“Because I have no reason to lie to you,” Rebecca replied, not breaking their gaze. “I know how hard it is to trust people. And I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life wondering if you should have believed him. I do love him, Liz, but only as a friend. Even before Alec and I were together, there was never anything between us.”
She could tell that Liz was listening to her. She could almost see the rage draining from her face, gradually being replaced with defeat.
Finally Liz released a quiet sigh and dropped her gaze to the ground. “It does make me feel better to know that,” she said, glancing up at her again. “Do you know why it took us so long to become friends?”
As unprepared as Rebecca was for that question, she had a feeling that the answer would be even worse. “Why?”
“Because of something that happened the night I met you.” She gave a sad smile. “On your birthday, remember?”
“Of course.”
“Tommy and I were sitting at the table, and you and Alli were up on stage singing karaoke. I don’t think anyone else noticed it, but I saw the way he was looking at you. It was like everyone else in the room didn’t even exist.”
Rebecca cringed. “Liz, I–”
“But I was already in love with him,” she continued, almost to herself. “So I convinced myself that I was imagining it. And by the time he proposed, I figured that either he’d finally gotten over you or maybe I really had imagined the whole thing.”
Liz paused and shook her head. “I must sound so naïve.”
“No,” Rebecca said instantly. “If anyone was naïve, it was me. I swear to you that I had no idea. When he pulled me aside tonight, I never thought that–”
“I was there, Rebecca. I know what happened.”
Her heart sank even lower, if that was possible. “He loves you, Liz. I know that he does.”
“And I love him, too. That’s not the problem.” She gave a helpless shrug and glanced out at the parking lot. “The problem is that he’s also in love with somebody else.”
Two tears leaked from Rebecca’s eyes before she could stop them. “I’m so sorry. If there was anything I could do to change things, I would. I care about both of you so much and I just want you to be happy. I feel so terrible.”
“I feel terrible for you, too. I’m sure you’re blaming yourself when none of this is actually your fault.” Liz met her gaze again. “Anyway, I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“For announcing to your entire family that you’re having an affair.”
Rebecca’s chin dropped. “You think I’m worried about that right now? It’s nothing compared to your relationship with Tommy and the life you two were planning together.”
Liz was silent for a moment. “You know, I’ve been sitting here all night wondering if there’s any way of moving past this. I think that some women could honestly ignore it and just be glad that they’re with such a great guy in the first place.”
Rebecca felt a tiny flutter of hope. “And?”
“And I’m not one of them. I don’t want to be his consolation prize.”
*
Rebecca’s shoulders sagged in defeat as she returned to her truck. The spring storm had finally arrived, dropping a wet, sloppy mixture of sleet and snow on her windshield. If anything, it fit her mood perfectly. She frowned as she turned on her windshield wipers and pulled onto the main road, wishing the night had ended differently.
She didn’t even know what she’d expected. Maybe deep down, she’d hoped she would say something that would make Liz give Tommy another chance. Maybe part of her was holding on to the notion that something good could come from this whole mess.
But it hadn’t. Alec was right, she realized. There were some situations that simply couldn’t be fixed. There would be no wedding tomorrow; no dancing and laughing and toasting the newlyweds. There would only be silence and remorse and the sight of Tommy making his way down the driveway for the final time.
Tommy.
Everything had happened so fast that she didn’t even have a chance to process what he’d said.
Haven’t you ever wondered if it should have been us?
Maybe somewhere in her first few weeks on the ranch, the idea had crossed her mind. After all, the two of them did hit it off. And when Tommy asked her to dinner, her reason for turning him down had nothing to do with him personally.
It was bad timing, that was all. And if it hadn’t been…who knew? Maybe something would have developed between them; maybe she would have ended up with him instead of Alec.
But that wasn’t the way it happened.
Rebecca sighed as she watched the snow swirl in the beams of the headlights. How had she never seen it before? It was so obvious now that she thought about it. Clearly he’d looked for every opportunity to spend time with her. It was his idea to compete in team roping together, and during the summers he always scheduled her to work the same shifts that he did.
She grimaced now at the way she’d greet him in the mornings, with a friendly hug or a kiss on the cheek. She’d never meant anything by it, but she never would have behaved that way if she knew the truth.
Do you really feel nothing at all for me?
She’d never contemplated it before, but now she couldn’t help but wonder how different her life would be if she’d fallen for Tommy instead. No doubt it’d be a lot less complicated than her life with Alec. She’d told Tommy in Las Vegas that he was the type of man who’d make his wife the center of his world, and she had no doubts that he would. He was sweet and charming and he could always make her laugh, and she loved that about him. There were a million different things that she loved about him.
But did she love him?
No, not like she loved Alec. Her falling for Alec didn’t have the most ideal timing, either, but she was as powerless to stop it as she was from stopping the earth from spinning.
The smile on her lips faded to a grimace. What did Alec think of all this? Yes, he knew the truth–that she’d never been unfaithful to him–but she hadn’t thought to assure him that Tommy’s feelings were one-sided. She hadn’t thought to tell him that she’d never once considered the idea of leaving. She hadn’t thought to tell him that he always was and always would be the only man she’d ever loved.
