Catching Caroline (Silver Falls Book 1)

  Catching Caroline

  Silver Falls

  Book One

  Megan Nugen Isbell

  Copyright ©2017

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in the 1976 Copyright Act or by the publisher.

  Cover design: Keary Taylor

  Isbell, Megan, 1979

  ISBN

  First Edition

  For Emily, the author whisperer.

  Thank you for always helping me find the words.

  One

  “Caroline, honey, can you hand me the coffee?” My grandmother was leaning across the counter, pointing at the pot behind me.

  “Here you go, Gram,” I said, turning for it and then handing it to her. She smiled, making her chubby face even rounder.

  “Thanks, sweetie.” She reached up and patted my face before she turned to refill Roger and Mae Finley’s cups. The couple had been coming to my family’s restaurant as long as I could remember, at least since I’d started helping out when I was thirteen. Eight years later, they were still here. The same gray hair. The same plate of baked ham and meatloaf. There were probably a few more wrinkles on their faces, but other than that, nothing seemed to have changed, just like everything else in Silver Falls, my hometown tucked away in the Green Mountains of Vermont.

  I was finishing up counting the money in the drawer. It was almost time for me to leave and I was anxious to get home. Caleb had gotten in last night. We’d made plans for me to stop by after work and I couldn’t wait to see him.

  I finished counting the money in the drawer, making sure it was all accounted for, and then looked up to see my cousin Erica walk in. The restaurant was a family affair. Always had been. It did well for my grandparents. It’d be hard not to since it was only one of two sit down restaurants in the town. There was a McDonald’s right off the highway, but Silver Falls was small and the people liked to support the local businesses, which is probably why no Wal-Mart had sprung up in our little valley. If we wanted to do any real shopping, we had to make the drive to Burlington.

  “Hey,” Erica said, slipping on an apron and leaning against the counter. “Anything exciting I need to know about?”

  I laughed out loud because she knew full well nothing ever happened at The Silver Falls House, the name my grandparents had given the restaurant forty years before when they opened up. I was certain she had a much more exciting time at her other part time job as a receptionist for an eye doctor in town.

  “The specials are on the board and the money’s all accounted for,” I said, as I pulled off my apron and hung it on the coatrack we kept behind the register.

  “Where are you rushing off to so fast?” she asked as I grabbed my purse from under the counter.

  “Caleb got home today,” I said and I watched as a wry grin made its way up my cousin’s mouth.

  “How long’s it been since you’ve seen him?” she asked.

  “Since Christmas,” I told her and she looked at me curiously in the way only Erica could. “Why’re you looking at me like that?”

  “I’m just wondering why Caleb hasn’t come here to say hi. I mean, it’s been almost six months since you’ve seen each other.”

  “He’s unpacking and stuff. I told him I’d come by after work that way he could relax before we saw each other.”

  “He’s resting up then,” she said with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll bet he’s horny as hell so you’d better get your ass home and get ready. Make sure to shave your legs and tidy up all the rest of your lady parts,” she said, pointing down at my crotch. I felt my cheeks flame red and I rolled my eyes. Erica had always been more worldly than me and never made any qualms about showing it.

  “It’s not all about sex, Erica,” I sighed, flinging my purse strap across my chest.

  “Maybe not for you, but it is for him and if he tells you otherwise, he’s a liar.”

  “Seriously. Would you give it a rest?”

  “Fine,” she said, waving her hand at me. “Continue to live in your perfect little world, Caroline, but I’m telling you all men think about is sex so you could at least enjoy the ride, and yes, that pun was intended.”

  I tried not to laugh, but I couldn’t help it. I swatted my cousin on the arm and headed towards the door. I waved to my grandmother and then looked at Erica who raised her eyebrows at me and made an obscene gesture with her tongue before I rolled my eyes and walked outside.

  My car was the same one I’d been driving since my junior year in high school: a used Toyota Corolla. It had a lot of miles, but it got me where I needed to go and the gas mileage couldn’t be beat, which came in helpful during my commute to the University of Vermont during the school year. I could’ve lived on campus, but the drive wasn’t that far and it saved money, which wasn’t something my family had a lot of. My parents worked hard and did well running our small dairy farm, but we weren’t wealthy by any means. Plus, by staying home, I could keep my job at the restaurant, which is something I knew my grandparents relied on. That was life in a small town, but I didn’t know any different and I liked my life in Silver Falls.

  My dad and my brother were out in the barn when I pulled up to the house. I could hear music coming from the speakers. My dad insisted it helped the cows relax, which in turn, made them produce more milk. Family run dairy farms weren’t common anymore in New England, but we did alright, mostly because of the contract my family’s farm had with the Cabot cheese factory. As long as Cabot continued to produce cheese, the Hale farm would continue to operate.

  My mom was inside starting dinner and I popped my head in to say hi.

  “Hey, Mom. I’m home,” I said, leaning against the doorframe that led into the kitchen. She was at the counter cutting vegetables when she looked up at me.

  “Hi, sweetheart. How was work?”

  “Thrilling as usual,” I answered and she just shook her head at my sarcasm. “I’m going to go grab a shower and head out.”

