Page 81 of Wilder Heart

“What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

“Well. It’s the damnedest thing. Billy just woke me up. Said he caught Wilder leaving.”

“Leaving,” Cash repeated, certain he misheard.

“Leaving the ranch. According to Billy, Wilder said he couldn’t stand being here anymore. Said he didn’t want to stay and lit out of town.”

“But…” No, that couldn’t be right. Wilder wouldn’t just leave without saying anything. Not just because of their relationship, either. Wilder had obligations. Cash scrabbled for them,desperately seeking a reason why Wilder would have tostay. “No, what about his parole?”

“He’s allowed to move if he gives his parole officer notice, Cash.”

“Well, where is he? He can’t be gone already. He just left the damn hospital a half hour ago.”

“Billy said he drove him to the bus stop.”

Cash stood mechanically. “I’m going.”

“I figured you would. That’s why I called. What the hell happened there? I thought things were good with y’all.”

“I thought so, too, but he took a couple of hits tonight. Metaphorical ones, I mean.”

“I understand. Go find him. Bring him home, if you can. If anybody can, it’s you.”

Cash hung up and rushed from the cafeteria.

He didn’t go back to the maternity ward. Instead, he typed a quick text to Lain letting him know he had to leave for a little while, and he’d be back before they were discharged from the hospital. They’d keep Mary-Beth for at least another day, maybe two, and the boys would have to spend a little time in the NICU since they were premature. He had plenty of time.

Riding through town on the hunt for a single man with an empty cattle trailer wasn’t ideal, but he didn’t want to waste time dropping it off back at the ranch. The first thing he did was head for the bus stop. There was only one Greyhound that came to Roselake, and as far as he knew, it didn’t make any stops there at night. If Wilder went there, he was either waiting in the bus stop lobby or he walked to the nearest motel.

There was no sign of Wilder at the bus stop. The sleepy lobby was completely empty. The main room was unlocked for anyone who wanted to wait or needed the vending machines or bathrooms, but the clerks’ offices were locked up tight, the windows closed and sealed until morning. Wilder couldn’t evenhave bought a ticket yet. To be completely certain, he checked the bus schedule. The first available time in the morning was six AM. If Wilder wanted to get out of town fast, that was when he’d have to do it.

Cash checked his watch. It was 2:47. Just over three hours left.

He stepped out into the cold night air. His breath fogged out in front of him as he glanced up and down the road. Roselake slept with the sun. Only a handful of bars on the other side of town would still be open at this hour. Most of the town closed down when the sun set, or damn near it. There were very few places Wilder could possibly go at this hour.

The nearest motel was the Rose Motel. A relic of a bygone era, it looked like it still belonged in the eighties. Its neon sign was visible from the bus stop. Climbing back into the truck, he headed that way. If Wilder wasn’t there, he’d check the next closest motel. And then the next one. There weren’t that many places to stay in Roselake. He’d search the whole damn town if he had to.

CHAPTER 26

WILDER

Wilder’s duffel sat at his feet. He stared at it, fingers buried in his hair, and thought about what he wanted to do next. A lone lamp lit the room, glowing on the bedside table. The room itself was fine, if a little dated. The green carpet and flowery wallpaper trim left something to be desired, but it wasn’t like he was planning to be here long.

He was trying to convince himself to leave, but he hadn’t counted on how much it wouldhurt. The ranch was home,Cashwas home, and it felt like he’d hollowed out a place inside him for both. Leaving had left him feeling like a raw nerve, exposed and throbbing.

If it was better for him to leave, why did it hurt so bad?

He thought back to the moment Lain and Cash had arrived at Mary-Beth’s room. Thereliefhe’d felt when Cash entered the room nearly took him out at the knees. It had taken all his concentration not to lean into his friendly touch and give everything away. He’d never felt a connection to another human being like that before. Being with Cash made him feel happiness he’d never known existed.

He loved him, and he sucked down a broken, hitching breath as it hit him. Was he really willing to walk away from that?

Cash’s voice came to him as though he were in the room. ‘Aren’t there things you wish you could say to him? Things you sat in that cell and dwelled on foreight years?’

Yes, there were things he wanted to say to Lain, but more important things heneededto say to Cash. Maybe there was no hope for them if Wilder wasn’t welcome at the ranch anymore, but he owed it to both of them to try.

He could go back, say his piece to Lain and tell Cash how he felt, and then no matter what happened, at least he’d have closure.

Questionable decision made at last, he straightened with a sigh. He’d been hunched forward for so long that his back ached.

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