Love's a hard game

Long nights full of sadness

And mornings of madness When you play it alone.

And I think of you

I feel that high and desert wind blow

I must go where my heart goes

Mi Amor mi Corazon

Ian Tyson - Hot Summer Tears

"I told you I'd wait for you," Caleb's voice spoke lowly and a large grin stretched across her face.

Kissing was... weird. It was all Kace could think of as she rode that day. Her first kiss had taken place only a few days before and she was still reeling from it like it had happened seconds ago. It felt like it had happened seconds ago. The redhead could swear her lips were still tingling. Her hands shook as well so she clenched her reins a little tighter and dug her other hand into her jacket pocket.

A cold wind swept up through the trees making the leaves hiss and dance and a few premature yellow leaves fall. It was getting late in the summer season and soon all of the leaves would be falling, so Kace was counting pairs to get an estimate of how many

they would be shipping out that fall.

It was also a terrific excuse to get away from people, she was an introvert after all and after a long taxing week of stress for her friends and then, of course, that major life event it was nice to get back to what made her heart happy.

Caleb made her heart happy too though and it was strange how just months ago she had no one and her all of her hours were spent either working or by herself in her trailer. Now her life had people in it. People she could give her heart to if she had the courage. It felt strange to think of life before Canada; life before Caleb. It was actually uncomfortable to think of her life without him in it. Kace felt like she found a missing link in her chain and that scared her. People hurt and Kace didn't want to be hurt by anyone again.

Kace recognized her spiraling thoughts heading somewhere dark so she furrowed her brows and sucked in a deep breath of mountain air and let it go in hopes of relieving some of the tension she had just gathered. She was not so naive to think the kiss was really that much of a major life event but still.

Kota's ears perked in front of them to the right and so she followed his instincts because they were a team and he knew their job just as well as she did.

Kace gave him his head and let him lead. He brought them up the hillside so Kace leaned forward and threaded her fingers through his mane as the climbed the steep hill. The rhythm of the climb dissipated her thoughts as she focused on her seat. With a powerful burst, they reached the top which opened up to a grove of trees and then beyond that grove from the top of the hill she could see a fence line and on the other side sat a group of cabins. She had ridden to Heartland.

A small smile made its way onto her face and a wave of what almost felt like shyness overcame her as she pointed Kota down towards the grove. Kace hadn't seen Caleb since that night though they had talked over the phone every day since then it wasn't the same as actually seeing him in person. Caleb lit a fire to her senses and she didn't know why or how someone could have that effect on her.

When she dropped down into the grove and came off the hill the cabins were no longer visible but she knew the direction she was in so she weaved in and out of trees and ducked to avoid low branches that seemed to have a vendetta against her. One even snagged her cheek and drew a sharp red line which bled. Kace scoffed in annoyance but she didn't bother to wipe it away because her sleeves were filthy.

There were only a few pairs grazing through the grove and most of them stayed close to the hill where all of the others were on the other side. The closer she got to the Dude Ranch the less she saw.

The redhead didn't think there would be anyone there besides clients. There was no point in going so close but Kace kept going anyway. She decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to check the fence line. It gave her an excuse to be so close. She didn't need one but it made her feel better having it.

Through the aspens she glided, vanishing and reappearing when the grass and bushes made her visible. If anyone were watching they would have thought they were seeing a ghost. A relic of a time long gone. Kota's mostly white hair made him all that more haunting.

Kace didn't even think anything close to that though. She was too busy pushing away branches The young woman was surprised by the thickness of the trees and shrubs. It made her concern grow to the state of the fence. She couldn't imagine Lou letting the fence upkeep be forgotten.

Soon enough she reached the fence line. It occurred to Kace then that she had never actually seen the dude ranch up close before. Sure, she had heard all of the stories behind Lou's masterpiece but she had never actually seen it firsthand. It was actually very impressive. Lou had created a masterpiece. It looked like it came straight out of a magazine.

The fence line she was on was made from wooden posts and close to her sat a tepee. There were three cabins, each one decked out to the nines. The horses were kept in a corral to the side and behind and past the cabins was a large lake which the sun reflected off of. It was beautiful. The type of beautiful that couldn't fully be appreciated over a weekend.

Movement caught her eyes and like a hawk, her eyes zeroed in. The air from her lungs was stolen from her as she watched Caleb make his way to her. She hadn't thought that he would be there, yet he was. His long legs took purposeful strides and that beacon of a smile made her heart, ache. He had spotted her.

A shy smile made it's way onto her face as the cowboy shouted her name and took off in a jog towards her. Her heart soared and a sudden tightness she hadn't realized she had been feeling released with an exhale.

He pointed down further along the fence line and Kace moved Kota forward to where he had gestured. The redhead followed the fence line until it ended on the road and a gate hung. She went to swing her leg over to open it but Caleb was there already swinging it wide open with one of his charming smiles and a witty one-liner.

When Kace was through the gate and officially on the Heartland ranch she jumped down off of Kota and reached into her leather saddle bag to pull out a halter.

They began walking towards the horses with an easy conversation. She had missed him and felt a calm wash over her by just being in his presence. Quickly the question passed through her mind, she wondered if he felt the same if her very presence made him feel an intensity with everything.

