Page 65 of Ember Meadow
At this rate, Codie is going to win this round any second now and Parker will be joining us sooner than we thought. If I wasn’t so competitive I might not care, but I really am bummed I’m not dominating in darts right now. That’s the best part of going to the one bar in town back in Juniper Ridge with Hazel and Wade. I always win.
“What brings you in here tonight, Parker?” I ask, turning back to the dartboard to take another shot at the number twelve. Another miss. This time, my dart bounces off the wall next to the board, which is thankfully already covered in holes from similar shots.
“Just early to meet some of the guys from the ranch for a drink. Miles has been gone all week so I’m in charge of the hooligans we call cowboys. You don’t happen to know where he is, do you?”
I swallow, trying not to read into the fact that not even his best friend knows where he is. “No, I haven’t heard from him either.”
Parker must not notice my shaky voice. He chuckles, “I hope he’s somewhere relaxing for once. The guy deserves a vacation every once in a while, instead of moping around the ranch taking his frustrations out on us. Just because he’s divorced doesn’t mean he’s dead.”
My stomach drops the rest of the way to the floor, every bit of my buzz from earlier gone in an instant. “What did you just say?” I whirl back around to see Parker’s eyes go wide and panicked at the look on my face, which I’m sure is pure shock.
“I didn’t say anything,” he says, looking over to Codie for a save.
I follow his glance, over to a very awkward looking Codie. Unless she’s the best actress in the entire world, she doesn’t seem surprised. Not at all.
“What did he say?” I ask her.
“I’m sorry, Kate, I thought you knew he was married,” Parker apologizes, jumping up from his stool and wrapping a hand around my shoulder. But it’s too late, I’m already two steps away, my feet feeling like they’re going to slip out from under me.
Married.
Miles was married. At least it’s past-tense, I guess. How could he not tell me this? This is a huge, important thing. A thing everyone knew but me. Do I know him at all? I thought I did. We shared stories from our childhoods, about our families, I told him about my bad dates, my worst times with my parents.
Now that I think about it, he didn’t tell me anything about his adult life after high school. There’s about a ten year gap he avoided completely, right up until I met him. I thought he’d just been working at the ranch, spending time with Parker and the ranch hands, dealing with his dad’s illness.
But he was married. To a person. His friends knew her. My new friends knew her.
He probablyproposedto her. Probably stood up in front of their families and recited vows. His parents knew her. She was their daughter-in-law.
“When?” I croak out, surprised I’m still upright. My knees have started to shake despite my efforts to stay steady.
“What?” Codie says from my other side.
I look up into her eyes, now full of worry. I must look like an absolute wreck. “When was he married?”
“I think you should talk to him about it, hon.” Codie leads me over to a stool, a hand on my shoulder. “It’s not our story to tell. I didn’t mean to hide it from you, I just figured he already told you. You’ve known each other a while now.”
“Well, he didn’t,” I say. Tears cloud my vision. “I’m sorry, I just need to go. I can’t be here. I know it’s not your fault, thanks for everything.” I throw my purse over my shoulder, checking my pockets for my phone.
“Aw, Katie, please don’t leave, I’m really sorry. It’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Parker rushes to my side as I walk towards the front of the bar, his voice shaky.
I turn towards him, offering him a watery smile. “It’s fine, really. I’m not mad, just a little confused. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’ll see you soon.” I pat his arm, leaving him rooted in his spot. His usual sunny smile turned upside down.
Blood rushes in my ears as I walk to my car outside of the bar as fast as I can. I suppose I never thought I knew everything about Miles. He keeps things pretty close to the vest when it comes to his personal life. It’s not like we’re together.
But maybe I don’t know him at all. First he leaves for days without a word, and now I find out he’s been withholding this? It’s all too much.
Rain drops sting my face as I walk down the narrow sidewalk of the crowded street. The open sky has changed from a light gray overcast to dark thunderstorm clouds while I’ve been inside the Alpine Rose. I rush to my car, slamming the door behind me once I’m inside.
A boom of thunder that sounds like it’s right above me echoes through the mountain-surrounded valley, startling me at least an inch out of my seat.
The ignition fires up and I don’t hesitate to immediately pull out onto the road towards Lone Pine Ranch. The rain has picked up, washing down my windshield and pooling up on the road. People rush into buildings along the streets to find cover.
By the time I make it to the dirt road to the ranch, my mind is no longer on Miles. I’m strictly thinking about survival. The wind has picked up, pine trees swaying violently outside of the blurry windshield.
No matter how high I turn my windshield wipers on, I’m having trouble seeing out of my car at all in this storm. The sky is growing darker. As I come up to the turn off for the Old Cabin, it’s gotten so bad I’m not sure I can make it the rest of the way to my guest cabin.
I’ll have to wait out the storm at the cabin, probably in my car, then I can drive the rest of the way once this passes. I’ve never been a big fan of thunderstorms. In Juniper Ridge, a storm disrupts the entire valley. Boats have been tipped over and sunk, buildings and trees regularly hit with lightning. Summer storms are nothing to mess around with in the mountains.
