Callie Healy Read online

  “You’re going to miss me when I’m gone, Josh.”

  “Yeah, I will. We’ve had some great times growing up though, haven’t we?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Do me a favor, while you’re out exploring, don’t change for anyone.” All of a sudden my brother is being completely serious. “Be yourself. If a man can’t love you for that reason, he’s not worth the effort.”

  The dance floor is filled with family now, and as I look around the room I see the one thing that will keep me grounded. It’s all of them. They are what is most important in life. Josh is right. Finding my place doesn’t require me to become someone I’ve never been.

  This endeavor is going to be a challenge, but after everything I’ve gone through I think I’ll manage okay. Only time will tell.

  Chapter 9

  Callie

  Since I’ve never left home for a long period of time, I didn’t anticipate how difficult it would be to pack up all my belongings into my small compact car and drive away from the only place I’ve ever lived.

  I’m in tears before I sit in the driver’s seat, and fully sobbing by the time I make it down the dirt and gravel lane. I’ve waited until both of my parents have gone to work because I knew I wouldn’t be able to look into their eyes and make this kind of leap. In the days leading to my exit, I spend quality time with my immediate family, all except for Cammie and Wes, who’ve gone away for a small getaway to the cabin my uncle Colt owns. Cassie and I go shopping, and I go over to the house she shares with her fiancé’ Logan. After the wedding I sort of feel like a weight has been lifted off of me. What’s done is done. I can’t change the past, but I’m damn sure going to work hard for a future I can call my own. I don’t want to live in Cammie’s shadow. Knowing something new awaits me is the only thing that prevents me from turning around and going back. It’s not like I’m going to a foreign place where I’m a stranger. The ranch in Kentucky is bigger than ours. Lots of extended family members call it home. My aunt, uncle and father were raised there in Kentucky. It’s always been one of my favorite places, so I know it won’t be difficult settling in.

  For the first few weeks I’ll be staying at the main house with my great aunt Kay. She’s my uncle Colt’s mother, who refuses to move out of the large mansion until the day she dies. It’s far too big for her and her housekeeper Lucy, but she’s too proud to admit it. I suppose it also has to do with her late husband building the home with his bare hands. He made the ranch what it is today. After his sudden death, before I was born, it was up to his son Colt to keep things going. Since then the business has grown, and even branched out to North Carolina where my immediate family resides.

  After a long and grueling drive I make it to the gates of the estate. I enter the code and watch them open for me. The main house is situated in front of everything else, so I pull halfway into the circular driveway and finally park my vehicle.

  The big white house appears the same as it has my whole life. Large black shutters landscape each window, and the front porch houses the same swings and furniture as it did on my last visit.

  It's not until I walk through the front door when I start to wonder if I've arrived at the worst time possible.

  I can hear the voices of my cousin Noah, his father Colt, and Aunt Kay coming from the rear part of the home. Uncle Colt can be recognized for being the loudest. I try my best to ignore what they're arguing about, figuring it's something silly, but soon overhear alarming details.

  "I don't give a shit what those papers say, son. We'll go to court if we have to."

  "The lawyer said," Noah begins.

  His father interrupts. "Screw the lawyers."

  Aunt Kay does her best to calm her son down. "Let's not jump to conclusions. We don't have all the details yet. Right now it's speculation. I'm sure we'll be able to get this worked out before it escalates to something major. For right now you both need to cool off. I can't have Callie arriving to this mess."

  I step in the room and wave. "It's too late. I've already ruined that idea."

  Noah smiles when he sees me, but I can tell his Dad is still hung up on the conversation. Aunt Kay pulls me into a hug. She still looks the same, gray hair, dressed classy, pretty teeth. Uncle Colt looks older in the eyes, but maybe it's because Noah is his younger version. We all share the same green eyes, and there is something comforting about that when it comes to fitting in. We can't deny our relation.

  Uncle Colt pulls me into a hug. "Glad you made it safely, Callie. Aunt Van has been looking forward to spending time with you."