Well, now she knew exactly what she was going to do when she got home tonight.
Rebecca was so deep in thought that she almost jumped when the red glow of eyes glimmered through her windshield. Automatically she tapped the brakes and turned the wheel, but the young elk was already trotting safely past the shoulder of the road.
She straightened out the truck and gave a silent sigh of relief, trying to calm her pounding heart. That was close.
Before she could take another breath, she again saw the glow of eyes. This time, though, it was a full-grown bull elk, standing directly in the center of the highway. Rebecca gasped and slammed on her brakes, but she was already in too close.
For a terrifying moment, the world moved in slow motion as her truck skid across the icy road. Then there was a sickening crunch as the hood of the truck connected with the animal, followed by the sound of shattering glass.
The last thing she saw was a massive pair of antlers coming straight towards her before everything went black.
Chapter 35
Alec awoke to the feel of a tiny tongue licking his face. He chuckled before he could stop himself, simultaneously wiping his cheek and pushing Dakota away.
“It’s too early,” he mumbled.
He rolled over to reach for his wife and instead found a thick leather cushion. With a frown, he opened his eyes to find himself in the living room. Why was he sleeping on the couch?
Then the events of last night came rushing back to him, parading through his mind like a bad dream. Rebecca had gone into town to talk to Liz and he’d stayed downstairs to await her return. She must have come home late and found him there and decided to let him sleep.
Well, he’d certainly repa
y the favor. She must be exhausted, too, after such an emotional night. He pushed himself to his feet and stretched his stiff muscles before he shuffled into the kitchen. He switched on the coffeepot and stepped over to the bay window, grimacing when he saw Tommy loading the contents of his cabin into his truck.
As much as he was dreading it, Alec needed to talk to him before he left.
He poured himself a cup of coffee and was about to sit at the breakfast table when his eyes landed on the driveway. Where was Rebecca’s truck?
Instantly he set down his mug and jogged up the stairs, opening the door to their bedroom to be sure he wasn’t imagining things. Sure enough, the bed was empty. He reached for the phone next, punching in the number to her cell phone.
The call went straight to her voice mail.
Alec set down the receiver and racked his brain for a logical solution. She was upset last night and she’d gone to see Liz…then she must have stopped off at Jeff and Allison’s to explain the whole fiasco. There was probably a message on his cell phone that she was going to crash at their place for the night.
He headed downstairs and was relieved to see two voicemails waiting for him. “Hi, Alec. This is Bonnie from Alpine Realty,” came a cheerful voice. “I was calling to see if you–”
He sighed and skipped the message. “Hey, bro,” Jeff began. “I don’t even know what to say about what happened tonight. I tried Bec’s phone a couple times, but I guess she’s not up to talking about it. Anyway, just wanted to make sure you two were okay.”
The next thing he heard was an electronic voice telling him that he had no more messages. Alec ended the call and immediately dialed Jeff’s number, trying to swallow the paranoia in his throat.
“Hey,” Jeff greeted. “How are you doing?”
“Hopefully better in a minute. Is Rebecca there?”
“I don’t think so. But let me check.”
There was an excruciating ten seconds of silence before Jeff returned. “No, she’s not here. Did she come into town last night?”
“Yeah, to talk to Liz.” Alec couldn’t imagine her staying at Liz’s apartment, but stranger things had happened. “Maybe she’s still there. I’ll keep you posted.”
He hung up before Jeff could respond. Then he scrolled through his phone and cursed under his breath when he realized that he didn’t have Liz’s number. Fortunately, there was one person on the ranch who did.
Alec pulled on his boots and a jacket before he started down the hill towards Tommy’s cabin. Tommy was exiting the front door with a box in his arms when Alec stepped onto the porch.
“Have you talked to Liz today?”
Tommy glared at him. “That’s a joke, right?”
“No. Bec went to see her last night and she never came home.”
Instantly Tommy’s demeanor changed. He glanced up the hill at the empty driveway before he set down the box and reached into his pocket.
“She isn’t going to answer when she sees it’s me.”
Alec snatched Tommy’s phone from his hand. “I’ll dial it from mine.”
He typed the number into his phone and pressed it to his ear, willing her to answer. The phone rang five, then six times, before he heard Liz’s groggy voice.
“Hello?”
“Liz, it’s Alec. Is Rebecca there?”
There was a slight pause. “Why would she be here?”
“She came to see you last night, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, for a couple of minutes. Then she left.”
“Was she upset when she left? Did she say where she was going?”
“No, she seemed fine. I assumed she was going home.”
Alec’s heart plummeted to his feet. “Thanks,” he said before he ended the call.
Tommy stared back at him in concern. “She probably went to Jeff and Alli’s–”
“You think they weren’t the first ones I called?”
He spun on his heel and headed for his truck, double-checking that his keys were in his pocket. Then he brought the engine to life and backed out of the driveway, silently assuring himself that nothing was wrong.
Something was wrong, though. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach.
