Page 14

SHANE

“You don’t need to be so nervous,” I said as I watched Calder out of the corner of my eye. “Everyone already likes you.”

Calder and I were getting ready for the annual Stratton Ranch bonfire, where all the family would be gathered around. I turned to look at him fully as he finished getting dressed, fiddling with his shirt for the millionth time. I walked over to him, my eyes meeting his in the bedroom mirror.

“Calder?”

“Yeah?”

“No one’s out to get you,” I reassured him. “They just want to officially meet you.”

“You don’t think that makes it worse?” he grumbled. “What if their expectations are way too high? What if I’m better off as an idea than an actual person?”

“Oh, wow. That’s pretty philosophical.” I hummed. “I guess, in a real way, most of us are better off as an idea than actual people, especially if you consider moral goodness?—”

“Or you can just tell me I look good and I’m not going to make an ass out of myself?”

“You look perfect.” I kissed him on the cheek. “And you could never make an ass out of yourself.”

“Much better.” Calder smiled in the mirror before he smiled over at me. “Okay. I think I’m ready.”

Suddenly, his face fell. “Wait. Shit. Will Joseph be there?”

“Probably not. He likes to know that we all get together, but he prefers to keep to himself.” I shrugged. “I think people being too joyful around him makes him ill.”

Calder nervously laughed. “Okay, good. In that case yeah, I think we’re good to go.”

I offered Calder my arm, and he placed his own through mine.

A few minutes later and we were out the door, heading towards the UTV.

When we pulled up to the main cabin, it looked like the bonfire was already in full swing.

There were some people gathered around a fire pit, while others were seated on nearby benches.

After we parked the UTV, Levi was the first to greet us, offering us drinks in each of his hands.

“Calder! Hey!” Levi beamed over at him. “How do you feel about drinks made by a burgeoning, amateur bartender?”

“What does that mean?” Calder looked at the drink now in his hand. “Does that mean it’s amazing? Or kind of off?”

“You tell me.”

Calder nervously took a sip of the drink. “Um, it tastes all right to me?”

“Good! That was a test, and you passed.” Levi laughed. “That was made by my sister, Amber. She’s taken up bartending as a hobby and she’ll be delighted to know that you already know how to preserve her feelings.”

“But I actually don’t think it’s bad! In fact, it’s kind of growing on me.” Calder took another sip.

“I like him. I knew I’d like him.” Levi laughed again before he turned his attention on me. “And? How are things going with your new piece of land?”

“No big news yet, but we finalized the map. We know exactly what we want to build and where.”

“Good. I’m happy everything’s coming along for you—” Levi was interrupted by Cameron showing up at this side.

“Shane! And you must be Calder.” Cameron reached out to take Calder’s hand.

But Calder seemed stunned in place. “Uh, are you… you’re not…”

“Cameron Clarke? Yep. That’s me.” Cameron chuckled. “Sorry, it’s probably weird, randomly meeting me here. I haven’t been around the ranch as much lately because I’ve been off filming season one of a crime thriller for a streamer. Fingers crossed for season two!”

“And fingers crossed for an Emmy!” Levi added. “That’s what those are called, right? Emmy’s?”

“Yes, those are called Emmy’s.” Cameron grinned before he sweetly kissed Levi. “Look at you! You’re learning.”

“Sorry. I wasn’t expecting to meet anybody famous,” Calder replied, belatedly shaking Cameron’s hand.

“Oh, I’m not famous around here.” Cameron smiled. “Which is exactly how I like it. No one being fake around me. No one kissing my ass just because they’ve seen me on TV.”

“Uh, why is everyone congregating over in this corner, all of a sudden?” Dylan’s voice broke through the conversation, as he came to stand beside us. His eyes immediately landed on Calder. “Hey! Calder, right?”

“That’s me.” Calder sheepishly shrugged. “The one everyone seems to already know somehow.”

“You’ve been the trending topic in the family group chats, not gonna lie,” Dylan continued.

“With how mysterious Shane is about everything… this man basically talks in riddles until he gets to know you. And even then, you still need to make sure you listen pretty close.” Dylan then leaned closer to Calder, like he was sharing a secret.

“But not with you, huh? Seems like you cracked the Shane code pretty good.”

“Dylan, what’s going on—Oh. Calder.” Cole approached us now, giving us a quick nod. “Nice to finally meet you. Heard a lot about you. We should have some one-on-one time, so I can make sure you’re actually good enough for Shane.”

“I… uh…” Calder blushed a deep red before he looked over at me, like he was quickly drowning. I pulled him closer to my side and said, “Okay, I think we’ve had enough of the meet and greets. He needs to think we’re normal before you all bombard him with the reality of your… uniqueness.”

“Are you calling us weird?!” Dylan dramatically gasped, as he placed a hand across his chest. “But I’m one of the normals!”

“Baby, you know there are no normals in this family,” Cole casually reminded him. “If you were normal, you wouldn’t fit in.”

“Who wants marshmallows?!” Amber called out from across the field, waving her arms wildly. “Come get your sticks while the getting is good!”

“How’s it going? What’s your temperature?” I asked, as Calder and I sat around the fire pit, marshmallows on our sticks.

“I don’t know if I was expecting it to be so… lively,” he started, with a smile. “I don’t know. I guess I was worried everyone would be so serious, sizing me up before I had a chance to speak. Well, I mean, Cole does actually seem to be sizing me up…”

“He’s harmless,” I insisted. “He just wants to see what you’re made of, if you’ll back down when challenged. He knows the kind of work it’ll take to get my ranch off the ground and knows that I’ll need the right partner to make it all happen.”

“So, he’s just looking out for you? He doesn’t secretly hate me?”