  "And Shalan wants to know if you'd help her with her hair," Noah adds.

  I nod. "Sure. I can't wait."

  Aunt Kay interjects. "Let the poor girl get settled first. There will be plenty of time for all that stuff later."

  Uncle Colt clenches his jaw. It’s obvious he’s frustrated about whatever they are discussing. He takes a few seconds and then stomps out of the house leaving me with my oldest cousin Noah and great aunt.

  “Sorry about my dad,” Noah offers. “He’s having a bad day.”

  “My son doesn’t like people messing with his business or his family. If he feels threatened in any way you’ll never hear the end of it.” She leads me toward the front circular staircase. “You know what room you’ll be using. Go on upstairs with your things. Noah will help you carry them, won’t you, son?”

  “Yeah, Gram. I’ve got her covered.”

  She snags me up and plants an adoring kiss on my cheek. “It’s going to be nice to have company for a change.”

  Noah and I get all of my belongings carried up to the room that’s waiting for me. It’s the one I always stayed in as a child. Each bedroom has it’s own bathroom, so I won’t need to worry about invading anyone else’s privacy. My aunt’s room is at the opposite end of the home, while her housekeeper, and best friend Lucy, has a room on the lower level, all to herself.

  After my cousin leaves, I make a quick call to my mother to let her know I’ve made it safely, then I start unpacking my things and putting them in their new places around the furnished room. The bed is a thick solid wood, both the head and footboard have posts. I’ve always wondered if anyone had used them sexually, but never had the courage to ask. Even though they’re family, I draw the line when it comes to talking about fornication with most of them, especially my elderly aunt.

  When I think I have everything in a suitable place, I grab a quick shower and change my clothes. My cousin Addison has recently moved back to the ranch with her boyfriend, Cole. He’s a tattoo artist, who happens to have promised to work on me as soon as I’ve arrived. I’m eager to have piece put on the left side of my rip cage.

  The ranch is over a thousand acres now, it’s split between farm fields and thick forest. There are a ton of houses located on the property. About a quarter mile from the main house is where Uncle Colt and Aunt Van live. They have an extremely large log home he custom built right out of college. His oldest son Noah, built his house in the farthest owned part of the land. It’s similar to his father’s but much more lavish. With the help of his famous country singer wife, they’ve made it a place that you’d see in magazines. Aunt Van’s parents retired and had a modular home put in somewhere in the woods. I’ve only been there a couple of times, and if it wasn’t for a long gravel path I wouldn’t be able to find it.

  In the center of the large ranch are several one story houses. Some are for the workers, who choose to live on the premises, while others have been handed down from family for each of us to live in. Right now Addison and Cole are living in my grandmother’s house, which is her Aunt Karen. After she married the retired sheriff John, they moved into his place a few miles away. We’ve all shared memories at this place, so as I stroll up upon it I’m taken back by the comfort it gives me to know I’m still surrounded by people who love me. I suppose I’m lucky. I don’t have to run away to a new place and start from scratch. There is always a home away from home when it comes to my fam
ily, and for that I’m grateful.

  I don’t bother knocking, though I’m regretful when I walk through the rear kitchen and get an eyeful as I make it to the living room. Addison is on her knees in between Cole’s legs. He’s got his eyes closed and his head back. While turning my head to prevent the image from being permanently etched in my brain, I contemplate leaving and knocking. They’ve obviously not noticed company has arrived, and I’m pretty surprised she’d do such a thing with her back door unlocked for anyone to walk in.

  Since I like causing a ruckus I decide to shock her. I clear my voice and wait for them to react.

  Addison backs away and literally sits on Cole’s lap. He clenches up from her weight being thrown on his worked up predicament. She’s wiping her lips while her horrified eyes focus on me. “What the hell, Cal?”

  I sit on the couch across from them as if nothing is wrong. “What? You told me to come over when I got here. I’ve already unpacked, no thanks to you helping.”