Alec tore down the driveway and wasn’t surprised to see Tommy following behind him. It did surprise him, though, when he turned onto the main road and noticed a thin layer of ice on the asphalt. He hadn’t even realized that it snowed last night.
Was the visibility bad when she’d left Jackson? Had she pulled over to wait it out and simply fallen asleep?
He tried to convince himself that was the case as he sped down the highway. Eventually the sun peeked over the mountaintops, transforming the ice on the roadway into slippery slush. Alec gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles, scanning each side of the highway for any sign of her truck.
Only when his cell phone rang and he reached into his pocket to answer it did he realize how violently his hands were trembling.
“Turn around,” was all Tommy said.
*
Tommy ended the call and immediately dialed 911, describing their location as he stopped his truck on the shoulder of the road. Then he stepped out and closed the door behind him, if for no other reason than to buy an extra second of time.
An extra second to pretend that he wasn’t seeing what he was seeing.
Rebecca’s truck sat buried in a grove of evergreens about fifty feet back from the road. Smears of blood stained the muddy snow and shards of glass littered the ground, but Tommy hardly noticed. He walked slowly at first, forcing one foot in front of the other like he was staggering through a dream.
Then, as he got closer, he saw the body of the elk sprawled across the remnants of the hood. He opened his mouth and tried to call Rebecca’s name, but his voice was trapped inside his throat.
At last he broke into a jog, slipping and sliding in the half-frozen mud. When he reached the truck, the sight that greeted him nearly stopped his heart. The elk’s head had crashed straight through the windshield…on the driver’s side.
Tommy felt strangely detached from reality as he reached for the handle and opened the door. He’d never seen so much blood; the entire cab of the truck was saturated in red. What made his stomach convulse, though, was seeing Rebecca. She sat unmoving in the driver’s seat, her head tilted lifelessly to the side and her white coat splattered with blood.
The tips of the elk’s antlers had gored her chest, pinning her to the seat in a scene so gruesome that Tommy refused to believe it.
“Bec?” he choked.
There was no response. He reached with a trembling hand to push her hair off her face, expecting to see shock or pain or fear etched across her features. To his surprise, he saw none of those things. Instead she looked peaceful and serene…like she was lost somewhere in a pleasant dream.
“Rebecca!”
The sound of Alec’s voice shattered all thoughts of pleasant dreams. Tommy glanced at the elk and the blood and the pallor of Rebecca’s skin, suddenly realizing that this nightmare was real. He had to place a hand on the door to steady himself as he stepped away from the truck and turned to Alec.
The instant Alec saw Tommy’s face, he stopped dead in his tracks.
“I just called for an ambulance,” Tommy managed to say. “But I don’t think it’s going to matter–”
His words were lost when Alec tried to brush past him. Tommy reacted purely on instinct, stepping in front of him to block his path.
“Are you going to let me by?” Alec snapped.
Tommy shook his head. He felt every ounce of Alec’s rage as he again attempted to push past him. This time Tommy grabbed his shirt and forced him back against the truck bed.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” Alec shrieked, trying and failing to shove Tommy off of him. “That’s my wife in there!”
“Listen to me,” Tommy said, staring his friend dead in the eye. “I am doing you a favor.”
Alec gave an infuriated shout and
rammed his fist into Tommy’s gut, momentarily knocking the wind out of him. Tommy coughed and gasped for breath, giving Alec the split second he needed to wrestle out of his grasp.
Before Alec could take two steps, Tommy grabbed his weak arm and wrenched it behind his back. Alec cried out and dropped to his knees, but Tommy didn’t stop there. He forced Alec to the ground and pushed his face into the grass, kneeling on his ribs to make sure he stayed down.
“Trust me, Alec. You do not want to see what I just saw.”
Chapter 36
Alec remained there long after Tommy stood, if for no other reason than he didn’t have the strength to stand.
As long as he didn’t move, he could pretend like this wasn’t happening. If he closed his eyes, he could even pretend like he was at home. He could pretend that he’d just silenced his alarm clock and turned over to wrap his arms around his wife, because that’s where she was. She was home right now, sleeping peacefully in their bed.
She wasn’t inside this truck.
She couldn’t be inside this truck.
Tommy stood ten feet away, leaning against the tailgate with his head bowed low. How ironic, Alec thought, that the two of them would find her. How ironic that the two of them would be here together, silently sharing the worst moment of their lives.
Tommy looked like he was on the verge of tears, and in an odd way Alec was almost envious. He wanted to cry, but like the day his father died, he couldn’t.
He was too numb to cry.
The sound of an approaching siren brought Alec reeling back to the present. Only when the ambulance rolled to a stop beside him did he finally lift his head and push himself to his feet.
Tommy briefly met his gaze, but Alec said nothing as he brushed past him into the sanctuary of the trees. He couldn’t watch the paramedics pull his wife’s body from the truck. He wasn’t ready to see that.
He would never be ready to see that.
Alec could hear voices and slamming doors behind him, but he didn’t turn his head. He strode rapidly through the forest, not knowing or caring where he was going.
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