up into the sky. She couldn’t go back inside and see dreams of her and Caleb melting away. It was the coward’s way, the way she’d coped before, but she couldn’t smile at folks when her heart was breaking.
* * *
