Caleb (Seven Sons Book 3)

  Caleb

  Seven Sons Book 3

  Kirsten Osbourne

  Unlimited Dreams

  Copyright © 2017 by Kirsten Osbourne

  Unlimited Dreams Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Erin Dameron Hill/ EDH Graphics

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Kirsten Osbourne

  Visit my website at www.kirstenandmorganna.com

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  About the Author

  Also by Kirsten Osbourne

  Chapter One

  Caleb McClain stood in front of the cabins at the McClain Boys’ Ranch and waved as the boys got onto the school bus to head back to school after Thanksgiving break. His brother Benjamin was at his side. “What are your plans for our first day off in a little while?” Their main job was to take care of the boys at the boys’ ranch. To coach them, mentor them, discipline them, and most importantly love them.

  Benjamin shrugged. “What do you think I’m going to do? Spend the day with Melissa!” Benjamin had recently become engaged to Melissa, and their wedding would be on Saturday.

  Caleb laughed, shaking his head. Now that his brothers were starting to marry, everything seemed a bit different. “Going to make more pumpkins magically grow before her eyes?”

  “Not today. You never know though…I may need to do something like that tomorrow!”

  “Well, try not to do it in front of the whole world, would you? There are enough rumors about how freaky we are as is.” Caleb yawned and stretched. “I’m going to go into town, get the groceries from the list the boys made, and there’s supposed to be a new candy shop opening in town. Like homemade candy.”

  Benjamin shook his head. “You go do that. I’m taking off until the boys get off the bus this afternoon.”

  “Have a good day.”

  “How could it be bad when I’m spending it with the woman I love?”

  Caleb watched his brother jog to his truck and drive off. He shook his head. They’d done almost everything together for years—now all of a sudden, Benjamin was too busy with Melissa to do anything with Caleb. The way their family worked, he was next. Adam was married, Benjamin was engaged and about to marry, and Caleb was next.

  They were all named after the brothers from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, because their mother loved them a lot. Or hated them, depending on how you looked at it.

  Caleb went into the house, grabbed the grocery list and his wallet, and headed for his truck. He was grocery shopping for eight people, so it wasn’t exactly a quick chore. Usually, one of them would take two of the boys to help with the chore, but everything had been so busy the weekend after Thanksgiving, they’d decided to forgo it. The lessons learned from weekly grocery shopping were not worth fighting the madhouse that was Christmas shopping, even in the small town of Bagley, Texas.

  On his way to town, he made a plan. Yes, he knew it was his turn to fall in love. The McClain brothers did everything in order. It was one of the freaky things about their family. And now that Adam had fallen, the rest would fall soon. Caleb wouldn’t be surprised if they were all married by the end of 2018. Though a bit crazy, it was the way their family worked.

  He forced his mind back to the plan. He’d avoid meeting any new women. When you worked with six teenage boys and did ranch work…well, it should be easy to avoid meeting new women. He didn’t think he’d really met any new women except Tiffani and Melissa in months. Surely he could avoid them now.

  When he got to the grocery store, he grabbed two carts—one to push in front of him and one to pull. Without the boys’ help, the task would be harder, but he was on his own this time. He could handle it.

  Two hours later, he unloaded two carts full of groceries onto the conveyor belt. The checker was one he saw weekly.

  “Where’re your helpers?” Judy asked.

  “At school. We didn’t want to fight the crowds this weekend, so they got off easy. And Benjamin is with his new lady.”

  She laughed. “I’m glad he’s happy!”

  “Me too. I just wish I didn’t have to grocery shop alone. I hate this part of my week.”

  “I’ve heard in some of the cities, they have grocery delivery now. You just shop online, and everything appears as if by magic at your house.”

  “You let me know as soon as we have that here!” He pulled his wallet from his pocket and used the ranch’s debit card to pay for the food. “I swear, those boys eat more than anyone I’ve ever seen!”

  “I remember your mama saying that when all of you boys were at home.”

  He nodded at her. “I’m sure you do. She must have complained about us a lot.”

  Judy shook her head. “Not really. She said she always knew she’d have seven boys, so it didn’t bother her much. At least she liked to cook.”

  “I’m sure that helped! I hate it. Have I ever mentioned that before?” Thankfully the boys did most of the cooking, but he and Benjamin were in charge for weekday breakfasts.

  “I think you may have mentioned it once or fifty times.” Judy grinned at him. “You have a good week, Caleb!”

  “You too!” He waved to her as he left the store. Thankfully, one of the checkers had the second cart.

  “This is a lot of food,” the checker said. It was someone Caleb didn’t know, so he wasn’t surprised.

  “I work at the McClain Boys’ Ranch,” Caleb said, omitting the fact that he was one of the sons who ran the place. “I have to feed six hungry boys and two hungry men.”

  The man—Stan, according to his nametag—said, “I’ve heard some strange stories about the family. Are they as odd as people say?”

