Another side of Heartland

Chapter 30

-Mallory-

I must have fallen asleep on our drive home because the next thing I remember is waking up when Caleb turned onto the gravel road. "Morning sleepy head" I smiled at Caleb and stretched unbuckling my seatbelt.

We pulled into the ranch yard and I hopped out of the truck heading to the barn when Caleb grabbed me and spun me towards him. I yelped but I flung my arms around him looking into his eyes. Caleb leaned down and pecked my lips "I love you" he said squeezing me. "I'm going to go start a fire in the house so that it will warm up and then I'll come help you do chores okay?" I nodded and stood on my tip toes and kisses his lips 'meet you in the barn' I turned to head to the barn and Caleb smacked my ass before turning and headed to the house.

Once I got to the barn I slid the door open and was greeted by several wickers. I grabbed for the water hose and started down the barn ally filling water buckets as I went. Once I got to the end and everyone had full buckets I felt the hose being tugged and I looked back to see Caleb coiling the hose up. I dropped the hose and pointed up to the loft telling Caleb that I was headed up to toss hay down. I climbed up into the loft and chucked large chunks of hay down into the stalls that were occupied. Once I chucked the last flakes of hay I climbed back down the ladder to see Caleb scooping up grain. I noticed a note on the Chalkboard.

"I stopped by but nobody was home except Badger and I told him but he left with Scott while I was here so I'm leaving this note. I checked my cows and looked at Amy's while I was out that way too. Both hay carts were 1/2 full so they are good for the next day. Thanks Tim"

I read the note to Caleb and he fist pumped the air at not having to fill up a hay cart this evening. I laughed at him and grabbed the buckets for the left side of the barn and he grabbed to buckets for the right side and we walked down the ally dumping grain.

"I'll clean the stalls if you'll go make something for dinner?" Caleb offered when we got to the end of the grain.

I stroked my imaginary beard pretending to actually consider it before laughing and kissing his cheek and heading to the house.
I trudged through the mud up to the house, I pulled my boots and jeans off on the porch and then scrambled inside heading to the washing machine. I dumped all of my clothes into the washer and then ran into my room and slid on one of Caleb's hoodies and a pair of yoga pants before heading back to the kitchen and looking around.
I pulled a package of hamburger meat out of the freezer and sat it in the sink running the water across it while I filled up a pot and sat it on the stove to boil. Spaghetti it is.

I was pouring the sauce into the pan with the cooked hamburger when I heard Caleb come in the house and I told him to add his clothes to mine in the machine and start it. 20 minutes later while I was draining the pasta Caleb walked into the kitchen wearing his pajamas. Glancing at the clock I saw that it was only 7 and I laughed. "We're quite the old couple huh?" I said jokingly as I pored the pasta into a bowl with some olive oil. 'Well chores are done and I'm not planning on going anywhere and nobody is home so we might as well enjoy it' I nodded and grabbed two plates out of the cabinet and Caleb grabbed two bottles of water and sat them on the island.
I dished up our spaghetti and headed to the living room and sat on the floor in front of the fire. Caleb followed me with the water and some napkins sitting next to me.
We ate out spaghetti in comfortable silence just enjoying being together.
We put our dishes away and settled onto the couch turning on the tv. There was a baby commercial on the tv for something and I awwed watching it. "Do you want kids?" Caleb asked and I nodded before I ever even looked at him 'yes, more than one. It's lonely being an only child' Caleb nodded and looked at me "do you?" I asked suddenly worried that maybe my reply wasn't what he wanted.
'Yes I do. At least two maybe three. Ashley never wanted kids.' I frowned "I'm sorry that things didn't work out with Ashly for you" 'I'm not Mallory, if things had worked out with her I wouldn't be here with you. We weren't good for each other Mallory. Not in the long run. I loved her. But in the first love kind of way not the deep meaning forever kind of way and we just jumped too soon into a life we weren't ready for.' I nodded and was thinking about what he said. My thoughts were going a mile a minute when he put his had on my cheek and turned my face to his. 'I love you Mallory, not in the same way I loved Ashley. I can see a life with you, a future. I know we've only been together a few months but somebody told me once that when you know you know. And I've never believed that more than I do now. I know your younger and I'm not going to rush or pressure you into anything your not ready for but I also know that you know the difference in first love and what we have. You had different things with Jake and Badger and maybe they weren't as intense as Ashly and I but I think you know the difference. I will be right here by your side for as long as you want me to be. If that happens to be forever... well I certainly won't complain.' Caleb finished his speech and I didn't have the words to explain how I was feeling. I simply crawled into his lap and wrapped my arms around him. "I love you Caleb O'dell"
Caleb wrapped his arms around me and we just sat there like that with the fire cracking in the background and the mundane hum of the tv, but all I could hear was Caleb's heartbeat under my ear thumping steadily as his chest rose and fell with each breath and my eyes began to droop before slipping into a comfortable sleep.