“I’m good.” Wyatt smiled reassuringly.
She didn’t appear at all relieved. Taking the long way back to the bar, she stopped by the table in the middle of the room to check on the patrons there.
“You should have called to let us know you were coming.”
Wyatt sipped his beer and studied his father.” I got the invitation. I assumed you wanted me here.”
“You didn’t RSVP.”
“And if I had? What would you have said?”
“Yes. For your mother.”
“Then why treat me like you are?”
“Seeing you is…harder than I thought it would be.”
Quite a confession. Wyatt, however, was more interested in what his father didn’t say. “It’s been hard for me, too.”
“You’re the one who left. Took off.” His father glared at him. “As I recall, your last words to me weren’t ‘be sure and stay in touch’.”
No, Wyatt’s last words to his father had been ugly and harsh and the kind a person wants to take back but can’t. “I was angry. With every right.”
“So was I. Angry. And with every right.”
“I didn’t wreck your car, Dad. Jay did.”
His father stared in stony silence at the table, shelling peanut after peanut until a small pile had accumulated.
“Did you hear me, Dad? Jay was driving, not me.” Wyatt cast Paige a quick glance. She was hanging crepe paper streamers on the mirror behind the bar, except she kept dropping the tape dispenser. “If you don’t believe me, Dinah looked up the report from that night. The sheriff noted some discrepancies in the file.”
“I believe you.” Wyatt’s father pushed the bowl of peanuts away as if they suddenly tasted bad. “I know you didn’t cause the crash.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I figured it out. Not right away. A few months later. Once I stopped being so mad, I realized what you kids told us didn’t quite add up. Then, there was the way Jay acted. I talked to Sheriff Locke. He’d retired by then. He told me about the inconsistencies.”
Wyatt sat back, the strangeness of the day intensifying and causing his head to spin. “You didn’t try and contact me after that?”
“Jay’s life had fallen apart. He’d lost his football scholarship. And his dream of playing for the pros afterward college.”
His father’s dream, according to Wyatt’s mother.
“We didn’t have the money to send him to college and his grades weren’t good enough to earn him an academic scholarship. He was lost.”
“Him? What about me?”
“You were competing on the rodeo circuit by then, which is what you wanted.”
Wyatt had been competing. Only he’d have rather done it with the support and approval of his family.
“Then, something happened.” His father’s features relaxed into a smile, the first one Wyatt had seen since before he left. “Kind of a miracle. The whole town pulled together for Jay. He’d always been a local hero of sorts. Church groups, the Rotary Club, the high school, each hosted fund-raisers. They collected enough money to pay for two years at Montana State. Tuition and housing.” Wyatt’s dad finished off his beer and shoved the mug across the table. “Jay took out a student loan for the rest. He was his old self again. I didn’t want to ruin things by telling him I knew he’d caused the accident.”
“How would that have ruined things?” The old jealousy surfaced again, its grip viselike around his throat.
“Jay was already feeling guilty. He’d suffered enough.”
“I suffered, too. Did that ever occur to you?” Wyatt tried to feel sympathy for his brother who had, indeed, taken a serious blow. Except, he couldn’t. The Jay he’d argued with yesterday at the bank wasn’t burdened by an ounce of guilt. “I slept in the back of my truck. For over a year. Ate cold soup and tuna fish from cans.”
“That was your choice. You could have come home any time.”
Just to watch his father, hell, the entire town, support and sacrifice for Jay? No thanks.
“I might have come home. If you’d ever stopped being mad about the car.”
“If you think it was all about the car, you’re not the man I thought you were.”
“What else? The speeding tickets? Staying out late?”
“You hurt your mother when you shut her out. She was never the same after.”
“I called her—”
“Like that was enough.”
His father wasn’t pointing out anything Wyatt hadn’t realized himself during his rehabilitation. Still, it stung.
“You’re right, Dad. And I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t always bad for you. And now you’re a world champion.” A hint of the pride Wyatt’s mother told him about could be heard in his father’s voice.
“Former world champion. That ended last year.” Some of the fight drained from Wyatt. “Did you even want to come see me after the fall? I could have died. I almost did.”
“I do regret that.”
“You might have called.”
“There wasn’t much to say.”
“ How about you knew Jay caused the accident?”
Or, that he was sorry.
His father looked away. “I had a lot going on.”
“Jay again?”
“There’s things you don’t know.”
“I want to start a business here in Roundup,” Wyatt said. “A rodeo school.”
“Jay mentioned it.”
“You could sound a little happier.”
“That would please your mother, certainly.”
“And you?”
“I’d like it,” his father answered hesitantly.
“But?”
“I won’t have you making problems for Jay. The car crash was a long time ago.”
“Everyone believes I was at fault. That I was a no-good kid who gave his parents nothing but grief then ran off.”
“Jay’s head of the town council. He has a reputation to maintain.”
“I have one, too. My clients need to trust me.”
“Are you sure you don’t just want vindication?”