  “Well, as their third oldest son, I’d have to say yes.” Caleb wasn’t sure what came over him, but he was sick of people calling them strange. Sure, they all had odd powers, but they kept them hidden. So why did people talk about them so often?

  Stan stumbled over his feet but then caught himself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “I’m not sorry to be part of my family. My brothers are amazing. My parents are saints to put up with us all.” Caleb wouldn’t meet the other man’s eyes. Sometimes he saw fears in the eyes of people who didn’t know him well and had just listened to rumors. It was too much today. He was on a mission not to meet the love of his life, and he wasn’t sure he could accomplish it.

  “I’m very sorry I insulted your family.”

  Caleb nodded. “I forgive you.”

  Together the two men unloaded the groceries into Caleb’s truck, not saying another word. Caleb hoped that sugar could fix his mood, otherwise he’d be helping Ephraim break a new horse. He had two things that made him feel better: sweets and danger. He’d try sweets first.

  When they finished, Caleb tipped Stan, then watched the other man walk away. It wasn’t his fault he’d asked the question. Someone should post all seven of their pictures around town to avoid awkward situations like that.

  He drove the short distance to Second St. where the new candy store was supposed to open that day. He hoped they opened at ten, because if he had to wait until eleven, he may just need to jump off a bridge somewhere. Thankfully, his power to detect danger had never let him down, so he wouldn’t be in any real danger. The adrenaline rush would be just the same though.

  He stared at the building for a moment, noting the “open” sign in the window. The owner had gone for a retro look, with pink and white awnings over the windows. He jumped down from his truck, not bothering to lock it. He knew everyone in the tiny town of Bagley, Texas. He had no idea who was opening this shop, though.

  He half-jogged up the sidewalk and opened the door, his greedy eyes going straight to the candy displays. He walked forward, not taking his eyes off the prize.

  “What can I get you?” asked a soft female voice.

  “I want four pieces of fudge—one plain, one almond, one mint, and one peanut butter, please.” His eyes kept scanning the display case, wondering what else she had that he needed. “Oh, I’ll take a turtle, two peanut clusters, and do you have any taffy?” He loved homemade taffy like Adam loved Tiffani.

  “I have cherry, raspberry, vanilla, chocolate, orange, and lemon.”

  “I’ll take a handful of each!” He looked up for the first time and was flummoxed. The woman in front of him was the kind of woman he needed to avoid. “Do you make it all yourself?” He had to talk to her about something that wasn’t related to her looks, or he’d ask her to marry him on the spot! Darn it! He was avoiding women!

  Her eyes were an aquamarine color. Never in his life had he seen eyes like hers. Her hair was blonde and piled on top of her head in some sort of hair fashion thingie. He knew then she was t
he one. He’d marry her or no one. It never took the men in his family long to figure out who they should marry. This girl—whatever her name was—was it for him!

  “I do make all the candy. I’ve always loved Christmas, because it gave me an excuse to make candy, but I figure if I want to do it year-round, who can stop me? So I opened a store, and now I get to make candy every day.”

  He finally tore his eyes from hers to see her name on her nametag. Natalie. Her name was Natalie. “I could eat candy every day, so I’m going to be your best customer!” He stuck his hand out to hers, only realizing she was wearing a glove when she didn’t grip it. “I’m Caleb McClain.”

  She smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Caleb McClain. I’m Natalie Smythe.”

  “You must be new in town. I’ve never seen you before.”

  “I moved here to open the store. I grew up in Wiggieville and went to college in Fort Worth.”

  “I see. Well, it’s very good to meet you. I’m thrilled that we now have a candy store. I can’t wait to try everything!”

  Natalie grinned. “Your sweet tooth is showing, Caleb.”

  “I couldn’t hide it from you? I try so hard!” He shrugged at her, grinning. “I work at the boys’ ranch outside of town. I hide the candy addiction from the boys, because we tend to limit their sugar intake. It makes them hyper.” Most of the boys had diagnoses of ADHD, so adding candy into the mix was not a smart thing to do.

  “Well, then I won’t send extra samples for the boys. Anyone else who would like one? A girlfriend or wife?” Natalie almost groaned aloud. How could she possibly be so obvious in asking him if he was in a relationship.

  He shook his head. “I have a horse that I call my girl, but she tends to like sugar cubes more than what can be made from sugar.” He was referring to one of the brood mares on the ranch. He’d helped to train her, so he felt a special connection with her.

  She laughed, happy to hear there wasn’t a woman in his life. “You probably don’t want to take her a fudge sample then. Are horses allergic to chocolate like dogs are?”

  “I’ll ask my brother and get back to you. He’s a veterinarian.”

  “Oh, that’s awesome you have a brother who’s a doctor.”

  Caleb grinned. “Actually, I have three of them. Adam is a psychiatrist. Daniel is an internist, and Ephraim is a veterinarian.”

