Page 48 of Shattered Melodies

I was just about to give up and head back to my truck when I heard it. A small, pitiful mewling sound, coming from behind the old trash cans that were stacked against the back fence. I frowned, moving closer to investigate. And there, huddled in the space between the cans was a kitten.

My heart clenched in my chest, a sudden rush of protectiveness washing over me. I couldn’t just leave the kitten here, couldn’t walk away and let it fend for itself in the wild.

I reached out slowly, carefully, not wanting to startle the poor thing. But it didn’t run, didn’t even flinch as I scooped it up and cradled it against my chest.

“Hey there, little one,” I murmured, stroking its soft fur with gentle fingers. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”

The kitten mewed again, nuzzling into my touch like it was starved for affection. And as I held it close, feeling the warmth of its tiny body seeping into my skin. Then I remembered the spare cat food I kept in my truck for the barn cats back at the ranch.

As I walked back to my vehicle, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me from inside the house. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I glanced over my shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of movement in the windows.

But there was nothing, just the still, silent facade of the old Denison place, looming in the darkness like a ghost from another life.

I shook my head, trying to push away the memories that threatened to overwhelm me. I needed to focus on the task at hand, on taking care of the kitten and getting back to the ranch.

I grabbed the bag of cat food from the truck and headed back to where I’d found the little one. It was still huddled in the same spot, its blue eyes wide and wary as I approached.

“Here you go, buddy,” I said softly, pouring out a small pile of kibble on the ground. “This should tide you over until morning.”

The kitten sniffed at the food cautiously, then began to eat with a ravenous appetite. I watched it for a moment, feeling a small smile tug at the corners of my mouth.

It was a cute little thing, with its cream-colored fur and dark brown points. A Siamese, by the looks of it. I wondered how it had ended up out here, all alone in the middle of nowhere.

And then a thought occurred to me, one that sent a flicker of unease through my gut. What if the kitten belonged to the new owner of the house? What if they were looking for it, wondering where it had gone?

I knew I should probably knock on the door, let them know what had happened. But something held me back, some deep-seated reluctance that I couldn’t quite name.

Maybe it was the memory of the last time I had been here, or maybe it was the fear of what I might find on the other side of that door. The fear that whoever had bought the house, whoever had brought that fancy sportscar and the ghost of my past back to Oakwood Grove.

I stood up slowly, the kitten cradled against my chest. And then I walked towards the front of the house, my heart pounding and my palms sweating.

I climbed the steps of the porch, the old wood creaking beneath my boots. And then I raised my hand, my fist hovering over the door like a question, like a challenge. And then I knocked, the sound echoing through the stillness of the night like a gunshot.

For a long moment, there was nothing. No sound, no movement, no sign of life from within the house. And then, just as I was about to turn and walk away, to chalk it all up to a bizarre coincidence and a case of mistaken identity the door opened.

And there, standing in front of me with a look of utter shock on his face was Liam. I remember that face even with my eyes closed.

He was shirtless, his chest and arms covered in tattoos that I had never seen before but he could also see the scars from the accident. His hair was longer than I remembered, his face leaner and more angular.

But his eyes, that deep, piercing blue that had always seemed to see right through me, right into the heart of who I was.

“Caleb?” he said, his voice rough and disbelieving. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but stare at him like a deer caught in the headlights. Because it was him. It was really, truly him, standing there in front of me like a ghost, like a dream come to life.

The man I had loved, the man I had lost. The one who had haunted my thoughts and my dreams, the one who had never really left my heart, even after all these years.

“I…” I stammered, my voice cracking with emotion. “The sheriff called me about a disturbance at your place and I found this kitten. In the backyard. I thought maybe… maybe it was yours.”

Liam’s eyes flicked down to the bundle of fur in my arms, then back up to my face. His expression was unreadable, a mix of anger and confusion and something else, something I couldn’t quite name.

“You thought… Jesus Christ, Caleb. You can’t just show up here in the middle of the night, after twenty fucking years, and expect…”

He broke off, shaking his head like he was trying to clear it. Like he was trying to make sense of a world that had suddenly tilted off its axis, a reality that had shifted and warped around us like a funhouse mirror.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t mean to… I didn’t know it was you. I never thought…”

“You never thought you’d see me again?” he finished, his voice sharp and brittle. “Yeah, well. That makes two of us.”

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