Revenge on the Ranch by Carla Cassidy

Author:Carla Cassidy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-04-30T12:36:11+00:00

Chapter Seven

Carrie followed Caleb through the barn and into the doorway of his apartment, a small room with a single bed and a chest of drawers. There was a doorway that she assumed went into a bathroom and a curtain, behind which she assumed he hung his clothes. The whole area smelled of booze, weed, oil paint and turpentine.

An easel in the corner held a large blank canvas. “Looks like you’re getting ready to start on a new one,” she said.

“Yeah, I finished my last one three days ago.”

“How long does it generally take you from start to finish on a painting?” she asked. She was aware that this was a huge moment, and she had no idea what to expect. Luke had told her Caleb spent a lot of time in the woods taking pictures of flowers and that he’d never shown his paintings to anyone except Leroy.

She had to be careful what she said and how she acted in order for Caleb to be completely comfortable with her. She knew what information Luke wanted her to get out of him and she’d do her best, but she couldn’t push it.

“Usually, it takes me three to four days per painting, but then it takes several days for me to fill my creative well again,” he replied. He gestured her toward the bed. “Have a seat.”

“Thanks.” She sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. The sheet that covered the mattress appeared dingy and gray. There was no top sheet or bedspread.

“My painting has always been my therapy. My dad didn’t understand me, and he didn’t like me very much. He thought I was useless because I didn’t want to work on the ranch like Johnny and Luke. He didn’t understand the dreams I had for myself.”

“Oh, Caleb, I’m sure your father loved you very much.”

He cast her a crooked smile. “Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure he didn’t. Anyway, this is one of the paintings I intend to be in my show.” He went behind the curtain and returned with a small painting of a single flower. Dewdrops glistened on the reddish-pink petals, and each leaf was painted in exquisite detail.

“Oh, Caleb, it’s stunning,” she exclaimed. “I never dreamed you were so talented.”

“Thanks, Carrie.” He smiled at her, obviously pleased.

“This is part of a collection just titled Nature. It’s a group of painting that are mostly flowers. Then I have another collection entitled Feelings.”

“Could I see something from that collection?” she asked. She was genuinely impressed by his work.

“Uh...okay.” He disappeared behind the curtain once again, and when he reappeared he had two larger paintings in his hands. Carrie caught her breath, hoping he didn’t see her complete shock.

She’d been expecting more greenery and flowers, but these paintings were abstracts in bold black and reds. The strokes were strong and more like slashes. The paintings portrayed violence and anger, and she found them deeply disturbing.

“So, what do you think?” Caleb’s pale blue eyes held her gaze intently.

“I think it’s obvious they are filled with a lot of emotion,” she replied slowly.

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