"So all the boys are on a crazy fishing trip, huh?" she questioned while replacing Kota's bridle with the halter and tying him to the hitching post. She loosened his cinches so he could be more relaxed.

"Yep, I'll be surprised if at least one of them doesn't come back with a black eye," Caleb smirked.

"I'm sure it will be a great bonding experience for them all," there was a hint of sarcasm in her voice that had Caleb snickering.

"Well, I'm just glad Ty is getting out of here for a bit. He's good at fooling everyone with that poker face of his, but I can see through him." he scratched Kota's neck.

Kace's brows furrowed as she worried over Ty. Scott and he had been through quite the ordeal. She had seen Scott in town when she had gone running errands. He had a cane and seemed to be struggling to get around but his smile was present, albeit a little forced.

"How's everyone else handling it?"

"Well, from what I've seen petty good. Amy not so much. She's taking it pretty hard."

He looked away before locking his gaze with her. His blue eyes were intense and without meaning to her green eyes widened as she looked up through her lashes to meet his gaze.

"Ty and Amy are soul mates. They just fit each other. I can't imagine how hard it would be to lose that. I hope I never find out." Caleb gave her a soft smile one she hadn't quite seen before, it almost seemed.. sad.

"Me too. I'm just glad that they found Scott and Ty."

Kace had never really heard him speak about things like that before, soul mates and all that stuff. She didn't know he believed in soul mates or even love but it made her heart do a little stutter and a warm feeling fill her. On the base of that was the stupid worry as to whether or not he thought they were soulmates. It was a stupid thing to wonder seeing as they had only kissed once and they hadn't known each other as long as Ty and Amy had.

It hurt to think that there was a possibility that he didn't think of her that way. It made her feel small and insignificant. On the flip side to that was thinking he thought of her as his one and only and that made her happier than it probably should have. She would have saved herself so much trouble if she would just stay out of her head.

"What are you doing tonight?" Caleb pulled her from her thoughts.

"Hm, let me think," she looked off with a grin before swinging her head back around to look at him. "Schedule is clear."

"Good, I'm taking you out on a date."

Crimson colored her cheeks and she swore her face was burning hotter than the sun in a very unflattering way.

"Cool," she said with a shy grin.

There was a quiet pause. Kace could feel his gaze on her and she thought of him kissing her; of that moment by the lake.

"Hey, Kace,"

"Yeah," she looked up at him under the brim of her hat and she admired his blue eyes and the stubble that covered his jaw.

"What's your favorite flower?"

"Indian paintbrushes," she spoke with a smile.

Caleb threw his head back with a little chuckle and he shook his head. The cowboy grabbed her hand and pulled him to his chest before giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Butterflies flew in her stomach as she felt the stubble she had been admiring scratch her freckle-dusted face. It was rough like sandpaper but she liked it. Kace liked him.

"I better get back to work," she whispered though she had no desire to do so. She would rather have just spent her time with the man that was taking over almost every thought in her mind.

"Yeah, Lou would have my head if she were to see me right now," he grinned.

Kace laughed as he stared down at her in his arms with a grin.

"I guess I better let you go now, huh?"

"Probably," she smirked as he tightened his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to where their bodies were flush against each other.

Kace knew for a fact her face was red. She was growing accustomed to it. It was inevitable around Caleb but she didn't mind. She just liked being around him. He made her feel like she had finally found someone made of the same stuff as her. He was a wanderer and so was she and yet they had found each other.

With one last tight hug, Caleb released her to go back into the woods with her horse where she had come from.

When Caleb showed up at her trailer with his hand wrapped around several Indian paintbrushes Kace about cried.

He was dressed in some of his nicer clothes with a dark brown sweatshirt to keep the cold breeze at bay. Kace noticed how well the brown complimented his blue eyes. Her heart thudded in her chest as she took the flowers from his hand and invited him in.

Kace didn't have a vase so she grabbed a glass from a cupboard and filled it with water before placing the red tipped oddly shaped wildflowers in it. Later she would dry and press them to preserve them and the memory of whatever the night had in store.

The redhead brushed her nervous hands on her dark jeans to wipe the water that had found its way onto her hands from filling the cup. She also wore a sweater but hers was patterned and made of wool. It had cost her a pretty penny but she had little regrets.

"So what do you have planned for us," Kace asked as they made their way to his maroon truck.

"A road trip. We won't be back till later," Caleb opened the passenger door for her.

"A road trip? To anywhere particular?"

"I guess you'll see when we get there," he said with a mischievous grin.

"I guess I will," she fired back with a laugh.

They drove for hours and passed through Hudson then two other towns that Kace didn't bother paying attention to. The truck was warm and smelled of leather and the tree pine car scent that hung from his rearview mirror. Caleb kept his truck clean and tidy like always.

The truck was full of the sound of laughter and songs of all genres Kace had nearly died of laughter while going through the CDs he kept neatly in a case. She had always thought she had a wide assortment of strange music but when she found a Brittany Spears album she knew she wasn't the only one.

