26. Another Chance

CHAPTER 26

Another Chance

CALEB

S itting at my desk, surrounded by a sea of financial documents and receipts. The numbers swam before my eyes, a dizzying array of expenses and income that never seemed to balance out the way I needed them to.

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing a hand over my face. I was exhausted, mentally and physically. I had been poring over these documents for hours, trying to find some way to make the math work, to keep the ranch afloat for just a little while longer.

But it was like trying to plug a leaking dam with my bare hands. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many late nights I put in or how many corners I cut it was never enough. The bills kept piling up, the debt kept growing, and the future of the ranch - the future of my family's legacy - seemed to slip further and further out of reach with every passing day.

I was so lost in my own thoughts, so consumed by the weight of the responsibility that had fallen on my shoulders, that I didn't even hear my dad come in at first. It wasn't until he cleared his throat, the sound loud and jarring in the stillness of the room, that I finally looked up.

"Hey, son," he said, his voice soft and concerned. "How's it going?"

I sighed, leaning forward and resting my elbows on the desk. "Not great, Dad. We only have a couple of weeks left before the deadline, and I'm worried. I don't know how we're going to make it."

He nodded, his face creased with worry lines that seemed to have deepened overnight. "I know, Caleb. I know it's been tough, and I'm sorry for putting all of this on you. It's not fair, and it's not right."

I shook my head, feeling a surge of frustration. "It's not your fault, Dad. You didn't ask for mom to get sick, and you didn't ask for the insurance to screw us over like this."

He smiled, but it was a sad, tired thing. "Maybe not. But I still feel guilty, you know? Like I should have been more prepared, like I should have had a better plan in place."

I understood where he was coming from. I had been feeling the same way myself, like I had let everyone down by not being able to fix this, by not being able to save the ranch.

But I also knew that dwelling on the past, on the things we couldn't change, wasn't going to do us any good. We had to focus on the present, on the future. On finding a way out of this mess, no matter how impossible it seemed.

"We can't change what's already happened," I said, my voice quiet but firm. "All we can do is keep moving forward, keep fighting for what's ours."

My dad nodded, a glimmer of pride shining in his eyes. "You're right, son. And I know that if anyone can find a way out of this, it's you. You've always been the strong one, the one who never gives up."

I could do this. Could find a way to save the ranch, to keep our dreams and our future alive.

But then my dad's expression shifted, his brow furrowing with concern. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about, Caleb."

I felt a flicker of unease, a sudden, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "What is it, Dad? "

He hesitated for a moment, like he wasn't sure how to broach the subject.

"Your mother heard from Hank and told me that Liam's been working on the farm for a couple of days now. How did that come about? And how are you with all of it?"

I felt my breath catch in my throat, my heart stuttering in my chest. Because the truth was, I didn't know how to answer that question. Didn't know how to put into words the tangled mess of emotions that Liam's sudden reappearance had stirred up in me.

On the one hand, I was glad to see him. Glad to have him back in Oakwood, back in my life in some small, tangential way.

But on the other hand it hurt. Hurt to see him and know that he wasn't mine anymore, that he had moved on and built a life without me. And most of all, it hurt to know the truth. To know that he hadn't left me by choice, that he had been forced away by his parents and the narrow-minded prejudices of our small town.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I don't know why he took the job here, Dad. But from what Hank told me, Liam wanted a change of pace. He's only working part-time, but it is still strange, having him around again."

My dad nodded, understanding shining in his eyes. "I can imagine. It must be hard, seeing him after all this time. Especially with everything that happened between you two."

He was right. It was hard, harder than I had ever imagined it would be. But it was also exhilarating. Thrilling, in a way that I couldn't quite explain.

My dad must have seen the conflicting emotions playing out on my face, because he reached out and squeezed my hand. "Don't give up on him, Caleb. If you still love him, if you still believe in what you two had then don't let him go again."

I had let Liam go once before, had let my fear and my doubt and my own stubborn pride get in the way of what we had. And I had regretted it ever since. Had spent every day of the last twenty years wondering what might have been, if only I had been brave enough to fight for him.

I now had a second chance. A chance to make things right, to tell him how I really felt and see if there was still a spark between us, still a chance for something real and lasting and true.

Even if it meant risking my heart, meant opening myself up to the possibility of more pain and more heartbreak. Because Liam was worth it. Worth the risk, worth the fear, worth everything.

I was tired of running. Tired of hiding, tired of pretending that I didn't still love him with every beat of my heart and every breath in my lungs.

"I won't give up on him, Dad. I can't. Not again, not this time."

He smiled, pride and understanding shining in his eyes. "Good. That's good, son. Because if there's one thing I know about love, it's that it's always worth fighting for."

After my talk with Dad, I needed some fresh air. I glanced at the clock, realizing I'd been cooped up in the office for hours. It was time to stretch my legs and clear my head.

I whistled for the dogs, their ears perking up at the sound. They knew what it meant - walkies. Their favorite time of day.

As we set out across the ranch, the sun warm on my back and the dogs bounding ahead, I felt some of the tension start to drain away. There was something about being out here, surrounded by nature and the steady rhythm of ranch life, that always seemed to put things in perspective.

I made my rounds, checking on the livestock and the fences and all the little details that kept the place running smoothly. Everything seemed to be in order, the animals healthy and content, the land thriving under the summer sun.

But as I walked, as I breathed in the sweet, clean air and felt the solid ground beneath my feet I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Or rather, someone.

I'd seen him around, of course. Caught glimpses of him working in the stables or walking the fence line, his head down and his shoulders hunched like he was carrying the weight of the world .

So I set out to find him, my heart pounding and my palms sweating with nerves. I didn't know what I was going to say, didn't know how he would react or if he even wanted to talk to me at all.