“He doesn’t secretly hate you, I promise. And when you get to know him, he’s the most loyal person you’ll ever have in your corner.”

Calder let out a sigh of relief. “Okay. Good. That’s good to know?—”

“Calder! Do you dance?” Amber was still shouting, even though we were seated right across from her.

“Um, a little? I wouldn’t say I’m the best at it.”

“Dance with me!” Amber was already out of her seat, her hand held out towards Calder. “Come on! Let’s do it!”

Calder looked at me, and I gave a nod of approval.

“Shane! You’re coming too!” Amber demanded with a wild smile. “In fact, everybody! Get up! Let’s dance! Woo!”

I followed behind Amber and Calder, as she led him out to a makeshift dance floor.

She signaled to Virgil, who seemed to be controlling the stereo for the night, while an upbeat country song blasted all around us.

Amber danced with Calder in a sort of manic rhythm, but he was able to keep up with her steps, their arms cutting through the air, their hips swinging in time.

I looked around the dance floor and caught Dylan and Cole, who were in their own little world as usual, Cole’s hands around Dylan’s waist. They were dancing to the music like it was a slow song on a Sunday night, their bodies close, their touch tender.

Levi and Cameron were matching the rhythm of the music, even though Cameron’s movements were completely unpredictable, still dancing to his own beat.

Even Virgil and Jolene had joined in the dance, her hips gyrating against his, moving around like they were thirty years younger at a nightclub.

I was solidly rocking back and forth to the music, a drink in my hand, enjoying the smell of sweet smoke in the air. I could tell that Calder had received Amber’s seal of approval after the dance was over, as she pulled him into her arms for a tight hug.

“I love him! I love him,” Amber said to me, while she offered me a thumbs up.

A few moments later and she was cuddled up next to her husband, Doug, on the dance floor, their movements slow and measured.

When she was gone, Calder moved closer to me, matching my quieter style of dance.

He reached for the drink in my hand, taking a small sip, before giving it back to me.

“You’re almost out. You want me to get you another?”

“I can get it myself. It’s no problem?—”

“I want to get it for you, Shane,” Calder cut me off, with a light smile. “Now, did you want another beer? Or one of Amber’s drinks?”

“Honestly? One of Amber’s drinks. I don’t know. I’ve never tasted anything like it before but it’s really growing on me.”

“Right?” Calder playfully scoffed. “She might have a gift for the bartending stuff.”

Almost as soon as Calder was out of earshot, Virgil came up to me. “You’re welcome.”

“For what, exactly?”

“Ha. You all think these things just happen?” Virgil rolled his eyes. “It’s such a burden sometimes, being the only one who can see in this family.”

“Is this about to turn into one of your rants about UFOs? Or the microchip thing again? Because we’ve been over it a million times?—”

Virgil held up his hand. “I didn’t come over here to argue with you, nephew. I mostly just wanted to say congratulations… while also holding out for a thank you, from your end.”

“Thanks, Virgil.” I flashed him a genuine smile. “I might not know what you did, but I know whatever it is, it worked out great.”

“And this is why you’re my favorite.” Virgil beamed back. “Now, don’t screw this up. I love you but Jolene says I need to cut back on my meddling. She wants to spend more quality time together.”

“I think we’re all in a good place right now, so if you wanted to cut back on the meddling…”

“Oh, don’t you start with me, too.” Virgil sighed. “It’s a heavy crown but someone’s got to keep this family chugging along.”

“Yeah, but maybe you could see if the train can run without you? Maybe the tracks are good enough.”

“More than good enough, I’d say.” Virgil slapped me on the back. “All right. I’ll catch up with you a little later. I haven’t had a chance to tell Cameron the UFO story yet. He’s going to love it.”

“Uh, I don’t know if Cameron will love it?—”

“He’s going to love it!” Virgil assured me, as he made a beeline for Cameron across the dance floor.

“I never saw any of this in my dreams,” Calder murmured as he sat beside me on a bench. We’d been quietly watching the stars in the night sky, the music still blasting all around us, my family still chatting and drinking and dancing.

“What do you mean?”

“Remember how I told you that I kept having the same dream over and over? About the cowboy on the trail who I thought was going to save me?”

“Yeah?”

“It was you, Shane.”

“What?” I couldn’t help the startled look on my face. “You were seeing me in your dreams?”

“Not at first. At first, I couldn’t make you out,” he replied. “But then, I realized it was you. I kept trying to reach you, but I never could. And then after Vanessa showed up, it felt like I’d lost you forever, even in my dreams.”

“You never lost me, Calder.”

“I know.” He lightly smiled. “But even when I felt connected to you in my dreams, all that warmth… I never imagined it could’ve ended up like this, with how happy I am right now. I never saw anything beyond the trail, and you waiting for me.”

“Maybe that’s because you weren’t meant to see the rest of the dream. You were meant to live it. Out of your head, here with me.”

“I think you might be onto something,” he replied. “I haven’t even had those dreams since we’ve gotten together. It’s like my brain can’t come up with something that’s as good as the real thing.”

“I think I might know what that’s like.” I shifted closer to him on the bench, my hand reaching for his. “You’re a dream come true, Calder Hayes.”

Calder beamed over at me, before resting his head against mine.

And as I stared out at the night, my family in the background, and my love at my side, I felt a sense of peace I’d never felt before.

For the first time in my life, I knew that my future wasn’t going to be lonely, that there’d be another pair of hands working alongside me every step of the way.

And no matter what storms may have come or what challenges may come, I knew who was going to be standing by my side when it was time to face them. I took in a deep breath as I thought through everything we’d been through together, how much we’d faced just to get where we were now.

And while the trail had been long, and the road had been rough…

The man at the end? He was always worth it.