“Even when I’m not wearing a bowtie?” He gestures to his bare neck.
I nod and hold eye contact, wanting to see if he’ll open up. After a beat of hesitation, he does.
“I like you a lot, Olivia. I feel the same way; there’s something special about you, and something about us that feels right together. I hope I can keep getting to know you, and I hope we can see where this goes, because I think it can go somewhere great.”
He comes around the table to kiss me, and as soon as our lips meet, Penny howls. We both crack up, and stand holding each other, shaking with laughter, as the beagle continues to protest.
“If you choose me, you’ll get a dog as a bonus.”
And I thought the man couldn’t get more appealing. I could so easily see myself living here in this lovely home with this sweet dog and this wonderful man.
Still holding me, Samuel reaches to find a piece of bacon on his plate. He tosses it to Penny and buys us several blissful minutes of uninterrupted kissing.
30
Desperate desire
Samuel’s still on my mind, and so is Xavier, even as I arrive in Texas, full of excitement to see Caleb.
He meets me in the driveway at his ranch home, picking me up and spinning me around before kissing me in that way that makes me forget everything else in the world.
“I’m so happy to have you here,” he tells me when he finally releases me.
“I’m excited to be here. What are we doing today?”
“I have some fun things planned. First, we’ll go inside and meet my brother and his family.” With an arm draped around my shoulder, Caleb leads me inside the large, two-story house where he introduces me to his brother, Wes, Wes’s wife Trina, and their two young kids. Wes and Trina are very friendly, and I immediately feel welcome.
The interior of the house shows definite signs of a woman’s touch in decorating. “Do you all live here in this big house?” I ask Caleb when we’re alone.
“No, this used to be my parents’ house. Wes and I grew up here, but it’s his family’s house now. I have my own house on the property; I’ll show it to you later.”
Next, he takes me out back, where we ride an ATV across the property to a big barn. There, we saddle up for a trail ride. I can’t help but remember when I rode horses with James. Is it bad that I wish James were here, too? Is it weird that I think Caleb wouldn’t actually mind if James were here?
As we start out along the path, I say, “You seem to get along really well with the other guys, don’t you?”
“Yeah, they’re good guys. I respect the decisions you’ve made in narrowing them down.”
“Did you ever have any trouble with Johnny?”
He looks over and gives me a grin. “I’ll admit, Johnny wasn’t my favorite, but no, no particular trouble.”
“I should probably tell you about something Johnny said before you hear about it on your own, or see it, if you plan to watch the show.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Early on, Johnny told me to watch out for you and Gerard. He said you were only on the show to grow your social media following.”
“Well, that’s absurd. Being that I’m here and Johnny’s gone, I assume you found out the truth?”
“Yeah, I heard you don’t even do social media?”
“That’s right. I’m sorry to hear you ever had reason to doubt me.”
We’ve been riding at a very slow pace. My horse veers toward a patch of clover, and we stop and let them graze for a few minutes.
“I was wary for a bit, but I never fully trusted Johnny.”
“That’s good. Is there anything else you have doubts about? I happen to think we were made for each other, but is there anything that might keep you from feeling that way?”
“Made for each other? That’s a strong statement.”
He nods once. “Yep, I stand by it.” His grin warms me more than the summer sun.
“I like you, Caleb – a lot. My only issue is that I’m feeling the same way about the other three remaining men.”
“All three of them?”
I chuckle at the surprise in his voice, and at the fact that he doesn’t seem upset or defeated, just surprised. The laughter helps me release a little tension too. “Yes, I’m afraid I’m falling for all four of you.”
“Well, I’m glad you have such great guys to choose from, but I’m sorry that you’re facing hard decisions.”
His maturity and graciousness never cease to amaze me. I thought he might be jealous or bothered, but he only seems to care about how the dilemma is affecting me.
“How about you?” I ask. “Despite us being ‘made for each other,’ do you have any doubts?”
“You mean, aside from the fact that you’re falling for three other men?” He laughs heartily and I join him, so glad to have the situation softened by his humor and understanding. “No, I don’t have any doubts. You are the perfect woman for me, and I’d love to start a life with you.”