But I had to try. Had to take the chance, had to see if there was still a spark between us, still a chance for something real and lasting and true.

I searched the ranch, checking all the usual spots. But he was nowhere to be found, not in the stables or the pastures or any of the places I thought he might be.

I was just about to give up, to head back to the house and try again later, when I spotted Leo. He was one of the new hires, a kid fresh out of high school with a shock of red hair and a face full of freckles.

"Hey, Leo," I called out, jogging over to where he was mending a fence. "You seen Liam around?"

Leo looked up, squinting against the sun. "Yeah, boss. He's with the llamas, last I saw."

"Appreciate it, Leo. Keep up the good work."

I found him in the llama pen, just like Leo had said. He was brushing one of the males, his hands gentle and sure as he worked out the tangles in its thick, woolly coat.

For a moment, I just watched him. Drinking in the sight of him, the way the sun played over his hair and the muscles of his back moved beneath his thin t-shirt.

So I stepped forward, my heart in my throat and my hands shaking with nerves. And when he looked up, when his eyes met mine.

I sat down beside him, close enough to feel the heat of his body, the brush of his shoulder against mine. And for a moment, we just looked at each other. Drinking each other in, re-learning the lines and planes of each other's faces.

"You know," I said finally, my voice soft and teasing. "That llama you're petting has a secret trick."

Liam's eyebrows shot up, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Oh really? And what might that be?"

I grinned, feeling a rush of something that might have been happiness, might have been the first real joy I'd felt in years.

"Spit!" I shouted, ducking out of the way just in time.

The llama let loose, a stream of saliva splattering across Liam's face and chest. He yelped, jumping to his feet and wiping at his face with his sleeve.

"Caleb!" he yelled, but there was laughter in his voice, a spark of mischief in his eyes. "You're a dead man!"

And then he was chasing me, his feet pounding against the earth as we ran and dodged and laughed like we were kids again, like no time had passed at all.

I led him on a merry chase, darting between the trees and leaping over fallen logs. But he was fast, faster than I remembered, and before long he was gaining on me, his breath hot on the back of my neck.

And then he caught me. Tackled me to the ground in a tangle of limbs and laughter, his body warm and solid against mine.

We lay there for a moment, catching our breath and grinning at each other like idiots. And it was perfect, it was everything, it was the way things were always meant to be.

But then something shifted. Something in the air between us, in the way Liam's smile faded and his eyes turned serious and searching.

He pulled away, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. And I felt my heart sink, felt the hope that had been building in my chest start to crumble.

Because I knew that look. Knew the walls that were going up, the distance that was creeping back in.

"Liam," I said softly, sitting up and reaching for his hand. "Talk to me. What's going on in that head of yours?"

He sighed, his fingers twitching in mine like he wanted to pull away. But he didn't, he held on, his grip tightening like he was afraid to let go .

"What are we doing here, Caleb?" he asked, his voice rough and raw with emotion. "We're in this place where we're both scared to know what's going to happen next. I'm tired of walking on eggshells with you, of not knowing where we stand."

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. Because he was right, we were in limbo, stuck between the past and the present with no clear way forward.

But I knew one thing, knew it with a certainty that went bone-deep. I loved him, had never stopped loving him, not for a single day in all the years we'd been apart.

And if there was even the slightest chance that he still felt the same, that there was still a spark between us that could be rekindled then I had to try. Had to lay my cards on the table, had to risk my heart for the chance to win his.

"Liam," I said, my voice shaking with emotion. "I'm going to be honest with you, because I'm tired of hiding, tired of pretending."

I took a deep breath, gathering my courage. "The truth is, I never stopped loving you. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think of you, didn't wonder what might have been if things had been different."

His eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat. But he didn't speak, didn't interrupt, just waited for me to continue.

"But I also know that you've moved on, that you've built a life without me. And I don't want to presume anything, don't want to push you into something you're not ready for."

He frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Wait, what? You think I've moved on? With who?"

I shrugged, feeling a flush of embarrassment heat my cheeks. "I don't know. That guy, Jimmy. The one who came to visit you, who seems to know you so well."

And then, to my utter shock Liam laughed. A full-bodied, head-thrown-back laugh that shook his whole frame and brought tears to his eyes.

"Caleb," he gasped, wiping at his face. "Jimmy's not… we're no t together. He's my best friend, has been for years. We dated briefly, back when I first moved to the city, but we quickly realized we were better off as friends."

I stared at him, my mind reeling. All this time, all these years of thinking he'd found someone else, that he'd left me behind for good…

And it was all in my head. All a misunderstanding, a miscommunication that had kept us apart for far too long.

"So you're not… you're single?" I asked, hardly daring to hope.

He nodded, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Single as a dollar bill. Have been for a long time now."

I felt a rush of something that might have been joy, might have been the purest, most intense relief I'd ever known.

Because this was it. This was my chance, my opportunity to make things right, to start over and build something new and beautiful from the ashes of our past.

I reached out, taking his hand in mine and holding on tight. "Liam, if you're willing, I want to try again. I want to get to know you, the man you are now. I want to see if there's still something here, still a chance for us to be together the way we always wanted."

He bit his lip, his eyes searching mine like he was looking for answers, for some sign that I was serious, that I meant every word.

"I don't know, Caleb," he said softly, his voice trembling with emotion. "We've been through so much, hurt each other in so many ways. What if it doesn't work out? What if we're just setting ourselves up for more heartbreak?"

I shook my head, my grip on his hand tightening. "We won't know unless we try, Liam. And I'm willing to take that risk, willing to put my heart on the line if it means a chance to be with you again."

He was silent for a long moment, his eyes shining with unshed tears. And then, slowly, hesitantly…he nodded .

"Okay," he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. "Okay, Caleb. Let's try. Let's see if we can make this work, if we can find our way back to each other."