dead husband, even for a homecooked meal. This was the reason she could never hope to date, especially not someone like Callum Fortune. She had enough emotional baggage to fill a freight train.
“Can I ask why you stayed in Rambling Rose?” Callum asked after several awkward moments.
She opened her mouth to give him a pat answer, but was somehow unable to tell this man anything but the complete truth. “This was the home Rick and I chose together.” She glanced around the small kitchen. “And we picked this town because we wanted to be a part of a close-knit community. Neither of us was tight with our families growing up.”
“Do you have brothers and sisters?”
She shook her head. “Only child. Rick was, too.” She lifted the wineglass to her lips, watching Callum from beneath her lashes. Maybe it was inappropriate to talk about her late husband with a man she felt attracted to, but Callum’s steady presence made her feel like she could share anything with him.
She appreciated that more than she could say. Yes, she’d loved her husband deeply and would give anything to change the tragedy that had stolen their future.
That loss was woven into the fiber of her being. It had formed her into the woman she was today, resilient and fiercely protective of her daughters. She understood the only way to celebrate Rick’s life was by honoring what had brought her to this point.
Callum helped her clean up the dishes after they finished dinner, another point in his favor. They said goodbye, and Becky watched him drive away as she tried to tamp down the disappointment at the night ending so soon. Seriously, she needed to get out more. One simple thank-you dinner and she felt like a silly girl with a crush on the most popular boy at school.
Callum had called her a friend and that was how she should think of him, as well. Too bad her body wouldn’t cooperate.
“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
