Page 71 of Shattered Melodies

But when I reached the coop, it was empty. The chickens clucked and scratched at the ground, calm as could be even Martha. And the feed bins were full, the water troughs topped off.

Huh. Looks like the new guy had already been here, gotten the chores done without any help from me.

I felt a flicker of surprise, followed by a grudging sense of respect. Maybe this one wouldn’t be so useless after all. I checked all the usual spots where a newbie might get turned around. But there was no sign of him, no hint of where he might have wandered off to.

I was just about to give up, to head back to the house and see if Hank had any ideas, when I heard it. A voice, drifting on the breeze like a curl of smoke. It was rough and raw, gritty with emotion in a way that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Somehow it sounded familiar.

I followed the sound, my heart kicking into overdrive as I got closer. And then I saw him and Midnight, that ornery old bastard who never let anyone get close, he was pressed up against the stall door, his ears pricked forward like he was hanging on every word.

Liam, singing to Midnight like he belonged here. Like he had never left.

His voice was rich and soulful, with a gritty edge that sent shivers down my spine. He sang with his whole body, his eyes closed and his hands moving in time with the melody.

And there, curled up at his feet like a contented little loaf, was the kitten. The same kitten I had rescued just days ago, the one I had handed over to Liam without knowing who he was.

Fate had a funny way of working things out, it seemed.

I must have made some kind of noise, some sharp intake of breath or scuff of boot on dirt. Because suddenly Liam was turning around, his eyes wide with shock as they met mine.

“Caleb?” he breathed, his voice barely above a whisper.

I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. Trying to remember how to breathe around the sudden, aching lump in my throat.

“You’ve got a voice on you,” I said finally, my tone light and teasing even as my heart raced in my chest. “You never really told me that you could sing back then.”

Liam blinked, like he was trying to process my words. Like he couldn’t quite believe that I was really here, standing in front of him after all this time.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. “Are you supposed to be here?”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “We own the ranch, dear. Did Hank never tell you whose it is?”

Liam’s eyes widened, understanding dawning on his face. “No. Though I should have guessed. But this didn’t look like your old one.”

I nodded, shoving my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching out and touching him. From running my fingers through his hair and tracing the lines of his face, just to make sure he was real.

“We bought the ranch not long after I graduated from high school,” I explained, my voice rough with emotion. “We’ve been here ever since.”

Liam stared at me, his eyes searching mine like he was looking for answers. Looking for some kind of explanation for the way things had ended between us, for the years of silence and distance that stretched out like an uncrossable chasm.

But I didn’t have any answers. Didn’t have anything to offer him but the truth of my own broken heart, the scars that had never fully healed.

So I just stood there, drinking in the sight of him. Memorizing every detail, every curve and angle of his face. The way the sun caught in his hair, turning it to gold. The way his lips parted slightly, like he was on the verge of saying something but couldn’t quite find the words.

And god, the way he looked at me. With those eyes that had always seen straight through me, straight to the heart of who I was.

It was too much. Too intense, too overwhelming after so long without him. I could feel myself getting lost in it, drowning in the depth of emotion that swirled between us like a rip tide.

I had to look away, had to break the spell before it consumed me completely. Before I did something stupid, like take him in my arms and never let go.

I cleared my throat, forcing a smile that felt brittle and false on my face. “So,” I said, my voice too loud in the stillness of the barn. “You gonna introduce me to your little friend there?”

Liam glanced down at the kitten, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “I named her Peanut,” he said, reaching down to scoop her up. “She’s been keeping me company since you rescued her.”

I nodded, trying to ignore the way my heart clenched at the sight of him cradling the tiny creature against his chest. At the tenderness in his eyes, the gentle way he stroked her fur.

It was a side of him I’d never seen before, a glimpse of the man he had become in the years we’d been apart. And it made me ache in a way I couldn’t quite define, a longing that went deeper than bones.

“She’s a lucky girl,” I said softly, my gaze meeting his. “To have you looking out for her.”

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