Page 37 of Bear's Heart

Bear hadn’t.Confused, Bear reread the text.What was Jimmy saying?That Noah was missing, or that Noah was maybe involved in the pileup?

His hands trembled slightly, something they’d never done before his accident, making texting challenging.Giving up on typing the words, Bear called Jimmy.“When was Noah supposed to arrive in Pendleton?”

“Yesterday.”Jimmy sounded tired and hoarse.“He’d planned to arrive by three at the latest.”

“When was the last time anyone heard from him?”

“Yesterday morning.Noah called Pete from the road and said he was making good time and should be in Oregon around eleven thirty, and at the fairgrounds by three.”

“He was definitely driving the 84 then.”

“Yes.”

A sickening heaviness filled Bear’s gut.“And no one has heard from him since then?”Bear persisted.

“Not that I know of.”

Bear held his breath, wanting to imagine other alternatives.Perhaps Noah’s truck had overheated, or he’d needed to be towed for a repair.Maybe Noah had lost his phone.Maybe he’d caught a stomach bug and had pulled over at one of the highway rest stops…

But even if one of those was true, Noah would still communicate.Noah was the most reliable, responsible person Bear had ever known.“It doesn’t sound good,” Bear said at length.

“No, it doesn’t,” Jimmy agreed.

“Keep me in the loop.”

“I will.”

In his bedroom, Bear stripped and wheeled into the bathroom, the doorway wider.The painters had applied a primary coat to the new door and frame and had touched up the baseboards and filled the hole, but still needed to return to give a final coat, but they were waiting for Bear to move out to do it.

After a shower, he dressed and took his iPad into the kitchen where he filled a glass with water and pulled up the Highway 84 tragedy on his device, reading every article he could.He poured over the facts, and since it’d been over a day since the accident, the details were clearer.It was estimated that between forty-five and fifty vehicles had been involved, including seven big rigs, but investigators were working on the exact numbers, which was proving challenging do to the fiery explosion from the tanker and semitrucks.The freeway was still closed in both directions and probably wouldn’t reopen for another forty-eight hours, if not longer.

Bear called Noah.No answer.He texted him and waited, pacing restlessly in the kitchen, rolling back and forth, turning sharply, to roll the opposite direction.

Noah would answer.Noah had to answer.He’d talked to Noah just a few weeks ago and everything was going well for him.He was having his best year on the circuit in years, winning big money, gaining new sponsors, and he and Savannah were going strong, too.Noah rarely mentioned Savannah, and Bear didn’t ask, but Bear had been glad for Noah, glad that Noah, who had once been one of his best friends, was doing well.Noah deserved to be happy.

Bear rolled backwards until he bumped into the refrigerator and sat motionless, thoughts tangled, pulse racing.He felt sick, nauseous, exhausted.There were just too many accidents, too many tragedies, too many deaths.

Noah had to be okay.And just like that, Bear thought of Mick, Noah’s dog, an Australian Shepherd mix that usually went everywhere Noah would go.Had he been in the truck at the time?And what about the horses?

Part of Bear didn’t want to know more, but another part of him had to know.

The person who might have the answers was Savannah.She was also the last person Bear thought he’d ever call, but in light of the tragedy, he couldn’t not reach out.

Savannah answered after the third ring.“Bear,” she said, her voice pitched low, husky with emotion.“You’ve heard the news.”

“What have you heard?”

“The sherriff’s office called an hour ago.They’ve identified Noah’s truck and trailer, and Noah, too.”Her voice cracked and she pushed herself to continue.“He had his wallet on him.He made it easy for them.His dad is going to fly to Boise to recover his remains.”

Bear held his breath, trying to wrap his head around the news.After an endless silence he forced himself to speak.“How are you?”

She laughed, the sound strangled.“Terrible.”

“I am so sorry, Savannah.”

“Me, too.And now I have a dog—”

“You have Mick?”

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