Sweet Home Montana (The McKaslin Clan) (13 page)

Whatever you do tonight, Lauren, don’t close up your heart.
She took a deep breath, summoning fortitude and the strength she needed to do this right.

“He’s coming!” One of the twins said and they scattered, scrambling to look casual, as if they hadn’t been watching Caleb from the window.

Rebecca answered the door, balancing Madison on her hip and invited him in. Everyone called out hello to him, but what did she do?

Stare. It’s all she could do. He was wearing a navy blue suit and matching tie. Her sisters hadn’t been kidding. Caleb was wow. Super wow.

“Hi, Lauren.” Caleb’s easy baritone had to be the most wonderful sound in the world. “Are you ready?”

The way he looked at her, why, it was as if he thought she was the most beautiful woman ever. He made her feel lovely. Did her feet touch the ground as she sailed into the living room? Probably not. She floated all the way to him.

“You’re here, right on time.” Lame, Lauren. Real lame.

Caleb didn’t seem to notice as he held out his hand, palm up, with a question in his eyes. “I wanted to make a good impression. How am I doing?”

She held back her praise but not a part of her heart. “Passable.” Fantastic. Magnificent. As the twins would say, totally super-duper.

“That’s better than I’d hoped.” His dark eyes warmed and those bronze flecks in his irises seemed to glint with humor. “I see you have your support group here.”

“It apparently takes a crowd to get ready for a date. I guess I’m r-ready.” She placed her palm to his and his fingers tightened around hers. Yes, she was definitely sweet on him.

It was hard to notice anything else as he guided her through the door. Aubrey shoved a little silver purse into her free hand. They were calling out things: “Have a good time!” “Have fun!” “Order the lobster.” “Bup!”

She and Caleb walked down the steps to the walkway in silence. He kept his hand over hers while she searched her brain for something clever or entertaining to say. Was she overwhelmed? To say the least. They saluted Tyler for his good work and service as they passed him by.

“Danielle’s at the hospital again?” he asked as they cut through the back garden.

“She’s spending time with her husband.”

“Well, that’s encouraging. Good for them.” He fell silent.

Okay, maybe the date wasn’t going so well. It was only the first minute, so things should improve. His truck was parked close to the garage and looked polished to a new shine.

He broke the silence. Again. “You look gorgeous.”

“You look pretty good yourself. On a scale of one to ten, I
might
have to give you an eleven.”

“I’d give you a one hundred.” He opened the passenger door for her, pure gentlemanly respect.

He was a one hundred, too. The way he looked at her, the way he made her feel amazing.

“Uh, do you want to get in?” he said.

Uh-oh. She’d been staring at him. Embarrassment heated her face, and she hoped she wasn’t blushing. She let him help her onto the comfortable leather seat and hoped that he hadn’t noticed, at least too much.

“Looks like you and your sisters have bonded,” he was saying.

“I think so. It was nice of them to come and offer…support.” She tried her best to sound normal over the click of the seat belt. “It was fun, really. I’ve never had anything like that.”

“I’ve been operating on the notion that you and your mom weren’t close.”

“No.”

He closed the door and studied her through the open window. “It was nice of the girls to help you get ready.”

“Not that I needed a support group.” Was admitting that a major mistake? “I have to trust someone a lot before I can go out to dinner with them, apparently.”

“Then I’m glad you trust me.” He flashed her a megawatt grin before circling around to the driver’s side.

She watched him, her nerves fluttering on high. It was hard not to appreciate the man he was, all goodness and steely character. The dark jacket emphasized the unyielding line of his shoulders and his back. He climbed behind the steering wheel, buckled in and started the engine. “Can you see Tyler hosing down the cottage’s roof?”

She had to strain against the seat belt to see over the top of the garage. “I can barely see the arc of water. He’s a funny—but great—kid.”

“He’s a great kid. The kind everyone wants to have.”

Okay, she knew what he was really asking, but she wasn’t about to be obvious. A girl had her dignity and this was all so new to her. It was smarter to keep her expectations under tight reign.

“Where’s Mary?” he asked as they rambled down the driveway. “I thought she’d help to send you off, too.”