Wyatt stared at his father. What an idiot he’d been to think things could change. “What did Jay ever do to deserve all your love?”
“I don’t love Jay more.”
“Really? It sure looks that way.”
“You’re stronger than him. A survivor. I always knew you’d land on your feet whatever life dealt you.”
“Jay’s done pretty well for himself. I’d say he landed on his feet and then some.”
“He’s broke.”
Wyatt shook his head in confusion. “Broke as in no money?”
“The recession hit him hard. He’d overextended himself financially, then the bottom fell out of the real estate market. You can imagine the loss he suffered.”
“I’m sorry to hear that but—”
“His wife asked for a divorce.” Sorrow shadowed his father’s features. “She’s threatening to leave and take the kids.”
Wyatt exhaled slowly. “That’s a shame.”
“Don’t do this to him now. Not when his entire life is hanging by a thread.”
He thought long and hard. Did Jay have it any worse than Wyatt those first years on the road? Should he shoulder the blame for something he didn’t do just because Jay was going through yet another rough patch?
Dimly aware of the patrons’ stares and of Paige moving out from behind the bar, he pushed to his feet. “No.”
“Listen here—”
“It’s not right, Dad. Jay doesn’t always get to be first.”
“You grew up, son. The hard way, for sure. No one’s taking that away from you.”
“How do you expect Jay to grow up if we don’t let him? If we keep softening the blow.”
Wyatt reached into his pocket for his wallet. Extracting enough to pay for the beers and a generous tip, he tossed the money on the table and abruptly left.
His father didn
’t try and stop him.
“Wyatt, wait!” Paige hurried after him.
He paused at the front door, gripping the handle tight enough to turn his knuckles white.
“Will I see you later?” she asked.
“At seven. For dinner.”
He stepped outside into the bitter cold, the falling snow and icy wind blurring his vision.
At least, that was the reason he told himself.
Chapter Six
Snow fell with such force, the windshield wipers on Paige’s car were mostly useless. She turned the corner onto her street and peered through the white haze. Relief coursed through her when she made out Wyatt’s truck parked in front of her house.
Thank goodness! She’d fought the feeling all day that he would leave after the argument with his father and miss their dinner date tonight.
Who was she kidding? She was worried they’d miss out on a lot more than dinner.
The kiss they shared yesterday had given her a glimpse into the kind of life she and Wyatt could have if he stayed in Roundup.
And there was the key to everything. Him staying.
Well, he was here now, and that was a good sign. He must be having the same feelings as her.
“Mom. Mom!”
“Yeah, sorry honey,” she told Seth. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“You’ve been doing that a lot lately.”
Out of the mouths of babes.
Inside the house, Seth dumped his backpack on the table and raided the refrigerator.
“Don’t eat too much,” Paige warned him. “You have your sleepover tonight.”
“But I’m hungry.”
“Seth.” Her tone spoke volumes.
Paige stalled as long as she could—ten minutes—then fabricated an excuse about checking the motor home’s propane supply.
“Come in,” Wyatt hollered in response to her knock on the door.
She found him sitting at the table, drinking a can of soda and, this didn’t bode well, studying a road map. Worse, his duffel bag sat on the seat across from him, looking freshly packed.
Her hopes, like her stomach, promptly sank.
“Hey.” He flashed her a charming smile, all traces of his argument with his father gone.
“There goes our dinner plans,” she said with a humorless laugh.
At least he had the decency not to lie. “I thought I’d leave after we finished. If the weather breaks.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Paige huddled inside her coat, the warmth from the heater failing to reach her chilled insides.
“Then tomorrow.”
“I see.” She hadn’t realized she was inching toward the door until Wyatt stood and came toward her.
“Paige.”
“Don’t,” she murmured, barely maintaining her composure. No matter how much she wanted differently, this wasn’t going to end well.
He ignored her protest and wound an arm around her waist, drawing her close.. The last of her resistance crumbled when his mouth covered hers in the kind of kiss that came around only once in a lifetime.
She clung to him, murmuring his name as his lips glided down the column of her neck.
Suddenly, he stopped, and Paige braced herself for another incredible kiss.
Just as expected, he knocked her socks off—with his words, not his actions.
“Come with me to Wyoming.”
“What?”
“We can leave tomorrow.”
She drew back. “Are you crazy?”
“Yes. About you.”
Oh, how she’d longed to hear him say that. Only she wasn’t seventeen anymore. She was nearing thirty and the mother of a nine-year-old boy.
“I have Seth to consider.”
“We’ll take him with us.”
“I can’t just pack up and go. He has school. I have a house and a job.”
“Then join me as soon as you can.” He cradled her face between his hands, brushed the pad of his thumb across her lips.
His touch was bliss, and Paige found herself leaning into him.
Before she quite realized what was happening, he maneuvered her toward the bunk.
“No, Wyatt. Wait.”
He stopped, groaning low and harsh. “You’re right. My timing stinks.”
“For a lot of reasons.”
“I don’t think you realize how much I want you. How much I always have.”
Her heart beat rapidly in her chest. “I want you, too.”
