Page 72 of Captivated

Dad released him. “Ready to go home?”

Nate blinked. “Huh?”

He pushed the hair back from Nate’s forehead. “Mr. Omerod called here about ten minutes ago. They’re not pressing charges.” Dad’s voice grew quiet. “They just want this to go away.”

Of course they do.

Nate collected his phone in silence, then followed his dad out of City Hall to where he’d left the car. The sky was pink andpurple, the color of twilight at the edge of a new day. They got into the car and Nate fastened his seatbelt. Seconds passed, and his dad made no move to start the engine.

At last, Dad broke the silence. “Look, I know you must have gone there for a very good reason. I won’t ask what that was. But what Idowant to know is, did you get what you needed?” His voice was gentle.

Nate shook his head. “No. But I said what I had to.” And maybe that was enough to help him move on.

Mark’s chapter was finished, the book closed.

Nate was ready for a new one.

“Where’s your car?”

“Still at the Omerods.” Not that he was in any state to drive it.

“Then let’s get you home and into bed. You need to sleep. We’ll deal with the car tomorrow. It’s only an hour’s drive to here.” Dad cocked his head. “Do the folks at Salvation know where you are?”

Nate shook his head. “I left without telling anyone.” He felt bad about that.

“So should I call Robert and cancel the rest of your stay there?”

His heartbeat raced. “No. Let me grab a few hours’ sleep, and then you can bring me to my car and I’ll head back to Montana.”

Dad frowned. “Don’t think you have to do this on my account. If you?—”

Nate laid his hand on Dad’s arm. “I want to go back. Until yesterday, I was doing better than I’d believed possible. Salvation…” He swallowed. “You were right, Dad. It’s a special place. And I don’t want to cut my visit short.”

Not now.

Confronting Mark’s parents had been painful, but at the same time, it had been a cathartic experience, and Nate wanted to build on that.

“They’re going to have a lot of questions, you know that, right?”

Nate knew Dad was referring to the folks at the ranch.

“I know.” He expelled a breath. “And maybe now I’m ready to answer them.”

He owed them that much.

More than anything, he owed Zeeb an explanation.He needs to know.

What shocked Nate was that he wanted to tell him.

Chapter Twenty-One

July 22, 2024

Zeeb wasout of the bunkhouse before he’d had his first cup of coffee, clutching the bag containing Nate’s breakfast. The rest of the hands were only just stirring.

I hope he’s okay.

It had been a night of restlessness and thoughts that had plagued him. More than once, he’d resisted the urge to drive to the cabin.

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