“She had an appointment with her financial or broker guy. I didn’t ask for details. I was kind of relieved that she went straight to the appointment after our family lunch, so I didn’t have to discuss our—” Did she really want to say the word
date
out loud? “—dinner together.”

He didn’t seem fooled. “It’s okay. You didn’t want any more pressure on this night than there already was?”

“Something like that. You know she’s going to leap to the wrong conclusion.”

“And what conclusion would that be?”

“That she had anything to do with this—” She couldn’t say that word, either.

“Sure, because we’re just pals, right?” His mouth quirked up in the corner, completely amused.

“That’s right. Friends.” A different word took root in her heart. For this was more than friendship. The start of much more. And they both knew it.

Chapter Thirteen

C
aleb pulled the truck into the restaurant’s parking lot and looked at the jam-packed lot. Good thing he’d made a reservation. Plenty of other folks had gotten the same idea he had and there was a line going out onto the sidewalk. He hadn’t mentioned to Lauren that he hadn’t dated since Jayna had broken things off with him. That disappointment had been a lot to get over, but it was gone now. He had no real memory of it as he opened the passenger door for Lauren.

“I like your manners.” She eyed him up and down as if taking his measure before she accepted his hand to help her out of the truck.

“You’re taking inventory?”

“Notes. I’m on the lookout for flaws, you know.”

“That’s why I’m on my best behavior.”

Caleb fell in alongside Lauren as they headed the short distance in the heat to the restaurant’s crowded entrance, hoping luck was on his side tonight. He needed all the help he could get.

When he’d told her she was lovely, he realized now that he hadn’t been accurate. She was a stunning woman and the way her golden hair had been styled to emphasize her sweetheart’s face only added to her loveliness. Not to mention the lavender, pearls and gold, which only enhanced her beauty. But that was just on the surface. Now that he’d had the chance to know her better, every time he saw her, he found her more beautiful. He felt glad to be with her.

Then he realized that several minutes had passed in silence. Good going, Caleb. Not exactly a successful way to charm her. He cleared his throat, trying to sound unaffected. “I hope you like steak.”

“Are you kidding? I love steak. Oh, I see. You’re afraid I’m a vegetarian or something.”

“Well, you California girls. You are a complete mystery to a Montana man like me.”

“Me? How can I be the mystery? I’ve been the one who’s done nothing but talk about my family and my issues and you’ve been good enough to listen. Which means you are the mystery, sir.”

“Wow, I think I like that. I’ve never been mysterious before.”

It wasn’t a word she’d use to describe him, not at all. He might look as tough as the mountains rimming this peaceful valley, but he was wholesome—a totally good guy. She’d never felt like this; she’d never let a man get so close. It was a good feeling. It was nice to be at his side.

Then she noticed the big sign over the door. “Oh, is this the place the twins told me about?”

“The one where your oldest sister had a disastrous date with the assistant manager a few years back and now the McKaslins get terrible service whenever they come here? Yep, this is the place. It’s my opinion that we shouldn’t mention that you’re Katherine’s little sister.”

“I was afraid the twins were exaggerating. You know how they can make anything seem so funny?”

“No, it’s the truth. Do you want to go somewhere else?”

“No way. We just won’t tell them who I am.”

“Good solution.”

While it was crowded with people without reservations waiting for a table, Lauren followed Caleb through the doorway and into the waiting area. The hostess showed them to a lovely cloth-covered table beside a wide picture window that viewed the mighty Rocky Mountain range.

Caleb helped her with her chair. Normally, she might take offense at that—goodness, she could scoot in her own chair, but the attentive way he did it, caring and kind and courteous, made her revel in old-fashioned gallantry.

“You can see why Lewis and Clark called them the Great Shining Mountains.”

“Lewis and Clark, the explorers? They came through this part of Montana?”

“Yep. Those mountains rise straight up to like, I don’t know, seven thousand feet. The men could see them a long ways off. Imagine canoeing along the river, coming closer and closer as those mountains got more enormous and thinking, I wonder how we’re going to get our boat over that?”