  “Wait a minute…your name is Caleb, and you have brothers named Adam, Daniel and Ephraim? Where are Benjamin, Frankincense, and Gideon?” Natalie was a huge fan of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Who wasn’t?

  He sighed. “My mom drew the line at naming Frank Frankincense, but we still call him that to torment him as often as humanly possible.”

  “Wait…you really have brothers by those names? I have got to meet your mother!”

  Caleb grinned. “You should come for supper tonight. My mother loves having guests. I’ll call her and invite both of us.”

  She laughed. “You can’t just tell your mother I’m coming for supper! That would be very rude.”

  “You really wouldn’t say that if you knew my mom. Her house is always open for guests. She has always been a foster parent, and she just genuinely loves people. But she’ll love you best because you picked up on the name thing so fast. Anyone who knows Seven Brides is going to make her day.”

  “That has got to be the strangest supper invitation I’ve ever received from a man. You already want to take me home to meet your mother?” Her eyes danced as she teased him.

  “I want to take you home to meet both of my parents, my horse, and my dog. I’d invite you to meet my brothers, but all seven of us in one place can be absolutely overwhelming, so that’s probably not a good idea.” Caleb leaned forward on the counter, his eyes meeting hers. “So how about it?”

  She frowned. “You call your mother and get her to agree with me standing here, and I’ll do it.”

  “Do you want her on speaker phone?” he asked, more than willing to do as she suggested. He knew his mother, and she would be thrilled and kill the fatted calf if that’s what it would take.

  “Yeah, put her on speaker.”

  “Okay!” He used his thumb to quickly find his mother’s number, and he called her. “Mom? Can I bring a girl home to meet you for supper tonight? She connected the names with the movie after hearing Caleb, Adam, Daniel, and Ephraim.”

  Natalie heard laughter from the phone. “Absolutely. Tell her supper is at six-thirty, and we’re casual around here. What’s her name?”

  “Natalie,” Caleb said, his eyes still on the woman in question.

  “All right. I’m excited to meet her! It’s your turn, you know!”

  “I know. I know!” Caleb hung up without another word. “Six? Should I pick you up here?”

  She stared at him for a moment, absolutely shocked by what had just transpired. “I guess so.”

  “Good. If you’re worried, I live on the McClain Boys’ Ranch outside of town. Anyone who’s lived here for more than a month can tell you where it is. I’m Caleb McClain. Ask anyone in town about me, and they’ll tell you I’m safe. Strange, but safe.”

  “I can vouch for the strange,” she said under her breath. “All right. I guess I’m going to dinner at your parents’ house. Is six an okay time to pick me up? I don’t close up shop until six.” She could close a few minutes early, but she wouldn’t do a full half hour…or even fifteen minutes.

  “That’s fine.” He watched as she finished putting his order into a bag, each piece of candy individually wrapped in tissue paper. “Thank you for moving into town and opening my dream store, Natalie.”

  “What did your mother mean when she said, ‘You’re next?’ That bugged me.”

  “Oh, it meant that both Adam and Benjamin have just found wives, so I’m next.” He paid her and took his bag. “Not to worry, though, because once I’d set eyes on you, I knew I was done for.” He raised his hand in a wave and left the store, biting his lip to keep from laughing at the expression on her face as he told her what his mother meant. And people said men were matrimony shy.

  Natalie stared after her first customer on her first day of the store being open. Who was he? Had he lost his mind?

  She had to admit, she was more than a little attracted to him. Being disappointed because she was wearing gloves and couldn’t touch his skin was pretty sad. What was wrong with her?

  Caleb drove home and unloaded groceries. He missed having the boys who would usually help him there, but he managed by making multiple trips.

  With Benjamin’s wedding fast approaching, a lot more would be left up to him. Benjamin would be moving in with Melissa after the wedding on Saturday, which meant that he would be the only adult in the house with the boys at night. Benjamin would be there when the boys got off the bus until they went to bed. And then he’d be back in the morning when it was time for them to get up until they left for school. It would be really different without his brother, but he couldn’t ask him to keep living there when his wife was on the next farm over.

  Once all the groceries were put away, Caleb walked through the house, doing a quick inspection. The boys were all required to make their beds neatly and clean up their personal areas before work. The new kid, Nick, still seemed to have issues with making sure his space was clean, but other than that, he was finally settling into life there on the ranch. It had been touch-and-go with him for a while.

  Nick’s bed was a tad bit sloppy, but not enough to take away his thirty minutes of screen time that night, so he moved on. Caleb liked to go to the barn and help Ephraim most days, but today he needed to go talk to his mother. He wasn’t sure he believed in love at first sight, but if he did, it had just happened to him.

  His mother would know just the right thing to say to make him feel less panicked. Though really, he felt a lot calmer than he’d thought he would in the situation. Natalie was beautiful, smart, and she made candy for a living. Was there a more perfect woman alive? If there was, he certainly didn’t know how to find her.