41. PAIGE
41
PAIGE
I don’t know why I expect to see Rhett in the morning. Of course he’s gone.
From the couch, I stare at the empty bed. Rhett’s side is perfectly made. I don’t know if that means he slept in the living room last night or made it before he left.
More concerning is why I’m still exhausted after sleeping twelve hours. I’ve never slept that long before.
After I get dressed for the day, I drag myself into the office, where I find a vet bill that makes my eyes bulge.
We’ve waited as long as we could for the auction, but that also means our funds are getting low. I cut the check and stare at it with a stone in my stomach.
I turn to the wall calendar, where this Friday and Saturday are circled in bright red Sharpie. Will we be able to sell any of our animals this weekend? Will the farm be ruined if we don’t?
I can’t believe that Harlan would pull the rug out from under us. Is he that heartless? Rhett must know him better than I do, but I don’t think we should give up.
My phone rings. It’s Abby.
When I answer, her happy voice makes me smile. “How’s the baby?”
“Janie’s doing great. She’s such a happy girl. Nick says she’s perfect.”
“Of course she is.” That knot I’m getting familiar with tightens my throat. “I’m so happy for you. Send me photos when you get a chance.” I might be in misery, but I love Abby and Nick and want the best for them.
“I wore your vest to Saturday’s game. I got so many compliments. I hope you don’t mind, but I gave your info to a few of the other wives and girlfriends.”
I tilt my head. “You mean NFL players’ wives and girlfriends?”
She chuckles. “Yes.”
“That’s… wow. That’s cool.”
“Think you could make me something else if I send you more jerseys? I want to get in the queue in case you get busy.”
This is the perfect project to get my mind off everything. I grab a piece of paper to take notes. “What did you have in mind?”
When I get off the phone, I’m feeling more hopeful. I decide that Rhett needs me to be optimistic. We can figure our way out of this situation if we put our heads together.
I’ll deal with him and the Darlene situation later. There’s a reckoning coming for sure, but first we have to make sure we don’t go bankrupt. Then I’ll chew out his ass.
I get into the kitchen and start making lunch. I’m sure the guys are going to have another long day. The least I can do is get them something to eat. Eventually, Pauline brings the boys in, and I feed them a pasta salad and some grilled ham and cheese sandwiches with pickles.
After an hour, though, I start to worry that the guys aren’t going to make it home again, when I hear a truck door slam.
Beau and Rhett are back. They look exhausted.
“Hey, guys.” I force some cheer into my voice because they look like they could use it. Rhett and I might not be in a good place right now, but I know he’s going through a lot. So I put the Darlene drama and my pregnancy and the fact that he’s being distant aside. “I’m making lunch. Are you hungry?”
Beau gives me a small smile. “Food would be great.”
Rhett barely looks at me. “Sure.”
Sure? When we get done with this crisis, I’m going to throttle him for being an asshole. In the meanwhile, I practice deep breathing.
I return to the stove, where I grill their sandwiches. On the counter, my phone lights up with a message. I don’t recognize the number. I pull it up and press speaker so I can finish cooking.
“Hi, Paige. This is Lauren Wilcox from Elite Cheer in Florida. I got your number from your former coach, who said you might be available this fall. I need a full-time coach to work with my advanced high school-aged kids. Are you interested? Give me a call so we can chat. Here’s the thing, though. I would need to know as soon as possible.”
Holy shit. I grin, excited that they thought of me. Obviously, I can’t run off to Florida now, but I’m so honored they thought of me.
Looking up, I find Rhett watching me. “That’s the sister program to the one in Austin.”
“Are you gonna go?” he asks.
I frown. “They’re in Florida.”
He shrugs. “So? They’re a good program, right? Isn’t that what you wanted?”
Is he for real right now? Why is he acting like this? “Rhett, I’m not sure why?—”
Someone rings the doorbell, and he pushes out of his chair to answer it.
Beau gives me a sympathetic smile. “That’s probably the guy from the Texas Livestock Commission, Eugene Dods. We’ve been waiting to hear from him.”
Rhett steps outside, and Beau joins him.
I run to the front window and see them talking to a slender man with glasses and a bushy black mustache. The guy is jotting notes on a clipboard and shaking his head.
I can’t hear what they’re saying, but Rhett looks pissed. I crack open the front door.
“But the test results aren’t in yet,” my husband argues. “How the hell can you quarantine my entire herd? Only five have gotten sick, and we don’t know if it’s viral yet.”
The guy adjusts his glasses. “Sir, I’m just doing my job, and that means containing this outbreak.” He must be from that state agency.
“It’s not an outbreak. How can you call it that when we don’t have confirmation yet? What if the rest are fine? You’re going to lock down my healthy cattle too when I have an auction I need to get to this weekend? They got a clean bill of health two weeks ago.”
Dods tears off a sheet of paper and hands it to Rhett. “Here are my findings. I’m sorry, but you can’t transport any animals from this property until I clear you.”
“And when might that be?”
“Hard to say. A few weeks. Maybe a month.”
“A month?” Rhett bellows. “Are you insane?”
Beau wraps his arm around his brother’s shoulders and tugs him back a few steps. The agency guy scuttles off to his truck like he’s afraid Rhett might beat his ass.
As his taillights disappear in the distance, I realize our best shot of turning around this situation is speeding down our potholed driveway like the devil is on his tail.
My heart hurts as I watch my husband.
I’ve never seen that kind of devastation in his eyes before. I want to throw my arms around him. I want to scream and cry at the injustice of this situation.
But more than anything, I want my husband to come to me. I want him to let me soothe his pain and be the rock he needs. I want us to be the partners he said we’d be.
Instead, he stalks off toward the barn.