“Actually, I’ve felt something like that before in my life.” She’d had a few insurmountable things that had seemed impossible. Now, she thought, maybe it was a matter of perspective. Like those mountains, she knew that the closer a person got to them, the more they might look impossible. But there were foothills and natural trails in the land that offered possibility. Wasn’t her trip here kind of the same way? Metaphorically, of course. She was very glad that she was here tonight with Caleb, feeling full of possibilities. She had hope for the happy future that she’d never quite been able to imagine before.

Not that she was letting herself get carried away here and start planning their wedding. But because of him she was no longer afraid. He had proven to her that there were trustworthy men. He’d taken care of his ailing grandparents and lived a life of service and integrity and kindness. Her heart gave a little flip-flop, as if it was going to start falling and never stop. Somehow, she had to keep a good hold on her feelings.

Disappointment had become a pattern in her life—one she was determined to break. The trick was not letting her expectations get ahead of her. To take this one step at a time.

Caleb circled around to his chair and folded his big frame into it. “Insurmountable obstacles are opportunities in disguise. Surely you know that, right?”

“I’m starting to believe. I guess the trick is to just keep on going until you get things figured out.” Like making herself sit here and not see disappointment up ahead, and not to let herself expect it. Maybe she could start a whole new pattern in her life, right here, right now, believing that there was much more good to come. Without getting too hopeful—it was apparently a very careful balance.

“Yep.” He seemed to understand. “Maybe that might have been easier for you if you’d stayed here, in Montana.”

“It is a different perspective here, all these wide-open spaces and shining mountains. Even the wind feels different.”

“So, you like Montana?” Caleb studied her over her menu.

“Who wouldn’t?”

Okay, that was promising. He knew she liked it here, but enough to live here one day? “But I was talking about your family. It might have been easier for you if you’d had the parent who stayed, who raised his kids, who didn’t run when things got tough.”

“It would have been nice to have felt secure growing up. To know there were people I could put my trust in.”

“You know I’m a fairly trustworthy guy, right?” He watched her over the menu. While he waited for her response, air whooshed out of his lungs. The blood in his veins forgot to circulate.

“I’ve heard something like that.” There was a hint of a grin in the soft, rosebud corners of her mouth. “I really don’t know, since you’re still such a mystery to me.”

Whew. Air rushed back into his lungs. When his heart beat back to life, it was strong and sure and committed. “What’s to know? I volunteer at the shelter twice a month, I like to ride horses, I keep an eye on Mary’s place—for Spence, true, but also because she was my grandma’s closest friend. When Nana was nearing her time, Mary came every day to help with the housework, talk with Nana or read to her or just sit quietly with her. She was a true friend to my grandmother. I tell you what, that line of poetry is true, ‘No man is an island entire of itself.’ We are meant to care for our loved ones and they for us. That can be the hardest thing on earth and the easiest at the same time, because love makes it easy.”

I’m beginning to see that, Lauren thought. The menu blurred and she blinked hard. When she looked at Caleb, good and true, she had never seen so clearly.

Dinner had been excellent and they were considering the dessert menu when an electronic tune began to sing from the little silver purse Aubrey had given her. Full of essentials, she’d assumed, but a phone, too?

“It must be Aubrey’s,” she told Caleb as she unclasped the purse and looked into it.

“You don’t have a cell phone?” he asked, as if that were shocking.

Not everyone could afford both a home phone and a cell phone, especially when it was all she could do to pay her tuition on time. But she didn’t tell him that. Although she’d love to have a cell phone, her education was a priority. But Aubrey had neatly packed the little purse with everything a girl could want—a tiny sewing packet and safety pins for emergencies. A tiny mirror and comb. A ten-dollar bill and the phone, of course. When she flipped it open, she could hear someone saying, “Hello? Aubrey? I’m so glad I reached you.”

She flashed Caleb an I-have-no-idea look and placed the phone to her ear. “Uh, this isn’t Aubrey. She lent me her phone.”

“Oh, Lauren? This is Danielle. Mom and Dad aren’t answering their phone, so I went to plan B, which was Aubrey. Do you happen to know where she is?”

“I think her and Ava and Rebecca were going to catch a movie downtown.”

“Oh, no, you have a date with Caleb tonight—how could I have forgotten? I’m interrupting it, aren’t I?”

