Page 53 of Wild Heart

Davey moved like a man possessed, hauling crates of supplies, clearing branches, running between teams with a kind of rigid determination that masked the turmoil inside him. He hadn’t forgiven. Not yet. But he had shown up. That was something. And yet, beneath it all, questions burned. Would the fire be enough to melt the walls they'd built between them? Or would it only harden them further?

Mason arrived mid-morning from the northern trail. Hisarm was bandaged, his clothes soot-stained, but his eyes were sharp. He nodded at Olivia in passing. Their exchange was brief, an acknowledgment without words.

When he spotted Natalie near the wreckage of the fence, he hesitated. She hadn’t spoken to him since the night before. But as if sensing him, she turned.

Their eyes met. She didn’t smile. But she didn’t look away either.

"We need to start with the eastern quadrant," she said, her voice rough.

He stepped forward. "I’ll take the lower posts. You direct the rebuild."

It wasn’t forgiveness. But it was a beginning. By midday, a local contractor had arrived with replacement fencing materials. A group of high school students from a nearby county brought portable generators and hot meals. A pair of wildlife rehabbers from out of town drove six hours to assist with the more fragile animals.

It was more than they could have hoped for. In the afternoon, a spontaneous meeting formed beneath the old oak by the visitor center, volunteers, residents, sanctuary staff, and representatives from local conservation groups. Folding chairs were dragged into a circle. Olivia, pale and visibly spent, took the center with a blanket around her shoulders.

“This fire could’ve ended everything,” she said. “But instead, it showed us what we can do when we come together.”

There were murmurs of agreement. A few heads bowed. Some wiped tears from smoke-rimmed eyes.

Natalie stepped forward next. “We won’t rebuild what we had. We’ll build something better. Stronger. A sanctuary that reflects what we’ve learned and who we are now. We’ve seen how fast everything can change. Let’s make this place one that endures.”

Applause followed. Quiet, respectful. But it built. As the meeting broke apart into smaller conversations and task groups, Davey stood on the edge of the crowd, watching. His hands were clenched at his sides, not with anger anymore but with uncertainty.

Then Mason approached him. Not close. Just enough.

“I don’t expect you to forgive your Mom quickly,” he said. “But just so you know, this time I’m not going anywhere.”

Davey looked at him, his expression unreadable. “I’m glad,” he said at last. Then turned back to work.

Despite the hopeful tone of the afternoon meeting, the air between Mason, Natalie, and Olivia remained brittle, like cracked glass ready to shatter with the wrong word.

Later that day, as the sun dipped low and cast long gold slants across the ruined grounds, Natalie stood alone by the supply tent, arms folded tightly around herself. She’d thrown herself into rebuilding efforts, moving with relentless focus. But when she paused, even for a breath, the weight of what had changed settled over her again.

Her hands were raw from hauling lumber. Her throat ached from smoke and unspoken words. But it wasn’t the fire damage she couldn’t shake. It was the silence between her and Mason. The way his voice had sounded when he called her name. The way Olivia had looked at her, ashamed but unrepentant. The world had been shifted by the truth.

Mason approached from the west trail, hesitant. His footsteps slowed when he saw her, and for a long moment he didn’t speak. The wind stirred ash in little eddies at his feet, like ghosts circling him.

“You’ve been working nonstop,” he finally said, gently.

“I can’t sleep,” she replied, her voice low.

He nodded. "Neither can I."

Natalie turned toward him then, eyes ringed with exhaustionand something else, something more fragile. Her gaze flickered to the bandage still wrapped around his arm.

“Mason, I don’t know what to think. What we were before the fire, before the truth... it’s rocked me."

He stepped closer, but she took a half step back, folding her arms tighter. Her body was a wall, solid and closed.

“I love you,” he said. “That hasn’t changed.”

She shook her head. “But it has. You kept something from me, something that changes everything. Every conversation, every quiet moment we shared... you knew the whole time that you’d slept with Olivia.”

“I swear, I didn’t think about it once, not in all the years since I came back and especially not while I was with you. Why would I?”

Natalie’s voice cracked, her words barely above a whisper. “I need to believe that’s true.”

She paused, eyes swimming with emotion, and her voice dropped again. “You know what hurts the most? My husband cheated on me, Mason. He looked me in the eyes for months and made me believe I was the only one, when he had someone else waiting in the shadows.”

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