Читать книгу Fortune's Fresh Start - Michelle Major, Michelle Major - Страница 13

Chapter Four

“What’s your next move?” Stephanie asked as she joined Callum in the main house’s expansive kitchen later that week.

The morning had just begun to dawn, with the sky outside the window turning the Fame and Fortune Ranch a dozen shades of pink and orange.

“I don’t have one,” he said, keeping his gaze trained on his laptop. He took another drink of coffee as he perused the article on trends in the food and hospitality industry. “What would you think about an upscale restaurant in Rambling Rose?”

“I think it won’t compete with the local Mexican food,” she said, dropping into a chair across from him at the table.

“The idea isn’t to compete,” he explained. “I want to expand the options for folks around here. What if you wanted to go on a special date?”

“At this point,” Stephanie said with a slightly sad smile that tugged at his heart, “my favorite men have four legs and fur.”

Callum hated that his sister seemed to have given up on her chance at love. Unlike him, Stephanie had so much to give. “Hypothetically,” he clarified.

“Are you looking for a setting for a special date?” Stephanie kicked his shin under the table. “You still haven’t said anything about your dinner with Becky the other night. I’m tired of waiting for details.”

“She’s a great cook,” he said.

“I don’t care what you ate.” Stephanie pushed his laptop closed. “You like her, right?”

“She’s nice.” Callum reached for his coffee, ignoring his sister’s raised brow. Of course, nice was a wholly inadequate way to describe Becky. He’d never met anyone like her. She’d suffered a devastating tragedy yet still seemed to be filled with a bright light that wouldn’t be dimmed.

He didn’t understand the connection he felt with her and knew it could go nowhere even if he wanted it to. Which he didn’t because he’d learned his lesson about commitment and getting hurt the hard way. Things were better all around when Callum focused on the parts of his life he could control. Matters of the heart definitely didn’t fall into that category.

“What did you talk about?”

“Stuff.”

“You know how persistent I can be,” she said. “I’ll follow you around all day until you spill it.” Stephanie grinned when he narrowed his eyes. “Might as well just tell me now.”

“We talked about a lot of things.” He shrugged. “My family, her family. Her late husband.”

She made a soft sound of distress. “Was that awkward?”

“No,” he answered simply. Maybe it should have been. Although the way she’d described Rick made the man sound just about perfect. Callum knew he was bound to pale in comparison. There was no use pretending that he’d gone to dinner at Becky’s just to be kind. He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

He wasn’t just attracted to her physically. He wanted to know as much as he could about her, which included her past. Losing a husband so young had obviously played a large part in shaping the person she was today.

“I haven’t seen you like this since Doralee.” Stephanie tapped a finger on the tabletop, and Callum focused his attention on that instead of meeting her insightful gaze.

“It isn’t the same,” he muttered.

“I can tell.” She leaned forward until he lifted his gaze to hers. “Your divorce doesn’t define you, Callum. At least it shouldn’t.”

“I know,” he agreed, although the wreck of his marriage had changed him. All the things he’d thought he wanted from life shifted in the wake of his pain and the blame his ex-wife placed squarely on his shoulders.

He deserved every bit of it. Growing up in a large family had led him to assume the path of marriage and kids was the one that made the most sense for him. But he’d been dedicated to his business and not able to give Doralee the attention she’d wanted. They’d had a whirlwind courtship of only six weeks before getting married, both of them enamored by the heady feeling of new love.

Once the novelty wore off, it had become clear they weren’t compatible in most of the ways that counted. She had unrealistic expectations and he seemed doomed to fail at meeting them. It was a blessing for both of them that she’d had the guts to end things. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her but couldn’t seem to do anything right. He’d believed he was building a future for the two of them, laying the groundwork for their life together. Turned out to be a foundation built on sand, shifting and crumbling under the pressures of life.

Of course his failings had shaped him, but in a different way from how Becky’s had her. She’d had tragedy befall her and risen above it, while he’d been the cause of his own pain. He might be infatuated with her, but he wasn’t about to open himself up to that kind of hurt again. Becky’s life was complicated and he remained determined to keep his as simple as he could manage.

“You can find love again,” Stephanie continued.

“I’m not looking for love.” He pushed back from the table and walked toward the counter to refill his coffee. “It was one dinner. You’re making too much of it.”

“I know you, Callum. All I’m saying is don’t shut the door on a possibility before you’ve given it a chance.”

He paused with his hand on the coffeepot’s handle. His sister was right, of course. He’d decided after his divorce that he valued his independence too much to make a committed relationship work. The decision hadn’t been a problem because no one he’d met had made him question it.

Until Becky.

“When did you get too smart for your own good?” he asked.

Stephanie grinned. “I’ve always been brilliant. You’re just realizing it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said with a laugh. They talked some more about possibilities for an upscale restaurant in Rambling Rose, and then Callum headed out to start his morning.

He appreciated the pace of life in Texas. He could move quickly, but things also seemed to adjust to fit the wide-open spaces and the sense of community pride that felt uniquely Texan. This was a setting that made a man earn his place. The residents of Rambling Rose might be curious about his ties to the famous Fortune family, but people seemed more concerned with his dedication to the town.

Callum felt at home here in a way he hadn’t during any of the other projects he’d taken on over the years. It made his desire to succeed burn even brighter and caused the future to beckon in ways he hadn’t anticipated.

Later that week, Becky looked up from the lunch she’d packed to see Callum walking toward her across the pediatric center’s sunny courtyard. A slow smile spread across her lips as awareness tingled along her spine. This was the third day Callum had appeared during her lunch break.

Maybe she shouldn’t read too much into it. He’d explained he had business at the pediatric center. She had no reason not to believe him.

“What’s on the menu today?” he asked as he slid into the seat across from her. Becky always took her lunch early since most mornings she didn’t have time for breakfast.

“Turkey and cheese,” she said, then pulled out the extra sandwich she’d made. “I have one for you if you’re hungry.”

He stared at the plastic baggie for so long she wasn’t sure if he was going to take it or get up from the table and run the other direction. When he finally reached for the sandwich, it embarrassed her that she’d even made the effort to bring something extra for him. “Thank you,” he said. “That’s thoughtful.”