“You’re not an interruption.” Lauren felt a squeeze of concern. Danielle’s voice sounded thin and rushed—or a little panicked. “Are you all right?”

“Jonas had a sudden drop in blood pressure and they think he’s bleeding internally again. I want to go to him, but I don’t want to alarm the kids. Right when Tyler is expecting his daddy home—now this. I don’t want him to know and if I take him with me, he will. Wait, don’t worry, I’ll figure it out. I—”

“Maybe I can come anyway.” Lauren didn’t have to ask the man sitting across the table from her if that would be okay. She could read on his face that it was. “We’re done with dinner. Does Caleb know where you live? Wait, of course he does. We’ll be right over. I’ll watch your kids.”

“Oh, thank you. Lauren, I—” Danielle’s voice broke. “Thank you. I owe you big-time. This is such an imposition and I’m grateful. Tell Caleb thanks for me, please?”

“It’s no imposition. You’re my sister. I’m happy to help you.”

After she hung up, she found that Caleb had already signaled for the check and, with wallet in hand, was counting out enough cash to cover things. She tucked the phone back into the purse. “We’re cutting your evening short, too. Are you disappointed?”

“My plans are flexible and what could be more important than family?” He didn’t look upset at all.

Her opinion of him soared. If it got any higher, she’d be able to float over the peaks of those tall mountains.

He kept his hand on her elbow as they wound through the restaurant. She liked how he protected her from the bustle of the crowd at the front door. Once outside, they were blasted by the bright sun and baking August heat, but did she notice it?

No. Not even the ground at her feet. The crowded parking lot and couples and families coming and going didn’t register. Everything faded into the background. Caleb meant so much to her, he was all she could see. He opened her door, helped her onto her seat and buckled her in. All it took was his smile and her soul calmed.

This man could make her feel as if all was right in the world. No matter what was wrong, he’d do his best to fix it. She’d never trusted anyone so much. She knew he would keep her safe and protected and cherished. She didn’t need another date to know that.

“We’ll be there in a jiffy.” He started the engine and put the truck in gear.

Just like that, between one quiet moment and the next, in the middle of traffic, with the air conditioning blasting, she was not strong enough to hold back her heart. Pure sweet love for Caleb filled her soul and she was forever changed.

Danielle lived in a newer house with brick accents and arched windows on the wide part of a cul-de-sac. A lush, neatly trimmed lawn surrounded the house and flower baskets flanked the front door. Before Lauren could ring the bell, the door flew open and there was Tyler, wearing his plastic fireman’s hat, a wet T-shirt, denim shorts and his galoshes.

“Aunt Laura! I put out lotza fires with my new hose!”

Lauren spotted Danielle in the entryway and waved. “That’s great, Tyler. I get to come stay with you this evening. I don’t know anything about putting out fires. I was hoping you’d show me.”

“Sure.” Tyler looked her up and down as if he were doubtful a girl was up to the job. “It’s hard, though.”

“I’ll try my best. I don’t know if Caleb is interested in staying—”

He filled the entryway behind her, solid and unyielding. “You bet I am. I never shirk my duty. If there’s a fire to put out, I’m here to help.”

Tyler nodded, as if that made better sense to him. After all, Caleb was a lawman like Tyler’s dad. “I’ve got some hot spots to mop up,” he said. “C’mon back.”

“Yes, sir, captain.” Caleb cupped his hand on Lauren’s shoulder and it was good to know he was going to stay. “I’ll keep him busy so you and Dani can talk.”

Sweet affection filled her right up. Brimming over, she watched him go, the big man trailing after the little boy. They rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

“Caleb is a lot like my Jonas.” Danielle’s voice sounded thin with pain. “A good man through and through. I think he’s sweet on you.”

“I think so, too.”

“The feeling is mutual, is it?” Danielle took her purse from the small side table and hooked it over her shoulder.

Lauren nodded, feeling the truth all the way to her soul. She was definitely sweet on Caleb Stone.

“Thank you for this. It means a lot.” Danielle’s eyes filled with tears that did not fall. “Madison is busy in the living room. I can see her from here. I left a note on the refrigerator with her routine and the rules, and all the emergency numbers, including my cell phone and anything else I could think of. I’ll check in later, in case I forgot something.”