  “Cole got off work early. We, uh, never mind. Whatever. Don’t act like you’ve never done it.”

  “I haven’t,” I tease. “I’m a good girl. My daddy wouldn’t approve of such acts.”

  She tosses a pillow at me. “You’re full of it. I know for a fact you’ve done much worse.”

  “Can we take a second from bickering to allow me to get my damn pants up?” Cole finally speaks.

  I stand and amble into the kitchen, where Addy follows. She sits on the first chair she comes to. “So, are you ready to start your life over?”

  I shrug. “Your mom said she might have a salon I can work at. She said someone just quit at the place she gets her hair done. I’m supposed to go there tomorrow and meet with the owner.”

  “That’s cool. I remember her mentioning it. Did Cam and Wes get back from the honeymoon?” She asks.

  My head moves from side to side, though I still answer. “Nope. They’re not expected back for a couple more days. Mom told them to take their time. She likes having baby Maddy at the house.”

  “I bet. Wow. I can’t believe they’re finally grandparents, and Cammie was the first to give them one. I figured it would be you, Cassie or even Josh.”

  I roll my eyes. “Josh might already have kids. He’s such a manwhore.”

  She snickers. “Well, when you look like he does I suppose you can be whatever you want.”

  I reach over and shove her. “Ew, that’s incest.”

  “I’m only stating the obvious. He’s a handsome fellow and unfortunately he knows it.”

  “Yeah, that’s so true.”

  She pauses when Cole walks into the room. He’s snickering, pretending to ignore me while grabbing a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.

  I give my attention to Addy to make it less awkward. “So, when are we going out?”

  She sighs. “We can go out tonight, but not too late. Cole has a sleeve he’s working on and the session starts tomorrow morning bright and early.”

  “That’s fine. I’m tired from driving anyway. It’s boring when you’re alone.”

  “Tell me about it. I hate doing it. I’d rather ride with Mom and Dad and have to listen to their music the whole way.”

  We both giggle. It’s untrue. Addy would do anything to avoid that. She’s pretty much the wild child out of her siblings. Noah has his shit together, helping his father run the business, while Christian has graduated from college and built a house with her fiancée, Ethan. The property to their home butts up against the Mitchell ranch. In fact, Ethan’s family partnered with ours when the couple committed. Addison has always been pretty outgoing, but not in a sense where she was a great student or aspiring business woman. She works for a non-profit organization helping people with addiction. There was a time when she needed the treatment herself. That’s where she met Cole. Everyone thought it was a terrible match, but they’ve proven their love for one another. When Cole isn’t tattooing, he’s helping out around the ranch. In fact, I think my uncle is finally able to appreciate the guy for loving his difficult daughter.

  “Cole, don’t you have any hot friends you can hook me up with?”

  He leans over Addy’s chair as he answers. “That depends what you’re into.”

  “I’m open-minded,” I lie. My standards are far too high to assume they’ll be met by someone matching us up.

  “I’ll introduce you to some of my friends, but I’m not making any promises. If you’re looking for something serious then I’m not the guy to talk to. My friends don’t want to be tied down, and the ones that do are already involved.”

  “Story of my life!”

  “I hear through the grapevine that you hooked up with some guy when you went to visit Lys. Is it true?”

  “What? Cam told you, didn’t she?”

  She shrugs. “Well, we were kind of talking about you moving on from Wes and the topic came up. She seemed happy for you.”

  “Of course she was. I wasn’t trying to cause problems for her.”

  “What was he like? Did you get his number? Was he hot? I bet he has dark hair. You love a guy with a thick cock,” She corrects herself immediately while cackling. “I mean locks.”

  “You are absolutely terrible,” I laugh with her. “But he did have both attributes, and no, I didn’t get his number. We’re not friends. I actually can’t stand him. We screwed out of boredom. It happened and then I left. I’ll probably never see him again, so all is good with the world.”