So an hour later and a few replays of "Oops I did it again" Kace felt happier than any other time she could think of. Especially with his hand threaded through hers and that smile, he kept swinging at her.

I love him

The sun was sinking low when they pulled into an empty rodeo ground parking lot and Kace raised her eyebrows and shot a look towards the driver.

"You brought me to a random arena," she questioned as the bother stepped out of the truck.

"I did. But not just any arena. The arena where I fell in love with riding broncs." He shot her a look that held a coy grin but she could see through his guise. He was nervous.

Kace watched as Caleb opened the back door and pulled out several blankets and a cooler. She took the blankets from him with a questioning gaze but she was patient and could wait for him to surprise her with whatever it was he was scheming.

"What do you mean," she asked as they walked to the entrance.

"This was where I rode my first bronc." Kace then realized the importance of what he was doing. He was sharing one of his most treasured places in all of the world with her. It was humbling, to say the least.

The arena wasn't very large and had more of a small local feel to it. There was a track that ran around the grounds and stalls that sat off to the side. All around them were fields and a local road on one side that barely any cars passed by on. It was quiet, just how Kace liked it.

Instead of taking them to the stands Caleb took them to the up to the announcer's booth. Kace was surprised when he opened the door without having to unlock it.

It was pretty run down on the inside and probably had been built when the town had been founded it was that old. But in spite of the old run down atmosphere, there was an energy to place had history and by the beaming look on Caleb's face, it was easy to tell he was a part of the stories the place could tell.

Kace looked out the window where she could see down into the arena She imagined a young Caleb in the shoots, face white with nerves as he looked down at the horse he was going to be riding. The crowds cheering when he and the horse sprung at and went bounding down parallel to the stands. The proud look on his dirt covered face as he picked himself off the dirt and found his hat. She smiled at her imagination.

"His name was Moon Rocket. He was a bay with a white face and crazy blue eyes. He put me in the dirt before I knew what was happening. I was fourteen," Caleb stood beside her with his hands shoved into his pockets, reminiscing.

The golden hues of the sunset lit his face in a picturesque way. She wished she had a camera better than the one on her flip phone and vowed the first moment she could she'd go into town and buy a camera. no matter how cheap or expensive it was.

"Must be strange, being back here," Kace said lowly, afraid to break the peaceful feeling.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "Yeah, it really is."

"Thank you for showing me this. This place must mean a lot to you," She spoke sincerely.

"It does, but so do you."

The redhead melted, her cheeks hot and her heart stuttering. She reached out and wrapped one arm around his waist so she could lean into him and they could stare at the sunset.

"After that, I just knew I was doing what I was supposed to like being on that ride was where I belonged. I loved it. Love it. And this is where it all started."

Kace wondered what her life would have been like if he hadn't ridden that day. She knew that fate had a way of grabbing you no matter what and if rodeo was really his calling then there was nothing he could have done to avoid it. But still, she felt grateful to that arena and Moon Rocket, the big bay bronc.

With that thought in mind, she reached her right hand up to touch his stubbled cheek. He looked at her then, surprised before bringing his lips down to meet hers.

Her second kiss was less clumsy than her fist but still new. Caleb led them with his experience, something she was thankful for. She wondered if they were soulmates. If God was looking down on them with a smile as he watched there story come together.

"You really are something, Kace."

"So are you Caleb O'delicious," she smirked at the nickname Mallory had told her about. He laughed and grinned.

They laid down the blankets and formed a makeshift bed before Caleb grabbed the cooler and pulled out a brown bag full of fries and hamburgers from Maggie's along with a few Coors Banquets.

"Here, I even brought mayonnaise so you could make that weird stuff," he handed her the ketchup and mayo packets.

"You mean fry sauce," Kace laughed from her seat on the ground beside him.

"You and your weird Idaho customs," he chuckled.

"You're just jealous that Alberta couldn't come up with something so magnificent," she teased with sauce covered hands from mixing her concoction.

"You wish."

"More like, I know."

Kace and he spent the night like that. Telling funny stories and laughing over silly things. When the sun had been down for hours and the beers had been drunk they laid down looking out the window at the stars.

The redhead was content and felt warm even with the cool draft that came through the poorly insulated announcer's stadium. She then realized she hadn't drunk since that fateful night when her sister exited her life.

With a bittersweet strange feeling, she knew she was opening a chapter in her life and maybe even moving on more than she had. Maybe it was because of Caleb that she felt as if she could face her demons, she wasn't sure. All she was sure of was his arms wrapped around her pulling her in close to him. Kace was safe and protected.

Wow, it's been a minute! So much has happened in my life since I last updated. Too much to write down in this little ending paragraph I always do. I missed you guys though and hopefully, you'll enjoy this chapter. :) I don't want to make promises but updates should come along a lot more smoothly. Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying the Holidays. Thank you for sticking with me.

GKB: Thank you for your review!

hayhay196: Oh my goodness, I'm so glad you're enjoying my Caleb/oc. I noticed there wasn't a whole lot of stories so spontaneously I started writing this one :)

tyikamicalacia: Thank you! I don't have a whole lot of experience writing romance so I'm glad you're liking it :)

Guest: Thank you :) I'm going to really try and be more frequent with my updates.