Page 50 of Due North
“Oh God,” I cried, bringing a hand to my lips only to see it shaking. “Why is this so hard?”
“Why is what so hard?” a voice asked, and I spun around to face Caleb. “Baby, are you okay? What’s wrong? Is it Poppy?”
His strong arms came around me in a hug, and I sank into him, only to remember the scene a few hours earlier. I pushed and shoved at his chest until he released me. “Don’t touch me!”
He lifted his hands in the air in defense. “I’m sorry. You’re upset. I’m worried. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“You’re what’s wrong!” I yelled, poking my finger into his chest.
He glanced around, but we were alone on the path, so he took my elbow and propelled me toward the barn. Once we were inside and alone, he threw his arms up and let them fall. “Tell me what’s going on. What did I do wrong?”
“Like you have to ask,” I said, crossing my arms on a huff.
“I do because I don’t know what you’re going on about at the moment.”
“I suppose all those hours huddled in your cabin with your new girl probably clouded your mind. I’ll give you time to clear it. How about forever? Is forever long enough?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“My cabin? The new girl? What are you talking about, Cece?”
“Tobi!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms out. “I saw you with Tobi in the riding ring! You were hugging her and whispering sweet nothings in her ear! Then, as if that weren’t bad enough, you invited her back to the cabin for, what was it? Oh, right, to change her life and commit to a relationship with you!”
He was shaking his head before I finished speaking. “No. Cece, what you think you saw and heard and what you actually saw and heard are two different things. I love you. I’m not interested in Tobi!”
“You could have fooled me!” I hissed, stepping up and sticking my finger in his chest. “You might be able to play her for a fool, but you will never play me for one! Whatever this was between us is over, Caleb. You can have Tobi. I won’t get in your way. Tomorrow, I’m packing up our things and moving on!”
“No,” he said, holding my arms until I shook him off. “No, you’ve misunderstood everything, Cece! I swear. Please, listen to me. I don’t want Tobi, and I don’t want you to leave the ranch! I can’t lose you and Poppy.”
“Maybe you should have thought of that a few hours ago before you got cozy with another woman!”
“Honey, I wasn’t getting cozy with Tobi. Just listen to me, okay? I promise that what you saw wasn’t what was happening.”
“I know what I saw!”
He held his hands out to me in defense. “Okay, I admit that I was hugging Tobi.”
“Ha!”
“No, listen. I had asked Tobi to ride Dolly. When she tried to mount, her boot caught on the back of the seat, and she fell right off the horse. She was distraught and frustrated when I helped her to her feet from the sand. I was being a good friend. Nothing more.”
“Oh, sure, nothing more. That’s why you want her to commit to a relationship with you.”
“A working relationship!” he exclaimed. “A working relationship that will change this ranch!”
“Doing what?” I asked, my head tipped to the side.
“I’m not ready to talk about it yet. I’m waiting for Tobi to make her decision. If she decides not to commit, then it’s a moot point.”
“But you can’t tell the woman you love about it,” I said, using air quotes around love. “At least not until Tobi commits because heaven forbid you do anything without her approval.”
His sigh was exasperated. “Cece, this is ridiculous.”
“Did you just call me ridiculous?” I threw my hands up in the air and waved them. “Now you’ve destroyed my heart and Poppy’s, and insulted me. You know what, I can’t do this tonight,” I said, tears in my voice now that I was mad, hurt, and insulted. “Goodbye, Caleb.”
I stormed out the door of the barn and slammed it shut behind me as he called my name. Every part of me but one wanted to run back to him and hold him. My pride stopped me, and for that, I was grateful.
Sixteen
I woke with a start, the night quiet and the room lit only by the small nightlight I kept on near Poppy’s crib. I climbed out of bed to check on her with a heavy heart. I couldn’t stop thinking about the fight with Caleb last night. I was starting to wonder if what he said was true. Was he simply helping Tobi after a fall? No. I saw them laughing together and him whispering in her ear. Then there was all that stuff about committed relationships. If he wanted me to believe that he had a working relationship with her and nothing else, why wouldn’t he tell me about it? He was hiding something, and I suspected her name was Tobi.