  “That settles it then. We need to find you a man, pronto.” I like the way she thinks, but know it won’t be as simple as I’d like.

  “I need to focus on me first. As much as I’d like to meet Mr. Right, I’m afraid he’ll turn out to be Mr. Right Now, and that’s a waste of my time.” I quickly change the subject. “What’s going on with your dad and Noah? They were having a heated discussion when I arrived.”

  “Who knows? I stay out of the drama with those two. They argue about everything, because they’re exactly the same people. It gets old fast. Mom just ignores it. I guess she’s used to living with dad.”

  “She adores your dad. They have a perfect marriage.”

  “Your parents are just as happy.”

  Cole chimes in. “You’re both lucky. Look at my family history. I’m ashamed to be related to those people. Then there’s my adoptive parents and my half-wit step-brother. I can’t get away from the shit.”

  Addy pulls his arms across the front of her. “You have us now, babe. Mom and Dad think you’re great.”

  “Yeah, but I was once the enemy, so I have to tread lightly. One mistake and I’m back to square one.”

  Cole is right. It’s hard being an outsider. Our family is tight knit. It takes a while for us to trust, and even longer for someone to be welcomed in.

  “Don’t worry. I think as long as you keep taking care of Addy you don’t have anything to worry about. She’s a hard one to deal with, kind of like her father in some ways, though she refuses to admit it.”

  He chuckles and shakes his head. “Yeah, she’s tough, but well worth the struggle,” he teases before leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “You ready to get some work done? I’ve got the whole design drawn up to size. We can do it here. I have my supplies with me.”

  I clap my hands together excitedly. “Let’s do it!”

  Chapter 10

  Callie

  I wasn’t aware how painful the tattoo would be to get over my ribs. It’s bandaged up with a loose top covering it. Addy has picked out a local spot for us to grab a late dinner and some entertainment. Christian and Ethan have decided to join us, so we’re all piling into my aunt’s SUV to get there.

  Since we just spent time together for the wedding, there isn’t much catching up to be done. We settle for small talk, or more chatting about the mischievous things our family members get in to.

  Our meals come and some of us order drinks, while others stick to sweet tea on account of being recovering addicts. I’d never want to be a bad
influence for what they’ve accomplished¸ but have been reassured their choices don’t have to be reflected by others. Every once in a while Addy and Cole will have a few drinks. Since they’re addictions were mostly with drugs, I tend to worry less. My dad went through the same thing before I was born. He still drinks his beer and bourbon, but never until it gets out of hand. Moderation is the key, at least with our kin.

  While the band sets up I enjoy my surroundings. It’s surreal to call this home, and I’m too excited to allow myself to get scared. New opportunities will soon arise, and with them I’ll be forced to make a decision regarding where I’ll want to end up.

  The band plays the first country ballad and the crowd of patrons begins to get up and dance. I watch as Christian and Ethan make their way onto the dance floor. Addy soon pulls Cole out of his seat, though he fights her tooth and nail. I can tell this isn’t exactly his scene, but Addy always wins. He gives her anything she wants, and he likes it.

  I sit alone watching my cousins loosening up and entertaining themselves. The second song comes on and it’s slower. I turn and sip at my drink, only to notice someone taking the seat beside me. Assuming it’s one of my family members I don’t look over.

  His voice sends chills through my body, and not the kind that excite me. I’m unnerved. It’s not possible.

  “I thought that was you. Small world, Callie.”

  I’m staring at him, but unable to accept this is real. I have to be dreaming. Perhaps the drinks at this establishment are too strong for me. “Cob?”

  “Unless you know someone else with this face.”

  Of course he’d be sarcastic. “What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask the same.”

  “I moved here.”

  “Really? Interesting.” He sips at a beer he’s brought over with him.

  “Seriously, this is freaking me out. Why are you in Kentucky?”

  “Work. Leisure. I guess a bit of both.” He smiles. “It’s crazy running into you.”