  “Off to see Caleb?” she asked and I nodded before heading upstairs to the bathroom.

  I turned on the old tub and waited for the water to get hot. It sometimes took a while, even in the summer, like now. In the winter when it was below freezing, it took even longer. Yet another charm of living in a house built in 1860.

  Once the water was warm, I took a shower, trying not to laugh as I thought of Erica’s comments while shaving my legs. She didn’t need to worry about me. I’d been anticipating Caleb’s return for weeks. Things were definitely ready.

  I was out quickly and went to my room, throwing on a white sundress and sandals. After drying it, I ran a flat iron over my dark blonde hair. I put on some make-up and then looked in the mirror. This was as good as it was going to get and Caleb would be fine with it. I’d obviously been doing something right since we’d been together for the past five years, even though he’d been in Chicago and I’d been in Vermont for most of the last three.

  I grabbed my purse and went back downstairs just as my dad and brother were walking up the porch. I could smell the cows on them, but it didn’t faze me. Growing up on a dairy farm, it was just part of life, although it’d always been funny to see my friend’s noses crinkle up whenever they’d come over.

  My dad was still taking his boots off and Sawyer had just walked in. He looked tired and I often wondered why he’d decided to drop out of college and come back to the farm. Doing manual labor all day was not something I wanted to do, but my brother seemed to love it.

  “Where’re
you going?” Sawyer asked and I felt myself grinning.

  “Caleb’s home,” I told him. “I’m going to see him.”

  “Hmm,” was all Sawyer replied and I glared over to him.

  “What?” I asked and he shrugged his shoulders.

  “Nothing,” he answered just as my dad walked in.

  “What was that hmm for?” I pressed.

  “Don’t worry about it, Caroline,” he said and my dad looked between us.

  “What’re you two griping about?” he asked.

  “Nothing, Dad. Caroline’s just going to see Caleb. Mr. Wonderful is home from the big city,” he said and they both laughed, deep and low like they always did when they were together. They’d always been like that; more than father and son and more like best friends.

  “Shut up, both of you. I’m going to see Caleb and I’d appreciate it if you kept your comments to yourself.”

  “Of course,” my dad said, patting me on the back, but then grinned at my brother and walked into the kitchen.

  “That goes for you too, jackass,” I shot at Sawyer and he just laughed, following my dad. I sighed, looking at my family in the kitchen and I couldn’t wait to get out of the house. “I’m leaving! I’ll be home later!” I called to them, but didn’t wait for an answer as I made my way out to the car.

  Caleb’s family had a house in town. It was almost a fifteen-minute drive from our farm at the base of the mountains. I sometimes felt so secluded up at our farm, but sometimes seclusion was good. Whenever I went home, it was as if the rest of the world didn’t exist and sometimes in life, that was exactly what I needed.

  My heart was beating faster the closer I got to Caleb’s house. I hadn’t seen him in almost six months. The last three years hadn’t been easy. I knew the odds of a high school romance surviving into adulthood were not good and with the addition of fifteen hundred miles between us, it made it nearly impossible. But, so far, we’d made it work and now we had the whole summer together before Caleb returned to Chicago for the last time.

  I remembered when he told me he was going to school there. I’d been shocked. I’d cried. He’d cried. I always knew Caleb’s plans did not include staying in Silver Falls, but I didn’t think he’d leave Vermont like a bat out of hell right after graduation. I thought we’d both go to UVM. That’s what most kids did from Silver Falls, but Caleb had other plans. He apologized. He told me he hadn’t wanted to hurt me, but he’d applied on a whim and when he got into the University of Chicago, he knew he had to go. We both knew that and so three years ago in September while I prepared for my first class at UVM, Caleb and I said goodbye. There were no expectations when he left. We didn’t break up, but we didn’t set any guidelines. We figured whatever happened would happen and somehow, we’d stayed together.

  I pulled my car into the driveway of the familiar gray Colonial, right next to Caleb’s car that had been in the garage. It only came out when Caleb was home. I grinned to myself, thinking of the fun we’d had in that car, especially in high school when we spent more evenings than I could count finding secluded spots in the mountains. The backseat of that car had been surprisingly comfortable when it was the only place we could find to be alone.

  I grabbed my purse, walking quickly to the front door. I rang the doorbell and then waited, growing more anxious as the seconds passed by. I heard footsteps then and the door opened. Caleb was standing there, looking almost exactly as he had when we’d last seen each other. I met his brown eyes and before we could say anything to each other, I’d thrown my arms around him, breathing in that scent that had always been him and waiting to feel his arms around me too.

  “It’s good to see you, Care,” he said as he put his arms around me.

  “I’ve missed you, Caleb,” I said. I’d almost forgotten how lonely I’d been these last six months until I was in his arms again.

  We were quiet for a few moments, but then I felt his arms loosening and he stepped away. Caleb was only a couple of inches taller than me so were nearly eye level. He was smiling at me, but he seemed nervous. That was common though. There was always a period of reacquainting ourselves with each other when he returned to Silver Falls.