His fingers sifted through her hair. “You’ll love Wyoming. It’s beautiful. Wild. The town where we have the rodeo school is straight out of a picture book.”
Saying yes would be so easy.
“No. I’m sorry.” The strength of her refusal took both of them by surprise.
Wyatt stepped away, as far as the cramped space would allow. “I guess I misunderstood.”
“You didn’t,” Paige said and gently took his hand. “I’ve cared for you since we were teenagers. But I’m not leaving with you. We’ve been through this before.”
“It’s different now. I have a place to go, a job, money in the bank. I won’t disappoint you.”
She raised her chin. “If you want me, Wyatt—and my son because we’re a package deal—you’re going to have to prove it by staying. I’ve suffered enough broken promises and won’t chase after any man. Not even you.”
Paige’s speech came straight from her heart. She wanted someone willing to sacrifice for her. Who’d fight for her and their future.
Wyatt reached out—not for her but his cowboy hat on the counter. Plunking the hat on his head, he adjusted the fit, a forced smile firmly in place.
“You and my mother are the only people in Roundup who matter to me and who want me in their lives.”
“That isn’t true.”
“Really?”
“Dinah’s still your friend. And Ace and Austin Wright.”
“Maybe. But tomorrow, after I’m gone, their lives will be exactly the same as before I came to town. Yours and Mom’s will, too. Might take a little longer. A week or two.”
“Do you seriously think that’s how little you matter to us?”
Was that how little she mattered to him?
A few steamy kisses didn’t a lifelong commitment make. However, she and Wyatt had been a huge part of each other’s lives for years. They could be once more.
Wyatt lifted his duffel bag from the bench seat and dropped it on the table. “No one wanted me to come home, least of all my dad and brother. Even you weren’t happy to see me at first.”
“I was hurt,” Paige said. “You didn’t send for me, then forgot all about me after we’d been such good friends.”
“I didn’t forget about you. Not a day passed you weren’t on my mind.”
“Stay a while longer,” Paige implored. “Just until after the party. There’s supposed to be a blizzard tonight. The highway will be a mess.”
Fear and disappointment kept Paige from asking Wyatt what was truly in her heart: to give them the chance they both deserved.
“You know what’s funny?” he said. “I still don’t know who sent me the invitation.”
Paige did, but she wasn’t ready to tell Wyatt. “Would it make a difference?”
“Depends on who, I suppose.”
He’d given her an answer, whether he realized it or not.
“Please come.” He tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear, let his fingers linger.
“Stay.”
His smile fell.
She stumbled backwards, his rejection too painful to bear. “I’m worth fighting for.”
“How can I live in a town where everyone thinks the worst of me?”
“Everyone? Or, just you?”
Pain flared in his eyes.
Paige started to apologize, only to hesitate. She wasn’t sorry.
“I’m going,” he said.
Simple as that.
She opened the motor home door and stepped outside. Snow pelted her
, a thick, frigid swirl that sucked the air from her lungs.
Without a single backwards glance, she hurried straight for the dim outline of her back door. She sensed more than saw Wyatt trudge in the direction of the gate. As she reached the door, she heard the rattle of the gate opening, then her name.
Unable to help herself, she turned.
Wyatt stood at the gate, his duffel bag slung over one shoulder, his hat pulled low to protect his face.
He spoke, whatever he said swept away by the wind. Then, he slipped through the gate and out of her life.
Just like before.
Inside the house, Paige leaned against the closed door, her world shattered.
Had Wyatt really just told her he loved her?
* * *
A loud rapping penetrated Wyatt’s sleep-muddled brain. He sat up and hollered, “Yeah,” before studying the unfamiliar bedroom.
Not a hotel room. He wasn’t on the road.
“You awake yet?” Dinah called through the closed door.
Memories returned. He’d spent the night at Thunder Ranch, following Dinah through the blizzard after she rescued him from the side of the road where he’d been stranded. Lucky for him she’d been out on patrol.
“Just got up.” He sprang from the bed, grabbed his jeans and quickly donned them.
“Coffee’s on, if you’re interested.”
“Be right there.” He found his shirt from the previous day on the floor.
The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee led him to the spacious kitchen. Ace and Dinah sat at the table, papers spread out between them. A half-empty box of donuts sat open.
“Help yourself,” Dinah offered. “We don’t stand on ceremony here.”
“Thanks.” Wyatt poured a mug of coffee, drank several long, hot swallows and filled his mug again. “For the coffee and the use of your guest room.”
“Rough night?” Ace asked, looking up from the papers.
“Guess I should have known better than to try and drive in the middle of the worst blizzard in twenty years.”
“Where were you heading in such a hurry?”
Dinah shot her brother a glance that told him in no uncertain terms to mind his own business.
“It’s okay.” Wyatt sat at the table next to her, then addressed Ace. “Back to Wyoming.”
“You just got here.”
“Things haven’t gone as well as I’d hoped they would.”
Wyatt: Return of the Cowboy Page 5