  “You look great, Caroline,” he said and I smiled at him, taking his face in my hands and then kissing him for the first time in almost a half a year. His lips were just as soft as I remembered and he’d always tasted so good. I wanted more than a simple brush of the lips though and began to nibble at his lower lip, running my tongue over it. I expected him to reciprocate, but instead, I felt his hands on my arms, gently pushing them down.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked and his eyes motioned toward the living room.

  “My parents are in there.”

  “So? You don’t think they’ve ever seen us kiss before?” I teased, reaching for him again, but he stepped back, laughing nervously.

  “C’mon,” he said, reaching for his keys on the hook his family kept by the door and then took my hand, leading me outside.

  “What’re you doing? Can’t I at least say hi to your parents?” I laughed as we walked towards his car.

  “Let’s just go,” he said, clicking the key fob and then holding the door open for me. I got inside and a moment later he was next to me in the driver’s seat, turning on the car and pulling out of the driveway.

  I reached over and took his hand, lacing our fingers together as he turned a corner. I knew exactly where we were going: the old park in the cul-de-sac a few blocks from his house. We used to go there sometimes so we could be alone. His younger sisters had a habit of interrupting us. Over the years, we’d grown creative in our quest for privacy and the park, especially late at night, had been one of our sanctuaries.

  It was after seven o’clock so when we pulled in, the park was empty. I was sure only a couple of hours before it’d been flooded with kids, which definitely didn’t need to be privy to what I planned to do to Caleb. I blushed thinking about finally being alone. I’d missed his touch and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him. The park was at the edge of the woods and a two-minute walk through the trees would offer us the solitude I was desperate to find.

  When the car was off, we both got out, meeting at the front. He took my hand and we looked at the park. I couldn’t help but notice how lonely it seemed as the daylight was starting to fade.

  He didn’t say anything and we started walking. I half expected him to head down the familiar trail we’d taken so many times so we could be alone. He didn’t though. Instead, he led me to the swings. We each sat down and slowly started swaying back and forth, our feet scraping against the dirt as we moved.

  “Is it good to be home?” I asked him and he turned to look at me, his dusty hair falling onto his forehead. It was longer than I was used to seeing, causing a wave at the ends that wasn’t normally there.

  “Yeah,” he said, but I noticed how quiet his voice was.

  “I’m glad you’re home,” I said to him, giving him a smile. He cracked one too, but then it was quiet, except for the peep toads that were chirping off in the distance the way they always did in the summer. “I’ve missed you.”

  I met his eyes. I’d always loved his eyes, so deep and brown. I felt a flutter in my stomach and a burning between my thighs as I thought about him touching me. It’d been too long, almost six months ago when we’d snuck into the loft of the old carriage house the night before he went back to Chicago in January. It’d been freezing out, but we didn’t care. I didn’t even notice the cold as we made love in the loft, undetected and alone. I wanted to feel that again and we could have a little fun if we snuck away.

  I stopped the swing and stood up, walking slowly over to Caleb, giving him my best sultry stare and licking my lips. There was no way he didn’t know what was on my mind. I stopped right in front of him, my breasts just inches from his mouth and my breathing picked up as I imagined what he could do to them if we were alone.

  He kept his eyes down, but then I nudged his chin up with my fingers
so our eyes met again. I didn’t say anything as I leaned over, pressing my lips to his, sliding my tongue into his mouth. He didn’t stop me the way he had at his house and soon he was reciprocating just as eagerly. He stood up, pulling me close as our mouths moved together. We started walking towards the trail we’d been down so many times, our lips only breaking for a few seconds at a time.

  It became darker the further we walked into the woods. The sun hadn’t set yet, but the canopy of trees was blocking it out and the peep toads grew louder. Soon, the playground was hidden from view and I couldn’t take it any longer. I stopped, looked at Caleb once more and then our lips met again. I winced when I felt my back hit the trunk of a large oak tree. The bark was poking through my dress, but I didn’t care. It only turned me on even more. His lips found their way to my neck and I arched into the tree as he kissed me. I felt his hand cup my breast and I moaned softly. I could feel him hard against me through his jeans. He moaned and then started kissing me harder as he hiked up my skirt. I didn’t fight him when he started inching my underwear down. I started fumbling with his zipper, my hand shaking as I realized what was about to happen. I felt him lifting me up until my legs were wrapped around him. He grunted quietly as he entered me and I moaned again, having missed the feeling of him these past six months. There were no words between us. Just the quiet grunts as he pushed in and out of me. I could feel myself nearing the end and just as I climaxed, so did he, pushing me even harder against the tree as he held me tightly, burying his face in my neck, his breathing pounding into my ear.

  I let him hold me until we had calmed a little and then I slid from his grasp. We were both still panting as I straightened the skirt of my dress and he zipped up his pants.

  “Shit, Caroline,” he said breathlessly. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t expect…”

  “It’s okay,” I interrupted, lifting my hand and placing my palm on his cheek so our eyes met again. “I love you, Caleb, and I’ve missed you,” I whispered. I watched as his eyes dropped to the ground for a second before pulling me into his arms again.